Chicken Enchilada Pie

With the weather cooling down, I can finally turn on my oven at dinner (though I did intend to make this yesterday when it was rainy and in the 60s, but Matt wanted to order pizza, so what can you do?).  This, with some tweaks from the original recipe, turned into a great meal... Matt even had thirds!
If you wanted to, you could make this vegetarian by using a can of black beans instead of the chicken on top and it would still be great!

Chicken Enchilada Pie

Chicken Enchilada Pie

Ingredients:
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning, divided
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 (14 3/4 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8.5 ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Jiffy)
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Optional Toppings: 
1 scallion, sliced
2 radishes, sliced thin
cilantro, to taste,
1/4 cotija or feta cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine the first 7 ingredients (milk through green chiles), using just 1/2 tablespoon of the taco seasoning, in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a round, 9'' pie plate, coated with cooking spray.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. While corn is baking, toss the chicken in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning. When cornbread is done – it will be just barely set and golden brown – pierce entire surface liberally with a fork (it might stick a little bit to the fork).
Pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese melts.
Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with toppings.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Gravy

I'm ready for fall.  The weather?  Not so much.  I decided however, that because it's September I was going to start roasting, making mashed potatoes, and drinking some pumpkin spice lattes.  (In fairness, the lattes happen early in the morning when it actually is cool)

This recipe is awesome.  The chicken thighs become super crispy.  The garlic basically melts into the sauce.  The gravy tastes amazing by itself, over the chicken, over green beans, and over mashed potatoes.

If you are ready for fall to be here, (or maybe where you are, it is!?) this is a perfect recipe.  Pair it with mashed potatoes to soak up all that gravy and simple steamed green beans or broccoli.  Here's to hoping it isn't 85 degrees all next week and then I can justify my meals and pumpkin spice lattes!

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Gravy

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Gravy

Ingredients
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
4-6 chicken thighs, skin on
Salt and pepper, to taste
20 garlic whole cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp. flour
3/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
*1 1/4 tsp. fresh lemon thyme leaves (or about 3/4 tsp. dried leaves)
2 Tbsp. butter

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 with rack in center of oven.
In a oven-safe Dutch oven or big, oven-safe skillet with a lid, heat the oil over medium heat.
Dry the chicken thighs well by patting them with a paper towel.
Sprinkle the chicken pieces with a bit of salt and the pepper. Cook the chicken until well browned, turning regularly, for about 10 minutes in all, then remove chicken to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium- low, add the garlic, and cook, stirring regularly, until it is starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the garlic and stir until combined. Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and bake for 15 minutes in the pre-heated 400° oven. (If you pot or skillet doesn't have a lid, you can tightly cover the top with tin-foil instead.)
Remove the pot from the oven and put it on a burner.
Remove the chicken pieces from the pot to a plate.
Over medium-high heat, whisk in the wine and simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, thyme and a bit more salt and pepper, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until sauce thickens. Turn the heat off and stir in the butter. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper, if it needs it. Add the chicken back to the pot to re-warm with the sauce. Serve spooned over mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!

*You can use regular thyme, but I really like lemon thyme!

Recipe adapted from Seasons and Suppers

Skillet Cheesy Quinoa with Broccoli and Chicken

Tonight I really wanted to make a casserole, but the temperatures have skyrocketed again here in Philly, so that wasn't really an option.  However, I satisfied my craving by making this skillet cheesy quinoa with broccoli and chicken.
You may now be asking, "why isn't chicken the first ingredient?"  Well, I have had chicken take a back seat in this dish and amped up the healthy quinoa and broccoli, with less of a focus on the meat.  This way you get some protein, healthy grains, and your veggies.  The cheese adds a salty layer and really makes it feel like a casserole.  Delicious!

