Chicken Tortilla Bake

This is a great recipe for all those crumbled up chips at the bottom of the chip bag that I just hate to toss out! Use chicken or ground beef--whatever you have--or go meatless and it's still tasty. Laura

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1/2 cup Salsa
1/4 cup sour Cream
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup Mexican Style Shredded or Cheddar Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 400ºF. Place chicken on foil-covered baking sheet. Slice three cuts on top of each chicken breast with sharp knife.
TOP each chicken breast evenly with salsa, sour cream and tortilla chips.
BAKE 20 min. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF).

Turkey Tortilla Soup

Soup stock (if you have some)
2-3 cups turkey or chicken pieces
2 quarts chicken broth
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
juice from two limes
Serve with cubed pepper jack (or plain monterey jack cheese), tortilla chips sour cream.

Take your turkey soup stock and add about 2 quarts of chicken bullion. (You can use the canned kind or the dried cubes with water). Chop a large onion and add to the broth. You can add 1tsp garlic powder or one clove of fresh garlic. Add 1 tsp. black pepper. Add about 2-3 c. of turkey or chicken. Add 1/2 bunch of cilantro (or more). Add juice from 2 limes. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer.Just before serving add 1c. cubed pepper jack cheese (or have this on the table so you can serve yourself) and tortilla chips. Serve with sour cream. Jennifer S. Kreutzer

Pumpkin Pancakes

This was a fun fall breakfast. I made this on a weekend when Parker was home because its a little more time consuming than regular pancakes. It made some extra for our family so I put it in the fridge and we ate them for the rest of the week (heated them in the toaster or microwave). Lark

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 Cups Flour
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 ½ Cup Milk
4 Eggs, Separated
1 Cup Pumpkin Puree
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
¼ Cup melted butter

Sift together dry ingredients. Combine milk, egg yolks, syrup, butter and pumpkin puree. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into batter. Pour onto hot, oiled griddle, about 1/3 cup at a time. Cook until tops bubble, turn, and cook other side. Serve with maple syrup or whipped cream sprinkled with cinnamon.

Brisket

This was a yummy dinner I made on Sunday. We hardly ever treat ourselves to meat except an occasional roast. I decided to try Brisket when I found this simple recipe. It is kind of pricey and I had to go to 2 supermarkets to find it (Albertsons was out but Vons had some). The kids liked it too.
Lark

Marinated Brisket

In a 9x13 pan add:
2-3 lbs. Beef Brisket
1 bottle of Liquid Smoke
¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
A dash of garlic, onion and celery salt

Marinate overnight, cover with foil

Bake covered at 400 for ½ hour, then at 275 for 4-5 hours. 1 hour before end, pour on 1 small bottle of BBQ sauce.


Mashed Potatoes
Red potatoes, washed and diced (leave skin on)
Milk
Butter
Cheddar cheese
Green onion
Fresh minced garlic
Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until very soft. Drain and return to pot. Add a dash of milk and a few Tbsp. butter and mash potatoes. Add more milk and butter if needed to make creamy. Before completely mashed, add remaining ingredients until blended.

Fresh Green Beans
Cut off ends of beans; blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes or until desired tenderness. Toss with butter or oil olive and salt and pepper. Lemon Pepper and garlic salt are also good.

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

This was a BIG hit. My husband told me how delicious it was even before I had tasted it. And usually with new recipes I have to ask him how he likes it. My kids ate it up too. I forgot the spaghetti sauce and it still tasted great. The cheese filling helped keep it moist. And I only used 2 chicken breasts, halved, since my family doesn't eat huge servings, so I eye-balled the amount of spinach and moz. to make just enough cheese filling for our chicken. And my kids didn't say anything about the "green stuff" in the filling. ;-) I served it with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and brussel sprouts and with a fruit salad. We didn't need any rice or potatoes with all the fruits and potatoes. Delicious!

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1-1/4 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
6 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
1 egg
10 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup) or bread crumbs
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

PREHEAT oven to 375ºF. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 3 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese until well blended; spread evenly onto chicken breasts. Starting at one of the short ends of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Set aside.

BEAT egg in shallow bowl or pie plate. Mix remaining 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in separate shallow bowl or pie plate. Dip chicken bundles in egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using. Serve topped with the spaghetti sauce and remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bacon, Cheese and Potato Chowder

Supper fast and easy! Why didn't I think of this soup before? The hashbrowns saves time instead of chopping potatoes. Serves 4. Easy to double for larger family or leftovers. Even my baby likes it. Yummy!


