Honey Lime Enchiladas

Sorry for not having a better picture!  I totally forgot to snap one until I went back for seconds!

I think this is the first meat meal we've made in a while and I'll tell ya what, it was so delicious!  I got the recipe from a friend who got it from The Sister's Cafe - a site I used to go to all the time before we went heart healthy.  They have some really great recipes on their site -- you should check them out!

This recipe is more on the healthy side, especially if you don't add cheese to the inside of the enchiladas.  We loved the taste of this dish - the sweetness was amazing and just a step above subtle.  Perfectly paired with the lime and everyone loved it.  I served this with rice and a side salad and was also able to prep the chicken a day before - which I think worked better to let the flavors mix and meld. It was a cinch to throw together, and it seems easy enough to double and freeze a second pan if you wished.

Honey Lime Enchiladas
Serves 5-6

• 1.5 lbs chicken - cooked and shredded (about 3 chicken breasts)
• 1/2 c honey
• 1/3 c lime juice
• 1 (heavy) T chili powder
• 3/4 t garlic powder
• 3 10oz cans green enchilada sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella and cheddar mixed, a cojack, or even a Mexican blend)
• flour tortillas (enchilada sized = smaller)
• enchilada toppings of your choice

--Mix together the honey, lime, chili powder and garlic.  Pour in half of the enchiladas sauce (1 and a half cans)  Add the shredded chicken and let it sit for at least  30 minutes to let the flavors get into the chicken.  I really feel that if you have the time, do this step the day before
--Spray a 9x13 pan and get ready to roll!
--Pour half of the remaining enchilada sauce into the bottom of the pan
--"Stuff" the tortillas with the shredded meat as much as you want and roll them as tight as you can.  Place in the pan until the pan is filled.  (I was able to get 10 hefty enchiladas in one pan using all the meat, but you may need an extra 8x8)
-- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the the rolls and now sprinkle the cheese on top
-- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 (until the cheese has bubbled and turned a lovely golden brown)

Hummus Coated Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

I made this for Drew's first birthday and it was great! I followed the directions to a tee and it turned out a little too lemon-y for us, so the directions below are what I will do next time. I think the extra drizzle of lemon juice at the end was a bit unnecessary as well as cooking the lemons on the chicken. Otherwise, it was a fabulous meal. The hummus was crusty on the outside and smooth and creamy underneath. The chicken was moist and tasty, and oh, and the rosemary, how could I forget!? It blended everything together beautifully! Serves 4

Hummus Coated Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 or 3 lemons
• 1 cup hummus - pre-made or homemade.
• 4 T dried rosemary
• generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar

--Coat chicken (I used some of Scot's latex gloves because using your hands is the easiest, if grossest, way) with hummus about 1/4 inch thick and place in baking dish.
--Cut lemon's in half and squeeze lemon juice on each coated chicken breast. I did almost an entire half on each breast.
-- Sprinkle the rosemary on and then generously drizzle the balsamic vinegar. Yes. Generous is good. Go on. Just let it flow....
--Bake for 30 minutes at 450.
--Garnish with slices of lemon.

(If this is not lemony enough for you, then bake the chicken with the lemon slices on)

White Cheddar, Wine & Roasted Garlic Pasta

With chicken. And broccoli. This was amazing. Amazingly easy, too. As long as you plan ahead and make the garlic paste, it's a cinch to whip together. I think it's also one of Scot's new favorites and may even have a spot on the "Top 10" list for him, but I'd have to double check on that. Essentially, it's a gourmet-ish mac n cheese with some chicken and broccoli thrown in, at least that's what I told my 2 year old. Nice enough to serve to guests but not labor intensive -- my kind of "guest" meal! Serve with a nice salad and some bread, put some candles on the table and justlikethat you're in your own little Italian restaurant. At least that's what we pretended last night. For about 5 minutes. Until the boys each wanted to sit in a lap and talk to Daddy. Serves 4

White Cheddar, Wine & Roasted Garlic Pasta8 oz. Penne

• 2 T butter
• ¼ cup roasted garlic paste (Wrap 2 heads of garlic (with the papery outer layer off and the top 1/4 cut off) in tin foil and bake for one hour at 350. Let cool and then squeeze roasted garlic goodness into a small bowl and smash with a fork.)
• 1½ T flour
• ¼ c white wine
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1 c shredded white cheddar cheese
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched until crisp-tender, OR, if you're in a hurry like me and don't have time to chop chop chop, one bag of frozen broccoli florets steamed
• 1 boneless/skinless chicken breast (2 halves), grilled or pan fried and cut into bite size pieces
• Grated Parmesan for the top (actually pictured!!!)

-- Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile...
--In a large saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the garlic paste. Stir about a minute. Add the flour and stir some more.
--Add the liquids, stirring constantly, and let it come to a simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
--Add the cheese and enjoy watching it melt before your eyes. Oh yes. Stir.
--Add in the chicken and broccoli and stir to coat.
--By now, your pasta should be done, so drain that and then add into the sauce as well.
--Dish 'er up and enjoy the delicate and yet intricate flavors!

White Wine Artichoke Chicken

This was such an easy meal to make! It's light and tasty, healthy and pretty. What more could you want? I have to say that a year ago I would not have tried this recipe due to the presence of the mushrooms. In the last few months, though, I've been trying to get over my aversion -- and I have to admit, I loved this meal because of the mushrooms. Crazy, I know. But true. I served this over rice and with a hearty portion of rosemary green beans on the side. Yum-o-licious!

White Wine Artichoke Chicken

• ½ cup flour
• 1 tsp. herbes de provence (or a combo of other dried herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme)
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cups sliced baby Bella mushrooms (1 carton)
• 1 (14 oz.) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained - I did more than this because I love artichokes so much
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• Grated Parmesan as garnish (not pictured, as usual)

-- Combine the flour and seasonings in a shallow dish and lightly coat chicken breasts
-- Transfer chicken breasts to a skillet with hot oil and pan fry them (8-10 minutes) until done
-- Meanwhile, slice mushrooms and drain artichokes.
-- When breasts are done, transfer to a plate and keep warm. As long as there is still a little oil left in the pan, dump the veggies right in. If not, add a little extra first.
-- Let veggies cook about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are all dark and little.
-- Mix the wine and broth together with 1 T of flour and pour in the skillet with the veggies. Stir and let thicken just a little - a couple minutes.
-- Transfer the chicken back into the skillet and coat with the sauce. Serve over rice with lots of sauce spooned on top! Oh yes, and don't forget the Parmesan!!

Orange Chicken Vegetable Soup

We love soups. I mean, we really love soups. Give us a hearty piece of bread and you wouldn't even know there had ever been anything in our bowls. Now that Evan is old enough to slurp up some soup, too, we pull out the bowls at least once a week. This soup is very subtle. It has hints of orange to compliment the vegetables and chicken. It's hearty enough to be a main dish and yet not creamy or heavy. It will be making a second appearance for sure.


Orange Chicken Vegetable Soup

1 Medium yellow onion, chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
4 Celery Stalks, sliced
3 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
2 ½ C. Chicken Broth
1 ½ C. Orange Juice
1 14 oz. Can Tomato Sauce (I used 2 8oz cans)
1 C. Water
1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chilies
1 Tbs. Chopped Cilantro
½ Bag Matchstick Carrots
2-3 Chicken Breasts

-- In a large pot sauté onion, garlic, celery, and carrots with oil until onions are translucent.
-- Add broth, orange juice, water, and tomato sauce, cilantro, and chilies and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add chicken here and let them cook in the amazing flavors.
-- Pull chicken out and shred (or cube) and add back to soup.


NOTE: Originally a "tortilla" soup with toppings like chips and cheese and sour cream, but we liked it better plain.

Braised Tarragon Chicken

I was appalled that this recipe wasn't up here all ready!! I could have sworn it was, but alas, you all have been missing out. I'm so sorry! This is one of my favorite dishes for chicken. The combination of the white wine and tarragon are a perfect pair. It's a very flavorful meal and it always turns out moist and tender. Mmm...so yum yum yum. I serve it on a bed of rice (sometimes with a little chicken broth substituted for some water), but you can serve it with whatever you have on hand for a starch! I just prefer the rice because it soaks up the "sauce" you drizzle over the chicken.

