Yummy Blender Salsa

This is a great recipe for those who love chips and salsa-- like me-- but have a really hard time finding salsa in the store that is just right. With this recipe you can adjust the ratios to have it more tomato-y or more onion-y or more garlic-y or more cilantro-y... you get the picture. Here it is:

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (get one with peppers included if you want!)

1/3-1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 c. fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove, chopped

juice of 1 lime

salt to taste

Put all of these ingredients in the blender and mix to your heart's content. You can leave it as chunky, or make it as smooth, as you prefer. I tend to like my salsa a little less tomato-y, so I put in more cilantro and onion. The first time I made it, it turned out perfect-- and I haven't been able to get the exact same combination of ingredients again, no matter what I try! So, a word to the wise-- write down your combinations as you try them so you will have it for later.

I love this stuff!

Fried Chicken and Gravy

Ok, so maybe you are all experts at cooking chicken, but my chicken-cooking track record hasn't been that great. It always came out of the oven kind of...chickeny; a rubbery, chickeny sort of taste. Yuck. So imagine how happy I was when, after doing some internet research on the art of cooking chicken, I came across this recipe for fried chicken, tried it out, and almost fell off my chair when I took the first bite because it was delicious!! One tip (which I learned during my internet research) that seemed to work well for us was to brine the chicken breasts for just 20 minutes or so before coating them. (Brining = immersing them in a salt water solution of 1/2 cup kosher salt (or 1/4 cup table salt) in two quarts of water).

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup paprika (I didn't actually use this because we didn't have any)
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1/2 Tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground ginger (didn't have this either)
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Additional Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
4-6 chicken breasts
vegetable oil

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year.

To prepare chicken: In a large skillet, heat 1/2 in. of oil over medium-high heat. (Oil should be fairly hot before you put the chicken in; this prevents the chicken soaking up oil and getting soggy.) Place about 3/4 cup of coating in a large resealable plastic bag. In a shallow dish, beat eggs and milk. Dip chicken pieces into egg mixture, then place in the bag. Seal and shake until coated. Brown chicken on all sides, cooking until done. Place chicken on a cooling rack (like for cookies) with something underneath to drip onto. (Again, this keeps the coating crispy.)

Gravy:

Whisk 1-2 Tbsp of the leftover coating mixture with milk, bring to a slow boil and allow to thicken. Delicious over the chicken and mashed potatoes!!

Sausage Mushroom Crustless Quiche

Hello food-loving friends! It's been a while, but don't worry, I have not forgotten you. I first want to give a shout-out to the recipe posted by Vinestreet for the spicy honey glazed chicken-- I tried it this week and thought it was amazing. And now, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce you to:

Sausage Mushroom Crustless Quiche

1/2 medium onion, diced (1/2 cup)
6-oz mushrooms, sliced (1 cup)
approx 1 - 1 1/2 cups diced sausage, cooked (I used a normal 12 oz. package of low-fat sausage)
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/3 cups milk (low fat is fine)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.
Lightly grease a 10-inch quiche/tart pan (or a 9-inch pie plate).
In a medium frying pan, cook onion and mushrooms with a bit of vegetable oil (or cooking spray) over medium-high heat until onions are translucent and tender, and mushrooms are browned. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, then stir in mushroom mixture and diced, cooked sausages.
Pour quiche base into prepared pan. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes (30-35 minutes in a pie plate), or until center is set and the outside edge is golden brown.
Let set for 5 minutes, then slice and serve.

Serves 4.
salt and pepper, to taste

This was so yummy! You can use any combo of meat and vegetables, but the sausage mushroom combo is a winner. I love love love that it is crustless-- way less fat, but it forms its own crust when it bakes, so it's still stable enough to be cut and served. Be warned: I sprayed the pan w/cooking spray, but that wasn't enough because it still stuck to the pie pan a little. Also, Mark seasoned the sausage with some ginger, crushed red pepper, etc. It really made it tasty. 

Enjoy! 

Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken

My new favorite cookbook is Saving Dinner, by Leanne Ely. I had to pay an overdue fine at the library because I just can't bear to return it. And I haven't had time to copy all the recipes we love from it, out onto paper. This lady is a nutritionist, so all the meals are incredibly healthy, but also incredibly tasty.

Here is one of our new favorites: Spicy Honey-Glazed Chicken.

1/2 c. honey
2 TBSP. frozen orange juice concentrate
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (take out your kids' portions before putting this in. It's not really that hot, but warmth is more than the average child probably likes)
1 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
cilantro, chopped
green onions, chopped

Combine honey, OJ, and garlic in a small bowl. (If no children are eating add the red pepper flakes now as well.)

