Potato Au Gratin Soup

Okay, for all you locals out there, you have probably been to the Coppermill and had their Potato Au Gratin Soup. It's my absolute fav. I have a recipe for potato soup, so I tweaked it a little, and tried to come up with my own au gratin soup, and it was yummy!

Here is what I did
2/3 cup margarine or butter (which ever you prefer)
2/3 cup flour
5 cups milk
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
4 baked potatos, cooled, peeled and cut up in cubes
4 green onions

cooked Ham (you can buy the packages at the store that are all cubed up, or if you want a killer yummy soup, use left over real ham off the bone-it just tastes better!)Add as much as you want.

1 1/2 -2 cups shredded cheese (Again, I went for 2 cups, it made it really creamy) and for this kind of soup, don't buy the cheap cheese, the better quality of cheese you buy, the better the soup will taste. Tillamook is my fav!

1 cup sour cream
Salt and Pepper
Parsley
And if you want to get real adventurous, add some cooked and crumbled bacon, yum

I cooked my baked potatos the night before, it made the soup quick and easy to make the next day.

Melt butter/margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir until smooth. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Add chicken broth. Bring to light boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in ham, bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve with hot bread.

Chicken Pot Pie

The only Chicken Pot Pie I can ever remember eating as a kid, are those nasty frozed ones from the grocery store. My husband loves them, so I thought I would try to make one. Lots of the ones I found online have tons of butter and fat, so I thought I would try to come up with something delicious but not as high calorie. And since I am going off of memory with this recipe (that can be a scary thing)..I hope I haven't forgot anything!

Ingredients:
2 pie crusts-let's be honest, I went straight to the freezer section and picked one up!
3 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup onion, chopped
salt and pepper
1/3 cup flour
1 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 14 oz. can cream of chicken soup (it can be the 98% fat free)
1/4 can full of milk
3 cups cubed or shredded cooked chicken or turkey
2 1/2-3 cups favorite veggie blend (I like the country veggie blend, but use whatever your family will eat)

Over medium heat melt butter, throw in chopped onions, sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper and cook until onion is tender. Add flour and whisk-don't let it get too brown or burn, as soon as it's pasty, add the chicken broth and whisk in. Then add cream of chicken and whisk. Let it cook over medium heat until it starts to come to a low boil and thickens up. Add chicken and frozen veggies.

Prepare your pie crusts according to directions on packet.

Spray pie pan with nonstick spray. Place a pie crust layer on bottom. Fill it with chicken and veggie mixture. Place another pie crust on top and seal around the edges.

Cook according to pie directions for 30-40 minutes. Covering the sides of the pie crust with foil 20 minutes into baking.

Let sit 15 minutes to let gravy thicken up and cool down.

Enjoy.

Green Chilli and Beans "a.k.a. Chilli Verde"

This is by far my favorite meal in the entire world! The cool thing about this meal is that you can make this meal and freeze it. That way if you want to have a big fiesta you can make this days or weeks in advance and pull it out when you are ready (and the flavors are so intense that no one will ever know it's been in the freezer!!)

For the Green Chilli:
8-12 Anaheim peppers (these are the long green ones-this gives it the green chilli flavor)
6-8 Jalpenos (these are the small green ones-these give the chilli the heat).

Place the peppers and jalepenos in the oven under broil. When the peppers start getting a burnt looked, then flip them to the other side and let the other side char. When they are charred on all sides, remove them from the oven and place them in ziplock bags, and let them "sweat" this takes about 30 minutes-so they cool down.

Remove from ziplock bags and remove the stems and peel off the skin of each pepper and jalepeno. **Note: you may want to use gloves because when removing the skin-the heat is so intense with these peppers your skin can physically feel like it's burning.

Take the jalapenos and peppers and place them in a blender and blend with a tiny bit of water. I blend so the peppers are no longer chunky-but not overly runny. You can pick the consistency. Add enough water to make the consitency you prefer.

