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.

Pumpkin Crumble

These are so yummy and much tastier than regular pumpkin pie.  Our neighbors told me that they'd buy me the ingredients if I made them some more!

Pumpkin Crumble
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 boxed yellow cake mix
1-2 sticks butter (see notes in instructions)
1 16 oz can pumpkin*
2 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1/4 t ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/3 C chopped pecans
1/2 t additional cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 350.
Place 2 C of the cake mix in a bowl. Cut in 3 T chilled butter. Just use your fingers to crumble the butter until it’s in small crumbly pieces. Place mixture in a 9×13 baking dish and press flat with your fingers.
Mix pumpkin, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and spices until smooth. Pour on top of the cake mixture in the pan.
Now take the rest of the dry cake mix and mix in 1/2 t cinnamon. Sprinkle it all over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Use a measuring cup so you have a rough measurement of how much you’re putting on. Here’s why:
Here’s a little something I learned after making the dump cake a gazillion times. Cake mixes all have different amounts in them! Different brands, different flavors, etc. Each one is slightly different in volume. I found one mix to have almost double the normal amount. Measuring the amount of cake mix you’re sprinkling on top will help you get the perfect topping ratio in the last step.
Next sprinkle on the chopped pecans. You’ll have 3 distinct layers now:
Here’s the trick: For every 1 C of cake mix you sprinkled on top, you’ll need 3 T of melted butter. Drizzle it right on top.
That butter is going to combine with the cake mix and make magic in the oven. Pop it in your 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or so. A knife should come out without globs of pumpkin on it and the topping should be nice and golden.
You can eat it warm, at room temp, or chilled! My favorite is actually at room temp. Put a dollop of sweetened whipped cream on top. It’s also great with vanilla ice cream.

Chickadilla Soup

This is the easiest soup - throw it in and let it cook.  I added the potatoes because I had potatoes from the garden that I wanted to use and since they were a good addition to the soup I put it in the recipe - you can skip them if you'd like.  :)  Also, when you're looking at the toppings I'll just mention that the avocado pieces were really good in the soup and fresh squeezed lime juice - mmmm, mmmm!  The rest were good too but those two are a must.

This recipe makes a large pot (generously serves 8) which was great because I popped some in the freezer in small containers so I could take them to work for lunch.

Chickadilla Soup

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

2 (14.5 oz each) cans petite diced tomatoes

10 oz mild enchilada sauce

4 oz can mild chopped green chilies

1 quart chicken broth

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 medium onion chopped (or 1/2 tsp onion powder)

Scant 1/4 tsp dried cilantro or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

10 oz frozen corn

Place everything except the corn in a large crockpot.  Mix.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

About 30 minutes before dinner, remove chicken from crockpot and add corn to soup.  Shred the chicken then return to the pot; allow to cook until everything is warmed through.

Serve with: chopped avocado, shredded cheese, pita or tortilla chips, sour cream, hot sauce, lime wedges, fresh cilantro.

Altered slightly from a recipe from Kashi foods.  

Sandwich Buns

I made these buns for dinner tonight....I wanted to make French dip sandwiches but I didn't want to go to the store with all 3 kids just for rolls, so I searched for an easy recipe and found this.  They are really easy.  It took more than 30 minutes for mine to rise to double their size.  I sprinkled some with sesame seeds, some with sea salt and left a couple plain.  And I of course had to taste test one before dinner....they're good.  : )
I am going to try making them with wheat flour next time.

Homemade Sandwich Buns

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup butter

1 egg, room temperature

4-1/2 cups flour

1 package instant yeast (2-1/4 teaspoon)

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter is melted. Check temperature. Depending on the temperature, let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in egg.

Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast and salt. Mix into the milk mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition.

When the dough pulls together, (it will form a soft ball) turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. This should take about 5 minutes. Mari used her stand mixer, beating with the paddle attachment, then switched to the dough hook to knead. Add a little more flour while mixing with the dough hook, a little at a time until dough is no longer sticky.

Divide dough into 12-16 equal parts. I used my new scale (love this and wish I had purchased it long ago) so I had 12 buns of equal size. Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place on a silicone mat covered baking sheet.

Cover loosely with plastic film and allow to rise in 30-40 minutes. When buns have almost doubled bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes.

If desired, after buns have risen, brush tops with beaten egg for a shiny glaze. You may also want to add sesame seeds, sauteed minced onions (cooled), coarse salt, etc, then bake.

The lady who posted the recipe on her blog offers these suggestions, if you're interested.  In case you don't know what to do with homemade rolls.  Like, eat them plain!  : ) 

These wonderful buns make delicious sandwiches of any kind, and I especially like them split, toasted and buttered for breakfast. I combined a little deli sliced turkey, chive flavored cream cheese and a scoop of cranberry tangerine chutney and the resulting sandwich is delish. 

This recipe is from Wiveswithknives.net.