White Chicken Chili

A couple of months ago, I joined Crock-pot Girls on Facebook. This page shares tons of recipes to make in the crock pot, which I love because it's so easy! I have made a couple of them, but the one I made last night was fabulous.

You will need:

1 can chicken broth

1 can Great Northern Beans

1 jar of chunky salsa, 

1lb of chicken cooked then shredded

1/2 block of pepper jack cheese, cubed. 

1/2 of cream cheese

A dash of cumin

1 can chipotle corn

1 can white shoepeg corn

Add some water if you need to (or more broth) to cover everything. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, doesn't really matter how long since the ingredients are already cooked. Stir occasionally. Serve this with tortilla chips or cornbread.

*My suggestion is that you do not add the beans until about an hour before you serve it so they will not get mushy.

*Also, if you want it to be more like a soup, add a little more chicken broth or water, if you want it thicker, add less.

It's great! Happy Fall!

K

What's Cookin'?

Here is a recipe that I found on Pinterest. I made this for dinner and it is really yummy!

Thought I would share.

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

8 oz uncooked rigatoni

1 T olive oil

1 c chopped onion

1 (10 oz) pack frozen spinach, thawed

3 c cubed, cooked chicken breasts

1 (14 oz) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 oz) container Philadelphia chive & onion cream cheese

½ t salt, ½ t pepper

1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese

Prepare rigatoni according to pkg directions.  Spread oil on bottom of 11x17 in baking dish; add onion in a single layer.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or just until tender.  Transfer onion to large bowl, set aside.

Drain chopped spinach well, pressing between paper towels.  Stir in rigatoni, spinach, chicken, & next 4 ingredients into onion in bowl.  Spoon mixture into dish & sprinkle evenly with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake covered at 375 for 30 minutes; uncover & bake 15 more minutes or until bubbly.
Linked at Tempt my Tummy Tuesday. Presto Pasta Nights via Debbi

Enjoy!

K

Yum

Here is another recipe for you to try. I LOVE mac and cheese. It most definitely is my favorite food. Call me weird, I know. I could probably eat it for every meal...

And then I would look like this....

Anyway, here is revolutionary macaroni and cheese, from where else but Macaroni and Cheesecake

I found this recipe long ago and can’t believe I’m just now making it.  The neat thing about this recipe, is you simmer the noodles in the milk instead of using water then adding it at the end.  It is creamy without being overly cheesy and the mustard gives it a nice depth of flavor.  It still doesn’t top the blue box for me (I know, I know but I just can’t help that I love it so much) but it is a great homemade alternative.  I also made it a bit lighter by using skim milk, reduced fat cheese, and whole wheat pasta.  Feel free to go that route or use full fat ingredients for a super indulgent and decadent meal or side dish.  This can also be baked as well which I opted not to do but I think would be really delicious.  This makes about enough for 4 people with no leftovers, so I would double it if you are having company over.

Revolutionary Mac & CheeseSource: Cate’s World Kitchen  adapted from White on Rice

Ingredients:
2 cups dried pasta
2 cups 2% milk
1 cup loosely packed shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dijon mustard

Directions:

In a small saucepan, add pasta and milk.  Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until pasta is soft, stirring frequently and ensuring milk does not boil.

Turn heat off, add cheese & salt & and stir to combine.  Stir in the mustard a little at a time to taste. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes, then stir again and serve.

If you would like to bake it at this point, place in a baking dish and top with a generous sprinkling of cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 10 minutes until cheese has melted.

Makes enough for 4 people with no leftovers (can easily be doubled).

How good does that sound?

K

Mini Deep Dish Pizzas

I really LOVE pizza. I probably eat it once a week. Healthy I know. I came across this recipe from another blogger friend, @The Dashing Dish, and thought I would share because it seems easy and something I want to try. Like I said, I like to cook only if it is easy. Making pizza can't be that hard right? Here ya go...A recipe for your Thursday.

The crust for these hand-held pizzas are made from whole wheat wraps, which bake up nice and crispy, so they taste a lot like a thin crust! I added parmesan cheese and spices to the sauce, so every bite is bursting with cheesy flavor! You could add any toppings you’d traditionally have on your pizza to make them even better!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 whole wheat wraps (try to find ones with at least 3 grams of fiber or more per wrap)
• 1 (15oz) can pizza sauce (you may have some left over, depending on how much sauce you like)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 48 mini turkey pepperonis (or the 12 whole turkey pepperoni’s, each cut into 4 even pieces)
• 1 tsp basil/oregano mix OR Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of sweetener, (sugar/stevia/splenda)
• pinch of black pepper

*Put your own spin on these by adding anything that you would normally like on a pizza just before popping them in the oven!

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap. I used the empty pizza sauce can, which worked well!

Press firmly enough, using a rocking motion, until it cuts through the wrap.

3. Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. 

4. Meanwhile, pour pizza sauce into a medium sized bowl….

Add in the parmesan cheese…

And the spices. Stir until everything is well combined.

5. Drop about 1-2 tbs of sauce in each wrap, this really varies according to how much sauce you like!

6. Divide mozzarella cheese evenly over each mini pizza.

7. Place 4 mini pepperoni’s on top of each pizza. Or more if you like.

8. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

9. Wait for pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. 

Serve warm and enjoy!

How creative!

Enjoy,

K

Dinner Tonight

Try this! You will love it...
John's Sesame Noodles
You will need:


1/2 lb dry Asian egg noodles (I use the ones in the pic below. Publix oriental section)

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I just used the garlic already chopped in the jar)
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil


Cook and drain pasta
Whisk together the remaining ingredients. Blend well and add to noodles.
(Recipe book: Caprial's Cafe Favorites)


Now for a few important notes:
-If you don't like things spicy, don't add as many hot pepper flakes!
-I also cut up squash, zucchini, and red onion and cooked them on low in the skillet while the noodles were boiling. This is just something that makes it taste better to me.
-Now, if you're REALLY feeling it, you can add shrimp to it. I did this tonight and it was great. It makes it more of a meal rather than a side. I cooked them in the skillet as well once the vegetables were done with butter. 
Then you just add it all together...
Sesame noodles with vegetables and shrimp!


**This really doesn't take a long time. If it did I wouldn't do it. I like to make simple recipes. At first I was hesitant because anything with a lot of ingredients scares me away. Buuuutt....once you buy the stuff, you can use it time after time. It's like spices, they last forever. You will just have to buy the noodles. 


Enjoy!


Let me know if you make this and just love it...or if you hate it.


K