For the chilli:
Cut up about 4 pounds of a boneless beef or pork roast into bite sized pieces. Or you can buy the stew meat that's already cut up (but it's more expensive). Brown in large pan and add 1 chopped onion, 4 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tsp. salt. Cook uncovered until the liquid from the meat is gone and meat is browned (this takes about 20-30 minutes for the liquid to absorb). Add enough flour to coat all the meat and sir it around. At this point pour 4 cups of the green chilli blended sauce in with the meat. Slowly add another cup at a time (tasting each time) until you reach the desired "hotness" of your chilli. Whatever chilli blend that is left over you can freeze for your next chilli batch. If you need to add a little water to the chilli so it's not so thick, do so.

Pour in a crock pot and cook on low all day and let all those flavors soak up. Or on High for a few hours.

Serve with refried beans and homemade tortillas....I promise you will love this recipe!!!!

Refried Beans:
Buy a bag of Pinto Beans
Soak in a bowl of water overnight.
Rinse and drain next morning
Pour into crock pot with amount of water it says on the bag
Add 1-2 Tbsp. salt depending on size of pinto bag.
Cook on low all day.
-Serve whole or to make the refried beans
Remove beans from crock pot-put in pan on stove-mash with a masher and add some bean juice and shredded cheese and mix until you get the perfect refried bean texture.


***Place leftover chilli and beans in old cool whip bowls and stick in freezer. Pull out and reheat when you want easy leftovers!!

Flour Tortillas

One of the many benefits of being married to my husband, is that his mom has taught me to make some killer homemade Mexican food-that she learned from her mother in law that is from Mexico. It's so fun to be able to make "real" Mexican food. One of my favorite things she makes is homemade tortillas. They are AMAZING. I still haven't mastered the skill of making a perfectly round tortilla because the flour ones aren't made with a tortilla press, all you need is a roller. But, even if you end up with a rectangle tortilla-the flavor is still amazing!!!

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 cup shortening

Combine flour with baking powder and salt. Add shortening and mix with fingers until evenly mixed. Gradually stir in enough water to make a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes. Cover and let rest 30 minutes. Preheat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over med heat. Form balls and and shape each one into a really flat patty-using your hands and a roller (this will take practice!!) Once you have started rolling it out-don't form it back into a ball and try to start over it makes the dough go hard and it's ruined. Roll very thin. Place tortilla on skillet . Cook until bubbles form on top and underside is flecked with brown. Turn and cook until the other side is lightly brown. Stack tortillas and cover with a dry cloth until ready to serve. Serve immediately or store in plastic bag and reheat briefly before serving.

Makes about 12-14 tortillas

Serving Suggestions: Fill with refried beans and cheese for easy burritos. Fajitas. Or chilli. For easy Mexican desserts spread with cream cheese and a little salt. Or Butter and cinnamon and sugar. Also great for breakfast with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and sausage and salsa for breakfast burritos.

Guacamole Bacon Burgers

Well....this isn't any big fancy recipe. But, one of my new favorites!!! Chris and I use to always go to Carl's Jr. and get the Guacamole Bacon Burger. It's killer if you have never tried it. The Hernandez family has a killer Guacamole recipe, so this weekend we whipped up our own Guacamole Bacon Burgers, and they were to die for!!!! And easy easy!!

What you need:
Pre-made hamburger patties from the grocery store (easy easy!!) Grilled to perfection
Buns
Pepperjack cheese, sliced
Bacon
Gucamole, click here for the recipe
lettuce
purple onions
tomatoes
ketchup
mini dill pickles (for the side...don't put pickles on this burger...no no!!) But you have to have pickles at a BBQ, it's a must!

Grill the patties, and right before they are done put the sliced pepperjack cheese on top to melt, and then assemble the burger. You are going to love this burger!! I served it with my homemade french fries and some fresh strawberry lemonade.....love summer!!!

Chicken Burritos

I found an amazing recipe...and I will give total credit to the amazing gals from ourbestbites.com, they also have an amazing cookbook...but they had a recipe that caught my eye and they were origanally suppose to be taquitos. The problem that I have with taquitos is they are so small, that I end up eating way to many, and then it's a portion control issue, so I took the ingredients that they suggested and bought large flour tortilas and made them into burritos and they were so yummy!

