Friday, February 26, 2010

creamy chicken enchiladas.

a recipe, as promised.
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[ps. they look and taste WAY better in real life than what it looks like in this picture. it's really hard to get good pictures of food when you and 2 grown men are starving].

my mom used to make this for dinner when we were growing up, but for some reason i didn't like them then, i don't know why. so my mom stopped making them as much [my sister still blames me]. and because she stopped making them, i never really got to try them as an adult, now that i actually know what good food tastes like. 

until, over the summer, i went to visit my boyfriend's family and his mom made them for sunday dinner. i couldn't tell her that i didn't like them, it would be rude and everyone would think i was weird. so i decided i would just eat them as best i could and fake a smile. but you know what? i actually liked them. it was a really exciting day for me.

then last week, i was craving chicken enchiladas like you would not believe. i e-mailed my mom for her recipe, but apparently she doesn't have one. she just throws stuff in as she goes. so that's what i did - with the help of my friend justin.

here's what you'll need:
12 tortillas
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb. container sour cream
2, 10 oz. cans of cream of chicken soup
1 can olives
9 oz. diced green chiles
3 c. grated cheese

first, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
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then, boil your chicken breasts. i had never boiled chicken before this, but it was so easy and they turned out so tender and delicious. boil for 10-15 minutes, until cooked all the way through.
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if you use frozen chicken breasts, like we did, you may have to cook them for closer to 20 minutes. because if they look like this, they're not done.
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feel free to use already cooked tortillas. but as for me, i love love love the raw tortillas that you have to cook yourself. so while the chicken was boiling, i cooked up 12 tortillas.
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next, you'll want to mix together the sour cream and the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup.
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then, add the green chiles. we used a 2oz. and a 7oz. can, and the spiciness was moderate. feel free to add more or less, depending on how spicy you would like your enchiladas to be. [i might add more next time].

and make sure you get lots of pictures of stirring in green chiles, because it is apparently exciting.
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once this is stirred through, put about a cup of it aside to spread across the top later.

struggle opening a can of olives. or open it easily, it works either way.
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slice the olives, and stir them into the filling mixture.
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then, slice the chicken into bite size pieces, and stir them into the mixture as well.
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now to the last, and most important, part. cheese. grate 3 cups of cheese - we used medium cheddar and pepperjack. mmm, pepperjack. only pour 2 of the 3 cups into the filling mixture; you'll use the remaining cup to spread across the top. stir it up and the filling is done!
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put about this much mixture inside each tortilla.
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fight a little bit over who gets to roll them up.
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[i won. obviously].
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roll up the enchilada.
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and place it in a glass pan.
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once the pan is full, spread the filling across the top - the cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, and green chile mixture you saved earlier. (sorry, we forgot to take a picture of that step).

then, sprinkle atop the cup of cheese you saved. yum.
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put pan into the oven at 375 for 35 minutes.
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my mouth is watering.

our 8x11 glass pan only fit 9 of the tortillas, but our filling made enough to fill 12. so we cooked the extra 3 in a little glass bread-sized pan. 

and just fyi, these heat up to make amazing leftovers, and you can even freeze them, unthaw them, and bake them another day if you feel like making more than one batch.

happy cooking :)

Thursday, February 25, 2010

just a little update.

HillHouse


i've eaten AND showered today. successful day for me.

this gorgeous home is in scotland, designed by one of my favorite architects and designers that i've learned about in my history of architecture class.

i have a hot date lined up tonight. breakfast burritos and the dollar movies. life does not get much better, let me tell you.

stay tuned tomorrow for a delicious + fairly easy delicious recipe. you know, in case you don't know what to make for sunday dinner.

that's all. happy thursday.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

today.