3 cups fat-free milk
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of potato soup
1 can corn
2 cups frozen Southern-style hash browns (the squares)
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 slices Bacon, crisply cooked, drained and crumbled
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

MIX milk and soup in large saucepan. Stir in hash browns. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 min., stirring frequently.

LADLE into six soup bowls.

TOP evenly with the cheese, bacon and onions.

I served this with sourdough baguettes that had been toasted and with a side salad.

Cinnamon Crisps

Here is a delicious way to end any Mexican dinner night. This dessert is the best.

4 T. butter
6 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 T. sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 450. Put butter on a large baking sheet and melt in oven, about 2 min. Place tortillas on baking sheet (they may overlap a bit) and coat with butter, turning each once to coat both sides. Bake for 6-7 min, until golden and puffed in spots.
Stir together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the tortillas. Top with scoops of ice cream and let it melt just a little. Serve them warm. Delicious!

Pork Soft Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

This is a GREAT new recipe that I just tried. I got it out of a Cooking Light magazine (thanks Paige!) It was a BIG hit with my family--and my kids don't usually eat tacos when I serve them. Must have been the pineapple salsa! Pretty easy to make and you could make it in advance and refrigerate it until dinner. I served it with watermelon and chips and salsa, quacamole and afterwards:dessert--Cinnamon Crisps (another Mexican inspiration). The recipe for that will also be posted. Enjoy! Laura

T=tablespoon
t=teaspoon

Salsa:
1 15 oz. can crushed pineapple minus about 1 large spoonful, drained
1 C. minced apple (any kind will do)
1/4 C. minced shallots (I don't know what these are so I used green onion instead)
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 T. lime juice
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. Salt

Combine ingredients, stir until blended. Cover and chill

Tacos:
1 T. canola/vegetable oil
1 C. thinly sliced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lbs. pork (see below for cooking instructions. You can either cook in crock pot or in pot on stove. Cooking in crock pot will produce very moist and tender meat--this is the method I recommend, but if time doesn't permit you can cook it on the stove).
1/2 C. chicken broth
1 T. cider vinegar
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
12 cherry tomatoes, quartered (or 1-2 large tomatoes diced)
1 can diced green chilies (how ever spicy your family likes it!)
corn tortillas, warmed according to package (tip:warm tortillas in the microwave wrapped up in a dish towel )

Cook pork in crock pot in 1 C. water for 4 hours on High. When cooked through, shred/dice pork. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 min. or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add pork to pan and add chicken broth (If you don't have time to cook the pork in the crock pot, cut meat into chunks and add it to the pot); cook for 7 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients (through chilies). Cover pot if meat was not pre-cooked in crock pot (no need to cover is meat is pre-cooked). Let simmer for 10 minutes (or until meat is cooked through) and liquid is nearly evaporated. Warm tortillas according to package and serve with salsa. Yields 6 servings

Steak and Cheese strombolis

This is a quick and delicious dinner. My kids love it. Pretty much just a big pizza rolled up into a log but for some reason they like it better than just regular pizza. You can use whatever meat you have on hand--deli roast beef, thinly sliced steak/beef, even ground beef if that's all you have. And use whatever cheese your family likes best: Cheddar, Jack, Swiss. I serve it with steamed broccoli and cauliflower and sometimes with a fruit shake to drink.

1 pkg. Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 C. chunky pasta sauce
1/2 lb. beef
1 C. shredded cheese
Jalapeno or green chili peppers (optional)

Heat oven to 450. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. On a well-floured work surface, roll out pizza dough into a large rectangle. Spread pasta sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edges. Top with meat, cheese and peppers. Starting at one of the short sides of the rectangle, roll up jelly-roll style. Pinch the ends and tuck underneath as you go. Place on the prepared baking sheet, seam side down. Bake at 450 for 20 min. or until browned on top and hollow sounding when tapped. Let cool for 10 min. before slicing.

Mini Pizzas

A fast and fun dinner--your kids can help you make it. And they can "personalize" their own pizzas to their liking. It's a good way to use up your leftover hamburger buns.

8 Hamburger buns or english muffins (I prefer the hamburger buns because it makes for a softer crust)
Spaghetti sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Shredded Jack cheese
Pizza toppings such as:
Pepperoni
Mushrooms
Onions
Ham
Pineapple

On a cookie sheet or pizza pan arrange the hamburger buns or english muffins (1 bun = 2 mini pizzas) Spread spaghetti sauce on bun. Top with favorite pizza toppings and then with cheese (the Jack cheese helps it all stay together). Bake at 375 until cheese is melted. Serve with salad and fruit.

