Southwest Chicken Burritos

The original recipe for this I got from a friend, but I am posting it how I like to do it.

• 4-6 frozen chicken breasts
• 2 c. salsa
• 1-2 cans black beans, rinsed/drained
• 1 can olives, drained (whole, diced, or sliced)
• 1 c. frozen corn OR 1 can of corn, drained
• package of cream cheese

Place frozen chicken on bottom of crock-pot. Then add remaining ingredients, except the cream cheese , and cook on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for 4 hrs). 20 minutes before serving stir in the cream cheese and shred the chicken. Fill tortillas and top with cheddar cheese and any other favorite burrito toppings.

Chicken & Veggie Stew with Biscuits

I have been using my slow cooker a ton since we moved and I thought I would share some of the recipes I have been using because they are simple to throw together in the morning and then you have a nice meal later for dinner. The last time I made this recipe I made these biscuits wo go with it and they turned out really good. I made some with and without the pepper.

4-6 Chicken breasts (frozen)
1/2 onion
2-3 Celery stalks
2/3 Carrots
2 Potatoes
2 cans of Cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

Put all these ingredients into your slow cooker with the chicken on the bottom and the soups on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Top each serving with a biscuit.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I made these tonight to go along with our hamburgers and they were a big success. And I think they are more healthy than regular potatoes, at least I like to think so. Almy kept asking for "more please."

1 - 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (preferably the easy release kind).
Peal the sweet potatoes. Cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.
Place the sweet potatoes into a sealable plastic bag. Add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. Seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. Spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.
Cook for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. Transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies

These are the best brownies that I have ever had. Jen and I both agree. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did. This is my first time posting to the recipe blog, so I hope I did everything right. Enjoy!!


Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies


1 pkg. (12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 pkg. (18-21oz) brownie mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like brownies)

3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided

1 cup salted mixed nuts, divided (any kind you like)

5 rolls of Rolos (40 pieces total), divided


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan. Chop 1-1/2 cup chocolate chips. Combine brownie mix, water, oil, eggs and additional 1/4 cup brown sugar. Fold in chopped chocolate. Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.


2. Chop nuts. Combine half of the nuts and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar; sprinkle evenly over brownie batter. Bake 20-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

3. Meanwhile, cut 16 Rolos into quarters. Place remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips in microwaveable bowl and microwave on high 1 minute or until melted, stirring after each 20-second interval. Spoon melted chocolate into resealable plastic bag; set aside.

4. Remove pan from oven. Immediately press remaining 24 Rolos evenly into brownie in four rows of six caramels each. Sprinkle quartered Rolos and remaining nuts over brownies. Trim corner of chocolate-filled bag; drizzle chocolate evenly over brownies. Serve warm. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Christy

Casserole Call

I am in major need of help. I need something like casseroles that I can put together in the morning / early afternoon (when I still have something that resembles energy) and then just throw in the oven at dinner time. I am majorly struggling with dinner lately. First I am drawing total blanks on what to even have for dinner and then I am too tired/uncomfortable to want to prepare or cook at dinner time. So if you have any make ahead recipes or great casseroles please share them.

White Girl's Enchilada Casserole

I am posting this as my contribution for a casserole call. I love this casserole, but it is another one of those that is not set recipe so I will again just put how I do it. My mom use to throw this together. I tweaked it a bit and added my own snazzy name.

White Girl's Enchilada Casserole

chicken breasts - boil and shred (use enough for your family, I usually use 2-4 breasts depending on their size)
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cans diced green chiles
shredded cheese - a few handfuls or maybe like 1-2 cups (I love cheddar for this but you can use Mexican blend too)

I usually just mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl and use as the filling. You can also mix all ingredients minus the cheese and then use the cheese as its own layer.

Flour Tortillas

Place one flour tortilla on the bottom of casserole dish (i usually use a 8x8 dish). Spread filling on top and then layer with another tortilla (or put cheese on top of filling and then add tortilla). Repeat and top with tortilla and bake in 350* oven for about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly

Variation:
You can also use an enchilada sauce and spread over filling or mix with filling. We use to do this, but now I just mash up the diced green chiles a bit and it makes for a nicer texture. But it is still yummy with the sauce.

Mongolian Beef

This is a copy-cat recipe I found for P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef. Although we didn't think it tasted exactly like P.F. Chang's, it was just as good. And this recipe is for 2 servings, but it makes a lot of sauce so if you wanted to make it for 4 servings I think if you could just add more meat and green onions. Also this recipe said to leave the excess sauce in the pan, but we didn't, we ate it all. YUM!!!

MONGOLIAN BEEF

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup) ( I actually only used a few Table spoons of oil and eliminated a step by not having to dump out the excess oil later.)
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 2 large green onions

Directions

· Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.

