Salsa Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 can cr. of mushroom soup
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/2 c. sour cream

Easy! Put the chicken in the slow cooker and sprinkle the taco seasoning over it (I only used half the packet). Then dump the salsa and cream of mushroom soup over it. Slow cooker it for 9 hours (or so...). When it's done, dump the sour cream in and stir it around. Serve over rice!

This is GOOD for a meal that's only about 180 calories! (okay that doesn't count the rice, which is a doozie)

Banana Snack

Here's something I found somewhere online as I have been on a healthy kick for about 3 hours. Dip banana slices in unsweetened cocoa and coconut. I just tried it and it was delish. There isn't nearly enough coconut used to make you overly fat. The only problem I had was that the coconut didn't want to stick to the bananas.

Parmesan Chicken

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c. olive oil or butter
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 c. bread crumbs (I liked the Italian seasoned ones)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil and garlic together so that the flavors blend. In a separate dish, combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Cut the chicken breasts in half and dip them first in the oil, then the bread and cheese. Place in a shallow baking dish and cook at 425 for about 30-35 minutes.

This was SO easy and so quick! Not to mention SO good! We ate it with rice, but I bet it would be even better with mashed potatoes.

Funny story... it looks like Sarah already added a recipe exactly like this except italian dressing instead of oil and garlic. So... I bet hers tastes even better. That's why we're BFF!

Quick & Easy White Chicken Chili

This is one of those meals that you can mix up in about 30 minutes--at least if you have everything on hand!

White Chicken Chili
(Adapted from This Blog)

1 16 oz. jar salsa (we used salsa verde!)
1 16 oz container sour cream (low fat or fat-free is fine)
4 oz shredded cheese
1 can great northern white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 Tbsp. Southwestern seasoning
Lots of pepper, to taste
Garlic & Onion powders, to taste

Dump all the ingredients into a pot.  Heat over medium until warmed through.

Serve with cornbread (super yummy!) or tortilla chips.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Boil (or bake) 6 chicken breasts
Dice in 9x13 pan

Heat:
Mix 2 cans cream of chicken soup and 12 oz. sour cream
1 cup butter

Mix with chicken in the pan
Top with:
1 Tbsp poppy seed
1/2 box crackers
1/2 cup butter

German Pancakes

Or if you prefer, Magic pancakes . . . I've heard it both ways!

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cube butter

Melt the butter in an 11x13 pan in the oven at 350 degrees
Mix everything else for 1 minute with an electric mixer
Pour the mixture over the melted butter and bake for 15 minutes

Chili and Cornbread

I am telling you, this chili is my favorite food. I can't get enough of it and neither can Micah.

Angela's Chili
1 can of Nalley's vegetarian chili (I had to use Hormel brand today and wasn't too pleased)
1/4 pound ground beef
2 tomatoes
1/4 onion
1 bushel of cilantro
1 or 2 limes

All those measurements are just guesses. I usually make about twice that much just so we can have leftovers. Chop the tomatoes, onions and cilantro and put them in a saucepan. Heat for a few minutes so the flavors meld together. Then add the canned chili and ground beef (that you have already cooked separately). Warm it all up and chow down! At the end, squeeze lime in it until it tastes as delicious as you want it to (I think the limes and cilantro are the secret to how great this tastes)

Grandma Mary's Cornbread
Beat together:
2 eggs
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. oil

Add
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder

Bake on 400 for 20 minutes!

I like to put the cornbread directly in my chili, but to each his own :)

*For those of you who say you don't like tomatoes or onions (ahem...Sarah...), just try this anyway. The onions are not crunchy, the tomatoes don't stand out, it's just GOOD FOOD.

Waffle Iron Brownies

These are delectable and definitely bring all the boys to the yard. Though...that's not really an attractive thing anymore.  In truth, make these treats and your hubby/friends/family/ward members/coworkers--will love you.  Share with me and I'll love you more.

Waffle Iron Brownies
1. Melt 1 square of margarine (usually in the microwave)
2. Add 7 Tbsp. cocoa and 4 beaten eggs.
3. Stir in 1 1/2 c. sugar, 2 c. flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla (batter will be THICK!)
4. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a medium hot waffle iron. Cook for just about one minute.
5. After they cool, frost with buttercream or chocolate frosting.  Sprinkles are a must.
6. Enjoy!

