Chile Verde Chicken Quesadillas #WeekdaySupper

'Tis the day before Thanksgiving and we are all very busy cooking and getting ready for the big day tomorrow.  But have you thought about what you're going to eat for dinner tonight?  If not, I have a quick and easy dinner idea for you today as part of this week's #WeekdaySupper.

Chile Verde Chicken Quesadillas are one of my go-to meals when I need to get lunch (our biggest meal of the day here in Mexico) on the table in a hurry.  Whenever I cook chicken breast, I like to cook extra to help me save time later in the week.  But I've also made these quesadillas with leftover rotisserie chicken.  And for a complete meal, I like to serve these with my Chopped Salad with Garlic Mexican Crema Dressing.

Chile Verde Chicken Quesadillas


Ingredients:

• 12 to 15 tomatillos
• 2 serrano chiles
• 2 to 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed or 
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• Cheese (I use queso fresco, but you can use your fave cheese)
• Cilantro
• Corn tortillas 
• Mexican crema or sour cream

Directions:
Remove husks from the tomatillos, and rinse the tomatillos well with water. In a medium saucepan over medium heat cook the tomatillos and the serrano chiles in 3 cups of water until fully cooked. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Puree the cooked tomatillos and chiles with 1 cup of the water they were cooked in.  Pour into a bowl and season with salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a medium skillet.  Add the chopped onion and saute for about 1 minute.  Add the chicken and half of the salsa verde.  Cook until heated through.

To make the quesadillas, heat the corn tortillas on a comal or griddle until soft and pliable. Spread one side of the tortillas with Mexican crema or sour cream.  Spoon a couple of heaping tablespoons of the chicken onto one of the tortillas, and top with another tortilla, cream side down.  Heat the quesadillas on a comal and griddle over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes per side or until the cheese has completely melted. Serve with remaining salsa verde.  Enjoy!

This Week's #WeekdaySupper menu: 

Monday - Ham & Cheese Calzones from The Foodie Army Wife
Tuesday - Spaghetti Ubriachi from Crazy Foodie Stunts 
Wednesday - Chicken Chile Verde Quesadillas from La Cocina de Leslie 
Thursday - Roast Beef Rice Noodle Salad from Magnolia Days 
Friday - Slow Cooker Teriyaki Turkey from Foxes Love Lemons 

 



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Pumpkin Spice Mexican Hot Chocolate

One of the things I love most about fall, aside from Halloween and Thanksgiving, is that the cool crisp weather is all the excuse I need to head into my Cocina to whip up a soothing hot beverage.  Nothing warms me up faster than wrapping my hands around a steaming mug of something hot to drink.  Be it coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or ponche.  

Now I know that Pumpkin Spice beverages are all the rage this season in the US, but I've never had one. Remember I live in a very small town in Mexico, where the nearest Starbucks is about 2 hours away. And I have no idea if they even serve Pumpkin Spice anything at the Starbucks in Guadalajara.  But I digress.

This year I was determined to finally try my hand at making a Pumpkin Spice beverage at home, because I was curious to see why all my girlfriends go on and on about them. I love pumpkin anything, so I really didn't mind trying something new.  After playing around in the kitchen for a little while I came up with this Pumpkin Spice Mexican Hot Chocolate.  Ay. Dios. Mio!  Why hadn't I tried this sooner?  I mean I love Mexican Hot Chocolate and I'm crazy about my Pumpkin Pie Atole, but I never thought to put the two together.  But I am so glad that I finally did.  The results were absolutely heavenly and I'm pretty sure we'll be drinking this until New Year's.  Or maybe longer.  

Pumpkin Spice Mexican Hot Chocolate


Ingredients:

• 4 cups milk
• 1-1/2 cups Homemade Pumpkin Puree (or canned)
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 disk Mexican chocolate, chopped (I recommend Abuelita or Ibarra brands)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Cajeta (optional)

Directions: 

Puree the milk, pumpkin puree, and ground clove in a blender until well combined. Pour the mixture into a large saucepan.  Add the disk of Mexican chocolate and cinnamon stick.  Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the chocolate, until very warm.  Sweeten with brown sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired sweetness.  Whisk, using a wire whisk or a wooden molinillo, until it starts to froth (foam).  Pour into mugs, top with a dollop of whipped cream, and drizzle with cajeta. Enjoy!

This post is part of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash link-up hosted by my good friend girlichef and Joanne from Eats Well With Others.






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Cake Slice Bakers: Pumpkin Apple Cake

A couple of months ago, I can't remember if it was late August or early September, my Hubby and kiddies all came to me with one complaint, "You haven't baked us a cake in FOREVER! What kind of food blogger are you??? We want cake!"  At first I was a little taken aback because they've had a steady supply of all kinds of baked goodies: cookies... brownies... pies... empanadas...  But the more I thought about it I realized they were right. I couldn't even remember the last time I had baked them an actual cake. So I headed straight into the kitchen and whipped them up a quick and easy Mexican Chocolate Coffee Cake (recipe to come very soon) and made a mental note to bake my Hubby and kiddies a cake at least once a month, because they all LOVE cake, and I love them.

It was around that time that The Cake Slice Bakers announced they were accepting new members and were getting ready to start baking from a new book. For those of you unfamiliar with The Cake Slice Bakers, it is a group of bloggers from all over the globe who get together once a month to bake a different cake from one cookbook for an entire year.  The Cake Slice Bakers was the first food blogger group I ever joined in the early days of this blog. I always had so much fun baking with them, and I loved that I got to try cake recipes that I might not have tried otherwise.  My favorite cake cookbook to this day is still the Southern Cakes cookbook I bought during my first year with The Cake Slice Bakers.

To make a long story short, I got to thinking that re-joining The Cake Slice Bakers would the perfect way to help me stick to my plan of baking my family a cake once a month. I emailed Paloma (the group's leader and a good friend of mine) asking if I could join the group again and was immediately welcomed to the group with open arms.  So from now on, you can expect a new cake recipe here in my Cocina on (or around) the 20th of each month.

This year The Cake Slice Baker's are baking from the Great Cakes cookbook by Carole Walter.  The book is HUGE and has over 250 recipes.  It doesn't have very many photographs, but after reading through a few pages I'm already very excited to bake from this newest addition to my cookbook collection.

The first cake we've chosen to make is an Applesauce Spice Cake, a perfect cake choice for fall.  Normally, I'm really good about following directions and sticking pretty closely to what the recipe says, but that wasn't the case with this cake.  For starters, even though I did have a batch of freshly made applesauce in my fridge, I also had some homemade pumpkin puree that needed to be used, so I turned this month's cake into a Pumpkin Apple Cake.  And I left out a couple of ingredients, like the vegetable shortening because all I had on hand was butter, and also the allspice and nutmeg, because neither of those spices are easy to find in my small town.

Even with the changes I made, the cake was incredibly moist and delicious.  I loved the combination of pumpkin and apple.  And the Lime Cream Cheese Glaze on top was the perfect way to finish off this cake.  I think this Pumpkin Apple Cake would be a wonderful morning treat on Thanksgiving or Christmas day.

Applesauce Spice Cake
(Recipe adapted from Great Cakes by Carole Walter)



Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup chopped apple (I used apples from Chihuahua)
• 1 cup homemade pumpkin puree (unsweetened)

Lime Cream Cheese Glaze:

• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Fresh lime juice

Directions:
Generously grease and flour 2 (6 cup) Bundt pans. (DO grease the pans very generously with butter, as some bloggers had problems with the cake sticking to the pan.) Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl.  Stir in the chopped pecans and set aside.

Cream the butter and lime zest with an electric mixer on high speed for about a minute.  Add the sugar, one cup at a time, continuing to beat on high speed until well incorporated, about 2 minutes with each addition.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating on medium speed until completely incorporated. Stir in fresh apple and vanilla.

Reduce mixer to low.  Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture alternately with 1/2 of the pumpkin puree until completely dissolved.  Repeat with remaining flour and pumpkin, ending with the flour.

Divide batter evenly between the two pans.  Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pans for 5 to 10 minutes.  Unmold and invert cakes onto serving platters.

