Lettuce Wraps

Okay friends here it is, the lettuce wrap recipe that's "the one" for me. 

 I've searched and finally found.

For some time, I've been looking for a really good lettuce wrap recipe.  

I've tried a few and they always weren't quite right.  

I finally found a recipe that's delicious, easy and one I will use over and over!

I found the original recipe on damndelicious.net where they claim this is the same

 recipe that PF Chang's uses.  I did change the recipe a bit, below is my take on it.

What you need:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound finely chopped cooked chicken

2 cloves garlic, minced (I use minced garlic from a jar)
for me 1 teaspoon = 1 clove minced garlic
1 onion diced (I do mine in my mini food processor)
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts (drained & diced)
3 to 4 green onions (thinly diced)
salt and pepper to taste
1 head butter leaf lettuce

What to do:
1. Heat olive oil in skillet and add onion, garlic, ginger and sauces, saute for about
1 to 2 minutes or until onions appear to be translucent.
2. Add chicken and stir until heated completely, about  an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Stir in water chestnuts and green onions and cook until tender, about a minute.

4. Salt and pepper to taste and it's ready to put on the lettuce leafs and devour!
5. To serve, spoon onto open lettuce leaf
and eat taco style with the lettuce leaf replacing the tortilla.

YUM! Just writing this post makes me want to go make a batch of these to munch on!
These make a perfect summer meal with a little melon on the side.
You can serve these as the main dish or as an appetizer.  If you have any of the
chicken mixture left over, it's great as left overs the next day!

I like to use my Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe or the Perfect Chicken Recipe
and make a big batch of the chicken that I can use in multiple recipes throughout the week.
These lettuce wraps are just one of the ways!

Stacked Vegetable Enchiladas

This recipe is courtesy of a guest contributor . . . my sister in law Shellie.  

She's always doing nice things for other people.  

The other night my husband and I were on our way home from town after a long

 and busy day of work, errands and other commitments.  

I was talking to Shellie on the phone and 

she said we should stop by and eat dinner with them. 

It was late and I was grateful for the invite. Lucky us! 

 Not only is she good company, but she's a great cook! 

 I was so excited about this delicious recipe, 

I asked if I could take pictures and put this on my blog. Lucky you . . . here it is!

I love Mexican food and enchiladas are one of my favorites, 

so I was thrilled when I saw what  we were having.  This recipe came from the "Sunset Magazine".

(I'm not sure what issue) It's a vegetarian recipe and pretty to look at.

Here's what you need:

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

12 corn tortillas

1 medium onion diced

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 tablespoon chipotle powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup roasted or thawed frozen corn

1 cup red bell pepper diced

1 can (low sodium) black beans, drained

2 cups cooked short grain brown rice

1 can (8 ounce) enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded (low fat) pepper jack cheese

1 avocado thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped green onion

6 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a bowl place diced sweet potatoes, toss in 1 tbsp olive oil,

then spread on cookie sheet.  Bake until tender and browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake for 10 minutes.

3.  In a large pan over a medium heat, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, add onion, chili powder, chipotle powder and cumin.  Cook until onion is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Add corn, peppers and black beans and cook about 5 minutes.

5. Set aside half of the corn mixture.

6. Add potatoes, rice and enchilada sauce to remaining corn mixture and cook about 6 minutes.

7. Place six tortillas on a baking sheet and place, spread potato mixture and 1/2 cup of cheese

evenly between the six tortillas.

8. Place remaining six tortillas on top of potato mixture,

 top with remaining cheese and corn mixture.

          9. Bake 7 minutes at 300 degrees and then garnish with the

 avocado, cilantro and green onion.

Now you can just enjoy!  I think it will be worth the effort.  

I loved having the opportunity to enjoy this delicious meal and 

plan to make these myself one day soon.  When I do I'll let you know how it worked 

out for me.  I've never really cooked with sweet potatoes and want to give it a try.  

These had a mild and great Mexican flavor to them that I loved. 

 Let me know what you think if you make these . . .

BLT Chopped Salad

This is a really delicious salad, but then in my book almost anything with bacon is really delicious!  Sometimes I crave salads and I'm always looking for a new twist

 on throwing one together.  I found this one on Pinterest, it originated from howsweeteats.com
I've made a few small changes as I usually do when trying a new recipe.  I think that's what makes cooking fun, when you make a recipe your own by adding extra of what you like most
or experiment a little with the ingredients.  Don't be afraid to put your own touch on a recipe.

I loved this salad!!! It's packed with flavor and lots of my favorite things.

It's one we'll be eating again at my house. It was a lot like having a BLT without the bread.

What you need:

1 head butter lettuce chopped

About 2 cups spring mix salad greens

1 pint grape tomatoes cut in half (use half or all of the pint, whatever you desire)

1 1/2 cups sweet corn (I use thawed frozen corn)

2 avocados chopped

4 ounces feta cheese

1 green bell pepper diced

8 to 10 slices thick cut bacon, cooked well and diced

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lime, juiced

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

What to do:

1. Chop lettuce. I put the leaves on my cutting board and cut in various directions until it was my desired size. Do this with both the butter lettuce and spring mix greens.

2. Cut desired amount of tomato grapes in half.

3. Dice green bell pepper.

4. Cook and chop the bacon.  Be sure to drain the bacon of as much grease as possible.

 I place the cooked strips on paper towels and place another on top, 

patting until most of the grease is dried off.

5.  Dice avocado.

6. Combine the above ingredients in a large salad bowl and gently toss. 

Carefully add in corn and feta, reserving a little of both to sprinkle on top for garnish.

7. Now let's put the dressing together. Into a small bowl, add olive oil.

8. To the olive oil add lime juice of one lime. I cut the lime into quarters and then squeezed the juice into the olive oil. Now add pepper and garlic salt and stir.

9. Gradually add the dressing into the salad, tossing gently in the process.

This salad has a great combination of flavors! I loved the tangy light dressing and the sweet corn,

 as well as the salty bacon and crunchy fresh lettuce. 

 This has a flavor blast of contrasting flavors that is great.  

Next time I make this I might add some hard boiled eggs or thin shredded cheddar cheese.

With or without these extras this a really good meal! Hope you enjoy!

Be sure to eat this salad right away. It's not one you want to make ahead,

 it's best if eaten right away.

Lasagna Soup

It's been beautiful weather in our little valley.  The snow has melted and signs of spring coming are everywhere.  I've been eager for the sunshine and long days.  Much to my surprise, this morning I woke up and found a blanket of white covering my yard for as far as the eye could see.  I thought I'd make it a good day by having some comfort food . . . a warm pot of soup.  So here it is.  I found the original recipe on Pinterest, here is the link:  http://thedeenbros.com      as usual I've tweaked the recipe a little and here is my version of this absolutely delicious soup.  If you like Italian food like lasagna, you're going to love this!  Its a quick and easy way to get your Italian fix.

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage or Italian turkey sausage

32 ounces chicken broth

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with sweet onions

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped (if you don't have fresh you can use the dry seasoning, about 1 tsp)

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings

1 green bell pepper diced

1 onion diced

3 tsp minced garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan grated

1/4 to 1/2 cup Mozzarella grated 

5 or 6 lasagna noodles broken into small pieces

(make sure their small they will double in size when cooked)

What to do:

1. Dice bell pepper and onion

2. In large stock pot brown Italian sausage, add diced green peppers and onion and garlic,

 allowing them to cook as sausage is being browned.

3. After above sausage is browned, add chicken broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, 

Italian seasonings and fresh basil finely chopped.  Be sure to taste and add seasonings as desired.

4. Bring to a boil, then add lasagna noodles, turning heat down and allow to simmer for

about 20 minutes or until noodles are tender and ready to eat.

5. Add half of the cheeses and save the other half to garnish the top of each bowl with.

This takes about an hour to fix from beginning to end.  This includes your chopping and dicing time.

