Beef Chimichangas

These are delicious and spicy and super easy to make!  I always make some extras because they reheat well and are great the next day.

You will need:

-1 lb ground beef - I used 80/20 but you can always go for leaner if you wish.  This recipe also works well for ground chicken or turkey
-1/2 a yellow onion, diced
-2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
-1 small can La Costena pickled jalapeno slices, diced*
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-cilantro
-2 - 4 tsp cumin (however much you really want)
-shredded cheese of your choice (I do a Jack/Monterey blend)
-large flour tortillas
-sour cream
-salsa verde


In a large tub, combine meat, peppers, salt, pepper and onion and let it rest for about an hour or so.  In a large skillet, brown the meat with the peppers and onion and drain off any excess fat.

Reheat skillet to medium - add 1 tbsp of oil if necessary.

Lay out a tortilla and put a small handful of cheese in the center, spoon in some of your meat, toss on a couple tomatoes and some fresh onion if you desire.  A few cilantro leaves give it some wonderful flavor. Top with more cheese.  Fold two of the ends over, they should overlap a bit as you don't want the filling coming out while frying, and then fold the other end and press to crease.  Lay seam side down in the hot pan and cook until golden brown.  Flip and brown the other side - it should stay closed - sprinkle with cheese and remove to a sheet tray in warm oven.

For the dipping sauce: mix 1 part sour cream with 1 part salsa verde.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

*I only recommend this kind because I have not looked for others.  I'm sure you could use fresh jalapenos but I prefer the taste of these.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is one of my favorite soups to get at a sandwich shop and imagine my surprise when I found out how easy it was to make at home! 


 You will need...

1 2 lb block Velveeta processed cheese, cubed (this should be done ahead of time as it is time consuming)

3 cartons low sodium chicken stock

1/2 medium white onion, finely diced

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 slices bacon, roughly chopped

2 small bags flash frozen broccoli florets

5 sprigs thyme

In a large soup pot brown bacon bits (should be chopped while raw). When bacon is cooked through and crisp, remove and drain grease. Place pot back over medium heat and put in 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Sautee onions, carrots and garlic until tender but not browned (you may want to throw the garlic in after the onion becomes translucent so it doesn't burn). Pour in 2 cartons of stock - bring to boil and reduce to simmer (BTBRTS! Thanks Chef Anne Burrell!). Tie thyme with kitchen twine and toss into soup. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavor develop, remove the thyme and dump in the broccoli. Bring back to a boil, when broccoli is tender and cooked through (another 15-20 minutes or so) turn off burner and begin putting in handfuls of cheese, stirring constantly. Its important to be sure the burner is off as you do not want the cheese to curdle. Once all of the cheese is in, return burner to low and stir until cheese is fully integrated. If its too thick for your liking you can add addition stock warmed in a separate pan. Turn off heat and sprinkle in bacon, mix well and serve.

Another way to do this, if you prefer a smoother soup without the chunks of broccoli, is fish out the broccoli with a slotted spoon after its been cooked and blend it in a food processor or blender. Another option - if its available to you - is to blend it right in the pan with an immersion blender. This will still give you the delicious broccoli flavor without the chunk bitsy of it in your soup.

This goes great served in a sourdough bread bowl. I prefer to sprinkle some cheddar and 5 or so baguette croutons in the bottom of a bowl, ladle in the soup, sprinkle with more cheese and add a dollop of sour cream on top.

ENJOY!

Chicken Alfredo Lasgne Al Forno

This is a rich and delicious take on a standard lasagna!


You will need:

8 - 10 lasagna noodles

15 oz tub of ricotta

2 packets dry alfredo, prepared according to package directions but adding an additional 1/2 cup of milk (sauce may be a tiny bit thin)

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

5 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

1 bunch baby spinach

2 cup bag shredded mozz

2 eggs

salt

pepper

paprika

2 cloves garlic

8x11 baking dish

Preheat oven to 400.

Bring 1.5 quarts water to a boil. Place 8 lasagna noodles in baking dish and pour water over - set aside.

In a bowl combine entire contents of ricotta package, 2 eggs, baby spinach leaves, a pinch or 2 of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, 1 tsp paprika. Grate in garlic cloves and mix well.

The noodles should be softened a bit at this point so you can empty the water and lay them out separately. Spoon a 1/4 c. alfredo sauce into bottom of casserole dish, layer 4 - 5 noodles (depending on your dish) followed by half the remaining alfredo mix, half the ricotta mix, half the chicken and bacon, and half the bag of cheese. Layer the noodles, followed by the remaining parts of each in the same pattern.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 mins - remove foil and bake additional 15 or until cheese on top is golden and bubbly. Allow to rest 15 mins to set, then cut and serve.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

2 cartons low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup red enchilada sauce

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 oz can diced green chiles

1 small white onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tsp cumin

1 bag shredded nacho blend cheese

tortilla chips

avocado

lime

sour cream

In a slow cooker combine stock, enchilada sauce, onion, chiles, garlic and cumin. Place slow cooker on high and cover for 4 - 5 hours (if leaving on for longer like while at work, change to low setting) - do not uncover until it has at least come to a boil.

Drain and rinse corn and beans and add to slow cooker with cubed chicken to heat through.

When ready to serve, place some tortilla chip around bowl and ladle soup in. Top with a small handful of cheese (or however much you want - I love lots of cheese), a dollop of sour cream and avocado slices. Squeeze a wedge of lime over to get the juices in and discard rind and pulp.

ENJOY!

