Chicken Tortilla Soup

 Soak chicken in Olive Oil and 1/2 packet of taco seasoning and garlic powder....

 Chop and saute veggies in oil.....

 After Chicken is seasoned and soaked for 30 minutes, pan fry it... chop into pieces

 Add together all in pot, add in the corn meal paste....

 I topped mine with red onions, Avocado, Monterey Jack Cheese and sour cream.... mmm, sooo good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Adapted from the Pioneer Womans recipe and Jessica from Love From Texas

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

olive oil

1 packet taco seasoning

garlic powder

1 diced onion

1 diced green bell pepper

1/2 diced red bell pepper

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

32oz chicken broth

1/2 small can of tomato paste

4c hot water

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

3 tbsp corn meal

salt to taste

pepper to taste

corn tortillas, cut in to strips (I used flour tortillas bc I forgot to get corn)

Toppings:

sour cream

diced avacado (a MUST)

diced red onion

shredded monterey jack cheese

cilantro ( I didn't add this, I don't like cilantro)

1. Cut chicken in to 1" pieces. Season with 1/2 packet of taco seasoning, a few tabblespoons of olive oil, and garlic powder. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Pan fry chicken in large dutch oven/casserole until done. Remove from pot and set aside.

2. Heat 1-2tbsp of olive oil in pot with minced garlic. Add onion and bell peppers. After a few minutes, add the remaining taco seasoning. Stir and cook until sauted.

3. Add chicken, broth, water, tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, and corn. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 45 minutes.

4. Mix corn meal with a little water to form a paste, add to soup and simmer for another 30 minutes. (PW's trick!) I added a tsp or two more salt here just for flavor.

5. Turn heat off and let sit 15-20 minutes. Ladle in to bowls and add tortilla strips. Let sit with tortillas for 5 minutes before serving. (I chose to keep my tortillas out and add them as we eat it.) Top as desired!

Yum, this was super delicious and makes a lot, we had lots of leftovers!

About that Bun...

 She's a girl! More pink for us!

We are thinking her name is Lilah.. Here she is...Looks like she has a beard and is an alien!

Juicy Pot Roast

I always like to add onions, carrots and potatoes to my pot roast, I think it's the best, but it is your choice, I'm sure it's good without it... actually I'm not sure of that, but if you are weird you could omit it all :)




                            JUICY Pot Roast


                                  2 boneless beef chuck roasts {2 1/2 lbs. each. I only used 1}

1 can cream of mushroom soup ( I only had Cream of Chicken)

1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix

1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix

1 pkg. brown gravy mix

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp Worcheshire sauce

Optional

Carrots

Potatoes

Onion

In a large bowl, mix together soup, dressing mixes, gravy mix, and water until thoroughly blended & set aside.  Add chuck roasts to crock pot and pour the dressing/soup mix on top.  Set on low and cook for 7-8 hours.

Since we only used 1 chuck roast, I added 1 large onion {cut into big chunks} and baby carrots...if you don't like them mushy you can add them halfway through cook time..

Spinach & Sausage Rigatoni Bake

Brown the onions in the bottom of pan

Brown the sausage..drain

Mix ingredients together...




Pour in the pan and top with cheese... sorry I forgot to take a picture of it baked with cheese on top, it looked and tasted wonderful!

you top this with cheese and bake for 30 minutes covered and then 10-15 uncovered... the directions say 15, but I would do no more than 10.


My friend made this for another friend when she had a baby, so I happen to try it one day and asked for the recipe... she is always good for new recipes!  I usually make it with HOT sausage and I didn't this time... I say do it!


Spinach & Sausage Rigatoni Bake

Prep: 15 min., Bake: 1 hr.

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked rigatoni
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 1  (10-oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 3  cups  cooked, crumbled hot Italian sausage
• 1  (14.5-oz.) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 2 (8-oz.) containers chive-and-onion cream cheese
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream (just to make it extra moist)
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1 1/2  cups  (6 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare rigatoni according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, spread oil on bottom of an 11- x 7-inch baking dish; add onion in a single layer.

3. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or just until tender. Transfer onion to a large bowl, and set aside.

4. Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between layers of paper towels.

5. Stir rigatoni, spinach, sausage, and next 3 ingredients into onion in bowl. Spoon mixture into baking dish, and sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese.

6. Bake, covered, at 375° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.

Susan Runkle, Walton, Kentucky, Southern Living, FEBRUARY 2007

Pioneer Woman's Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

For the record, the top picture is Daniels Plate, I don't eat that much people... he was hungry!  Okay, so I only was sorta impressed with this recipe.  I thought it was good, but it NEEDS you to add onions and garlic to it.... if you don't, then I wouldn't make it.  But, if you like less flavorful food, then maybe you would like this, I just thought it needed the extra kick.






Pioneer Woman's Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Ingredients

• Meatloaf:
• 1 cup Whole Milk
• 6 slices White Bread
• 2 pounds Ground Beef
• 1 cup (heaping) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ teaspoons Seasoned Salt
• ¾ teaspoons Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• ⅓ cups Minced Flat-leaf Parsley
• 4 whole Eggs Beaten
• 1 onion minced (should've added this)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (should've added this)
• 10 slices Thin/regular Bacon
• Sauce:
• 1-½ cup Ketchup
• ⅓ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• Tabasco To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.

Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, Parmesan, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.

With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with foil to avoid a big mess!)

Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf.

Make the sauce: add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and hot sauce in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon.

Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Serve with mashed potatoes and veggie

General Tso's Chicken

This is kinda a cheater recipe, because I bought the seasoning package in the Asian food aisle on my grocery store... my friend referred me to it... Very yummy and they had several other seasonings I want to try. 

General Tso's Chicken


Ingredients:
1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken (Cut into cubes)
1/4 cup of Flour
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 cup of Sugar
The seasoning package
3 tbsp oil


First you cut up the chicken in cubes, toss in a plastic bag with the flour.  Brown the meat in the oil in a large pan. In a separate bowl, mix water, soy sauce, sugar and seasoning together... when meat is browned on both sides and cooked in the center, pour the mixture on top of chicken, bring to boil, then decide your desired consistency.


I served over white rice, but you could be more healthy and serve over Brown Rice!




I have to say that I hope you find the same package because the recipe is on the back of the package.  The brand I used was Sunbird, it was in a yellow package with some orange on it.

Baking a Bun in my Oven

I'm currently baking a bun in my oven, due July 18th, 2011! Soooo, that is why I haven't posted many recipes, I have lost my appetite for food and cooking. It is finally coming back so I will be posting more soon! :)

Thanks for being patient