Chicken Taco Casserole

Chicken Taco Casserole

Everyone has a similar recipe--you know, the generic taco casserole with chips and meat and cheese.  But for some reason, this one tasted different, and better!  My whole family loved it--that includes all 4 kids!

1 (10 oz. ) bag tortilla chips
2 cans cream of chicken soup (99% fat free)
1 1/2 c. sour cream (light)
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chilis (RoTel)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (1 oz.) packet taco seasoning
3 c. chicken, cooked & shredded
2 c. cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly grease 9x 13 pan
In a large bowl, combined the chicken soup, sour cream, tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning and chicken--set aside.
Crush chips (roughly with hands) and spread half of them on the bottom of pan.
Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas.
Top with 1 c. cheese.
Repeat layers.
Bake for 30 min, until bubbly and cheese is starting to brown.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

My sister sent me a link to this recipe with a high recommendation.  My family loved it and would highly recommend it as well!

http://jamiecooksitup.net/2011/07/grilled-bruschetta-chicken/

Stroganoff Meatballs

Just made these last night for dinner and they were a huge hit! I cheated and bought frozen meatballs, but the sauce is awesome! Since the sauce makes a type of gravy, I served them with mashed potatoes.

Stroganoff Meatballs

(originally found HERE)

For meatballs:

1 1⁄2 lbs ground chuck

1 tsp garlic salt

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

3 tbsp ketchup

For stroganoff sauce:

1 medium yellow onion, diced

16 oz. white mushrooms. diced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup dry sherry

5 cups chicken broth (or beef broth, but chicken tastes lighter)

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1⁄2 cup of butter

5 tbsp flour

3 tbsp fresh dill

10 oz. sour cream

For meatballs: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, form 1” round meatballs, and broil in oven on low broil for 12-15 minutes or until brown and cooked all the way through. You could also cook meatballs in a skillet in olive oil as well. Drain and set aside.

For stroganoff sauce: Dice the onion and soften in olive oil in a large pot for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add diced mushrooms and soften another 3 minutes in olive oil on medium heat, stirring frequently. To your onion/mushroom mixture, add dry sherry and bring to a low boil. Allow most of sherry to reduce and be absorbed by mushrooms, about 5 minutes, and stir frequently until most of liquid is gone. Add broth and worcestershire sauce and again bring to a low boil.

Meanwhile, combine softened butter and flour into a beurre manié (fancy French term for flour/butter medley) and mix well until it forms a paste. The beurre manié is your thickener, so add it 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking quickly as you do and you’ll see your sauce start to thicken. Add fresh dill, stir, then add sour cream, and whisk again until sauce is smooth.

If you can’t find fresh dill, go ahead and substitute 2 teaspoons of dry dill, it will still taste great. Add meatballs to pot and simmer on low for 20 - 30 minutes. Serve alone with toothpicks or over pasta. Garnish with more fresh dill. Makes approximately 40 meatballs.

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

I found the original recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but now can not seem to find it anywhere on that site! UGH. So here is what I printed out:

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

2 lb. boneless pork loin roast (I like the little ones from Costco)

1 tsp. ground sage

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 clove garlic, minced or crushed (I always like to use a lot more than this)

1/2 c. water

Glaze:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 Tblspn. cornstarch

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 c. water

2 Tblspon. soy sauce

In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the pork roast. Place the roast in a slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 c. water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Near the end of the cooking time, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.

Remove pork from slow cooker, shred and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve.

** I did not use a crockpot, but instead made a tinfoil envelope around the roast and cooked it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 4 hours--turned it on when we left for church and it was ready when we got home. (so I didn't need to use the 1/2 c. water)

The glaze was GREAT over the fresh steamed broccoli as well!

Angel Chicken Pasta

I was cleaning out my stack of recipes to try, and found this one. I printed it off the internet over 4 years ago!!! Glad I hung on to it, because it was a HIT with my family last night. And of course...super easy too.

Angel Chicken Pasta

6 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 c. butter

1 (7oz.) dry Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 c. white wine (can substitute apple juice)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

4 oz. onion & chive cream cheese

1 lb. angel hair pasta

Melt butter on low.

Add dry Italian seasoning, blend in wine (juice), soup, and cream cheese.

Stir until smooth.

Arrange chicken breasts in 9 x 13 pan and pour sauce over the top.