Braised Tarragon Chicken

• 4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 t chopped garlic
• 1 t dried tarragon leaves
• 1/2 c white wine
• 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 T Corn starch
• 1 t cold water
• 1/4 chopped fresh parsley or dried (to taste)

--Lightly brown chicken breasts (each side) in large skillet with a little oil, garlic, and tarragon
-- Stir in wine and broth. Cover and cook over medium for about 15 minutes or until done. Stir occasionally.
--In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Slowly add to chicken and stir until slightly thickened (you may not need all the cornstarch liquid) 3-5 minutes
--Sprinkle with parsley and serve

Parisian Chicken

I don't know where I got this recipe. It's on one of my old index cards that I had in college and I never tried it because of the mushrooms. But I've since gotten over my dislike for mushrooms (as long as they're disguised somehow) and so I was willing to give this a try. I think this is probably the single easiest chicken dish I have ever put together. Maybe BBQ Chicken or Catalina Cranberry Chicken are close competitors, but my goodness this is easy! As always, tasty, too! I used all 'light' ingredients, so it wasn't unhealthy considering it's a cream-based dish. Something I never do.

Parisian Chicken

• 6 chicken breasts or 3 big ones cut in half
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (98% fat free)
• 1 cup sour cream (light or fat free)
• 3/4 cup sherry or dry red wine

--Mix ingredients and pour over chicken
--Bake 75 minutes at 375
--Serve over rice with some extra sauce

Sesame-Ginger Chicken

This was a very easy meal to prepare and it was pretty tasty, too. It wasn't an "Oh my goodness, this is out of this world" amazing, but for how easy it was, it was really good. Tender, juicy, and flavorful. It's healthy, too! I served this with Angel Hair (my stand in for Asian noodles) and just drizzled extra 'sauce' over it all and yummo! Hearty salad and bread and you're in business!

Sesame-Ginger Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• Fresh ginger to taste (I used powdered - about 1 t I think)
• 2 large scallions (I used a small bunch) - chopped
• 1 T + 2 t sesame oil
• 2 t soy sauce (separated in half)
• 2 t sesame seeds for garnish (not pictured because I forgot until after the first bite)

--Mix ginger, scallions, 1 T sesame oil and 1 t soy sauce until paste like. Spread over chicken (make sure your chicken at this point is in a baking dish).
-- Mix the remaining oil and soy sauce together and drizzle over chicken.
-- Bake chicken uncovered for 15 minutes at 400. Cover with foil and bake another 15-25 minutes.
-- Sprinkle on sesame seeds and serve over noodles or rice.

Salsa Bean Chicken

This dish is pretty much the easiest thing ever. Really. Put everything in the crockpot and the just serve it over rice -- toss a salad and bingo, you have yourself a great meal that's healthy and tasty! I like to shred my chicken so it soaks up more of the yummy juice.

Salsa Bean Chicken

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 cup salsa (the thicker the better)
• 1 can black beans
• Cheese, shredded, for the top if you want

--Put chicken breasts in the crockpot.
--Dump the salsa and beans (undrained) on top.
--Cover and cook on high for 3 or 4 hours.


You can also choose to put it in tortillas instead. So versatile. Gotta love that!

Cheesy Mixed Vegetable Bake

I've had this recipe for a while but was quite hesitant for some time. I don't know why. But I'm now kicking myself. Not only was this a cinch to put together, but it was so tasty and Evan loved it just as much as we did! A great casserole for any one of the cold nights that's coming your way!! Serve with some hearty bread and you're good to go! (You can also make this a side if you take out the chicken)

Cheesy Mixed Vegetable Bake

• 1 (16oz) pkg frozen California blend vegetable - nuke them to speed things up
• 2 cups cooked cubed chicken
  
• 1 (4oz) can chopped pimentos - I used a whole marinated red pepper chopped up
• 1 (10 oz) can cream of celery soup - I used the 98% fat free kind
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 (3 oz) can French fried onions
• 1 cup shredded cheese - I used Co-Jack and it was great!