Of course, that's using a food processor to help me with the task of chopping my onions, which makes it quick and easy. The amounts of Italian seasonings and basil you add should vary according to your

taste buds, so please be sure to taste and add more if that's what seems good to you. As a side dish with this I fixed a green salad that imitated the Olive Garden salad.  You can purchase their dressing at Sam's Club (we love it at my house). I made an Italian spices and cheeses pull apart. This is super easy and can be found under the breads section of my blog.  Its a great way to have a little bread on the side and quick and easy to put together.  Hope you enjoy this delicious meal!

Just a little side note about using a food processor.  I had mine in a box in the pantry for at least a year before I ever took the time to learn how to use it.  I don't know why stuff like that seems so daunting sometimes.  I finally had the courage to take it out of the box and figure it out.  A little direction reading and some trial and error and it was worked like a charm.  So, if your anything like me and have a food processor that you need to figure out, "just do it".  I promise it will be worth the effort.  Now, I use my food processor all the time and love how it makes chopping, grating, etc. so easy.   You won't regret it!!

Southwest Crock Pot Chicken Soup

What you need:

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 can black beans (drai

1 1/2 cups frozen corn or 1 can corn drained

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

32 oz. chicken broth

3 cloves or 3 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 bell pepper diced (any color will do)

1 onion diced or finely chopped

1 heaping tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

Optional ingredients for garnishing: sour cream, tortilla strips & finely shredded Mexican cheese.

To stretch this recipe add a little more broth and season to taste, you could also add
extra peppers, corn or onion until you've reached a good consistency for soup.
This is a light and tasty soup.
Its healthy and low calorie, full of good ingredients.

What to do:

1. Put all ingredients listed above in your crock pot.

2. Cook for 6 to 8 hours.

3.  Remove chicken and shred then place back in crock pot.

4.  If needed add extra broth, if its not needed go ahead and eat, its ready!

This is the kind of recipe I love.  Full of ingredients that are healthy and good for you.
It has a great flavor that keeps you coming back for more.
 Another plus; this is a low fat recipe that is healthy!!!

I serve it with a hunk of bread and have a green salad as well.  This is a meal you'll love.

Chicken and Dumplings

This is a family favorite and something I've been enjoying for years.  My mom made this while I was growing up and I've been making it for the last three or more decades. My kids and husband always enjoy this, especially on a cold winter day.  It's one of those comfort foods that just makes you feel good.

What you need:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
 2 bay leaves
3 to 4 carrots cut into large bite size chunks
3 to 4 celery stalks cut into large bite size chunks
2 to 4 potatoes cut into large bite size chunks
1 sweet onion cut into large bite size pieces
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt or seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons Tones chicken base or chicken bouillon

For drop dumplings:
2 cups bisquick
3/4 cup milk

What to do:
1. In 4 1/2 quart pot, fill between 1/2 and 2/3 of the way with water.
2. Add chicken breasts, chicken bouillon or base, parsley, pepper,
 garlic powder, salt and bay leaves.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. While chicken is cooking cut, celery, carrots, onion and potatoes and set aside.
 5. When chicken is cooked all the way through remove from pot and let cool.
6. Now add celery, carrots, onion and potatoes to broth in pot.
7.  When chicken is cool enough, cut into bite size pieces and add back into broth mixture.
8.  Let veggies simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
9.  While veggies are simmering mix the drop dumplings.
You'll need a mixing bowl, 2 cups bisquick and 3/4 cups milk.
10.  Put 2 cups bisquick into mixing bowl and add 3/4 cup milk,  stir with wire wisk or fork.
This will be a sticky, thick, dough mixture.

11. Bring stew mixture to a low boil, drop by large spoonfuls onto boiling stew and reduce heat.
12.  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes, then cover with lid and cook 10 minutes more.

This picture is before cooking covered.  When they've cooked the last 10 minutes you will have fluffy dumplings that are delicious with the chicken stew.  Adding the dumplings
 turns the clear broth of the stew into a creamy mixture and thickens it up good.
Now you're ready to serve this up and enjoy!
I love making this!  Its a great, complete meal that's nutritious and put together in one pot.

