Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Ok, this sounded like an awesome recipe & it was! It took me 15 minutes to get it ready to go into the oven & 15 minutes to bake it. Talk about a fast dinner. I did think it needed something like cream cheese. A friend said her recipe calls for a block of it. Well...that will be another day! Leftovers heated up just fine too!

Serves 6-8

1 Tbsp. olive oil
16 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I just used the mexican cheese, lactose free use cheddar)
3 cans (12.5 oz) chunk chicken breast, drained and loosely shredded or equivalent fresh, cooked chicken breast
1 onion, diced
2 cans (10 oz) green chile enchilada sauce
1 can (4 1/2 oz) chopped green chiles, if desired
sour cream, if desired

Saute the diced onion.
Lightly spray a 9×13″ baking dish or large, oblong crock pot with non-stick spray.
Layer the following into the cooking container:  4 corn tortillas, 1/3 of sauteed onions, 1 can of chicken, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 can of enchilada sauce.  Repeat two more times.  Top with the last four corn tortillas and the last 1/2 can of enchilada sauce and last 1/2 cup of cheese.
If cooking in a traditional oven, bake uncovered 15 minutes at 350F.  If cooking in a crock pot, cook on low 2-4 hours.

Short Ribs

I was watching Down Home with the Neelys on food network when they came on. I watched the episode & the short ribs & they looked so yummy. I thought about it for a couple of days & decided to make them, however I was going to make them in my crockpot instead of the way they did it. They were so good. Leftovers were yummy too!

Servings 4-6

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
6 pounds beef short ribs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in thick puree
3 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 orange, zested
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Please read note at bottom if going to make them in the crockpot.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat about 2-tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the short ribs well with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, brown ribs for 6 minutes on each side. You will need to do this in batches. Remove the browned short ribs to a plate and repeat with remaining ribs and oil.
Add onion, carrots, garlic, celery, and salt and pepper to the Dutch oven (large pot) and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and wine to the vegetables and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf. Return the browned short ribs and any juices that have accumulated back into the Dutch oven. Add orange zest. Cover with a heavy lid and place in the oven and braise for 3 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Once the ribs are tender, remove the ribs to a platter. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the short ribs over mashed potatoes. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Note- If using the crockpot, do not heat up oven. After browning the short ribs, place them in crockpot. After adding the stock to the pot where you cooked the short ribs, pour this mixture into the crockpot. Be-careful as it will be hot & might splash.

Chicken Pot Pie

Wow...this is along the same lines as the cheeseburger pie. So super easy. It was yummy on top of that too. Of course we thought it needed garlic. But, we really like garlic in just about everything so can you blame us?

Serves 6-8

1 2/3 cups Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cut-up cooked chicken (I used leftover grilled chicken)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Original Bisquick® mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup in ungreased glass pie plate,
9x1 1/4 inches. Stir together remaining ingredients with fork until blended. Pour into pie plate. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Bruschetta'n Cheese- Stuffed Chicken Breast

I gotta say this recipe was surprisingly yummy. I of course only made 1/2 the recipe since there is just the two of us. It was pretty good in the oven but I think it would be just as good grilled! I was a little disappointed in the amount of waste I had with the stuffing mix. It just seemed like a total waste.

Serves 8

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or about 2 Tablespoons dried
1 pkg. (6oz) stove top stuffing mix for chicken ( I used about 1 1/2 cups stuffing mix from the stove top canister.
8 small boneless skineless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds) or chicken cutlets
1/3 cup Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing (I didn't have this, so I just used Italian dressing with some parm & added a few red pepper flakes).

Preheat oven to 350. Combine tomatoes with their liquid, 1/2 cup of the cheese, basil & dry stuffing mix; stir until moistened.
Place 2 chicken breast halves in a large freezer-weight resealable bag. Pound chicken with side of heavy can, rolling pin, meat mallet or skillet until chicken is 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken breast halves, adding 2 at a time to the bag. Place chicken top side down, on large cutting board; sprinkle evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one side of the breast, tightly roll up chicken (I had to use tooth picks to keep it from unrolling). Place seam-side down, in a 13 X 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.
Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170 degrees) & cheese is melted.

