Fab Fajitas

We enjoyed these fab fajitas the other night for dinner. They were so easy to make, and the dressing mix added a really yummy flavoring! We had some Mexican rice leftover from a previous meal that I served on the side along with corn chips and salsa.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2-3 sliced bell peppers (red and/or green)
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 2 cups diced, cooked chicken
* 1 (.7 oz) pkg dry Italian-style dressing mix
* 8-10 (12 in) flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice peppers and onions into long, thin strips. Saute in a thin coating of oil until tender.
2. Add mushrooms and chicken. Cook on low heat until heated through.
3. Stir in dry salad dressing mix until well blended.
4. Warm tortilla shells in the oven. Fill with the mixture. Add shredded cheddar cheese. Eat as is, or add sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, or any other favorite garnishes.

Buon Appetito!

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Finally trying a new recipe! Figured since it's Brad's birthday I'd do a real home-style meal for him. (No corned beef and cabbage here tonight.)

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I am using 8 tenderloins)
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
* 1 onion, finely diced
* 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Buon Appetito!

* Edited: After trying this recipe, I have the following comments. When it says fill with enough water to cover, I found that very vague and ended up adding too much. I would suggest starting by adding one can of water for each can of soup added. You want it to be a creamy consistency, not watery. Also, 30 minutes was not even near long enough to cook the biscuits. They needed well over an hour on High.

Chicken Florentine Artichoke Bake

I found this recipe in a magazine awhile back and pulled it out last night to try it. There were a lot of ingredients so I think it will be easier the second time to get everything in sync, but the result was very yummy.

INGREDIENTS:
8 oz dried bow tie pasta (I used elbows)
1 small onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (opt.)
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/2 cup oil-packed dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (I didn't have these on hand so I substituted 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Cook pasta according to package. Drain. In medium skillet cook onion in 1 Tbsp butter for 5 min or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Stir in chicken, Monterey cheese, artichokes, spinach, tomatoes, half the Parmesan, cooked pasta, and onion. Transfer to a 3 qt square baking dish.
3. Bake, covered, for 20 min. In small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. SPrinkle mixture over pasta. Bake uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden. Makes 6-8 servings.

Buon Appetito!
3.

Beer Battered Chicken (or Fish)

Tonight we pulled out an old favorite and made beer battered chicken, and even did up a couple tilapia filets. You can really batter just about anything with this recipe ;). Sometime I'd like to try some veggies with it (like cauliflower or broccoli), but not sure how it'd turn out. Let me know if any of you try it!

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 pound chicken breast, tenderloins, or fish filets
* 1 cup flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup cold beer
* 3 cups oil for frying
* 1/2 cup flour

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse chicken and slice into strips *if you are using tenderloins you can skip this)
2. Stir 1 cup flour and baking powder. Mix in the eggs and beer.
3. Heat oil in skillet.
4. Place 1/2 cup flour in a small bowl.
5. Coat chicken in flour, then dip in batter. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and cooked through.

Bistro Chicken Parmesan

Tonight, I modified a recipe I wanted to try and came up with this and it was really good! If you can't tell by now we eat a lot of chicken and pasta :), so it's nice to have different variations on that combo.

INGREDIENTS:
* 2 tsp. oil
* 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (or you could use stewed tomatoes)
* 1/4 cup Lite Italian Dressing
* 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
* 8 boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
* 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
* 1/2 pound spaghetti

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onions; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.

2. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and cook spaghetti as directed on package.

3. Add chicken to tomato mixture; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 12 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

4. Top with cheese. Simmer, uncovered, 5 min. or until cheese is melted.

5. Serve over spaghetti.

Serves 4-5 people

Buon Appetito!

Farmhouse Chicken and Rice

I found this version of a Kraft recipe on Allrecipes and it turned out really good!

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 4 skinless chicken breast halves
* 1/4 cup Lite Italian Dressing
* 2 cups baby carrots
* 1 onion, cut into wedges
* 1 (10 ounce) can chicken broth, divided
* 1 1/2 cups instant white rice, uncooked
* 1/4 cup Light Cream Cheese
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix flour and pepper in shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat both sides with flour mixture. Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Turn chicken over; add carrots, onions and 1 cup of the broth. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through (170 degrees F).
2. Meanwhile, cook rice as directed on package. Spoon onto serving platter. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken and vegetables from skillet; place over rice. Cover to keep warm.
3. Add cream cheese spread and remaining broth to skillet; increase heat to high. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken and vegetables; sprinkle with parsley.

Serves: 4-5

Baked Pesto Chicken

I needed a quick meal tonight and one with very few ingredients since our cupboards are quite bare! This meal was easy, quick, and tasty! (Pic to come)

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* 1/2 cup Pesto with Basil
* 2 tomatoes, sliced (optional)
* 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
2. Place chicken and pesto in medium bowl; toss to coat. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove from oven; top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole

We tried a new casserole recipe last night I found on AllRecipes that turned out even better than I thought it would! As I was making it I thought it was going to be way too much sauce mixture, but it turned out really good! I loved the flavoring of the salsa mixed in with everything. If you like a lot of spice you could even add medium or spicy salsa for some extra kick.

