Asian Grilled Chicken & Crockpot Baked Potatoes

My mom and sisters have been making this chicken marinade for years, but for some reason this is my first time.  It's super easy and very tasty.  Best of all, you only need 3 ingredients.  Equal parts Soy Sauce (we use low-sodium), Sprite & vegetable oil.  I know the Sprite seems weird, but trust me. Combine the chicken and marinade in a big Ziplock bag.  I would put the bag in a bowl or dish (just in case it leaks you won't get it all over your fridge). You'll want to let it marinade for a few hours.  You can even put your chicken in frozen (like me) and put it all in the fridge the night before.  Then just take out of the marinade and grill. I used tenders so they would grill up super fast. Delicious!

This brilliant idea is courtesy of Skip To My Lou.  How have I never thought of this before?!  You just clean your potatoes, wrap them in foil, and put them in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.  They are ready when you come home from work / school.  Brilliant!  They were perfectly done.

We topped them with a mixture my sister, Lori, introduced our family to.  It's like potato crack for OJ - he gets excited just knowing it's going to be around.  All you do is take all the things you would normally top a potato with and mix it all together:  butter, sour cream, cheese, green onions (optiomal), salt and pepper.  You can make it ahead of time and put it in the fridge.  It'll be ready for you when you get home also.

Very Veggie Alfredo

I'm always up for pasta..mmm...  I love Alfredo  but this sauce is rich so we toned it down with lots of veggies and grilled chicken.  That cancels out the butter and cream right?  I like to think so.  I actually made the Alfredo sauce yesterday when I was home so half the work was done for me.  More than half since OJ chopped all the veggies (so nice).  It was really easy to put together after a long day at work.  Penny said "mmm, Mommy, I like this a watts!"  That's the highest praise she gives, I'll take it :)

Very Veggie Alfredo
1 zuchinni, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1/2 - 3/4 container of baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 box Veggie Bowtie pasta (just for fun, you can use whatever you like)
Grilled chicken slices (I bought the already cooked frozen ones to save time. Whatever chicken you have on hand)
Alfredo sauce (below)

Cook pasta acording to package.  Chop all the veggies to a similar size.  I cut them into bite-sized chunks.  The smaller mushrooms just quarter, the larger cut into 6.  Just make them all the same size.  Saute in olive oil until tender crisp.  Add chicken, cook for a few minutes.  Add alfredo sauce and simmer until chicken is ready and sauce is heated through.  Add pasta and toss to combine.  Top with a little more cheese when served.

Alfredo Sauce
3/4 stick of butter
1 pint of half and half
1 c Parmesan cheese
To taste:
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
Salt
Pepper

Melt butter into a sauce pan.  Add half and half.  Bring just to a boil and reduce to simmer for 25 - 30 minutes.  Add cheese and seasonings.

Chicken Quesedillas

With OJ & Penny's cheese obsession, quesedillas are definitely a staple in our house!  We like to find ways to change them up every now and then.  This one was sooo good!   We added some shredded rotissoire chicken, with a poblano pepper and some baby bella mushrooms.  I gave the veggies a quick saute in a pan.  I kept the temp a little high so the peppers would blister a little and everything would stay a little crisp.  Like when you do fajitas.  Then we layered them up in our new Cuisinart Griddler (love it!) and cooked both sides at once.  No flipping! I kept the peppers out of Penny's.  They were a hit!  I love coming up with twists on our favorite foods.  It keeps things interesting :)  

Chicken Pot Pie "Cupcakes"

It's such a cold, snowy, day here I was in the mood for something warm and comforting.  These were so easy and fun and very tasty!  For the original recipe click here.  Really, I didn't change a whole lot.  I called for a couple of dry herbs - I just used a few shakes of Italian seasoning and some garlic powder.  I poached the chicken breasts with some water, chicken broth, Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper, a little garlic powder and pepper.  I like a hint of lemon in, it just brightens the flavor.  I made a little extra chicken so we could make Shawna's Chicken Chimis again later in the week - yum!)  The other thing that was different from the original recipe was that I bought a tube of 8 biscuits, but it called for 12.  So I took a little off each of them and made it work.  We probably also used a tad more cheese then it called for.  That happens a lot when you live with OJ and Penny :)  Whenever I get the cheese out Penny always has to have her own little pile she can eat or she will NOT leave it alone.  OJ usually just stands over my shoulder and keeps telling me to add more. "Are you afraid we're going to run out?"  Anyway, they were really good!  These would also be perfect to take to work or send in Penny's lunchbox.

