I have been a little sparse with my postings lately. I apologize for that. I promise my family is not starving and I still make dinner almost every night of the week. My problem is that I've been making repeats or dishes that I'm not exciting about sharing with you. I've been on a quick and easy dinner kick lately. My girls beg me to go swimming with them every afternoon which cuts into dinner making time. Well worth it I might add but it doesn't leave me much time to get creative. This is one of those great quick and easy dinners that you can throw together in no time, even early in the day if you wish. After our afternoon swim yesterday I ran inside and this was ready to bake in the oven within 10 minutes. This is how my daughter kept herself occupied while dinner was baking.


This is what my daughter's plates looked like. I rounded it out by making a cheese quesadilla on a whole wheat tortilla which they dipped in sour cream and some grapes.

I was having another Mexican food craving and it just had to be satisfied. I was able to do just that with an exceptional recipe I found on a blog called Bun's in my Oven, slightly similar in name to my own blog. She just raved about this recipe and said that she makes it part of her dinner rotations quite often because it is one of her families favorites. I loved the idea of cream cheese mixed into the filling and was excited to try it out for myself. I adapted the recipe just a tad by adding black beans (my kids like them) and switching out the enchilada sauce for salsa. Oh, and I used plain Greek yogurt in the place of the sour cream. These did not disappoint me. I really, really liked them. I would say that I like them just as much as the Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas I have on my blog. I used a mix of both corn tortillas and whole wheat flour tortillas. Either one will work for this recipe so use what your family likes best. I hope you enjoy and have a great week.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
slightly adapted from buns in my oven

• 5 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup light sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 10 ounces enchilada sauce or 2 cups of salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (canned corn works just fine, but drain it first)
• 1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
• 4 oz. diced green chiles
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 8 flour or corn tortillas

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray.
In the bowl of your mixer cream together the cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 of the enchilada sauce or 1/2 cup of the salsa. Stir in 1/2 cup of each type of cheese.
In a second bowl toss together the chicken, corn, black beans, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper, green chiles, and half of the scallions. Add the chicken mixture to the cheese mixture and combine well.
Spread about half of the remaining enchilada sauce or salsa in the bottom of the baking dish.
Spoon the filling into each tortilla, roll the tortilla up, and place in the baking dish with the seam down. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce or salsa over the top of the filled tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve.

I am on a Mexican food kick lately. I don't know why but it always sounds so good for dinner. This recipe utilizes my favorite Egg Roll Wraps again. These things are so much fun to use.


Years and years ago I found a recipe in Taste of Home magazine that took your basic manicotti and gave it a Mexican twist. I saved it forever thinking that it would be fun to make but never got around to it. I finally dusted it off yesterday deciding to give it a try but changing a few of the ingredients to make it my own. I was very pleased with the results. As we were eating dinner my 3 year old daughter looked at me and said, "Mommy (chew, chew, chew)...this is really good". That made me feel good, especially coming from a 3 year old. They are healthy too as long as you use lighter ingredients and go light on the cheese. I am getting to the point were I no longer use sour cream anymore. I prefer the texture, taste, and nutrition of Greek yogurt instead. This would also make a great meal if you needed to take dinner to someone, they would be very pleased. I hope you enjoy!
Mexican Chicken Manicotti


1 1lb package of Egg Roll Wraps or manicotti shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (divided)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 small onion, diced and divided
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies, divided
1 small can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
2/3 cup milk

If using manicotti shells, cook according to package directions.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl combine the chicken, 1 1/2 cups jack cheese, cheddar cheese, yogurt, black beans, half of the onion, and 1/2 of chilies.

In another bowl, combine soup, salsa, milk, and remaining chilies and onion.

Spread 1 cup of the soup mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Lay egg roll wrapper on work surface. Place a heaping scoop of chicken mixture onto the center of egg roll. Fold corners in as you roll up to enclose the filling. Alternately, if using manicotti shells, stuff  each with chicken mixture. Arrange over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining jack cheese and bake 10 minutes longer.

Put down the phone, do not order pizza from a pizza joint! When you can make pizza this good at home why waste your money. This is so easy too. I almost had my 4 year old do it for me. Believe me she would have and would have done a great job. She is the expert at rolling play dough. Oh, did I mention it is HEALTHY! I found this recipe on one of my all time favorite magazines.

Cinco De Mayo is once again upon us. This gives me an excuse to make Mexican type dishes this week. I've mentioned before how I love Mexican food but only if cooked at home where I can have control over the ingredients, mainly the cheese. I have a weird aversion to globs of cheese and will gag at the very sight. I do love the spices that go into Mexican cooking. My favorite is cumin. Recipes that call for cumin will always be on my must try list. It just gives food a nice smokey flavor. I recently bought a huge bag of the stuff from My Spice Sage to insure that I don't run out anytime soon. This Green Chile Chicken uses lots of cumin so it is one of my favorite slow cooker meals. Another reason I like it is because it produces extra cooked chicken that I can bag up and freeze for leftovers. With my small family I am able to feed all of us and still have 3 bags of chicken for leftover meals. One chicken can go along way. Another plus is the fact that is cooks in the slow cooker all day so it makes dinner time really easy. I am able to take the chicken out, shred it, and pull all the fix ins out of the fridge for a quick and easy dinner. I hope you enjoy! Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Green Chile Chicken (Slow Cooker)

1 whole chicken
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 (4) oz can diced green chile's
3/4 cup chicken broth

Wash chicken and remove skin and insides, pat dry with paper towel.

Rub outside of chicken with spices. Add garlic, onions, chile's, and broth to slow cooker. Place chicken on top. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred meat with two forks.


Serve on tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taco salads, or any other way you wish.

I have a new obsession. I used to see these little things in the produce section all the time and wondered what fun things I could do with them. I finally broke down and bought some one day. I am so glad I did. Do you want to know what I am talking about? Well here they are:


Egg roll wraps are wonderful. You can adapt them to fit just about any cuisine whether it be Italian, American, Mexican, Asian, you name it. You can even wrap up something sweet and make a killer dessert. I am excited about experimenting with that more in the future. I found a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine for a Southwestern Style Egg roll and I adapted it a bit to suit our family more. For one thing, it called for spinach which I like but I didn't think my kids would like seeing that stringy green stuff when they bit into them. I also left out the green onions and the cayenne pepper because I did want my children to actually eat them. The original didn't have chicken in it but I added it because this was dinner for us and I wanted something more substantial. You can see how you can make these to suit your families tastes. My kids actually wanted ketchup to dip them in (GAG). Just do what you want and enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Rolls (Baked)
adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained or 2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican style cheese
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1  (1lb) package egg roll wrappers

In a large bowl, mix everything together except for the egg roll wrappers. Lay an egg roll wrapper on a work surface so that one of the corners is facing you. Place 1/4 cup of the filling in the center like so:


Now fold the tip closest to you up over the filling like this:


Now fold the points pointing outward in towards the center to resemble an envelope:


Now continue to fold over until a small part of the remaining tip is showing. Moisten the edges with water and finish rolling to press the seal closed. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Place them on a greased baking sheet seam side down. Spray the tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with a light sprinkling of salt.


Bake in a preheated 425 F oven for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned. Make sure to turn halfway through baking to brown evenly. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Makes about 18-20

This post is linked to At Home With Haley & Moms Crazy Cooking

It's not Cinco de Mayo yet but it will be here before you know if. I found this recipe over at one of my favorite blogs Our Best Bites. These two girls are always coming up with great recipes and I've tried many of them with great success. This is no exception. When I think of a taquito I think of the kind you buy in the freezer section of the grocery store that my husband loves so much. They are probably not the healthiest thing in the world. These are a baked version that, if light ingredients are used, is probably pretty healthy. That is assuming you don't eat 20 of them, which isn't hard to do. I made mine with half white corn tortillas and half whole wheat tortillas. I liked them both very much so either way you do it you can't go wrong. These are nice and creamy on the inside and crisp and salty on the outside. They would make a great appetizer for a party or we just had them for dinner with a side of Spanish rice. Dip them in your dip of choice whether it be salsa, sour cream, or guacamole. My kids really gobbled these up using sour cream as their dip.

Chicken Taquitos
Adapted From Our Best Bites

1/3 cup light cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green enchilada sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder (more if you like things spicy)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)
corn tortillas or small whole wheat flour tortillas
cooking spray
salt

Heat oven to 450 F. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray. I used my pizza pan with the holes in it for the air to circulate through. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, enchilada sauce, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic salt. Add the chicken and cheese, mix well.

Heat tortillas a few at a time to make the pliable. I put them between damp paper towels to keep them from drying out and cracking. Spoon 1 to 2 Tbsp. of chicken filling on the lower third of the tortilla. Roll up as tight as you can and place them seam side down on the baking pan. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.


Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and ends start to brown.


Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

There are hundred of variations on the good old chicken enchilada. I've made a few versions myself. Nothing I've ever tried comes close to this one. Most of the ones I've tried have a more creamy based filling and topping so I wasn't sure how these would turn out. I LOVED them! The honey and the lime go so well with the enchilada sauce. I am a fan of the whole wheat tortillas as I am all things healthy. My husband on the other hand is not, he would rather have plain old flour tortillas. If you look close in the picture above you will see my healthy whole wheat enchilada. Use whatever you want but I will assure you the whole wheat ones are very good in these. If you want a creamier sauce to pour over the top you can mix in 1 cup of sour cream with the enchilada sauce or if you are feeling really naughty you can use 1 cup of heavy cream. I liked them on the lighter side though. Makes these for your next fiesta night and you won't be disappointed.


Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tsp teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas (I used half whole wheat & half flour)
1 pound Mexican cheese blend, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour to soak in the juices.

Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Spoon a tablespoon or so of the enchilada sauce over the chicken & cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking pan.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas and then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve with some Mexican rice to round out the meal.

I happen to love the flavors of Mexican cooking. I am picky though about the way my Mexican food is prepared. This is why it is hard for me to eat at a Mexican restaurant because I don't like my food swimming in sauces or loaded with cheese. I know, call me crazy, I'm not a big fan of loads of cheese. I've got this weird gag problem when globs of it are going down my throat. Okay, enough of that. The picture above is my husbands plate, this would have been too much cheese for me. I do enjoy making Mexican dishes at home where I have control. I found this recipe over at Handle The Heat. I added the black beans for some fiber and nutrition. I just call them "Super Magic Power Beans" and my kids will eat them. I also cut down on the chili powder because I didn't want it to be too spicy for them. This recipe is simple and full of flavor. I think your family will love it.


Mexican Pulled Chicken Taco's
Adapted from Handle the Heat

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion roughly chopped
1 heaping tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper
1 can black beans
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cute mine into strips to cook faster)
1 cup salsa homemade or store bought
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 lime juiced

In a heavy pot with lid heat olive oil to medium heat and add onion, cumin, chili powder and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook onion, stirring regularly until it starts to soften.

Add chicken, salsa, chicken stock, and black beans. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Since my chicken was cut into strips it cooked faster, more like 10 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside. While chicken cools bring the sauce to a simmer, uncover and reduce by half.


When the chicken is cool enough, shred with two forks. Stir chicken back into sauce and reduce to low. Add lime juice. Taste and adjust for seasoning.


I made my own taco shells & chips. I took corn tortillas and sprayed them with cooking spray and sprinkled them with salt. I then draped them them over a 9x13 inch baking dish. I put this into a 450 F oven for about 10 minutes. For the chips I just cut them into fourths sprayed them and sprinkled them with salt. I cooked them right along with the shells.

SUPER BOWL TIME!!! I must admit, I'm not much of a football fan. Honestly, I'm not even sure how the game works :(  I do however like the concept of a Super Bowl party with all the yummy fun finger foods to enjoy. I was flipping through a Family Circle magazine today and this recipe caught my eye as something that would be quick and fun to make for dinner. I had all the ingredients on hand so I went to it with my two little helpers. I must say that homemade baked tortilla chips are so much better than the ones in the bag. I think they made all the difference and are so quick and easy to make.
So here you go for lunch, dinner, Super Bowl, or just a quick snack. Enjoy!!

Homemade Tortilla Chips from Two Peas and their Pod


White Corn Tortillas
Cooking Spray
Salt

Heat your broiler to high heat. Cut the tortillas into triangles. Spray your baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tortilla triangles on baking sheet and spray again with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt, flip, spray, and sprinkle with salt again. Heat under broiler for about 3-4 minutes. Watch very carefully cause they can burn real quick, I speak from experience.

Okay, now that you have your chips it's time to make the Nachos.


Two-Way Chicken Nachos Family Circle

6 ounces tortilla chips homemade or store bought
2 cups cooked shredded or diced chicken
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup Salsa
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (I just used cheddar)
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Heat your oven to 350 F. Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking dish with tortilla chips. Scatter chicken, beans, and salsa over chips.

Let me start off by saying that I love soup! I love it especially in the winter. It is usually something that I order when out to eat. I have so many soup recipes that are excellent but usually take lots of time with the chopping and simmering. This recipe is one of my favorites. It is simple to make, healthy and delicious. What more could you ask for? I found this recipe over at Annie's Eats and have made it many times when I am rushed to get dinner on table. I did make just a few changes to her original. I always have the ingredients on hand.

Black Bean & Salsa Soup
2 cans of black beans, drained & rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (I usually just you chicken though)
1 cup salsa
1 tsp. cumin
sour cream, shredded cheese, green onion for garnishing


Combine beans, broth, salsa & cumin in a saucepan over medium high heat until simmering. Ladle 3/4 of the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan with the other 1/4 of mixture and mix to combine. Serve with garnished if desired.
Just a note: I would double this if feeding more than 4 people. Also, if you have an immersion blender that would work great for this recipe.