Southwest Chicken Pockets

These are a variation of the basic chicken roll-ups. I love them, and they make great leftovers. The kids eat them, but the younger ones don't like the salsa.

Southwest Chicken Pockets
2 c diced cooked chicken
6 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 c softened butter
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1 T chopped green onion
1/8 t chili powder
1/8 t cumin
2 (8 oz) cans crescent rolls
3 T melted butter
1 c dry seasoned stuffing, coarsely crushed
1/2 c roasted sunflower seeds (optional)

Combine chicken, cream cheese, butter, green chiles, green onion, cumin, and chili powder.  In separate bowl combine stuffing and sunflower seeds. Shape the crescent rolls into 8 squares (I take two triangles and just press the middles together) and fill with mixture. Shape into a ball, and roll in butter and then stuffing and sunflower seeds. Bake for 20 min @400. Top with Black Bean Salsa.

Black Bean Salsa
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 T green onion
1/4 c fresh lime juice
2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 t cumin
1/4 c chopped ripe tomato, drained

Combine all but tomato, add salt and pepper to taste. Chill, covered, at least two hours. Add tomato just before serving.

Tortellini Spinach Bake in Creamy Lemon Sauce-Carly

Tried and Tested! I loved this recipe because it's different. My whole family really enjoyed it!

Recipe by Our Best Bites (Go to their website to see the beautiful pictures!)

12 oz bag Barilla Cheese & Spinach Tortelini (find them in the dry pasta aisle)
4 oz bacon or pancetta, (about 4 strips bacon)*
3 cloves garlic, pressed in garlic press or finely minced
2 Tbs flour
2 C milk
¾ tsp kosher salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 tsp or more if you like spicy)
1 medium lemon
2 C loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
¾ C grated mozzarella cheese, divided
¾ C grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add tortellini and cook according to package instructions.

Place bacon in a medium sized skillet on the stove-top at medium-high heat.  Cook until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan with slotted spoon and set on paper towels to drain.  Reserve two tablespoons bacon drippings in pan and discard the rest.  Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute.  Add flour to pan and stir with a whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly add milk and continue to stir with whisk until smooth.  Add salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes and bring sauce to a simmer.

While sauce is heating, use a microplane grater or a fine-holed cheese grater to zest lemon.  Then cut lemon in half and remove juice.  Add 2 teaspoons zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice to sauce.  (Note:  I really love lemon so I added this to my tastes.  If you don’t want as strong of a lemon flavor, I suggest cutting it down to 1 teaspoon zest and 2 teaspoons lemon juice) .  Continue to stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Drain tortellini and place back in stock pot.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked bacon and add the rest to the pasta mixture.  Add spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Add sauce and gently stir to combine.  Place pasta mixture in an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish and top with remaining 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/4 cup parmesan and also crumbled bacon.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and pasta is bubbly throughout.  Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.

* For a vegetarian meal, omit bacon.

Serves 4-6

-----Now what recipes have you Tried and Tested?

Hands Down The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup-Carly

This is a combination between my mom's chicken noodle soup and a recipe I found on Allrecipes. This is the best homemade chicken noodle soup that I've ever had! When Matt sat down to eat it he told me it was really good after the first bite! That means a lot coming from Matt because he hates it when I make soup for dinner, especially chicken noodle soup!

Ingredients: 

16 oz Grandma's Egg Noodles (found in the freezer section) You MUST use these noodles because they are so good! 

1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken 

12 cups of chicken broth

1 tsp poultry seasoning (don't skip this one either)

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup corn starch

1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.Thaw the Grandma Egg Noodles according to directions on package, or place in refrigerator in the morning. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain in cool running water and separate noodles. Set aside. 

2. In a large saucepan, combine broth, poultry seasoning and the entire rotisserie chicken, be sure to add all the drippings. Bring to a boil. Stir in celery, carrots and onion. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes. 

3. Remove the rotisserie chicken. Remove the skin and cut into small bite size pieces. Add it back into the broth.
4. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water together until cornstarch is completely dissolved. Gradually add to soup, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles and heat through.

5. Add salt and pepper

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken-Carly

This was a hit with my family, it was so good I decided to make it for my Bunco group and everyone loved it. If that's not incentive enough to get you to want to make this, it's also a Weight Watchers meal!
Recipe courtesy of skinnytaste.com


Ingredients: 

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
• salt to taste

Directions: 

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.  

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, removechicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste. Serve over rice or tortillas and your favorite toppings.

Banana Cake-Melissa

My kids love this. I love this. It is a potluck favorite, and it is fairly easy. Anytime I have some overripe bananas, I will make a banana cake!

Cake

1 1/2 c mashed ripe bananas
2 t lemon juice
3 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c softened butter
2 1/8 c sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 275. (My oven runs a little cool, so I set mine to 300)
combine flour, soda, and salt in separate bowl. Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, lemon juice, and bananas. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake for one hour. The original instructions say to take the cake straight from the oven and put it directly into the freezer for 45 min, but I thus far haven't been brave enough-I am scared my pyrex will shatter!Maybe one day I will be brave and try it. For now, I just let it cool :)

Frosting

1/2 c butter (softened)
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
1 t vanilla
3 1/2 c powdered sugar

Combine butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla, and powdered sugar.

Roast Chicken-Emily

Here is Emily's Recipe-

(It was going to take me too long to condense it, so I am just posting the link)

http://nomnompaleo.com/post/4807547385/slow-cooker-roast-chicken-and-gravy

Zupa Toscana Soup-Carly

Zupa Toscana Soup

4 c Chicken Broth (3 cans)
6 med-lg potatoes
2 med cloves garlic
1 large onion
1 1/2 c heavy cream
2 lb mild Italian sausage
1 pkg hickory smoked bacon (thick)
Swiss Chard Lettuce (I have a hard time finding this at the grocery store, so I just use Kale)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook. Dice onion and cook the sausage and onion together. Slice potatoes and cook until slightly soft. In a large pot (medium heat on stove) mix chicken broth, garlic, and potatoes. Break lettuce into bite-sized pieces. Then add sausage, bacon, heavy cream, and lettuce, and let cook 15 min.

This makes a very large batch of soup! It is always so good as leftovers, though :)