Creamy Beef Enchiladas

Since Annie accused me of hiding, I thought maybe that was a little hint that I might want to actually post something. :-) So, here I am! I know - it's about time! I just haven't done anything lately that struck me as "blogworthy." The other night, though, I made these enchiladas and my 9-year-old informed me, "Mom, you have GOT to post these on Not Just Leftovers!" How can I say no to that??

In an effort to rid the fridge of a bit of remaining rice and about the same amount of macaroni and cheese, I made a roast recently, serving it with the aforementioned items as sides. The roast was very good, but we had some remaining after dinner (the mac and cheese was gone, and the tiny bit of rice went into the container for freezer soup). So the next day I checked the fridge and found some flour tortillas. I decided I would make enchiladas with them. Yes, I know that typically you use corn tortillas for enchiladas, but my kids prefer flour. And the girls won't eat anything called a "burrito," so they had to be enchiladas! ;-)

First, I made a beef-flavored white sauce for the "creamy" part of the recipe. I melted a tablespoon of butter, then stirred in 2 T. of flour, then added about a cup of milk and a cup of the beef broth from cooking the roast. Yummmmmm!! I poured some of the sauce into the 13x9 pan and then made 10 enchiladas using the flour tortillas, filling them with the shredded leftover roast and some cheddar cheese. I placed them in the sauce, turning them to coat. When I was done rolling, I poured the rest of the sauce on top and sprinkled on the rest of the cheddar.

I covered these and baked them for about 30 minutes at 350°. They were very good!! The beef-flavored white sauce absolutely made the recipe! This was one of my better uses of leftover roast!

Chicken-Bacon Pasta

I'm not sure where Janelle's been hiding out these days, but I thought I'd sneak in here and post a recipe I made up using some pasta, leftover chicken, and bacon. Janelle will like this one since it can be made with meat from a rotisserie chicken. I used something similar...leftovers from some Crock Pot Sticky Chicken. We ate the meat from that chicken for two meals with enough leftover for this dish, too.

After cooking the chicken in the slow cooker, I picked the meat from the bones, then put the bones right back in the cooker with about a quart of water and let it cook on low for several hours. I used the broth as the base for the sauce in this recipe.

Also, we just happened to have leftover bacon. Yes, I know "leftover bacon" is an oxymoron, but somehow it happened. If you don't have any, you can fry or bake some just for this recipe. Or you could leave it out. I guess. If you're into self-deprivation.

This dish tastes like down-home chicken and noodles that have been turbo-boosted with bacon! I dare you to not like it!


Annie's Chicken-Bacon Pasta

Shredded cooked chicken (as much or as little as you like)
Crumbled cooked bacon (again, as much or as little as you like)
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or fat of your choice (trust me, use the bacon drippings)
2 Tablespoons flour, more or less
2 cups chicken stock or broth from bouillon
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces dry pasta, any shape or size, cooked per package directions (I had some in the freezer that was already cooked; I just added it to the hot sauce mixture and heated it through)

Heat bacon drippings in a large deep skillet or pan. Add flour; stir until smooth and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Carefully stir in chicken stock, whisking constantly, until sauce is smooth and thickened as desired.

Stir in shredded chicken and crumbled bacon. Let sauce simmer over very low heat for about 5 minutes, then taste the sauce. Add salt, pepper or even a little bit of instant chicken bouillon if needed. (Don't add salt without first tasting the sauce after it simmers; it may end up too salty if you do.)

Stir in cooked pasta and serve.

Makes 4-6 servings.