The dumplings always seem to go fast.  If you have a half pot of stew left,
 you can just mix up another batch of dumpling mix the next night,
 throw it on top and cook it just like you did for the
  first batch. Now your ready to enjoy a second time.
 I hope you all enjoy this as much as my family has.
Thanks mom . . . for making this a part of my life and my family's life. You're the best!

Easy Cream of Potato Crockpot Soup

What you need:

1 1/2 bags frozen southern style potatoes

32 ounces or more of chicken broth

2 cups chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup Hormel real bacon bits

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 - 8 ounce block cream cheese

1 - large can cream of chicken soup

4 stalks green onion chopped

1/2 to 1 cup diced onions (optional)

ground pepper (about 1/2 tsp) 

What to do:

1. In large crockpot combine frozen southern style potatoes, celery, carrots
 and onions (if desired).

(If you have the time let them sit out for about 1 hour, so that they fall apart and into pot easily)

2. On top of potatoes and vegetables, put in cream of chicken soup and pour in chicken broth.

3. Cut cream cheese into squares and sprinkle around on top of ingredients in crockpot.

4. Sprinkle with ground pepper, half of the bacon bits - 1/4 cup
 and half of shredded cheese- 1/2 cup.

5. Put lid on crockpot and set on low for 6 to 8 hours. . . now you can do what you want.

6. Use the extra bacon bits, shredded cheese and chopped green onion to garnish individual bowls of soup.

I originally found this recipe on Pinterest.  It traces back to topfoodpics.com
The recipe is titled "Paula Dean's crockpot potato soup recipe.
It was super easy to put together and really delicious.  My family

loved this soup and it quickly disappeared.  This is great comfort food on a wintery day.

If you don't want this soup too thick, you can add additional chicken broth until you achieve the thickness you desire.  I put all the ingredients together in my crockpot the night before
 and just kept the pot in my refrigerator until morning.  This made it quick and easy to put it in the crockpot and turn it on before leaving for work.  I love having our dinner meal already in the works
 so I can come home and enjoy!!!

I changed this recipe by adding a little more potatoes, the bacon, cheese, celery and carrots.

It made a nice big hearty batch of soup.  This provided soup for 8 to 10 people and I think a few

of them had seconds.  There was one bowl left for lunch the next day.  I love leftover soup!

Chicken Pillows

What you need:

1 and 1/2 blocks cream cheese (softened)

3 green onion stems chopped

dash of pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 heaping teaspoon sour cream

Italian bread crumbs

3 packages Pillsbury crescent rolls

4 cups cooked chicken diced into small bits

2 packages chicken gravy mix

4 to 6 tablespoons butter

What to do:

1. Put cream cheese in large bowl and cover with dish towel while it softens to room temp.

2. Cook chicken (4 large or 6 small) boneless skinless chicken breasts.

3. Let cool, then dice into small pieces that equal aprox. 4 cups chicken meat.

4. With mixer, beat cream cheese until soft and creamy mixture.

5. Add green onion, sour cream, 2 table spoons melted butter

 and pepper to cream cheese mixture and blend well.

6.In separate bowl, add paprika and garlic to chicken and mix well.

7. Now add chicken to cream cheese mixture and stir until it is mixed well and all pieces are coated.

8. Melt butter in shallow bowl and place about 1 to 2 cups bread crumbs in a second shallow bowl.

9. Open crescent rolls and gently tear apart so that you have the crescent dough that's triangle shaped.

10. Put heaping tablespoon full of chicken mixture on wide end of crescent dough.

11. Wrap dough around chicken mixture until it is completely covered.

12.  Roll in melted butter and then in bread crumbs and place on large ungreased cookie sheet.

13. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

14.  While chicken pillows are baking prepare the chicken gravy according

 to directions on the package (this takes about 5 minutes).

