Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

This is a dish I keep seeing floating around on facebook and Pinterest, but the picture I always saw, didn't match the recipe provided. So, I did some looking on my own, found a few good recipes and adapted this one. I really liked how it turned out. Super easy and pretty healthy...if you didn't pile it high on a mound of spanish rice like I did, or top it with cheese and sour cream like I did either...
ok, so maybe not very healthy. Whatever, I never said this was a "healthy" food blog anyway!

What you'll need:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I made three cause it's just me, Cory, and the girls, which turns out this was too spicy for them anyway so next time I'll make just 2)
1 jar of your favorite chunky salsa (I used a medium heat and it was perfect)
1.5 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
taco seasoning
salt & pepper
olive oil

toppings-
shredded cheddar
fresh cilantro
sour cream

In a skillet, heat a little oil. Salt and pepper your chicken. Sprinkle some taco seasoning on the chicken too. Brown the chicken in the pan. Turn off heat and set aside.

In your slow cooker, combine the salsa, corn, and beans..

Top with chicken. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

I made some spanish rice to go with this, but it would be great shredded up and made into burritos too. Enjoy!

Stuffed Jalepenos

I didn't reinvent the wheel or anything with these, I'm sure everyone has had them before, but I thought I'd share the way I make them. I've tried several ways. I've tried slitting them open and stuffing them whole, I've tried all kinds of cheeses, different peppers etc. I've done them on the grill and in the oven, the grill gets way too messy! These are the ones I always fall back on though. Everyone just loves them!

You'll need:
(this makes 24)
12 jalepenos
8 mozzarella string cheese sticks (you can use shredded mozzarella if you prefer)
8 oz. cream cheese
24 slices of bacon


Rinse all the jalepenos. Slice them in half the long way, and clean out the seeds and membrane. Be careful not to use your fingers to do this, you'll be burning all day, if not all weekend. I use a pairing knife but gloves would work too. The more membrane left, the spicier your pepper. (I like them with a little punch)

Cut each string cheese stick into 3 pieces and put one piece into each pepper halve.

Scoop a spoonful of cream cheese into each pepper halve after the mozzarella, wrap with a slice of bacon and set on a foil-lined cookie sheet. 

Bake at 425 for approx 20-25 min, just until bacon begins to crisp.

Enjoy!

Perfect Sugar Cookies

What do ya know, my cookies are covered in sprinkles! These were supposed to be Halloween cookies, but Nila kept insisting on pink frosting and cute sprinkles. What Toots wants, Toots gets! Either way, they're delicious. They have a slight crunch on the outside, and are soft and chewy on the inside.

You will need:


3 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg


Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts, and the egg; scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Add the flour mixture, and mix at low to medium speed until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Place the 3/4 cup sugar in a large plastic bag, or in a shallow pan. Scoop the dough by tablespoonfuls into the sugar, rolling them in the pan or gently shaking them in the bag to coat them with the sugar.

Place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2" between them. Using a flat-bottomed glass, flatten the cookies to about 1/4" thick.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes — 10 minutes for softer cookies, 12 minutes for crunchier. The edges of the cookies will just barely begin to brown.

Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes, before transferring to a rack to finish cooling completely.

Top with frosting if you want.
Frosting-
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
4 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
food coloring

In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar and shortening until smooth. Gradually mix in the milk and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, add another tbsp of milk if needed. Color with food coloring if desired.

Crab Mac 'n Cheese

This is probably the best mac n cheese I have made. Aside from the crab addition. The mac n cheese was out of this world. I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten who makes it with lobster. I live in Vegas, so good lobster is hard to come by on any average day, let alone crab, hence the can of crab meat I used for this. It was still fresh crab, well as fresh as a can of crab can be I guess. I will totally make this again though! 

You will need:

Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 pd elbow macaroni
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 pounds cooked crab meat
1 1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a large pot, melt 6 tablespoons of butter and add the flour.

Toots loves making mac n cheese, its her favorite!

Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.

Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg.

Add the crab and cooked macaroni and stir well. 

Place the mixture into a 13x9 casserole dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the crushed crackers, and sprinkle on the top. 

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top. Enjoy!

                                       
                                     

Pizza Pie

Here's a quick and easy alternative to deep dish pizza from your local pizza place. You can play with the ingredients and try all kinds of different combos. I used a mixture of ground beef and italian sausage for my meat layer and I love green pepper and mushroom on my pizza so I topped this pie with them.
Also, like I said, this is a "quick and easy" meal, so I also used a tube of biscuit dough for my crust, but feel free to use actual pizza dough.

For my Pizza Pie you will need:
1/2 pd ground beef
1/2 pd Italian sausage
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella/parmesan mix
1/2 cup sliced mushroom
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

First, preheat oven to 375. Grease a deep-dish pie plate or cast iron skillet.

In a skillet, brown the beef and sausage.

Add some salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. I probably used a 3/4 teaspoon or so of Italian seasoning.

Next, add the jar of spaghetti sauce.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 min. 

Arrange your dough in the bottom of the pan you will be baking your pie in. Sprinkle about a half cup of cheese over the dough.

Next, spread the meat sauce over the dough.

Now add the peppers and mushrooms, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered for 16-18 minutes, til cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

London Broil with Herb Butter and Smashed Potatoes

 

I had a London Broil at a friends house when I was like 13 years old, and I still remember how good it tasted. I have been trying to recreate that dinner for a long time now. It was so juicy and pink, and seasoned just right. I've had many trials and errors with London Broil. It's a hard piece of meat to get right.
I got this recipe from the food network. It worked out really well and everyone liked it. In their version the steak is cooked on the stovetop, but I used the broiler for mine. It came out great so that's how I'll cook it again. I had never used terragon before, and I was surprised by the flavor . Different, but tasty. I made some smashed potatoes to accompany the steak. Have you ever had smashed potatoes!? So good!

You'll need, for the steak:

1 beef bouillon cube

3 tbsp.extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 top round London broil steak (about 2 pounds)

 

For the butter:

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Kosher salt and ground pepper

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

 

 

 

 

Prepare the steak: Dissolve the bouillon cube in 3/4 cup hot water in a bowl; set aside to cool. Whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Place the steak in a large re-sealable plastic bag or tupperware dish, pour in the marinade and seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

 

Prepare the herb butter: Mix the butter with the chives, parsley, terragon, a pinch of salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the lemon juice in a bowl. (Look at those cute little hands helping with dinner)

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the meat from the bag (discard the marinade), dry it well and bring to room temperature.

Turn the oven to Broil. Once heated, place the steak on a rack over a cookie sheet and slide into broiler. Broil the meat on each side for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board; brush with some of the herb butter, tent with foil and let rest for about 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain; top with more herb butter and drizzle with the pan juices.

 

 

For the Smashed Potatoes you'll need:
12 baby red potatoes
3 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup Extra Virgin olive oil
tsp. or so of fresh chives
2-3 tsp. butter

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan (preferably in one layer) and cover with at least an inch of water. Add 2 tsp. kosher salt to the water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes until they are completely tender and can be easily pierced with a metal or wood skewer. Make sure they are cooked through but don’t overcook. The total cooking time will be 30 to 35 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dishtowels on your countertop. As the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for just a minute or two on the dishtowels.
Move the potatoes to a cookie sheet coated with olive oil. Using a potato masher, press down on each potato, smashing it. Don't squish it completely, you still want chunky potatoes.

Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 tsp. salt and drizzle the olive oil over them.

 

Roast the potatoes at 450 degrees until they’re crispy and deep brown around the edges, about 30 minutes. Top with a little butter and chives. Serve hot.