Pineapple Salsa Chicken

I love crock pot meals - just throw everything in and let the crock pot do the work! I made this with mild salsa but I think I'd like it even more with medium - just needed a little extra kick, in my opinion. I also used two cans of black beans because I was out of white beans. You can really use whatever you have on hand. This recipes comes from the Sisters Cafe.

Pineapple Salsa Chicken

6 fresh or frozen chicken breasts
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 (15 oz.) can white beans
2 cups mild or medium salsa

Tortillas or tortilla chips and garnishes: sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc.

Place chicken in crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Using tongs, remove chicken to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Mix chicken back in with rest of ingredients. The mixture will be quite soupy so you may want to drain off the excess liquid before serving, especially if eating in tortillas. The leftovers can be frozen in a freezer-safe ziploc bag and reheated in a crock pot another day.

Cereal Supreme

Tyler requested three different types of cereal mixed together the other morning and he said, "Mom, isn't this the best cereal bowl ever?" He requested that I take a picture and post it on my blog. Then he said he would give me the recipe to post. :) So here it is...Tyler's first original recipe.

Cereal Supreme

Life cereal
Honey Comb cereal
Frosted Mini Wheats cereal
Blueberries
2% milk

First pour some Life in a bowl. Then add Honey Comb. Next add Frosted Mini Wheats. Mix the cereals up and then sprinkle some blueberries on top. Last pour milk in the bowl. Eat!

Fruit Soup

This is another good dish for a gathering. I got this recipe from The Sisters Cafe and the "sister" who posted this recipe called it the "epitome of chick food." :) I certainly enjoyed it. Just make sure you plan ahead for this one - the liquid mixture has to chill overnight.

Fruit Soup

3/4 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. peach juice (or another cup of water - which is what I did)
3 Tbsp "Minute" brand tapioca
6 oz. orange juice concentrate
1 1/2 c. water

2 cans mandarin oranges (with or without juice)
1 large can sliced peaches (Lite peaches bottled w/ pear juice are perfect. If you use peaches in heavy syrup, don't add the syrup. Also cut peaches into bite-sized pieces.)
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 bananas, sliced
1 bag frozen raspberries or tri-berry mix, thawed but still cool and firm (or equivalent amount of fresh)

Bring sugar, water, peach juice and tapioca to a boil. Continue boiling for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Some tapioca will be clear and other granules will have a white center. Take off heat. Let sit for 30 minutes. (This is when tapioca becomes more clear.) Add orange juice concentrate and 1 1/2 cups water. Chill overnight.

Add mandarin oranges and peaches. Just before serving add strawberries, bananas and raspberries (or other berry mixture).

Avocado Bean Dip

I'm so excited to have a new "dip" recipe. They are so great for gatherings. I made this for a baby shower and brought the leftovers home. Ben tried it and immediately said, "Can you make more of this??" That's always a good sign. And this is really easy to make.

Avocado Bean Dip

1 - 15 oz. can white beans (or black), drained
1 avocado, mashed
1/2 cup salsa (I just used regular mild salsa.)
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (I only used about two stalks.)
2 Tbsp canned diced green chilis
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

Mash the avocado and then stir in rest of the ingredients. Serve with chips! (I love the multi-grain chips from Costco.)

Lion House Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

I first tasted this soup at my friend Melissa's house several years ago. It was the best chicken noodle soup I had ever had. It's been my go-to recipe ever since. It's also my husband's favorite soup that I make. It is "hearty" just like the title suggests.

Lion House Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tsp. chicken soup base, or 2 boullion cubes

6 cups chicken stock (broth) - I boil my chicken and use the leftover water as my stock. Then I add another can or so of chicken broth if I need it. I don't usually measure...just try to eye somewhere btwn 4-6 cups.

2 cups chopped carrots
1-2 cups chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cans (10 1/2 oz. each) cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup evaporated milk or 1/2 cup whole milk
Roux (equal amounts of flour and butter used to thicken) - I don't usually do this...it's generally thick enough without.
2 cups cooked diced chicken
2 1/2 oz. (about 4 cups) cooked noodles - I use Rotini pasta but you could also use egg noodles.

Heat chicken soup base (or bouillon cubes) and stock together. Add carrots, celery, and onion, and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add cream of chicken soup and milk. Thicken with roux as desired, then add cooked chicken and noodles. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes a lot...I'd say 6-8 servings.

Breakfast Burritos

I don't think we've ever had these for breakfast. This is a favorite of our family when we're doing breakfast for dinner. They're so quick and easy to make and full of flavor. Last night we used leftover crepes I pulled from the freezer but usually we use tortillas. We just throw in whatever vegetables I have on hand that "fit" and usually, cheese, ham and/or bacon.

Breakfast Burritos

Eggs, mixed with a little bit of milk and scrambled, salted & peppered (I use 8.)

Grated cheese, last night we used Mozarella but cheddar works great too

Avocado, sliced thin

Tomato, diced

Bacon, cooked and crumbled OR ham, cubed or sliced into thin strips

Onions, grilled

Bell peppers, grilled

Heat the tortillas (or crepes), sprinkle with cheese, add eggs and other ingredients. Roll up and enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo Casserole

This recipe is similar to another one I have for Chicken Alfredo Bake but I love the addition of tomatoes and grilled onions in this one. I saw this posted on my cousin Lisa's blog and it hit the spot for dinner the other night. It was pretty easy to whip up last minute too. I used my recipe for Guiltless Alfredo for the sauce and then leftover sauteed chicken from dinner the other night. This casserole calls for fettucine - which I used and it was great - but most pastas would probably work just as well.

Chicken Alfredo Casserole

16 oz. fettuccine noodles

16 oz. alfredo sauce - or guiltless alfredo recipe (see link above)

6-8 chicken tenderloins - or about 1-2 breasts

1/2 cup cubed ham - I used regular thin slice deli ham.

2 roma tomatoes

1/2 an onion

1/4 cup butter - I used about 1-2 Tbsp.

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook fettuccine noodles as directed, drain, and pour into 9x13 Pyrex dish. Stir butter into noodles until completely melted and mixed in. Fry chicken tenderloins and slice into strips. Place chicken and cubed ham on top of noodles. Pour alfredo sauce over everything evenly, but do not mix in. Cut tomatoes into circles, and place on top of casserole. Add salt and pepper. Cut onion into rings, and fry. Place fried onions on top of casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Soft Pretzels

Making these was a lot of fun! I quickly made up the dough - super easy - and then the kids were able to roll it out into long snakes and form it into whatever shape they wanted. We were going for pretzels but we somehow ended up with faces and pumpkins too! My boys had a lot of fun doing this and the dough is not sticky so it makes it really easy for kids to help! The second day, we brushed melted butter and sprinkled parmesan cheese on the remaining pretzels and stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes. Yum!

Soft Pretzels

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast (or 1 Tb)

1 Tb sugar

1 tsp salt

4 cups flour

Add sugar to warm water then sprinkle yeast on top. Let float for a minute then stir to dissolve the yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes as yeast activates and starts to foam. Add salt and flour and knead 5-10 minutes; adding more flour as needed to reduce stickiness. Divide dough in to 12 pieces and roll each piece into a long rope or "snake". Twist into pretzel shape and place on nonstick baking sheet. Make an egg wash with one egg and a Tb of water, lightly beaten together. Brush pretzels with egg wash then sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.