-- Mix veggies, chicken, 1/2 of the pimentos, soup, sour cream, 1/2 of the french onions, 1/2 of the cheese.
-- Pour into a great casserole dish (I used an 8x8)
--Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
-- Top with remaining onions and cheese. Bake for 5 more minutes.
-- Sprinkle remaining pimentos on top.

As a note, I put the onions, cheese and pimentos/peppers on top and baked it covered for the 20 minutes and just took the foil off at the end and let the cheese fully melt and the onions crisp up.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Or Happy Mountains. But I like the Hawaiian Haystack title better. This is a great crowd pleaser - especially when you're not sure what people like to eat. I've made it a few times now and every time I get rave reviews. Adults love it. Kids love it. It's pretty much just a bunch of random vegetables (and some fruit) thrown together. And it's delicious. What's not to love? This is a wonderful summer-time meal -- it's light and fresh and oh so tasty. I usually double it and then enjoy the left overs for lunch and dinner the following days. It's that good.

Hawaiian Haystacks

• 4-6 cups cooked rice
• 3 cups cooked and cubed chicken
• 2 cans cream of chicken coup - you can use the 98% Fat Free kind - doesn't affect the taste in the least!
  
• 1 cup chicken broth/stock
• 1 can pineapple tidbits (the liquid - about 1 cup - reserved for the sauce)
• Celery - sliced
• Carrots - sliced
• Tomatoes - diced
• Green onions - sliced
  
• Water chestnuts - sliced or diced
• Sliced almonds or peanuts
• Coconut (this is a must -- it totally makes the dish)
  
• Chow Mien Noodles
• Shredded Cheddar cheese

-- In a large sauce pan, bring the soup, chicken broth, and pineapple juice to a boil. Let simmer 10 minutes. Add the chunks of cooked chicken and heat through.
-- Meanwhile, put all the "toppings" into bowls.
-- To serve, just pile it on starting with the rice and then the chicken. **Note that once you pile everything on it's pretty big, so go easy on the rice and chicken

All set up for people to run through the line!

Zesty Chicken and Rice

I love crock-pot meals. Especially on Mondays when I devote the day to cleaning. The last thing I want to do Monday night is cook or clean dirtied kitchen. So I every Monday morning, I run to my crockpot with open arms! This past week I made a new dish and tweaked it a little according to what I had on hand, and it was great! I served it with a veggie and I was good to go! I also will tone down the spice next time I make this (and there will be a next time, let me assure you), but it must not have been too spicy because Evan it just fine. I'm just a wimp when it comes to spice.

Zesty Chicken and Rice

Serves:4 (Large Men)

• 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts (I used 2 small and quite a few tenderloins I had)
• 2 large bell peppers, coarsely chopped (I did mine in strips, but will shop next time)
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes - undrained
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup water
• 1 pkg dry Taco seasoning (I actually used Enchilada seasoning because it's what I had and it was wonderful!)
• 1 t ground red pepper
• 1 t cinnamon (I added this and loved it with the enchilada seasonings, but I wouldn't add it with the taco I don't think)
• S&P to taste
• Shredded cheese for the top (optional)

--Mix it all (except the cheese, of course) up and set on High for 4 hours! Top with the cheese


NOTE: I put everything in frozen. The chicken and the bell peppers at least (I had planned on making this a while back but didn't, so I was forced to cut the peppers and freeze them, but it worked out great!)

Chicken Parmesan

So Chicken Parmesan was one of those meal that I always wanted to make, but never had a really good recipe for. Well, no longer. This is healthy and easy and ooooh so tasty. Originally a Sisters Cafe recipe, I use their "healthy" version. The sauce is what sets this Chicken Parmesan apart from other recipes. It's chunky and slightly sweet and absolutely bursting with the flavors of all the herbs! Even if you have a go-to Chicken Parmesan recipe, I hope you'll give this one a try!

Chicken Parmesan

For the sauce:

• 2 Tb olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped (approx 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 cans Italian diced tomatoes
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  

For the chicken:

• 1-2 lbs chicken breasts
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese (Or I just get the bag of Italian shredded cheese - it's Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano all together)

--For the sauce: Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onions are tender and transparent. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 10 minutes.
--Meanwhile: Place the chicken in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle the cheese on to your desired taste. Pour the sauce over, cover, and bake for 40 minutes at 350.
--Top with shredded Parmesan (not pictured because I forgot to do it until after I took a few bites!)