Skillet Cheesy Quinoa with Broccoli and Chicken

Skillet Cheesy Quinoa with Broccoli and Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 large head broccoli, chopped small
1 1/2 cups cooked rotisserie chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese

Preparation:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onions and saute for about 2 minutes.
Add garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
Add quinoa and toast for 1 minute, stirring a few times.
Add broth, thyme, salt, and pepper.
Bring to a boil, turn down heat to low, cover and simmer for 12 minutes.
Add broccoli on top of quinoa and cover back up.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Add chicken and cheese.
Cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted and chicken is warmed through.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Zucchini Green Chile Enchiladas

Alright, first things first, it's been a really long time since I last posted, but I've been so busy!  I've moved up in the world of teaching to 2nd grade and we start next week!  I also have been crazy busy with my online grad classes AND we just moved into a house!  That we bought!

Of course, my first post back is enchiladas.  If you're an avid reader, you know I love making enchiladas.  (For example, my most popular Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas or my Vegetarian Crockpot Enchiladas).

ANYWAY, these enchiladas are awesome.  Zucchini is the star of these, which is perfect for summer.  It was finally cool enough to turn my oven on and use some fresh summer veggies!  I did add about one chicken breast into my filling, but only because I needed to use it up.  I omitted it in the recipe below, but if you're feeling like you need to add some meat, go right ahead.

Zucchini Green Chile Enchiladas 

Zucchini Green Chile Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 tsp. vegetable oil
2 zucchini, quartered
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chile powder
1.5 cups corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 ounce green chile enchilada sauce
8 large flour tortillas
2 cups cheddar jack cheese
1/4 cup cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and cook until translucent but still crunchy, about 4 minutes.
Add zucchini, garlic, salt, cumin, and chile powder.  Cook until soft, but still a little crunchy, about 6 minutes.
Add corn and cook for 1 minute.
Meanwhile, line a 9x13 pan with foil.  Add half a cup of enchilada sauce into pan.
Take each tortilla and fill it with about 1/4 cup of zucchini mixture, rolling it as you go.  Place seam-side down in pan.  Repeat until you've filled all your tortillas.
Pour the rest of the sauce on top, spreading it out and making sure the tortillas are covered.  Add cheese and cover with foil.
Bake 10 minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle on cilantro.
Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Now believe me when I say I was scared to try this recipe.  I think I can cook pretty well, but Indian food never turns out right.  With that being said, this recipe is awesome.  It actually worked and was delicious!  The key is that it uses heavy cream instead of yogurt as the base of the sauce; yogurt always curdles for me.  I was super pumped about this and plan on making it again very soon!

Chicken Tikka Masala 

Chicken Tikka Masala 

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup whole-milk yogurt
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander

For the sauce:
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. garam masala
1 tsp. paprika
Pinch cayenne
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
For serving: basmati rice, naan

Preparation:
Combine yogurt, lemon, cumin, and coriander in a small bowl.  Place chicken in a greased oven-ready baking dish.  Spoon yogurt marinade over chicken.  Mix, making sure that chicken is coated all over.  Place in refrigerator for up to 6 hours.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 50 minutes. Set aside.
Warm a half-tablespoon of butter in a dutch oven. Add the onions and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the ginger, tomato paste, garam masala, paprika, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Pour the tomatoes and their juices and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, dice the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Stir the cream and chopped chicken into the sauce, and simmer until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is just starting to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper, or other seasonings to taste. Stir in the cilantro just before removing the sauce from heat.
Serve immediately with rice. Top each serving with another sprinkle of cilantro.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Meatballs

I realized recently that although I use my mom's recipe for meatballs and sauce all the time, I actually have never posted it before.  These meatballs are delicious.  I could eat them all the time.  Now, I actually forgot to take a picture of my sauce (whoops!), so I will post that whenever I make sauce again.  For now, meatballs alone will have to suffice.
For an alternative to pasta, you can make my zucchini rollups as a side for these meatballs!

Meatballs

Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. hamburger, or ground meat of choice
2 cloves chopped garlic
salt & pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup grated cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
additional garlic powder to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix ground meat, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, cheese, egg, and bread crumbes together in a large bowl.  If mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs, a little at a time. 

