Through His Stomach

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, I've discovered the precious key to romance. Sure, my husband is appropriately appreciative of a meal cooked lovingly for hours with great ingredients by yours truly. BUT I've found that at his core, he's a sucker for a simple home-cooked meal that is in all ways unassuming.

I found a simple and delicious gem online from Cooking Light that hits the spot every time. It's easy-to-make and to-die-for at the same time. Here's what you'll need from the grocer:

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, 1/3 cup fat-free milk, 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper, 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn, 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy), 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained, Cooking spray, 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce, 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (preferably a rotisserie), 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream

I believe that Rotisserie chickens can cover a multitude of failures on my part when it comes to chicken prep. Seriously. Buy them and reap the rewards.

After preheating your oven to 400°, combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork and then pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with shredded chicken and sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Continue to bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.

Remove from oven and let casserole cool for 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top each serving with sour cream or guacamole.


Chicken Tamale Casserole (from Cooking Light, 2008)
Ingredients
* 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
* 1/3 cup fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup egg substitute
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
* 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
* Cooking spray
* 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I use the white meat from a rotisserie chicken)
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chiles) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Pure Michigan

An extra-long weekend spent on the beach in Michigan is nourishment for the soul! Sunsets, sweet babies, blueberry picking, and rest for the weary do a body good.