Tasteful Tuesday

Sorry about no post last week. I wanted to find a fun valentine dinner to post but didn't have anything that really fit what I was looking for. I also hadn't made anything super spectacular. This week though I made at least 2 meals that were a hit. This was the first one. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it. I mentioned in my notes below that it is a bit spicy (and gave some suggestions to help with that) but the dressing was great for just dipping veggies in later in the week. Also, check the recipe blog later this week for several new desserts (an apple cake and strawberry brunch bread) that were very tastey!
Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges
Dressing:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup diced tomatoes with green chiles (or salsa verde)
1 cup packed cilantro leaves and stems

Filling:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 Tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper (I used the bottled kind)
2 cups shredded chicken (could use rotissere or canned if you're in a hurry)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles

Crust:
1 large egg
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Martha White cornbread mix
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup crushed corn chips

Topping:
1/2 cup each mozarella and cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped tomatoes

Mix dressing ingredients together in blender and process until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat oil in cast iron skillet. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno (if using the bottled ones, add when you add the chicken) and cook until tender. Add in chicken, spices, and canned tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from skillet and wipe clean. Regrease the skillet.
Mix egg, cornbread mix, and milk until well blended. Place corn chips on bottom of skillet and top with cornbread mix. Spoon the chicken mixture over the cornbread and sprinkle with cheeses.
Bake for 15-18 minutes. Cut into wedges. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and dressing.
Recipe Source: Picky Palate
My Notes:
This was a bit spicy for my kids so my suggestions to tone it down would be to buy the smaller cans of diced tomatoes and get one can with the green chiles and one without. You could also leave out the jalapeno. The original recipe called for 1 (7oz) package of Martha White sweet yellow cornbread mix but I couldn't find it. I found a larger bag of the white cornbread mix and just adjusted my recipe for that...I would assume that any cornbread mix would work as long as you have about 7 oz. Also, since I have a glass stove top, I didn't use my cast iron skillet to cook the vegetables and chicken mixture. I just used a regular skillet and then put it in my cast iron skillet to bake. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, just use a round cake pan.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is just like the rotisserre chickens you get at the store but is much cheaper and almost just as easy. If you can get over the touching of yucky raw chicken, it is a cinch to throw together. Also, the drippings make fantastic gravy for your mashed potatoes.

Rosemary Chicken

1 whole chicken

Salt and pepper, enough to cover inside and out of chicken

1 onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

3 sprigs fresh parsley, or 1/2 Tablespoon dried

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup chicken broth

Remove neck and giblets from chicken, rinse and pat dry. Rub generously with salt and pepper, inside and out. Place in crockpot, breast side up. Put 2 onion wedges, garlic and parsley into chicken. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and thyme. Put remaining onion wedges into crockpot and pour in chicken broth. Cook on high for about 4 hours.

Recipe Source: family cookbook, cousin Keleen

My Notes:

This works really well for Sunday dinner. Turn on the crockpot right before leaving for church. Come home, make mashed potatoes and it is ready to go.

Also, it is really best to gather all the ingredients that go in the chicken before you start...kind of like they do on cooking shows with everything in its own bowl.

Tasteful Tuesday

I made this recipe a LONG time ago and had forgotten about it until now. I think I will put it on the menu for when our company is here next week (we are SUPER excited to have family coming to town!). The longer you let the meat soak in the sauce the better it is. I usually stick it all together in a ziplock bag in the morning and then it is ready when I make dinner at night. This is really a must try! Honey Lime Enchiladas
1 1/2 lbs cooked and shredded pork roast or chicken
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 (10oz) cans GREEN enchilada sauce
1 cup sour cream
equal parts mozarella and cheddar cheese
Flour tortillas

Combine honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder and pour over shredded pork or chicken. Let soak for at least 30 min.
Pour enchilada sauce in lightly greased pan so that it covers the bottom completely. Put filling in flour tortillas along with desired amount of cheese. Place in pan and completely cover with a mixture of the enchilada sauce and sour cream. Liberally sprinke more cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 30 min. Turn oven to broil and move the pan closer to heating element. Broil until cheese is golden and crispy.
Recipe source: Sister's cafe
My notes:
This makes one large pan enchiladas plus a smaller pan, like a 9x9.
The first time I made this using a pork tenderloin and didn't like it because the meat was hard to shred and a little dry. When I used a pork roast or chicken it was fabulous.
Sometimes it can be hard to find green enchilada sauce...out here the only place is ACME but for those of you with an Albertson's it is the same. I have substituted green taco sauce and it worked.
This also makes good nachos...but you have to include the enchilada sauce or green taco sauce for it to be stellar.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one that is quick and easy and one that I usually have most of the ingredients for. If I don't have the bread, it takes a bit longer to make my own but it still turns out great. We had this last night as we were rushing off to baseball and I had no idea what I had on hand for dinner. It was tastey and filling. I used some left over turkey I had in the fridge and it worked just as well as chicken. You can even make this with the cans of canned chicken if you are really in a hurry. Serve it up with some salad and fruit and you are good to go. Chicken Pizza Sandwhich

1 loaf French Bread

1/2 cup maynaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (or turkey)

2 cups shredded cheese

2 chopped green onions

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Parsley flakes

Mix all ingredients, except bread together. Cut bread in half length-wise and spread chicken mixture over evenly. Bake in oven at 350 for 15-20 min or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Tasteful Tuesday

If you don't have today's recipe, you should. I use it a lot when I have left over chicken. These are yummy, filling, and don't take tons of work. If you want a yummy dessert recipe for St. Patrick's Day next week check out this one on my recipe blog. We made it last night for FHE and I was reminded how much I like it. We cut the recipe in half and put it in a graham cracker pie crust.