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice
2 2/3 cups water
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups mild salsa


DIRECTIONS:
1. Place rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chicken breast halves into a large saucepan, and fill the pan with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 20 minutes, or until done. Remove chicken from water. When cool enough to handle, cut meat into bite-size pieces.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4. In a medium bowl, combine Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses. In a separate bowl, mix together cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, onion, and salsa. Layer 1/2 of the rice, 1/2 of the chicken, 1/2 of the soup and salsa mixture, and 1/2 of the cheese mixture in prepared dish. Repeat layers, ending with cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

Last night I tried a recipe from Brad's cousin Mary's blog in the crockpot and it is definitely a keeper! It was so quick to make and both my dad and husband scarfed it down. We had it with mashed potatoes (the sauce was really good over them), stuffing, and veggies, but the whole meal only took me a total of about 10-15 min to make. I had to substitute American cheese for swiss because that was all I had.

INGREDIENTS:
* 4 chicken breasts, pounded thin (I made 8 tenderloins)
* 4-8 slices ham or honey smoked turkey
* 4-8 slices swiss cheese (I used pre-sliced, American)
* 1 can cream soup (any kind) (I used cream of mushroom)
* 2 Tbsp. milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Spray crockpot. Pound chicken flat.
2. Put slice of turkey and slice of cheese on chicken. Roll. Put in crockpot seam side down (I put a toothpick through each one to make sure it stayed rolled).
3. You may add another piece of turkey/ham and cheese to the top. I topped it with cheese a few minutes before we were ready to eat.
4. Pour soup on chicken. Rinse can with milk and pour over top.
5. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-5 hours.

*I forgot to take a picture at the beginning of the meal and was having battery issues, so the photo shown is only a portion of it

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

I tried a new recipe tonight from AllRecipes that I will definitely be making again. I had 2nd helpings on this one and it was so easy to put together in the crock pot. I cooked up one cup of white rice with it, but it would also be very good over noodles. It was very creamy and flavorful. You could easily substitute low fat cream cheese, low sodium cream of chicken, and whole grain noodles for a healthier version too. The only thing I was missing was a nice loaf of crusty bread to go with it. My little girl couldn't get enough of it either!


INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1/8 cup margarine
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.
3. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Chicken Cutlets

This dish is a family favorite that my mom has made for us since we were kids! It is easy and always a hit, although there is no specific recipe. (I'll add a photo soon- it is on my mom's camera).

INGREDIENTS:
* Flour
* Egg
* Seasoned Breadcrumbs
* Boneless, Skinless Chicken Tenderloins
* Oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
I set out 3 large tupperware containers, one with some flour, one with an egg slightly beaten, and the third with Italian seasoned bread crumbs. I use chicken tenderloins, defrosted. (If you use chicken breasts, you may want to slice them cross-wise through the middle to thin them out.) Heat up some oil in a large frying pan. Coat the chicken in the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs in that order. Fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. These can be served with ketchup, ranch, BBQ sauce, or hot sauce to dip!

Rochester-Indian Chicken

Brad works with a guy from Romania who introduced us to this fabulous marinade last year for chicken on the grill. This is by far one of the very best marinades we've ever had. The Tikki spice may be tricky to find...we got it at an Indian grocery store. If you have an International grocery store you should be able to find it there. We also use Dino BBQ sauce, but if you don't have that locally, you can substitute with your favorite BBQ sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

* Plain yogurt

* Tikki spice

* Ginger Paste

* Dinosaur BBQ sauce

Combine ingredients to taste. Let chicken marinade for at least an hour before grilling.

Chicken Melt

I am always looking for different things to try at lunchtime other than the usual peanut butter and jelly. Today we made chicken melts that were so delicious and very easy.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 can chicken breast (or tuna)

* 1/4 cup mayo

* 4 slices bread

* 1 tomato

* colby-jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Drain the can of chicken and mix together with mayo in a small bowl. Arrange the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Layer the chicken mixture on top of each slice of bread. Add a tomato slice and top with cheese. Broil on high for 3-5 min or until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasted.

Makes 4 servings

Spinach Chicken Parmesean

I made a new dish tonight for dinner that turned out pretty good! I modified a recipe I found on AllRecipes and here is the result.





INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts marinated

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 fresh garlic clove

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the egg slightly with a fork.

3. Dip chicken pieces in egg and then coat lightly in cheese mixture. Set remaining cheese mixture aside. Arrange coated chicken pieces in an 8x8 or 9x9 inch baking dish.

4. In a small saucepan, saute chopped garlic and onion in butter/margarine. Stir in flour, then add milk all at once. Simmer, stirring, until bubbly. I added a dash of salt and pepper. You could add more spices to taste.

5. Stir in drained spinach. Spoon spinach mixture over chicken and sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.

6. Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until tender and chicken juices run clear.

*Additional ingredients I may try adding to this recipe in the future that would be tasty include mushrooms, roasted red peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes.

Serve over rice or pasta
Buon appetito!

Chicken Enchilladas

I do our big grocery shopping once every two weeks so I have to stretch out what we have towards the end of that time to make it to the next payday. So when I came across this recipe I was excited not only by how easy it was since it's not something I usually make, but that I had all the ingredients (with slight modifications). So here is my version of it, and it was SO tasty!

INGREDIENTS:

1 8oz. package cream cheese

1 small jar of salsa

2 cups sliced cooked chicken breast

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

5-6 flour tortillas

2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x11 baking dish.

2. Lightly cover the bottom of a pan with cooking oil. Sautee the chicken strips in the oil until cooked through.

3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese and salsa. Cook, stirring until melted and well blended. Stir in chicken and beans. Fill tortillas with the mixture, roll and place into the prepared baking dish. I had extra filling so I poured the remainder over the top. Sprinkle cheese over it and cover with aluminum foil.

4. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through. You can add any of your favorite toppings such as lettuce and tomatoes, or sour cream.

Buon appetito!