family dinner

April felt like it lasted forever.  It also flew by.  First it was Will's birthday.  Then my parents came to visit!  Then Will and I went to Maine to visit my friends Meredith and Cain.  Then it was Easter and I flew down to NC for a long weekend.  I guess you could say it seemed to drag on because it just now started getting warm in good ol Connecticut.  I had to dig out my summer clothes from their bins in the garage just to have something to wear while I was down south.  Silly silly north.

I also did some cooking in April.  And some home decoring.

But first, let's start with a meal I whipped up while my parents were here.  I am a big fan of Mexican food and one thing my bubble in Connecticut does not have is yummy, simple, combo-filled, cheap Mexican food.  My particular favorite is chicken chimichangas.  So of course, when I found a Roast Chicken Chimichanga recipe from Cooking Light, I was sold.  Luckily, my parents aren't too picky - and are pretty fond of Mexican food themselves.

Picture from Cooking Light

My notes and/or changes:

1) I used a store-bought roasted rotisserie chicken because I thought the flavor would be nice - oh, and it was super easy

2) I used shredded monterey jack cheese because I couldn't find queso fresco cheese

3) I used black beans (Whole Foods Spicy Black Bleans) instead of refried beans and mashed them a bit 

4) I used wheat tortillas

5) Make sure you have all the ingredients you need before you start making.  I was happily rolling up chimichangas when all of a sudden I realized I had just 4 tortillas and not a full pack.  Luckily Dad drove down the road to the store and saved the day.

6) Speaking of tortillas, I ended up using 7 because I had enough chicken filling to do so.

Results: it was delicious!  We all really liked them.  They had a good flavor without being greasy or too heavy.  I would definitely do this again.  And I think my parents would too.

Click here for the recipe and nutrition info!