Mexican Chicken Skillet

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today, I decided I would post a Mexican recipe. Or a kind of Mexican recipe. Maybe we should call it TexMex. Or American Mexican. Or the "dish-that-wishes-it-were-Mexican". But no matter it's official title is, we can definitely call it good.  This was the meal I craved like nothing else when I was pregnant. And the wonderful thing is that it wasn't "ruined" for me like some of my other pregnancy foods {for example, I have a hard time finding a desire for oranges or Popsicles anymore - both for drastically different reasons, but that's a story for another day}. I can still eat this meal as if it were brand new to me. And I could eat it multiple times a week. Now that is saying something. I am a variety kind of gal. Give me variety or I get queasy. No joke. I must have something different. Leftovers are always kind of an issue around here. My hubby is awesome about eating leftovers - he doesn't care if we just ate it yesterday and the day before but I do. A couple times a week - and never two days in a row - is about all I can handle of the same meal. Except for this one. I have eaten this multiple times in one week and have never gotten sick of it. It is just that amazing! And there are other fantastic things about it, too! Let's list all the pros of this recipe, shall we?

1. It tastes soooo good. :)
2. It is super, duper easy. Really, even my sister who doesn't like to cook likes to cook this recipe.
3. It freezes well.
4. It makes a ton of food. It usually makes enough for my family to eat for at least three meals. Wowza.
5. It looks yummy. 
6. Anything that goes with tortilla chips and has lime in it is simply wonderful. The end.

Now we will list the cons. . . . . . . . . . . Wait. There aren't any!


Mexican Chicken Skillet
Time: about 30-40 minutes

Recipe adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients

1 can black beans, mostly drained {meaning, don't worry about squeezing every last drop out of the can - a little liquid will make it tasty}
1 can corn, mostly drained or one cup of frozen corn
1 can diced tomatoes {I really love the ones that have roasted garlic and onions in them, but for a more authentic flavor, choose one with green chilies}
1/2 cup chopped onion {can use green onions, which lend a pretty tasty flavor}
1 1/3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/3 tsp. garlic powder, heaping, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 tsp. cumin, heaping
1/4 cup lime juice {or more if you're like me and can't get enough lime}
Salt and pepper to taste {I actually never put salt and pepper in mine - it's one of those things that's good enough without it}
1 cup shredded cheese
Tortilla chips
Rice

Directions
In large skillet, put all ingredients except lime juice. Cook on medium low heat for about 15 minutes.
Add lime juice and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Just before serving, top with cheese.
Serve with tortilla chips and rice.
Yum!

Note: We usually eat this meal as is with chips and possibly serve rice on the side. If you want this meal to go further, mix it with the rice and serve as a casserole. I prefer it not mixed with the rice, but do whatever your taste preference demands!

Hamburger and Garlic Stroganoff

 This stroganoff recipe is my all-time favorite. There is no better recipe. Really. The combination of garlic, onion, and mushrooms with the creamy sauce is amazing! When I was in college, this was the recipe I used to make for my friends and roommates to impress them. And it worked like a charm every single time.

Hamburger and Garlic Stroganoff
Recipe from Robyn Brewer
Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
½ cup onion
1 clove garlic
¼ cup butter
1 lb. ground beef
2 Tbsp. flour
¼ tsp. pepper
1 can mushrooms {I use stems and pieces and cut them into tiny chunks so people don't get grossed out by the mushrooms}
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
In a frying pan, saute onion in butter over medium heat for a couple of minutes or until almost soft. Add garlic and saute for another couple of minutes. Add meat and brown. Add flour, salt and pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Add soup; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream, heat through. Serve over rice or noodles.

Mmm, yummy!

Hash Brown & Pepper Jack Quiche

The first exposure I had to quiche was this recipe. I actually hadn't had the "real" quiche, you know, with a pie crust, for several years after trying this recipe. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually really like "real" quiche, but I love this recipe using hash browned potatoes as the crust instead. Sooo yummy. This is a recipe my husband's family makes and we all love it!