Bake at 325 for 60 minutes (covered with foil for the first 30 minutes, then remove foil).

Serve over angel hair pasta.

Salsa & Black Bean Chicken Nachos

This is one of those recipes that is so obvious and easy you wish you had thought of it yourself. Oh, and did I mention SOOO good?! All 3 of my kids asked me to make it again!

You can find the link HERE

Turkey & Pesto Sliders and Baked French Fries

Turkey Sliders found HERE

Baked French Fries found HERE

Both were SUPER good & SUPER easy!

(served with watermelon)

Honey Curry Chicken

This is an old recipe that I got from a recipe swap I was part of in Rochester, NY. I am pretty sure Suzy Jensen submitted this one. It's been years since I made it last, and when I was looking for dinner inspiration last week, I came across it. It is super easy (like Marc actually made it while I was in meetings) and really good!

Honey Curry Chicken

(thanks Suzy!)

3 lbs. raw chicken, cut into bite size pieces

4 Tblspn. butter

½ c. honey

¼ c. prepared mustard

1 tsp. curry powder

1 tsp. salt

Melt butter, then add all other ingredients.

Cover chicken with sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serve over rice.

Gnocchi

I have no idea what the name of this recipe is, or where it came from, but it was good. Quite rich, but goooooood. You only need a small serving, with a large salad to balance it out with :)

Gnocchi with Cream Sauce

(???)

SAUCE:

1/2 c. butter

2 oz. prosciutto, chopped

10 basil leaves, torn

1/4 c. pine nuts

1 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

+

1 pkg. gnocchi (or homemade, if you're really ambitious!)

Beat 1/2c. of cream until whipped and then set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan, add pine nuts and cook until the nuts brown a little.

Add 1/2 c. cream to the butter and pine nuts and bring to a light boil.

Cook for 1 minute, then turn the heat down to low.

Add basil and prosciutto.

Then fold in the whipped cream and the parmesan.

Add gnocchi to boiling water. Once they float, they are done! (happens quickly)

Remove and mix with sauce.

Serve immediately.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

We had these a few weeks ago. I made a big batch and took some to a friend who was sick. We loved them, and so did her family.

You can find the recipe HERE!

Chicken, Asparagus & Mushroom Crepes

I made THESE for dinner tonight.

Random find on a decorating blog, but a good one!

Stromboli

Stromboli

(thanks to my SIL, Sally for this super easy, delicious recipe)

Grab a french bread tube (I used Pillsbury pizza dough in a can) and unroll it onto a silpat, or wax paper (the dough will be sticky, try to keep it cold)

Then layer it with 6 oz (or more) of deli sliced ham, 6 oz of sliced swiss (I used grated Mozzarella), chives and crumbled bacon pieces.

Leave almost an inch on all sides free from the ingredients. then just roll it up.

Place seem side down on a cookie sheet and tuck the sides under. Then cut 4-5, 1/4 deep lines on top.

Cook for about 30 minutes @ 350 or until its golden brown.

I usually serve it will a big fruit salad or even soup.

You can also do it with Mozzarella and pepperoni and then dip in pizza sauce.

Cashew Chicken

Cashew Chicken

(MS EveryDay Food, ???)

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

2 Tblspn. dry sherry

2 tsp. minced, peeled fresh ginger (I used about 1 1/2 tsp. dry ginger)

3 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

coarse salt

1/2 c. chicken broth

2 Tblspn. soy sauce

1 Tblspn. rice vinegar

2 tsp. sugar

1 Tblspn. + 2 tsp. vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2/3 c. unsalted cashews, toasted

2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

cooked white rice, for serving

1. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger and 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 tsp. cornstarch; set sauce aside.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 Tblspn. oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add 1 tsp. oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.

3. To same skillet, add 1 tsp. oil, garlic, cashews, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cool until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with scallion greens and serve with rice.

Coconut Chicken

The real name of this recipe is "Coconut Chicken Wings" but I can't bring myself to include the "wings" part--they seriously gross me out. As I said in a recent post, I only use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders. For this recipe I used tenders, and also substituted "cream of coconut" for coconut milk--since that is what I had on hand. The chicken came out almost candied (maybe due to the cream rather than milk)--it was really good, and my kids loved it!

