short-cut cheats

No doubt you have noticed by now that I generally “start from scratch” with most of my cooking. I do so for many reasons:

#1 – I love to cook, and cooking is therapeutic for me.

#2 – I like to know exactly what I’m getting so I don’t like to get my stuff from cans with tons of preservatives.

#3 – It’s healthier.

#4 – It’s what I do, I’m a cooking teacher, after all! That is why this recipe goes against “how I cook”.

Let’s get my run down on this recipe:

#1 – purchased cooked chicken – check.

#2 – pre-shredded cheese blend – check.

#3 – processed garlic cubes – check.

#4 – canned creamed soup – check. 

#5 – canned and chopped green chilies – check.

OK, so two of those items I am an advocate for… the rotisserie chicken and the garlic cubes – love, love, love them both. But the canned soup!?! That is nearly forbidden in this house! And I don’t often pay more just to have my cheese already grated for me – wasteful and sometimes it seems a bit dried out to me. The canned green chilies – sometimes, but I prefer to roast and peel them myself – have superior flavor!  All that said, this is still a great recipe. It tastes good, looks good, and is quick and easy.

Cheater’s Chicken Enchiladas

Arrange about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla.  Roll the filled tortilla up jelly-roll style; place enchilada in the prepared baking dish.