Vacation Recovery

Whew... I just returned home from a fantastic vacation to Utah to visit family. Since I haven't been shopping yet, dinner is going to be an easy one. Most of the ingredients for this delicious taco soup, should be in your pantry. (I hope they are in mine!!) Enjoy!



Emily's Corner Taco Soup



4 C water
4 chicken bouillon cubes (or 4 tsp bouillon granules)
1 can Black Beans, drained
1 can Corn, drained
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 C cooked and shredded chicken (you can use canned chicken if you are really in a hurry)
2 T dried onion (or fresh if you prefer)
1/2 packet taco seasoning
1 cooked rice *hint: When you cook rice for a meal make 1-2 cups extra. Place 1 cup of cooked rice in a Ziploc bag and place in the freezer. When you need rice quickly, grab the bag out of the freezer, pop it in the microwave for a few minutes and Wallah, you have rice fit for a meal.

1 C cheddar cheese, grated


1. Boil water, add bouillon and allow to dissolve.
2. Turn to Med. low heat and add all remaining ingredients except the cheese. Simmer on low for 30 minutes.
3. Add cheese, stir until melted.
4. Serve with sour cream and corn bread.



Corn Bread


1 C flour
1 C cornmeal
1 T baking powder
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/8 C milk
1 egg
1/4 C vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Mix dry ingredients together. Combine milk, egg and oil in a separate bowl.
3. Add milk mixture to dry mixture and stir just until moist.
4. Pour in a 8x8 glass baking dish that has been well greased.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake!

Happy Valentine's Day

This week my kids and I have had a great time making lots of Valentines Treats. Here are a few that we tried...
- Cupids Cups from Kraft Foods
- Heart Shaped Pretzels (We added red food coloring to ours to make them look pink)
- Glazed Brownie Hearts

To celebrate Valentine's Day I made my husband a candlelight dinner complete with romantic music & sparkling cider. We had a great time enjoying a quiet dinner, just the two of us (a rarity around our place!)

Our Menu:
Wedge Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing
French Bread with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar
Chicken Amore
Chocolate Raspberry Parfait
Sparkling Cider

Chicken Amore

6-8 Chicken tenders
1/4 lb angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
1 packet dry Alfredo Sauce Mix
1 T Olive oil
1 T butter
1 C milk
1/2 C water
1 C tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 C roasted red peppers (found in a jar marinated in olive oil)
1 T capers, drained
1 T onion salt,
1 T Italian Seasoning
1/2 T garlic powder (or chopped garlic if you like a stronger garlic flavor)
Lawry's Herb & Garlic Marinade
Mozzarella cheese, grated

1- Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours in Herb & Garlic Marinade
2- Heat olive oil in skillet on Medium heat. Add chicken. Cook 5 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear. Transfer from pan to plate tented with tinfoil to keep chicken warm.
3- Add 1 T butter to chicken drippings in skillet. Allow to melt. Meanwhile, whisk together Alfredo mix, milk and water until there are no lumps in it. Add to butter in skillet and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat.
4- Add tomatoes, pepper, capers and spices. Simmer on low 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken up a bit. Add cooked pasta and stir to coat.
5- Serve by plating pasta, top with chicken and a generous serving of grated mozzarella.

Wedge Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette Dressing

1 head Iceberg lettuce
Purple grapes ,halved
Dried Cranberries
Cucumber ,thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced

Cut two wedge shapes out of the iceberg lettuce. Place on a plate already drizzled with dressing. Surround with halved grapes, dried cranberries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Drizzle with additional dressing and sprinkle with your favorite cheese.

Dressing:

In a blender mix:
1/2 C red wine vinegar
3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 T minced onion
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C strawberries, fresh or frozen ( I have also been known to substitue strawberry jam in a pinch!)

