White Chicken Enchiladas

Erin: I found this recipe on pintrest and it looked amazing so I tried it and it was fantastic! It was pretty easy to make and Sam and I both really enjoyed it. Yum!

10 soft taco shells (I only used 8)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and Grease a 9x13 pan

2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.

3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  

4. Stir in sour cream and chilies.  Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.

5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Chicken Parmesan

Ashley, I'm so sorry I've been behind lately! So busy with work. But this is my Chicken Parmesan recipe. I've made it a half dozen times and it's always my "go-to" recipe. It also tastes fab.

What you'll need:
4-6 chicken breasts
2 cups bread crumbs
Italian dressing for marinating
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Mozzarella cheese
Spaghetti sauce
Oil with 3 tbs. butter

Directions:
1. Marinate chicken in dressing for 1/2 hour
2. Combine parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt and pepper
3. Dip chicken into mixture
4. Put oil and butter into a frying pan and fry chicken until brown on both sides
5. Preheat oven to 375F degrees
6. After browning, place chicken in baking pan and pour the spaghetti sauce of your liking over the chicken
7. Sprinkle enough mozzarella cheese to cover chicken
8. Bake for 45 minutes

I also cooked spaghetti noodles and added it to the chicken with the extra sauce. I poured some mozzarella on the noodles. It was great!

Refried beans

Erin: Like I said before, when I was making Chicken Tostadas, I decide to make my own refried beans and I am go glad I did. Here is the recipe:


Refried Beans!

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
half of a small onion, finely diced
1 can black beans (save the juice – don’t drain!)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
pinch of dried oregano

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and saute until onion is cooked and translucent.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients and stir until beans are heated through.
4. Then either use a potato masher to mash up all of the ingredients.  Or add them to a food processor and pulse until combined

Chicken with Parmesan, Garlic and Herb Crust

Erin: I found this recipe on Pintrest (my latest obsession) and luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand! This chicken dish is fantastic and while cooking, it smells so good! Very tasty.

Ingredients:
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 slices whole-wheat bread
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken-breast halves
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400º F.
2. Lightly coat a medium baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
3. Mince the garlic in a food processor, then add the parsley and pulse until combined, about 15 seconds. 4. Add the bread, Parmesan, oil, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Pulse until well combined.
5. Arrange the chicken in the baking dish. Spread with the mustard, then pat the crumbs on top. Do this for both sides
6. Bake until cooked through, roughly 30 to 35 minutes

Chicken Quesadillas

Erin: So I found a recipe for chicken quesadillas from Taco Bell. I loooove their quesadillas so I had to give it a try. They are so good and Sam could not stop raving about them. They are super easy and do not require too many ingredients. You MUST try this recipe.

Ingredients:


SAUCE
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons minced jalapenos, slices
2 teaspoons jalapeno juice, from minced jalepenos
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

QUESADILLAS

4 flour tortillas

4 chicken tenderloins

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:

1. Combine sauce ingredients and stir until smooth.

2. Grill chicken and cut into thin slices.

3. Preheat skillet over medium heat.

4. One at a time, lay tortilla into hot skillet and sprinkle with a small handful of each shredded cheese and  chicken

5. On the empty side, spread about one tablespoon of sauce.

6. Fold over, and press gently with spatula.

7. Cook until cheese is melted and slice each into 4 pieces.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tostadas

Erin: On Friday night I was absolutely exhausted and just wanted to make something semi easy for dinner and this recipe for Chicken Tostadas is perfect. And it's really good! I even made my own refried beans.. I know, can you believe it turns out that refried beans are like super easy to make and so delish!
 Check it out:

Ingredients:

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
3 tsp. olive oil
1 cup refried beans, canned or homemade (see recipe below)
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cups shredded cooked chicken, I used a Rotisserie chicken and I am so glad I did.
juice from 1 lime
grated cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
tomato (seeded and diced)
avocado (halved, pitted, peeled, and diced small)

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 teaspoons oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 minutes.
4. Remove, and top each tortilla with 1/4 cup refried beans, and then sprinkle with some shredded cheese.
5. Return to oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Meanwhile:
6. In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high.  Add half of the diced red onion and cook 3-5 minutes or until softened. Add chicken, chili powder and lime juice.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is warmed through (about 2 minutes).
8. Then divide chicken among the tortillas and place on top of the melted cheese.  Continue to layer on the lettuce, diced tomato, avocado & remaining onion.

Beef Stew

Erin: It has been cold all week and I've been crazing a warm and hearty soup. I searched the internet for hours and I decided to try a beef stew. I cooked it on a lazy Saturday and it made the apartment smell fantastic! It does take a couple hours to cook, so you might want to make it on a weekend.

Beef Stew

Sorry no picture, I totally forgot to take a picture. I was too concentrated on how yummy it looked!

Ingredients:

2 pounds cubed beef stew meat (You can find this in the produce section of the grocery store right there by the ground beef, flank steak, etc.)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water

What to do:

1. In a large pot cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown.
2. Meanwhile, dissolve 4 bouillon cubes in 4 cups of water and pour into pot.
3. Stir in rosemary, parsley and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
5. Stir potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water and stir into stew. Cover and simmer 1 hour more

Shrimp Scampi

Erin: Oh my, it has been so long since I have updated this thing. I guess I have been too lazy to add the amazing recipes I have been making lately. I'm sure you have made this recipe before, I just haven't added it yet. I made it a few weeks ago and it always comes out delicious!

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
1/3 cup butter
4 tablespoons minced garlic
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:
1. Rinse shrimp and set aside. (I always take the shells off the shrimp before making them so it is easier to eat when it is done)
2.  Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat and cook garlic until softened but not browned
3. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice; cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
4. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before serving.

I served the shrimp over pasta and it was fabulous! Enjoy :)