Turkey Enchiladas

The cold spell is over....for now. Our 6 a.m. temp was a balmy +4F(-15C)! Unfortunately our warming trend was accompanied by 2 inches of snow, with an additional 2-4 inches expected this weekend.

The forecast says we can expect freezing drizzle on Tuesday. WTF?!! This is not even remotely fair after we just endured a week of -40F temps! Rain, on top of our 4 ft of snow, will be devastating to our area's wildlife! Hard-crusted snow allows the wolves to freely run on top of the snow, while the deer are forced to plunge through the drifts. Many birds, especially grouse, burrow into the soft snow to keep from freezing at night. A coating of ice on the snow causes the birds to suffocate while they sleep. If the weather turns cold again after the rain, the birds can't burrow into the snow and many will freeze to death. Nature is indeed cruel!


Many of you have been wondering what we do to amuse ourselves in the cold. The answer is COOK, of course! I always try to save oven meals and soups for the coldest days of the week. The extra heat in the kitchen helps us forget the frigid outdoor temps.

I've recently been gathering economical recipes to post here. I like to have an accompanying photo of the finished product. Z is becoming annoyed with the dinnertime photography. As you can see in the photo above, Z is no longer waiting for me to take pictures of our meal before he digs in..."I'm starving Mom!" Needless to say, this is one of Z's favorite recipes.

Turkey Enchiladas
4 Cups diced leftover turkey or chicken
8 flour tortillas
8 oz grated cheddar cheese
2 large onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped

ENCHILADA SAUCE:
2-15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic salt
2 Tbs sugar
Mix together and simmer 30 minutes

Fry onion and peppers in your favorite oil until tender.
Lay out the tortillas and place 1/2 Cup turkey in a line down the center of each tortilla.
Divide the onion/pepper mixture on top of the turkey, and top with grated cheese.
Roll up the tortillas and place in a greased 9x13 cake pan.
Pour the enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled up tortillas.
Bake @ 350 15-20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and glazed.

Served with salad or a veggie, this makes a great low-carb, lowfat, economical meal that easily feeds a family of 4. I can only eat 1 enchilada, so we usually have leftovers. Leftover enchiladas can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen.