Enchilada Soup

Enchilada Soup Recipe (from Amy Cook)

4 seasoned and seared or grilled chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 can of green enchilada sauce
1 can of whole green chillis, (chop them up before putting them in the soup)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Bunch of fresh chopped cilantro
1 onion diced into bite size pieces
2 bay leaves
2-3 chicken bouillon cubes
3-4 cups of water
4 strips of bacon chopped into pieces then cooked
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cummim powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (regular salt works just not as good)
1/2 tsp white pepper

You start by cooking your bacon in a 8 qt. pan. When almost crispy you take out some of bacon grease but leave enough to saute your onions in. Put your onions in and let cook on med. temp. Then add all your seasonings. Stir and let the onions finish cooking. Then add all your can ingredients and water. Be careful because you don't want to add to much water. So taste it after you've put in 3 cups. Now put in bouillon cubes and diced chicken. Let cook for about 10 minutes or until it boils.

Top with corn chips (fritos big scoops), Sour cream, avocados, and cheese.

Citrus-glazed Crullers

CITRUS-GLAZED CRULLERS (from Jackie Brady)

1/4 c. margarine or butter, melted
1/2 c. sugar
1 can Pillsbury breadsticks

Glaze:
2/3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 t. grated orange peel
1/4 t. lemon peel
1 T. orange juice
1 t. lemon juice

Heat oven to 375°. Grease a cookie sheet. In shallow dish, melt margarine. In another shallow dish, place sugar. Unroll dough; separate into breadsticks. Dip both sides of each breadstick in butter; coat with sugar. Twist each breadstick and place on cookie sheet, pressing ends down firmly. Bake 13 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients until smooth.

Remove rolls from oven. Immediately drizzle glaze over rolls. Remove from cookie sheet and serve warm.

Fajitas

Fajitas (from Crystal Hanson)

1 lb of flank steak or skirt steak (i used chicken)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 large bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into half-inch wide strips

Marinade: ** (I doubled the marinade)
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

1 Mix all marinade ingredients. Set the steak in the marinade and let it sit at least an hour, the longer the better.
2 Heat to high heat a large pan. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the steak, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. (Again, i used chicken)Remove from pan & let sit (COVER WITH FOIL) while you cook the peppers & onions.* watch your burner temperature here; you want the heat high enough to give the meat a good carmelization, but not to burn while it cooks all the way through.
3 Reduce the pan heat to medium high. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the onions, bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until the onions are slightly translucent. If desired, squeeze a lime or 2 over the peppers.
4 Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices.

Crystal's Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken Pasta Salad (from Crystal Hanson)

2 8-oz pkgs. shell pasta
1 cup Kraft coleslaw dressing
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup onion, diced very small
4 chicken breasts, boiled & pulled apart
1 16-oz can pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups green or red grapes
2 cups greed or red apples, diced
cups celery, diced

1 1/2 cups cashews; add just before serving

1. Mix mayo & coleslaw dressing together.
2. Boil pasta; drain well.
3. Combine all ingredients; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can drained corn
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
5-8 green onions1 red pepper
1 green pepper
Handful of cilantro
Hendrickson vinegar and oil dressing (or italian)

Combine beans and corn. Dice red and green peppers. Chop and add greenonions and cilantro. Add dressing. Serve with tortillas.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicey Slow Cooked Chicken

6 chicken halves, skinless
1 cup soy sauce
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup brown sugar, packed

Place chicken in slow cooker and sprinkle with pepper. Mix all other ingredients together. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours, or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Replace chicken. Serve over hot cooked rice.

French Dip Sandwiches

Easiest Slow Cooker French Dip

INGREDIENTS
· 3 pounds beef sirloin roast
· 1 (1 ounce) packet dry au jus mix
· 1 cup water
· 8 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese
· 8 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

DIRECTIONS
Place the beef roast into a slow cooker. Stir together the water and au jus mix; pour over the roast. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and shred or slice. Open the hoagie rolls and top with beef and provolone cheese. Serve with small bowls of the hot au jus from the slow cooker

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

Kalua Pork and Cabbage

Ingredients: 3-4 lb pork butt or shoulder
¼ cup of Liquid smoke.
¼ cup of sea salt
1 small head of cabbage

Directions:
Rub the sea salt and liquid smoke all over the pork butt in your crock pot. Fill with enough water to cover the pork and let cook in crock pot until you can easily shred the pork. Reserve about 1-2 cups of the liquid in the crock pot.
Julienne the cabbage into 1/8 inch strips. Saute the cabbage and pork for about 5 minutes (don't brown the cabbage). Add the reserved liquid and cover to cook on low until the cabbage is wilted but still green. Serves 8-10.

**Variation oven recipe. Instead of cooking it in the crock pot I usually roast it in the oven (double wrapped in tin foil) at 250 for 5-6 hours.