Roll into balls and place on sprayed cookie sheet. 

Spray the top with more pam & season with salt, pepper & garlic powder. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes until brown.

Add to sauce the last hour.

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

Chicken piccata is a dish that I often find myself ordering at restaurants because I don't make it at home.  Why?  Who knows.  Well, now I need to find something else to order at restaurants because this turned out great and I can't wait to make it again!

Chicken Piccata 

Chicken Piccata 

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 lemons
¾ Cup Heavy Cream
¼ cup capers
Chopped parsley, for garnish
1/2 pound spaghetti

Preparation:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Season flour with salt and pepper, to taste and dredge chicken in flour.  Place the chicken in the skillet. Cook for about 6 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked throughout and no longer pink. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
Turn the heat to medium low. Add broth, juice from lemons, heavy cream, and capers. Bring the sauce to a boil and return to medium low heat. Test the sauce and season with salt and pepper as needed, (you probably won't need much salt because the capers are so salty!). Allow the sauce to cook and bubble for about 3 minutes.
Serve the chicken over cooked pasta and spoon the sauce over both. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic

Pork Florentine

Pork Florentine sounds very fancy, looks very fancy, but is not that hard to make, my favorite!  Plus it's healthy because of the spinach... right?  (Definitely not, but that's okay).
The great thing about florentine is that you can florentine just about anything... don't eat pork?  No problem!  You can make chicken florentine or salmon florentine or tofu florentine!  (I haven't tried that one, so let me know how it goes!)  The florentine sauce is super yummy and a great splurge for a chilly fall night.

Pork Florentine

Pork Florentine

Ingredients:
10 oz of baby spinach leaves, chopped into large pieces
1 lb of thinly sliced boneless pork chops (about 4 to 5 chops)
4 tablespoons of flour, divided
½ of a white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chicken broth
½ cup of heavy cream
1 cup of grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
3 Tbsp. Olive oil

Preparation:
In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and saute until wilted. Lightly season with salt, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a shallow bowl and lightly dredge the chops, shaking off any excess flour. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until brown on both sides and completely cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.
Add a tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
Slowly add the chicken broth and heavy cream, stirring constantly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let simmer until sauce thickens. (This happened for me in about 2 minutes).
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the spinach and Parmesan.
Plate the chops, top with the spinach cream sauce and eat.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Egg Me On

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

As I was clicking through Pinterest trying to figure out what to make for our New Years Eve get together, I found a recipe for blue cheese stuffed meatballs, they sounded great!  As I started to make these, I realized I was supposed to have a block of blue cheese as opposed to crumbles (which I had) and no egg... well I decided to kill two birds with one stone and use the cheese as a binder.  These ended up not being stuffed, but delicious anyhow.

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Buffalo Blue Cheese Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup onion, grated
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
4 oz. blue cheese crumbles
1 cup hot sauce (I used Frank's Redhot- though for a more mild flavor, you can use wing sauce)
2 Tbsp. butter

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine turkey, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic, ranch seasoning, and blue cheese in a large bowl.  (I used my hands to mix, if you want, you can use a fork.)
Roll into medium-sized meatballs, you should end with 16 meatballs.
Place meatballs onto a sprayed baking sheet.
Bake for 16-18 minutes.
Meanwhile, add hot sauce and butter to slow cooker.  Place on high and whisk until combined.  Turn to keep warm.
Add meatballs to slow cooker and spoon sauce over the top of each meatball.
These can be kept in the slow cooker for about a half hour.
Serve warm can be topped with blue cheese dressing.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Inspired by Charm

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ready for super easy chicken tacos that everyone will eat?  Ready for (almost) the entire meal to be prepared in the crockpot so you have the tiniest bit of clean up?  Do I have the dish for you!  These tacos scored big amongst the picky eaters in my house and it was super easy.

