Crockpot chicken chili

Fall is here and that means cooler temperatures and a busy schedule for me (its soccer coaching season).  So I try to use my crockpot more often.  This was an easy meal that i found online and had my husband throw together.  It was delicious.  We talked about trying to reduce the amount of cream cheese next time to make it a little healthier. 

Recipe

1 can black beans
1 can corn, undrained
1 can Rotel, undrained
1 package ranch dressing mix
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 8 oz package light cream cheese
2 chicken breasts

Drain and rinse black beans. Place chicken at bottom of pot, then pour out whole can of corn (undrained), rotel, and black beans. Top with seasonings and ranch mix. Stir together. Place cream cheese on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir cream cheese into chili. Use 2 forks to shred chicken. Stir together and serve.

Creamy Baked Chicken Tacquitos

These tacquitos were delicious.  They could be an appetizer at a party or have for a meal.  I actually made them ahead of time and froze them since I am so busy with soccer.  It is great to just pull them out and pop in the oven for a quick little meal or snack.  I also served them with avocado dip.  Yummy!

Recipe:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro  ( I didn't have any of this)
2 Tbsp sliced green onions (I didn't use these either)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheesesmall flour or corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)
Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can.
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other.
Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Recipe from:  http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/02/baked-creamy-chicken-taquitos/

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

During soccer season I work in the mornings and have soccer in the afternoon or evenings.  Which means no time to cook a good dinner.  I try to freeze some meals but didn't do that much this year.  So crockpot meals are a good alternative.  We made this one and it turned out good.  I served it over rice and with some broccolli.  Much better then gross quick meals my kids have been eating lately.


Recipe:

1 lb chicken breasts
1 packet Italian dressing mix
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
egg noodles or rice

Place chicken breasts, Italian dressing mix, butter, lemon juice & chicken broth in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When finished cooking, shred chicken with 2 forks. Serve chicken over egg noodles or rice and top with juices from crockpot.

Butterscotch Pudding Triple Chip Cookies

My husband has been wanting cookies lately.  I usually bake during soccer season and give the girls my cookies as their "player of the game award".  I baked my go to chocolate chip recipe and must have messed up somewhere b/c they were not very good.  I felt like I had to redeem myself.  So I found this recipe.  I figure it would be good to try something new.  They turned out great.  They are moist and full of flavor.  My husband liked them so much that I got a text while I was at my game telling me they were delicious. 

I think I would like to add more chocolate chips and cut back on the white chips, but that is a personal preference.  They are good regardless.  Make them!!!

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package butterscotch instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat and set aside.
2. Using a mixer, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add in butterscotch pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.
3. Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges and set. Remove cookies from oven and let cool on baking sheet for two minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/butterscotch-pudding-triple-chip-cookies/

Oven Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is another summer picnic food.  Since summer is almost over here is a version that you can make in the oven.  I like the white meat and so do the kids so we make this like chicken fingers.  The breading was good and flavorful.  The chicken was moist.  Next time I make it I will try to cut back on the butter.  We didn't even need close to that amount. 

Ingredients

• 2-3 chicken breast halves, cut into strips or large pieces
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. Morton's Season All Seasoning Salt (or your favorite seasoning salt)
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 c. Flour
• 1 Tbsp. Paprika
• 1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

Instructions

• Place chicken strips in a large Ziploc bag and cover with buttermilk. Seal bag tightly (squeezing out all the air) and allow chicken to soak for at LEAST an hour (several hours is best).
• In a shallow bowl or pie pan, combine seasoning salt, pepper, flour, and paprika. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray then cut up the butter into pieces and place around the bottom of the pan (doing it this way keeps the chicken from sticking as bad).
• Place the pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until the butter is melted and HOT.
• Remove from oven and spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan.
• Shake excess buttermilk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix.
• Carefully place each piece of chicken in the pan.
• Cook for 15 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 15-20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

 

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2012/08/oven-fried-chicken.html

Corn Salad

During the summer we love making this corn salad recipe.  It is a great side to take to a bbq, potlock, whatever.  It is simple and yummy... a great combination.  I can't believe summer is almost over!

For this receip, I like to use fresh corn off the cob but have used frozen corn many time and it is still delicious. I don't have exact measurments.  You just put in the amount that you would like and what looks pretty :)


Corn Salad Recipe

Corn-- approx taken from 6 ears of corn
chopped  purple onion
chopped fresh basil
equal parts oil and balsalmic vinegar
tiny bit of lime juice
tiny bit of hot sauce
feta cheese

mix all together.  Let sit for awhile so flavors soak in.  Serve cold

Yum Yum Sauce

We like to eat hibachi.  It is the only time I will eat shrimp or scallops.  Something about that hot grill, garlic, sake, and lots of butter.  Although I usually get steak and chicken. 

Every now and then we make fried rice and some chicken.  I found this simple recipe for the white sauce, aka Yum Yum sauce that they use at the hibachi places.  It tastes good (not good for you though!).  Make sure you let it sit in the fridge over night. If you make it and use it right away it will just taste like mayo.  You need to let the other ingredients get soaked in.  :)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup water

Mix all ingredients together and keep in fridge over night.