· Don't get the oil too hot.

· Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

· Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

· Remove it from the heat.

· Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.

· Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.

· Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.

Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

· As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil). (like I said I only used a few Tablespoons of oil, so the beef wasn't covered.)

· Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.

· Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.

· You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.

· Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.

· After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet. (If you only use a few Tablespoons of oil you eliminated this step.) :)

· Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.

· Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.

· Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.

. Leave excess sauce behind in the pan.

. Serve with Rice

Zucchini Stir-fry

I thought we would get in the Olympic spirit and make a Chinese meal. And this is the vegetable dish I made with the Mongolian Beef (not authentic Mongolian food), that I will post too. We really like the whole meal. And even Heidi liked the Zucchini, who hates to eat anything green. Enjoy!!!
Zucchini Stir-fry

• 2 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry*
  

Preparation:

1. Cut the ends off the zucchini, and cut diagonally into slices about 1/4-inch thick.
2. Pre-heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the oil, swirling it around the pan.
3. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and stir-fry until it is aromatic. Add the zucchini. Sprinkle the salt and sugar over. Stir-fry for a minute, then stir in the rice wine or dry sherry.
4. Stir-fry the zucchini until it turns dark green and is tender-crisp (about 3 minutes total). Serve hot.

* You can use apple or white grape juice in place of the Chinese rice wine or Dry sherry, I actually used some crangrape juice I had in the fridge, and it tasted good.

Pan Seared Salmon with Julienne Veggies

This is one of our favorite recipes to make with Matt's Alaska fish... so yum. We got it from a papered chef magazine and have altered it a bit.

Pan Seared Salmon with Julienne Veggies

Ingredients:
2 large carrots
2 medium yellow squash
2 med. zucchini
3 T. butter
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 T. Italian seasoning
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
4 skinless salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick

1. Cut carrots, yellow squash and zucchini into julienne strips avoiding seeds.
2. Melt butter. Stir in garlic, seasoning, salt and pepper.
3. Reserve 1 T. of butter mixture and use the rest to brush onto the salmon.
4. Heat pan over med. heat, add veggies and coat with the reserved 1 T butter. Cook and stir for 2 min. or until veggies are crisp-tender, remove from pan and keep warm.
5. Return pan to med-high heat. Place salmon in pan, cook 3 min, turn and cook for 3-4 more min. or until salmon flakes easily with fork. Serve with the veggies. YUM!

Hawaiian Favorite

Bubba's Teriyaki Pineapple BurgersSo I would venture to say that everything at bubba's is good, but by far the best is the Teriyaki burger.

So...it's just easy! Just put teriyaki sauce in with the hamburger meat when you cook it, and then drizzle a little on the top when it's cooked. Then put Ketchup (mixed with relish is how they have it), Mustard, and Mayo if you like it. Then put a pineapple slice from the can on it and some fresh white onion, and dig in!!!! SERIOUSLY....SO GOOD! (Note, no Tomato or Lettuce, they write on their sign that they discourage that...and it costs extra to get it!)

I'm NOW on the hunt for a really really great Haupai recipe, so if anyone has one.....let me know!

Pina Colada . . . a party in your hand

There's just something about a slushy drink with an umbrella in it that screams "vacation" . . . even if you're just sitting on your patio. Here is my new favorite drink of summer . . . a pina colada.

It's so easy. Mix pineapple sherbet with Dole's newest flavor: Pina Colada juice (found in a rectangle container in the chilled juice section of the store). Mix like a milkshake. Sometimes I make it real thick . . . other times more like a slush. It's a party in your hand . . . .

Loved the tators

Is anyone reading this bloggie anymore?

Just had to send a shout-out for Pioneer Woman's Crash Hot Potatoes. I made them last night and totally loved them. And for Heather to really enjoy something she cooked... now that's sayin' something.

I mixed butter (ok - not really butter as I never buy butter.. I used margarine) with the olive oil to spread on top.

Yummmmmmmm!

ISO that yummy gooey cookie dessert

Just wondering if anyone would be so kind to post their favorite pizooki... pezuku.. pazukee recipe. :) I'm excited to read all about it so share all the gooey info, please. Thanks!

Modern Midwestern Naan Bread

Wade here.

I hate to tell you, but it's just homemade pizza crust, then you use a pizza cutter to create full-thickness blimp-pattern lines in it before baking.
1 cup warm water
1 1/3 T yeast
1/2 t sugar
1 t salt
3 cups flour
Add a little water while kneading (for 8 minutes by hand or mixer) until it has the right bread dough consistency.
Bake at 400F for 15 minutes (pull it out momentarily at 9 minutes to put the cheese on).

