You can always make SOMETHING out of NOTHING

Scott and I have officially made the transition from poor college kids to poor adult people, so food shopping every week isn't always in the cards. Sometimes, we have to make do with what's in the house, and sometimes, those turn out to be the best recipes.

Last week, Scott had a plethora of random vegetables in the fridge; along with some chicken breasts, salsa and brown rice. We decided to go south of the border on this one, and make taco-less tacos. 

Two years ago, if you would have asked me to cook without a recipe...forget it! Cooking in general was out of the question. Now, Scott and I are cooking together and creating recipes like real chefs. If I can do it, you surely can! Here is what you'll need to make our taco-less tacos:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup salsa
• s/p to taste
• Italian seasoning to taste
• hot sauce
• 1/2 cup mushrooms
• 1/2 of an onion
• 1/2 of a jalapeno
• 1/2 of a red paper
• 1 cup brown rice
• chili powder
• red pepper flake
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• sour cream
• cheddar cheese

So that looks like a lot, but trust me, it's mainly spices that Scott just had laying around the house. Here are the easy steps:

1. Start cooking the brown rice. I know the kind we use takes about 45-50 minutes.Season the cooking water with chili powder, red pepper flake, onion and garlic powder.  Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast into about 1/2 inch diagonal strips. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. (those are always my three go-to spices). 

2. In a sauce pan, set to medium high heat, get some oil going, and throw in the chicken. In another sauce pan, also set to medium high heat, thrown in all the vegetables and start sweating them down. (yes, vegetables sweat too). Season with s&p, and Italian seasoning. 

3. When the chicken is cooked through and there is no more pink, add the salsa and reduce it down for about 5 minutes, and then you're done!

4. Now you can use the rice as a bed for the chicken. Place the veggies on top of the chicken, and garnish with your favorite hot sauce, sour cream and cheddar cheese. You don't have to add all that, but that is what Scott and I like on our tacos. Make this recipe your own, and just have fun with it!

What toppings do you like to put on your taco? 

Chicken Enchiladas, Anyone? Olé!

Scott and I both love Mexican food, but to novice chefs, there is only so much that we know how to make. We've done tacos, we've done fajitas, and we've done burritos. So, when we wanted to cook Mexican two weeks ago, we hit a brick wall. This time around, I did not go to Pinterest. I had an epic eureka moment of my own, and suggested chicken enchiladas. Since, I've never made enchiladas, I decided to look at some of the recipes on the Food Network, but I never actually replicated one. I took some of the ideas and ran with a thought of my own. I am pleased to say that this recipe is Food Network inspired, but Christine Nanio crafted. 

There are only a few ingredients to this recipe, so it'll be easy on your wallet.

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 pkg mushrooms
• 1/2 of a green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
• 4 tortilla rounds
• 1 pkg Mexican blend cheese (or whatever you may have in your house)
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 1/2 jar of mild salsa
• sour cream (for topping) 

Start off by shredding the entire rotisserie chicken into a bowl. It'll be tedious and messy, but totally worth it. Combine the chicken, the onion, the pepper, the mushrooms, and the salsa in a large saucepan on medium high heat. Cook down the mixture for a few minutes so all the vegetables have a chance to soften. Season with salt, pepper and I also use Italian seasoning. That stuff is my go-to seasoning for everything! I love Mrs. Dash! 

Once the mixture has reduced a bit, you can fill each tortilla shell with a little bit of the mixture, a dollop of sour cream, some cheese, some hot sauce if you're adventurous, and roll it all up nice and tight. Place the enchiladas in a baking dish and cover with the enchilada sauce and the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

Here is our final product! 

It looks a little sloppy, and the refried beans look a tad bit scary, but I promise you, this is definitely a recipe worth trying! I wouldn't write about anything that wasn't delicious. And next time, someone please remind me to take pictures during my cooking process. I suck at that. 

What's your favorite Mexican dish?