Coconut Chicken

(Family Fun magazine, July 2009)

3 Tblspn. vegetable OR light olive oil

2 Tblspn. soy sauce

2 Tblspn. sugar

1 tsp. mild curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 c. coconut milk

3 lbs. chicken wings (or tenders)

1 c. flaked coconut

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the first seven ingredients, then whisk in the coconut milk. Reserve and refrigerate 1/2 cup of the mixture divided evenly in two containers.

2. Cut off the tips of the wings (reserve them for stock or discard), then halve the wings at the joint. Place them in the bowl and toss them with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.

3. Just before grilling the wings, toast the coconut in a medium-size skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Pour the flakes onto a plate and allow them to cool, then lightly crumble the flakes with your fingers and set them aside.

4. Prepare the grill for cooking and oil the grates. Grill the wings 8 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, or until the meat is no longer pink inside. Use one container of the reserved marinade to baste the meat at each turn.

5. As the wings finish cooking, warm the other container of reserved marinade in a small saucepan until heated through.

6. Transfer the cooked wings to a platter and coat them with the warmed marinade. Sprinkle the wings with the toasted coconut and serve them immediately. Serves 6 as a main dish or 12 as an appetizer.

Chicken & Bean Slaw Wraps

Sounds gross, looks gross, but tastes GREAT!

Chicken & Bean Slaw Wraps

(I have no idea--I've had the recipe for forever)

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 1/2c. coleslaw mix with carrots

1 (15oz.) can spicy pinto beans OR Ranch Style beans OR whatever bean you like

1/3 c. Ranch dressing

1/2 c. green onions, chopped

flour tortillas

shredded cheese

BBQ sauce

Mix together cubed chicken, coleslaw mix, beans, Ranch dressing and onions.

Set aside (can be refrigerated and eaten cold, too)

Place tortillas on baking sheet and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake tortillas at 350 degrees for about 3-5 minutes.

Spoon chicken mixture onto hot tortilla, lightly drizzle with BBQ sauce, and roll up.

**If looking for a nicer presentation, you can roll up in parchment paper, twist ends, tie with raffia and then cut in half on diagonal**

Tomatillo Chicken & Classic Cornbread

I am back on the bandwagon...I think. I will try to play catch up today and post a few of the recent recipes we have tried this past week. I have pictures of most of them, but need to figure out how to download my new camera--so they are coming...a bit later.

Before posting this chicken recipe, let me just state the obvious. I don't like meat on the bone. No chicken, no steak, no ham, no pork, no nothin'! Therefore, I adapt many recipes to my good ol' boneless, skinless chicken breast/tenders--which is exactly what I did here--just substituted chicken tenders for the whole chicken. I also halved the recipe for my little family and then only used 1/2 a jalapeno so it wouldn't be so spicy for my kids.

Tomatillo Chicken

(MS EveryDay Food, Sept/Oct 2009?)

2 lbs. tomatillos (husks removed, washed & halved)

1 Tblspn. vegetable oil

1 whole chicken (3-4lbs), cut into 10 pieces (wings reserved for another use)

(or about 8-10 chicken tenders)

coarse salt and pepper

2 jalapenos, chopped

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (15oz) hominy, drained (optional)

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to plate.

(I still lightly browned my chicken tenders, too)

2. Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22-25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

I think I must have a little bit of my dad in me. He loves to go for drives, discover new places (especially ones off the beaten path), appreciates history and isn't afraid to just get in the car and go. So a few Sunday's ago, that is exactly what I did. My family was not up for the "Sunday drive" adventure, so I went alone. Quite enjoyable, actually.

There is a street in town called "Anderson Mill Rd." It recently came to my attention that this road was actually named after a real mill--that still exists. It is only open one Sunday a month and is run by the local garden club. So I went to check it out. An interesting piece of local history, a great photo backdrop and very friendly seniors anxious to show me around. While there, I learned that the mill still grinds organic corn, donated by WholeFoods. The women swore it made the best cornbread--so I bought a bag and here is the recipe that was attached:

Cornbread

(thanks to the woman from the Anderson Mill Gardeners Club)

Beat together:

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tblspn. shortening

1 egg

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1 c. regular flour

1 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

Alternating with dry mixture, add:

1 c. buttermilk

Beat enough to mix well.

Grease 9 x 9 pan or muffin tins.