Photo 250

[this is an old picture. diet coke and i are no longer speaking. let's change the subject, i'm sad about it]

happy wednesday:
wake up
pray
read scriptures in bed
start studying for my architecture test, in bed
realize that i can't study in my messy bedroom
start to organize messy bedroom
realize that i don't have time to do that
study in my messy bedroom
remember i had finance homework due today
do my finance homework
brush teeth
put on mascara and uggs
head out the door
head back in the door after i see the rain
grab an umbrella
head out the door, again
think about driving to campus so i can get a diet coke on the way
tell myself that i no longer drink diet coke
take the bus to campus
turn in finance homework
go to biology
study architecture while sitting in biology class
leave class for a minute to buy a chocolate milk out of a vending machine
go back to class and not pay attention while biology teacher is talking about coniferous forests, study instead
go to my architecture class
study more architecture
take architecture test
feel really really good about myself when i see a 91% and a 'great job' next to my id number on the testing center screen
like, really good.
have an awesome roommate offer to pick me up from campus so i don't have to wait for the next bus.
take up said awesome roommate on said offer
get home
change out of the clothes i was wearing all day (and also wore to bed. gross, i know)
fix hair
put on blush. and a little more mascara
see awesome boyfriend for not long enough at all (my fault, not his)
think about how handsome he looks when he wears ties. he does, just saying
go to church meeting
come back home
blog


in case you're wondering why i didn't list taking a shower or eating, it's because i didn't do those things today. oh how i love college [a little bit serious, but mostly sarcastic, in case you were wondering].

Monday, February 22, 2010

dear children of mine [that i don't have yet],

crewcuts

[photo via jcrew]

first of all, i certainly hope you'll like cute clothes. chances are you'll be the most stylish kids on the street, and it would make my life a lot easier if you don't tear off your headbands or ties at the first opportunity you find. don't worry, i know how to sew - so your halloween costumes will always be fantastic. and i promise i won't mind when you start telling me your costume ideas in june - i will probably already be thinking about it.

when i was your age, the day after my birthday i would already be planning my party for the next year. so grandma made me follow a "you can't talk about your birthday until one month before" rule. i'll give you 2 months. i like parties.

i'll let you help in the kitchen, even if it means the job will take twice as long. you can sit on the counter, dump the ingredients into the bowl, and help me mix. you can even lick the beaters (someone needs to do it).

there will be warm chocolate chip cookies and milk waiting for you when you get home from school. except when your dad tells me i'm feeding you too much sugar, then we'll have apples and celery with peanut butter. i'll be so excited to hear about the things you are learning, and i will remember to tell you the funny things your little brother or sister did while you were away. you are going to be my little friends. i'll help you with your homework and read your school books so i can help you understand things that you are having trouble with. maybe we'll even have home school so i can be the one to teach you and making sure you are learning up to your full capability. we'll see :).

i can't wait to read you books - i hope you love books as much as i do. and on special nights, i will let you all snuggle in mom and dad's bed for storytime before it's time to sleep. sometimes, i'll even ask for your help in making our own stories about who knows what. see, i'll need your help.

every morning, we'll read the scriptures and pray as a family. at night, dad and i will tuck each of you in and help you pray. i can't wait to hear your sweet little prayers. before i go to bed, i'll already miss your voices and laughter and i'll have to quietly sneak into your rooms and check on you while you sleep, while i wonder what you're dreaming.

please don't be stinkers so your dad and i will like taking you on family trips. we'll have maps on the walls of our home with little pins denoting places that we've visited and places we want to go.

i'll let you learn whatever instruments you want - even if it's not my favorite. like the trombone. and i'll smile when i hear you trying your darndest, even if it sounds like an elephant is dying. i'll learn how to play the piano better before you get here so we can have one in our home. and i'll play church songs while you sing. just thinking about it makes me happy.

i don't like singing too much in front of people, but i will sing with you. and we will dance and play while we clean up the dishes or do chores to make it just a little more fun.

don't be too fed up with me when i ask you to hold still for picture 100. i promise you'll appreciate it later. trust me, you will love pictures. i'll get you cameras of your own so you can take pictures of things that are important to you. and when you get a little bigger, i'll take you for dates to the park or the beach and teach you how to use mom's fancy camera.

i can't wait to teach you things. i can't wait to teach you big words, and about history and the places we go to visit. but more importantly, i can't wait to teach you about the savior and to watch your testimony grow as you do.

some days may not be as good as others. mom may have a hard time. like if you decide to dump the bag of flour on the ground, or absolutely refuse to take a bath. but i promise that we will figure it all out and i will love you no matter what. i think about how much i love you already, without even meeting you, and can't imagine what it will be like to have you here. sometimes i will probably feel like my heart might just burst with all the love i have for you. which i'll try to remember when we're shopping at the grocery store and you keep wandering off, just like i did.

try not to get too sassy when we play card games as a family, i know where you get it from.

and don't be mad when i make you add sleeves to your prom dress.

i can't wait for you to be here so i can meet you and kiss your little cheeks. i take that back, they will be big cheeks. and i'm ok with that

i love you to the moon and back.


xoxo.
mom

Friday, February 19, 2010

we like bowling.