Hash Brown and Pepper Jack Quiche
Recipe from Olive Harwood

20 oz frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced ham
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Press the hash browns into a well greased pie tin or round cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Put the cheeses and the ham on top of the potatoes.
In a small bowl, mix the eggs, milk and salt together. Pour over the rest and bake for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees. It is done when a knife inserted half way from the edge to the center comes out mostly clean. Let stand for a few minutes and serve.
We like to eat this with fruit. Mmmm. :)

White Sauce Enchiladas

I am a pretty big fan of enchiladas. I really love green sauce enchiladas. So I decided to try a new idea and go with some white sauce. Mmm, I'm so glad I did! This recipe is sooo yummy! Seriously, you won't regret making these.

White Sauce Enchiladas

Recipe slightly adapted from $5 Dinners

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded, cooked chicken

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 can green chilies {I liked the slightly more subtle flavor I got by only using half the can but if you like more spice, you can use the whole thing}

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

Tomatoes, sliced

5-6 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt the cream cheese with the sour cream over medium-low heat. Once all melted and mixed together, add the green chilies and the chicken broth. Stir together until well incorporated. You can add more chicken broth if you want a thinner consistency. Add garlic powder.

Reserve about 1/2-1 cup of the cream cheese mixture; set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce. Stir in the chicken and let simmer about 10 minutes so the flavors can begin to infuse. When there is about a minute left, add the can of corn and stir.

Spoon the cream cheese chicken mixture into warmed tortillas. Roll and place into an 8x8 baking dish. You'll get between 5-6 enchiladas in the dish.

Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture over the top. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle shredded cheese over that. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

The tomatoes give it a really nice light flavor and help round out the white sauce. You could reserve the corn and serve it on the side instead of inside the enchiladas, whichever your preference is.

Scrumptious!

Bean Chicken Wraps

This past weekend I saw my younger brother and he commented about this lil' ole cooking blog. It made me happy to know that someone out there actually looks at these recipes and enjoys them. He told me that he really likes my cooking site and thinks it's pretty good. However, he also said, "But you need more real food. You've got a lot of treats, but you need more main dishes, like Italian and meat dishes." I told him I'd work on that. :) So I came home and looked in my food photo folder and discovered that I've got lots of main dish recipes I haven't shared. So over the next couple of weeks I'll share a few that I've got saved up. Of course, they don't all fall under the meat or Italian categories, but they are main dishes! ;)

This recipe was inspired by one of those e-mail recipe exchange things. I'm sure most people have had them. But you know, they don't usually turn out as they should in theory. I'm lucky if I get one recipe back. Sad, sad. Anyway, I participated in one once and I got a recipe back that inspired this one. It is really yummy and so easy to put together. I think it's a perfect lunch recipe.

Bean Chicken Wraps

Recipe from Cucina di Harwood

Servings: 6-8

Prep time: 10 minutes -- Cooke time: 15 minutes

1 large chicken breast, cooked in garlic and cut into bite size cubes

1 12 oz or so can white beans, mostly drained {any kind of white bean works well}

1/2 yellow or green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup green onion, chopped - use green and white parts of the onion

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded 

1 cup cooked rice

Tortillas

Directions:

Mix together the beans and chicken. Put into an oven safe casserole dish. Top with onions, peppers, seasonings and juice and lightly fold into the beans mixture. Top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Warm tortillas in microwave for a few seconds so they are pliable and soft.

Top tortilla with a scoop of rice and bean chicken mixture. For some extra flavor, squeeze a bit more lemon juice on top. Wrap up and eat up! 

Variation:

You can use a 12 oz can of chicken instead of cooking your own chicken breast.

You can also cook this up in the microwave if you didn't want to fire up your oven.

