Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts cooked in skillet with chicken broth (see below)

10 MINUTES MARINADE

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup lime

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2-1 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 16oz bottle salsa verde (I used Herdez)

8-10 uncooked flour tortillas

3 cups pepper jack cheese, optional

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

GARNISH

sour cream

cilantro

Directions

 Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot.  Add chicken and cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on one side.  Flip chicken over, then add 1 cup chicken broth to skillet.  Cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender enough to shred. Add more broth if needed.  Remove from skillet and rest for 5 minutes before shredding. 

In a large bow, whisk together the marinade ingredients and add shredded chicken.  Let marinade for 10  minutes. 

Spray a 9x13 pan with spray and pour 1/4 cup salsa verde evenly over the bottom.  It will barely cover.  Save the rest. 

Cook the tortillas according to directions.

Remove chicken from marinade to a plate.  Add the rest of the salsa to the marinade, stir and set aside. 

Assemble enchiladas by filling each tortilla with chicken and a small handful of cheese.  Roll each tortilla and place in the baking pan.  Pour the salsa verde mix over the enchiladas and add cheese to the top. 

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes then broil until cheese is golden. 

Dinner Rolls

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/3 cup butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used sea salt)

2 packages active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)

2/3 cup warm (105-115º)

8-9 cups all purpose flour

3 eggs, beaten

Directions

Combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, butter and salt in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until butter melts.  Remove from heat.  Allow to cool to lukewarm. (Try soaking the bottom of the pan in ice water to speed up the cool down.)

While the mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in warm water.  Let stand about 10 minutes.  If it doesn't bubble, you'll need to repeat this step.  It is important that the yeast bubbles. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 cups flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly.  Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes. 

Add beaten eggs.  

Stir in the remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough.  The dough should be very soft.  It will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will stick to your finger when you touch it. If you add too much flour, the rolls will be dense and heavy. 

Place the bowl in a warm place covered with a towel.  Rise for 1 hour. 

Punch down dough.  Lightly flour your work surface and place dough onto the surface.  Divide in half. 

Spray2  9x13 glass pans with cooking spray.  Roll first half of dough into a rectangle and cut into 12 equal sized pieces.  The dough should be similar to play dough. Share each piece into a ball and place in pan.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Cover with a cloth and rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.  When dough has about 15 minutes left to rise, preheat oven to 375º

Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. 

Remove from oven and brush with melted butter. 

Source: Our Best Bites

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
(2 tablespoons greek seasonings, optional)
4-5 red potatoes, diced into bite sized pieces
4-5 handfuls of kale, chopped
2-3 cups of small pasta
1 can of cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper, to season

Directions

sauté the onion, carrots and celery with some olive oil.  Add in garlic and cook until fragrant

Add vegetable stock, tomatoes, spices, potatoes, kale, pasta and beans

Simmer 30-40 minutes until pasta and potatoes are soft

Enjoy!


Source: Center of the Pie

Spinach and Tomato Pesto Quesadilla

Ingredients:

Uncooked flour tortillas
1-2 roma tomatoes, sliced
Feta cheese, crumbled
Mozzarella, shredded
Pesto
Fresh baby spinach

Directions

Cook the tortillas according to directions.
Spread pesto on one tortilla.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the pesto.
Spread the tomatoes and spinach and sprinkle more mozzarella over the top.  Add feta cheese.

Spread pesto on the other tortilla and place on top.

Return to the pan and cook until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pasta with Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Ingredients: 

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes. You could also use the dried ones found in a bag. 
1 lb chicken breasts
salt
paprika, just a sprinkle
1 cup half and half
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
8 oz penne pasta
1 T of dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more if you like it spicy!
1/2 cup reserved cooked pasta water, or more

Instructions:

In a large skillet, on high heat, sauté garlic and tomatoes.  You can use olive oil or the oil from the jar of sun dried tomatoes.  Sauté the garlic until it is fragrant. Remove the tomatoes from the pan. 

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and paprika, then add it to the pan.  Cook on each side until cooked through. Remove from heat. 

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve some of the cooked pasta water.  Drain and rinse cooked pasta with cold water. 

Slice tomatoes into small pieces and return to the skillet with chicken. 

Add half and half and cheese.  Bring to a gentle boil. 

Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly until the cheese melts and the sauce turns creamy and thickens. (you can thin it out with the reserved pasta water in the following steps if it's too thick)

Add the pasta to the skillet and combine. 

Add basil, red pepper flakes and stir. 

Add about 1/2 cup of the cooked pasta water to help thin out the sauce. 

Season the pasta with salt and more pepper flakes, if needed.  Let simmer for a few minutes. 

Source: Julia's Album

Roast Beef Cheesesteaks

This is a yummy version of the traditional cheeseteak sandwhich that is less messy, but just as delicious!

Roast Beef Cheesesteaks

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter

1/4 cup onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 pound sliced roast beef, from deli

1/3 cup beef broth

4-6 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes

2 containers refrigerated crescent rolls

Swiss cheese, cut into strips

Directions

Preheat oven to 375º

In a large skillet, saute onion and pepper over medium heat until soft and the onions are transparent. 

Coarsely chop roast beef and add to onions and peppers.  Stir until the beef is heated through. 

Add beef broth and cream cheese (add the cream cheese a few cubes at a time and add more if you desire more creaminess).  Stir until cheese is melted. 

Lay out the crescent rolls and lay a strip of Swiss cheese in center. 

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of roast beef mixture over the Swiss cheese.  Roll up and pinch the sides of the roll closed. 

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or baking mat.  Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown. 

Source (with a few tweaks) Favorite Family Recipes

Baked Eggs

Every morning, by the time I've gotten myself dressed and all three of my kids ready for school, there isn't enough time for me to sit and eat breakfast.  I'm not about to start my day without something in my stomach, so I usually grab a breakfast bar or toast and English muffin that I can eat in the car.  

It gets a little old.  

Then I stumbled across this brilliant idea!  You can BAKE raw eggs in a muffin tin!  They come out looking like little patties.  

Refrigerate them and each morning, pop one in the microwave for 25 seconds and put between an English muffin for an instant breakfast egg sand which!

Baked Eggs

Ingredients:

eggs

salt/pepper for seasoning

shredded cheese

Directions:

Spray your muffin tin with cooking spray. Crack one egg in each muffin space (or as many as you'd like to bake), season with some salt and pepper and sprinkle in some cheese.  Stir if desired.

Bake for 15 minutes or s at 350º. 

Place between two toasted English muffins and douse with Tabasco Sauce.  

Eat in the car as you drive to work.