Southwestern Style Chicken

I have just found a new favorite recipe. For a few reasons.

1. This recipe calls for 5 ingredients that I usually have on hand
2. It's super EASY!
3. It's really YUMMY!
4. You can make so many different dishes with it!

2-3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) jar of MEDIUM salsa (don't use mild, the chicken won't have much flavor)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
Cheddar Cheese

Throw all ingredients except cheese in crock-pot. Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks.

I used the chicken in quesadilla's tonight. And honestly 2 large chicken breasts made A LOT! I made 6 quesadilla's and we have enough left overs for at least 6-8 more! I plan to use the left overs tomorrow on salad.

The great thing about this, is you can serve it so many different ways! Like I did, you can make quesadilla's. I just put the shredded chicken mixture in a tortilla, topped with cheese and folded the tortilla in half. I baked them for 3 or 4 minutes at 450 degrees just to melt the cheese and warm the tortillas and they were FABULOUS!

*tip: moisten the edges of the tortillas to seal into a quesadilla!

Tomorrow, I'll just warm up the left overs, add it to some tossed greens. Add some tortilla strips, sour cream and guacamole and WA-LA! Basically a chicken taco salad!

The recipe I have says just to serve it over rice. And it would be good in enchilada's or hard taco shells!

Perfect Potato Soup!

I think I found this basic recipe at allrecipes.com. It was a good guide for a good soup, I made a few of my own adjustments and Wa-La! It was perfect! Definitely a must try for the winter season! I know it's definitely going on our menu again within the next couple weeks! It was a little time consuming to start, but once it's in the crock pot that's it! Here's my version of the soup:

8-12 medium russet potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 bag baby carrots, chopped (next time I think I'll just buy the carrot chips, but I chopped a bag of baby carrots into 4's and it worked great!)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 chicken bouillon cubes
5 cups water
Thyme, Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Put all ingredients, except cheese, milk & flour in crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours. 30 minutes before serving add cheese, milk, & flour.

Serve with rolls.

I was nervous all day, I kept stirring the soup and it seemed really watery. DON'T WORRY! As soon as you add the cheese, milk, and flour it will thicken up almost instantly. 30 minutes later it's a perfect texture!

My husband said next time he'd like me to add some sort of meat. Bacon, Ham, & Cube Steak come to mind and sound like they would taste good in this soup. I may even add a little sour cream and top with some chives next time as well.

Tiny Little Pizza's

Ok, they're not really that tiny, but I thought it was cute when my 4 year old got so excited when he saw what we were having for dinner and said "Aw, tiny little pizzas!"

1 can refrigerator biscuits
1 jar of pizza sauce (or home made would be great!)
1 pkg pizza cheese (or you can just use Mozzerella)
Pizza toppings of your choice (I used Canadian bacon & crushed pineapple)

If you have the muffin tins that make 6 jumbo muffins, rather than making 12 regular sized ones, I suggest using that tin. I used the jumbo muffin tin and I made a couple regular sized ones and we liked the jumbo ones better...the dough wasn't as thick.

Grease muffin tin.
Add a biscuit to each tin opening and form to make a cup
Preheat oven as directed on biscuit packaging and bake biscuits for about 6-8 minutes
Remove from oven and add all toppings
Return to oven and bake about 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and biscuits are golden.
Eat Up!

These was really quick, easy, and yummy! My 4 year old loved it that he could help me put the toppings on and my husband said he actually really liked it. It'll be on our menu again for sure!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 lb (2 sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker Oats (uncooked)
1 cup raisins

::Heat oven to 350
::Beat together margarine and sugars until creamy
::Add eggs & vanilla; beat well
::Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well
::Stir in oats & raisins; mix well
::Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet
::Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
::Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

This makes about 3-4 dozen cookies. I added a little extra cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and they turned out perfectly! Yum!

GrAb BoWl/BaSkEt!

How many of you moms need an easier way to pack lunches, or provide snacks in a rush, or are busy with a baby/toddler while another kid is pulling at your leg saying "I'm Hungry"?
I'm just preparing for baby #2 and can already see myself pulling my hair out when I'm trying to feed or change or provide for the baby and my 4 year old is tugging at me for a snack. And right now at 4:30 in the morning my pantry gets raided when I'm scrambling for some snacks to take with me to work to get me through the next 12 hours. And being hypoglycemic with this pregnancy, snacks are a must throughout the day. This was the best thing I've added to my pantry, it's making work mornings a lot less stressful, it makes my 4 year old feel like he can be more independent when he's asking for a snack, he can just go in and pick one out. It adds a lot of space getting rid of the boxes that all these things are in. And yes, I bagged those animal crackers individually, and it was totally worth the 7 minutes it took me to separate a 2 pound bag because now my 4 year old will actually eat them. When they are in the huge bag, they go stale sooner because the bag is not sealed, and I was always putting them in a little bag or bowl for him anyway. This way, they are already prepared and we can grab them on the way out the door or whatever. Things in my "Grab Bowl" this week:

Fruit Snacks
Animal Crackers
Goldfish Crackers (you can buy the big box and separate them the same as the animal crackers, or buy the snack bags like I did)
Fruit Roll Ups
Granola Bars

I'm going to throw together some "trail mix" in those snack sized baggies as well sometime in the next week or so. You can put whatever you'd like in the trail mix, or buy the already made trail mix and separate it into the baggies. I'll be using:
Nuts (peanuts, cashews, almonds)
Raisins or Craisins
M&M's
Marshmallows
Maybe some chex corn cereal or cheerios?