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

www.nataliedee.com

Have you ever put together the perfect meal in a crock pot, complete with an expensive roast and equally expensive vegetables, then gone to work. You come home expecting a delicious, ready-to-eat meal, and instead you smell..... nothing. You forgot to PLUG IN the crock pot. So instead of savoring a tender roast and sweet vegetables, you feed them to the garbage disposal and eat Cheerios and Moose Tracks Ice cream. How depressing!

Yes, I have to admit this has happened to me, on more than one occasion. So before you walk out the door, check to see that your crock pot is securely plugged in and the knob is turned to the 'On" position!

Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 small chicken breasts pounded flat (or two large ones -fillet in half and avoid all that pounding)
4 thick slices ham
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C Sour Cream
1/2 C milk
1/2 C bread crumbs
1 T Italian seasoning

1- Place flattened chicken breasts flat down on a plate. Place 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese on top of each breast. Fold the chicken breast into thirds, rolling the ham and cheese in the middle of the chicken. Secure with two toothpicks. (I find that if I always use two, I always know how many to look for before I eat it)

2- Place chicken toothpick side up in the bottom of a crock pot. Meanwhile mix Cream of chicken soup, sour cream and milk in a bowl. Pour the mixture into the crock pot so the chicken breasts are almost covered. If you have any sauce left save in the fridge for later.

3- Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Italian Seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours.

4- Remove Chicken Cordon Bleu's from crock pot and pour sauce into a gravy dish to serve over the top, or on mashed potatoes. You may want to strain the sauce to remove any bits of chicken that fell off. Also, if you had any sauce left from earlier, warm it in a saucepan before adding to the remaining sauce.

Enjoy!

Asian Chicken Stir-fry

This is one of my favorite speedy meals! It is perfect for the nights when you aren't sure what to cook. I usually have everything in my pantry and the Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing has become a staple in my fridge- it is great on everything!

Oh, and I must give credit where credit is due.... I got this recipe from Kraft foods.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/

8 oz. angel hair pasta, uncooked

2 cups broccoli florets

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1 C. Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (I like the lite)

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1/4 - 1/2 tsp each; ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper

Sesame Seeds

1- Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.

2- Coat a skillet with cooking spray. Heat on Medium- high heat. Add chicken, cook 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook 1 minute while stirring.

3- Drain pasta and broccoli and place in a large bowl. Add chicken mixture. Toss lightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or 1/3 c chopped peanuts.

Chicken Teriyaki & Ginger Carrot Slaw

Sorry I don't have a picture of this.... we downed it before I could snap one. This was a great crock pot dish for Sunday afternoon.

Chicken Teriyaki

4 frozen chicken breasts
1 C water
1 tsp beef bouillon
3 T brown sugar
1/3 C soy sauce
2 T cornstarch (mixed in a small amount of water to form a paste)
1 T Montreal Chicken Seasoning

1. Place frozen chicken breasts in greased crock pot. (can be fresh just decrease cooking time)

2. Pour water into a medium pot. Bring to a boil. Add bouillon and stir until dissolved. Mix in sugar and soy sauce, then add cornstarch paste slowly. Continue boiling and stirring mixture until it thickens.

3. Pour over chicken in Crock pot. Sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning.

4. Cook on high for 4 hours

5. Remove chicken and pour liquid through a sieve to remove the clumps. Serve chicken with rice and sauce.

Ginger -Carrot Slaw (This is my version of a Rachel Ray Recipe)

1/2 small cabbage
1 bunch green onions
4 large carrots (shred into about 2 cups)
1 T ground ginger
1/4 C honey
3 T cider vinegar
2 T vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Shred 1/2 of the cabbage. Set aside.
Cut the scallions into long thin strips and shred the carrots. (This can all be done ahead of time).

2. Drizzle the honey into a small bowl. Add the vinegar and stir until combined.

3. Heat 2 T of vegetable oil in a hot skillet. Add the carrots and the ginger powder and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add the cabbage for 4 more minutes and then the onions for one more minute. The vegetables should end up a little dry and crispy. Add the honey/vinegar mixture and cook for another minute so the veggies can soak up the liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the chicken and rice.