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my little sister, jen, and my mom were in town last weekend for a cousin's wedding. jennifer's one request from me and the boy was that we go bowling.

so he made her a coupon.

and bowling we went.

and jennifer beat me. she didn't even have bumpers. and it was embarrassing.

at least i look kind of cute when i bowl, right?
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Thursday, February 18, 2010

baby maximus.

baby_max


meet the newest member of the beck family. 

i love him already.

he's 2 and a half weeks old and i need to meet him.

congratulations todd and heidi! (mostly heidi). he's beautiful


xoxo.
jana

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

love. love. love.

valentine_cookie_blog


i had the best intentions for valentine's day and this blog of mine. i was going to make all sorts of awesome valentine's cookies and cupcakes and post them here for inspiration...

but then my computer charger broke.

and my mom and sister came into town.

and my cousin got married.

and i got a sick boyfriend.

so i had to settle for a 3 day late picture of a cookie i made last year. maybe i'll get it right next time. [am i the only one that says that a lot?]

it only took 22 valentine's days for me to snag a valentine of my own. [really, this was my first february 14th with a valentine]. even being sick and practically immobile he managed to make it wonderful. more details on that later.

i hope you all had a lovely day as well. 

what did you do to celebrate?


xoxo.
jana


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

so tired. should be sleeping.



but instead i will dump the scattered contents of my brain onto this little blog of mine.

first. help. do you ever have moments where you know you're thinking crazy? i actually loathe the c word, whether it is warranted or not, so we'll just call them slightly irrational feelings for the sake of being nice. anyway, do you ever know that these feelings are slightly irrational, but you still almost want those feelings validated? you know, just a simple "it totally makes sense that you would feel that way." or does validation just facilitate having those c word feelings? oh goodness.

moving on, see the above photo? definitely sewed that man's tailored shirt. from scratch. feel free to congratulate me. remember this post? i decided to scratch everyone's advice and sew the shirt for myself. because i'm selfish, kind of. i wore it with a big brown belt around my waist and my favorite boots - i was quite the fashionista that day, an exciting moment for me. too bad i've only worn it once since.

speaking of the above photo... 1. i am wearing shorts. 2. i like to take pictures when i have cute days [only because it doesn't happen very often]. sometimes i'll even send them to a certain boy while he's at work. partly because it makes him happy, and partly because i feel like sending him cute pictures of me will make him more excited to see me later. win win, right?

my mom and my little sister are driving up from california. they should be here in an hour or so. i'm slightly debating driving down to my grandma's at 1 in the morning so i can see them as soon as they get here - i am just so excited. i love my family. my little sister, jen, has down syndrome, and she cracks me up sometimes. for example, i called my mom's phone tonight to see where they were, but my mom was sleeping so jen answered the phone. [i should clarify that my aunt and uncle are driving the car, my mom was not asleep at the wheel nor was my down syndrome sister driving]. anyway, i told jen to ask what city there were in, so i would know how much longer they would be. after we got off the phone, she felt the need to send me text messages telling me the cities they were passing through. she is actually quite the texter, and at first i thought it was my mom. until i got this text "The city  wyldetrness   we be there  in 3   hours". does anyone know what city that is? apparently it's 3 hours from provo :)

my little bed that i sleep in has been making my back hurt. which is partly why i'm blogging right now and not sleeping. in fact, i'll probably sleep on our couch. it is SO much better than my bed. sad.

i did a little desktop detox today. meaning, i organized the assortment of scattered photos that i drag from the internet into a folder called 'pretty things'. for some reason, boys find this really funny. but really, that's exactly what they are. things i think are pretty. not funny. practical.

i have been itching to take some couple photos lately. if you know any attractive couples, send them my way. you'd think i'd have a million friends getting engaged up in utah, but apparently they're all anti-marriage. kidding.

