Fiesta Part 2

We took a look behind the scenes in my last post; now I will share the recipes and the festivities that took place during Stampin’ From the Heart’s Fiesta Like there’s no Manaña scrapbooking and crafting retreat.

Friday Night Menu

Let’s take a look at the menu to start off. Like I said in the last post, I chose recipes that were tried and true and easy to do. Having a Mexican theme made it easy to narrow down selections for the menu.

Friday night officially began the retreat, although guests were welcome to attend on Thursday for a nominal additional cost, but it did not include food.

I made the main dish for Friday a couple of days before. Recipe below:

Friday Night Menu

Chicken Enchalada Bake

Refried beans

Mexican Rice

Tortilla Chips and Queso

Watermelon

CHICKEN ENCHILADA BAKE

The Chicken enchilada bake is so very easy to make and can be adapted to your specific taste. I use seasoned fajita chicken thighs made by HEB – a local grocery store that I love. It comes seasoned but uncooked. I cooked it using an electric fry pan and then cut it into strips or bite size pieces. You can use chicken breast if you wish – I just like the darker meat.

This easy recipe is also easy to double in size to serve a larger group. You can also cut it down to make 1 – 9×13 pan. The recipe below calls for a full size aluminum pan that is approximately 20x12x4. It serves 20-25 people.

Ingredients

24 corn tortillas

5-6lbs. fajita seasoned chicken cooked and diced

32oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

3 – 15oz Enchilada sauce

4 – 4oz. Diced Green Chiles

1 full size aluminum pan

Recipe

Pour 1 can sauce in the bottom of the pan. Dip half of the corn tortillas to coat both sides and make one layer on the bottom of pan. Use a second can of sauce to make sure it is well coated. Layer the Chicken, the rest of the second can of sauce, Green Chiles, and 1/3 of the Cheddar Cheese. In a shallow dish pour the third can of sauce and use it to coat the tortillas for the second layer. Evenly distribute any left over sauce. Layer the rest of the cheddar cheese evenly as the top layer.

Bake at 350° for approximately 30 minutes or until bubbly

Optional – serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Since I made this ahead of time, preparing for our first meal on Friday was a breeze. All I needed to do was warm everything up and cook up some Mexican rice. I used a pre-seasoned rice mix that was tasty but oh, so easy too.

With dinner we served non-alcoholic Margaritas and each guest was welcome to take her glass with a decorative charm home with her. I found it fun and easy to string the beads and tassel on the hoop. It added a perfect splash of color!

AlcOhoL-Free Margarita Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup coarse sugar
2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons agave
1 1/2 cups crushed ice
4 fresh strawberries for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the margarita glasses. Add coarse sugar to a shallow bowl. Wet the glass rims with a lime wedge and press the glass top in the sugar to coat the rim.

Place the chopped strawberries, orange juice, lime juice and agave into a blender and pulse several times to blend. Taste and if necessary, add more agave. Add crushed ice and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Pour the drink into the prepared glasses.

Garnish each drink with a fresh strawberry with the green leaves on top, slice them half through lengthwise from the bottom and place one on the rim of each glass right before serving.

Welcome

When the guests arrived, they were welcomed with a several retreat gifts which had bbeen placed on a six foot table that would be their personal weekend scrapbooking/crafting station.

I was so pleased to find some great sales at Michael’s and Hobby Lobby prior to the retreat to assist in making the weekend gifts extra special.

1. 12 x12 plastic storage container purchased at Michael’s. Inside: a package of Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper, dimensionals , rhinestone jewels, clear block, Wink of Stella pen, and a paint pallet.

2. Memories & More pack

3. Fiesta decorative note book and maracca pen

4. Fiesta tissues

5. Fiesta key chain

6. Fiesta coaster

Dessert

Since I was celebrating my birthday the weekend of this crafting retreat, I decided not to make dessert but instead purchase from one of my favorite places. Nothing Bundt mini bundt cakes, ice cream and toppings made a delicious bundt bar. Each guest was able to choose her favorite flavor and add her favorite ice cream and toppings to her delight.