Oriental Meatballs

2 pkg. Ramen Noodles

Sauce:
2 tsp. cornstarch or flour
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. vinegar
1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 c. cold water
Ramen seasoning mix

Vegetables:
2 Tbs cooking oil (I used olive oil... and a lot more than 2 Tbs.)
4 c. cut broccoli or carrot, cauliflower, broccoli mix

Meatballs:
1/2 lb. hamburger
1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
2 slices oft bread broken in pieces
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. onion salt
1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Cook the ramen noodles separately and put aside. Mix all the meatball goo together with your hands and form 1 inch balls. Cook over medium heat in a large covered skillet approx 8 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and cook another 10 minutes. (I don't have a skillet with a lid! My meatballs required a lot more turning and less than medium heat. Watch out for them being burned to a crisp.)

In a separate pan, stir fry the vegetables for a about 5 minutes. Then add the meatballs, noodles and sauce.

Now for the sauce, I think someone needs to venture out and figure out a better way for this. The recipe from cooks.com said to just mix it all together, but I think it was making assumptions about my sauce making skills (and meatball making skills for that matter) Basically I put it all together and poured it in the stir fry mix and it turned out fine, but I feel like that was dumb luck.

Start to finish this took about an hour to make.

Micah loved this. Next time I might just not use sausage and do all beef instead cause I'm not a big sausage fan. Also, it doesn't taste as "Oriental" as I was thinking it would. But don't get me wrong- it was yummers!

A Yummy Winter Meal!

Can we do that? Here's a meal we had last night--consisting of TWO recipes. And they were both delicious, delightful, and will be seeing the light of another day around here. Often.

Plant Sale Soup
(From Skimpy Pantry)

1/2 pound ground beef/turkey
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 (15 ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounces) can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounces) can tomato sauce
4 cups beef broth 
2 cups chopped cabbage (this is about a quarter of a head of cabbage)
1/2 cup small pasta, like macaroni

1) Brown meat in large, heavy pot. Drain fat. Add onion and garlic.  Cook until onions are soft.  Add parsley, dried herbs, salt and pepper; cook for 2-3 minutes. 
2) Add remaining ingredients except cabbage and macaroni. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3) Add cabbage and macaroni. Return to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender and pasta cooked, about 12 minutes. 


And on the side, you should serve Irish Soda Bread. It will make your husband very, very happy.


Irish Soda Bread
(From Joy in My Kitchen)

3 3/4 C wheat flour (Or use a mix. Or all white. Whatevs)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 C buttermilk**

**Make buttermilk by putting 1 Tbsp. of white vinegar OR lemon juice in a 1 cup measurer. Fill the rest to the top with milk and let sit for 5 minutes.

Blend together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Then pour in the buttermilk and mix with a spatula.  Dough will be very sticky.  Continue to add more flour and move to kneading it on a floured surface. Shape the dough into a large ball, and cut an "X" into the top with a knife.  Let it sit for 5-10 minutes.  Then bake for 50 minutes in a 375 degree oven.  Cool before serving.  And to note--an electric knife comes in real handy for cutting this baby. Its dense and delicious! We like it with butter and honey. 

Cornflake Scotcharoos

I hate that I had to buy a whole box of cornflakes for one meal, but it turned out to be lucky, because I found this recipe to use a little more! This is a very easy, very messy, use 4 different bowls with sticky stuff all over but SO worth it kind of treat.

1 cups Corn Syrup
2 cups Sugar
2 cups peanut butter
5 cups cornflakes (in my usual life I use rice krispies)

In a saucepan combine the sugar and corn syrup. Stir together on medium heat until its just about boiling. Take it off the heat and stir in the peanut butter. Add this mixture to the bowl of cornflakes and stir stir stir.

Put the whole thing in a 9x13 pan and let it cool. I melted chocolate chips and spread it over, but it made it super ugly.

*I also didn't have enough corn syrup, so I kind of just made up the amounts and put it in an 8x8 pan instead. You really can't go wrong with this stuff.