The original recipes I used came from a local church cookbook and from mariescookingadventures.com

 a foods website that is loaded with good recipes to try.  I took these a tweaked them a bit to come up with the recipe I have listed here. Doing a batch this size made 24 chicken pillows and fed a group of  ten people.  It was easy, but a little time consuming. These are totally worth the time invested in preparation. 

They were delicious and would be great for a "special" meal. This was a fun and different way to prepare chicken. Topping these with warm chicken gravy was the perfect way to serve them. 

 I think your going to like this recipe . . . everyone at the table did!  Enjoy!!!



"Best" Kale Sausage Soup

What you need:

1 pound Italian sausage

1 diced sweet onion

1 red bell pepper diced

1 cup celery diced
1 cup sliced carrot

1 bunch kale chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil

32 ounces chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with sweet onions

1 can white beans drained and rinsed

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

What to do:

1. In large soup pan brown Italian sausage.

2. Add diced onion,  red bell pepper,carrot and celery and saute for a few minutes, stirring continually.

3. Cook until onion is tender, now add garlic and chopped kale.

4.  Reduce heat to low, continue to cook and stir until kale is tender.

This should only take a couple of minutes.

5. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, white beans and salt & pepper to taste.

6.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are tender.

This soup is amazing. . . YUM! I'ts delicious, healthy, colorful, light and easy to make.I think this will have to be added to the "favorites" category. We've made it twice in the last three weeks and doubled the recipes both times. It's great as a leftover and stores easily. It has plenty of great flavor from the sausage.If you want to kick it up a few notches you could use hot or spicy sausage. I've used mild both times and it was great. Next time I make it and double the recipe I might do half spicy and half mild. If you try this please let me know how it works out and what you thought of it. 

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family has. It's perfect for the cold nights we've had lately.

 It's hard to beat a good bowl of soup! One more great thing about this soup is it's PRETTY and fun to share with a crowd. Great for the holiday season and feeding a group.  I got the original recipe from my healthy food eating friend Janette's website sanerecipebox.com check it out for more good recipes.  ENJOY!

I need to make a statement of confession.  Before making this soup I had it in my head that kale wouldn't taste good.  I have no reasonable explanation for this, just my silly self. Probably the thought that something so good for me had to taste bad . . . wrong.  It was delicious and healthy too! Great combination. I have a feeling you'll be seeing a few more recipes that have kale in them as well(but only the one's that taste good).

Frito Fiesta Salad

This salad is really easy to make.  It's got a great flavor and is just plain yummy!!!  I've taken it to

gatherings the last few times I've had something going on.  It disappears first thing and then the

requests for the recipe start coming.  I first had this at one of my daughters wedding showers.  Thanks Laurie for introducing this great salad to me.  I've tweaked the original recipe a bit.
 Hope you enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 package frozen sweet corn (thawed)

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can black beans (drained & rinsed - this is optional)

1/2 generous cup sour cream

1/2 generous cup mayonnaise

1 bag chili cheese Frito's

WHAT TO DO:

1. Put frozen sweet corn in salad bowl and let thaw.

2. Dice green and red bell peppers and add to thawed corn, mix well.

3. Add two cups shredded cheddar cheese and mix gently and well.

4. If desired add a can of black beans drained and rinsed.

5. Mix sour cream and mayonnaise well, then add to ingredients listed above, mixing carefully.

6. You can chill all of the above ingredients until ready to serve.

This can be done the day ahead and it will work well.

7. Just before serving, crumble up the Fritos into small bite size pieces.

I just leave them in the sealed bag and squeeze until the Fritos are broken into small pieces,

then add to the other chilled salad ingredients toss in until it is evenly mixed in.

8.  I hold out enough Frito pieces and shredded cheese to sprinkle over top of salad.

Now your ready to share with others and enjoy!  If your like me you'll be going back for seconds.

This salad is best right when you serve it.
It definitely is at its peak when the Fritos are still crunchy.

The crowning ingredient is the Fritos, it adds great flavor to this fresh crunchy salad.  Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Chipotle Pasta

It's that time of year . . . sweet fresh corn from the garden. 