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

I got this recipe last week from The Sisters' Cafe -- if you've been there recently, you'll see that it was just put up -- anyway, I tried it the other night and it was fantastic! It was so easy to just throw together and let it cook all day. I think next time I'll drain at least one, if not two cans of tomatoes (I tripled it because it's SO easy to freeze!), it was just a little too runny for us, but the taste was amazing! If you don't have little kids around (or kids who like heat), bump the spice up! Serve it over tortilla chips (or in tortillas!) with black beans, sour cream, cheese, lettuce -- whatever!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 (14-ounce) can petite or regular diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

--Place the chicken (frozen or thawed) in the crockpot.
--Mix the other ingredients up and pour over.
--Cook on high for 4 hours or until done. Shred and return to crockpot for just a little bit.

I was thinking that I could probably do this in the oven, drain the tomatoes, and serve the breasts whole with a fun side...I'd be interested to hear if someone tries that! :)

Spinach Artichoke Mac 'n' Cheese

Since my last adventure with home made mac 'n' cheese, I have been keeping my eye out for another twist on the homey comfort food. And here I found one! Originally a Rachel Ray recipe, I tweaked it a little per some suggestions of a gal who recommended it - and it was fantastic! I added sun dried tomatoes and chunks of cooked chicken - YUM!! Next time, I think I'll add a little more artichokes just because I love them so much, but other than that, this recipe is good as-is!

Spinach Artichoke Mac 'n' Cheese

• 1 pound whole wheat penne
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - I used a solid Tablespoon minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups milk
• Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
• 1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry
• 1 can artichokes - drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes - chopped
• chunks of cooked chicken - about 1 - 2 cups I think is what I used
• Black pepper
• 2 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese - I used a Monterrey Jack this time and it was great. I may use a Sharp White Cheddar in the future
• 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese - I used this with a little mozzarella thrown in

--Cook the pasta as directed.
--Saute the onions and garlic in a large skillet with a little olive oil until tender and fragrant
--Whisk in the flour and then the wine. Turn heat to med-high
--Add the milk and wait for it to bubble a little.
--Add the nutmeg, spinach, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, chicken and pepper. Heat through.
--Add 1.5 cups of each cheese and stir until melted. Enjoy just looking at the creamy, colorful mixture in front of you!
--Stir in the pasta and mix well.
--Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
--Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

A better, more colorful, view

White Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite soup recipes. I actually forgot I had it until the other day when my mom suggested I make it for them when they were up for dinner. Thanks, mom! It's easy and it uses cinnamon! I have yet to find another white chicken chili recipe that uses cinnamon in, and since I like the spice in and of itself, and I also happen to like little twists to common recipes, I love this recipe.

White Chicken Chili

• 1 onion - chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
  
• 3-4 chicken breasts - cooked and cubed or shredded (if there's time, you can cook them in the soup, take them out, and then cube or shred before adding back in!)
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 t (or a little more) cinnamon
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 3 can Cannelloni beans
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups shredded Monterrey/Jack cheese for topping

--Saute onion and garlic in stock pot. Add chilies, spices, and chicken if already cooked and cubed/shredded. Heat through.
--Add chicken broth and 2 cans of beans, start to heat to a boil. (Add raw chicken here if you have the time to let it cook in the soup. This is my favorite way to do it!)
--Meanwhile, puree the last can of beans before adding it to the soup.
--Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
--Serve topped with cheese and your favorite bread!

This is also a very easy crock-pot soup!

Mediterranean Chicken Stew

I made this last night and it was a great hit. Like most recipes, I will end up tweaking this one just a little bit, but like always, I will reflect those changes in my directions. This recipe came from my Everyday Food cookbook and was very fun to make, and since I had the time while my 18 month old was sleeping, I prepped it way ahead of time which cut down on actually cooking time by a bit. This is served over Polenta and was oh so yummy!

