Crockpot Spanish Chicken

I've been trying to use my crock pot more and still make healthy tasty food; this recipe allows you to do both. I was able to throw this together in just minutes and was able to have a tasty meal! I added a cup of instant brown rice to my crock pot 4 hours into the cooking cycle and it came out great! 





  
 Ingredients 
  2 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed


     1 small onion, diced
       1 garlic clove, crushed
        1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced
        4 plum tomatoes
        2 TBSP  pitted spanish olives
         8 oz can tomato sauce
         1/4 tsp oregano
         1/4 tsp cumin
         salt to taste
          1-2 bay leaf
         1/4 cup chopped cilantro (plus 2 tbsp more for serving)
Directions
Place chicken, onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes in the crock pot. Season with salt, cumin and oregano. Mix well so everything is seasoned.
Add tomato sauce, olives along with 1 tbsp of the brine, 1/2 cup water, bay leaf and cilantro. Mix well and set crock pot to HIGH 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. When done, taste for salt and seasoning and adjust spices as needed. Add 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro and serve over rice. Serves 4



Ingredients 

Mix ingredients thoroughly and set crock pot for 6 hours.



Enjoy!














Source: Skinny Taste

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

I love any holiday that encourages one to eat ethnic food, think St Patty's Day, so since tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo so I've decided to link you to some of my favorite Mexican dishes. I hope your fiesta is fun and full of yummy food!

How about yummy Chicken Enchilada Pizza? Or perhaps some dreamy Chicken Enchiladas?  This Mexican Lasagna recipe is a true hit, so delicious!  Everyone needs a good Salsa to go along with their meal on Fiesta Day, or perhaps you'd care for a creamy Taco Dip. Perhaps where you live it's cold and a hearty Taco Soup would be just the thing. This is one of my top 5 recipes that I make, I know that cumin isn't a true Mexican flavor, but come on, this Black Bean, Corn and Rice Salad is just too good!

I know I just posted my Cinco de Mayo Cheesecake recipe yesterday, but since I've already had a piece for breakfast I can confirm it tastes better the next day, so get busy!!

Cinco de Mayo Cheesecake

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) here is a tasty dessert to serve at the end of your fiesta! I love this recipe, it's got a great flavor but is very simple and quick to make. The texture is very similar to cheesecake but the cinnamon topping gives it an extra zing. This is one of those recipes that works great for a bake sale or to bring along to a potluck dinner. People underestimate this great dessert, maybe because there aren't any bells and whistle, but believe me, this is a keeper.  In my version of the recipe I made an 8x8 pan but this recipe can easily be doubled to fit a 9x13.

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla
1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
2/3 c white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter, room temperature
1/4 c honey

Preheat oven to 350 and spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Beat cream cheese with 1 cup sugar and the vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

Unroll the can of crescent roll dough and divide in half. Use a rolling to to shape half of the dough into an 8x8 shape and place in the bottom of your prepared pan. Next evenly spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the dough. Roll out the second piece of dough and place on top of cream cheese mixture. Stir together 2/3 c sugar, cinnamon and room temp butter. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the dough has puffed and turned golden brown. Remove from oven and drizzle honey on top. Cool completely and cut into 9 squares. I like to serve mine cold from the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar in bowl

Get it nice and smooth

Divide crescent dough in half

Roll it out to fit in your 8x8 baker. Don't ya love

my cute mini rolling pin?

Spread it out onto bottom of pan

Add cream cheese mixture

Spread until smooth

Top with second half of rolled out dough

Notice the large amount of cinnamon next to the bowl,

well I got cocky and decided to shake the cinnamon in the bowl instead

 of measuring it...  well the top came off and I dumped about a cup of cinnamon

into my sugar and butter mixture. I scooped out as much as possible, but believe me yours will 

not look this dark!!!

Drizzle with honey once it's out of the oven

your top will be smoother than mine, remember mine has WAY too much cinnamon

Serve chilled.

Enjoy! 

Tiramisu

My mother in law invited us over for a traditional Italian dinner and I was in charge of dessert. I wanted to make something Italian so I decided to go with Tiramisu. I'd never made it and for some reason was always afraid of making it, I guess I'd never really sat down and read the recipe. This version is super easy and went together quickly and turned out great. My father in law loved it and was pleased how it wasn't overpowered with the alcohol taste.  This recipe makes a 9x13 pan.

Ingredients
9 egg yokes
1 1/8 c white sugar
1 c milk
2 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 lb mascarpone cheese
1/2 c strong brewed coffee, room temp
1/2 c Amaretto
1 7 oz package ladyfinger cookies
2 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c Heath baking bits

In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until well blended. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat , stirring constantly, until mixture boils.  Boil gently for 1 minute, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, place plastic wrap right on top of pudding and place in fridge for one hour.