Double Chicken Tacos

Look at that succulent chicken

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 green pepper, julienned
1 medium onion, julienned
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
8 taco shells (hard or soft)
1/2 cup cheese, shredded
1/2 tomato, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Salsa, sour cream, optional

Preparation:
Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Place chicken in bottom of crock pot. Layer peppers and onions on top.  Sprinkle spice mixture on top.  Cook on low 8 hours.
When ready to serve, shred chicken in crockpot and mix together with peppers and onions.  Assemble tacos with chicken mixture, and top with cheese, tomato, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream.
Enjoy!

Balsamic Chicken and Strawberry Quesadillas

We have been on a super quesadilla kick lately in our house, perhaps because of the excess of tortillas we have in our fridge.  However, I didn't want to put in regular old toppings, so when my sister brought home strawberries from work this week, I figured these would be perfect!  My Mom's friend also had given us basil and a banana pepper from her garden, so we threw those in too.  They were delicious!
Also, sorry for the poor picture quality, I had to take it on my phone.

Balsamic Chicken and Strawberry Quesadillas

Balsamic Chicken and Strawberry Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pint strawberries, diced
1/2 small red onion, sauteed and diced
1 banana pepper, diced (optional)
2 Tbsp basil, julienned
1 Tbsp parsley, julienned
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 brick mozzarella cheese, shredded
6 Flour tortilla shells

Preparation:
Pre-heat skillet over medium heat.  Place one tortilla shell on skillet.  Layer cheese, strawberries, chicken, basil, onion, parsley, and top with more cheese on one half of the tortilla.  Drizzle balsamic over, a small amount goes a long way!  Fold over the empty half of the tortilla onto the full half.  Flip to brown both sides.  Repeat until you're done with tortillas!
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Your Home Based Mom

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole

This dinner totally came about because I had dibs and dabs of vegetables left and I had to use them up before they went bad. After looking online to get basic cook times of a chicken casserole, I came up with this variation, and I must say that it was pretty delicious!  This recipe can also be a jumping off point based on what veggies you have to use up in your house.

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole

Chicken and Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients:
1 tsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cubed
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350.
Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.  Add chicken when hot.  Season with salt and pepper.
Cook until not pink anymore.  (Don't worry if it's not completely done, you're going to cook it longer.)
Combine chicken, celery, carrots, garlic, cream of chicken soup, Greek yogurt, cheese, and parsley in a greased casserole dish.
In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and butter.  Spread over the top of the casserole.
Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Enjoy!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

I had a can of biscuits about to expire in the fridge today and really needed to use them up.  Alyssa requested chicken and biscuits, so I set out to find a recipe.  The one I came across called for green chiles, which I found to be a little weird, so I replaced them with peas, carrots, and corn... more of a pot pie filling.

Ultimately, this ended up being a pot pie casserole with biscuits on top instead of pie crust... it was still delicious though!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

How creamy!

Chicken and Biscuit Casserole

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. butter
*4 chicken thighs, skinned, deboned, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
**1 cup frozen peas
**1 cup frozen corn
**1 cup carrots
1 small onion, diced
1 can of biscuits
1/2 Tbsp. paprika
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 bay leaves
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Heat oven to 350.
Boil chicken about 8 minutes in a medium pot with the bay leaves.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and saute onions until soft.  Add garlic, paprika, and fresh vegetables.  Cook until vegetables are soft.
Add cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and frozen vegetables.  Cook together to warm for about 5 minutes.
Drain chicken and add to mixture.  Stir together.
Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Pour mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Place in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
Take pan out of the oven and place biscuits on top.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Life in the Dub Lane

*You can use chicken breasts instead of thighs, though the dark meat adds juiciness
**You can also use 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Are you ready for the easiest recipe of all time?  Four ingredients.  That's it.  Also, it's delicious.  Hooray!
This recipe is great for me because every year my grandma goes to Florida and brings back multiple jars of orange marmalade... gotta use them somehow!