To prepare the Cream Cheese Glaze, stir the powdered sugar into the softened cream cheese. Add fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.  Drizzle over cooled cakes.  Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

I have been debating whether or not to share this recipe for a couple of years now.  I still wasn't sure this year, but my Hubby & kiddies insisted since it's a holiday family favorite that I make at least a half a dozen times every year between September and January.  This is the first pumpkin dessert my kiddies requested I make when I bought my first pumpkin this season.

This Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake is my "go to" holiday cake because on one hand it tastes like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into one.  And on the other hand it's super easy to make since I use a box of yellow cake mix as a base. (Gasp!)  I know...a box mix!  How dare I call myself a food blogger?!  But I'm a busy mom of 4, I don't always have the time (or energy) to bake a cake completely from scratch.  And that is why I love this cake.  Because even though it's a box mix that only takes a couple of minutes to whip up, it tastes like I spent hours in the kitchen.  And it's my Hubby's and kiddies' favorite.  It wouldn't be fall or winter in the Limón household without this Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake.

Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake w/ Cinnamon Cream Cheese Whipped Cream


Ingredients: 

• 1 box yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1-1/2 cups homemade pumpkin puree (or canned)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

Frosting:

• 1 cup whipping cream, very cold
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 oz. cream cheese, softened

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the cake mix, the ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger.  Add the pumpkin puree, eggs, 1 cup of milk, and vegetable oil.  Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, just until combined.  Then increase speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes.

Pour cake batter into the prepared baking dish.  Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Carefully remove cake from oven and set baking dish on a heat-proof surface.

Combine the sweetened condensed milk with the evaporated milk. Using a fork or a toothpick poke holes all over the cake.  Ladle milk mixture over the warm cake.  Let cake cool to room temperature.

Prepare frosting by mixing together the whipping cream, cinnamon, and powdered sugar.  Beat with an electric mixer on high until light and billowy.  Add in the softened cream cheese and continue to beat for 1 minute.  Spread frosting over cake.  Refrigerate cake for at least 3 hours or overnight.  Sprinkle top of cake with a little ground cinnamon before serving.  Enjoy!!! 

Receta en español

This post is part of the 12 Weeks of Winter Squash Link-Up hosted by girlichef and Joanne of Eats Well with Others.






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Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas #SundaySupper

It taken me a while this year, thanks to my recent obsession with sweet potatoes, but pumpkin has finally made an appearance in my Cocina.  I just couldn't resist a rather large calabaza de castilla (pumpkin) I saw at el mercado (the market) a couple of weeks ago.  As soon as I got that baby home, I cut it up, set aside the seeds to make Pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds), and put it on the stove to cook.  I ended up with about 12 cups of pumpkin puree to do with as my heart desired.  And my heart has been desiring all kinds of yummy pumpkin dishes ever since.

Aside from making my usual favorites like pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, I have been stirring pumpkin puree into just about everything; smoothies, tres leches cake (stay tuned for that recipe), Arroz con Leche (rice pudding), and even enchilada sauce.  Yes, enchilada sauce!  And it was AMAZING!  It knocked all of our socks off.  My hubby said it's the best enchilada sauce I've ever made.  We loved the pumpkin enchiladas so much, I've already made them twice this month. And they'll probably make another appearance at our table before the month is through.

The pumpkin adds a luxurious velvety texture to the sauce, and the spices (cinnamon, clove, cumin, and paprika) add a hearty robust flavor to the spicy and smoky dried chilies.  And the color is absolutely gorgeous!

Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas



Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion, cut in half
• 1 clove garlic
• Cilantro
• 3 dried ancho chilies
• 1 dried guajillo chile
• 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree (unsweetened)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground clove
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 12 to 16 flour tortillas
• Queso fresco, crumbled
• Thinly sliced red onion, for garnish
• Mexican crema

Directions:
Cook the chicken breasts with half of the onion, the garlic clove, a couple sprigs of cilantro, salt, and enough water to completely cover the chicken.  Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove from heat and let cool slightly; shred or chop the chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce.  Bring the dried chilies to a boil in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies.  In a blender, puree the chilies with the water they were cooked in and the pumpkin puree until smooth.  Pour the pureed sauce into the same saucepan the chilies were cooked in.  If the sauce is too thick, add a little water, 1/4 cup at a time, until desired consistency.  Season the sauce with salt, ground cinnamon, paprika, ground cumin, ground cloves, salt and black pepper, adding more spices (if necessary) to fit your taste; set aside.