It doesn't take much time or effort at all to just throw some items in a bowl or basket for your kids or even yourself to be able to grab instead of standing in the pantry hunting. Especially when you've got things like 2 pound bags of animal crackers, goldfish, or a bag of trail mix. It's just easier if it's separated into snack sized portions and ready to go! And honestly you can do it in a half hour while your kids are at school, napping, or at bed time =) It's easy and worth it!

Easy Chicken Bake

I noticed this recipe on the back of a box of Stove Top Stuffing and the picture looked really yummy, so I thought I'd try it...and I'm glad I did! It was a really quick, easy, & tasty meal!

1 pkg (6 oz. box) of Stove Top Cornbread Stuffing Mix
1-1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, & drained

::Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside
::Mix chicken, soup, sour cream & veggies in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with stuffing
::Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

I liked this recipe because it was easy, it was quick, and it required minimal ingredients that you would usually have on hand. I loved how creamy the chicken & veggie mixture was, underneath the moist, yet not mushy stuffing. I let it set up for about 10 minutes after taking it out the oven, before serving and it was the perfect texture!

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

My sister told me of this recipe, I don't have it written down, I just made it from what I could remember and it turned out really good. The only thing I'd change is I'd serve it with rice instead of noodles, and I added a veggie =)

Chicken Tenders (sis uses the frozen ones, I just bought about 1 lb)
4 oz cream cheese (half of the 8 oz bar you buy at the store)
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup (no water or milk added)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (no water or milk added)
whatever seasonings you'd like I used:
Salt
Pepper
Minced Garlic
Lemon Pepper
Seasoning Salt

Throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook on low for about 6 hours (if you use chicken breasts I'd do it for 7-8 hours)
Just before serving the chicken cook your noodles or rice (I used macaroni noodles this time and it was okay, but I'd save some of the soup, sour cream, cream cheese mixture to mix into the noodles, they were a little dry) I also boiled some carrot match sticks with my noodles to give it a little color and to get my 4 year old another serving of veggies for the day =) That's it! It's easy, and yummy!!!

Left Overs!

Tonight I used our left over pulled pork in tortillas with some Spanish Rice and Sour Cream. Served with chips & salsa, it was a hit! The cumin in the pork gave it a little kick, and tasted great as a Mexican dish as well!

Melt In Your Mouth Pulled Pork

Tonight's dinner was yummy and easy! Just what you wanted right!?

Here's what I used:

3 lb pork roast
minced garlic
diced pepper
diced onion
pinch of cumin spice
salt & pepper
bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

I put the pork roast in a crock-pot with about 2 cups of water, garlic, pepper, onion & spices. Cooked on low all day (about 8 hours); drained the roast, added a bottle of BBQ sauce and shredded with 2 forks!

Serve on whole wheat buns with green beans, or french fries, or chips, or a green salad, or pasta salad (which I have a great, easy recipe for, watch for it in the near future!) or whatever else you'd like!

Potato Topped Chicken Casserole (or Chicken Topped Potato Casserole in my case ha ha)

This recipe was contributed by: Mary Ann Dell from Phoenixville Pennsylvania. She wrote: A friend gave me this easy, fast and delicious recipe. Any cheese you have on hand will work fine. It's perfect for those nights when you want something hearty and homemade.

Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each)

4 lbs medium red potatoes, quartered
3 lbs ground chicken
4 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs tomato paste
1-1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1/3 tsp minced fresh thyme
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
6 tbs butter, cubed
1-3/4 cups (7 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

::Place potatoes in Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

::Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the chicken, carrots and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the flour, tomato paste, salt, pepper and thyme. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened.

::Divide mixture between two greased 13x9 in. baking dishes. Drain potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add milk and butter; mash until smooth. Stir in cheese. Spread over chicken mixture.

::Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Bake the remaining casserole, uncovered, at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

::to use frozen casserole: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 50-55 minutes or until bubbly.

I still have yet to purchase a dutch oven! So here's how I made this casserole:

I used 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. Put the chicken, chopped carrots, chopped onion, tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme, and chicken broth in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

30 minutes before chicken is done, start the potatoes. I just boiled mine on the stove top for 20 minutes until they were soft. I didn't use butter or milk for the potatoes, I used sour cream!

Drain chicken and shred with forks. I spread the mashed potatoes in the bottom of the casserole dish, topped with chicken, and drained the chopped carrots and onions and added them to the top of the chicken. Topped with cheese and baked at 400 for 15 minutes until the cheese was melted and bubbly.

Our whole family LOVED this recipe! It turned out so yummy! I just made one great big casserole instead of two, and it fed our family of 3 dinner, and lunch for the next 2 days! This is definitely one you HAVE to try and one that I will be making more of and freezing for crazy work days!