Chicken Pot Pie Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 c cooked chicken breast, cubed

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c frozen mixed veggies

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Italian seasoning

Garlic powder

Pepper

Pillsbury biscuits (enough for 12 muffin cups)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400*.  

Combine everything but the biscuits in a bowl.  

Lightly grease muffin tin and place biscuits into each cup, pressing into the bottom and up the sides.  

Evenly spoon pot pie filling into each cup.

Bake for 15 min but check it after 12 min.  

Let rest for 5 min before serving.

Chicken Noodle Stoup

 

A few years ago when I actually got to watch TV regularly I saw Rachael Ray make a "stoup" thicker than a soup but thinner than a stew. I loved the idea and changed the recipe a little from what she originally had it as! It is a great meal on a cold winters day! You know we get a lot of those here in Az ;)
 
Chicken Noodle Stoup
1-2 small cans Cream of Chicken soup
2 cans Chicken stock ( I like low sodium)
1 package Egg Noodles
Celery- I use 4 to 5 stalks
Carrots- I use 4 to 5 large "bugs bunny carrots" as the boys call them :)
Diced onion, I use a very small amount (like 2TBS diced)
2 tbs butter
1 rotisserie chicken (easy to grab on the way home)
French bread 
 
Chop veggies and simmer in pan with butter until translucent. Season to taste (we just use salt and pepper) and cook until tender. Add the chicken stock now, I usually only do one can at this point. While this is simmering shred the chicken and boil water for egg noodles. I add one can of cream of chicken soup to the veggie/broth mixture at this point and then add in the shredded chicken. If you want it thinner you can either add more broth or water. If you like it a little more stew like add the 2nd can of cream of chicken soup. Let this cook together until the flavors blend (like 10-15 mins) and slice the french bread. We like to make it into a cheesy bread to dip in the stoup. This is a super quick and easy meal and is YUMMY! :)

Baked Chicken Parmesean

I got this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff.  I don't think the picture does it justice (I really need to find something on how to better photograph food).  It was so good,  I think it has to do with the breading being crushed croutons instead of just bread crumbs that makes it so flavorful.  For the sauce, I used Giada DeLaurentes' Veggie Marinara (our fav).  For the side I just sauteed some yellow squash with some Italian seasoning and just a little bit of butter.  I added the spinach as a bed.  Even Penny loved it, we will definitely be making this one again!

Ingredients:
Vegetable cooking spray
2 cups Pepperidge Farm Four Cheese and Garlic Croutons (or your favorite - we used Texas Toast Cheese and Garlic.  Very yummy)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 cup marinara sauce, heated
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*.  Spray baking sheet with vegetable cooking spray.  Place croutons in Ziploc bad and crush (or in food processor) until crumbs form.
Dip chicken into egg.  Coat with crumbs.  Place chicken on prepared baking sheet.  Spray chicken with vegetable cooking spray.
Bake 20-30 minutes or until chicken is done.  Spoon pasta sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese.  (I put them back in the hot oven for a couple more minutes to let the cheese melt).

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo

This is another Pinterest experiment.  The original recipe came from a site called Iowa Girl Eats.  Her version had the orzo as a side dish to chicken.  I had some chicken already cooked so I decided to cube it and add it to the orzo for an easy one pot meal.  It was awesome!  If you like Mac n' Cheese (and really, who doesn't?) you'll love this for a fun swap out.  Plus, it has broccoli so that takes away all the calories from cheese right?  ...OK so maybe I fell asleep during nutrition, but it is easy and delicious!  We actually made a double batch so we have leftovers for work week lunches.