Mediterranean Chicken Stew

• 4 chicken breasts - cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves - minced (I just used a heaping tablespoon of the pre-minced stuff and it was fine)
• 1 can chickpeas - rinsed and drained
• 4 plum tomatoes - cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2 cups) I was heavy handed with these babies
• Kalamata olives - chopped The original recipe says 2 T worth (about 5), I doubled it last night and still found it wanting. Next time, I'm using about 20 olives I think. :)
• 1 t white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley. I used the dried kind and it was, again, just fine.

--Season chicken with salt and pepper and then using olive oil, brown in a large skillet until done. Set chicken aside.
--With some more oil in the skillet, add the garlic and stir until fragrant. If your nose is plugged, this takes about 30-45 seconds. Add in the chickpeas and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has been reduced by half. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
--Add the tomatoes and cook until they start to break down.
--Add the olives, vinegar, and chicken. Heat through. Stir in the parsley.
--Serve over polenta. (I found that I put too much polenta on the plates for the portion of stew I had. The polenta serving should be equal to or just a little less than the stew amount.)

As a note - the polenta is so quick, I started my water to boil when I was waiting for the liquid of the chickpeas to reduce and it was perfect timing! I served this with a salad and it was all very filling. Enjoy.

Chicken Pesto Pasta

This is a recipe from a gal at church and I love it. It's easy, it's so tasty it could have come from a restaurant, and it's even pretty enough to serve to guests! Just throw a salad together and some bread, I recommend this particular bread, and you're good to go! You can use any type of pasta your heart desires, for me, pesto and linguine just go together so that's what I use. I sprinkled some freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of mine and it was amazing!

Chicken Pesto Pasta

• 1 lb (16 oz) pasta
• 4 chicken breasts - cooked and cubed
• 1 packet dry normal Pesto Sauce (I use the Knorr packets)
• 1 packet dry creamy Pesto Sauce
• --You'll need a little milk and oil and water to go with these packets, just FYI...

--Cook pasta according to directions.
--Mix the sauce packets together according to directions
--Mix the chicken, the sauce, and the pasta together and...voila!

Enjoy!

Sunday (BBQ) Chicken

This is probably one of my favorite ways to have chicken right after church. There's nothing like walking in the door, everyone hungry, and smelling dinner ready to be eaten. I always serve this with green beans and either cornbread or creamy corn casserole. It's moist and delicious - and easy as all get out!

Sunday Chicken

• 6 chicken breasts - you can do a whole chicken if you want to, but chicken breasts are less messy
• 8-12 oz of your favorite BBQ sauce

--Place chicken in the crock pot and pour the BBQ sauce over everything.
--Cook on high for 4 hours

Homestyle Mac 'n' Cheese

This recipe is one of my favorite comfort food dishes. I had it for the first time not quite a month ago courtesy of my friend Bethany, and I recreated it tonight for company - and let me tell ya, it was polished off! The recipe says it feeds six, but we all decided it must feed 6 people who don't like mac 'n' cheese! I say it feeds 4 with an itty bitty left over for a certain 17 month old's lunch. I especially like this recipe because it's so easy. I prepped for it big time by cooking and cubing the chicken last night and making my bread crumbs (I use Ritz crackers) and slicing the tomatoes this morning! When I got around to actually making the stuff, it was a cinch!

Homestyle Mac 'n' Cheese

• 1/2 lb spiral pasta
• 10 oz shredded cheese of choice (I used extra sharp white cheddar and some mild cheddar - so tasty!)
• 2 c warm milk
• 3 T butter
• 1/4 c flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 medium tomatoes sliced thin
• 1/2 c bread crumbs (i used quite a bit more b/c I like them so much)
• 2 small chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

--Cook pasta just shy of done. Drain and set aside.
--Heat large sauce pan to medium-low and melt butter
--Add flour and whisk
--Whisk in 1 cup of the milk making sure there aren't any lumps. Whisk in the other cup. --Simmer over medium heat until thick.
--Remove from heat, add cheese and stir until melted.
--Add salt and pepper to taste. (You can add Cayenne or paprika here, too)
--Add pasta and chicken. Pour into greased 2 QT baking dish.
--Top with sliced tomatoes and then bread crumbs.
--Bake for 30-35 minutes at 375 or until golden brown on top.

This is what it looked like before we all went back for a small share of seconds...