Chicken Rolls

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

4-5 green onions, sliced

2 stalks celery, diced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup softened butter

favorite roll recipe

1 cube butter, melted

bread crumbs or crushed cornflakes

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Enough milk to make gravy like consistency

Combine the first 6 ingredients in bowl and mix well. Cut roll dough into squares and place spoonful of filling in each. Wrap dough around filling until it is completely covered. Dip into melted butter and then into bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Heat cream soup and milk until hot. Serve rolls with gravy on top.

My notes:

You can also use the canned crescent rolls, which makes it faster. I always use the same roll recipe I use for the pizza bites. The canned rolls make it even better, but add a lot more fat and processed stuff. Also, you can make your own gravy, which is better, by making a roux with butter, flour, chicken broth. You can add in a little of the shredded chicken as well.

Tasteful Tuesday

Today's recipe is one of the most simple things I have thrown together in a long time. Sometime I get so excited about trying new recipes that I forget I still have places to be and a house to clean. This created minimal mess and came together quick! It is Southwest Chicken in the crockpot.Here is the how-to:
Take a small bag of frozen corn and dump it at the bottom of the crockpot. Put 2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts on top of the corn. Pour on a bottle of MEDIUM salsa, and a can of drained black beans. Cook on high for 1 hour and on low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and then serve over tortilla chips with, shredded cheese, sour cream, avacado, and whatever else serves your fancy. Ainslee said this was "too good for words!" AHHH, heaven to a mother's ears.
Recipe Source: Sister's Cafe
My Notes:
As noted on the recipe I got this from, use Medium salsa. It doesn't make this hot at all but gives it perfect flavor. We loved it with the tortilla chips but you could probably also serve this in a tortilla. This made a perfect size pot for our family, with enough left over for Mike and I to have some for lunch the next day.

Tasteful Tuesday...and a Give Away!

Today I am sharing one of those 3 ingredient, put it in the oven and dinner is ready recipes. Gotta love those kinds. I got the recipe from one of my family cookbooks and it is a staple at our house. Sorry the picture is not the best. I am also doing my first ever GIVE AWAY! In a few weeks I am teaching a truffle making class at church. I am going to teach how to make a real ganache filling as well as a quick, cheater version. I cannot decide what flavor of each to make, which is where the give away comes in. You get to vote for which flavor I will be making. The prize, which will be randomly drawn from a hat, is a box of four truffles (2 of each kind). If you would like to particpate, please vote for 1 ganache filling flavor, and 1 cheater version flavor (choices are below the picture). Please leave me a way to contact you. Just to be clear, the winner will also be my shipping guinea pig. I have several orders for christmas chocolates and I have never actually shipped them before. So the winner will be obligated to let me know how the truffles arrive (whether they are still in place and how they taste).

Ganache fillings:

Mint, Raspberry, English Toffee

Cheaters:

Oreo, Choc. Chip Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter

Vote now! Voting ends Sunday, November 8 at 12 midnight EST

Apricot Chicken

Enough boneless, skinless chicken to fill up a 9X13 (I usually just put mine in frozen)

1 (8oz) bottle French dressing *

1 (10 oz) jar apricot jam

1 pkg dry onion soup mix

Place your chicken in pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken, turning to coat. Bake, uncovered at 325 for 1 1/2 hrs. Turn twice during cooking. Serve over rice. Very YUM!

*To make your own dressing (which is what I usually do) follow this recipe.

1 cup oil (last time I used less and it worked just as well...maybe 3/4 c)

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup ketchup

black pepper

1/2 cup vinegar

Tasteful Tuesday

Barbeque Dutch Oven Chicken

This is one of our family's favorite ways to eat chicken. It is so tender, it just falls apart. One of the big things for me is remembering to let the chicken completely thaw. I sometimes try to get away without letting it thaw completely, knowing it will just take longer to cook but it doesn't brown and just doesn't turn out as well. So let your chicken thaw completely! The other thing is, it really is best done in a dutch oven. You can cook it in the oven and it will be okay but using a dutch oven really brings out all the flavors. Since it isn't always possible to cook on briquettes, you can put the dutch oven into your oven at 350 or put the dutch oven on your BBQ grill.

Dutch oven Chicken

Chicken breasts, enough to feed your family

oil, small amount to coat bottom of pan

1 large bottle of BBQ sauce

Start by getting your dutch oven hot and then add your oil. Put chicken breasts in and let them brown well on both sides (you may have to add more oil if they start to stick). Pour in your bottle of BBQ suace, cover and let cook 15-20 min. Check for doneness. Cook longer if needed or serve it up. If you are cooking with briquettes, we usually use 10-12 on the bottom and 8-10 on top. We love to use our dutch ovens and almost always use this recipe when company comes for dinner. Everyone loves it!

Tasteful Tuesday

This recipe comes from my mother and is one I have loved since childhood. My mom, I believe, got this out of a magazine. You can use either pork or chicken but I always use chicken.


Chicken Oriental
2 lbs. chicken, cubed
2 Tblsp. oil
1 pkg. brown gravy mix
3/4 c. water
1/4 c. honey
3 Tblsp. soy sauce
2Tblsp. vinegar
1/2 t. garlic salt
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 green bell pepper, cut into bite size peices
Brown meat in oil in large skillet, stirring frequently, for 15 min. Combine gravy mix, water, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic salt. Add to skillet, cover and cook 20 min., stirring occasionaly. Add carrots and cook 10 min. Add onion and pepper, cook 5-10 min more. Serve over rice.

As a side note: All the recipes I post feed my family of 7, unless otherwise noted. However, with my growing kids, we are going to have to start doubling the recipes. I also like to use a mixture of white and brown rice...that way my kids will eat it but it is a little better nutrionally.