Colorful Dough Ornaments

Colorful Dough Ornaments

These colorful ornaments are fun to make with children of all ages. Enjoy creating your own family tradition for decorating the tree.

Makes about 30 ornaments.    Prep Time: 30 minutes   Cook Time: 1 hour

1 cup flour

1/4 cup salt

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon water

1 package McCormick® Assorted Food Colors and Egg Dye or 1 package McCormick® Assorted NEON! Food Colors and Egg Dye

1 drinking straw

No stick cooking spray

1 roll colorful ribbon (1/8 to 1/4-inch wide)

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Mix flour and salt in small bowl. Mix water and drops of food color specified below. Stir into flour mixture. Knead with hands about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and color is well distributed.

2. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a clean surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Make a hole in top of ornaments with drinking straw. Spray ornaments with no stick cooking spray to seal in color.

4. Bake 1 hour or allow 2 days to air dry. Insert ribbon through holes and tie to hang.

Ornament Color Mixtures

Blue Ice: 25 blue, 5 red

Cranberry: 60 red, 6 blue

Wintergreen: 28 green, 4 blue

Holly Red: 50 red

Jingle Bell Green: 30 green

Starlight Yellow: 10 yellow

Chicken Enchiladas With Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Easy Chicken Enchiladas (Courtesy of “The America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook“)

3 cups shredded cooked chicken (1.5 pounds)
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (3 cups)
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (use provided recipe or 20 ounces in the can)
1-2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to four hundred degrees. Combine the chicken, 2 cups of the cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, the chiles and cilantro. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Stack the tortillas on a microwave-safe plate, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until warm & pliable (approximately 1 minute). Spread the warm tortillas out over a clean counter. Place 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla around the filling, then lay seam-side down in a 9×13″ baking dish lightly coated with vegetable oil spray. Lightly spray the enchiladas with vegetable oil spray. Pour 1 cup of the remaining sauce over the enchiladas to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup cheddar down the center of the enchiladas. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the enchiladas are heated through, 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the cheddar browns, about five minutes longer. Serve, passing the remaining 1 cup of sauce.

Fast Enchilada Sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chili powder (we adjusted to 1 teaspoon)
3 garlic cloves,minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sugar
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Pepper

Heat the oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat until shimmering. add the onion and salt and cook until softened, about five minutes. Stir in the chili powder, garlic, cumin, and sugar. Cook until fragrant, about fifteen seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce and water. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about five minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 (15-ounce) package pie crusts

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

3 cups cooked, cubed chicken

2 cups mixed vegetables

Heat oven to 425°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch pie pan. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in Chicken and vegetables; remove from heat. Spoon Chicken filling over crust. Place second crust over filling; flute edge. Cut slits in several places. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown