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©Life of a Foodie and Her Family 2008-2013, Lynn Tabor

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1/25/2011

Mexican Chicken Wrap

Well we had plenty of leftover Spanish Rice from last night and I needed some sort of main dish to go with it.  It made me think of Applebee's Chicken Fajita Roll up.  I kind of whipped this up.

1/2 cup salsa (any kind, but I used the Newman's Own Tequila Lime from last night)
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix them and put aside for later.

4 large flour tortillas
1 cup of shredded cheese (can be cheddar, mexican blend, or colby jack)
1 tbs of vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 head of Romaine lettuce sliced thinly
1 large tomato seeded and chopped
Extra salsa (optional)
extra sour cream (optional)
Hot sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350

In a large skillet put your vegetable oil and cook the chicken breasts until no longer pink.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.  When cool, chop them into small bite size pieces.




Place two tortillas on a cookie sheet and spread 1/4 cup of cheese on each tortilla.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and place on a cutting board.



Place some of the lettuce down the center of the tortilla.


Then place some of the tomato down the center on top of the lettuce.



Next add the chicken on top.



Add the extra sour cream, salsa and a dash or two of hot sauce.


All wrapped up and served with spanish rice, chips and salsa/sour cream dip.  I put a little bit of the salsa/sour cream  dip in small gladware containers so that everyone could dip their own chips and can spoon a bit of dip onto their wraps.


1/24/2011

Mexican Christmas Cookies

Miss V picked this out of her YCA Binder for dessert, as with all YCA recipes you; Read It!, Place It!, Create It!

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Additional 3/4 to 1 cup confectioner's sugar for rolling

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
mixer bowl
mixer
cookie sheets
sifter
cooking spray
small bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cream together 1 cup confectioner's sugar and butter.  Add vanilla, almond and cinnamon.

Add flour and mix well.  Dough will get stiff.

Using a tablespoon of dough, roll unto balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  You can also make crescent shapes by rolling dough into a long rod pinching off a bit at a time, and curve into a half-moon shape.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool for 5 to 7 minutes.

Place confectioner's sugar in a flat dish or bowl and roll the balls to coat. 

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.





Spanish Rice

I made this to go along with the Taco in a Bag.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies (can be mild or hot, whatever your taste preference is)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cook the rice, onion and green pepper in the oil over med-high heat until the rice starts to brown and the vegetable are almost tender.

Stir in the chicken stock, diced tomatoes with chilies, chili powder and salt.  Bring to boil then reduce to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Fluff with a fork.

Taco in a Bag

I have been in a cooking rut lately, so this morning I handed Miss V one of her binders from YCA and told her to pick out dinner and dessert.  She picked out one of her all time favorites, Taco in a Bag.

As with all YCA recipes you; Read It!, Place It!, Create It!

Ingredients:
1 pound pre-cooked beef crumbles
1 pk taco seasoning (I use my own)
4 packages (2.5 oz) corn chips
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup salsa (tonight we used Newman's Own Tequila Lime)

Equipment:
measuring cups
knife
scissors
saucepan
wooden spoon
cheese grater

Add taco seasoning to the ground beef and cook according to package directions.

With the bags unopened, gently crush the corn chips.  Snip the corners of the bags using scissors and slit open the bags along the edge.

Spoon equal amounts of the beef mixture, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa and sour cream into the bags on top of the crushed chips.

Serve in the bag and eat with a fork.

Makes 4 servings.


Miss V didn't want to crush the chips this time.




 I had mine on a plate with some spanish rice.

1/12/2011

Hot Cocoa Mix

I cannot keep hot chocolate mix in the pantry.  My kids go through it so fast.  So I searched for a homemade mix.  I kept seeing reviews on Alton Brown's recipe.  So I just made a batch.

2 cups powdered sugar (I added another 1/3 cup)
1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)
2 1/2 cups powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk


What I did was to pulse the powdered milk, cornstarch, salt and cayenne in my food processor so that the milk powder was finer.  I then pulsed the cocoa powder and sugar in batches and poured it into a Tupperware container.

I just made a cup and used a heaping 1/4 cup of mix to a mug of hot water (medium size on my Keurig). It is so yummy!  It is chocolaty and creamy.  I think Miss V is going to love it!



Hot Chocolate Recipe on FoodistaHot Chocolate Recipe

1/10/2011

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

I can't believe I forgot to post this recipe last week.

4 boneless skinless Chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup crumbled feta (plain of flavored)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs chopped sun dried tomato or pimento
2 tsp dried basil
1 (10 oz) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
8 slices of ham

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, feta, garlic, tomato, basil and spinach until well blended.  Set aside.



Butterfly each chicken breast carefully.  Make sure not to cut through to the other side.  Spoon spinach mixture into the chicken breast.  Wrap each breast with two slices of ham and secure them with a toothpick.




Place in shallow baking dish.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165.

I served this with a green salad and totally forgot to get a picture when they were done...

1/05/2011

Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

I made these for dinner last night.  I served them with garlic bread and salad.

12 uncooked lasagna noodles, can be any kind or flavor
2 cups Sargento Six Cheese Italian Blend
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 large egg, room temp
1/2 tbs garlic powder
1/2 tbs onion powder
1/2 tbs dried basil leaves
1/2 tbs dried oregano
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large pot of salted water, cook the lasagna noodles for approx 9 minutes.  You do want them a bit underdone.  Rinse and dry the noodles on paper towels.

In a large mixing bowl, combine shredded Italian blend cheese, ricotta, egg, seasonings, spinach and the Parmesan cheese.



In a large baking dish (I don't know what size mine is, but it is a bit bigger than a 9x13 pan), pour a thin layer of your spaghetti sauce in the bottom.



On a cutting board or mat, lay out a noodle and place a large spoonful (I use a large soup spoon) of the filling and spread it to within a quarter inch of the ends.  Roll the noodle up and place seam side down on the sauce.  Continue with the remaining 11 noodles. 



I like to have three rows of four roll ups.

Sprinkle the tops of the rolls with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Gently pour on the rest of the spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.


Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or so until the cheese on top is bubbly.