Note- I have not tried it, but I am sure it would be good. For a south west dish, prepare as directed substituting diced tomatoes with bell or jalapeno peppers for the Italian ones. Substitute mexican style cheese for the mozzarella & cilantro for for the basil.

Wilted Radicchio Endive and Asparagus Salad

Well, this was a pretty good salad. However it is not very budget friendly. I think next time I make this, I will skip the Radicchio & Endive & just put it over some Romaine.

Serves 8

3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Bunch Asparagus, trimmed & cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt & Pepper
1 head 2Radicchio, quartered lengthwise & thinly sliced crosswise
1 pound endive (about 3 heads) halved length wise & thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon chopped pepperoncini
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a medium sized non-stick skillet heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over med heat. Add asparagus & cook until bright green & crisp & tender, about 2 minutes; season with salt & pepper. Transfer to a large bowl & toss with radicchio, endive & pepperoncini.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 3 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar & season with salt & pepper. Cook until slightly reduced 2-4 minutes. Pour over salad & add parsley, toss to coat.

Black Pepper Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry

This is yet another quick fix meal. It is a very simple stir fry type dish. Isabel who is 18 months will also eat some of this one. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

2 Tablespoons veg oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1/2 small head of cabbage, shredded (I use the bagged cole slaw mix a lot of times)
1 red bell pepper, cut into stripes (the red is just for color, you could use green for a better budget friendly meal)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Heat wok or large skillet over med-high heat, and add oil. Saute garlic for 5-10 seconds, the add ground beef. Cook beef until evenly browned, drain off fat.  Stir in cabbage & bell pepper, cook until vegetables are tender. Combine soy sauce, cornstarch & water, and stir into beef mixture. Season with pepper. Cook, stirring until sauce has thickened (about 5-8 minutes).

Note- sometimes I add some chopped baby carrots depending on my mood & of course depending on what is in the fridge.

Chicken Taco soup

I love this recipe plus it is freezable! So, when you make to much, just freeze it,then on a busy night pull it out! I also think this would be a great item to bring to a football party. You could very easily serve this at a party or as a dip. Just make sure to provide plenty of chips!

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn,drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer or chicken stock
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts (can use frozen chicken breast)
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips or fritos (optional)

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer/chicken stock, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed chips, if desired.

Chicken Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala! So, once again I had to give it a shot. Unfortunately, it was not as good as I hoped. It did however taste better the second day. I love leftovers! With all that being said, if I were to make it again I would add some fresh garlic or granulated garlic. I used cooking Marsala & did not use Marsala wine, so I might also try that. But, I found a creamy chicken marsala, so of course I will be trying that before I make this again.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Mix the flour with the salt, pepper & herbs and cover the chicken breast in this mixture. In a skillet brown the chicken breast with a little of the olive oil on both sides and place in the Crockpot. In the same skillet add the mushrooms & onions to pan with a little olive oil. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the wine to the mushrooms & onions and let heat for about 10 minutes, while tossing and stirring. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken in the crockpot. Allow to cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Now, if doing it all on the stove top, cover & cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Greek Style Beef and Pasta

Once again I saw this recipe, & just had to try it. It was very good even though I did not eat the feta cheese myself. The hubs did though. In my book it is a keeper!
Serves 5

2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 oz). Or I used Parmesan cheese on mine!

1. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, cook bacon and onion over medium heat until bacon is crisp, stirring frequently. Add ground beef. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain.

3. Stir in olives, tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Serve over cooked pasta; sprinkle cheese over top.

Note- Parmesan cheese does not contain lactose & if you like feta, as long as it is made with goat or sheep's milk you are fine. Make sure you look at the label.