Chilupe

This recipe, of course, was found on Pinterest. The beans are delicious! Plus it makes lots so we ate it for 3+meals, and still was not sick of it. We ate it as nacho's the first night, then made burritos the 2nd and 3rd time eating it. As a warning though it is kind of spicy (do not add chili flakes if you want your kids to eat it, and maybe put less chili powder).

Ingredients: Dry pinto beans Boneless pork shoulder roast with fat trimmed Chopped 2 Tbls chili powder 1 Tbls cumin powder 1 tsp oregano leaves 1 6 oz can diced green chilies 3 tsp salt 1/4 t red chili flakes   Directions:  Clean and rinse dry pinto beans and put into Crock-Pot. Add boneless pork shoulder roast with fat trimmed, 3 large cloves of garlic, chopped 2 Tbls chili powder, 1 Tbls cumin powder, 1 tsp oregano leaves, crushed in the palm of your hand, 1- 6 oz can diced green chilies — mild/medium hot — 3 tsp salt, 1/4 t red chili flakes (more if you like it spicy). Cover roast — barely — with chicken broth and mix by turning roast over a couple of times without bringing dry beans to the top of the crock. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 12 hours (can be made before bed to shred meat and mush beans in the morning before work to put in fridge for dinner or before a great lunch meal). When beans and meat are pull-apart tender, remove meat and shred with a fork — removing fat as you go. Use a potato masher to mush beans and remaining fluid, if any. Add shredded pork and mix. Taste for appropriate saltiness and spices. This is a great crowd pleaser. * *She’s always made it like a great individual nacho volcano — Fritos at the bottom, Chilupe, sour cream shredded lettuce, chopped onion, chopped avocado, slice olives, salsa and yellow cheese with a sprig or two of cilantro! Great leftovers for burritos, tacos, tostadas.

Spinach Crescent Rolls

You've all gotta try this....so easy and so good!
I didn't use any red pepper or olives and they were still good.  They are a little tart from the feta cheese, but I think you'll still like them.  :)
And....we didn't use the egg whites to brush on at the end.  Nathan put something together with olive oil, basil, oregano, maybe some garlic powder, or whatever was in the cupboard, and he brushed it on, DELICIOUS!!

Windy City Crescent Rolls
Serves 6-8
Ingredients

• 2 tubes Pillsbury (or whatever brand) crescent rolls, 8 ct
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese
• 4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 oz fresh baby spinach (about half of a pre-washed bag), chopped
• 2 oz black olives, finely diced (*this ingredient is optional)
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• dash salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Begin by chopping the spinach and olives and putting them in a large mixing bowl. Add the feta, mozzarella, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly and set bowl aside.

Unroll the crescent dough and divide into triangles. Using a spoon, place tiny heaps of spinach mixture on the wide part of the dough triangle.

Roll them up! (Thanks to my mother-in-law for this demonstration. Hi Rita!)

Place on a greased cookie sheet. Before putting them in the oven lightly brush each roll with the egg white. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Gnocchi Soup (Olive garden copy cat)

Once again I can blame Kevin for this recipe. He introduced me to Gnocchi when Olive garden had a Gnocchi dish, and then the next time we went it was no longer on the menu ( I was not to happy). They did however have a Gnocchi soup that was delicious. So when I found this recipe on Pinterest I knew we had to try it.

Olive Gardens Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chicken breasts, diced and cooked (can use canned chicken or turkey)
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 quart half and half (can use evaporated milk)
• 1 14 ounce can chicken broth
• 1/2 cup celery, sliced (Once again I didn't use celery, just extra carrots)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped (I used more then a cup of Spinach)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 16 ounce package gnocchi (good luck finding the gnocchi, I had to get it at trader joes an organic place here but I bet broulims carries it, but I doubt Walmart. Also mine had cheese in it which I did not know, but it was a great addition to the soup)
• I added about a 1/2 cup or more of parmesan cheese as well, we like things cheesy. 

Directions:

 In a large stockpot, saute the onion, celery and garlic in the butter and olive oil. When the onion is clear, add the flour and form a roux. Stir and cook a minute. Add the half and half . Add the carrots and chicken to the stockpot. (At this time I put it in a crockpot and let it cook on low for about 4 hours, and then right before serving  it I cooked the gnocchi and added it into the crock pot as well as the spinach)  Meanwhile in another pan, cook the gnocchi.  Stir often and when it gets thicker, add the chicken broth (I added this to the crock pot), gnocchi, spinach and seasonings. Cover and heat through.

