Baked Chicken Taquitos

These were so good!  I'm not sure why I've never made taquitos before but I will definitely be making these again.  Like most kids, my kids love anything they can dip in something else so these were a hit with the kids.  We tried them dipped in guacamole, salsa and ranch dressing.  I didn't have corn tortillas so I used the uncooked flour tortillas from Costco.  I cooked them lightly on each side before wrapping them up with the chicken filling to bake in the oven.  I also did not spray the taquitos with cooking spray or sprinkle them with Kosher salt.  This recipe came from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. 

Baked Chicken Taquitos

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa  (I used Herdez salsa verde.)
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro  (I used about 1 teaspoon dried.)
1 green onion, sliced finely, white and green parts to equal about 2 Tablespoons
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)

small yellow or white corn tortillas (or regular-size flour tortillas)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

(You can prepare this step ahead of time and keep the mixture in the fridge.)

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don’t crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don’t touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher salt on top. 

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately.

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

We had this as a side salad with dinner the other night and Ben and I both thought it was a great salad.  We liked it so much I made it again the next night.  The dressing is my favorite poppy seed version to date.  As you can see from the picture, I only used spinach and I thought it worked perfectly.  BTW, I halved the dressing recipe and it was enough for both days of this salad.  A little goes a long way.

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach

1/2-1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

 

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

 

Poppy Seed Dressing

 

1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, a few turns
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (both the “hairy” end and where the green part starts to get floppy)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds 

 

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.

Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds.  Store in the refrigerator or serve right away. 

Basic Baked Scones

I made scones for the first time the other night and my family loved them.  They were especially delicious with strawberry jam.  I can't believe I've never made them before... they are so easy.  This recipe comes from Our Best Bites.  I have been perusing their site a lot lately.  BTW, you've gotta love the Transformer plate in the picture.  That's what happens when you forget to take a picture until the last scone, which is sitting on your son's plate, is about to be consumed... no time to make it look nice.

Basic Baked Scones

1/3 cup real butter
1 ¾ cup flour
3 T sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
¼ t salt
1 egg, beaten
4-6 T milk (I used all 6.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Cut in butter with pastry cutter until it resembles fine crumbs.

Combine egg and 4T milk. Slowly pour milk mixture into dry mixture while mixing with a fork to combine. If you need the additional 2 T milk to bring the dough together, add it. 

Gently pat dough into a circle, about 1/2 inch thick. Brush top with milk or beaten egg and sprinkle liberally with sugar.

Cut into 6 wedges and separate on a cookie sheet.Bake 10-12 minutes.The tops shouldn’t be brown, but the bottoms will be golden-brown and the tops set. Keep an eye on them and don’t over-bake.

 
While still warm, split and spread with butter and jam, lemon curd, honey-butter, just about anything! Or let them cool and use them for things like strawberry shortcake.

White Chocolate Popcorn

This is the other type of popcorn I made.  The recipe was adapted slightly from the Bake. Eat. Repeat. blog. 

White Chocolate Popcorn

8 oz. white chocolate (white chocolate chips work great)

2 Tablespoons butter (I used lightly buttered microwave popcorn so I only used 1 Tbsp.)

1 bag microwave popcorn (preferably natural, not butter flavored)

1/4 cup M&Ms (regular, peanut or pretzel!)

 

1. Pop popcorn according to package instructions. 

 

2. Place the white chocolate (or white chocolate chips) and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave until melted and smooth (about 2 minutes), stirring every 30 seconds. 

 

3. In a large bowl combine popped popcorn with white chocolate mixture. Add M&Ms and stir to combine.  Let cool and harden on parchment paper.

Candied Popcorn

I tried two different popcorn recipes this holiday season.  In my opinion, there is something irresistible about fancy popcorn.  My boys and I could eat this stuff all day.  None of these holiday recipes are helping my waistline though!  That's probably why I'll only be making this once a year!  This recipe comes from Erin at The Sisters Cafe.

Candied Popcorn

3 to 3 1/2 batches of air-popped popcorn (each batch is 1/2 c. unpopped corn kernels)
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
1 1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup

**I used lightly buttered microwave popcorn.  Each bag is equal to one batch.  I also cut the butter in the recipe down to 1 1/2 cubes since my popcorn was already lightly buttered.

First, pop all your popcorn.  Shake the popcorn and then scoop the top layers into a couple large mixing bowls. Leave the heavy and/or unpopped kernels behind.

Melt butter in a large pan.  Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Continue stirring, on medium heat, until the mixture is completely smooth and is just barely starting to simmer.  (Don’t allow it to boil for long, or the popcorn will harden rather than being soft.) Turn heat off.

Using a ladle, drizzle the sugar mixture over a portion of your popcorn.  Then mix it with a spoon, add another portion of fresh popcorn, drizzle the mixture over it, and stir it around, etc.  Continue until all your mixture is evenly distributed on the popcorn. 

I packaged my candied popcorn into gallon sized twist-tie bags I bought at the grocery store. Or you can store it in tupperware for a few days. 

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup

Another great new soup recipe to add to my collection.  This recipe came from my neighbor Lauren.  This is a hearty and flavorful soup as well.  I love making soups this time of year!

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup

3 cups cooked wild rice (Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice pouch--prepared with seasoning packet.)
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed 1-inch
8 ounces (1 cup) cooked ham, cubed 1/2-inch
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks (1 cup) celery, sliced 1/2-inch
1 quart (4 cups) half & half
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine all ingredients except flour and butter in large saucepan.  

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (15 to 20 minutes). 

Stir together flour and butter in small bowl; stir into hot soup. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until thickened (5 to 8 minutes). Serve warm. Great in bread bowls!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

I got this recipe for the Olive Garden's famous Zuppa Toscana Soup from my friend Heather.  I actually think it tastes better than the Olive Garden's version.  It is so flavorful.  I made it only a week and a half ago and I am ready to make it again!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Package of Jimmy Dean regular sausage

5 potatoes, cut into cubes or whatever size pieces you prefer (I used red but you could use just about any variety.)

1 onion diced

8 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces

1 Qt water with 4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 tsp garlic

1/3 c heavy cream

Kale

Cook sausage and onion together. Cook bacon separate. Combine once cooked. Add garlic, water, boullion and potatoes, simmer for 15 minutes. Add some kale the last couple of minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer for 4 more minutes.