In a medium bowl, beat cream with vanilla until stiff peaks form. Whisk mascarpone into yolk mixture and smooth. (if you can’t find mascarpone cheese follow this link and make your own)

In a small bowl, combine coffee and rum. Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.

Use a 9x13 pan and pour some coffee/amaretto mixture onto bottom of dish. Place ½ of the ladyfingers cut side down into the 9x13 baker, spoon more coffee/amaretto over cookies. Spread half of the mascarpone mixture over ladyfingers and then half of whipping cream over that. Repeat layers and sprinkle with cocoa. Making sure you spoon coffee/amaretto over the second layer of ladyfingers as well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Right before serving sprinkle ½ c Heath Baking chips over top.

Serves 12

Ingredients for pudding mixture

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly

Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap and chill

for one hour

Mix whipping cream and vanilla

Whip until stiff peaks form

Line cut ladyfingers cut side down in coffee/amaretto mixture

Take pudding and whisk mascarpone until smooth 

Cover the top sides of the ladyfingers with the coffee/amaretto

Mascarpone mixture ready to go onto ladyfingers

Smooth it over the top of the ladyfingers

Spread 1/2 of whipping cream over top,

sprinkle cocoa over top of this layer

Coat your ladyfingers again

Place a second layer

Here is the second layer ready for the mascarpone and whipping cream 

Done, ready to refrigerate

The next day

Seriously good!

Enjoy!

Lasagna with Meat Sauce

I love inviting friends over for dinner, I think mealtimes are where friendships are solidified. To me food is love, and I love to share my love with others. Lasagna is one of my favorite things to make, it feeds a crowd and is super easy. My son's girlfriend Julia loves lasagna so I try to make it at least once a month for her.  I love to use my meat sauce recipe for the red sauce, but with canned sauces tasting so good it's not a deal breaker to buy store bought sauce.

Ingredients for Lasagna
1 box no boil lasagna noodles
15 ounces part skim ricotta
4 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 c bread crumbs ( I like the Italian version)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 bag fresh spinach
1tsp garlic salt
Pasta Sauce (two bottles if store bought)

Preheat oven to 350
In a small bowl mix ricotta cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, 1 cup mozzarella and garlic salt. Use a 9x13 pan and start with some red sauce and place noodles on top of sauce. Spread out some of the ricotta mixture on top of noodles. Then place a large handful of spinach on top of ricotta mixture, top that with red sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat this process 3 times. Top lasagna with cheese and place a tin foil tent over top. Bake for 30 minutes with foil, then remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Ingredients

Ricotta mixture

First layer of noodles 

Then some ricotta spread evenly over noodles

Next spinach

Some red sauce and cheese

I like to alternate directions of my noodles for each layer

I topped mine with some fresh basil

Out of the oven

Yum! Who got the first piece?

Enjoy!

Navajo Fry Bread

When I was a kid we took a vacation to Arizona and spent some time on the Navajo Indian reservation, my parents had friends who were doing missionary work. I remember the red sand being everywhere and I remember going into the trading post. My father tried to talk an inebriated indian into showing us how to shoot a bow and arrow, let's just say it didn't end well. :) The  one thing that came out of this vacation was my mom learning how to make fry bread. My family loved this meal and last year when we went home for the holidays I made my mom make it for my kids. Not only did we learn to make this bread, but my mom also learned some folk lore concerning fry bread. When you make the dough and roll it out you are supposed to tear a small hole into the center of the bread, this is so evil spirits can escape. To this day I've never eaten a homemade piece of fry bread without a hole in it.

Ingredients for fry bread
4 c flour
2 TBSP baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 to 1 1/2 c warm water
vegetable oil

Mix 3 c flour and the rest of the dry ingredients well.  Add warm water.  Add the remaining flour little by little until the dough is soft but not sticky.  Knead.  Shape into golf ball size balls; flatten by hand or with floured rolling pin until 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. 
Heat oil in large frying pan until a drop of water dropped in sizzles. Tear small hole in center and cooking one at a time place in hot oil, turn after a few minutes. You want both sides to be golden brown, keep warm until ready to serve. 
To prepare tacos tear fry bread into bite sized pieces on dinner plate and smother with chili. Obviously you can make your own, but I'm using canned tonight. Then liberally top with toppings listed below. 

Toppings

Chili

Lettuce ( I mixed in some cilantro with my lettuce)

Shredded cheese

Chopped tomatoes

Sliced olives

Tabasco sauce
Salsa

Chopped avocados (we never at them this way, but I think avocados are awesome)

My "good" camera is having memory card issues, 

so I had to grab a different camera half way through making dough.

Sorry no pics of the dough making process

Heat oil

Add to hot oil

Turn so both sides are golden brown

Drain on paper towels 

Toppings

Ready to create your personalized taco

I like to tear mine into bite sized pieces

Add cheese

Chili

Add remaining toppings

Enjoy!