mexican chicken

(i don't know where i picked this up, so if it's yours, thanks...take credit in the comments!)


4-5 boneless/skinless chicken breast (I semi thaw and chunk them in approx 2 inch cubes, but you can leave whole frozen, I just found that if I leave them whole, we only get 2 meals out of this, if I chunk them, we get 4 meals)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans (I do not drain or rinse)
1 can ro-tel tomatoes (don’t drain)
cumin to taste (I love cumin so use approx 1 teaspoon)
garlic powder to taste (same note as above)
Option: If you have a lime hanging around, you can squeeze the lime juice in the pot too… or add a bit of the zest.

All in the pot.
Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high 4-6 hours in crockpot.
Serve over white rice with some shredded cheese, sour cream and diced avocados.
*notes in () are from the original author.

my notes: we quite liked this. i only used 1 chicken breast because that's all i had on hand, but it was still good. i did cut them into chunks, which i would do again, but i would also shred it about an hour before serving. i used frozen corn, just in case you were wondering. also, i served it over brown rice, just because that's what we prefer. i'll definitely make this again, mostly because it was super fast to throw together.

Lemon Velvet Cake

*So I realized that I started this post intending to get pictures to include and never did and the cake as been long gone, so I'll just post the recipe. It's been a week and a half ago already, so I might as well, right?

I think spring is nearly here to stay. I love this time of year. I love seeing the new life that comes and I love being able to open up my windows again after a long winter. The fresh air smells divine. Add the fresh air to the clean smell of lemon and I feel like I'm in heaven. Plus the simple elegance of this sunshiny yellow cake is perfect for the spring holiday of Easter. It's coming up, so put this on your menu. I think you'll be impressed!

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 3 oz. pkg lemon jello
1/2 c. oil
4 eggs
3/4 c. water


Mix the cake mix and the jello, then add oil, eggs and water. Mix well. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. While hot, prick cake with fork and pour frosting over it.

*I usually use a bundt pan, as it adds to the elegance of the cake, but you can use whatever you'd like.


Frosting:
1 1/2-1 3/4 c. powdered sugar
Juice of 2-3 lemons


Frosting will be quite runny and will soak into the cake. Garnish with lemon slices, if desired.

Kumquat Oatmeal Bread

In my produce co-op basket this week I had a bunch of kumquats. "What are kumquats?," you ask. These are kumquats:

They are tiny little miniature citrus fruits with sweet rinds and sour centers. You can eat the whole thing, peel and all if you like sour fruit. They also have a seed in the middle. Most of the ones I opened had just one seed, but one had several.

Aren't they cute?

For this bread I used an oatmeal bread recipe and added some pureed kumquat with the seeds removed. And some cinnamon. I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy it turned out. The first loaf is already gone. The kids can't get enough.

I realize that most people don't have kumquats on hand, but I'm certain you could substitute about any citrus fruit and get roughly the same effect.

Here is the recipe:

Mix together and let sit 5 minutes:

2 cups hot water

1 Tb. yeast

1/4 cup brown sugar

In mixer or bread machine dump the remaining ingredients:

5 cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons vital wheat glutin

1 Tablespoon dough enhancer

2 1/2 cups uncooked oatmeal (not quick cooking)

2 teaspoons salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup molasses

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup kumquat puree (or orange, or lemon)

Mix together with paddle attachment until well blended, then switch to bread hook and pour in yeast mixture. Mix on speed 2 until you get a nice smooth dough ball.

Cover for 1 hour and let it rise. Divide dough in half and knead lightly for 1-2 minutes by hand. Shape loaves and place in well greased loaf pans. Cover again and let rise for one more hour. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

We really need to get some smell-o-vision for these blogs. It smells SO amazing. A new favorite for sure.

Spinach Parmesan-Peppercorn Bread

Since it happens to be St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try experimenting with some green bread made with spinach. I used my parmesan-peppercorn bread recipe with several changes. Here is the recipe:

3 cups hot water

4 teaspoons yeast

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon salt

4 cups all purpose flour

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 Tablespoon dough enhancer

2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2/3 cups finely minced spinach

(I chopped this in the food processor. 2/3 cup is the measurement after chopped. It took about 3-4 cups of spinach leaves)

2/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons fresh ground peppercorns

and because it wasn't quite green enough for St. Patty's:

1/2 teaspoon green food coloring

First, proof yeast in the hot water with the sugar. Let rest about 5 minutes.

Dump flour and then all other ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix with the paddle mixer until well incorporated. Switch to bread hook and pour in yeast mixture. (I put the coloring in with the water right before dumping it in) Mix on speed 2, stopping occasionally to stir down the dough. Mix until you have a nice solid dough ball.

If you are using a bread machine, dump all ingredients in, then the yeast mixture and let it do its thing on the dough setting. I've recently switched to making bread with my stand mixer because I have more control over the dough consistency.

Let it rise covered with a cloth for one hour. Divide dough in half and knead it by hand for a minute or two, then shape it into the pan. Make sure to grease the pans really well because the cheese tends to stick a little.

Cover and let rise for another hour, then bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

This makes two 2-pound loaves. (quite large) If your mixer or machine can't handle this much flour at once, just half the recipe.

It has a really rich spinach flavor with a delicate taste of parmesan. It would make a fantastic sandwich and would be really delicious with a tuscan tomato soup.

Mmmm. Wish I had some fresh pesto to go on it.

Scalloped Cabbage with Ham and Cheese

I found this recipe online and decided to give it a go. It was simple, easy to make, and delicious. Two of the three kids gobbled it up. (My meat-eater just picked out the ham, but two out of three isn't bad around here.) I think I would have served it as a side dish rather than the main attraction, but it was a delicious recipe and I will definitely make it again.