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1/4 C green salsa
1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (I just boil it and then run it through my food processor to make it really easy!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.


Then roll it up as tight as you can.


Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the burritos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.


Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Then we dipped them in cilantro ranch dressing...you can find that recipe here
Recipe taken from ourbestbites.com

Lemon and Feta Stuffed Chicken

I found this recipe in my Better Homes and Garden Magazine. And, I gave it a try this week, and we loved this recipe. I did change one thing, instead of reserving some of the feta to put on top after cooking the chicken, I used all of the feta and lemon peel, and stuffed the chicken breasts extra full (I probably used a little more feta than it called for, but I LOVE feta). I can't wait to try this recipe on the GRILL....yum!

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions
1. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket in each chicken breast by cutting horizontally through the thickest portion to, but not through, the opposite side. In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup of the feta cheese and the lemon peel. Spoon cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F), turning once. Sprinkle with remaining feta cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories 236, Total Fat(g)9, Saturated Fat(g)4, Monounsaturated Fat (g)4, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, Cholesterol (mg)99, Sodium (mg)447, Carbohydrate (g)1, Total Sugar (g)1, Protein (g)35, Vitamin C (DV%)4, Calcium (DV%)36

Recipe taken from Better Homes and Garden Magazine

Lemon Basil Pasta

I got this recipe from my Better Homes and Garden Magazine this month. I tried this recipe, and I LOVE how easy it was, and how fresh it tasted with the lemon and fresh basil. Because it's such a light and healthy recipe, this is a recipe that I am going to use a lot in the summer, when it's hot and I don't feel like cooking a huge filling meal! One tip I should pass on is this recipe calls for 10 oz of linguine...I buy the 16 oz. packages, if you do the same, make sure you double the pesto sauce or it will be too dry...enjoy!!

10 oz. dried linguine or desired pasta
1 19-oz. can white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 of a lemon
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding beans for the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Remove 1/2 cup of the cooking liquids; set aside. Drain pasta and beans; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, finely shred peel from the lemon half (about 2 teaspoons). In a small skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add lemon peel; cook and stir 1 minute, or until lightly golden.

3. In a food processor combine cooked lemon peel, basil, the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice from the lemon half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and process until smooth. Add reserved cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency, processing mixture after every addition.

4. To serve, toss hot cooked pasta mixture with lemon-basil mixture. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Facts
Calories452, Total Fat (g)10, Saturated Fat (g)1, Monounsaturated Fat (g)7, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)1, Sodium (mg)648, Carbohydrate (g)75, Total Sugar (g)4, Fiber (g)9, Protein (g)18, Vitamin C (DV%)21, Calcium (DV%)10, Iron (DV%)26, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Recipe taken from Better Homes and Garden Magazine

Carne Asada Pizza

We love going to California Pizza Kitchen in Salt Lake with Chris's family. Without fail, one of us always ends up ordering the Carne Asada Pizza..it's the best! Last month when we went we overheard one of the waiters saying this was the last day that this pizza was going to be on their menu. My mother law in and I decided that we could figure out how to make it...then she got a bright idea and googled the recipe and we found it. We made it for dinner tonight, and yum...to die for...we made a few changes along the way, I will put a note next to the things we changed. Don't get to overwhelmed by this post...for some reason California Kitchen Pizza really made this a wordy recipe. One of the best things about their pizza is their crust...it's so yum...but let's be honest, if your not up for cooking homemade dough, that premade stuff in the grocery store ain't bad....

