Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This gets 4 1/2 stars.  

I have a cold and couldn't taste it but my 14 yr old and 

my husband really liked it and asked for me to make it again.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs Roma tomatoes, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup heavy cream

garnish (if desired):
fried basil
goat cheese, crumbled.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Spread tomato halves onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.  
(I didn't spray my cookie sheet and the tomatoes were stuck 
when they were done roasting.  I'll spray it next time!)
3. Roast tomatoes for about 1 hour.

4. While tomatoes are in the oven, melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
5. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the garlic and thyme and sauté for another 5 minutes.

7. Add crushed tomatoes, basils and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Stir the mixture and reduce the heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
9. Pour broth and roasted tomatoes into the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Continue to simmer soup, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

11. Carefully pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth.

12. Pour soup back into the pot and stir in the cream until fully incorporated.
13. Simmer the soup for 3 minutes before ladling into bowls.
14. Top each soup with a sprinkle of goat cheese and fried basil and serve hot.

I found this recipe on http://spoonforkbacon.com/2011/10/creamy-roasted-tomato-basil-soup/  

Chicken Tikka Masala

We love this dish, but it's just not Bombay House.

I'll give it 4 stars.  I wish I could get the Bombay House recipe.

Ingredient list:

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp minced dry minced garlic (2 tsp fresh)

1 tsp Garam Masala (find it as a McCormick Gourmet Collection spice)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, it you like it hot)

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, onion, and lemon juice; cook and stir 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.  Add all of the spices except red pepper; cook and stir 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes until well mixed.  Stir cream into cornstarch and salt until smooth.  Gradually stir into skillet.   Stir in red pepper to taste, if desired.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low; stirring frequently, simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Serve with cooked rice and naan bread.

I found this recipe on the McCormick Chicken Tikka Masala spice packet.

Chicken Burritos

We liked this so I'll give it 4 stars.  My 5 year old wouldn't touch it though.  

It was a cheese quesadilla  for him as usual.

I found this recipe on the Crockin Girls site, but modified it a bit.

The link is http://crockingirls.com/recipes/chicken-soft-tacos/

Ingredients list:
Chicken breast (I used about 4 large breasts and it was pretty juicy, I could have used more)
1 Taco seasoning mix packet
1 Cup frozen corn
1 Can black beans, drained
1 Can Rotel (I used Western Family)

Combine corn, black beans, rotel, and taco seasoning.

Spray crock pot with cooking spray and place chicken in crock pot.

Pour mixture over the chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

After 6 hours remove chicken and shred.  Place back in crock pot and mix.

Let cooks in juice another hour or so.

Serve on warm tortillas with shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

It was suggested to try this over rice.  I tried it for lunch the next day.  

I was OK, but I thought it much better in the tortillas.

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers

Oops, it's sideways.  Anyway, I like to marinate meat in a ziplock bag because it seems to really cover all of the meat.  Much better than doing it in a dish, in my opinion.  I let this marinate for 3-4 hours and that seemed to be enough.

Got them on some cheap metal skewers that I found at Target.  The cilantro sticks right to it for when you grill it.

Just off the grill.  Turned out really well.  I'm giving this 5 stars!  You can taste all the flavors well.
Even the 5 yr old ate it and liked it.  But if you tell him there's honey in it, he'll eat it.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

juice of one lime

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 teaspoon Siracha

red pepper flakes, to taste

2 tablespoon cilantro

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine your ingredients, through the cilantro. Mix thoroughly.

Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear.

Another Pinterest item linked to http://www.kitchenmeetsgirl.com/uncategorized/honey-lime-chicken-skewers/

Crock Pot Fajitas

Slice up your vegetables and put them in
the bottom of a sprayed  crock pot.

Place chicken on top and sprinkle with spices

Here it is 8 hours later.

Shred or cut up chicken and put back in the pot.
This is VERY juicy.  I don't know that I'll add the
chicken broth next time.

This was pretty good, but again, super juicy.  The best thing is that it's really easy.  I'm just a crock pot fan.  I like not having to cook in the hot, hectic part of the day.  This will probably get 4 stars.  The 5 year old didn't eat it, but he won't eat tacos or fajitas anyway.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas 

1 yellow onion, sliced

3 sweet peppers, sliced

1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs

½ cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cumin

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

Squirt of lime juice

Tortillas

Fajita fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on High for 4-6 hours). When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

From Pinterest of course, linked to http://www.stacymakescents.com/fix-and-forget-friday-crock-pot-chicken-fajitas

 

Honey Glazed Chicken Tenderloin

Worst Picture Ever!!  Sorry.  Didn't realize it was blurry until it was gone.
This definitely gets 5 stars!!  Oh it was so, so yummy.  We'll make it again for sure.
My 5 yr old ate it when we put extra honey on the chicken.  He's a little picky.  Then he loved it too.