my sister-in-law had her baby last sunday and i am dying to meet him. and dying to have babies. in fact, on facebook the other day, i posted something about being my new nephew's favorite aunt and my young women president from high school commented on it saying "someone please find a cute boy for jana to marry so she can make cute babies of her own." i about died laughing.

speaking of babies, i have been having the worst feelings lately that i'm not going to be able to get pregnant. i've never really been concerned about it until this week. for some odd reason. am i completely ridiculous for even worrying about this right now, or is it normal? [say normal]. 

i want a cupcake. 

more specifically, i want one of these cupcakes. i ate about 10 when my sister made them.

also, i quit diet coke. ok, well i haven't had one in a week which is the best i've done in a while. but i have mixed feelings about it. it makes me happy for the following reasons: it will make my mom happy, and according to her i will get blessings, and i started getting headaches all the time lately and i'm thinking it has to do with the caffeine, so i'll be happy if those stop. i'm sad about it for the following reasons: i miss it. it's like i had to give up a really good friend that would bring a little light into my life whenever i was having a bad day. plus, every time my roommate, alexandra, brings home her crest cup my heart breaks a little. it's like i know that she still gets to hang out with that awesome friend that i miss when i can't. stay strong, jana. stay. strong.

i want to write a book. i have a few ideas. if i get famous and have a book signing, i certainly hope you'll come :)





[oops. this post was way long. does anyone even read to the end when i write so much? i know my sister doesn't. she told me so.]

Monday, February 8, 2010

it's nice having a boy around.

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[the oregon coast. august 2009]

a boy that will build you a fire when you're on the beach.

or teach you that gas evaporates way faster out of your tank when you don't have a gas cap and not laugh too hard at you when he realizes you had absolutely no idea. oops.

to bring you a cheeseburger, just the way you like it, when you have class until 7. then won't make too many sarcastic comments while you and your roommates watch the bachelor.

who tells you in a very kind way that you're not allowed to eat any more peanut m&m's because you said you wanted to eat less sugar.

to give you a piggyback ride across the ice-covered grass before you get to the stairs.

and tells his friends to try the bacon-wrapped chicken you brought to their house to watch the super bowl.

a boy that will stay up much later than he wanted to play card games, just because he knows you want to.

or picks you up from campus because you've been there all day studying for midterms, even if it means driving 20 minutes just to see you for an hour.

and when you tell him to pick the drink he wants in the burger king drive thru, he orders a diet coke. because he knows that's what you would choose. even though he thinks it's disgusting.


yes. i certainly like having this boy around.

edited: he even reads my blog and tells me when i accidentally use a double negative in my post so i can fix it.


Friday, February 5, 2010

this is how i feel today.


skip to about 1 minute if you don't feel like listening to adam sandler


something about the words, his voice, and the way they are almost celebrating just fills my heart.

you and me together, we can do anything.

i'm pretty sure this is how love is supposed to feel.



Wednesday, February 3, 2010

sticking with books.

my desktop is messy.

because every time i see a photo of something i like, i drag it onto my desktop to be sorted later into my 'pretty things' folder. really, that's what it's called.

so tonight i decided to click on one of the thumbnails and post it here. this was it.

i would absolutely love love love my life if i had this bookshelf in my home. as in, i WILL love my life when i have this bookshelf in my home. 

complete with the ladder and everything.

i would feel like belle from the beauty of the beast every day. i'm pretty sure that's been my goal in life since i was 5-years old. [the bookshelf with the ladder, i mean, not the whole marrying a beast thing].




Tuesday, February 2, 2010

no pictures to prove it.

the other night i wanted to make dinner. a fancy dinner. something i've never made before.


so i went to the grocery store. i bought salmon. the fish-man weighed it and wrapped it up in white paper. i felt so grown up buying fish wrapped in paper. i picked up a few more things. squash. tomatoes. lemon. garlic. rosemary. pasta. a pre-made alfredo sauce (sorry for cheating a little). and cream.

it was the best dinner i've ever made.

baked salmon. oven-roasted vegetables. on top of pasta with a semi-homemade rosemary cream sauce.

heaven.



only, i have no pictures to prove it.