This recipe is a great way to spice things up and use the corn as a main dish.

The sweetness and crunch of the corn combined with the spicy chipotle cream sauce is really tasty.

 

What you need:

1 package fettuccine noodles

4 to 6 ears fresh sweet corn

3 tablespoons salted butter

1 heaping teaspoon garlic (minced or crushed)

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water (use the water from boiling the corn for added flavor)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 single chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced.

cilantro for garnishing

 

What to do:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the sweet corn.

Allow to cook for a few minutes, remove corn and let cool.

2. After cooling, cut corn kernels off and set aside.

3.Place corn kernels in non stick pan on medium high heat with NO oil or butter.

Allow the corn to cook for a few minutes without stirring.  Stir and let sit for

roasting.  Let cook until roasted looking .  When as browned as you like remove from heat.

4. Cook the pasta according to the directions on package.

 

5. Melt butter in medium size skillet, add garlic and sauté.  About 2 minutes.

Don't overcook the garlic or it will taste bad.

6. Add the flour and whisk in, let cook about 1 minutes.

7.  Whisk in the milk, half and half, salt, and water. Stir until the sauce is smooth.

8. Add Greek yogurt and chipotle pepper and stir to desired consistency.

 

9. Combine pasta, sauce and corn into one pan and stir.  Top with cilantro and serve.

 

I minced my chipotle pepper in my mini food processor.  I love to use that kitchen appliance.  It makes food prep quick, easy and not too messy.  Hope you enjoy this one, its delicious!

  I will be making this dish again for sure.  Thanks to pinchofyum.com who posted this great recipe on Pinterest.  I love trying out the many recipes I find there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicken Salad Croissants

What you need:

2 cans premium chicken chunks - 12.5 ounce 

1 cup red grapes cut in half

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

6 to 8 chopped green onions

about 1/2 cup mayonnaise (a little more or less depending on how you like it)

about 1/2 to 1 tsp garlic salt

1 package small croissant rolls (20 count)

What to do:
1. Cut grapes, chop green onion and celery and set aside.
2. Open cans of chicken chunks, drain and shred chunks with forks into salad bowl
3. Add grapes, green onion and celery.
4. Gently fold in mayonnaise and sprinkle with garlic salt, stirring in gently.
5. Optional, can add almond slices or cashews, about 3/4 cup.
6. Now it's ready to add to croissants and enjoy.

This is an easy and delicious recipe.  It's another one of my family favorites.
 It seems like we have a bunch of those!  This is easy to throw together and feels like a special treat.
I like to buy my croissants at Costco or Sam's Club.  Their croissants are delicious and you get a
good quantity for the price.  I add the chicken salad to the croissants just before serving so they don't get soggy or I let people make their own so they can add their desired amount of chicken salad.
These are great for a group or gathering.  I think you'll enjoy!!!

Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken

What you need:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 12 boneless, skinless chicken tenders

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup water

1 and 1/2 lemons squeezed for lemon juice (should equal almost 1/4 cup lemon juice)

2 garlic cloves minced (I used minced garlic from a jar, 2 tablespoons)

2 tsp chicken bouillon granules

2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced

What to do:

1. Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Combine oregano, seasoned salt, and pepper.  Rub over chicken.

3. Brown chicken in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, for aprox. 2 minutes on each side.

4. Place chicken in the slow cooker.

5. Combine water, lemon juice, garlic, and chicken bouillon in skillet.  

Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits.  Pour over chicken in the slow cooker

6. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.

7. Baste chicken occasionally during 4 hour cooking time.

8. Remove lid and cook 15-30 minutes longer, allowing juices to thicken slightly.

9. Serve chicken and juices over rice.

Here I am with another chicken recipe . . . what can I say, we like chicken.
 I've cooked this a couple of times and my kids say it's their new favorite.
I found it in a cookbook called Fix It and  Forget It Lightly
 by Phyllis Pellman Good.  This book is packed with great recipes
 that I'll be sharing in the future. This chicken was flavorful and easy to put together. The first time I made it with the boneless, skinless chicken tenders and the second time I did it with the boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.  We decided it's better with the chicken tenders.  Probably because the small pieces cook thoroughly.  It was moist and flavorful with the tenders. With the chicken breast halves it was tasty but quite a bit drier.  I think your going to like this one.
 I will definitely be making this again.  

