Glazed Carrots

Talk about a delicious side dish! This is it. I always loved my mom's cooked carrots growing up, and felt like making them tonight. Unfortunately, she is not at home so I couldn't get her recipe. Melissa's recipe on foodnetwork.com looked great so I decided to give it a shot. And it was!

From: Melissa d'Arabian

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
3/4 pound carrots, cut on the bias into coins
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. salt

In a small skillet, combine the broth, water, butter, brown sugar, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the carrots, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until just tender, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Uncover the pan and let the liquid cook down until it reduces to a glaze, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss the carrots to generously coat them with the glaze. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

Serves 4.

Lemon Buttons

Thank you Becky! (And Paula Deen for that matter.) These lemon buttons are so, so tasty. The perfect bit of pop from the lemon zest and they just melt in your mouth if you eat them right out of the oven. They used to be called lemon 'muffins', but I changed the name because I feel that they are a mix between a muffin and a cupcake...and button seemed to fit due to their tiny size! Unfortunately, their tiny size also makes you feel like it is okay to eat 10 of them. When my mother-in-law tasted these, she said that they brought back memories of eating lemon cake as a child...o that made me so happy! I love nostalgic feelings from food, and love it even more when I can create those feelings in people around me!

From: Becky

Muffins

1 yellow cake mix
Small box (3 1/2 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix
4 large eggs
½ cup natural applesauce
¼ cup vegetable oil

Glaze
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of one lemon
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Spray MINI muffin tins with cooking spray. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, applesauce and oil and blend well. Fill each muffin tin half full with batter.
Bake for 9 minutes.
For the glaze, sift the confectioners' sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, oil, and 3 tablespoons water.
Dip the cupcakes into the glaze while they're still warm, turning them to completely coat. Place on wire racks with waxed paper underneath to catch any drips.
Let the glaze set thoroughly, about 1 hour. These are to die for FROZEN! I know, it sounds crazy, but give it a shot, we actually prefer them that way!

Yeilds: About 60 mini buttons.

Breen's Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Are you ready for a heart-stopping meal? Well, this is it! Unfortunately, it is heart-stopping in two ways, 1) Deliciousness and 2) definitely not healthy! However, when I am in the mood for classic enchiladas that aren't my usual, sweet, Honey Lime Enchiladas, these are my new go-to recipe. They were perfectly creamy with the tiniest bit of a kick, and I was praised by all of the people who ate this meal with me! This is a great meal to fix to impress! Thanks Breen!

Breen’s Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Printable Version

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 TBS olive oil
1-4 oz can of green chillies
1 jalepeno' pepper diced (You can do less or more depending on your spice preference)
1/4 c diced onion
1-8oz pkg of cream cheese
2 1/2 cups of monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup water
8 tortillas
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup enchilada sauce

Saute green chillies, jalepeno pepper, and onion in the olive oil.
Add cream cheese to sauteed ingredients over medium heat until melted. Then add 1 1/2 cups monterey jack cheese and heat until melted. Add shredded chicken.
Stuff the tortillas with your mixture and place them in a cake pan. Top with heavy cream, remaining cheese, and enchilada sauce.
Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 15-30 minutes, depending on preference of 'cheese crispiness'!
Serve with whatever mexican toppings you like....sour cream, olives, green peppers, tomatoes, salsa, rice ect.....

From: Brianne