Chicken Taquitos

It is SO hard for me to get decent pictures of ...dinner :/  There is no natural light left by the time we eat and I am usually slightly shaky when I try to take pictures because I am starving :)

I made these taquitos for dinner last night and my boys told me they were the best taquitos they had EVER eaten!  I have actually made taquitos quite a few times, but apparently not as good as these!

Taquitos are actually pretty simple to make.  For me, the worst part is just rolling and frying....but really that is simple too.  Actually the worst part may be shredding the chicken....but you can always use your mixer to shred your meat and then that part is super easy too.

I fry mine in a frying pan with with about 1/2 inch of oil in it over medium heat.  I add freshly rolled taquitos toward the front and then roll them(1/4 turns) toward the back of the pan and remove when all sides are fried.

When I made these last night, a few of my boys were at basketball practice....so to keep them warm, I put them in the oven(after I had let them drain off any extra grease onto a paper towel) pre-heated to 250 degrees to keep them warm until we were ready to eat.  

Usually when I make taquitos I only use corn tortillas, but last night we did corn and flour.  My boys LOVED the flour ones.  The flour tortillas don't get quite as crispy as the corn tortillas.  I always warm my corn tortillas(5-10 at a time) on a plate under a damp paper towel in the microwave for ~30 seconds.  When you do this, the tortillas are much easier to roll...and they don't crack and break as easy.  We love to eat our with sour cream, salsa and chopped avocado.

Chicken Taquitos

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 T chili powder

1/8 t onion powder

1/8 t crushed red pepper

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t garlic salt

1/2 t black pepper

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

corn/flour tortillas

canola oil

Directions:  Mix all of the spices together and set aside.  Place 2 chicken breasts into a crock pot, sprinkle spice mixture onto chicken.  Cook chicken on low for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Shred chicken and mix together with the shredded cheese.  Place some chicken mixture onto one edge of the tortilla.  Roll chicken up in the tortilla and fry.  

I fry mine in a frying pan with with about 1/2 inch of oil in it over medium heat.  I add freshly rolled taquitos toward the front and then roll them(1/4 turns) toward the back of the pan and remove when all sides are fried.

I always warm my corn tortillas(5-10 at a time) on a plate under a damp paper towel in the microwave for ~30 seconds.  When you do this, the tortillas are much easier to roll...and they don't crack and break as easy.  

We love to eat our with sour cream, salsa and chopped avocado.

Raspberry Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

I've posted about these rolls before, but thought I'd do an updated post with a few more pictures.  I LOVE these rolls!!  A few years ago my sister bought me a raspberry roll from Old Grist Mill Bread Company in Utah.  It was SO delicious!!  I couldn't wait to make some similar rolls of my own.

I use my (2 loaf) bread recipe for the roll dough. 

After you mix your dough and let it rise until doubled,  Roll it out into a rectangle approximately 20 inches by 15 inches(I think mine was actually 16 inches).

Next, you will spread 3 Tablespoons of butter(melted) onto the dough.  Then you add the SEEDLESS raspberry jam on top of the butter.  You want to cover it leaving about 1 inch on the long edge you will be rolling the rolls to, so that you have a clean edge to 'pinch' the dough closed when you roll it.  A thin layer of jam will do, if you add too much jam it will be hard to keep your 'clean' edge clean when you start rolling.....does that make sense?  Now...roll your rectangle toward you...long edge toward long edge and 'seal' the edge.  I didn't get a picture of it rolled, but I'm sure you know what it should look like...a big log :)  Cut into 15 rolls ~3/4-1 inch thick.  Oops....I didn't measure very well and had one extra.  I was going to leave it out, but I just couldn't waste it.  So, do better than I did and cut 15 ;)  Cutting gets MESSY....I just collected any jam that came out as I was cutting and put it back on top of the rolls on the pan.

Place rolls onto a large baking sheet 3 x 5.  Let rise until doubled, 30-45 minutes. 

When the rolls have risen, place them into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  Mine where in the oven for 28 minutes.

Baked and ready for some cream cheese frosting.

Raspberry Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 package yeast(2 1/4 teaspoon)

1/3 cup oil

1/2 T salt

1 egg

4-5 cups flour

Filling:

3 Tablespoons butter(melted)

Seedless raspberry jam

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

~1/4 cup evaporated milk (more or less depending on desired consistency)

1 pound powdered sugar.  

Directions:

In mixer combine yeast, sugar, and warm water; let grow until bubbly(about 5 minutes). Add milk and mix.  Slowly add 2 cups flour, mix and then add salt.  Mix in oil and egg.  Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until it comes away from side of bowl.  I continue to 'mix' my bread in my mixer(with bread hook or attachment) for 5-6 minutes to 'knead' it.  Let rise in mixing bowl, until doubled for about 30 minutes. 

Next, you will spread 3 Tablespoons of butter(melted) onto the dough.  Then you add the SEEDLESS raspberry jam on top of the butter, I use a rubber spatula to spread it.  You want to cover it leaving about 1 inch on the long edge you will be rolling the rolls to, so that you have a clean edge to 'pinch' the dough closed when you roll it.  A thin layer of jam will do, if you add too much jam it will be hard to keep your 'clean' edge clean when you start rolling.....does that make sense?  Now...roll your rectangle toward you...long edge toward long edge and 'seal' the edge.  I didn't get a picture of it rolled, but I'm sure you know what it should look like...a big log :)  Cut into 15 rolls ~3/4-1 inch thick.  Cutting gets MESSY....I just collected any jam that came out as I was cutting and put it back on top of the rolls on the pan.  Cover and allow rolls to rise until doubled 30-45 minutes(I cover mine with plastic wrap(sprayed with cooking spray) and then a tea towel).  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

While the rolls are cooking, combine frosting ingredients and beat until smooth.

I like to frost my rolls soon after they come out of the oven, while still hot, so that the frosting seeps down into all of the layers.

Bread - 2 Loaves

I love homemade bread....I really love 'fresh' homemade bread.  My other white bread recipe makes 5-6 loaves of bread.  We don't eat that much bread before it starts to feel 'old' to me.  So I have started using my roll recipe and it is perfect for 2 loaves of bread.  I have been making this recipe once, sometimes twice a week and it has been perfect!!

One day I was making bread....and I forgot about it.  I let it rise for too long....so...it didn't look pretty.  But, my boys said it was the best bread they had ever eaten.  It might have been because it was nice and hot and they were starving :)

haha....not pretty, but still delicious!!

I am going to copy my roll recipe below, but change the directions for the bread.

Bread - 2 Loaves

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

1/3 cup sugar

1 package yeast(2 1/4 teaspoon)

1/3 cup oil

1/2 T salt

1 egg

4-6 cups flour

Directions: In mixer combine yeast, sugar, and warm water; let grow until bubbly(about 5 minutes). Add milk and mix.  Slowly add 2 cups flour, mix and then add salt.  Mix in oil and egg.  Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until it comes away from side of bowl.  I continue to 'mix' my bread in my mixer(with bread hook or attachment) for 5-6 minutes to 'knead' it.  Let rise in mixing bowl, until doubled for about 30 minutes. Form into 2 loaves and place into greased bread pans. Let rise until doubled again for an additional 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Brush hot bread with melted butter.

What we ate....Menu #3

This past week was busy!!  I had my menu planned and things got moved around all over the place.  A few things are being moved from last week to this week and some we will move to next month :)

Below is what we ate this week....

Monday:  Chicken Burritos

Tuesday:  Tacos....Taco Seasoning

Wednesday:  Bagel w/ cream cheese and ham

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday:  Date night for a family member's birthday

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza

Sunday:  Leftovers...again:)

Saturday we also made Cinnamon Pull-apart Bread...mmmm....SO delish!!  I will share the recipe for this later this week.

Baked Potato Skins

My son is taking a cooking/sewing class in junior high.  He missed class one day, so he got to make these for our family at home.  He made these for us with very little help or instruction from me :)  They are easy and we loved them!!

Baked Potato Skin

Ingredient:

4 baked potatoes

3 T oil

1 T grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t garlic powder

1/4 t paprika

1/8 t pepper

4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 c sour cream

1 sliced green onion

Directions:  Cut potatoes in half lengthwise;  scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use).  Place potatoes skins on a greased baking sheet.  Combine oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, garlic powder, paprika and pepper;  **brush over both sides of skins.  Bake at 475 degrees for 7 minutes;  turn.  Bake until crisps, about 7 more minutes.  Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins.  Bake 2 minutes loner or until the cheese is melted.  Top with sour cream and onions.  Serve immediately.

**We found it easier to dip the potatoes into the oil mixture, rather than brushing it on the potato.

What we ate....Menu #2

Super quick post today.  I meant to post this earlier, but when the kids are out of school....I don't get much computer time.  We are usually busy doing other things, or one of the kids is on the computer.

Our Menu Last Week

Monday:  Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
Tuesday:  Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas (our new 'to us' recipe this week)
Wednesday:  Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili with Boston Market Cornbread
Thursday:  Black Beans, Rice, Tortillas with Cojita Cheese
Friday:  Spaghetti with Cheesy Garlic Bread
Saturday:  Leftovers
Sunday:  French Toast with  Buttermilk Syrup and Jalapeno Bacon

We also made some yummy Rolo Cookies

We were going to have leftovers on Thursday, but we didn't have any leftovers.  So we had our quick, super easy go-to dinner of rice and beans.  I had planned to make Crock Pot Cheese Tortellini Soup for dinner Saturday, but we had leftovers instead.  Sunday we had planned to have Buttermilk Waffles and bacon, but my husband went a little crazy when he bought the French Bread for Friday's dinner....so it was French toast instead :)

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

I love cooking in the crock pot!!  When I saw this recipe at Cooking Classy, I couldn't wait to try it.  I left out the ground coriander and added chopped jalapeno.  