Finely chop the remaining half of onion.  Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute for about 1 minute.  Stir in the shredded chicken, 1 cup of the Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce, and the 1 cup of chicken broth.  Cook until heated through.

Now to make the enchiladas.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Ladle 1/3 cup of the Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce into an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.  Heat the flour tortillas until soft and pliable.  Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the chicken down the center of each tortilla and 1 to 2 tablespoons of queso fresco.  Roll tortilla up like a burrito and place seam side down in the baking dish.  Top first layer of enchiladas with half of the Pumpkin Enchilada Sauce and about 1/2 cup of crumbled queso fresco.  Repeat with a second layer of enchiladas.

Bake enchiladas in oven for about 30 minutes.  Remove from oven. Top enchiladas with Mexican crema and garnish with sliced red onion and finely chopped cilantro.  Serve with Refried Beans and Mexican Rice. Enjoy!

For more delicious Winter Squash recipes, check out what my #SundaySupper friends have cooked up this week...

Breakfasts and Breads

• Maple Butternut Squash Donuts from Mess Makes Food
• Pumpkin Sweet Rolls from Basic N Delicious
• Vegan Pumpkin Scones with Maple Nutmeg Icing from Killer Bunnies, Inc

Appetizers, Starters, and Condiments

• Butternut Squash and Couscous Patties-Indian Inspired from Soni's Food
• Pumpkin Hummus with Spiced Lamb from girlichef
• Quick Pumpkin Butter from Shockingly Delicious

Soups, Sandwiches, and Salads

• Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili from Supper for a Steal
• Black Bean Pumpkin Soup from What Smells So Good?
• Butternut Squash and Bacon Grilled Cheese from Ruffles & Truffles
• Butternut Squash Soup from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Hearty Quinoa Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash from Citronlimette
• Roasted Buttercup Squash and Black Bean Soup (Dairy free) from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Vegetable Soup from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
• Roasted Squash and Mexican Black Bean Salad from Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Roasted Squash and Sesame Noodle Salad from Jane's Adventures in Dinner

Main Dishes

• Butternut Squash and Spinach Quesadillas from The Dinner-Mom
• Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Balsamic Brown Butter from Crazy Foodie Stunts
• Butternut Squash Lasagna from Hip Foodie Mom
• Butternut Squash-Sage Cream Sauce with Sausage Spaghetti from Daily Dish Recipes
• Carnival Squash with Maple Sausage Stuffing from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Chorizo-Stuffed Acorn Squash from Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Butternut Squash with Spicy Wild Rice and Queso Fresco from Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Pumpkin Alfredo from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Pumpkin Enchiladas from La Cocina de Leslie
• Pumpkin Risotto with Bacon, Goat Cheese, and Pecans from The Weekend Gourmet
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprout Pizza from Curious Cuisiniere
• Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash from The Messy Baker
• Spaghetti Squash in a Creamy Sausage Sauce from Cookin' Mimi
• Spaghetti Squash Shrimp Scampi from Pescetarian Journal

Side Dishes

• Acorn Squash with Cinnamon and Cranberries from Noshing With The Nolands
• Butternut Squash and Apple Crumble from The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Butternut Squash Gratin with Sage Pesto & Gorgonzola from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Chorizo and Craisin Stuffed Acorn Squash from Family Foodie
• Parmesan-Roasted Acorn Squash from The Urban Mrs
• Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese from Big Bear's Wife
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Balsamic Vinegar Honey Butter from Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Butternut Squash with Wilted Kale, Mushrooms and Garlic from Take a Bite Out of Boca
• Skillet Buttercup Squash with Bacon from Magnolia Days
• Slow Cooker Squash and Apples from Mama's Blissful Bites
• Sweet N Spicy Baked Chipotle Butternut Squash Fries from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
• Twice Baked Pumpkin Stuffed Sweet Potatoes from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen

Desserts

• Butternut Squash Cupcakes with Browned Butter Frosting from Treats & Trinkets
• Pumpkin Pie Crumb Bars from Pies and Plots

Wine Pairing Recommendations for Squashin' Winter #SundaySupper from Enofylz Wine Blog


 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET.  Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.








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