The Median Sib

This morning in church, our minister, Pastor Tom, sang a solo at the end of his sermon.  In his sermon he talked about how salvation isn’t just for getting a ticket to keep us out of hell.  It’s a ticket for a joyous life.  (I hope I didn’t butcher the main point too badly!) 

(Note added later:  Pastor Tom read this post and told me I had gotten the basic sermon idea, but he added: “Another point is that we are to serve because we love Christ and not use the gift offered in Him just as ticket.  In fact one without the other is useless. One cannot have a true abundance until we get a real glimspe of the intentional, circumstancial, and ultimate will of God found in and through Christ.”)

The song he sang was “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.”  Click the title if you’d like to hear the music and read the history of the song.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31

I made chicken enchiladas for lunch today.  I actually made them last night, and then after church I just had to heat them in the oven.  We had both kids with their spouses, along with the two granddaughters over for lunch. 

Here’s the recipe.  You’ll LOVE it!

YUMMY CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

5 large chicken breast halves (cooked, deboned, chopped, set aside)

3 T butter

1 medium onion, chopped finely

16 oz. chopped frozen spinach, thawed, drained and patted dry with a paper towel

4 oz. can green chiles, chopped

2 cans (10.5 oz each) cream of chicken soup (undiluted)

16 oz. sour cream (I actually FORGOT this ingredient when I made them last night - and the dish was still wonderful)

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans enchilada sauce (red is what I used, but green would probably be good, too)

16 oz. shredded Mexican cheese, divided

20 flour tortillas (I used whole wheat, and they were good)

Melt butter in a skillet and saute’ the onion.  Remove it from the heat and let it cool.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the onions, drained spinach, green chiles, soup, sour cream, cumin and about 2/3 of the cheese. Mix well.  Fold in the chicken and blend well.

Take one tortilla and spread a large spoonful of the chicken mixture down the center.  Roll up the tortilla and lay it folded side down in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish (spray dish with Pam first).  Do the same with the other tortillas.  You’ll end up using 3 or 4 pans, depending on the size of the pan.  Pour the enchila sauce evening over the enchiladas in all the pans and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

I probably used a lot more cheese than the recipe calls for - just follow your taste.

You can refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until the cheese bubbles.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.  It makes 20 enchiladas, and two of them are more than most people can eat.

Since this recipe makes so much, you can easily half it - or go ahead and make the full recipe and freeze some for another meal.

This meal served 6 adults and two children at lunch today.  There was enough leftover that I sent a pan home with my son and his wife for a meal later this week, and RT and I will get at least two meals out of the leftovers.

One thing I like about the recipe is that it makes enough that it provides more than one meal.  This is the kind of recipe to make on a weekend - put in three or four different containers and freeze.  Then on a busy evening after work, just pop it from the freezer into the over - and you have a ready made dinner.

If you try it, let me know.  It really was one of the most delicious dishes I’ve made in a long time.

Beth, at Blue Star Chronicles, has posted THE COTILLION COLLOQUY.  What, you may ask, is a “colloquy”? 

 It means a conversational exchange; dialogue, a conference. 

Thanks to Alabama Improper for providing that definition.  And since we Cotillion ladies do a lot of “conversational exchanging”, it’s an apt word for our canival.  Beth did an absolutely fantastic job of putting together some wonderful posts.  So click on over and check it out.   Thanks to Beth, also, for the cool Cotillion graphic!