Island BBQ Chicken

This is easily one of my favorite recipes for chicken. The flavors are both sweet and savory and the chicken so succulent, you'll forgive yourself for it not being the healthies thing you ate that day!

Island BBQ Chicken

This makes 6 drumsticks and does require some prep-work.

- 1 pkg drumsticks, skin-on*

- 1 cup BBQ sauce - really any type will do

- 1/4 - 1/2 cup pineapple soda (I use Shasta)

- 1 jalapeno, ribbed, seeded and finely diced

- 1 tsp paprika

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- non-stick aluminum foil

1. In a small sauce pan combine BBQ sauce, 1/4 cup of pineapple juice and paprika. Whisk to combine, add additional soda if desired and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in diced jalapeno, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

2. Place chicken in a freezer bag and pour cooled marinade over the top. Partially seal the bag and press down to remove excess air. Place in a dish to prevent messes and place in fridge for 2 -3 hours (chicken can be marinated over night as well).

3. Preheat oven to 375. Place a sheet of the aluminum foil non-stick side up (I cannot stress enough that it should be non-stick. If you use the normal kind your chicken will fall apart).

4. Spread flour on a plate. Take each piece of chicken and coat is lightly in flour and place on the baking sheet. The flour should be thin enough that it blends with the marinade. After each piece is complete, briefly dip into marinade again and back into flour and replace on baking sheet. Let rest for 5 - 10 minutes.

5. Pour the remains of the marinade back into the sauce pan and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally and remove from heat. The marinade should be a bit thicker now.

6. Place chicken on middle rack in oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and brush with remaining marinade, flip and brush other side, then return to oven for 20 - 25 minutes.

7. When finished, remove and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. The chicken skin and marinade should have a light crust and be caramelized to a deep redish-brown.

This chicken goes great with a cool iceberg wedge dressed in a bit of asian ranch (recipe to come at a later date) or just steamed white rice with butter.

Fun tidbite: The dark redish-brown shiny drippings on the foil are delicious! Just pick them off and eat them =D

*This recipe can be adapted to chicken wings for an appetizer. Simply follow the directions on the package for thawing, do the steps 1 - 6 here and then follow the directions on the package for cooking. If necessary, double the marinade recipe.

Green Eggs & Ham

I got this from Rachel Ray and made some modifications.

Level of difficulty: Easy but moderately labor-intensive

What you need:

-Large cup muffin tin*

-1 package bacon**

-1 bunch spinach

-4 or 5 Yukon Gold potatoes

-salt, pepper, garlic power, paprika to taste

-foil lined baking sheet

-cheese grater

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on foil lined sheet and place in preheated oven - cook approx 10 minutes. The bacon should be slightly cooked through but still soft and pliable. When bacon is done, pour off drippings into a large skillet. Remove cooked bacon and place onto paper towel lined plate to remove excess grease. Place remaining bacon onto sheet and place back in oven for approx 15 minutes. Once remaining bacon is cooked, pour drippings into skillet.

Reduce oven heat to 375. Line each muffin cup with bacon and place 2-3 spinach leaves in each, pressing down in center to create a small bowl. Meanwhile, heat skillet with bacon grease over medium-high heat. When the grease begins to ripple but not smoke, crack an egg in and allow the bottoms of the white to barely set, then slide off into one of the egg cups. Continue to do this until your tin is full and then place in the oven. Allow whites to set fully. When eggs are finished cooking, remove from heat and allow to rest for a few minutes before easing a spoon around the outside of each cup and gently removing.

You can also crack the egg directly into the tin (as shown above) and cook at about 400 for 15-20 minutes or until whites are set.

You can use the mini muffin or regular size tins, depending on your needs. The minis work great if you're using this for appetizers.

**To make this more traditionally, you can use deli sliced ham in place of bacon or precooked bacon.

Cooking

As many of you know, I love to cook and, on occasion, am quite good at it. Id be more than willing to share my recipes but I generally dont keep very good track of them. Most of them I dont even write down, I just remember them.

I wanted to share some tips as well as some recipes so here is the first one of many.

Stuffed Tomatoes

I like to make these for lunch or as appetizers.* What you need

-4 Large red tomatoes

-3 cans chunk chicken, drained

-1/2 to 3/4 cup mayo depending on how wet you like it (I use Best Foods)

-1/4 cup chopped walnuts

-2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Origional Seasoning

-1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack/Shreddeded Cheddar

-3 green onions, chopped

-1 tsp each salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika

-non-stick aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut top off tomatoes, about 1/4 of the way down. Use a spoon to remove seeds and pulp along with any excess ribbing. Set aside on baking sheet.

In a medium bowl, dump canned chicken and shred with a fork. In a separate, smaller bowl, combine mayo, Mrs. Dash, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Mix thoroughly and combine with chicken, making sure it is coated evenly. Mix in 1/2 cup of cheese and chopped walnuts.

Sprinkle a small amount of the remaining cheese in the bottom of each tomato cup. Carefully spoon in chicken salad mixture until cups are almost full and top with remaining cheese. Sprinkle chopped green onions on top.

Carefully wrap each tomatoe in aluminum foil, non-stick side facing tomatoes, and place in the oven on the middle rack. Let cook for 15 minutes or until warmed through. Pull back aluminum foil to expose the tomatoes and let cook an additional 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Its as simple as that. Once done, remove the foil, plate and enjoy. The chicken salad along with the fresh tomato creates a fresh and savory treat.

*In order to make this as an appetizer, simply swap the large tomatoes for roma tomatoes that have been cut in half and cleaned. Place in muffin tins and cover with foil.

This chicken salad mixture is also exceptional on a croissant :)