It sounds very ancient and traditional, doesn't it? Actually I think this is adapted from Aunt Pat's pizza dough recipe. There is a way to make it that takes 3 days while you wait for the yeast to naturally occur, but it tastes about the same, gets eaten in 10 minutes, and this year we are midwesterners, not middle-easterners.

Oh, this is the tip of a small iceberg of good food from over there. To make it really good, completely coat it with sesame seeds.

Everything Cookies

I am entering this recipe for Amy... only because she made these first and loved them and recommended them to me. I asked her to blog them because even though I have access to Pioneer Woman's Recipe, it takes about 10 clicks for me to get them.

And it is nice to know which recipes y'all like because I don't dare try many new recipes. But Amy has a life other than blogging unlike some of us (cough - sputter!), but I wanted to give her credit for discovering these cookies.

And of course, be sure to go see all of Pioneer Woman's photos of the preparation because that's the best part of it all.

Hyacinth’s Everything Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/3 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker Granola (oats & honey, yellow box)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups Cran-raisins
1 1/2 cups apricots

Cream butter and sugars. Add egg and vanilla. Next add flour, baking soda, and salt. Add in oatmeal and granola. Fold in pecans and other ingredients. With cookie scoop or two spoons, drop onto cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.


Now don't do what I did and accidentally add twice the salt than required (I halved the recipe but got confused on the salt). If you have low blood pressure come on over and I'll take care of that with just one or two cookies.

Plus, after I added too much salt, for some reason I felt that adding an extra egg would help. huh? I kept thinking it was going to be too dry. Duh... not my best move. My brain seriously freezes when I cook. What's up with that. So, if you need some more cholesterol come and eat my cookies.

And make sure you actually have more than 1/4 cup oats before you start.

I'm certain Amy didn't have that many foul-ups as she and I came from different breeds when it comes to cooking.

But in the end, the taste was scrumptious and i loved the dried fruit. So ignore everything I did wrong and go make some healthy cookies.

Pesto

Any favorite pesto recipes y'all wanna share? I made something for Jimmy like a year ago and he just remembered he liked it. I'm not quite sure what I made so I'm looking for a pesto recipe with noodles in it.

Boston Cream Cupcakes

My obsession with cupcakes continues . . . this time with a cream filling that, frankly, I could eat plain. But then I'd miss out on the Sinful Chocolate Ganache frosting. And we can't have that . . . .

Makes 24 cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 3.4-ounce box instant vanilla-flavored pudding mix
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Sinful Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows) (don't you love the name of the frosting??)

Prepare cake mix following cupcake directions. Let cupcakes cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, cream, powdered sugar, milk, and sour cream. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Spoon pudding mixture into a squeeze bottle that has a long narrow tip (or a decorating bag with a small tip). Insert tip into top of cupcake and squeeze about 1 tablespoon pudding mixture into center of cupcake. (When adding filling, you'll see the cupcake expand. If you add too much filling, the top of the cupcake will start splitting open which is quite easy to disguise with Sinful Chocolate Ganache frosting.) Repeat procedure with remaining filling and cupcakes. Spread Sinful Chocolate Ganache evenly over each cupcake. Store covered in refrigerator.

Sinful Chocolate Ganache
Makes about 2 cups

6 1-ounce squares semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until chocolate is melted and smooth (about 2 minutes total). Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Let mixture cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency (about 30 minutes).

Homemade Croutons

These are the lightest crispiest croutons we've ever had and we love them!! They are so great on toss salad or soup.

Cut one loaf French bread into 1/2-inch slices and then in 3/4-inch cubes. Melt 1/2 to 3/4 cup butter. Stir in 1/4 t. garlic powder. Toss with bread cubes until bread is evenly coated. Spread on shallow baking pan. Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bread cubes are dry and crisp.

Another salad tip I recently learned from a friend in town who used to work at Juniper Restaurant is to soak a cored head of lettuce in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes before draining and serving in a salad. The cold water keeps the lettuce fresh and crisp. It's amazing!

Lemon Cream Cupcakes

Since I'm obsessed with cupcakes, I've been trying all kinds of new recipes. We recently found this one and love the moist texture and light lemon taste. So perfect for spring!!

Yield: 30 Cupcakes

1 cup margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream

FROSTING:
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
2-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream, beating well after each addition (batter will be thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake at 350° for 21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. For frosting, cream butter and confectioners' sugar in a small mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, lemon peel and milk; beat until smooth. Frost cupcakes.

Caramelized Salmon

I got this recipe from a colleague at work.  He grew up in Alaska where salmon was plentiful.  I made this a few weeks ago when we had Jenny & Brad over.  It is very very good!

1 cube butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp dill weed (adjust amount as you like)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (adjust amount as you like)

Mix above ingredients together in sauce pan until butter is melted and sugar dissolved.  Put sauce on salmon as it cooks (on grill or in oven).