Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

I am always looking for different recipes to make for dinner. So, when I came across one of Joey's favorite foods, buffalo chicken, and a Mexican dish mixed together, I had to make it.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

• 1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 14 oz. can Red enchilada sauce
• 1/3 c. Buffalo sauce (I use Frank's)
• 5 Chopped green onions, divided
• 1 1/2 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 Large whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 glass dish with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, mix together enchilada and buffalo sauce. You can always add more buffalo sauce if you like it spicier. In a large bowl, toss together shredded chicken, half of the green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Pour in 1/2 c. of the enchilada sauce mixture and stir until combined.

Pour 1/2 c. enchilada sauce into the dish and spread mixture to the edges. Working with one tortilla at at time, fill with 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the dish. Once all tortillas are filled, pour the remaining sauce on top of tortillas and add the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce its bubbling. Top with remaining green onions. Enjoy!

Beer Mac n Cheese Soup

This recipe had sounded so intriguing to me, so one night I decided to make it. I must say, it was a hit. It is more like really soupy mac n cheese, rather than actual soup. I don't like beer, but the subtle taste of it really adds to the soup.

Beer Mac 'n Cheese Soup

• 2 T. Olive oil
• 6 Bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 Medium onion, diced
• 1 Large carrot, diced
• 2 Jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds removed
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. Flour
• 2 c. Chicken broth
• 1 c. Beer
• 1 Pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 c. Elbow macaroni
• 1/2 c. Heavy cream
• 1 t. Mustard
• 3 c. Shredded cheddar cheese
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In the olive oil, cook onion, carrot, and jalapeno peppers in a pot over medium heat, until tender, about 10 mins. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, careful not to let it burn. Mix in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, beer, nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and bacon. Cook for as long as it says on the package of macaroni or until noodles are tender. Add the cream, mustard, and cheese and cook until cheese is melted, making sure to reduce the heat so soup does not boil again. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Recipe adapted from closetcooking.com

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I am aware I like to take large breaks in between posting things, but that just makes it even more special when I do :)

Here is some deliciously easy soup to make on a cold day like today. There is no broccoli listed in the ingredients, but next time I am definitely going to add a head of broccoli.

Baked Potato Soup

• 6 Large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Large onion, diced
• 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 Quart chicken broth
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c. Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 c. Cream
• 1 c. or more Shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 Bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Combine all ingredients besides cream, cheese, and bacon in the crock pot. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8. When potatoes are tender, coarsely mash them until soup reaches your desired consistency. (I still don't have a potato masher, so I used my hand mixer) Stir in cream, cheese, and bacon. Garnish with whatever toppings you please: sour cream, chives, more cheese)

Recipe adapted from crockingirls.com 

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken

O my goodness, if you want a tasty, belly filling soup this is the one! I found it on the Williams-Sonoma website of all places. It did not call to be made in a crock pot, but I did anyway and had amazing results! I just tossed it all in and cooked it on LOW for 8 hours or so. SO GOOD!

Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do it justice because we ate almost all the soup before I remembered to take a picture :(

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken

• 3 Limes
• 2 Chicken breasts (or tenders), about 10 oz. each
• 1 t. Salt
• 1/2 t. Ground pepper
• 1 T. Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, I used yellow, chopped
• 5 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Jalapeño chilis, seeded and minced
• 3 c. Low-sodium chicken broth  
• 3 c. Water
• 1 1/2 t. Oregano, the original called for Mexican oregano, but I couldn't find any.

• 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 2 oz. Queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled. the fresco was a lot more expensive, so I used feta.

Cut one lime into wedges to use as a garnish for later. Juice the other 2 to get 1/4 c. of lime juice. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot, minus the avocado and cheese, those are used as garnishes. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred or use two forks to shred in the crock pot. Serve with the lime wedges, avocado, and cheese.

Here is the original recipe: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/mexican-lime-soup-chicken.html

Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes

This is one of the best comfort foods in my opinion. It just takes an hour to bake. It is also a good recipe to sneak vegetables in so that's why I used a whole pepper and onion :)

• 1lb. Ground turkey
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Red pepper, chopped
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/2 c. Quick cooking oats.
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Topping:

• 1/3 c. Ketchup
• 2 T. Brown sugar
• 1 T. Mustard

Mix all the ingredients together. Place in a baking dish or bread loaf pan. Spread the topping all over. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Mashed Potatoes

• 3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 c Milk
• 2 T. Butter
• Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover all the potatoes for 15 mins. Drain water and return to pot.  Add milk and butter and blend with electric mixer till reaches desired consistency. Add more milk, butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

Chicken in a Basil Cream Sauce

I felt like this could be served at Ruby Tuesday or Applebees. It's not a big deal :)

Here is the recipe I used: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/192234/Chicken-in-Basil-Cream-(9)

*I used dry basil instead of fresh.
**I also cooked some pasta and put the sauce all over that too.