Party Time!

What is a fiesta without a piñata!?! It was so much fun and hilarious watching these “girls at heart” friends break open the piñata and then dive for the candy inside. The person with the most candy won the grand prize! However, at my party everyone was a winner, so for the rest of them, how many pieces of candy they had determined the order in which they got to choose from the prize table next.

At this retreat I offered three optional classes. A birthday Card/Bag/Tag class, Scrapbooking class, and a BINGO game and card class.

I will share about the bingo game and cards that were made in my next blog.

Those who chose to participate worked at their leisure. All the supplies were placed in a carry bin that was easily carried to their work station.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Special gifts were waiting for the ladies as they arrived at breakfast. Each crafter was given a colorful metal tin filled with candy, a fiesta noise maker, colorful clips that could be used as a bookmark or assist her in her crafting, and a pair of darling miniature scissors with a handmade (by me) beaded charm. The cactus on the charm was purchased on Etsy. Along with their fun tin of gifts, they also received a teal Stampin’ from the Heart mug.

Menu: Berry baked oatmeal, bacon and cheddar quiche, fruit, and juice.

One of my favorite meals of the day is breakfast! I enjoy making, serving and eating breakfast. These two recipes are my quick and yummy go to’s.

Recipes

Berry baked Oatmeal

Healthy, delicious, and filling! This baked oatmeal is chock full of berries, pecans, and the perfect amount of sweetness.

Author: Apple of My Eye

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

Dry Mixture:
2 cups quick-cook oats (see notes on quick-cook vs. rolled)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
Wet Mixture:
2 cups nonfat milk
2 eggs
½ tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsps honey
1½ tbsp melted butter
2 cups frozen mixed berries
¼ cup pecans, separated

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. Set aside.
In a seperate bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, honey, and butter.
Layer half the berries in a 2 quart baking dish and top evenly with the dry oat mixture. Pour on the wet mixture, then add the rest of the berries on top along with the roughly chopped pecans.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the oats have absorbed the liquid. Serve hot or cold!

Bacon Cheddar Quiche

Ingredients

•1 (9 inch) pie crust for deep dish pan

•1/2 lb . bacon – cooked and chopped

•6 large eggs

•3/4 cup milk

•1/2 cup cream or half/half

•1/4 cup chopped green onions

•1/2 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon pepper

•2 cups grated medium cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place pie crust in a lightly greased pie pan.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs until light and fluffy.
Add milk, sour cream, onion, salt, pepper and mix until blended.
Layer grated cheeses in pie pan.
Pour egg mixture over cheese.
Sprinkle chopped bacon over top of quiche.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over quiche and bake for another 5-8 minutes – checking for doneness. If crust gets too dark, cover with tin foil for remaining time.
Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Crop til you drop or Stamp til you cramp!

The ladies enjoyed a carefree morning of sleeping in, personal crafting time, and winning prizes!

Lunch:

Antipasto Pasta Salad

Chicken Salad with croissants

Fruit salad

ANTIPASTO Pasta Salad

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/14278/antipasto-pasta-salad/

This hearty salad really is a stand alone kind of salad. I love this option and use it often when needing to feed a large crowd. Feel free to tweak the recipe above. I do! I like adding three cheese tortilinis and use Olive Garden dressing.

Chicken Salad

1 pound boiled chicken cut into 1/2-inch or smaller cubes. I like to season my chicken using Spike.
1 cup red grapes halve
1/2 cup pecans chopped
1/4 cup finely sliced green onions
1 cup (or more) mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

This is a simple tried and true recipe that has been a hit over and over again at baby and bridal showers, weddings, luncheons, or just serving my family. It’s not just a chick recipe – guys love it too!

I am incredibly blessed to have sweet helpers in my family. Melody, my 16 year old at the time, baked the cookies offering a sweet ending to our lunch. This is another trick of the trade. Getting the family to participate not only helps me to get ‘er done, but provides a learning and growth opportunity for my kids. Melody has definitely become the baker of the family and enjoys her opportunities to be in the kitchen which also frees me up to work on other responsibilities.