Corn Casserole

Corn Casserole (from Heidisrecipes.blogspot.com)

2 lbs whole frozen corn
1 pint whipping cream
1 tsp salt
1 TBLS sugar
1 tsp Accent (can make w/o, just enhances flavor)
3 TBLS butter
3 TBLS flour
¼ c. Parmesan Cheese (fresh & shredded)

Separate 2 TBLS Parmesan Cheese (fresh & shredded)Boil cream and corn – simmer 5 minutes.Add salt, sugar, accent.In separate pan, melt butter, add flour. Mix well.Add flour mixture to corn. Stir well. Add ¼ c. parmesan cheese. Mix well.Simmer 2 minutes. Pour into casserole dish.Sprinkle with parmesan.Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Quick Calzones

Quick Fix Calzones (from heidisrecipes.blogspot.com)

9 Rhodes Rolls, thawed, but still cold

1/4 c. chopped ham

1 c. mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. mushrooms, diced

1/4 c. diced pineapple chunks

1 c. heated pizza sauce

Mix ham, cheese, mushrooms and pineapple in bowl. Set asidePreheat oven to 350. Flatten each roll, and roll out to 8" circles. Place 1/4 c. filling onto half of roll. Fold roll in half, seal edges with fork. Place on greased cookie sheet, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with pizza dipping sauce. Don't add the sauce inside the calzone, it makes the roll not cook correctly. You can substitute any toppings you want.

Bacon Water Chestnut Wraps

Bacon Water Chestnut Wraps (from Heidisrecipes.blogspot.com)
2 -6 1/2 oz water chestnuts
drained1 pound bacon
1 -12oz. bottle of catsup
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar packed
juice of 1 lemon
2 Tlbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dark molasses

Cut bacon strips in half and wrap around whole chestnuts. Secure with a toothpick. Place chestnuts on a roasting rack in a glass dish and cook until bacon is crisp. About 1 minute per chestnut. Mix the remaining ingredients and place in a shallow glass serving dish. Place chestnuts in the sauce and microwave for 1 minute until sauce is thoroughly heated. (40 pieces)

Chicken Pillows

Chicken Pillows:

3 chicken breasts: cooked and diced
Cream cheese
green onions
cheese
bread crumbs

Unroll individual triangles from pre-packaged crescent rolls. In a separate bowl mix together: diced cooked chicken (sometimes I just use a can of chicken if I'm lazy), 3 oz. cream cheese, 2 T. diced green onions, 1/2 cup grated cheese of your choice (mozarella). (Since I will be making this for another family as well I'll be doubling the recipe and using 2 pkg. crescent rolls). Put a spoonful of mixture in the center of the dough triange, roll, and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush immediately with melted butter and spinkle with Italian bread crumbs.

Serve with sauce made of 1 part sour cream to 1 part cream of chicken soup.

I usually serve this with rice-a-roni and a veggie and salad.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Monte Cristo Sandwich- serves 4 (from Mique and One More Moore)

8 Slices of Texas Toast Bread (the thick, square slices)
4 Slices of Virgina Baked Ham
4 Slices of Turkey
4 Slices of Swiss Cheese
Mustard
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
1 tsp Nutmeg/Cinnamon or a Apple Pie Spice Mix
Raspberry Preserves
Powdered Sugar

Directions:
Spread mustard on 4 slices of the bread
Layer slices of the following: cheese, turkey, ham
Place bread on top to make sandwich
Combine eggs, milk & spices in a bowl & mix.
Dip the entire sandwich in the mixture (you'll need to turn over the sandwich to make sure both sides are covered)
Grill in a grill pan lightly sprayed with pam to prevent sticking
Give the sandwich a sprinkle of powdered sugar & a dollup of raspberry jam

Brownies

Best Brownies Ever (I found this online somewhere, can't remember where, if it's you let me know and I'll give you credit. Sorry!)

2 sticks butter

2 c. sugar

1/3 c. cocoa

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

Beat butter and sugar til smooth. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well. Put in greased 9x13 cake pan. Bake 20-25 min., or til done at 350 degrees. When done, sprinkle 1 package miniature marshmallows evenly over top.

Put back in 350 degree oven for about 3 min. Let cool completely and then frost with following frosting:

Frosting

1/3 c. cocoa

1/3 c. evaporated milk

1 stick butter

1 2/3 c. powdered sugar

Mix until smooth and creamy!

Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake

TOFFEE CRUNCH CARAMEL CHEESECAKE (Found this online somewhere,I can't remember. If it's you let me know and I'll give you credit. Sorry!)
Gingersnap crust
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

For gingersnap crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter, and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

For caramel topping:
Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.
Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Caramel Apple S'mores

CARAMEL APPLE S’MORE (from Schooniebunch)

1 marshmallow

2 chewy caramels

2 green apple slices, about 1/2-inch thick

Skewer the marshmallow followed by the two caramels on the same roasting stick. Roast until golden. Slide concoction onto one of the apple slices, top with remaining slice.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Cook and dice: 6-8 chicken tenders

In a saucepan saute:
2 tsp. oil
1 small onion grated
1/2 TBSP. garlic powder

Stir in:
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2-1 c. milk
Cooked chicken

Crush a small 9 oz. bag of tortilla chips. Set aside

3-4 c. shredded cheese

In a 9 x 13 glass cake pan layer
Slightly crushed chips
Half of chicken mixture
Half of the cheese.

Repeat with a second layer ending with cheese on top. Bake at 35- for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips. Serve with sour cream and salsa.