Beef with Snow Peas

This was so delicious . . . no leftovers here.  Even though it made a nice big batch it disappeared in one sitting.  It was a nice change (since I cook with chicken all the time)
 and was enjoyed by all, including me.

What you need:

1-1/2 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin against the grain

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce(THIS IS IMPORTANT-IT WILL BE TOO SALTY IF YOU USE REGULAR)

3 tablespoons sherry Or cooking sherry

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

aprox 12 ounces fresh snow peas, with ends trimmed

6 whole scallions or green onion, cut into half-inch pieces on the diagonal

 salt as needed (use sparingly)

3 tablespoons olive oil

 crushed red pepper, for sprinkling

 rice of your choice, cooked according to package(I used brown rice)

What to do:

1. Get the rice cooking so that its ready when the beef and snow peas are.  I used brown rice in my Aroma rice cooker.  I love this rice cooker because it makes perfect rice every time.

2. Trim the steak of fat and slice against the grain into very thin strips.

3. Slice scallions or green onions (I used green onions) and set aside.

4.  Wash and trim ends of snow peas and set a side.

5. Combine soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger.

 

6. Pour half of the soy sauce mixture on to beef and gently toss, being sure to coat well.

7. Heat olive oil til very hot, add snow peas and cook for about one minute until color changes

 to more vibrant green.  The snow peas will be crunchy and delicious. 

 Now set aside on a clean plate while you cook the meat.

8. Allow pan to get very hot again, with tongs place half the meat in pan 
and spread out to single layer.

Do not stir meat, just leave to brown on that side - you want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount of time as possible.   Add half of the scallions or green onions.

Turn meat to cook on other side (this should take less than a minute).

9. Remove meat and place on a platter.  Repeat meat cooking process with the other half of the meat and remember to add other half of scallions or green onions.

10. When the meat is cooked combine it all into your pan and add the remaining soy sauce mixture and snow peas.  Cook for about 30 seconds on high heat then remove from heat.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Now it's ready to enjoy and I promise you will.  
Serve immediately over a bed of warm rice. You'll love this!

So I'm gonna confess a couple of things right up front.  First, I used straight soy sauce(not the low sodium) because that's what I had.  This made it pretty salty . . . too salty for most of the five people who enjoyed this meal together.  Although, it still got completely scarfed up. 
 I think it would be much better using the low sodium soy sauce, allowing each person to salt the dish to their taste. Two out of the five thought it had the right amount of salt
 and the other three thought it was too salty. 

 Second, when I cooked the meat, I had the flame up way to high and was cooking the meat in a pan that was too small for what I was cooking.  The flames from the burner climbed over the edge of the pan and a grease fire immediately started in my pan.  YIKES!  Watch out for those grease fires and remember NEVER to try and put out a grease fire with water.  It was fast and furious.  The flames went to being a couple of feet high instantly and scared me half to death!  My daughters boyfriend rushed over and turned the flame off and the fire quickly disappeared.  Thanks to his quick thinking and response, we were able to sit down and enjoy the meal together.  So be sure to use the right size pan for what your cooking. 

I found this recipe on one of my favorite sites thepioneerwoman.com and suggest you check it out. Ree Drummond's site is loaded with great pictures, recipes and ideas.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

What you need:

1 box/bag Penne pasta

3/4 cup Hormel bacon bits

2 cups cooked chicken sliced to bite size pieces 

4 diced green onions

2 jars creamy Alfredo sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan

What to do:

1. Cook Penne pasta according to directions on package, rinse and drain.

2. Put pasta into baking dish and add 1 1/2 jars of the Alfredo sauce.

(I keep about half a jar to add to the pasta when it is reheated as leftovers, 

as the pasta sits it soaks up the sauce and this just freshens and moistens the pasta dish).