Cookie Salad

This is not a main dish but my family sure liked it--by the title of it, who wouldn't like it? I served it with our fun dinner of homemade hamburgers and french fries. You could also save it and serve it for dessert so your kids don't pile it on their plate higher than their dinner is stacked (that's what Luke did!) Enjoy! Laura

1 small pkg (3.4 oz.) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 C. buttermilk
1/2 container (12 oz. container) whipped topping (Cool whip)
1/2 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained
1 can (10 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 pkg. fudge-striped shortbread cookies

Combine pudding mix and buttermilk. Fold in whipped topping. Add drained pineapple and mandarin oranges. Crush cookies into large pieces and fold into mixture immediately before serving. Serve as a salad, a dessert, or as individual parfaits.

Pan-fried Ravioli

This recipe is a variation of a Rachael Ray recipe. It has become a family favorite and its very quick and easy. I have done this with several different types of ravioli and all turn out great. Yesterday we had it with sauteed zucchini with butter, onion, salt and Mrs. Dash. I have served it with salad or peas. Sometimes I serve it with garlic bread, but its quite filling with just a vegetable on the side.

Fresh ravioli (found in refrigerator section of grocery store) or frozen ravioli, cooked and slightly cooled
Combine on one bowl:
2 eggs
Splash of milk
In another bowl, combine:
Bread crumbs (Italian or regular)
Handful fresh chopped flat leaf Italian parsley (basil also works or dried Italian spices)
Handful shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Dip ravioli in egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Fry in skillet filled with olive oil. Let cook on each side a few minutes, until golden brown. Serve with pasta sauce of your choice. Or use 1 can Italian style diced tomatoes with fresh garlic and extra Italian spice (cooked for a few minutes) for a chunky and fresh sauce.

Baked Spaghetti

This is one of Paula Deen's recipe from the Food Network. I have been wanting a baked spaghetti recipe after I had my friend's last year. It turned out pretty good. Nothing spectacular from this recipe (I should get my friend's), but I did alter a few things in my sauce because I didn't have them. I also don't like the flavor of bay leaves, so I left that out. I only did about 1/2 this recipe (maybe a little more) and put it in a 8 1/2x11 casserole instead of a huge 9x13. It's worth doing again though. I served it with a tossed green salad, homemade rolls from the night before and I meant to put grapes on too, but forgot. Lark

Baked Spaghetti
2 cups canned diced tomatoes
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup diced onion 1
/2 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 small bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta 1 cup grated cheddar 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Crumble the ground beef in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until fully cooked, with no pink color remaining. Drain the fat from the meat, and then add the ground beef to the stockpot. Simmer for 20 more minutes. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Cover the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan with sauce. Add a layer of pasta and then a little less than 1/2 of each cheese; repeat the layers, ending with the sauce. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Top the casserole with the remaining cheese, return it to the oven, and continue to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 more minutes. Cut into squares before serving.
House Seasoning: 1 cup salt 1/4 cup black pepper 1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Apricot Chicken

This is a very simple dish to make and I like the sweet/salty combo. I served it with Couscous because we are getting sick of rice. You can find couscous in the asian isle of the supermarket-close to the mediterranian foods. I also served steamed brocoli with it. Laura

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 jar (10 oz) apricot or orange marmalade jam

Heat oven to 350.

Place chicken breasts in a 3-quart dish that has been sprayed with PAM. Mix dry onion soup and marmalade in a small bowl and spread over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes.

You can also cook this in a crockpot and it turns out fabulous. Prepare it the same way and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.

Sweet and Sour Pork or Chicken

This recipe is from a lady in my ward who is actually from China so maybe it has more authenticity than my previous "chinese chicken" post. It is quick and easy to make. It calls for red and green peppers which I have used but I have also substituted carrots for the peppers because my kids are more willing to eat carrots (that and right now I just can't eat peppers).
You just have to add the carrots at the beginning with the meat instead of at the end. Paige

1 can (16-0z) pineapple chunks in syrup (don't drain)
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 Tbs ketchup
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 lb. boneless pork or chicken cut into bite-size cubes
1 onion, chopped
1 green and red bell pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbs water

1. Heat 1 Tbs oil, stir in pork/chicken and onion, cook for about 10 minutes, until meat is cooked and onion is tender.
2. Add pineapple with syrup, vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce, cook for 10 minutes more.
3. Add cornstarch and stir to make sure the juice thickens.
4. Add the pepper, stir till pepper is coated and warm. Serve over rice.

Mexican Lasagna

Another way to eat the mexi food combination. This recipe is from Rachel Ray and it really is easy to prep. The recipe calls for ground chicken but I used ground turkey and I'm sure that ground beef would also substitute well. As yellow onion could be used instead of red and kidney beans instead of black, and canned corn instead of frozen.

