Chicken Taquitos

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Chicken Taquitos
adapted from Momma Hen's Kitchen

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
corn tortillas
salt

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Add chicken, chili powder, garlic powder, cilantro, and cheese. Mix well. Heat about 5 tortillas at a time in the microwave for 30 seconds. Place 2 Tbsp of the mixture in the center of the tortilla to about 1/2 inch from the edge. Roll tightly. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve with salsa and guacamole.

Makes about 15-20

Honey Mustard Chicken

Printable Recipe

Honey Mustard Chicken
adapted from Taste of Home

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp butter, melted
4 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine honey, butter, dijon mustard, orange juice, and curry powder. Spoon half of the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Brown on each side. Remove from pan and place in the baking dish. Turn to coat with sauce. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Drizzle with remaining sauce. Bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken is cooked through.

Mac & Cheese with Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions

Mac & Cheese is always a favorite with kids but this mac & cheese also has a grown up flavor too. My kids absolutely loved it. My 4 year old said it was the best thing I've ever made! I loved it too. So good!!!

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Mac & Cheese with Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions
adapted from The Open Pantry

4 roasted garlic cloves, minced
3 cups elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp brown sugar

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

3 Tbsp butter, divided

2 Tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
bread crumbs

To roast garlic, preheat oven to 400. Remove cloves of garlic from bulb, leaving the peel on. Place on a greased baking sheet. Lightly coat cloves with olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes or until garlic is soft. Let garlic cool and remove peel.

Cook macaroni according to directions and drain. Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Heat oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet. Stir in brown sugar. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, until it begins to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes, until softened and caramelized. Increase heat to medium and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes, until brown and cooked through. Add roasted garlic and remove from heat. Spoon over macaroni.

Preheat oven to 350. Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter to the same skillet and let melt over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1 minute. Add milk and whisk continuously. When mixture thickens and starts to bubble, add cheese and whisk until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over macaroni and mix well. Top with bread crumbs and bake for 20-25 minutes.

serves 6

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars

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Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars
adapted from Annie's Eats

Oatmeal layer:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Chocolate layer:
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Grease the sides of the pan.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. Beat butter at medium-high speed until soft and creamy, about 1 minute. Add brown sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Blend in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, blend in dry ingredients. Add oats and peanuts and stir with a rubber spatula. Reserve 1/2 cup of mixture. Place remaining in pan and press down.

Combine sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, butter, and salt in a heat proof bowl. Set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and peanuts.  Pour mixture over cookie layer and spread evenly.

Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture and scatter evenly over chocolate layer. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Makes 24 bars

Chicken Nachos

This is the same recipe found here but I decided to switch it up and use chicken instead. So I came up with this recipe and we loved it! 


Printable Recipe


Chicken Nachos


Chicken:
1  1/2 lb chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup salsa


Cheese Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese
salt and pepper

Toppings:
tortilla chips
diced tomatoes
olives
salsa
guacamole
sour cream

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken, spices, and salsa. Heat through. For cheese sauce melt butter in a  medium size pot. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Slowly stir in milk. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to medium and stir continuously until sauce is thickened. Stir in shredded cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chips topped with chicken mixture and cheese sauce. Top with tomatoes, olives, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.

One Year Highlights

It's been one year since I started this blog. Wow! Time goes by so fast. I wanted to highlight some of my favorite recipes so they don't get lost in the shuffle. Enjoy!!!

Soups:

Creamy White Chicken Chili

 

Salsa Beef Stew

Chicken and Vegetable Dumpling Soup 

Salads:

BBQ Chicken Salad

 

Cobb Salad with Bleu Cheese

Main Dishes:

 Chicken Parmesan

Alice Spring's Chicken

Thai Lettuce Cups

Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Chile Verde

Texas Chili Pile-On

Crock-Pot:

Crock-Pot Chicken

Chicken with Creamy Chive Sauce

Desserts:

Caramel Brownies (My favorite dessert ever!!!)

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Fish Tacos

I love fish tacos! I always order them at restaurants but I've never made them. I figured it couldn't be that hard, right? This is the first fish taco recipe I have tried and it was so good! My kids were a little skeptical at first because they've never had fish tacos before but they gave it a try. My four year old complained a little but still ate it. My six year old, who was the most skeptical, said this is the best thing he's ever eaten. So there you go. If you can get rave reviews from a six year old then I think you have an amazing dish.

Printable Recipe

Fish Tacos
adapted from Annie's Eats

1 lb white fish (halibut, cod, tilapia)
marinade:
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 Tbsp minced cilantro
1/4 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt to taste

cilantro cream sauce:
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
6 oz. nonfat greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 clove garlic, minced
pepper to taste

toppings:
chopped tomatoes
diced green onions
shredded cabbage
corn or flour tortillas

Combine lime juice, 2 Tbsp olive oil, cilantro, cumin, and garlic. Whisk together until well blended. Add fish and coat well. Marinate for 15-30 minutes.

To make cilantro cream sauce, combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat until the pan is very hot. Place fish in the pan and cook for 3 minutes without disturbing. Flip to the other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove to plate and season with salt. Let rest for a few minutes. Shred fish into bite size pieces.

Microwave tortillas until warm and pliable. Assemble tacos in tortillas with fish, cream sauce, and toppings.

serves 4-6

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enhiladas

I love enchiladas! I have quite a few different recipes and they're all different. Here's another one to add to the collection. These enchiladas are so good!

Printable Recipe

Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 (4 oz) cans green chiles, lightly drained
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can white or black beans, rinsed and drained

sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup diced onion
2 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10 oz. can green chile enchilada sauce
1/2 cup sour cream

8 oz monterey jack cheese
10-12 tortillas
handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 375. Combine green chiles and cream cheese; mix well. Add chicken and beans. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onion and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook and stir for about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and milk. Cook over medium heat until bubbly and thickened. Add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in enchilada sauce and sour cream. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. (I used a 9x13 dish and an 8x8 dish) Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture. Top with cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Cheesy Ritz Chicken

You can never go wrong with chicken tenders. This is definitely a kid favorite but it is also so flavorful that I really loved it too. I doubled the recipe but the original recipe is below.

Printable Recipe

Cheesy Ritz Chicken
adapted from Momma Hen's Kitchen

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 sleeve ritz crackers
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp cajun seasoning

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken tenders in a large ziploc bag with buttermilk. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until crackers are crushed and it is mixed well. Place on a plate. Dip tenders into crumb mixture, coating well. Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes.

Serves 4