This makes for a great Saturday night treat that transfers easily into Sunday morning breakfast!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

6 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together cream cheese, butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until mostly incorporated. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes until edges are slightly brown. Cool a few minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Pumpkin Cheddar Mac & Cheese

16 oz whole wheat or whole grain pasta, penne or rigatoni
4 T butter
3 rounded T flour
1 C chicken stock
2 T honey or maple syrup
2 C whole milk
1/2 t allspice (or couple pinches of ground cloves)
1 t ground mustard
pinch cayenne pepper
Nutmeg, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
2 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Paprika

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it and cook pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Pre-heat the broiler.

Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then raise the heat a bit and add the chicken stock. Whisk in the honey/syrup and milk. Season with cloves/allspice, mustard, cayenne, a little nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Thicken a couple of minutes .

Whisk in pumpkin puree, then stir in about 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese until melted. Combine the pasta with the sauce and arrange in a 9x13 casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and a light dusting of paprika. Broil to brown and bubbly.

(from Rachel Ray)

Dilly Corn

1 cup water
1 t beef bouillon granules
1 bag frozen corn
3 t dill weed
1 t garlic powder

In small saucepan, bring water and bouillon to a boil. Stir in remaining three ingredients. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until corn is tender. Drain and serve.

Dorm-Ready Tortilla Pie

This is a simplified version of the recipe Sarah posted earlier!  I'm eager to try her version. This is one I have made for years that is just...uber-easy. We call it Burrito Casserole because we think it tastes just like a Taco Bell burrito.

Dorm-Ready Tortilla Pie (Burrito Casserole)
1 can refried beans
1/2-3/4 a 16 oz. jar of salsa
5 flour tortillas
One medium onion chopped
Grated cheddar--as much or as little as you'd like!

Mix together the refried beans and chopped onion in a pot on the stovetop.  Heat just enough to make the beans more manageable since you'll be spreading them.  In a greased 9-inch pie plate, lay one flour tortilla and cover with 1/3 cup of the bean mixture and top it with a couple heaping spoonfuls of salsa.  Add another tortilla, cover with 1/3 cup of the bean mixture and top it with a handful or two of grated cheese.  Repeat the layers each one more time and top with a final tortilla.  Cover the last tortilla with any remaining bean mixture you may have (not a problem if its all gone!), LOTS of salsa, and LOTS of cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Serve with sour cream if you like that sort of thing.

Calico Beans

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 lb bacon
3/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C ketchup
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 t dry mustard
1/4 t garlic salt
1 can each black beans, northwestern white beans, kidney beans and pork & beans

Brown ground beef with bacon and onions. Transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook on Low for 8 hours.

ButterDips!

These are luscious.  And you will want to eat FAR more than are good for you.  Just a warning ahead of time.

ButterDip Biscuits
1/4 c. butter/margarine
1 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2-1tsp. salt
2/3 c. milk

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut the butter into 4 equal pieces and place them in a 9-inch square baking dish. Put dish in the oven to melt the butter--about 5 minutes.  (Remove when the butter is melted) Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients and then stir in the milk quickly until a loose dough forms.  It will be sticky, but add more flour if needed so you can at least handle it.  Use a floured board to roll the dough out. Cut it into 12 pieces. Dip each piece in the melted butter (cover both sides with buttery goodness!) and then lay them in the pan. The last few will take some finagling to get in there, but you can do it!  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until golden brown.  Break apart and enjoy.

Easy Pancake Recipe

This may prove to be a laughable post to others, but I was raised on pancakes made from a box.  And now that I've grown up I'm glad my pancakes have grown up with me. This is an easy and super tasty recipe!

PANCAKES
1 c. flour (I like to use half whole wheat, half white)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 egg
1-2 Tbsp. oil

Preheat your griddle.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.  After mixing, make a well in the center.  Add your milk, egg and oil into the center and blend until well mixed. NOT with a hand mixer. Use a fork/whisk. There should be a few small lumps!  Pour about 1/4 cup on to a hot griddle...and you know the rest.

Makes 8-10 pancakes.

Favorite Hamburger Casserole

1 lb ground turkey (you can also use beef, I just prefer turkey)
1/2 onion chopped (or 2 T dry minced onion)
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 t. salt
1 can tomato soup
9 oz. egg noodles
grated cheese

Brown ground turkey with onion. Add tomato soup and 1 can water. Add seasonings and simmer 15 minutes. Cook noodles according to package directions. Arrange in greased 9x13 casserole dish: half of noodles, half of beef mixture and cheese. Repeat layers once. Bake at 350 degrees, covered, for 25 minutes.