Doritos Casserole

Need an easy, inexpensive weeknight meal? Don't really feel like cooking but you want something yummy that your family will eat? Want something your kids will eat? Then this is the recipe for you. My sister learned this recipe from somebody, I don't remember who, but she used to convince my mom to let us have it all the time growing up. And my hubby and I ate it a lot when we were college students. Hello cheap casserole! We would cut the recipe in half and bake it in an 8x8 pan and still always get at least two meals out of it, maybe more if we were sure to eat other stuff along with it. Now, it's more of a comfort food - kind of like macaroni and cheese - and is definitely the meal I turn to when I don't feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

Doritos Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Cooler Ranch Doritos chips

2 cans chili

2 can cream of mushroom soup

Shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Crush Doritos chips into bottom on 13x9-inch baking dish. Mix chili and cream of mushroom soup together; pour over Doritos. Cover with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and inside is warm, approximately 15-20 minutes.

Note: The leftovers of this casserole really aren't that great because the chips get soggy if they sit for very long. If you want to make this up but plan to have leftovers, combine the chili and mushroom soup and put into a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake until warm and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Then put a single serving of crushed Doritos chips on a plate and cover with the chili mixture. This way you can add fresh Doritos chips to every serving and don't have to worry about  soggy chips.

Delicious & Easy Bow-Ties

I really love pasta.It's a serious weakness. Pasta and breads. I could eat a whole meal of fresh made bread. It doesn't matter what kind. I love it. Pasta is pretty much the same way. I never get tired of pasta. Now, if you combine pasta, tomatoes and bacon, you can just about guarantee I'll eat it. And eat it I did! Mmm ... just the thought of this is making my mouth water!

Delicious and Easy Bow Ties

Recipe from Western Family

Ingredients:

1 lb. bow tie pasta, cooked an drained

1 lb. bacon, cooked until crisp; drain and crumble {use the real stuff ... don't substitute turkey bacon here ... ask me why I know}

2 cans (14.5 oz) Italian Stewed Tomatoes, drained

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

3 cups fresh spinach leaves {I think if you slice these up, it tastes better and leftovers work better}

1 cup green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, OR 2 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a deep skillet heat tomatoes and garlic over medium heat.

Add bacon, spinach, onions and basil to skillet and simmer until spinach is slightly wilted.

Add bow tie pasta and toss.

Add cheese and serve immediately.

Shepherd's Pie

I don't suppose it's any secret that I love an easy, delicious recipe. Though I also enjoy those recipes that take a long time to make because they usually prove to be absolutely delicious, I especially appreciate a recipe that doesn't take much time to make {because, let's face it, I don't have a ton of time to cook, particularly these days}.
This is a pretty traditional recipe - I'd venture to guess that most people have had it before - and very easy to put together, especially if you already have leftover mashed potatoes.


Shepherd’s Pie
4-6 boiled potatoes, mashed
½-1 pound ground beef
1 can green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I have also made it without the soup, just mixing the beef and beans together and I quite like it)
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Brown ground beef and drain well. Mix beef, beans and soup together in a medium sized bowl. Place in the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until warm through and cheese is bubbly.

Ranch Chicken Crock Pot

I honestly don't remember where this recipe came from. I wish I did - or that I would have taken better notes, as I should have. But, alas! there is no note as to the origins of this recipe. If you are the composer of this delicious goodness, please know that I would love to give you credit for it if only I could remember who you are!
My lack of bad record keeping aside, this recipe is a favorite. My husband and I love it and we recently made it when we had company over and our company loved it too! They all asked for the recipe and since I've been meaning to get back into the habit of sharing recipes here, I decided this would be where I would start again. This is an easy-peasy recipe. You pretty much can't go wrong with it. I hope you enjoy!

Ranch Chicken Crock Pot

4-6 chicken breasts

½ cup water

1 packet dry ranch dressing mix

1 (8oz) container cream cheese, softened (1/3 reduced fat works just as well as regular)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Optional:

Mozzarella Cheese

Breadcrumbs

Directions:

Pour water into crock pot. Add chicken; sprinkle with ranch dressing mix. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. When chicken is completely cooked, take it out and shred it. Do not discard juices from crock pot.