It was so good!!!!!

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

It was the first weekend of fall, so what better way to start it off than with some soup and cute decorations?
One day at the bank these farmers came in with a bunch of gourds and pumpkins. Our investor lady bought everything so I got all my fall decorations for free!

I got this recipe from closetcooking.com and boy was it tasty!

• 1 head Cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 Yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 3 C. Vegetable broth
• 8 oz aged white cheddar, cubed
• 1/2 c. Milk
• 1/2 c. Cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place cauliflower in a container with 2 T. olive oil and salt and pepper. Place lid on and shake till fully coated. Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 400. Bake cauliflower till brown, about 20-30 mins. Meanwhile, in a large pot heat 1 T. olive oil with the onion, garlic, and thyme. Add the broth and cauliflower and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 mins. Try to mash the cauliflower to your likeness in the pot. *The original recipe suggested using an electric mixer but I felt that would make a big mess* Mix in the cheese till it melts and add more salt and pepper. Mix in the milk and cream and serve!

French Bread Pizza

I love pizza, but it can get so expensive to buy it from the store or a pizza place. So I thought, why not make my own?

French Bread Pizza

• 1 loaf French bread, cut down middle
• 1/2 jar Spaghetti sauce of choice
• 1 pkg Pepperoni, or meat of your choice
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Green pepper
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• Italian seasoning

Set oven to broil. Place bread in broiler for 5 mins. This gets the bread nice and crispy. Spread pasta sauce over bread. You can also sprinkle some italian seasoning over it. Add your meat and vegetables. Lastly, cover with cheese. Bake in oven at 400 for 10-15 mins or until cheese melts. And then I always cover my pizza in hot sauce and ranch :)

Shrimp Pasta with Broccoli

Joey's parents went to a shrimp harvesting festival and came back with a 1lb of shrimp for all the kids. Joey gave me his to cook up and I decided to do something easy but tasty with it.

Shrimp Pasta

• 1 lb Shrimp, detailed and devined
• Thin whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
• 2 T. Olive oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 T. Lemon juice
• Tony Chachere's
• Lemon pepper
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

Cook the shrimp with the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice till pink. Make sure to not let the garlic burn. Add to the cooked pasta and season with more olive oil, lemon pepper, Tony's, and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 2 T. Water
• Lemon juice

Steam broccoli with 2 T water in a pot over medium heat till tender. Drain remaining water and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Sloppy Joes with Baked Fries

I realize it has been a long while since I made any posts. Sorry! So I am going to try to play catch up today.

Looks tasty, right?

Sloppy Joes

• 8 oz can Tomato paste
• 1 lb. Ground turkey
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• 1 c. BBQ sauce
• 1 c. Ketchup

Add to taste:

• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Mustard
• Hot sauce

Cook the turkey and the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir till it starts to bubble.

Baked Fries

• 3 large Potatoes, peeled
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Tony Chacheres

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place foil on baking sheet to avoid making a mess. Cut potatoes length-wise. Place in container with the rest of the ingredients, to taste. Place lid on and shake till potatoes are fully coated. Place potatoes on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Flip potatoes over and bake another 10-15 mins.

As you can tell I really don't measure out my ingredients. I guess for people to fully be able to use the recipes I post I need to start measuring. I will try my hardest to start measuring while I cook.

Beef and Broccoli with Fried Rice

http://www.bsrecipe.blogspot.com/2012/04/crock-pot-beef-and-broccoli.html

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

The first is for the crock pot beef and broccoli, the second is for the fried rice.

I really have nothing to add to this. But here it goes anyways…

*I put in probably a little over a tablespoon of minced ginger and also added some Sriracha to both the beef and fried rice.

**After I added the cornstarch and let it boil the sauce didn’t really thicken, but it tasted just fine.

***I cooked mine on low for 6 1/2 hrs total. It does not need to be that long, but it was kind of nice having the beef shredded as opposed to chunks you have to cut.

Lasagna

I got this recipe from my mother, who got it from the North County Journal in Florissant many, many years ago. 