Just Keep Stamping…

The afternoon offered ample time to scrapbook, craft or complete the optional card or scrapbooking classes.

The Bardin Family, who own and operate Land of Refuge, have been friends of ours for over 25 years. Their home is adjacent to the crafting barn making it very convenient for them to assist the retreat hostess/host as needed. Since they are such life long friends, and because it was my birthday weekend, we took advantage of the opportunity and extended the weekend festivities to my family. My husband, Jim, came up on Friday with our three youngest children and was delightful helping our eldest daughter, Emily, with her sons, our grandsons, James and Ian, so that Emily could enjoy crafting with me.

Of course, Gramma made time to hug on and even do a little crafting with the boys. But most of the time, my kids, grandsons and husband hung out at the Bardins home and back yard while the ladies enjoyed our personal time crafting in the craft barn. It was the best of both worlds for me and made for the best birthday weekend ever!

Dinner Menu:

Artichoke Chicken

Blackened carrots and green beans

Rice with Savoy Cabbage, Garlic, and Parmesan Cheese

Even though it was a fiesta weekend, I diverted a bit for this meal and used some family favorite Italian recipes. I prepared the rice dish ahead of time so only warming was necessary. The other recipes were very easy; however, the carrots and green beans took some time over the stove.

Artichoke Chicken Recipe

Easiest recipe EVER!

24 boneless chicken thighs (can use chicken breasts, if desired)

1 container of Artichoke Spinach Dip (I purchased the Sam’s brand)

1 container of artichoke hearts (Sam’s)

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Layer the above in that order in a large aluminum pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked. (I use a meat thermometer to be sure the chicken is cooked)

For the last few minutes I change the temperature to broil on high to get the cheese to turn golden brown.

GREEN BEANS & Carrots

Ingredients:

Frozen, whole green beans (Sam’s)

Carrots – peeled and then cut julienne style

Sauté in a fry pan with butter and olive oil until tender and blackened. The mixture of butter and olive oil help to caramelize veggies.

Rice and SAvoy Cabbage with Parmesan Cheese

Ingredients:

1 lb. cooked rice

1 head steamed Savoy cabbage

1 whole bulb of garlic peeled, minced and browned in 3TBS olive oil and 2 sticks of butter

2 to 3 cups Parmesan Cheese

Mix rice and cabbage together, layer rice and cabbage mixture evenly drizzling butter/garlic mixture over rice and sprinkling Parmesan cheese in between layers. Continue to do so until all is layered ending with Parmesan on top. Use a 9×13 casserole dish.

After dinner on Saturday, we had a game of Stampin’ From the Heart BINGO! This was an optional class/game that was way too much fun. I will post more about this in my next blog.

Sunday Morning MeNu

Frittata

Cinnamon Bun French toast

Fruit

Juice

Coffee and water

Frittata

7 – 8 large eggs

1 cup half-and-half cream (or use milk or a combo of milk and cream)

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon seasoning salt (can use 1/2 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)

2 green onions, chopped

6 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled) or sliced kielbasa, or natural sausage

1 1⁄2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (can use less or more if desired)

Optional add ins…

Spinach (about 1 or 2 cups)

Mushrooms (about 6 to 8)

Diced bell peppers (1/2 pepper)

Melt the butter in a 9”x 13” casserole dish

Whisk eggs, milk and seasoning, then add in green onion and stir.

Take dish of melted butter out of the oven and layer your meat and optional veggies in dish.

Pour egg mixture over meat/veggies and then top with cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until eggs are firm

Cinnamon French Toast Bake

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/cinnamon-french-toast-bake/e710db37-7d40-4bba-b63e-e6e4ad81ae81

Both of these recipes were made on Sunday morning.

The ending time for the retreat is 1:00pm. All of the food leftovers are put out at lunch time.

This retreat was a continuous party. I thought I could fit everything in that I wanted to share in two blog posts, but three will be necessary. I will share more about all the classes I offered as well as the BINGO game in my next post.

Stay tuned for Fiesta Like there’s no Mañana, Part 3!