Taco Salad

My mom has been making this ever since I can remember and it quickly became a family favorite. I'm lucky if I can make it last 2 nights since Austin loves it so much. It's not your traditional taco salad recipe, but definitely worth giving it a try!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger

1 can Pork and Beans (I use Van Kamps)

1 can Kidney beans (optional)

1 can Tomato Soup (I use Campbell's)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Yellow Mustard

Directions:

BROWN the hamburger. You can add onion if you want, I use onion powder to season since I have an onion allergy.

COMBINE beans, soup, brown sugar and mustard in a casserole dish and mix together. Add hamburger.

STIR well.

MICROWAVE for 6 minutes or until heated through. You can also bake in the oven at 350 F for 15 minutes.

CRUSH tortilla chips onto your dinner plate. ADD meat mixture. TOP with your favorites: tomato, lettuce, cheese, olives, sour cream, etc.

ENJOY!

Note: You can double the recipe for the meat mixture and let it sit in your crockpot on low throughout the day.

Special Delivery Chicken

I got this recipe from my sister. I've made it here and there and always enjoy it. The reason I decided to post it, is because this is one of the few things Makayla will down at dinner time. I like anything a whole lot more when I don't have to fight her to eat it :) Sorry I didn't think of taking a picture before we dug into it. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Special Delivery Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 C. Sour Cream (16oz.)
• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 2 tsp Poppy Seeds
• 2 1/2 C. Cubed chicken (cooked)
• 1 3/4 C. Ritz Cracker, crumbs
• 1/2 C. Butter, melted

Directions:
In bowl, combine the sour cream, soup and poppy seeds. Stir in chicken. Pour into a greased 11x7 baking dish. Combine the cracker crumbs and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Note: I try to make this a little healthy by using low fat sour cream and whole wheat Ritz crackers.

Kung Pao Chicken

You could open a Chinese restaurant with this recipe.  Seriously.  It is that good. 

Got the recipe from the blog - For the Love of Cooking {http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/kung-pao-chicken.html}. It is my most favorite place to get new recipes from.  I am going to cut and paste the instructions from the blog below to save me time. Also, you need to use real ginger (the root) in the recipe.  Not the powder.  I have tried it with and without the red pepper flakes and I didn't like it with them in it. Much better without! Enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken:

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced into bite sized chunks
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don't want it really spicy)
• 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• White rice, prepared per instructions

Prepare rice. Combine chicken and cornstarch in a bowl and toss until evenly coated. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in another bowl and set aside for later. Heat a large skillet or wok with sesame oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is smoking hot add the chicken and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions (leaving a few for garnishing) to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sugar mixture to the pan along with the cooked chicken and peanuts. Coat the chicken and peanuts with sauce and heat thoroughly. Serve over rice and top with remaining green onions. Enjoy.

Crockpot Chicken for Tacos/Burritos

I made this for the first time tonight and really liked it!  So, so easy and quick.  As well as simple ingredients I always have on hand. I wasn't expecting it to be that great considering there aren't any spices in it...but it was quite flavorful. I'm not sure if I loved it so much because it was just so easy... but either way I will definitely use it more.  Just throw in a piece of chicken and open a few cans - and you're done! 

Ingredients:

--1 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast or pieces

--1 can of diced tomatoes

--1-2 cans of green chiles

--1 cup frozen corn or drained canned corn

--1 can of beans (drained)  - I used black beans
--your favorite taco or burrito fixings
--shells or tortillas

* It was also a little too watery for me. I would probably take the lid off of the crockpot for the last 30 minutes or so of cooking.

Directions:

--plop the chicken into the crockpot. 

--cover chicken with the tomatoes, chiles, beans and corn.

--cook on low for 7-10 hours, or on high for 5-6. Shred meat with forks and stuff into your favorite shell or tortilla.

Creamy Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

3 cups penne pasta, uncooked

2 Tbsp. Kraft Light Zesty Italian Dressing (I use enough to cover the bottom of the skillet.)

1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/2 cups cut-up fresh asparagus (1-inch lengths)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

4 oz. Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese), cubed

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add vegetables; cook 10 to 12 min. or until *chicken is done, stirring frequently. Add broth and Neufchatel; cook 1 min. or until Neufchatel is melted, stirring constantly. Stir in Parmesan.

DRAIN pasta; return to pan. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Cook 1 min. or until heated through. (Sauce will thicken upon standing.)

*You can also bake the chicken sprinkled with Italian seasoning in the oven according to package directions, then add to vegetable mixture before adding the broth and cheeses.

Notes:

For a creamier pasta you can once and a half the chicken broth (1 1/2 cups) and cheeses (6 oz. Neufchatel and a heaping 1/4 cup parmesan).