Ingredients:
         1 c   Orzo
   1 1/2 c   Broccoli florets, chopped
      1/4 c   Cheddar cheese, shredded
     2 Tbs   Parmesan cheese, grated
     1 Tbs   Butter
1/4-1/2 c   milk
          4     Chicken tenders, cooked (any leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken would be great too.)

Directions:
Add orzo to a large pot of salted boiling water. Half way through cooking add broccoli florets.  Cook until broccoli & orzo are tender.  Drain well  then return to the pot.  Add chicken, cheeses, butter, and 1/4 cup milk.  Stir well and add more milk if needed.

Shawna's Chimi's - Utah test drive

•  I set out to make Shawna's Chicken Chimi recipe tonight and realized that I bought regular taco seasoning instead of chicken taco seasoning.  I was just going to use it anyway until I remembered that I had my own blend in the cupboard!  
• I got this recipe from Bobby Flay and I love it!  We usually use it during the spring / summer when we make tacos on the grill.  It's very flavorful but mild enough even for Penny to enjoy.  The original recipe is below.  When I made my batch I didn't have ancho chili powder so I just used regular.  Whatever you have.

• Spice-Rubbed Chicken Breast
• from Bobby Flay

• 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each)

The chimi's were a success!  Thanks for the recipe Shawna! Connie has agreed to post her enchilada sauce recipe so I can't wait to try that with it next time :)

Chicken Chimi's

 

 

We made these the other night becasue I was craving El Charro and trying to be frugal ;) They came out way better than I expected and were soo easy!

 

 

Chicken Chimi's

 
-3lbs cooked chicken ( I usually put chicken in the crockpot in the morning on low and add garlic    salt, pepper and about 1 cup of water and let it cook for about 6 hours or until it shreds easily with a fork. Rotisserie chicken would work too)
- 1 package McCormick's Chicken Taco Seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
- Flour tortillas
- Vegtable oil if you want to fry the chimi's. Baking them will work too if you are going for a healthier version.
- Shredded cheese
- your favorite Enchilada Sauce (ours is Macayo's)

Shred the chicken and put into a pan with 2/3 cup water and the chicken taco seasoning. Let this simmer until the chicken is coated in the seasoning, you can add another pack of seasoning if you would like. (if you do add another 2/3 cup water)
Fill tortilla with enough chicken to roll into a burro (be careful to not overfill it)
Roll into an open-ended burro. You can secure the middle of the burro where the tortilla ends with a toothpick and bake at 350 until the tortilla has a nice golden brown color.
 *If you want to fry them fry on each side for about 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crispy and drain on a paper towel lined plate.*

Top burros with warmed enchilada sauce or use Mom's homemade enchilada sauce! (I will let her post the instructions for that)  andadd cheese!

These are really good served with refried beans and spanish rice!

Louie's Cilantro Lime Tacos

 

These are a favorite at our house! We make them at least twice a month!

You will need:
Garlic Salt (We prefer Lawry's)
Morton's Season-All Reduced Sodium Seasoning Salt
1- 2 lbs beef for fajitas or stir fry meat
1- 2 lbs chicken breast for fajitas or stir fry
4 Limes cut into wedges
1 bunch Cilantro
4 jalepenos
1 medium white or yellow onion
2 dozen taco size flour tortillas
Cheese to top tacos

Cut the meat into bite size pieces, if I cant find the stir-fry I use fajita strips and they work great.
Brown the meat in two seperate pans and add garlic salt and seasoning salt to taste.
While the meat is cooking dice the onion, jalepeno and cilantro (I use my ninja chopper because it is fast and easy!) and put on a plate to use as toppings.
Cook meat on low until it is tender and the chicken is golden brown.
warm tortillas and get ready to eat!
Serve with spanish rice or fideos ;)
We usually each make our own plate and add the toppings we like and then squeeze the lime over our tacos. My favorite is a little of each topping (including the cheese that no one else likes!) with a lot of lime juice!

I hope this makes sense, let me know if I forgot to explain something!