Scalloped Cabbage with Ham and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cabbage, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• First: Steam cabbage and onion in a small amount of water until it turns just barely green.
• 
• Then layer in the ham:
• 
  
• Next: in a skillet, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Add milk, stirring until smooth. Add salt, cheese and stir until melted. Pour over the cabbage mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and dot with butter. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

Delish!

Hamburger Roll-Ups

Or at least that's what we call them. Several summers ago, my mom was visiting family in Vermont so my older sister was trying to get creative with some ingredients for our dinner. She's an excellent cook and often gets inventive in the kitchen. She came up with these, and we all loved them. In fact, I loved them so much they've become a favorite with my own little family as well. I hope you all enjoy them too.

First, you make biscuits. My favorite biscuit recipe is Baking Powder Biscuits from an old Betty Crocker cookbook.

1/3 cup shortening (or softened butter)

1 3/4 cup flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup milk

(I often double this recipe, as these make for good leftovers)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in just enough milk so dough leaves side of bowl and rounds up into a ball. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly.

Filling:

1 lb. ground hamburger, browned and drained of fat. Add some onion and minced garlic and saute a bit with the hamburger.

Add some Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, salt, pepper (sometimes I use seasoned salt and sometimes some Steak Seasoning. It really just depends on your tastes. I don't really have an proportions, so I just suggest adding to taste.)

Optional: shredded carrots-cook in hamburger mixture until soft.

Roll dough out on cupboard, like you would with cinnamon rolls. Spread hamburger mixture onto dough, then sprinkle with either mozzarella, chedder or parmesan cheese. Depending on my mood depends on what I use, but my favorite is mozzarella or chedder, or a mix of both :)

Roll up, again, like you would a cinnamon roll and cut into 1-2 in. circles. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Top with your favorite white sauce or country gravy.

White Sauce:

I don't really have a recipe for this either, but it uses butter and flour and milk. melt the butter in a saucepan, then add enough flour that it makes a ball, then whisk in enough milk to make it smooth. Add a bit of salt and a bit of pepper and voila, you have your white sauce.

See, they even kind of look like cinnamon rolls, but believe me, these are far from sweet, although still quite savory.

Posole

I grew up in New Mexico. New Mexico is famous for green chilies. Famous like Idaho is famous for potatoes. To the locals, food is just not food without green chilies. All fast food restaurants - including McDonald's - carry a green chili cheeseburger on the menu. People even use green chilies as a pizza topping. It's good too. You should try it. I'm not really much of a hot and spicy kind of person, but the wonderful thing about green chili is you can have it hot or extremely mild. The flavor of mild green chili is really warm and yummy. One of my favorite green chili recipes is for Posole (you say it pa-sole-EEE) . It's actually a very traditional New Mexican Christmas soup. But, we like it any time of year. Especially during the winter.

1 Tbsp canola oil
2 lb pork loin roast, cut into 1" pieces
2 14.5 oz cans enchilada sauce (I use the green enchilada sauce)
2 15.5 oz cans white hominy, drained
1 onion, sliced
1/2 C green chilies, diced (or 2 4 oz cans will work too)
4 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (I always leave this out because I like it really mild)
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

Brown pork in canola oil in a skillet. Next, place the meat in a slow cooker. Add enchilada sauce, hominy, onions, chilies, garlic, cayenne pepper, and oregano. Pour in enough water to fill the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 6-7 hours. Stir in the cilantro and salt. Cook on low for 30 minutes more.

Perfect Pizza

Lately, I've been on a huge pizza making experimenting kick.  I've wanted to find a really good pizza recipe. One that is tried and true and makes amazing pizza. Pizza that is even better (and of course cheaper) than take-out. Thanks to our friend Robyn, I think we've found not only a great recipe, but the right way to cook it.

So, I thought I would share some of our new found pizza making skills.

 

First of all, there are two huge secrets to making incredible homemade pizza - a baking stone (like the one's from Pampered Chef) and a pizza peel (those wooden paddle board looking things they have at those authentic brick oven pizza joints). Without those two things, you really can't get great pizza - trust me....I've tried.

Okay...with baking stone and pizza peel in hand, here is a recipe for super easy (and yummy) pizza dough:

1 1/2 C warm water

2 tsp yeast

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

4 C flour

Put the warm water in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir until dissolved. Add sugar. Wait 10 minutes.  Add salt, then flour one cup at a time.  Knead for five minutes. Roll in olive oil.  Let sit 1 1/2 hours or until tripled in size. Punch down and let raise 15 more minutes. 

The next really important step is to preheat the oven WITH the pizza stone inside for 30 minutes.

Then, roll out the dough into round pizza shape. (The dough is enough to make two pizzas, but we do one at a time.) Once it's rolled out, transfer the dough to the pizza peel coated with cornmeal. Then, add sauce, cheese, and toppings. One secret we've found is don't add too much cheese. You really don't need more than about 1 1/2 cups of cheese. I put one cup on the bottom, then add the toppings and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup on last.

When your pizza is ready for baking, carefully slide the pizza from the peel to the hot baking stone. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.

Since the dough is homemade, this pizza is super filling. Our kids can rarely eat more than one slice. It's a really good and easy thing to share with friends. Another one of my favorite things about pizza is how versatile it is. Different toppings really make it a completely different experience every time. In addition to the regular fully loaded supreme style pizza, we also like chicken alfredo pizza. Instead of marinara sauce on the bottom, we put alfredo sauce. Then top with chicken, red onions, tomatoes, bacon and peppers. So yummy!!