Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Our newest favorite recipe is Teriyaki Chicken Salad.  Super easy - great for leftovers - and very yummy!  

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

4 chicken breasts

2 cups teriyaki sauce

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

salt to taste

Cook chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce in crock pot until tender.  Let chicken cool then shred.  Add mayonnaise, almonds, garlic powder and salt.  Stir and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  Serve on croissants, bread, crackers, or with salad.

Baked Chicken Flautas

Baked Chicken Flautas (Taquitos) 

Ingredients:

1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2)

16 ounces chicken broth

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon cayenne peppers

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

4-6 burrito-size flour tortillas (9 inches)

6 ounces shredded cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil or cooking spray

Salsa and sour cream for serving

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Put the chicken in a deep sided saute pan and cover with broth and water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred. 

3.  Mix together chicken and seasonings.

4.  Cut the tortillas in half.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chicken along the long edge of a tortilla.  Repeat with cheese.  Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

5.  Brush the flautas with olive oil or spray with cooking spray.  Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Serve with salsa and sour cream. 

I made this recipe for the family last week and we loved it!!!  Its an adaptation of this receipe from healthy-delicious.com.  Dave went back for seconds.  The leftovers reheated really well too.  This may be a recipe to try freezing too.  Try it out!

Conni's Banana Bread Recipe

We were driving to the grocery store Saturday and Conni said she wanted to make some banana bread.  I told her I would have to find a recipe because I didn't know how to make it.  Her response: "Mom, that's silly!  I know how to make it!"

Luckily I was making notes on our grocery list so I flipped it over and wrote down Conni's recipe for banana bread.  

Conni's Banana Bread

some bananas

2 eggs

a little love

then mix it all up

put it in the oven for twenty minutes

"Mom - I will make a cookbook for you so you can remember it."

Dave could hardly drive we were laughing so hard.  It was adorable!!  I love my bug!!!

Cafe Rio Salads

These recipes are gathered from various sites/people to make the Cafe Rio Salads the way my family enjoys them.

Cafe Rio Chicken:
5 lbs chicken
1 cup Zesty Italian dressing
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon lime juice

Add chicken, dressing, garlic, and chili powder to crock pot. Cook low 8 hours. Shred chicken. Return chicken to crock pot. Add cilantro and lime. Keep warm until serving.

Dressing:
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix (NOT buttermilk)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 tomatillas
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Add all ingredients to blender. Mix till creamy. Refrigerate to thicken until serving.

Rice:
4 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups white rice
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
Juice and zest of 2 large or 4 small limes
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin

In a skillet, melt butter with rice. Add liquid and other ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve everything on tortillas warmed in a skillet. Top with chopped romaine lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, etc.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Ingredients:

Cookies:

2 (18 ounce) boxes devil's food cake mix

4 eggs, beaten well

2/3 cup oil

Frosting:

1 stick butter

1/4 cup milk

approx 4 cups powdered sugar

1 cap full vanilla

Directions:

Cookies:

Mix cake mix, eggs and oil together well.

Shape into marble sized balls.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They are done when the tops looked cracked.

Frosting:

Cream butter.

Add vanilla.

Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.

Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

When cookies are completely cooled, frost the flat side of one cookie and then sandwich with another cookie.

Pampered Chef Recipes

I had a fantastically fun Pampered Chef party last night! Thanks to all the ladies who could make it. Here are the recipes that Shelly fixed for us.

Also, if you weren't able to come but you would like to place an order, go to www.pamperedchef.biz/shellynelsen. Just enter my name as the hostess and I will get credit for your order! The party closing date is 2/18.

Enjoy!



Colossal Chopped Salad

1 package uncooked penne or bowtie pasta (12-16 oz)
1 head romaine lettuce - thinly sliced
1 cup fresh broccoli - chopped
1 large carrot - cut into julienne strips
2 tomatoes - sliced or diced
1 can olives - drained and sliced
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian or Ranch salad dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Place on large platter or in large bowl. Add lettuce and top with remaining vegetables and olives. Drizzle dressing over top and toss pasta. Grate cheese on top and serve immediately. Makes 16 one cup servings.



Cherry Chocolate Brownie Squares

1 Package 19.8 oz Brownie mix (and ingredients for cake like brownies)
1 small jar maraschino cherries (no stems)
1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
2 tbs. powdered sugar
1 container cool whip (8 oz)
2 tbs milk chocolate chips or 1 small Hershey's candy bar

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix following cake like directions. Bake in Stoneware bar pan - spraying first with vegetable spray. (Or line bar pan with parchment paper and you don't need to spray. Be sure to leave enough parchment paper to go up the ends a little so you can lift it out of the pan when it's cool.) Bake for 28-30 min. Cool completely.

