Chicken Fajitas - Slow Cooker

 Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp honey
• For serving:
• Flour tortillas, sour cream, cilantro, salsa, guacamole, Monterrey Jack or cheddar cheese

Directions

• Pour half of the canned tomatoes into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread into an even layer. Top with half of the peppers and half of the onions. Sprinkle garlic in. Top with chicken breasts.
• In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle half of the seasoning over chicken breasts then flip chicken and sprinkle in remainder. Top with remaining half of the tomatoes, then layer in remaining peppers and onions.
• Cover and cook on HIGH heat 3 - 4 hours or low heat 6 - 8 hours, until chicken has cooked through and veggies are tender (note that if you want to be able to cut chicken into strips cook more near lesser time on HIGH or LOW, otherwise it will probably just shred, which is also fine).
• Remove chicken, and cut into strips, or shred. Ladle out 1 cup of the broth in slow cooker (mostly tomato liquid) and discard. In a small bowl whisk together lime juice and honey and add to slow cooker along with chicken and season with additional salt to taste if desired. Gently toss. Sere warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream and optional guacamole, cheese and salsa.
• Recipe source: Cooking Classy

Soft Baked Pretzels

Soft Baked Pretzels

1 package (.25 oz) Active Dry Yeast (1 Tbsp)

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 1/8 tsp. Salt 

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 Cup Bread Flour

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2 Cups Warm Water

2 Tbsp Baking Soda

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2 Tbsp Butter, melted

1-2 Tbsp Coarse Salt or Cinnamon Sugar

In a large mixing bowl, add yeast, brown sugar, and salt. Test water temperature with thermometer. when it reads 110 degrees, add to bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add both types of flour and stir well.

Place dough on floured surface. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. *** To knead dough, press down on dough with your palm, fold the dough over and rotate 1/4 turn, repeat until dough is ready ***

Grease large bowl. Place dough in bowl then turn dough upside down t coat the surface. Cover with a towel and let rise for one hour in warm spot.

Combine 2 cups warm water (test again for 110 degrees) and baking soda in an 8 inch square pan. After the dough has risen, divide it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 1.5 foot rope, 1/2 inch wide. Twist into pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solutio. Place on cookie sheets with parchment paper and let rise 15-20 minutes.

Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter, and then sprinkle with coarse salt or cinnamon sugar.

*** In Kitchen-Aide, it's about 3 minutes to knead dough. ***

Mexican Lasagna

Mexican Lasagna

Prep: 20 Minutes    Bake: 1 Hour

12 Uncooked Lasagna Noodles

2 Cans (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

8 oz Container of Sour Cream

1 1/4 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder

3 Cups Cubed Cooked Chicken

1 (4 oz) can of Green Chilies, undrained

8-10 Green Onions, sliced

3 Cups finely shredded Mexican-Style Cheese

1 can (2 1/2 oz) sliced Black Olives, drained

1 Cup Nacho Cheese Doritos, crushed

Chopped or Whole Cilantro Leaves if desired

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray bottom of 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. While noodles are cooking, mix soup, sour cream, cumin, garlic powder, chicken and chilies in large bowl. 

Spread about 1 1/4 cups of chicken mixture in bottom of 9x13 pan. Top with 4 noodles. Spread 1 1/4 cups of chicken mixture over noodles and top with green onions and cilantro. Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Top with 4 noodles and spread 1 1/4 cup of chicken mixture over top. Sprinkle with olives and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Top with last 4 noodles and remaining chicken mixture. 

Bake covered with foil 30-45 minutes, until heated through. Remove from oven and sprinkle the crushed chips and 1 cup shredded cheese oer top. Bake 15 more minutes uncovered until bubbly. Sprinkle with cilantro, then let rest before cutting. Yummy served topped with your favorite chunky salsa. 

This is one of our favorite meals and makes for excellent leftovers, as well.

ENJOY!

Valentine Sweetness

Ingredients

5-6 Quarts Popped Popcorn

2-3 lbs White Chocolate Coins

3-5 standard size TWIX Candy Bars,

chopped into pieces

Pretzel Sticks broken up

M&M Peanut (use seasonal colors)

Parchment Paper or Wax Paper

*** Add more or less of any of these ingredients depending on taste buds. I find less is more with the candy, because the chocolate coated popcorn is oh so good on it's own. The little treats are a nice surprise.

Directions

Melt chocolate in stages in the microwave until smooth and creamy. Pour over popcorn tossing until coated evenly. Sprinkle in a touch of salt to enhance sweetness. Gently toss in Twix pieces and pretzel bits (Remember, sparingly is good with additions). I also added Valentine sprinkles for fun at this stage.

Spread out on wax paper in even layer and add a handful or two of M&Ms. Allow chocolate to set up and enjoy. Store in sealed container or Ziploc bag. 

This recipe is a lot of fun and gives you freedom to customize the mix how you want. I cannot emphasize enough you need less candy than you think you do.

ENJOY!

Monte Cristo

Needing an easy weeknight dinner, tonight I threw together Monte Cristo Sandwiches. Basically, I combined dinner and dessert into one convenient meal.

It was fast.

So easy.

And very, very satisfying.

Monte Cristo

Ingredients:    

                 6 slices of bread

                 6 slices of provolone

                 6 slices of swiss cheese

                 6 slices of turkey

                 6 slices of ham

                 1 cup of flour 

                 1 egg

                 1 Tbsp baking powder

                 1 Tbsp sugar

                 1/4 tsp salt

                 1 cup of water

                 powdered sugar for topping

                 raspberry jam for dipping

Instructions:

In a deep skillet (or deep fryer), heat 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. To assemble sandwich, layer one slice of bread, ham, provolone cheese, turkey, and swiss cheese, and then another slice of bread. Secure all four corners of the sandwich with toothpicks.

For the batter, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Blend in the water and egg and mix well. Dip sandwich in the batter, coating all edges and sides. Carefully fry sandwich until golden brown on each side. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel covered plate to soak up the extra oil.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, remove toothpicks, and serve with your favorite raspberry jam.

Enjoy!

Love,

Rachel

HEAVEN in our mouths! German Hotcakes.

I first came across the idea of German Hotcakes in our TIGHT years, You know the ones...where you find yourself choosing between rent and electricity or food.  The ingredients are so basic...eggs, milk, flour. Staples, really. Over the years, and a few modifications, I've landed on the following recipe. A FAMILY FAVORITE of ours. Crack, Measure, Whip, Bake, and ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS:

6 EGGS

1 Cup of MILK

1 tsp of VANILLA

1 Tbp Granulated SUGAR

Dash of salt

1 Cup of FLOUR

1 stick of BUTTER

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray 9x13n-pan.

Melt stick of butter in microwave for 1 minute.

Pour into sprayed 9x13.

Mix with hand mixer, bowl mixer, or blender, the EGG, MILK, VANILLA, SUGAR, SALT, and FLOUR. Pour into pan and bake at 425 for 13 minutes.

Serve with syrup and powdered sugar.

YUM.

This can only mean one thing...

The candy making and holiday baking has begun. The next few days, this here kitchen will be cranking out fudge, caramels, peppermint bark, glazed pecans, cinnamon rolls, peanut brittle, and ginger cookies. Recipes to come!