Our Recent Favs

If you are like me, you might have a tough time deciding what to cook for dinner each week. Here are some recipes that Ben and I have enjoyed lately.

Taco Chicken Dish
Pan fry 3 chicken breasts in oil seasoned with salt and pepper. Cut into cubes or shred and set aside.

2 - 14 oz. cans cubed tomatoes (any variety)
1 can olives sliced (or one can pre-sliced olives)
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies drained
1 Tbsp. dehydrated onions (reconstituted in water)
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Combine ingredients in large pan and heat.

Combine the following and add to above ingredients. Stirring until thickened.
1-2 cups chicken broth
1/4-1/3 cup cornstarch

Serve on top of crushed tortilla chips. Top with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese.

Italian Chicken Pasta
I didn't think I would like this meal because I am usually not a huge fan of zucchini or crookneck squash but I really liked it.

6 chicken breasts seasoned with Italian Seasoning/salt/garlic salt. Broil and cut into strips or cubes.
2 small zucchini peeled and cut into thin strips or slices.
1 small yellow crookneck squash peeled and cut into thin strips or slices
2 bell peppers (whatever color - green, red, etc) -- cut into thin strips
1 bottle Fat Free Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 lb thin spaghetti noodles

Sauté vegetables in a fry pan in 1 tbsp. of oil until softened. Cook spaghetti and drain while veggies are being cooked. Keep moist. Add dressing to veggies in fry pan and stir until dressing is warm Combine noodles, veggies w/dressing, chicken, and Parmesan cheese. Stir together until noodles are moistened.

Mexican Lasagna
8-10 Corn tortillas cut into fourths
2-3 chicken breasts, chopped and cooked
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
14 oz salsa
1 lb cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic
1 can chopped green chilies
1 can sliced black olives

Heat soup, onion, sour cream, salsa, garlic, and green chilies and combine with cooked chicken. Layer tortillas, sauce mixture and cheese in a greased 9x13 pan—2 layers. Top with tortilla, cheese, and olives. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chimichangas
My sister-in-law posted these amazing chimichangas on her blog and we absolutely love them. We were lazy and baked them instead of frying them but they were still delicious. I cooked them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

21 oz cream of chicken soup
8 oz diced green chilies
2 tbsp lime juice
1 8oz package cream cheese
8 oz Monterrey jack
3/4 package taco seasoning
2 lbs boneless,skinless chicken breasts
10 flour tortillas
4 c vegetable oil (or a deep fat fryer)
8 oz cheddar cheese
8 oz sour cream

Boil chicken in salted water for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or if you want to do it quick, the chicken will be cooked through in about 10 minutes of boiling, it just won't shred as easily). Shred chicken. Pour the cream of chicken soup into a blender along with the green chilies, and lime juice. Puree until smooth, then pour into a saucepan, and warm over medium-low heat while proceeding with the recipe.

In a large bowl, stir together the cream cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese, and taco seasoning until well blended. Fold in the chicken. Evenly divide mixture among the 8 tortillas. Fold each tortilla into a rectangular packet around the filling. The easiest way to do this is to fold in the two "smaller" sides and the roll up from one of the "larger sides".

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry 2 chimichangas at a time until golden brown, then drain on a plate lined with paper towels. We cooked ours in the deep fat fryer set at 375 for 4 min or until dark golden brown.

To serve, place a chimichanga on a plate, and ladle the warm sauce over-top. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and green onions. Finish with a dollop of sour cream. (We used Guacamole instead of sour cream)

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
I know it is not a dinner item but we absolutely love making our own Molten Chocolate lava cake. It is so yummy.

4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 Tbsp. flour

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Butter four 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet. We didn’t have custard cups so we used muffin cups instead. It makes about 10 cupcakes.

MELT chocolate and butter in small pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir with wire whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar until well blended. Blend in eggs and egg yolks with wire whisk. Stir in flour. Divide batter among prepared custard/cupcake cups.

BAKE

For Custard Cups: Bake 13 to 14 min. or until sides are firm but centers are soft.

For Cupcake Cups: Bake 10 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft.

Let stand 1 min. Carefully run small knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes. Serve immediately with ice cream.