Zucchini Casserole

Ok, so I might be addicted to pinterest's recipes.  I've been trying a lot of new things lately and this was another.  I had a couple zucchini's that needed used, so this was the winner!! 

Most of us (in our family) liked this, but I thought it turned out delicious!  The cheese really makes it good.  And the bisquick made like a crust on the bottom even though it was mixed in with all the other ingredients. 

Tasty!!

Zucchini Casserole

A great recipe for zucchini lovers! Makes a great side dish. I am always looking for great recipes for zucchini since I have so many in my garden. I used one large zucchini to make this recipe. It is best to use a 9 x 12 casserole dish.


Zucchini Casserole
Gina's Weight Watcher RecipesServings: 12 servings • Old Points: 2.5 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 110.2 • Fat: 6.2 g • Carb: 10.6 g • Fiber: 1.2 g • Protein: 3.7 g  

• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 1 cup bisquick (using heart smart)
• 1 small onion, grated
• 3 egg whites, 1 whole egg  (I actually used 2 whole eggs and the equivelent of 2 more eggs using an egg substitute (1 Tbs. milled flaxseed, 3 Tbs. water/ per egg))
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp parsley

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix everything together in a bowl. Spray a pie dish or a casserole with Pam and pour mixture. Bake approximately 45 minutes, until golden brown. Put a toothpick in the center to test if it is done. If it comes out clean, it is ready. Divide into 12 equal parts

As Good, or Better than 'New Star' cashew chicken

You'll have to try this one.  It's another recipe from pinterst!  We (including all the kids) loved this one!!  Definately a keeper. 

 

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

My brother-in-law lived in Thailand for a couple of years and introduced me to delicious Thai food! I have been making this recipe for a couple of years now and it is one of our favorites.

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh tenders or chicken breast tenders*

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I used ground ginger, and it still worked)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes  (I didn't use the pepper flakes cause I didn't have any, and I probably won't next time I make this cause another friend make it with the flakes and her kids wouldn't eat it.....TOO HOT!)
1/2 cup cashews

*I would probably add some veggies next time, like brocolli, carrots, or whatever is in my fridge
.

Directions:
Combine flour and pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.
If you want like sauce and want to have some to pour over the chicken and the rice, double the sauce ingredients.

Chicken enchiladas with avocado cream sauce

Chicken enchiladas with avocado cream sauce

I found this recipe on pinterest and wanting to try a new kind of enchilada I thought I would try it out. It was delicious! The sauce sort of reminds me of cafe rio ranch without the ranch flavor. I halved the enchilada ingredients so we didn't have a ton of left over but did the full recipe for the avocado cream sauce and then freezed half of the sauce for future use. Mmmm mmm good! 

You will need:

Enchilada Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 poblano peppers, stemmed and thinly sliced (I didn't use these because I didn't know what they were ha)
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 8-10 flour tortillas
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken(rotisserie works best)
• 2-3 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
• optional garnish: fresh cilantro, sour cream, and/or shredded cheese

Avocado Cream Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 California avocados, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• juice of one lime

First make the avocado cream sauce: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, salt, garlic powder and pepper, whisking if necessary to remove any lumps. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a blender or food processor (I added it little by little and due to my blender being to small, I ended up mixing it all together in the pan in the end)  Add avocados, cilantro and lime juice, and pulse until smooth and well-blended. (Be very careful blending hot liquids — the heat will expand! So be sure to remove the lid occasionally so that the heat can escape.) Season with additional salt or pepper if needed.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, poblano and jalapeno, and saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are cooked and translucent. Remove from heat.

To assemble the enchiladas, place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a tablespoon or two of the avocado sauce down the middle of the tortilla. Then layer on some of the vegetable mixture, shredded chicken and cheese. Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining avocado cream sauce, then cover the dish with foil and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tortillas are heated through and begin to harden. (If i did anything different it would be to add more vegetables or something of more substance besides just chicken cheese, onions and vegetables) They were good this way too though. 

Remove from the oven, then serve individual enchiladas drizzled with the remainder of the avocado cream sauce. You can also garnish with additional cilantro, cheese, and/or sour cream.

Aloha Banana Bread

Grandma Berg always has this whenever we go to visit (probably because I rave about it every time I am there). And since we were moving and not going to be there as often I asked her for the recipe.  I have a feeling Annalee's coconut loving family will love this!

Aloha Banana Bread

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour

1 tsp Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1 tsp grated orange peel

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup nuts

Directions:

Sift dry ingredients, add butter, eggs, milk, flavoring and mashed bananas. Mix well. Add orange peel, coconut and nuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake 350* for 1 hour

Serves 1 loaf- or 4 little loaves 

Enjoy! 

