yum recipe - enchilada rice

We have been loving on this super terrific dinner lately - We have made it twice in the last two weeks!

And when I say "we've been loving...", I mean we all love it, but Liam eats twice as much and then all the leftovers.

Which makes me sad when I've been dreaming about having leftovers for a snack. But I love that he loves it.

Now, I must warn you - This is not the most attractive thing you will ever make. Sure, you can cover it in cheese and then sprinkle on some green onions, but underneath it all, it's kind of a mess. 

That's because in order to make this goodness happen, rice, black beans, enchilada sauce, sour cream, meat and veggies all get tossed in together. It's just going to look a little uninspiring.

But you should totally make this anyway! It is super tasty. And you will dream of leftovers. And hopefully yours will not have been eaten up by a teenage boy.

Something else you should know about this recipe - It is so easy to tweak it with what you have/don't have or like/don't like. I actually doubled the amount of rice and black beans from the original recipe. For variety, I have used left over steak (and another time chicken) instead of the ground beef, have left out the sour cream (we love it and we had some, but it was a little furry - yuk). I also usually top it with fresh tomatoes and cilantro. 

I say, whatever you want to throw in there, go for it!

Want to use brown rice? Good idea.

Don't have a red pepper? Use green. Or orange. 

Throw in some corn.

Or black olives.

All out of black beans? Grab pinto beans.

Enchilada Rice

2 cups uncooked rice 

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 cup sour cream

2 cups green enchilada sauce (about 1 1/2 cans)(I make my own gluten free version)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 tomatoes, chopped

fresh cilantro, washed and chopped

Cook rice according to package directions.

While rice is cooking, brown beef in a large skillet with onions and bell pepper.

While beef is browning, stir together sour cream, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and black beans.

When beef is completely browned, drain the fat and add chili powder and cumin;stir and heat one minute. Stir in enchilada sauce mixture and cooked rice and stir and cook until warmed through. Season to taste with salt. 

Top mixture with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar. Cover skillet and heat until cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Top with green onions, tomatoes and cilantro and serve.

Makes about 4-6 servings.

I really strongly (twisting your arm) encourage you to make this as soon as you can. And let me know how much you love it, too!

Original source for this recipe is here. 

Sorry there are no photos - I thought to share it after we ate it all. As I post recipes in the future, I will get the camera out a little sooner.

 

pillowcases

It's funny how you can put together a room with all kinds of charm and character, to make it feel all you and your family and fall in love with what you've created. You love it and love looking at it and love being in that room. You never want to change anything.

Except, maybe someday you do. If you are anything like me, that happens on a regular basis. I usually still like what I've got going on - it just might be time to perk things up a bit.

Or sometimes, it is time to do an overhaul. I've been there, too.

It's been three (!) years since we ditched the big house and embraced the downsize. So, I was really ready to make a few little, inexpensive changes 

So, pillows are the way to go this time.

We have lots and lots of neutrals going on in our house, and I just love it. But I am a little tiny bit ready to bring in a smidge of color. Pillow cases are a great way to be a little adventurous without any huge commitment.

I found this awesome tutorial - Just what I was looking for. I've made pillow cases before, but I was ready to take it to the next level.

This tri-color cuff pillow case is just enough to be all like, "Yeah, I'm special, but not too showy". Not all pillow cases can get away with that kind of attitude.

Seriously, just follow the instructions on this one. I am the worst with figuring out these kind of projects with turns and strange "burrito methods" (go check the tutorial to see what I'm talking about on that one). But I followed the instructions step by step and it totally worked. Yay!

Oh my goodness. Piece of cake. And so good at looking special, without trying too hard. "No big deal. We're just pillow cases. Oh yeah, and we are tri-colored."

(But even in black and white, looking quite spiffy. I love the simple pattern)

Close-up. Looks so complicated, but it is so not. The tutorial tells you everything you need, including measurements for different size pillows.

Once I get another set done for our bed, I'll show you the whole look. 

I am really super happy about how these turned out. This is another kind of thing that really lends itself to variety (like these signs). Just by using different colors and or patterns, you can create a whole different vibe.

But the vibe will always be, "I'm special."

That's a good vibe.