Mix cream cheese and cream of chicken soup together so they are well mixed. Add cream cheese mixture to juices in the crock pot and heat through. Add shredded chicken.

Serving suggestions:

1) Mix completed chicken mixture with some cooked pasta and place in a casserole dish. Cover with mozzarella cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until warm through and cheese is bubbly.

This photo is with the pasta. I don't have any photos of the chicken mixture served over rice {as per suggestion number 2}. But I'm sure you can figure it out!

2) Leaving chicken mixture in crock pot, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and allow to melt. Serve over rice. {This one is my favorite, though the first one is also good.}

Country Pie

This is a very easy meal and one that just about anyone would love {I know some moms that might appreciate that!}. I did think ours was a bit too dry, so I would use more sauce/less rice the next time I made it. Also, this is easily made with long- or short-grain rice instead of minute if you wanted. I would just make up the rice to my liking beforehand and then mix everything together, sprinkle on the cheese and cook it just until the cheese is melted and it’s warm inside. Voila! Still a quick and yummy dinner!

{please do not judge the tastiness of the meal based on the poor picture ... it really is a lot better than this picture makes it look!}

Country Pie
Prep: 10 minutes – Total: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 lb. extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 jar spaghetti sauce, divided
1-1/2 cups minute white rice, uncooked
6 oz. graded cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350oF. Combine meat and ½ cup spaghetti sauce; spread evenly into greased deep 9” pie plate. Mix remaining sauce with rice; spoon over meat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking, uncovered, 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Carefully drain off any fat and cut into 6 wedges to serve.

Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

This is a very yummy dinner. We really loved it. I didn’t have any coriander so I didn’t use it; I used flour tortillas because that’s what I had and I just used cheddar cheese; and I mixed everything together, including the sour cream, because I’m not a big fan of plain sour cream taste.

I made mine in a round cake pan because the two of us don’t need much.

Really, though, it is super yummy! I think this would also taste really good made like enchiladas instead of a casserole {and it might help prevent the tortillas from going soggy – I’m pretty sure that’s why you use corn tortillas but we just always buy flour}.

Layered Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Ingredients:
2 cups diced chicken breast meat
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
2 Tb chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce – MILD
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container low fat sour cream

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.
Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.
Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.
Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.
Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Number of Servings: 8 - Preparation Time: 25 minutes

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

I really enjoyed this meal. It wasn’t too difficult to make {it would be especially easy if you actually just cooked the pasta al dente so it’s not too soft. I had a lot of shells that were too soft and didn’t hold up very well while I filled them – I wasn’t paying attention while they cooked!} and it tastes very yummy! I did forget to put in the spinach but I’m sure it would taste wonderful with spinach as well.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Ingredients:
24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided {This is the only kind of cheese I used; I didn’t add the asiago.}
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup cottage cheese {I only used cottage cheese – I actually cut the recipe in half and just used a whole cup of cottage cheese. Saved me money and tasted just fine.}
4 tablespoons minced chives
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry {I imagine you could also use fresh spinach if washed and then added in the same way the frozen spinach would be}.
4 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions. In a small bowl, combine half the mozzarella cheese, asiago cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, chives, and 1 cup of the spinach. (Save remaining spinach for other uses.) Spread 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce into a shallow 9×13-inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drain pasta; stuff shells with cheese mixture and arrange in baking dish.

Top with remaining spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Bake 30 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6.
Deseret Book, 2008; Photo by Ned Horton.
http://www.ldsliving.com/magazine/show/2006/Proven-Meals-for-Picky-Eaters

Lazy Lasagna

In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a "recipe borrower." I love to "borrow" other people's recipes and make them, sometimes "perfect" them to my tastes, and claim them as my own. However, I try to be sure and give credit where credit is due. For example, today's recipe comes from the Kraft kitchen. And if you ever have a recipe that you are just dying to share with me {which I will inevitably post on this blog} please send it my way!
Moral of the story, I'm not very creative. I'm trying though. Actually, I'm working on perfecting a few small things {and when I say small, I really mean small!} Someday you will see a lot more original creations {by moi!} on here. For now, I'm gonna keep borrowing recipes.