Chicken & Corn Enchiladas

Try this unique blend of corn, chicken and corn tortillas. You can serve this enchilada style casserole with Salsa if you prefer, but I found that the salsa masked the flavor of the corn.

6 corn tortillas
1 T butter
3 green onions
2 chicken breasts- cut into bite size pieces
1 T Montreal Chicken Seasoning
1/2 T Season All
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Can yellow corn, drained
1/4 C water
1 Cup Sour cream
1/2 C shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 C shredded Pepper Jack cheese

Melt butter in pan. Add onions, chicken and all spices. Saute until chicken is no longer pink. Add corn and water. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add sour cream and pepper jack cheese.

Cut the corn tortillas in half and lay on the bottom of a greased 8x8 casserole dish so that the entire dish is covered. Spread half of corn mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Repeat layer ending with cheese top.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Or (if you are in a hurry), microwave uncovered for 10 minutes on high.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro.

Appetizer party

One of my friends had a fabulous idea- throw an appetizer party. She invited over girls from the neighborhood and we all brought fun appetizers to share. Don't we all love appetizers? Try these at your next party, they are sure to be a hit!

Thai Chicken Satay

2 Chicken breasts cut into long strips

1/2 tsp .ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 T. rice vinegar

1.Mix the spices together and set aside.

2. Place the chicken strips into a shallow bowl, or pie pan. Drizzle with rice vinegar (you can add a little more if you need), then stir in the spices.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

4. Thread onto skewers.

5. Place skewers 3-4 at a time onto a George Foreman grill that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (You can also use a regular grill, or a grill pan if you have one.)

6.Cook until juices run clear, about 5 minutes in the George Foreman.

- Serve warm with dipping sauces.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

3 T. creamy peanut butter

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. Sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder (more or less depending on your spice level)

1/4 C water

1. In a small sauce pan mix together the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes to thicken.

Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Cucumber Sauce

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped into small cubes

1 T fresh chopped cilantro

6 T rice vinegar

2 T water

1 T sugar (sometimes I make this a little sweeter with 2 T.)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp cornstarch

1.Mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a microwave safe bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until the consistency is a bit thicker than whole milk. Add to vinegar mixture.

3. Heat sauce in microwave for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. This should thicken the sauce up a bit.

4. Stir in cucumbers and cilantro. Serve also at room temperature.

Red Velvet Cake Bites

The original recipe for this came from http://www.bakeralla.com/ (check out the beautiful creations she has come up with)

1 Red Velvet Cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 container cream cheese frosting

6 squares white almond bark (a melting chocolate)

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Bake cake according to directions on the box in any pan size you want

2. Remove cake from pan and place in a large bowl. Using a spoon, or fork break up the cake until it is all crumbs.

3. Melt your frosting in the microwave for about 30 sec. so it is nice and soft. Then mix it into the cake crumbs using the spoon or your hands.

4. Using the spoon, fill each spot in a mini muffin tin, full of the cake mixture. Pat the mixture down with the back of the spoon so it is well packed. You will have some extra, so do two batches, or make some larger sized ones with a regular muffin tin.

5. Cover muffin tin with plastic wrap and place in freezer for a few hours.

6. Meanwhile melt the white almond bark in a microwave safe bowl.

7. Remove the frozen cake bites from the freezer and one at time, dip them into the chocolate. And easy way to do this is by sticking a fork in the the bite and then dipping it into the chocolate. I don't usually dip the bottom, just the top and sides. Place on a plate or silpat baking mat to cool.

8. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Pour melted chocolate into a plastic Ziploc bag. Make a very small cut off one corner of the bag. Squeeze bag and drizzle chocolate over the cake bites.

Serve! If there are any leftovers (not likely) store them in the fridge to keep them from falling

apart.