I cooked mine on low for 5 hours and then shredded the chicken.  The vegetables get quite soft, if you cook them for the full time.  I didn't mind them so soft, but if you like them to have a little bite, you could probably keep them out and add them the last hour or two of cooking.  I thought the flavor was great and our family all loved them!!

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts halved

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 of each red, orange and green bell pepper, sliced

1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

3/ tsp pepper

2 Tb fresh lime juice

1 Tb honey

For serving:  flour tortillas, sour cream, cheese, salsa, chopped avocado

Directions:  Pour half of the canned tomatoes into the bottom of a crock pot and spread into an even layer.  Add half of the peppers and half of the onions and garlic.  Top with chicken breasts.

In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.  Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder.  Top with the rest of the tomatoes and then peppers and onions.

Cover and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.  I cooked mine on low for 5 hours and then shredded the chicken.  (The vegetables get quite soft, if you cook them for the full time.  I didn't mind them so soft, but if you like them to have a little bite, you could probably keep them out and add them the last hour or two of cooking...on low).  If you want your chicken to be a little more 'firm' so that you can slice it instead of shred it, don't cook as long....but make sure that the chicken is cooked completely!

Remove chicken and cut into strips or shred.  Ladle out 1 cup of the juice from the crock pot and discard.  In small bowl whisk together lime juice and honey and add to the crock pot along with the chicken.  Season with additional salt to taste, if desired.  Gently toss together.  Serve warm in warmed tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa and chopped avocados.

Recipe slightly adapted from:  Cooking Classy

Chop an Avocado

Today I am going to show you how I chop an avocado...and maybe this is a totally stupid blog post.  Does everyone already chop avocados this way?  Probably, but I thought maybe someone would find it useful. 

We REALLY love avocados at our house and eat them quite often.  I used to cut them in half, spoon each half onto my cutting board and then chop.  Then, I didn't want to dirty another dish(my cutting board), so I just would just cut it in half and squeeze each half into a bowl and then kind of chop it with a fork.  That was great, but had bigger chunks or turned into guacamole.

So now, I cut the avocado in the shell/skin/peel(?).  I cut lines going each direction(be sure not to cut through the outer skin) and then just squeeze the pieces into a bowl.  Works great for us and it is easy to serve and share!

Mexican pizza and this weeks menu

One of my goals for this year is to do better with menu planning....when I say do better, I mean actually start menu planning.  Several years ago I would plan my menu out a month at a time, it is SO nice to have a menu plan.  Most of the time I enjoy cooking....but I really dread trying to decide what to make for dinner everyday and find that I make the same things over and over.  I also find myself going to the grocery store nearly everyday when I don't have a plan.

I am going to try to plan for 6 meals with one night for leftovers.  I am going to try a new recipe(to us) each week.  

I am going to share my menu for the previous week here with you.  You can see how boring we are :) ...and maybe get some ideas for dinner at your house.

I am sharing last weeks menu, so I can share our new recipe of the week with you and let you know how it went. 

Menu:

Monday:  Chicken Enchiladas

Tuesday:  Mexican Pizza (recipe below)

Wednesday:  Steak Bites, Pasta w/ browned butter and Parmesan Cheese, and veggies

Thursday:  Leftovers

Friday:  Breakfast Burritos

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza

SO....Saturday night we ended up eating frozen pizza and bell peppers.  Just didn't have time for homemade pizza and 2 of the boys were at friends parties....

The Mexican pizza was a huge hit and will definitely be added to the rotation on a frequent basis!

I found this recipe at Domestic Superhero.  She has great step-by-step pictures.  My family really LOVED this dinner!!

Mexican Pizza

Ingredients(for 5 medium size pizzas):

10 medium flour tortillas

~2 cans refried beans...canned from the store or make your own

1 small can red enchilada sauce (I used Macayo's brand), I only used ~1/2 small can for 5 pizzas

cheese

diced tomatoes

avocado

sour cream

Directions:  Adjust your ingredients depending on how many pizzas you will be making.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Heat your tortillas on a griddle or skillet until they get crispy, turn them frequently so they don't burn.  Spread a layer of beans on half of the tortillas, top with the other half.  Spread a layer of enchilada sauce on the top tortilla and sprinkle with cheese and diced tomatoes.  Place pizzas on baking sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes.  I had my pizzas on 2 large baking sheets and rotated the pans at 5 minutes.  I baked my for 10 minutes and then put them under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese.  I served my with sour cream and diced avocado.

What are you making for dinner this week?  Please share ideas with me in the comments :)