Fiesta Chicken Burritos

This makes for a simple dinner that cooks while you're away - yay!  I did not make it as spicy as the original recipe says but you can play with the spice level if you prefer hotter food.  I also used fat free cream cheese and that worked fine.  I'm taking a burrito in my lunch today - yum.  And easy - hooray.  Maybe next time I'll see how it freezes but cream cheese doesn't always freeze well so...we'll see.

Fiesta Chicken Burritos

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese

Flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Sliced olives
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped tomatoes
Salsa

Place chicken in a 4-qt slow cooker.  In a large bowl combine corn, beans, tomatoes, and seasonings; pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours.

Remove chicken and shred; return to slow cooker.  Cut cream cheese into small squares and stir into chicken mixture.  Cover and cook 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and warmed through.  Stir well to combine.

Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and whatever toppings you like.

Serves 8.

**You can also add a dash of red pepper flakes and 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped with the corn mixture.  


Altered from a recipe in Taste of Home I think.  

Explosive Cooking!

I was getting dinner out of the crock pot the other night and I set the lid on the stove. The stove was not on, by the way, nor had it been on for a long time. After a minute or two there was a loud pop and crash and I looked over to see this:

This is the second glass kitchen item I have had explode on me! What the heck?! Good thing it's Black Friday sale time. And I'm, of course, really glad it didn't explode on our dinner and that I wasn't holding it either. Sheesh!

Double Spaghetti Squash

Back in the days of fast metabolisms, Becky and I really liked to cook a spaghetti squash with lots of butter and each eat half of it for a meal. Yum! This recipe is so good it was tempting me to eat that much again, but now my waistline isn't so forgiving so I used some self-control. And then I got to have the leftovers the next day!
I really like spaghetti squash that isn't cooked to mushiness. I prefer cooking it uncovered with a little butter, salt and pepper. If you like it softer, you can cover it while it cooks and probably get away without the butter in the first step.

Double Spaghetti Squash
1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 lbs)
butter to taste, optional
4 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken in half
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (or some dried)
2 T. grated Parmesan
1 T. butter, melted
1 T. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried -( fresh is WAY better)
1/2 tsp garlic salt

Heat oven to 350. Cut squash in half and remove the seeds (you can roast them if you want). Put about an inch or two of water in the pan you are going to use to cook the squash. Put the squash in the pan, cut side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Put some butter in the squash. Cook about 45 minutes or until the squash is as tender as you like it. Reserve one half for dinner tomorrow night.
Cook and drain the spaghetti.
With a fork, scrape the squash strands out and add to the spaghetti noodles, along with the remaining ingredients; toss to combine. Return spaghetti mixture to the shell if desired and serve.

Recipe altered slightly from Betty Crocker. I think. I'm pretty sure.

Brussels Sprouts with Maple Buttered Pecans

These are SO incredibly delicious. Jeremy and I both gave them a 10!

Brussels Sprouts with Maple Buttered Pecans

Adaped from Gourmet

½ cup pecan halves

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup (the fake stuff is fine)

2 lb Brussels sprouts

2 cloves garlic, minced

squeeze of lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

In a toaster oven (or regular oven), broil pecans until fragrant. Mix with butter and maple syrup in a small bowl and set aside.

Trim ends of Brussels sprouts and cut sprouts in half. Cook in boiling water until just soft.

In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and cook drained Brussels sprouts over medium-high heat until they begin to brown and caramelize. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Squeeze lemon juice on top, add salt and pepper and pecan mixture. Stir until well mixed.