A delicious honey glazed chicken tenderloin (Cracker Barrel copycat recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless chicken breast tenders
• 1/2 cup Zesty Italian dressing
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

1. Mix dressing, lime juice and honey in a large resealable bag or container.
2. Add the chicken. Marinate for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
3. In a large non-stick skillet over med/high heat, add the entire mixture with chicken to the pan.
4. Braise chicken on all sides until golden but not dry.(Do this until most of the liquid has evaporated out which is why it has a dark color)

Again, I found this on Pinterest and it linked me to http://ahensnest.com/2011/08/cracker-barrel-grilled-chicken-tenderloin-recipe.html

Mexican Pizza

I'll give this 4 stars.  Everyone really liked it.  Even my 5 yr old ate it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef (I used some kind of steak I think - my brain can't remember right now)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat 2 pie plates with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place beef, onion and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until beef is evenly browned. Drain off grease. Season the meat with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Lay one tortilla in each pie plate, and cover with a layer of refried beans. Spread half of the seasoned ground beef over each one, and then cover with a second tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
4. Remove the plates from the oven, and let cool slightly. Spread half of the salsa over each top tortilla. Cover each pizza with half of the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. Place half of the tomatoes, half of the green onions, and half of the jalapeno slices onto each one.
5. Return the pizzas to the oven, and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly before slicing each one into 4 pieces.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, which linked me to http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jimmys-mexican-pizza/detail.aspx

Sickness Break

So, as you can see I took a break from posting for a few months.  I found out in February that I was pregnant!  Yay!!  But, I found out because I noticed the extreme sickness that hit me.  I couldn't look at or eat food for months.  I couldn't even look at Pinterest because of all the food posts that would make me sick to look at.  It's now May and I finally feel like I can eat, and maybe cook, again.  My energy level is still pretty low so we'll see how many meals I really make.  I've got something cooking today so here we go...

My new goal is to find freezer meals to make.  I think I'm going to try to make several meals to freeze before the baby comes so that my family can eat once the baby's here.  We know how much gets done when a new baby comes home.

Vegetable Beef Soup for the slow cooker

OK this was your basic Vegetable Beef Soup.  I'll make it again.
Everyone liked it.  The 4 yr old kind of ate it.  The stew beef was REALLY tender.
I think that's the advantage of making this in the slow cooker instead of the traditional way.

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat, cut into 1/2 “cubes

1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, do not drain

3 cups water

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 medium onions, diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

3 beef bouillon cubes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables or soup vegetables

Directions

1. In a slow cooker, combine everything except the frozen vegetables.

2. Cook for about 6 hours on high.

3. Add frozen vegetables and finishing cooking for another 2 hours.

Here's the link:

http://cullyskitchen.com/slow-cookercrock-pot-vegetable-beef-soup-recipe/

Baked Chicken Fajitas

Baked Chicken Fajitas

I'll give this 4 stars!
Tastes just like the regular fajitas but you don't have to stand there getting  hot oil splashed on you and you don't have to use as much oil (there's a little in the seasoning).  Everyone really liked it, except the 4 yr old that says chicken puts gold in his throat (if only that were true).  There was a lot of juice in the bottom from the vegetables, but it kept the chicken really moist.  I'll make this again.

adapted from Taste of Home Magazine
serves 4 – 6

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes (we sliced up fresh tomatoes)
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 T vegetable oil
2 t. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.
2. In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
3. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
4. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, homemade salsa, and warmed tortillas. Enjoy!!

Here's the link to my find-

http://eatinonthecheap.com/2011/03/24/my-thoughts-on-food-magazines-and-baked-chicken-fajitas/

Los Hermanos Style Salsa

I love Los Hermanos Salsa!
This was pretty close, but not exact.  I'll definitely make it again.
I took it to a baby shower and it was gone.  Everyone seemed to like it.