What you need:

• 1lb Ground turkey
• 26-32 oz Spaghetti sauce (Prego: Heart smart roasted red pepper and garlic is my favorite)
• 16 oz Diced tomatoes (undrained)
• 15 oz Cottage or ricotta cheese
• 1 Egg, well beaten
• 1/4 c. Grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. Basil
• 6 or more uncooked lasagna noodles
• 2 or more cups Mozzarella cheese, divided

How to make it:

• Brown meat with your choice of seasonings, add spaghetti sauce and diced tomatoes.
• Combine cottage cheese, egg, parmesan cheese, and basil.
• Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over bottom of 11x7 baking dish.
• Arrange 3(+) noodles on top, pressing into mixture.
• Spoon cottage cheese mixture on top.
• Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on it.
• Top with 2 cups of meat sauce.
• Press remaining noodles into meat sauce, followed by the rest of the sauce.
• Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.
• Add rest of cheese and bake for another 15 minutes.
• Let stand 10 mins before serving.

Ultimate Nachos

Everyone should know how to make nachos, but why not post this anyway :)

What you need:

• Tortilla chips
• Shredded chicken (see below on how to make)
• Shredded lettuce
• Tomato
• Jalapenos
• Sour Cream
• Salsa
• Cheese sauce (velveeta and rotel of course!)

You can also get crazy and add whatever other toppings you want, but I stuck with the basics.

Shredded Chicken:

1. Put how ever much chicken in a pot.
2. Sprinkle chili powder and whatever other seasoning you want on the chicken.
3. Pour enough lemon juice (or lime) and water in the pot to barely cover the chicken.
4. Bring to a slow boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
5. Cook for 20-23 mins or until no pink is left.
6. Let cool then shred with a knife!

Chicken with Potatoes and Onions

My mom stocked me up on farmers market produce because I don't have time to go in Springfield. She got the potatoes, onions, and garlic from the farmers market in Ferguson, MO.

What you need:

• 1lb Chicken tenderloin (or chicken of your choice)
• Little potatoes (if you can't find small baking potatoes, you can use red potatoes. I would say 4 per person)
• 1 Yellow onion
• 3 Cloves minced garlic

For the seasoning:

• Chardonnay
• Lemon juice
• Oregano
• Rosemary
• Lemon pepper

Bake in the oven at 425 for 45-60 minutes.

Mediterranean Pasta

Here is a little recipe I made up myself.

What you need:

• 3 cups Whole wheat penne pasta
• 1lb Cooked chicken (I cut up chicken tenderloin and cooked with chardonnay, lemon juice, garlic, and lemon pepper)
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Red pepper
• 1 Container of feta cheese
• Lemon juice, olive oil, and lemon pepper to taste.

Mix all together and voila, a tasty dinner!

*i adapted this recipe from a couscous recipe, but Joey doesn't like couscous :(  That recipe calls for cucumbers and lime juice instead of lemon.

Sweet Baby Ray's Crock Pot Chicken

This was the first recipe I ever made using a crock pot. Now I am very excited that it is almost crock pot weather :)

*I also added onions to the crock pot

**Would taste good with Hasselback potatoes.

http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/tamara-martin/sweet-baby-rays-crockpot-chicken/quick-easy-chicken

Baked Chicken Legs with Mashed Potatoes

This is a little meal that I made up on my own that is quite simple.

What you need:

• 8 Chicken drumsticks
• 1 cup + Dry white wine of choice (I used Chardonnay, but you can also use Sherry)
• 1/2 cup or so Lemon juice
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1/2 bag Carrots
• Season with rosemary, oregano, and what ever other spices you like

What you do:

• Bake in the oven at 400 for an hour.

Baked Sweet n Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

I have made this recipe many times, but every time I make it I am so excited to eat it I forget to take a photograph.

Since I moved to Springfield, finding St. Louis style Chinese food had been very difficult. Luckily, Pinterest came into my life and I have discovered many tasty Chinese dishes. This beats any other sweet n sour recipe.  Plus it is baked and not fried giving you a not-so-guilty feeling for eating way too much of it :)

*It's a little on the sweet side, so you can definitely cut back on the sugar a little bit.

**I also did not use all of the oil it called for because I felt it was a little excessive and would then have to be considered a fried dish.

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

Asian Inspired Flank Steaks with Fried Rice and Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

I clearly decided to just go ahead and repost everything. I hope you all enjoy!

I made this meal for Joey's birthday, that was in June. It was the first Pinterest meal I had ever made and it turned out quite nicely I thought.

*With the fried rice I also added a Tablespoon of minced ginger.

**For the green beans I used Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning instead of salt and pepper, it is my go to when salt is needed.

***Another time I made the green beans I used Feta cheese instead of parmesan, it tasted even better!


http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/04/the-pioneer-womans-black-heels-to-tractor-wheels-and-asian-inspired-flat-iron-steak-recipe/

http://life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com/2010/09/baked-sweet-and-sour-chicken-with-fried.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/11/roasted-parmesan-green-beans.html