Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've had this at a friends house many times, and made it myself for the first time earlier this week. It was AMAZING. I really enjoyed it, and so did Brian! :)

INGREDIENTS:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
1 cup white hominy
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
crushed tortilla chips
sliced avocado
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.

Stir in corn, hominy, chiles, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

Chicken And Stuffing

Got this recipe from my cousin's MIL. She kind of does things her own way, so, some things don't have measurements. Just use your own judgement...I did. But when using the spices, remember that the stuffing will have seasoning in it as well...don't overseason the chicken broth.

Ingredients:

4 to 6 boneless chicken half breasts (about 3 - 4 cups of cooked chicken)
1 Medium Onion, diced
Seasoning Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Oregano and Celery Seed to taste
2 Cans of Chicken Broth (or 3 - 4 cups of water)
Approximately 14 oz. of Stuffing (Stove Top, Peppridge Farm, etc...This is another thing where you just add the stuffing to your tastes.)
2 Cans of Cream of Celery Soup (you can substitute any creamed soup you have on hand. I used one can of cream of celery, one can of cream of chicken)
2/3 Cup of Milk
1 and 1/3 cups of Mayonnaise (don't use Lite Mayo)
2 Cups of Cheese (Cheddar or Mozzarella work best)


Cook the chicken in the chicken broth, onion and seasonings.
After chicken is cooked and then cooled, cut it into cubes.
Toss the chicken and stuffing together in a lightly greased 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix in the soup, milk and mayo and fold thoroughly. The mixture will be very moist.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.
Top with cheese the last 10 minutes.

**This freezes well too. Prepare the casserole without baking and then freeze it (Don't add the cheese though!). Do not thaw before baking. Once ready to eat, put tin foil covered, unbaked casserole in the oven for one hour. Uncover and cook for 30 more minutes. When fully cooked, add the cheese and cook for 10 more minutes.**

Not exactly the healthiest casserole, but we certainly don't plan on making it a weekly staple. It does taste really good though.

Caribbean-Spiced Roast Chicken

I was looking for a quick way to make some chicken tonight and I found this. I fried it instead of baking it but it was AMAZING! It only took me about 10 minutes to fry it, I also only had 2 chicken breasts instead of a whole one! Definitely something I'll be making again.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 fluid ounces rum
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
* 1 (3 pound) whole chicken
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, rum, and brown sugar; set aside. Mix together the cayenne pepper, clove, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, salt, and thyme leaves. Brush the chicken with oil, then coat with the spice mixture.
3. Place in a roasting pan, and bake about 90 minutes, until the juices run clear or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Baste the chicken with the sauce every 20 minutes while it's cooking. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

6 Can Casserole

This has been one of my favorite dinners since I was a child. It is called "6 Can Casserole" because it used to take 6 canned items to prepare it. One of those ingredients is now in a bag though, so, now it's not really 6 "Can" Casserole anymore. When I first made it for Brett, he was a little leery. But, once he tried it, he loved it. It's my go to recipe for something quick and tasty.

1 Bag of Chow Mein Noodles (You'll likely only need about 3/4 of the bag)
2 Large Cans of Chicken (the canned chicken that looks just like the cans of tuna. You can add more chicken if you'd like, it depends on how much chicken you'd like in your casserole)
1 Can of Cream of Mushroom soup (low fat, low sodium, whatever you prefer)
1 Can of Chicken with Rice soup (again, low fat, low sodium, whatever you prefer)
1 Small Can of Evaporated Milk

Spray a medium casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread an even layer of Chow Mein Noodles at the bottom of the dish. Add the remaining ingredients over the Chow Mein Noodles. Cover with another thin layer of Chow Mein Noodles. Mix.

Bake at 350 F for 35 - 40 minutes and enjoy!

Katy

Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad

My favorite part about this recipe is you can really customize it to your liking by adding more or less of the ingredients, mixing up the seasonings, or adding other ingredients.

This recipe can easily be halved or made in the larger quantity so you can have it for leftovers

Also, I keep experimenting with the chicken seasonings, but I'm including my favorite so far. Sometimes if I'm in a hurry I'll omit the chicken, although if you buy the tenderloins it really doesn't take too much extra time.

Lastly, this is a dish that is best cold... it actually is better the next day (although I still devour it right after I've made it!)

Ingredients:
1 box farfalle (bow-tie) pasta (you can use ziti or rotini, but I like farfalle the best!)
Your favorite pesto
Parmesan cheese
Sea-Salt, fresh ground pepper, and onion powder
1 bag craisins
1lb chicken tenderloins (give or take a little, I usually get about 1.25lbs)
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes (I prefer grape)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350
Trim the chicken, place on a pan and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder
Bake approximately 20 minutes or until chicken is done
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces

While chicken is baking, put a large pot of water on to boil
Boil whole box of farfalle until done
Drain pasta, throw a couple of ice cubes in the pot, and throw the pasta in the freezer or fridge for a couple of minutes to cool the pasta off.


While chicken is baking and pasta is boiling, cut tomatoes in half for grape tomatoes and in quarters for cherry tomatoes.

When pasta is cool, mix together all the ingredients in the following order:
Chicken
Craisins
Pesto
Parmesan cheese
Tomatoes

Enjoy!!

Mexican Lettuce Wraps

This recipe proved to be a winner, not only when wrapped in lettuce, but also when served as a sandwich, dip or salad with tortilla chips. It is so easy to make it ahead, chill and take for a picnic

I will make this recipe and use it throughout the week, on a bed of lettuce with some Taco sauce and shredded cheese as well as on a tortilla as a wrap.
I also don't use the avocado or sour cream, just cause I don't like them, But I add a can of corn.

-Ashley

METHOD:

TIME: Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, stir in avocado. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each lettuce leaf; top each with 2 teaspoons sour cream. Fold lettuce over filling. Yield: 6 servings.

Mexican Lettuce Wraps
This recipe proved to be a winner, not only when wrapped in lettuce, but also when served as a sandwich, dip or salad with tortilla chips. It is so easy to make it ahead, chill and take for a picnic
METHOD:
TIME: Prep/Total Time: 20 min.
Ingredients:
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves
Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. Refrigerate until serving. Just before serving, stir in avocado. Place 1/2 cup chicken mixture on each lettuce leaf; top each with 2 teaspoons sour cream. Fold lettuce over filling. Yield: 6 servings.

Busy Night Chicken Casserole

Busy Night Chicken Casserole
from Southern Living
Makes 4 servings

1 cup cooked chicken
1 cup of uncooked instant rice
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons melted butter ( I used spread)
1/2 of a sleeve of Ritz crackers
1 tablespoons poppy seeds (omitted these)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix chicken, rice, soup, pepper, poopy seeds (omitted) and sour cream together. Put in a baking pan, I used a small oval pan.Crush ritz crackers and mix with melted butter. Place on top of rice mixture and spread evenly.Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.