In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat, add chicken, salt and pepper to taste, and brown the chicken.

Add honey mixture to the skillet and cook, turning to thoroughly coat the chicken. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken. (At this point you can take out childrens' portion and then sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.)

To serve, place chicken on plate, spoon sauce over the top and sprinkle with cilantro and green onions.

Serve with brown or white rice, steamed broccoli, or baked butternut squash.
Enjoy! This is honestly one of the most flavorful recipes I own now. The orange juice, honey, and garlic are a great combination.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas -- DIVINE

I have been meaning to get on here and post a TON of recipes-- but school has not been letting me have much time. Until... I tried this recipe. This one I could not wait to post. It is SO good. The seasoning is so yummy and not overpowering. I am a big fan of chicken enchiladas if they are done right and these are definitely done right. Here you go:

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Marinade: 

6 T. honey

5 T. lime juice (approx. 1 large lime)

1 T. chili powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

Other: 

1 lb. shredded chicken* 

tortillas

1 lb. monterrey jack cheese, shredded

16 oz. green enchilada sauce

1 c. cream**

*I didn't know how many chicken breasts would equal 1 lb. shredded-- I ended up using 4 and it was fine, but if you use less chicken there will be leftover sauce to put in the tortillas.

** I didn't use cream at all, as you will soon see it is an optional step.

- Whisk first four ingredients for marinade and toss with shredded chicken in zip-loc bag. 

- Marinate for at least 1/2 hour, preferably more. (I only got to let mine sit for 15 min. It was still good!) 

- Pour 1/2 c. of enchilada sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan. 

- Fill tortillas with chicken, any extra marinade, and cheese. Roll up and place in pan. Make sure to save 1 c. of cheese for topping. 

- When pan is full, mix any remaining marinade with cream and enchilada sauce. Pour over top.

- Sprinkle with remaining cheese. 

- Bake at 350 for 30 min. or until browned and crispy on top. 

Basically, I didn't mix up the sauces with the cream, because I didn't have any leftover marinade. I just used the extra enchilada sauce and cheese for topping. Using 4 chicken breasts, I had enough for a full 9x13 and a full 8x8. I made these for a dinner we had with another couple from our ward and got rave reviews. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I think I may even use this honey lime marinade for chicken in other dishes. It's SO good. And don't worry, the chili powder does not make it too spicy, it's just right. 

Caramel-Coated Spiced Nuts

I made these a lot this past holiday season, and also sent some to Megan. She has requested I place the recipe here. This is from Taste of Home. If nuts weren't so expensive I think I would always have some of these in open jars throughout my house. The kitchen, my bedroom, the entertainment room, and yes, a few cupboards.

2 egg whites
1 teaspoon water
1 1/2 c. roasted salted almonds *
1 1/2 c. pecan halves
1 c. whole salted cashews
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice **
1 teaspoon white pepper (I used 1/2 tsp. black pepper and it tasted fine)

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites and water until foamy. Add the nuts, stir gently to coat. Combine the brown sugar, pie spice and pepper; add to nut mixture and stir gently to coat.

Spread into a GREASED (do not forget to do this or you will weep and wail because the nuts will not come off of the pan into your mouth) cookie sheet (15 x 10 x 1) Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Stir in an airtight container. Makes 4-5 cups.


*I just used plain whole almonds that I bought in the bulk section, it was cheapest that way, and I also didn't want the extra salt. I also used almonds for the entire recipe since I was too poor to buy cashews and pecans. It's up to you what you want to use, just make sure you use whole almonds or cashews, not pieces.

** If you don't have pumpkin pie spice and don't want to buy it just for this recipe, use the following substitution:

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Southern Pride Sweet Cornbread

There is nothing more annoying than crumbly cornbread. You can't get it out of the pan, you can't cut it in half to butter it. It's like picking up a handful of sand and trying to stuff it into your mouth.

I found this recipe today online and tried it tonight with chili. We ate the entire pan. (Granted, I did half the recipe, but still....it was good!!) It was sweet, moist, and slightly more dense than the regular stuff.

Southern Pride Sweet Cornbread

1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. honey (just add more sugar if you don't have honey)
2 eggs
1/2 cup softened butter
1 c. milk
1 c. water
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups flour
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt

Grease 9 x 13 pan. Heat oven to 375. Mix sugar, butter, eggs, milk, honey, and water together. Mix dry ingredients. Blend wet and dry ingredients together. Mixture will be slightly lumpy. Pour into greased pan, bake until golden brown on top. Serve with butter.