Pizza dough recipe:
1 tsp Yeast
1/2 c Plus
1 Tbsp Warm waterm 105-110 degrees
1 1/2 c Bread flour, or all-purpose
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Plus 1tsp for coating

To prepare dough: Dissolve yeast in water and set aside for 5 to 10 min.. Be sure that water is not too hot: Temps over 120 will kill the yeast. UPRIGHT ELECTRIC MIXER: Use mixing paddle attachment because batch size is too small for the dough hook. Combine all other ingredients. Add dissolved yeast. Use the lowest 2 speeds to mix dough. Mix 2-3 min. until dough is smoth and elastic. Overmixing will produce tough, rubbery dough, and friction will cause dough to rise too fast. IF USING FOOD PROCESSOR: Use dough blade.proceed as in preceeding instructions. IF MIXING BY HAND: Place dry ingredients in a 4-6 qt mixing bowl , make a well in the middle and add liquids. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Lightly oil hands and knead for 5 minutes. When done the dough should be slightly tacky. LIGHTLEY OIL THE ball and the interior of a 1 qt. glass bowl. Place dough ball in bowl and seal bowl air-tight with clear food wrap. Set aside at room temperature to rise until double in bulk: 1-1/2 - 2 hrs. The dough could be used now BUT it would be NOTHING SPECIAL! To obtain that wonderful, chewy, flavorful dough that it will later become, punch down dough, reform a nice round ball and return it to same bowl; cover again with clear plastic wrap. Place bowl in refrigerator overnight, covered airtight. About 2 hours before you are ready to assemble pizza, remove dough from fridge, use a sharp knife to divde dough into 2 equal portions. Roll smaller dough into round balls on a smoothe surface; seal any holes by pinching . Place the dough balls in a glass casserole dish, space far enough to allow each to rise until doubled in size (about 2 hrs.). They should be smooth and puffy. To stretch and form dough for pizza, sprinkle flour on smooth surface. Use a spatula to carefully remove dough ball from casserol dish . Be very careful to preserve its round shape. Flour the dough liberally. Use your hand or rolling pin to press dough down forming a flat circle about 1/2" thick. Pinch dough between your fingers around edge forming a 1/4" rim. Continue this outward stretching until you have reaached a 9" diameter pizza dough. Yields ennough dough for 2- 9" pizzas. After topping pizza transfer to pizza stone in preheated oven. The stone should be preheated at 500 degrees for 1 hour. Bake 8 to 10 min. NOTE: I was really sorry I did not double this recipe the first time I made it!!!!!! It is sooo delicious we ate more (and wanted more)!

Makes two 9-inch pizzas

Cilantro Pesto
1/2 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon serrano peppers
1 1/2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon raw minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
Kosher salt to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil

Carne Asada Marinade (or if you want to make this a quick supper...buy a frozen bag of pre-cut/cook fajita steak):
1/4 ounce chopped cilantro
3 ounces lime juice
1 ounce olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic


Carne Asada Beef
1 pound raw beef (skirt steak)
Carne Asada Marinade

For the pizza
1 recipe California Pizza Kitchen Basic Pizza Dough
Cornmeal, semolina or flour for handling
1 tablespoon cilantro pesto
1 cup Monterey jack cheese (We used pepperjack, and it was great!)
20 to 25 half rings sweet white onion
1 recipe sliced Carne Asada Beef
1/2 cup canned Ortega brand chiles, cut into
1/4-inch strips, well drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

To make Carne Asada marinade: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for use with Carne Asada.

To make the pesto: Blend all the ingredients in a food processor for about 2 minutes until smooth. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the Carne Asada: Prepare a hot grill. Combine Carne Asada marinade with the raw beef and keep under refrigeration for one hour.

Grill the beef for 4 to 4 minutes per side. When done. remove from grill and chill thoroughly. Slice beef into 1/4 inch thick strips. Set aside in the refrigerator.

To make the pizza: Place the pizza stone in the center of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F, for one hour before cooking the pizzas.

Use a large spoon to spread 1 tablespoon of cilantro pesto evenly over the surface of the prepared dough within the rim.

Cover the sauced area with half the Jack cheese. Distribute half of the onions over the cheese. Distribute half of the sliced Carne Asada beef followed by half of the chiles.

Transfer the pizza to the oven. Bake until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese in the center is bubbly, 9 to 10 minutes.

When cooked through, carefully remove the pizza from the oven. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro over the hot, cheesy surface. Slice and serve.

---California Pizza Kitchen serves this pizza with a green salsa...I'm not a huge fan, so I used my Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch dressing to dip it in....yum!!!