Bake @ 375 degrees until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry

When I was chatting with my neighbor a week or so ago, we were both complaining about being out of dinner ideas. But when I asked what she was cooking that night, she mentioned this recipe. This was a totally new dish for my family, so we were excited about it. It was easy, different than a traditional ol' chicken dish and yummy!

Pineapple Pork Stir-Fry

(thanks Cheri!)

1 can (20 oz.) Pineapple chunks
1/2 pound pork roast, cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tblsp. vegetable oil
2 tblsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 small bunch (about 3/4 lb.) broccoli florets
1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Drain pineapple, reserve 1/2 cup juice. In skillet or wok, stir fry pork with garlic, onion, and ginger in hot oil. Mix reserved juice, soy sauce and cornstarch. Stir into pork mixture. Top with pineapple, broccoli, and nuts. Cover; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until veggies are crisp-tender. Remove from heat and stir all together. Serve over rice.

Spaghetti Carbonara

Yesterday was one of those days when I called Marc at work and asked what he wanted for dinner. I honestly had no ideas, didn't feel like anything specific and just needed a little inspiration. This is what he asked for and we all loved it!

Spaghetti Carbonara
(thanks to allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spaghetti-Carbonara-II/Detail.aspx)

1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and set aside.
Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook chopped bacon until slightly crisp; remove and drain onto paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon fat; add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat in reused large skillet. Add chopped onion, and cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Add wine if desired; cook one more minute.
Return cooked bacon to pan; add cooked and drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through, adding more olive oil if it seems dry or is sticking together. Add beaten eggs and cook, tossing constantly with tongs or large fork until eggs are barely set. Quickly add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and toss again. Add salt and pepper to taste (remember that bacon and Parmesan are very salty).
Serve immediately with chopped parsley sprinkled on top, and extra Parmesan cheese at table.

Cafe Rio Pork Tacos

I have only eaten at Cafe Rio in Utah once or twice, so I am not the fanatic like others I know, and don't really know if this truly tastes like the real thing. Probably not--most knock-offs are a let down. But this recipe is still REALLY good--a favorite of mine--and it came with the name "Cafe Rio Pork," so I'll stick with it.

Cafe Rio Pork & Tomatillo Dressing
(thanks to Cami Arnold for passing this along during our online recipe swap!)

1-2 lb. pork loin
1 can tomato sauce
1 can green chiles
½ c. brown sugar

Put all 4 ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hrs.—just cook until pork can pull apart easily & shred.

**This can be adjusted depending on how much meat you need to cook or how sweet or spicy you like it.

**I love the small, individually wrapped pork loins you can get at Costco. They come individually wrapped and sold in sets of 3.

Serve in tortillas with cheese, cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes, avacado, pico de gallo, etc………….whatever you like, but make sure you don’t forget the tomatillo dressing—it is the key!!!

Tomatillo Dressing
1 Buttermilk ranch dressing packet (Hidden Valley recommended)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo (do not use low fat or fat free)
2 tomatillos, husk removed and diced (usually sold near tomatoes- they are green)
½ bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of one lime
1 jalepeno – remove seeds- unless you like lots of spice (you could substitute a few drops of green tobasco)

Use a food processor to blend the ingredients well. Refrigerate for one to two hours before using.

**I halved the recipe and we still had more than enough, and also left out the jalepeno and/or tobasco because I didn’t’ have it, and it was still great and had enough kick.

Poolgogi

A coworker of mine in Boise, ID brought her leftovers of this for lunch one day and gave me a bite. I loved it and asked for the recipe. She knew it off the top of her head and so I jotted it down on a papertowel--which I still have. Time to get it written somewhere a little safer...

Poolgogi
(thanks to Sharon, at SLRMC in Boise, ID!)

1 large or 2 medium pieces of Round Steak
(**ask butcher to put meat through tenderizer about 4 times—it will be almost shredded!)

Marinade:
1 c. soy sauce
½ c. sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tblspn. sesame oil
1/3 c. vegetable oil
½ c. minced scallions
1/3 c. toasted sesame seeds

Marinate meat for about 1 ½ hours.
Barbeque (can BBQ on piece of foil, so meat doesn’t fall through grate).
Slice meat in thin strips, across the grain.
Serve over rice.

**I also cook and reduce the marinade to make a sauce to drizzle over meat & rice when serving.
**Serve with stir-fry vegetables for a complete meal.