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 chicken thighs, skinned

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil.  Spray with cooking spray.
Mix marmalade, chili powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Add chicken.  Mix with hands, making sure to cover chicken completely with mixture.
Remove chicken and place on baking sheet.  Spoon the rest of the mixture on top of the chicken.
Bake 30-40 minutes, until cooked through.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Woman'sDay Everyday Cookbook

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

I found this recipe in my favorite casserole cookbook last week and knew I had to make them.  I love Thai flavors, and to use them in meatballs?  I was sold.  They came out a little bland, so I added some red curry paste for some added umph. (Plus, I need to use that up!  I feel like I have been using it for years.)
Serve these over some jasmine rice and use that extra sauce for the rice.

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

Herbed Chicken Meatballs with Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1 lb. ground chicken
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 small onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
Sauce
1 (14 oz.) can of coconut milk
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. chives
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. red curry paste
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 400 and lightly grease the baking dish with cooking spray.  Combine the milk and bread crumbs in a large bowl.
Use a box grater to finely grate the onion and garlic.  Add the grated onion and garlic to the large bowl. Mix in chicken, olive oil, egg, cilantro, and lemon juice.  Mix thoroughly with your hands.
Form into about 16 meatballs in the prepared baking dish. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan and add the curry paste.  Cook for about one minute, then add coconut milk, cornstarch, chicken broth, salt, chives, and ginger.  Whisk and cook over low heat until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Stir in lemon juice.
Pour the sauce over the meatballs in their dish and turn down the oven to 325.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes.  Serve with extra cilantro.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Not Your Mother's Casseroles by Faith Durand

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

I wanted to use up my leftover chicken this week (you might have leftovers too if you made Roast Chicken and Vegetables) and found this recipe for buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese!  I was very excited because usually for macaroni and cheese you have to make a rue and there are so many dishes! (Actually, that part matters more for Matt, as he is Mr. Dishwasher.)  This recipe is wonderful because everything, even the dry noodles, go in the Crockpot, and it's done in two hours!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup diced carrots and celery (either one, or combination)
2 cups pre-cooked chicken, diced
1/2 pound small uncooked pasta
Toppings: Bleu cheese crumbles, chopped carrots, celery, or onion

Preparation: 
Mix together evaporated milk, milk, hot sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in Crockpot until combined.  Stir in all other ingredients until combined.
Cook on low for about 1 hour.  Stir and cook another 30-60 minutes (depending on how small the pasta you used is).
Garnish as desired.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Snappy Gourmet

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe online and this sounded like the perfect way to serve enchiladas to my sister, and as you know my love for enchiladas, I was game.  The only issue is that this recipe basically calls for no Mexican ingredients... the only way these can be called enchiladas is the tortilla shells.  However, I decided to add some more spices to these, which I'm glad I did because they would have been a little bland.

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

Close-up!

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas 

Ingredients:
8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
1 cup chicken, cooked, shredded
1 cup corn
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 10 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. cilantro
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Fresh cilantro, for serving, optional

Preparation: 
Preheat oven to 350.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray.
Fill each tortilla with half a handful each of corn and chicken and a sprinkle of cheese.  Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish.
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter.  Add flour and whisk into paste.  Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, yogurt, salt, pepper, cumin, and dried cilantro.  Whisk for about five minutes, until well blended.
Pour over enchiladas and top enchiladas with remaining shredded cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Top with fresh cilantro.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Food Family Finds

Thai Red Coconut Curry

I love Thai food.  It is delicious.  I tend not to cook it that much, but only because I usually don't have the ingredients.  That all changed last week though when coconut milk was on sale.  Boom.  Thai food.
Also, as a note, I made this with chicken, but this can be made easily into a vegetarian/vegan dish with the addition of tofu and/or more vegetables.

Thai Red Coconut Curry

Thai Red Coconut Curry

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bay leaf
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
*1 Tbsp. red curry paste (or more, depending on how spicy you want it)
**Other optional ingredients: tofu, eggplant, etc.

Preparation:
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken.  Saute until almost cooked.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Simmer over medium-low heat until desired spiciness.
Serve over jasmine rice.