Recipe taken from: California Pizza Kitchen

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Homemade corn and flour tortillas are THE BEST! Here is a quick tutorial on how to make the corn tortillas....my 4 yr old loves to help me make these!!

I apologize for the sideview of this picture, I was too lazy to turn it.

Start with some masa. You can find this in the Mexican/Ethnic isle. On the back of this bag, there is directions on how many to make and how much salt and water to add. It's really that easy.

Then you need a tortilla press. These are so fun. You can buy them at a mexican specialty store or online.
You roll the dough into small balls. Then you need to take a quart size ziplock bag, and cut up both sides so it opens up. You lay one side of the bag on the inside of the press, lay a ball of dough on top of it, then cover the top of the dough with the other side of the bag (so it doesn't stick to your press)

Press down and that's what makes your tortillas.

Then you can use a hot fajita skillet, a scookie skillet, or just a regular skillet and heat on med to med=high heat..Flip after about 15-30 seconds until both sides are light golden brown.

Then you throw them in a tortilla holder, I line the bottom with a paper towel and then keep one on top too. Cover and keep warm.

Have fun making these, it really is fun!

Carne Asada Tacos

These tacos are sooo easy to make

-Grilled steak (2 options: Grill the steak with basic salt and pepper or use the Mccormic

Peppercorn and Garlic marinade), cut into bite size cubes.

-Chopped jalepenos (these are the small green peppers, not the long anaheim peppers, cut down the center and remove core with seeds and discard.)

-Limes, cut into quarters

-green onions, chopped

-Fresh cilantro, chopped

-Corn Tortillas (Homemade or bought) Click here for my quick recipe for homemade corn tortillas. Make sure if you make or buy them, to serve them warm.

We like it simple, but if you want you can use my homemade salsa recipe, and top it with fresh salsa.

You are going to love how easy and insanely yummy this recipe is.

In tortilla, layer steak, jalepeno, onions, cilantro and then squeeze fresh lime juice over it.

This recipe is sooo healthy and so fresh and yummy-Enjoy!

Chicken Alfredo and Spinach Pizza

I LOVE watching Food Network, and one day I was watching at home with the Neely's, and they were making this pizza that looked insanely yummy. So I went to Food Network and grabbed the recipe, and then went shopping for the ingredients. When I looked at the nutritional value of heavy whipping cream, I about passed out. So, I took the ingredients of their version, and tweaked it a little to make it a little lighter. It was insanely yummy.

1 (3/4 pound) boneless skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 (16-ounce) ball pizza dough, store-bought
2 cups baby spinach, well washed and dried (I used way more than 2 cups, I completely covered my pizza with spinach because it cooks down.)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 cup grated mozzarella

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put a pizza stone in the oven on the middle of the rack to preheat.

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Put the chicken on the grill pan and grill until cooked through. Remove to a cutting board and dice. Set aside.


Flour your work surface and roll the pizza dough into a 13-inch diameter. Carefully remove the pizza stone from the oven and put the dough on top. Drizze with a little extra virgin olive oil. Evenly top with the baby spinach, tomatoes, grilled chicken and the mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake the pizza until crisp and golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle a little bit of fresh parmesan on top. Slice and serve.

While pizza is cooking make the alfredo dipping sauce for the pizza (this is where I tweaked my recipe.) Originally you were suppose to cover the entire bottom of the pizza with this sauce. Instead we made this and put it in little cups to dip, we ended up having tons left over, which means we saved a lot of calories!!! Here is the directions for the alfredo:

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant. Add the flour and cook until light blonde in color. Whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan and season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste. This alfredo sauce has a kicked, it was a great dipping sauce for the pizza!

Recipe taken from:Food Network, at home with the Neely's

Southwest Egg Rolls

My cute friends Rosannne and Emily introduced me to this recipe, and my Family LOVED this recipe, it's just like the egg rolls from Chilli's. I drizzled these with a little bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and baked them, to make them really healthy. But my friends that have deep fried them in a little oil said they were insanely good! Try it both ways and see which way you like it!

My hubby did request that I make this at least once a month! Enjoy!

