Black Bean Salsa Chicken

This is somewhat similar to the recipe I posted earlier, but they taste pretty different so I decided to post it! The recipe is from Megan Doxey in my ward.

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts (I used 4 medium/small)
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 cup chicken broth
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 cup sour cream
rice
shredded cheddar cheese


Place chicken in the crock pot and add everything but the the sour cream and cheese. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5-6 hours. Mix in sour cream just before serving. Top with shredded cheese and serve over rice.

Creamy Corn Chowder

I have made this soup several times and finally decided to put it on the blog! It's from the "Best Bites" Cookbook. And for a cream soup, this is pretty healthy! 

Ingredients:

6-8 ounces bacon (about a 1/2 package) *I use turkey bacon

2 TBSP butter

1/4 flour

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups milk (I use skim)

2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp chicken base

2 red potatoes, diced into small cubes (I use 3 potatoes)

3/4 cup minced onion

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14oz) can corn, dranined or about 1 1/2 cups frozen fresh corn

A few dashes hot sauce (optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste (I usually don't add salt because the bacon adds enough salt for me)

**Save some of the bacon to sprinkle on top for that nice crunch element  :) also put cheese on top like sharp cheddar cheese and it's delicious! 

1. Cook bacon until crisp

2. While the bacon is cooking, melt the butter over low heat in a soup pot. When melted, add flour to make a roux and whisk until it comes together in a little ball. Add water and whisk until completely combined and there are no lumps. Add milk and chicken bouillon cubes and bring to simmer. Add potatoes, onion, and garlic, and simmer (but don't boil!), stirring very frequently, for about 20 min or until potatoes are tender. 

3. Crumble the bacon and add to soup along with the corn. Heat through. Add hot sauce if you want it and then salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Serve in bowls with bacon and cheese sprinkled on top. 

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes (Posted by My Recession Kitchen)

Haven't tried this yet but sounds yummy

Serves 2-4 -

2 sweet potatoes  2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter substitute (chopped in little pieces)

2 tablespoons applesauce

2 tablespoons maple syrup 

1/4 cup chopped pecans 

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup peeled and finely diced apple

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pinch salt

Olive oil

Preheat oven to 400

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes 3/4 of the way, leaving some peel on the bottom of the potato.

Lay wooden chop sticks on each side of the potato and slice as thinly as you can.

Rub them with a little olive oil.

Oil a baking dish or line it with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients.

Carefully try to push some of the stuffing mixture between the slices.

Pile the remaining stuffing on top of each potato.  

Drizzle any remaining liquid over the potatoes.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for another 10 - 15 minutes, being careful not to burn the topping.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Caramel Popcorn

This is so bad for you. But I took it to a birthday lunch in and it was a hit. Found it on Pinterest.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk (1/2 can)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn (makes 5 quarts)

1) In medium sized bowl put butter, white sugar, brown sugar, condensed milk, and corn syrup
2)microwave 2 min. Stir. Microwave 2 min. Stir. Microwave 2 min. Stir (total microwave time=6min)
3) Meanwhile (or before you ever start) pop corn and place in 2 bowls. I stove top pop my popcorn but you could use popcorn from bags or a pop corn popper.
4)when caramel is done microwaving, add vanilla and baking soda. Stir.
5) Pour about half of the caramel over 1 of the bowls of pop corn. Stir.
6)Add a little more popcorn then a little more caramel, while stirring, until everything is added. (I didn't end up adding all the caramel because it was super sticky. But add as much as you like!)

Honey Mustard Chicken Diablo (crock pot)

Not really sure why this has a Spanish name, definitely  not Spanish. It does have some curry and I know Jeremy doesn't care for curry, but the curry is NOT the star of the meal, so he make like it if you give it a try :)

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chicken
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
**Serve over rice

Met butter in bowl. Mix in honey, mustard, salt, curry, and garlic powder. Put chicken in crock pot and pour sauce over. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

So...I am kind of in love with my crock pot lately. I have been pretty busy, so I have been in search of some crock pot recipes and just thought I would share. They are just your average meal, nothing special. But they taste good and are easy :)

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
**you serve this over noodles, baked potatoes, or make it into a taco salad. could also serve over rice I suppose

Mix cream of chicken, taco seasoning, and salsa in the bottom of crock pot. Put chicken in and cover chicken with mixture. Cook on low for about 5 hours. Shred chicken and place back into crock pot. Add sour cream and mix together. Heat for another 15-20 min.