Place cream cheese in medium sized mixing bowl and allow to soften. Mix in powdered sugar. Pour juice from cherries in with cream cheese and mix until smooth. Chop cherries with food chopper (watch out its messy) add to cream cheese mixture. Add half of the cool whip and fold in gently. Fill Easy Accent Decorator with remaining cool whip. Spread cherry mix over cooled brownies. Slice into squares with pizza cutter. Top with cool whip on each square. (just use a spoon if you don't have an easy accent decorator.) Grate chocolate chips or candy bar over top using deluxe cheese grater.

Beef Taco Casserole

Our new favorite recipe:

(From Campbells)

Beef Taco Casserole

1 pound ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Salsa
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
1/2 cup slightly crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Cook beef in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until beef is well browned, stirring to break up meat. Pour off fat.
2. Stir soup, salsa, milk and rice into skillet. Spoon beef mixture into 1 1/2 quart casserole. Cover.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir.
4. Arrange chips around edge of casserole. Sprinkle with cheese.

So yummy!

Taco Soup

Here is the recipe for the Taco Soup that Michelle and Emily fixed at Sky Trials. I didn't think I would like it, but I was so cold I figured I could get some in me for warmth. Its really good! I can't wait to make it!

Thanks for sharing Michelle!

Taco Soup:

2-14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2-14.5 oz cans of kidney beans with juice
1-14.5 oz can of black beans with juice
1 pkg of taco seasoning
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef cooked
corn (whatever quantity you want to do)
salt and pepper
sour cream
fritos

Cook the beef and then just start adding everything into a pot and cook until everything is heated through. Put the taco seasoning in the soup mixture, don't mix it with the meat. It makes it too strong to do it that way. Easy and yummy!!

Lumberjacks (Ginger Snaps)

This is my MIL's recipe for Conni's favorite cookies.

Lumberjacks (Ginger Snaps)

1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
1 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add molasses and unbeaten eggs. Mix well. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in. Put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Dip fingers into the sugar, then pinch off a ball of dough and roll it to the size, shape of a walnut. Dip the rolled ball into the bowl of sugar. Place balls on greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. This recipe makes 4 dozen large soft cookies. The dough will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator.

Peanut butter and cheese sandwiches...

Many of you know that I am a pretty picky eater. It is getting better as I get older. But there is one weird thing that I love to eat - open face peanut butter and honey sandwiches, with grated chedder cheese on top. How did I come across this you say? Well, one day when I was young I was having a pb&h open face sandwich. My dad was slicing cheddar cheese and offered me some. A piece fell on my sandwich and I thought, "hmm, I wonder how they taste together?" An instant success!

Well, all those who know of this concoction have always looked at me a little weird. Yesterday, my almost-six-year-old nephew Brad asked what could he fix that had cheese on top. I suggested my sandwich. He said it sounded interesting, but he'd try it later. Well, come to find out, that's what his two little brothers Bronson and Bridger had for dinner last night - and they loved it! My sister is so thrilled. Well, they always say Bronson tends to take after me... :)

Conni's Pasta Salad

We're trying to expose Conni to new foods with different tastes and textures. Today she expressed great interest in the pasta salad I was making. She's had pasta before and liked it, so we gave her a taste of this one. Not too surprising, she enjoyed it - even with the italian dressing on it! She kept trying to put her hands in the bowl as I was mixing it so Dave sat down and fed her some. She also likes tomatoes and cucumbers.

We are so blessed that we have a good eater! If you want to try it, here's the recipe for the pasta salad. (It's not mine - I got it out of a ward cookbook Michelle gave me - thanks Michelle!)

Conni's Pasta Salad

1 package spiral pasta noodles (colorful)
1 bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 cucumber
1 can sliced olives
1-2 tomatoes
1 can cooked chicken

Cook pasta and let cool. Dice cucumber and tomatoes. Mix all ingredients together and add dressing as desired.

Broccoli and Pasta Bianco

From Campbell's:

Broccoli and Pasta Bianco

1 package (16 ounces) medium tube-shaped pasta (penne)
4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli flowerets
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used Cream of Chicken)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Add the broccoli during the last 4 minutes of the cooking time. Drain the pasta and broccoli well in a colander.
2. Stir the soup, milk and black pepper in a 12 x 8 x 2-inch shallow baking dish. Stir in the pasta mixture, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
3. Back at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot and the cheese melts.

Note - I didn't have the penne pasta so I used the random pasta I did have and it still tasted good.

Note 2 - We added some garlic to the leftovers to give it some pizazz and that made it even better!