Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't usually enjoy baking.  Cookies are the worst!  Everytime I make them, they turn out flat and crispy. When I stumbled across this recipe, and all the ingredients were in my pantry, I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I'm not sure why, but they turned out fat and soft and pretty tasty too!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingrediets:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º

Sift flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

In another bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Mix in egg and vanilla until completely incorporated.  Add flour mixture in 3 additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Mix in chocloate chips. 

On a baking stone, or a greased cookie sheet drop 1 Tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the baking stone about 2 inches apart.  

Bake 8-10 minutes.  Don't bake too long of your cookies will get crispy!

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Source: American Heritage Cooking

White Chicken Enchiladas

If it's cheesy and has a tortilla wrapped around it, chances are I'll eat it.  I just can't resist any kind of enchilada.  These were so simple to make and it reminded me of the chicken enchiladas my mom used to make while we were growing up. 

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
10-12 flour tortillas
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. butter
 3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 small can diced green chilies

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Grease a 9x13 pan.

In a bowl, mix chicken and 1 cup of the cheese. Roll up in the tortillas and place in the pan side by side.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour.  Cook for about 1 minute.  Add the broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until think and bubbly. Add the sour cream and chilies to the sauce pan.  Do not boil.

Pour sauce over the tortialls and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for about 20-15 minutes and then under the broiler for about 3 minutes to brown the cheese.

Source: JoyfulMomma

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole

This could become labeled as an obsession, but I've sorta been on a buffalo chicken kick....for the last 10 years.  I blame it on Buffalo Wild Wings.  Eating there for the first time 10 years ago changed my life.  That sounds dramatic, but I couldn't believe I had lived so long without realizing that buffalo sauce even existed!  So, I've been making up for it lately by making tons of dinners that have buffalo chicken incorporated into it somehow. I like this one because of the added potatoes.  Makes it feel like less of a dip trying to be a meal and more like an actual meal. 

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup Franks Buffalo Sauce

5 cups of red potatoes, cut into small pieces

1 cup ranch dresssing

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (10 oz) can Cream of Chicken soup

1/2 breadcrumbs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350º.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken and buffalo sauce.  Spoon in the casserole dish covering the entire bottom. 

In the same bowl, stir together potatoes, dressing, cheese and soup.  Spread over chicken.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top. 

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. 

Source: Holy Cannoli Recipes

Breakfast Casserole

Near the end of the school year, all the teachers hosted a Parent Appreciation breakfast.  I signed up to bring a breakfast casserole.  Since I'd never made one before, I made my family one on Saturday to test out the recipe.  I'm so glad I did, because it turned out great! 

I added mushrooms to the "real" casserole and that version was my favorite.  Green peppers definetly deserve a spot in this recipe too.  

I have to make this again because the picture is sad, but don't be fooled.....this casserole was really tasty! 

**This is a make-the-night-before dish, so plan ahead!  It's perfect for feeding company. 

Ingredients:

1 lb spicy pork sausage

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped (optional)

1/4 cup green peppers, chopped (optional)

2 1/2 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes

5 eggs

1 3/4 cups milk

1 cup Original Bisquick mix

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Spray a 13x9 glass casserole dish with cooking spray.  

In a skillet, cook sausage, green peppers, mushrooms and onion over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in potatoes.  Cook another 5-7 minutes, until the sausage is cooked through and the potatoes are slightly browned. 

Drain the mixture onto paper towels, then spoon into the casserole dish. 

In a medium bowl, stir eggs, milk, Bisquick and salt and pepper until well blended.  Stir in cheese. 

Pour over the sasuage mixture and mix well.  

Cover with foil and refrigerate for 8 hours. 

Heat oven to 350º and bake casserole for 45 minutes.  Uncover and make another 10 or 15 minutes (until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean)

Serve with your favorite hot sauce, salsa and sour cream. 

Source: bettycrocker.com

Chicken Bacon and Cream Cheese Taquitos

Ever in the mood for some good 'fried food?  These are fun because they are small and fun to eat.  The star of this dish is the avacado dipping sauce! Pass me a spoon!  I could eat it alone! (But I didn't)

Chicken, Bacon and Cream Cheese Taquitos

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, chopped

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cans of chicken (yes, cans)

Water

Tortillas

Vegetable Oil (Canola oil works too)

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut up

1/4 cup mayonaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon milk

1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

dash of dried dill weed

dash of Garlic powder

dash of black pepper

Directions: 

TAQUITOS

Cook bacon until crisp.  Drain and chop.

Combine bacon, cream cheese and chicken in a small bowl. 

Cut each tortilla to smaller circles that are about 3 inches in diameter.  Spoon some of the filling of the chicken mixture into the center of each tortilla.  

Roll and secure closed with a toothpick. 

Heat oil in a heay saucepan to a depth of about 3 inches to 350º

Add the taquitos to the oil in batches and cook until well browned on all sides.  Remove and drain on paper towels.

AVOCADO SAUCE

Mash avocado.  Mix with mayonaise, sour cream, milk, vinegar, salt, parsley, onion powder, dill, garlic and pepper. 

Serve with taquitos for dipping. 

Source: Mommy I'm Hungry

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

My new favorite thing to do is to cook chicken in the crock pot.  Usually, I'll throw in a few chicken breasts with some chicken broth and let it do its thing until it's ready to shred.  This recipe was right along the same idea, only there are yummy flavors added!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 limes, juiced (depending on how lime-y you want it.  Consider added only 1 lime or 1 1/2)

1/2 cup cilantro

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 teaspoon onion salt

1/2 cup of water

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients into the crockpot.  Cooke on low for 4-6 hours.  Once the chicken is cooked, shred with a fork.  Stir to combine. 

Serve on taco sized tortillas and top with your favorites (cheese, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes...)

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

This turned out so yummy.  I love crock pot cooking.  I just wish my crock took longer to cook so I could use it during the week to cook dinner while I'm at work.  Usually, I reserve my crockpot meals for the weekends.  Now, I'm looking forward to a nice cool Saturday evening when I can try this again!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients:

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used bone-in thighs and pulled the meat off, I didn't realize that you could buy thighs without the bones!)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

6 Tablespoons cider vinegar

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

4 1/2 teaspoons cold water

rice, cooked

Directions:

Place chicken in crockpot.  In a bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours or until chicken is tender. 

Remove chicken to platter and cover with foil.  Skim fat from liquid and pour the  remaining liquid into a saucepan and bring to a boil.  

Combine water and cornstarch until smooth.  Gradually stir into the liquid and stir until sauce is thickened. 

Serve over veggies, chicken and rice.

Source: Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken