It's October 2!
Yes!
Let all things orange and pumpkin spice and sweater-wearin' and boot wearin' and chili eatin' begin!
I know the first day of Fall was officially September 23, but September is basically still Summer weather-wise in Alabama...
As is the first half of October.
However, just saying "October" feels much more autumnal than saying "September."
Don't you think?
Let's start the season off with a new-to-me recipe, shall we?
This particular recipe comes from the cookbook Love Welcome Serve, Recipes that Gather and Give by Amy Nelson Hannon.
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
You will need the following:
3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 larger can or 2 small cans of chopped green chiles
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 8-ounce block of cream cheese
2 cups freshly shredded cheddar
2 cups freshly shredded Monterey jack
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of juice from jarred jalapenos
10 large flour tortillas
1 pint of heavy cream
A few shakes of paprika and chili powder
Cilantro
1. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet or saucepan with some depth, saute chopped onion in 1 teaspoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil until transparent.
3. Add green chiles and saute a minute or two. Turn down heat to medium-low; add block of cream cheese and stir until melted.
4. Stir in shredded chicken. Stir in cumin, salt and jalapeno juice. Taste for salt and seasoning; add more if needed.
5. Remove from saucepan and pour into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Add in 3 cups of the cheese, reserving 1 cup of cheese for later. Stir well to combine.
6. Spread each tortilla with the chicken/cheese mixture, roll and line them up in a greased 9" x 13" dish. You will need to cram them! Pour the heavy cream over the enchiladas, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and shake a little paprika and chili powder over the top.
7. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Turn up heat to 375 and bake another 10 minutes or so to make them bubbly and begin to brown the cheese on top. Sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro. Serve with sour cream, salsa and slices of avocado.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - This was excellent. It would make a great dish to serve when expecting company for dinner, and you would still have leftovers for the next day or two.
Quotable Quotes - Our quote today comes from the Definitely Enchanting Audrey Hepburn (1929 - 1993).
"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and I believe in miracles."
Restaurant Review - City Bowls 2 Truck - Actually, this is more of a Food Truck Review, but I'm not going to open up a new category.
I was in Adorned Boutique in Gardendale a while back, and I asked the owner to tell me about the bowls I had seen on Instagram the week before. I thought they were being sold in the store, but NOPE. A food truck parks in their parking lot periodically, and you can order the bowls from them.
I am a complete novice when it comes to the "bowl movement," even though I made a Mexican Quinoa Bowl recipe a few months back and it was SO good. I served it like a taco salad on a plate with tortilla chips instead of in a bowl, so you can tell I didn't understand the importance of stacking ingredients...
IN A BOWL.
However, after hearing about the City Bowls 2 truck coming to the Adorned Boutique parking lot from 4:30 to 7:00 on this particular Wednesday, I was THERE!
I will be honest. The menu for a first timer is perplexing, to say the least.
But I am an asker of questions, so after some inquiries of fellow line standers, I decided to start at the beginning.
I ordered the Powerhouse Bowl which is kind of like a starter bowl for amateurs.
I may never leave amateur status.
It was so good.
The following is what you will find in the Powerhouse Bowl:
Base - Acai, Almond Milk, Bananas, Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Vanilla Whey Protein
I don't know what all of these things are (acai, vanilla whey protein), but I did find out when mixed together they make the prettiest purply color smoothie "base."
Then when you add...
Toppings - Bananas, Blueberries, Granola, Peanut Butter, Nutella, Strawberries
Wow. SO, SO good.
It is cold and refreshing and sweet and fruity all at the same time.
Dare I say it...
It is the perfect July in Alabama food (or October in Alabama food).
And "they" say it is healthy for you.
Win/win/win/win.
The 12 ounce bowl is filling and costs $8.25, but there is also a 16 ounce bowl for $10.25.
I had it for dinner that particular night, so my very healthy, very delicious, very colorful dinner was $8.25...
And I would most definitely do this on a weekly basis.
MOST...
DEFINITELY.
NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - If you follow Adorned Boutique on Instagram, they will post a few days ahead when the City Bowl Truck will be in their parking lot. (I check for it every single day!)
RANDOMNESS #1 - Head Over Teal 5K/10K/Fall Festival - Usually our family walks in the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer MotherWalk in May. This year, we decided to try the Laura Crandall Brown Head Over Teal 5K/10K/Fall Festival which is held in September.
The money raised from both walks goes to Ovarian Cancer Research, and in the five years and seven months my Mother had this type of cancer, there were significant discoveries regarding screening and treatment. It is a very worthwhile way to spend a morning.
On this particular day, everyone was able to attend except Josh. He and Austin both work Saturdays, and sometimes it just doesn't work out.
We were so fortunate to be able to fill his spot with Judith and Eden's precious cousin, Nelly.
This particular walk is held at the Hoover Preserve which is a beautiful place for a walk/run. It was a little "hilly" here and there, but that was okay. Water stations, shady spots and some very handy lawn sprinklers kept us from losing our cool.
Sweet Nelly.
This was Eden's first Ovarian Cancer Walk, and she handled it like a champ.
Here are just a few pics of the wonderful sprinkler system mentioned above!
Little chicks can be SO dramatic.
RT decided to finish the 5K STRONG!
After we all crossed the Finish Line, we headed over to the Fall Festival portion of the day. They had pumpkin decorating, face painting, inflatables, live music, food...
And bubbles.
And benches.
I don't want to forget to mention the benches!
There were a lot of participants, but none of the lines for activities were overly crowded...
Including the bouncy house.
All in all, a morning well spent with family doing something to try to help all those who are dealing with or have dealt with this horrible disease.
RANDOMNESS #2 - Upcoming Post... Roxie's birthday was last week. Courtney's birthday was a couple of weeks before. Josh's birthday is fast approaching.
This past weekend we had our usual combined birthday party for these three, and I'll share the rest of the birthday pics next week.
I couldn't, however, wait another week to show these two...
There's a lot to love in this photo...
And obviously in this one, too.
She has her Daddy's thighs.
Heavy, happy sigh.
I hope y'all have a tremendous week. I'll be back soon with the rest of the birthday festivities and pics, as well as a new addition to My New Favorite Things list.
Sincerely,
The Enchanting Belinda
"I hate it when I finally get caught up with my laundry, and I see my family walking around wearing clothes."
"A million kids want to clean up the earth. A million parents want them to start with their rooms."
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