Lazy Lasagna
Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 1 hr 10 min
Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 container (24 oz.) Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg product
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce {I used more than this - 1 jar + 1 can Garlic & Basil Tomato Sauce - and I wish I would have used even more}
2 cups frozen BOCA Ground Crumbles {I used ground turkey for this - I have a hard time buying "ready cooked" meat when it doesn't take very long to cook my own. And the turkey is a bit healthier than normal ground beef.}
2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Mix cottage cheese, egg product and 1 cup mozzarella; set aside. Combine sauce and crumbles; spread 1/2 onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Cover with layers of pasta and 1/2 of cottage cheese mixture; top with remaining sauce and cottage cheese mixtures. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella; cover with foil.
Bake 1 hour, removing foil after 30 min. Remove from oven; let stand 10 min. before cutting to serve.

Substitute: 2 beaten eggs for the egg product.

Note: this recipe is called "lazy" because you do not have to cook the noodles. I repeat, do not cook the noodles ahead of time. It'll be so quick - you may never go back to regular lasagna! Also, if you're a "two-people" family like we are, I would highly recommend cutting this recipe in half and making it in an 8x8 pan. We even had company over when we ate this dish and we were eating it for leftovers for weeks after! {ok, so maybe not quite that long, but it sure felt like it!}

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a recipe my mom is famous for - and they're my personal favorite enchiladas. This is the conversation (as I recall) that ensued around the dinner table the first time she made them:

Dad: What's different about these from the other kind you make?
Mom: This kind has a green sauce and is made with chicken instead of beef.
Dad: I like these better! They're good.
8 Children: *gobble . . . mhtyod . . . sluuurp . . . mmyhuplme!*
Mom: Then I guess we'll have these from now on.
Dad: Good idea!

And we have. I don't remember the last time my mother made enchiladas with beef and red sauce. And that tradition has carried over to me as well. The only time we eat beef/red sauce enchiladas is when we go out to a Mexican restaurant to eat!

Chicken and Green Sauce Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast (I use 1 or 2 to make an 8x8 size baking pan)
  
• Large can green enchilada sauce (I use mild because I'm not very "spice" tolerant!)
  
• Tortillas
• Shredded Cheese

Directions:
Boil the chicken until cooked through. Cut up into small pieces (there are some people who like to cut their chicken before they cook; yes, it will cook faster but it's a pain to cut when it's raw - you decide!). Return to pan and add the large can of enchilada sauce. Cook until warm through (if you do this, it won't take as long to bake).

Warm up the tortillas in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. (The purpose of doing this is to help them roll without breaking. You probably only need to do this if your tortillas have been in the refrigerator, as mine always are).
Spread about 2 Tbsp. of the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish (this ensures that the enchiladas won't stick). Place some of the chicken/sauce mixture on the tortilla. Add some shredded cheese, roll and place in pan. Continue until you have the desired number of tortillas in the pan. Spread more of the sauce/chicken mixture over the rolled tortillas (I do this because I don't like dry enchiladas - you can add more or less depending on how moist you want them to be - I like mine nice and saucy!) and cover with cheese.

Cover with tin foil and bake @ 350F for 30 minutes or until warm through. Serve with salad and bread sticks (or whatever you feel like!) :)


*Note: You will notice that there isn't much for amounts in the listed ingredients. You can adapt this recipe to fit your family/appetite size. I usually make mine in an 8x8 pan and that is enough for us, company (usually one other couple) and leftovers. My directions are for that size specifically but it's really easy to transfer to another size. I can usually fit between 8-12 tortillas filled with the sauce over the top and I usually have leftover sauce.