Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I fixed these for dinner last night. I thought they were pretty good. I might do shredded chicken next time. I got the recipe off of the back of a package of Sargento's Mexican Shredded Cheese. I used the regular size can of corn, which is actually about 15 oz. I also made a small pan of ones with corn tortillas. Use chicken taco seasoning if you can find it. It has a great flavor!

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pkg. (1.25 oz.) taco seasoning
1 jar (16 oz.) chunky-style salsa
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (8 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
2 cups (8 oz.) Sargento® Fancy Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Cheese, divided
1 can (15 oz.) mild enchilada sauce
8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
2 Tbsp. sliced black olives
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions

Directions
Prepare chicken as directed on package of taco seasoning; cool 10 minutes. Stir in salsa, beans, corn and 1 cup cheese.
Spread 1/4 cup enchilada sauce on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Soften tortillas according to package directions. Place 2/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place in dish, seam-side-down.
Pour remaining sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with remaining cheese, olives and onions. Bake in preheated 375°F oven 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and filling is hot.

Paula Deen Macaroni & Cheese in the Crock Pot

I have been trying different Macaroni and Cheese recipes that you do in the crock pot. The first one I tried was from the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking," crockpot365.blogspot.com-- this woman makes EVERYTHING in the slow cooker. It was ok, but a little weird. I liked this recipe better. It's a Paula Deen recipe, so head to the dairy aisle and get everything they've got because it's probably in this recipe! I wasn't home to stir it occasionally as the recipe said, but it still turned out fine. I melted some more grated cheese on top before serving with broccoli and cauliflower.

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-ounce box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I used white pepper)

Directions
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

NY Deli Style Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwiches

This tasty breakfast sandwich, from Lucinda Scala Quinn's "Mad Hungry" cookbook. We had these for a simple Sunday night meal. Warm and tasty!



INGREDIENTS

Makes 1.

1 everything bagel, or other bagel of choice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for buttering bagel
2 large eggs
1 thin slice cheese, such as American or cheddar
2 to 3 slices cooked bacon
Hot sauce and/or ketchup, for serving

DIRECTIONS

Slice bagel in half. Butter cut sides of each half and toast in a toaster oven or on a griddle (if using a pop-up toaster, butter halves after they are toasted).
Meanwhile, heat a cast-iron or nonstick skillet. Add butter to skillet. Carefully crack both eggs into skillet. When whites begin to set, immediately puncture yolks.
Top one egg with cheese and bacon. Place remaining egg, yolk-side down on top of bacon (like an egg-on-egg sandwich). Transfer eggs onto one toasted half of the bagel; top with remaining bagel half and lightly press together.

Lemon Herb Marinade

This is my go-to basic marinade for chicken. Great for grilled chicken.

1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 - 2 tsp any herb of your choice (I like tarragon or rosemary)

Mix all ingredients and marinade chicken and/or vegetables at least 30 minutes. Grill and serve.

In the above picture, I drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I tried this recipe this week. It was different than any chicken tortilla soups I have had before. That being said, I should not really judge it on those classic chicken tortilla soups, chicken broth or cheesy cream based ones. We did like it, and I even liked it better leftover for lunch. It tastes more like chili to me. It is very flavorful and hearty. I froze two containers for later meals, and kept one out for my lunches this week. This recipe comes from Sisters Cafe, the same blog where I found another fantastic crock pot recipe : Southwest Chicken, which I make on a regular basis. Here is the Tortilla Soup recipe:

4 chicken breast halves
2 15-oz cans black beans, drained
2 15-oz cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 cup MEDIUM salsa (not mild)
1 4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 14 ½-oz can tomato sauce
Tortilla chips, not optional :)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice or shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir into soup. To serve, put a handful of chips in each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

So now I am on the look out for more Crock pot chicken tortilla soup recipes. Have any?