White Chili

I found this on my friend Lauren's blog and decided to give it a try. I only used 1 can of green chilies and a dash or two of cayenne and it was still spicy enough. Uhhh...Lauren I just copied and pasted your recipe and stole your picture. Don't be mad at me!


CREAMY WHITE CHILI
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes*
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder (I used 2 cloves fresh minced garlic)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream (sometimes I just use milk and it works fine)

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately.

 * This can easily be made a vegetarian meal by substituting a can of chickpeas for the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.  In fact I think I like it even better that way. 

Tip: Onions

If you're only using 1/2 of an onion save the root half. It will keep longer in the fridge. Then double bag it so it doesn't stink up your fridge.

Baked Ziti

BAKED ZITI

1 pound dry Ziti pasta (or Rigatoni)
1/2 onion chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 oz) jars of spaghetti sauce

6 oz provolone cheese, sliced
1 cup sour cream
4-6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes. I usually sprinkle in some Italian seasoning, oregano and garlic salt too.

3. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray) a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated cheese.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese melts.

This makes a super full 9X13 pan full. I usually don't use all the ziti that it calls for.

Spicy Bean Dip

I made this for Super Bowl Sunday. It was good but definitely not low fat!

SPICY BEAN DIP

1 can refried beans

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups sour cream

cayenne pepper to taste

1/2 c. salsa

1 can black beans

3 cups shredded cheese

1 can green chilies



Mix together in a crock pot on low until cooked through. Serve with chips.

Tip: Getting rid of that smell

Tip #4: Vinegar and water boiled on the stove will take that stinky bacon smell out of the air.

My husband hates the smell of bacon. Well, at least he likes it when it's breakfast time but when that smell lingers he gets irritated. So boil 1 Cup of water with 2 TBSP of Vinegar in it and it will neutralize the smell.

Tip: Crisco in Cookies

Tip #3: Substitute Crisco for the butter in your chocolate chip cookies.

Don't use butter or margarine when making those chocolate chip cookies. It may sound better than Crisco but the taste is not. Substitute Crisco instead and your cookies will be much softer and so delicious! If it makes you feel better you can buy the butter flavored Crisco.

Tip: Shredded Cheese

Tip #2: Buy shredded Cheese. After having my twins I had to find a few ways to save time in the kitchen. So now I always have a bag of shredded cheese on hand. Just check the prices in your grocery store and you'll find there isn't a big difference in the price. Sometimes the shredded cheese is even cheaper.

Tip: Pizza Cutter

I've decided to start posting a few of my favorite kitchen tips.

Tip #1: Pizza Cutters aren't just for pizza.

My all time favorite kitchen accessory is my pizza cutter. Pizza cutters are a much easier way to cut up all your kids food. I've found that with four young children all begging for their food it's nice to get it from the pan to the table in a hurry! Don't underestimate the value of that cute little guy!

Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas

Once again I forgot to take a picture but here's an easy and delicious recipe. My husband used to take this to work for the faculty pot luck dinners and the secretaries would keep wandering past his office just to get a whiff!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

2cans cream of chicken soup
1 C. sour cream
1 small can green chilies
1 C. sliced olives (optional)
2 C. grated cheese, Colby Jack or Cheddar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (browned and cut up into bite-size pieces)
1 doz. corn tortillas

Sauce: Mix sour cream, soup, olives and chilies

Spray Crockpot with cooking spray. Begin layering with a little sauce on the bottom of the Crockpot: 3-4 tortillas, 1/3 of chicken pieces, 1/4 of cheese, then 1/4 of remaining sauce. Repeat layering 2 more times. End with sauce and cheese on top. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on High 3-4 hours.

Applesauce Choc. Chip Muffins

I've had a hard time getting one of my children to get up for school in the morning. The main problem seems to be that he's bored with the same ol' breakfast all the time. I am not a morning person so I'm not getting up long before the kids do in order to make a fancy breakfast. So we came up with the idea of Monday Muffin Morning. I will make muffins on Sunday night and the kids can eat them on Monday morning. Here's the recipe for my first batch of muffins.

APPLESAUCE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS


Ingredients list:

2 medium eggs.
4 cups of flour.
2 cups of unsweetened applesauce.
2 cups of sugar.
1 cup of chocolate chips
1 cup of butter.
3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon.
2 teaspoons of ground allspice.
2 teaspoons of baking soda.
1 teaspoon of ground cloves.
1 teaspoon of salt.
Powdered sugar.
Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Mix in the applesauce, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.

Sift the salt, baking soda and flour together, then add to applesauce mixture and mix thoroughly.

Stir in the chopped nuts.

Pour into greased muffin tins and bake for about 15 minutes.

While still warm, sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar.

I found this at muffinrecipes.net

Easy Chicken Parmesan

I made Chicken Parmesan for the first time ever today. I love to order this at Olive Garden but my husband refuses to take me to Olive Garden (Why pay for pasta that my wife could make better anyway?). So I found this recipe online and it was easy and terrific! No more cravings for Olive Garden for me!

EASY CHICKEN PARMESAN


Ingredients:
* 4 - 5 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* seasoned bread crumbs
* 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
* 1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
* Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.

Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.