How you make it -

 1 can (28 ounce) Whole Tomatoes with Juice (I use tomatoes from my garden that I bottled)

2 cans (10 ounce) Rotel Tomatoes (original is kind of spicy so if you want it mild, buy the "mild" version)

1/4 cup chopped onion (that left quite an onion after-taste so I think I'll go with less next time)

1 clove garlic

1 whole Jalapeno, quartered and sliced thin (I did 1/2 with no seeds because it was an extra hot one)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 cup cilantro

juice from 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients in food processor, pulse to desired consistency. Refrigerate at least one hour to blend flavors.  I left it overnight to make sure the flavors were really blended.

Here's where I found it, although there are several sites with similar recipes.  

http://cgharris.blogspot.com/2010/05/salsa-quick.html

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches for the slow cooker

5 Stars
We like bbq meat sandwiches.  This time we did chicken and I used a recipe I found online.
It turned out really well.  My 4 yr old ate about 1/3 of the sandwich, which is a success I guess.

Ingredients

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


Directions

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

This is SO easy and SO good. I toasted the buns and we put cheddar cheese slices on the sandwiches too. Actually, some of us like to put potato chips on our sandwich too :)

Link to where I got it:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zesty-slow-cooker-chicken-barbecue/detail.aspx

Cilantro Lime Salsa Chicken - for the slow cooker

Hmm, maybe 3 1/2 stars.
Pretty good.  It's salsa chicken on rice and tastes like salsa & chicken on rice, with a hint of lime.  I may make it again.

Just a shot of it as I started the slow cooker.  

In a slow cooker, mix together:
One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional)

Add 4-6 boneless chicken breast halves to the slow cooker and coat with the salsa mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours.


Here's the link:
http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2011/11/18/slow-cooker-cilantro-lime-chicken.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PipEbby+%28Pip+%26+Ebby%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Dillweed Potato Broccoli Soup

5 Stars!  I love this soup!
I've made it many times for my family and for parties and everyone loves it.
I think it's the dill that we love, I don't know.

Here it is as the vegetables cook

Once it was finished my 13 yr old suggested putting bacon in.  I didn't have any on hand, but that is good in this soup.
I've had men mention the lack of meat so you could cook some sausage or hamburger to go in it too.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups diced onions

4 cups diced potatoes

3 cups broccoli

2 carrots, shredded

3 cups water - or more to cover cooking vegetables

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp dried dillweed

3 cups milk

1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instant potatoes (optional to thicken the soup)

In a large saucepan, melt the butter.  Saute the onions until golden.  Add potatoes, broccoli, carrots, water, salt, pepper, and dillweed.  Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 25 mins).  Stir in milk, cheese, and parsley and heat until hot.  If you want a thicker soup, stir in some instant potato flakes or buds during the last few mins of cooking, but BE CAREFUL because it will thicken after a few minutes and you don't want mashed potato soup (I did that once, oops).

Arroz Con Pollo

I think I'll go 3 stars on this.  It was good.  My 4 yr old wouldn't touch it though.
My 13 yr old found it in his foods class and wanted me to try making it, so I did.
I guess that this is a recipe that is done a little differently depending upon which country you are in.
I saw a few different versions, but I had everything to make this version.

Here it is on the plate.  I'll say this was a little too spicy, but I did use diced tomatoes with green chilies.  I could have used regular diced tomatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 broiler-fryer chicken, about 2 1/2-3 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of chicken thighs or breasts, bone-in, with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup of flour for dredging
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Paprika

Rice
2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups* chicken stock
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes, strained
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt
*Check the instructions on the rice package for the proportions of liquid to rice. They can range from 1:1 to 2:1. If your rice calls for 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, then for this recipe, use 4 cups of stock for 2 cups of rice.

Cooking directions:
1 Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet (a skillet that has a cover) on medium high heat. Put the flour in a wide bowl, mix in a generous sprinkling of salt, pepper, and paprika. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in the flour mixture and put in the pan to brown. (You can skip the flour dredging part if you want. It just makes a nicer coating for the chicken.) Cook a few minutes on each side, just enough so that the chicken has browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove from pan and set aside.

2 Add the rice to the pan to brown. Add a little more olive oil if necessary. Stir first to coat the rice with the olive oil in the pan. Then don't stir too much or you will prevent it from browning. Let it brown and then stir a little to let more of it brown. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook the onion, garlic and rice mixture, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes.


3 Place the chicken pieces, skin-side up, on top of the rice. In a separate bowl, mix together the stock, tomato, salt, and oregano. Pour the stock mixture over the rice and chicken. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover. Let cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package, until the rice and chicken are done. Fluff the rice with a fork. If you want you can sprinkle with some peas. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6.



Here is the link to the recipe online:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/arroz_con_pollo/