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey breast
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 (14-oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 cup taco sauce
1 (15-0z) can black beans, drained
1 cup frozen corn kernels
salt
8 8-inch flour or spinach flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 425.
Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 Tbs olive oil. Add chicken/turkey and season with chili powder, cumin and red onion. Brown the meat, 5 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes and taco sauce. Add black beans and corn. Heat the mixture through, 2-3 minutes then season with salt, to your taste.

Coat a shallow baking dish with the remaining olive oil. Cut the tortillas in half or quarters to make them easy to layer with. Build lasagna in layers of meat and beans, then tortillas then cheese. Repeat: meat, tortilla, cheese again. Bake lasagna 12-15 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Quick-Fix Beef Burrito Skillet

This turned out pretty good--nothing gourmet, but we enjoy different types of Mexican food. It's really good if you eat it with a chunky homemade salsa made of diced tomatoes, red bell pepper, avocado, can of black beans, can of corn, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. Laura


1 lb. lean ground beef
1 pkg. (1-1/4 oz.) Taco Seasoning Mix
1 can (19 oz.) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup Salsa
1 cup water
4 flour tortillas (6 inch), cut into 1-1/2-inch squares
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 1 large)



BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain.
ADD seasoning mix, beans, salsa and water; stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min.
STIR in tortillas; top with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions.

Microwaved Salmon and Yogurt Sauce

When I saw this recipe I didn't think it would work to microwave the fish but it actually turns out great. It is nice for me because I don't have a hood on my oven and this makes less of a fish smell after dinner. And it is really quick. I served it with Lark's lemon rice and a green vegetable. Paige

Salmon:
1 Tbs. chopped fresh ginger (I used dry spice but less than a Tbs.)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 lbs salmon filet, cut into 4 pieces.

Sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 Tbs fresh chopped mint
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp fresh minced onion, shallot or scallion
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

1. Sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt and the rest of the sauce ingredients. Cover and refigerate until ready to serve.
2. Salmon: In a small bowl, mix together ginger, garlic, curry powder, lemon juice, paprika, salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Place salmon in a microwave-safe baking dish. Spread ginger-curry mixture over salmon.
3. Cover with plastic wrap, venting in one corner. Microwave on High for 5 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes.
4. Slip thin spatula underneath skin and lift salmon off; serve salmon with yogurt sauce on the side.

BBQ Ribs

My kids call these "cow bones" and they always go over well. We sometimes grill them outside and sometimes cook them in the crockpot. When done in the crockpot the meat comes off the bone much easier and the flavor soaks in better, but some times we like the flavor of the grill. I served them with french fries and had happy, busy mouths that night!

1 pkg. beef (or pork) ribs from the meat department (I buy them when they are on sale. This week the short ribs were on sale--half the size of a regular size rib)
1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce

Put meat in slow cooker. Dump BBQ sauce on top--you can add water to thin the sauce. Cook about 5 hours on high. They stay hot for a long time after coming out of the slow cooker so I usually just cut the meat off the bones and serve them.

Homemade Pizza

I often make pizza when I don't feel like doing a lot, or when I am totally out of ideas. I always keep a bag of pepperoni in my fridge so I can make it anytime. I also always make the dough from scratch because I'm cheap and don't plan ahead sometimes to buy the Bobolli crust...but that works great too. I always serve with salad. Lark
Quick Pizza Dough
2 C. flour
1 Tbsp. quick rising yeast
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar or honey
¾ C water (hottest water from tap works)
Combine everything except water. Then add hot water (if mixture is too dry you can add 1 or 2 Tbsp. more hot water)
Knead until dough forms a ball.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured bowl (or leave in your Kitchenaid as is - no need to dirty another bowl!) Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
On floured surface, using a rolling pin, roll out your pizza – about 12” in diameter and ½” thick.
Transfer dough to a floured cooking surface and poke with a fork in a few places.
Bake at 425* for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Then add sauce, cheese and favorite toppings and cook again until cheese is melted.
For sauce, I use a jar of spagetti sauce or a can of tomato sauce with Italian seasonings, fresh garlic and sometimes canned diced tomatoes.
Then add your favorite toppings:
1. Pepperoni w/ olives: either slices of pepperoni or a stick, chopped up in your food processor.
2. Canadian bacon and pineapple: I use ham lunch meat, cut up and canned pineapple chunks and slivered almonds.
3. BBQ Chicken pizza (one of our favorites!): Sprinkle crust with colby jack cheese, then BBQ sauce (1/2 bottle or more), then cubed, marinated BBQ chicken, then red onion slices and finally more cheese. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh, chopped cilantro.