Also, the recipe didn't call for it, but I bought Large leaf spinach, washed and dried it really good. Then I took an eggroll wrap, layed a spinach leaf on it, and then put the filling in. It was a great way to sneak in some greens, and really yummy!

Ham Chowder

The Relief Society called me last minute and asked me if I could take a meal into a family, thank goodness I already had this on the menu for the day, because this recipe serves a lot of people. I made my homemade rolls, from last weeks recipe, to go along with this soup...yum!

4 large potatoes
1/2 cup green onion
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 cups milk
2 cups diced cooked ham
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 cups water
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 15oz can whole kernal corn

Saute onion in butter. Set aside. Dice potatoes, add to the 2 cups of water and add all the seasonings and sauted onions. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender. Make a paste of the flour and 1/2 cup of water. Add to potatoes. Add milk, cook until slightly thick. Stir in undrained corn and ham. Heat through.

Loaded Cream Cheese Quesadillas

My kids love quesadillas, and I always wished they were just a little more filling so I could make them for a quick supper....so, I invented this recipe this week, and we LOVED these. They ended up being so filling that I couldn't even finish a whole one by myself. That's not like me!!!!

-2 chicken breasts (boiled and ran through chop mode on food processor) or you can use canned chicken
-1 8oz. cream cheese (fat free or 1/3 less fat) at room temp.
-1/2 cup of homemade Ranch (I use fat free mayo to make my ranch)....you can use store bought ranch but it's not as good.
-2 green onions, chopped
-cheddar cheese and montery jack, shredded and mixed together
-dash of salt
-dash of fresh ground pepper
-flour tortillas
-cooking spray

-Blend together cream cheese, ranch, salt, pepper. Mix in onions and shredded chicken, and stir well. On a tortilla spoon chicken spread to cover entire tortilla (don't spread it on thick, just coat a thin layer on tortilla)....top with the cheese, cover with another tortilla. Spray a hot griddle with cooking spray and cook until both sides are light brown and lightly crisp and cheese is gooey.

Enjoy!

Pasta Fagioli Soup

Well, I'm not much for jumping on the band wagon and dieting at the beginning of the new year, but I do love recipes that call for lots of yummy healthy ingredients. And, since my hubby is trying to eat better, I made this recipe this week. He doesn't usually like soups unless it's a HEARTY soup...and this soup has sooo much yummy goodness in it! Loaded with veggies! Enjoy on a cold night

1 lb. ground beef (I bought a lean beef to make it healthier)
1 small onion, diced
1 large carrot, cut
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5) cans diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) kidney beans with liquid
1 (15 oz.) Great northern beans with liquid
1 (15 oz.) tomato sauce
1 (64 oz.) V-8 juice
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
Ditalini pasta

Brown ground beef; drain and add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute about 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except the pasta and simmer for 1 hour. Fifty minutes into the simmer, boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to soup.

Recipe taken from: Neighbors-cooking with class cook book

Arroz con Pollo

Arroz con Pollo......or chicken and rice to all you gringos. This is one of my favorite recipes, and it's soooo healthy. You will never want to order this at a Mexican resteraunt after tasting the homemade version!

1 chicken (Two options......I either buy a rotisserie chicken, or when Lee's put's their whole 3-4 Lb. chickens on sale. for 3.99 each, I pick a few up and freeze them. Either will work. But if you cook a whole chicken I season it with a little salt and pepper and garlic salt and cumin)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp. salt and pepper

1/2 tsp. dried leaf oregano, crushed

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 of an onion, chopped

1 cup uncooked long grain rice (non instant rice or brown rice.)

10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes (this is a can with tomatoes and jalepenos)

2 Cups Chicken Broth

Shred chicken with fingers. Add peas, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, and onion. Mix.

Coat a non stick pan with non stick cooking spray, add the rice and saute until light golden brown. Add the Rotel tomatoes-undrained. Press into rice and let simmer 3-5 mins. (I added 1 couple Tbsp. of water so it didn't get too dry). Pour into 13x9 pan. Add the chicken and gently toss to mix. Pour 2 cups of chicken broth to cover the rice and chicken. Add more if necessary to complete cover the mixture. Cover and bake 1 hour on 350 degrees.