Eva Lou’s Butter Cookies (Wendy Willis Gaetz' mother-Facebook)

 

 

Makes 18-24 or so cookies depending on their size
Cream the following together, blend well:
1 cup of softened butter – do not substitute
¾ C of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp of Almond flavoring

Sift 2 ½ Cup of flour
¼ tsp of baking powder

Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix well. Dough should not stick to your hands. Add flour as needed if necessary, but don’t add too much. Chilled dough will roll out easier and cut easier. Helpful tips: I usually chill this for at least 20 minutes before rolling, but it will keep overnight or even for a few days in the refrigerator if needed. Cover lightly with plastic wrap. Roll in small sections and cut out with your favorite cookie cutter. For soft cookies, roll dough thicker. If you want a crispy cookie, roll thin. I try for about ¼” thickness or even a bit more. Bake 8-10 minutes in a pre-heated over at 350.

Frosting:
1 cup softened butter
1 ½-2# of powdered sugar (add slowly)
½ Cup of water (add slowly till you reach the desired consistency)
Dash of salt
1 tsp of Almond Flavoring
Beat on medium speed until creamy and frost -
Thicker frosting will hold better

 

Haven't tried these but I knew this lady when I was little and everyone loved her cooking!

Pork Carnitas and Homemade Flour Tortillas

These were really yummy.  Jeremy loved them.  We had them with homemade tortillas and served with avocado. Delectable!

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (or 2 1/2 pounds bone-in)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, chopped (I think we just used a can of green chilies because we didn't have jalapenos).
1 orange, cut in half. (I also used the zest of half an orange to add a little kick)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions

Rinse and dry the pork shoulder. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix the oregano and the cumin with olive oil and rub all over pork. (I typically cook the pork a little and then drain it before adding the spices, Otherwise it's too runny and I drain off the flavor). Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the onion, garlic, orange zest, and jalapeno. Squeeze over the juice of the orange and add the two halves. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high 4 hours.

Once the meat is tender, remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling apart with a fork. In a large saute pan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Press the carnitas into the oil and fry until crusty on one side. Serve.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/pork-carnitas-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Homemade Flour Tortillas

From: http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2013/08/best-ever-homemade-flour-tortillas/

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup warm water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the dough hook attached mix dry ingredients until well combined. Add oil and water with mixer running at a medium speed. Mix for 1 minute, stopping several timesto scrape the sides of the bowl. After about 1 minute, or when mixture comes together and begins to form a ball, decrease mixing speed to low. Continue to mix for 1 minute or until dough is smooth.
2. Transfer from mixing bowl to a well-floured work surface. Divide dough in half, then in half again. Continue until you have 16 fairly equal portions. Form each piece into a ball and flatten with the palm of your hand as much as possible. If dough is sticky, use a bit more flour. Cover flattened balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.
3. After rest period, heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 6-7 inches in diameter, keep work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. Don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will get soggy.
4. When pan is very hot, place one dough circle into pan and allow to cook about 1 minute or until bottom surface has a few pale brown spots. The uncooked surface will begin to show a few little bubbles. If tortilla is browning too fast, reduced heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on underside of tortillas, increase heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for about 30 seconds. You want the tortilla to be soft but have a few small pale golden brown spots on surface. Remove from pan with tongs and stack in a covered container or zippered bag till all tortillas are cooked. This will keep them soft and pliable.
5. Wipe out the pan inbetween tortillas if flour is started to accumulate.
6. Serve warm or allow to cool for later use. When ready to use, place a slightly damp paper towel in the bottom of a container (with a cover) that will hold the stacked tortillas. Microwave, uncovered for 15-25 seconds (start with 15) or until warm, then cover to hold heat while serving.
7. The tortillas will keep well stored in an airtight container or zippered bag at at room temperature for 24 hours or can be frozen indefinitely. To freeze, separate tortillas with parchment paper or waxed paper and place in a zippered bag before placing in freezer.