Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef (turkey works too)
1 small onion, chopped
1 package mild taco seasoning
1 (16 oz.) can corn
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans-drained and rinsed
1 (16 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream

Brown meat and onion.  Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer.  Serve over chips. Top with cheese and sour cream.

P.S. I believe this recipe originally stemmed from the Lion House Taco Soup.  They just add a can of pinto beans-drained and rinsed.

White Chicken Chili

Recipe from Gimme Me Some Oven

6 cups chicken broth (if you don't want it so soupy I would only use 5 cups)
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 (15 oz.) cans Great Northern Beans-drained
2 cups salsa verde
2 tsp. ground cumin
optional toppings: chopped cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips, chopped green onions


Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, beans, salsa and cumin to a medium saucepan, and stir to combine. Heat over medium-high heat until boiling, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 5 minutes. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Easy Panang Curry

1 can (8-oz) bamboo shoots, drained

1 large red pepper

1 large carrot, very thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoon coconut oil (other cooking oils are fine)

1¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into very thin bite-sized slices

1 (13.66-oz) can of coconut milk (not lite)

3-4 tablespoons Red Curry Paste

1½ teaspoons sugar, or to taste

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Steamed rice for serving

1. Rinse the bamboo shoots and strain well.

2. Cut the pepper into thin strips and the carrot into very thin slices.

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until it is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan.

4. Put the coconut milk, curry paste, and sugar in the pan. Whisk it until the curry paste is blended well into the coconut milk. Heat it until it’s gently boiling.

5. Stir in the chicken, bamboo shoots, carrot, and red pepper. Reduce the heat so the curry is just simmering, and cook for 5 – 10 minutes.

6. Stir in the fish sauce and serve over steamed rice.

Shelly's notes:  The spiciness will depend on your curry paste brand.  Mine was not spicy at all so I ended up adding some Sriracha to give the sauce a slight kick.  Taste the sauce after each addition of a TBSP of curry paste and keep adding more until it tastes good to you.  I was terrified of the fish sauce when I first unscrewed the bottle...it is very strong smelling; but it really does finish the dish and doesn't taste "fishy" when you are done!     

Garlic Cheese Pull Apart Bread

Taken from Thirty Hand Made Days

Easy and delicious!  Great with Pasta!

Ingredients

• 16 frozen white dinner rolls (Rhodes brand)
• ½ C butter, melted
• 1 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 tsp dry parsley flakes
• 1½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp onion powder

Instructions

1. Remove frozen rolls from freezer and loosely wrap them in plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
2. Cut rolls in half with a clean pair of scissors.
3. Combine melted butter and seasonings together.
4. Pour over dough and gently mix.
5. Add ½ C of grated cheese and combine.
6. You want each piece of dough to be coated.
7. Line the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with the piece of dough and then top with remaining grated cheese.
8. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1½ – 2½ hours.
9. Cover bottom of pan with foil to prevent butter from leaking out.
10. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until center is completely done.

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Taken from Diary of a Recipe Addict

This has become one of our favorites.  I have only ever grilled it so I don't know how the bacon would turn out if baked in the oven.

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

Blackened Grilled Tilapia

Taken from Tastebook

• 
  
• 4-6 Tilapia
• 2 Tbls. Paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp ground red pepper
• 1.5 tsp dried, crushed basil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Heat grill on high 5 minutes. Mix all seasonings in a bowl. Dip fillets in melted butter and coat with seasonings. Place fillets on mesh grill sheet and cook 2 minutes on each side.

Kickin' Chicken Marinade

Taken from Sweet Little Blue Bird

2-3 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup Franks Original Hot Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 cloves of garlic-minced or pressed (or garlic powder)
1 lime cut into slices.

Mix hot sauce, olive oil, lime juice and garlic together.  Pour into ziplock over chicken.  Marinade for 4 hours.  Grill chicken.  Squeeze lime slice on chicken after grilled.

DELICIOUS AND NOT TOO HOT!

Crockpot Roast Marinade

Pinterest Idea.  Seems a little odd but tasted delicious!

1 packet dry ranch mix
1 packet dry italian dressing mix
1 packet dry brown gravy mix
1/2 cup water

Combine all dry packets with water.  Pour over roast in crockpot and cook on low all day.  Make great gravy for your mashed potatoes.