Recipe Adapted from At the Corner of Happy and Harried

*Red Curry Paste can be found at Asian specialty stores

Beer-Battered Fish

I found a recipe for beer batter awhile back on Pinterest and thought, "Hey!  I could do that," so tonight, I did.  You could use this recipe as a base beer batter for anything you feel like cooking- onion rings, fish, chicken, green bean fries, etc... it's very yummy, plus then my vegetarian friends can get in on this!
The recipe itself was very good, though I did change it a bit, however the actual cooking of the fish was only okay.
If I had deep-fried it, everything would have been fine.  I tried to be a little healthier and pan-fried it instead.  That also probably would have been fine, except the fish was still a bit frozen, so I had to flip it more times than I intended and it kind of fell apart.  Oh well, it still tasted damn good.
I also halved the recipe and it is a good thing I did!  I coated two large pieces of cod as well as a pound of green beans in the stuff and had quite a bit leftover.  If you are cooking for a small army, perfect!

Beer Batter

Beer-Battered Fish

Beer-Battered Fish

Ingredients: 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/8 cup beer, plus more for correct consistancy
4 large white fish filets, such as cod
Vegetable oil, for frying

Preparation:
In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic.  Mix well.
Add beer.  Whisk.
If mixture is too dry (mine was!) add beer until the consistency of a batter.
Add about 2 Tbsp. oil to large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat two fish in batter.  Add to pan.  Cook until golden brown on one side, flip until golden brown on the other side.  Set aside to a plate.  Cover.  Add 2 more Tbsp. oil to skillet and add battered fish.  Repeat.
Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from Buzzle

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

Another post about enchiladas?  Does this girl eat anything else?  If I had it my way, I really wouldn't.  I think Matt might get sick of them though.  However, he has put up with them twice in the past two weeks as well as a casserole version.  Delicious!  In this version, we lightened things up and used a fresh avocado sauce!  (Alyssa came into the kitchen and asked why the sauce was green, once I told her it was avocados though, it was fine.)
I'm always a little wary using different sauces on my enchiladas, I like them with red chile sauce, or my favorite way, with tomatillo sauce.  However, these turned out wonderfully!  This sauce is rockin'.  I would eat this on everything.  For real.  If you don't make the enchiladas, at least make the sauce.  (I tore up a tortilla to dunk in the sauce before I rolled them all out just so I wouldn't feel gross about eating the sauce with a spoon.)

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

Ingredients:
For the Enchilada:
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
2 small poblano peppers, stemmed, deseeded, and thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, deseeded, and thinly sliced
8 10'' flour tortillas (You can also use corn to make these gluten-free, but Matt won't eat them, so flour it is)
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp. taco seasoning
2-3 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
Optional: fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, for garnish

For the Avocado Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. taco seasoning
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tsp. lime juice

Preparation:
For the enchiladas:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Prepare the avocado sauce, as described below.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat.  Rub both sides of chicken breasts with taco seasoning.  Add to skillet.  Cover.  Cook on first side 9 minutes, flip, cook an additional 4-5 minutes.
In the same skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, poblano, and jalapeno and saute for 5-6 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.  Remove from heat.
To assemble the enchiladas, place tortilla on a flat surface.  Spread a spoonful of avocado sauce in the middle of the tortilla.  Scoop even amounts of vegetables, chicken, and cheese.  Carefully roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with all tortillas.  Drizzle the top with about half of the remaining sauce.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven.  Top each enchilada with avocado sauce.  You can also garnish with fresh cilantro, cheese, and sour cream.

For the avocado sauce:
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the flour, whisking until golden and bubbly, about 2 minutes.  Slowly whisk the broth into the flour mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in sour cream and taco seasoning, whisking to remove any lumps.  Remove from heat and transfer to a food processor or blender.  Add avocados, cilantro, and lime juice.  Pulse until well-blended.

Recipe Adapted from Gimme Some Oven