Chicken Sausage Jambalaya

This is probably Sky's favorite thing I've made since we've been married. And, in fact, it might be MY favorite thing I've whipped up since we've been married!!

Chicken Sausage Jambalaya
(adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

4 smoked sausages (the kind you might cook over the camp fire?), cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 chicken breasts (I used leftovers from a crockpot dish)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (I used garlic powder!)
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (I made my own using this recipe)
1 can diced tomatoes (I like using those with chipotle or diced chilies)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups hot, steamed rice

In a 4-6 quart pot, cook sausage and poultry over medium heat. Drain the grease (if necessary), scrape the meat onto a plate and set aside. Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, garlic, basil and Cajun seasoning, and the tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they’ll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step). Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.

Serve in bowls with cornbread on the side and you're set for one fine Southern-style meal!

Chicken Italian Dressing Bake

1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. salt

4 chicken breast halves, skinned and boned

1/4 c. commercial Italian salad dressing

Vegetable cooking spray

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, and salt in a plastic bag; shake to mix. Dip chicken in   salad dressing. Place one piece of chicken in bag, and shake to coat. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken. Place in a lightly greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Spray chicken with cooking spray, and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until done. Yield 4 servings.

Red Lobster Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients:

 2 ½ cups Bisquick baking mix

 ¾ cup cold whole milk

 4 tablespoons cold butter (1/2 stick)

 ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

 1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese

Brush on Top:

 2 tablespoons butter, melted

 ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes

 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and ¼ teaspoon garlic. Mix by hand until combined, but don't over mix.

3. Drop approximately ¼-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop.

4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

5. When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter is a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in ½ teaspoon garlic powder and the dried parsley flakes. Use a brush to spread this garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits. Use up all of the butter. Makes one dozen biscuits.

Mom Richards' Taco Soup

1/2 lb. Ground beef
2 cans black beans
1 can dark kidney beans
1 can light kidney beans
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can of whole corn
1 can crushed tomato
1 can of diced green chilies (they are small)
1/2 onion
1 packet of ranch dressing mix
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 tsp. cocoa

Brown the beef and heat it all up!
We enjoyed it with tortilla chips and sour cream! And cheese!

Side note: The new? Tostitos roasted garlic and black bean tortilla chips are SO yummy.

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie (Mexican Casserole)

Tasty, healthy, and easy, what more could you ask for?!

1 jar (11 to 12 Ounces) medium-hot salsa

1 can (8 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 ¼ ounces) no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained

½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves

4 (10-inch) low-fat flour tortillas

6 ounces shredded reduced-fat monterey jack cheese (1 ½ cups)

Reduced-fat sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Spray 15 ½ by 10 ½ jelly-roll pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, mix salsa and tomato sauce. In medium bowl, mix black beans, corn, and cilantro.
3. Place 1 tortilla in jelly-roll pan. Spread one-third of salsa mixture over tortilla. Top with one-third of bean mixture and one third of cheese. Repeat layering two more times, ending with last tortilla. Bake pie until cheese melts and filling is hot. 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with sour cream, if you like. 

I also like to eat tortilla chips with this one, it adds an extra crunch!

Seafood Pasta Salad

I'm putting this one on because I have it memorized and I love it and I need to try a post because blogger is being very frustrating.

1 bag of corkscrew pasta
1/2 lb. salad shrimp (regular will work too but be kinda big)
1/2 lb. imitation crab
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 small red onion
A few carrots
Practically a whole regular jar of mayonnaise (if you get the Lite version it is not good!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop of the crab or break it into small pieces with your hands. Chop the onion, broccoli and carrots. Run water over the shrimp so it's clean.

Cook the pasta to aldente (usually about 6-8 minutes, look on the bag). For the last two minutes of the cooking, add the broccoli so that it will cook a little. When you strain the pasta, run cold water over it for a couple minutes so that it does not continue to cook.

Add it all together in a BIG bowl. Then start adding mayo until it's nice and covered. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you are making the pasta for later, you probably want to add more mayo than you'd think is necessary because it soaks in.