Snickerdoodles..BEST ONES!

Taken from Get Together Ideas

1 stick butter-softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tarter

FOR ROLLING
2 TBS. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda and cream of tarter.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.

Take about 2 1/2 TBS. of dough and roll it into a ball.  Roll this dough int the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto a ungreased cookie sheet.  Repeat for the remaining cookies.

Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes and no more.  The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven.  When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.  

Makes 16-18 cookies.

Coconut Bread

1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs beaten
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 t coconut extract
1 cup coconut flakes

Mix together and pour into loaf pans lined with wax paper. Bake at 325 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and glaze.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
1 T butter
1/2 cup water
1 t coconut extract
Boil for 5 minutes


Pour over loaves and let sit for 4 hours before removing from pan and pulling off wax paper.

Spinach Salad

1 head lettuce
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 cup green onions-chopped
1/2 cup cooked bacon-chopped
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced honey roasted accent almonds
1 cup chow mein noodles (maybe a little more)


DRESSING
1 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/4 of a red onion-diced
1 TBS. mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. salt

Blend all together and pour over salad before serving.

Buttermilk "Fried" Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 3/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

• 1 package (4-1/2 pounds) chicken pieces, breasts cut in half diagonally and skin removed

• 5 cups corn flakes, coarsely crushed

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs

• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• Pinch cayenne pepper

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, mustard, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper and the hot sauce. Add chicken (save wings for another use) and turn to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and place inside rimmed baking sheet.

3. Stir together crushed corn flakes, bread crumbs, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, the poultry seasoning, paprika and cayenne. Stir in oil until blended. Remove chicken from marinade and dip in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

4. Place chicken on rack and bake at 400 degrees F. for 55 minutes or until instant- read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast.  Makes 8 servings.

Bread Sticks

1 Tbsp. yeast (I use quick rise) dissolved in 1 1/2 cup very warm water and 2 Tbsp sugar. Allow to proof. 

Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 3 cups flour. Mix thoroughly. I mix slowly using my dough hook of my KitchenAid, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour until the dough pulls completely away from the sides of the bowl. 

Knead for 3 minutes. 

Let rise 30 minutes. 

Roll into rectangle, cut in three columns, then rows. 

Melt 1/2 stick to 1 stick of butter in large cookie sheet.  

Dip one side of breadstick in butter flip over and lay down on cookie sheet.  Fill sheet tightly. Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese from a can. 

Let rise. Recipe says 10 minutes. I do 15 - 20 minutes. 

Bake for 30 minutes on 350. (watch these, it doesn't take 30 minutes in my oven). 

Slow Cooked Jerk Pork with Caribbean Salsa

Recipe from Skinny-taste

3 lb. boneless pork shoulder blade roast, lean all fat removed
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 TBS. Walkerswood Jerk Seasoning (I just bought jerk seasoning at Walmart)
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 lime, squeezed
1/2 cup orange juice


Caribbean Salsa
1 avocado, diced
1-2 ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. chopped red onion
1-2 TBS. chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 TBS. fresh lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the pork and stuff holes with half of the crushed garlic.  Combine the remaining garlic, jerk seasoning, and salt and rub all over pork.  Place in large container, pour the lime and orange juice over the pork; cover and refrigerate 5 hours or overnight, turning pork occasionally so the marinade covers all the pork.

The next morning, put everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 9 hours.
After 9 hours, remove pork and shred using two forks.

Remove the liquid from the crockpot and reserve.  Add shredded pork back to the slow cooker.  Add about 1 cup of the liquid back into the crockpot and taste for salt and pepper.  Let it cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Meanwhile make the salsa.  Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, refrigerate salsa until ready to serve.

Serve over brown rice.

Lighter Tastes like Lasagna Soup (Paula Deen)

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (32 oz.) container chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
4 oz. broken whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 4 noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 TBS. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
8 whole wheat breadsticks or grissini (optional)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick sauce pan.  Add the sausage, onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Cook over medium hight heat, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is crumbled and browned.  8-10 mins.

Add the broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt and crushed red pepper.  Bring to boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors are blended, about 20 mins.  Add the noodles, bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the noodles are tender 10-12 mins.  Remove from the heat, stir in mozzarella, basil, and the parmesan.
*whole wheat noodles take a little longer to cook