3. Fold in 3 of the diced green onions, chicken, and 1/2 cup of bacon bits

 (keep 1/4 cup bacon bits for sprinkling on top just before baking).

4. Now add 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and mix well.

5. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, bacon bits and diced green onion.

6. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Now its ready to serve and eat . . .

This is a great meal that my family really likes.  Its our copycat version of a chicken cordon bleu pasta that is served at a local restaurant called Firehouse Pizza.  The main difference between our and theirs is that they put sliced mushrooms in theirs and we don't.  If you like mushrooms you can add about 1/2 cup sliced.

To make this I use the Chicken Marinade recipe and grill the chicken or use the Perfect Chicken recipe.
If your short on time you can use a rotisserie cooked chicken and cut it up into bite size pieces

I make it ahead of time and make extra so that it can be used for other meals such as this pasta.

I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does.

Cafe Rio Like Shredded Chicken

What you need:

4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can Fresca

8 ounces Zesty Italian salad dressing

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder
crock pot

Salad Ingredients and Toppings:

Cilantro Rice (see recipe listed below)
Shredded Romaine lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Black beans (drained)

Shredded cheese

Chopped green onion

Avocado

Salsa

Sour Cream

Flour tortillas (I like to get the kind that haven't been cooked yet

and heat them up on the pancake griddle right before serving.  Then they're

fresh and delicious. You can get white or wheat flour).

What to do:

1. Place chicken breasts in crock pot.

2. Pour Fresca over chicken.

3. Mix Zesty Italian dressing, cumin and chili powder.

4. Pour dressing mixture over chicken and put the lid on.
This is completely optional; I also sprinkled the chicken with Tone's Citrus Grill seasonings.

5. Let cook for 6 to 8 hours.

6. While chicken is cooking; prepare a recipe of Cilantro Salsa Verde Rice(instructions are listed at the bottom of this post) to use on salad or burrito.

7. Shred chicken right in the crock pot and it is ready to make an imitation 
Cafe Rio burrito or salad.

8. Cook flour tortillas on pancake griddle or fry pan and melt cheese on top of cooked tortilla.

9.  Start piling with what you like.  I do it in this order; tortilla(with melted shredded cheese on it), rice, beans, shredded chicken, a little more shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, salsa and avocado.

10. We topped with Sweet Vidalia Onion vinaigrette.

My family really liked this meal.  The chicken had a great flavor and was moist and delicious.
What's not to like about an imitation Cafe Rio salad.  In fact, I crave these almost weekly.
It was really best fresh out of the cooker.  When we reheated as leftovers it had dried out a bit and wasn't as good as it is fresh out of the slow cooker.  The leftover meat would be great in quesadillas or tacos.  This meal is a great crowd pleaser and good for a large group.  If you like Cafe Rio food you'll like this.  I found these recipes on sixsistersstuff.com and gave it my own twist by adding the Fresca and citrus grill seasonings.

Cafe Rio Cilantro Rice Recipe:
What you need:

 2 cups uncooked brown rice
 2 cups chopped cilantro
 1 cup salsa verde (green salsa)
1 bunch green onions
 4 cups of water
 A Pinch of Salt

Wash and chop the cilantro. Mix the cilantro with 2 cups of water and pour in the pan for cooking the rice. Add two more cups of water, the salt, Salsa Verde, and onion. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice in the boiling water. Cover and turn down heat to very low; steam for 30 minutes. Makes about 10 servings.

OR

 You can do this in your rice cooker like I did and follow the rice and water quantities as called for in the rice cooker instruction book,then just add the cilantro, salsa verde and green onions as listed above.  I did my rice this way and it turned out perfect (sorry, I think we were all so ready to eat I forgot to take a picture of the rice). 

 That's what happens when you work up an appetite doing yard work. I promise next time I won't be in such 

a big hurry to eat and will take the picture.  This is definitely a recipe I will use again and again.