Note:When you pour the mixture into the pan, it won't look like a lot of food, but once that rice soaks up all the broth, it will fill the entire pan.

Serve with warm corn tortillas.....salt the arroz con pollo and corn tortillas well before eating....enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle

There's nothing better on a cold fall night than a hot bowl of soup....I have tried a bunch of different recipes and I took the best parts of all the recipes I have tried, and I concocted this ...enjoy! I served a side of breadsticks with this soup, and you can also get the breadstick recipe here.

2 large chicken breasts

2 Chicken Bouillion cubes

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

3 large carrots, chopped

1 onion

parsley

2 Bay leaves

2-3, 32 oz. containers chicken broth

1 Bag of Country Pasta (At Wal-mart I buy the Extra Wide Homestyle Amish noodles)

1 can 98% Fat Freed Cream of Chicken Soup

Salt and Fresh ground Pepper to Taste

-Fill a large pot with water, throw in 2 chicken bouillion cubes and add chicken. Cook until center is no longer pink. Cool. Run chicken through food processor on chop mode...it makes the perfect consistency for soup.

-Drain pot, and add 2, 32 oz.containers of chicken broth to pot. Add carrots, celery, onion, 2 bay leaves, and parsley (I don't measure my parsley, I just throw in enough to make it look pretty...it's atleast a Tbsp. or two...I use dried, but you can use fresh or dried). Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Add a little at a time and taste.

-Before the vegetables are completely tender, throw in the noodles to start cooking. Cook until noddles are tender. If the soup looks like it's getting dry, add a little bit of the 3rd container of Broth, I usually don't need to.... but, I don't like to add water, I like to keep the rich flavor of the chicken broth. Right before serving add a can of cream of chicken...it will thicken it a little and make it rich.

Remove bay leaves and serve.

Crispy Bean and Cheese Burrito

I got this recipe from my family circle magazine, and it was a really tasty dinner that my kids loved! And for those of you cutting back on meats...this was a meatless dinner.



Ingredients

1 bag (3-1/2 ounces) boil-in-bag brown rice (I just used brown rice from a box and cooked up enough to stuff 6 burritos....the instructions for 4 servings is plenty).
1 cup salsa
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon lime juice
6 soft taco-size flour tortillas
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
Directions
Prepare rice according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a medium-size bowl. Stir in salsa and cilantro; set aside. In a small bowl, gently stir together avocado pieces with lime juice; set aside.

Place tortillas on work surface and sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese in center of each, from left to right. Top cheese with a heaping 1/4 cup black beans. Place a heaping 1/3 cup rice mixture over beans then divide avocado pieces among tortillas. Fold up like an envelope; repeat with remaining tortillas.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat top and bottom of burritos with nonstick cooking spray. Place 3 burritos in skillet, seam-side down; cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Turn burritos over and cook another 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining burritos, reducing heat if they get too browned.

Recipe taken from:Family Circle Magazine

Cheesy Chicken noodle skillet

I just love comfort foods, and Mac N'Cheese is just one of those foods. I like to try homemade mac n cheese recipes, and I think a lot of them bomb because they can just end up tasting too weird. I really liked this one, it's super quick and easy for those nights you need a quick fix, and bonus...there is a green veggie in it!

What You Need:

3 cups Egg noodles, uncooked

1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups Frozen chopped broccoli

1/2 cup Fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1/4 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

BRING large saucepan of water to boil on high heat. Add noodles and chicken. Cook 8 min. or until chicken is cooked through and noodles are tender, adding broccoli to saucepan after 6 min. Drain noodle mixture; return to saucepan.

ADD broth, cream cheese and mayo. Heat just to simmer on medium-low heat. Simmer 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. (Note: I would have the cream cheese at room temp, that way you don't have to keep stirring the cream cheese into the noodles, eventually the noodles get a little starchy and start sticking together, so this will help to avoid that!)

ADD shredded cheese; stir 1 min. or until melted. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.