Homemade Granola

WARNING: this is very addictive! My mother in-law sent this home with Kevin and I could not stop eating it, plain or with yogurt. So I of course had to get the recipe from her. I made it yesterday and it is still addicting and did I mention really easy to make.

Ingredients 

4 cups Oats (not instant)

1 ½ cups nuts of choice

½ c ground flax seed (I could not find ground flax seed so I just used normal) 

½ c brown sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1/3 c canola oil

1/3 c honey

                  1 tsp vanilla extract

              Directions

                      Warm oil & honey together, then mix in other ingredients. 

                          

                            Spread on lightly oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30-35 min. 

                        Stirring half way through. (If you don’t bake it long enough it is chewy)

 Enjoy! 

  

Delicious Pasta Dish

You've all got to try this recipe!!  I got this from pinterest.

The things I did different was only used 1 pint of heavy cream total.  Use about 3/4 of it in the first cream sauce, then use the rest in the 2nd sauce.  And I only used 1 tsp cayanne pepper.  I wanted my kids to eat it and eat they did!!  There was enough that we ate it all the next day too! 

Spicy Romano Chicken With Artichoke Hearts and Sundried Tomatoes

by bosssanders on March 3, 2012 with 23 comments

This recipe is one of our new family FAVORITES!!

Ingredients

The Sauce:

• 1 pint heavy cream
• 4 T butter
• 2 t  salt
• 1 – 2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 t cayenne pepper

The Rest:

• 10 ounce package of bowtie pasta cooked and drained according to package directions – al dente.
• 1 1/2 T melted butter
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small jar artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 7-8 ounce precooked sliced grilled chicken (we also add equal amounts of sausage to ours…although shrimp, beef, and crab would be great too!)
• 1/8 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1 oz heavy cream

How To Make It:

Sauce:

• Melt butter in saute pan or skillet. Add cream, salt and pepper, heat to a boil. Remove from heat and fold in cheeses and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

The Rest:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then add mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes. Stir for one minute. Next add artichokes and chicken (and cooked sausage or other meat). Stir. Stir in 1 ounce heavy cream and 1/2 of the sauce. Add bowtie pasta followed by rest of the sauce. Stir gently. Serve.

Pasta Primavera (aka Kevin's Pasta)

Kevin brought this beauty back from Italy, and when he revealed it to me when we were dating, I was immediately in love (with Kevin and the Pasta ha). This is very simple recipe, but very delicious. You can use it as a side salad, or if you make a lot it can be your main dish (which is what we usually do).

Ingredients 

• A box or package of pasta- we prefer penne or rigatoni 
• 1/4 pound of salami- we like genoa  
• 1 container of cherry tomatoes (can use any kind but these work the best)
• 1 12oz. package of Fresh mozzarella Cherry size- the stuff in the water 
• Fresh basil or dried basil 
• Salt
• 1/4c- 1/2c Olive oil

Directions

Cook your pasta as directed and let cool. While you are cooking the pasta and letting it cool cut your tomatoes in half, salami into small squares, and mozzarella balls in half.  

When the pasta is cool add in the cheese, tomatoes and salami. Then add the Olive oil. Add a little at a time and stir, keep adding until the pasta is all covered in Olive oil and smooth. 

Then add about a 1 Tbs. of dried basil or 6-10 leaves of fresh. You can always add more depending on your preferences.  Then add salt (you probably need a lot, but it sometimes is easier just to salt your own serving).  

mmm... This is making me hungry! 

Tomato Parmesan Soup

Made this last night for dinner and it is quite possible that Kevin and I both licked our bowls clean. It was delicious! I got the recipe off of pinterest, but I changed it a little bit so I will put the original recipe and my changes on as well. Hope you enjoy! (It kind of reminded me slightly of Grandma Dials Hamburger Carrot soup.

INGREDIENTS

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced Celery (I didn't have celery so I didn't add it)
1 cup zucchini 1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions (Try em' I dare you Annalee ha ha)
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed (I would go with only a cup and a half though)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs brown sugar (Kevin had to add it, and it is always good with anything tomato) 

DIRECTIONS

1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. (If you want a thinner soup, without chunks I could suggest grating the carrots or someone on pinterest said they blended all the vegetables up. We like the chunks so I just kept the carrots as slices and zucchini as slices as well. Also you can add whatever vegetables you want) 

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat (I only used 1/4 cup of butter so it was somewhat healthier) in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half (I used half and half because I had already bought it but i bet you could use Greek yogurt for a healthier version), salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end). 

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

Serve with bread or rolls :) 

Enjoy!