Baked Chicken Fajitas

I found this recipe and picture on Pinterest.  It comes from Six Sisters Stuff.  It looked really quick and easy and that is definitely a good thing in my life right now.  

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 T vegetable oil
2 t. chili powder
2 t. cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
12 flour tortillas, warmed to serve

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Mix together chicken, tomatoes, chilies, peppers, and onions in the dish.

In a small bowl combine the oil and spices. Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and toss to coat.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Serve with warmed tortillas and enjoy!

Now that I have energy and feel better, I have been cooking a lot more and finding new stuff on Pinterest to cook.  These were really easy and yummy.  I altered the recipe a bit to make it  healthier.

1  box jumbo pasta shells
water for boiling pasta
4oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz. plain yogurt
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
prepared pesto, add as much or as little as you like
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
salt and pepper to taste


In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.

Oreo Pudding Poke Cake

Another Pinterest recipe.  It is super easy and I have made it a couple of times in the last two weeks.  So yummy and I prefer it cold right out of the fridge.

Ingredients:
1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix
Ingredients needed to make cake (usually eggs, oil and water)
2 (4 oz.)packages of Instant Oreo pudding
4 cups milk (2% or higher)
Crushed Oreo Cookies (optional)

Directions
Make cake mix according to directions and bake in a well-greased 9x13 pan (I use the nonstick spray that has flour in it).

Just before cake is done, start making pudding. In a medium bowl, begin to add milk to pudding mix and continue to whisk until most of the lumps are removed. Let pudding mixture sit for about 2 minutes. You want it to thicken slightly so it isn't runny but not fully thickened into pudding.

When cake is finished, while still warm, poke holes all over cake (about 1-inch) intervals using a wooden spoon handle or a straw. Pour pudding mixture over warm cake.
Spread it out with a spoon, gently pushing the pudding down into the holes.
Allow the cake to cool for several minutes on the counter then put into the fridge to set up. About an hour.

Once it is set, top with crushed Oreo cookies. The cake needs to be kept refrigerated.

Cook’s Note: This is great with so many different combinations; yellow or white cake mix with chocolate pudding is another good one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It looked easy and delicious and it lived up to the hype.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

10 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8" square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on while you prepare the dough.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside. (*Note: This mixture is going to be dry...that’s okay. It’s rather like a crumble topping. You’re going to crumble it on top of the cheesecake layer.)

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter in teaspoon-sized clumps. Be sure to use all of the dough.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple hours.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Coconut Crusted French Toast

I got this recipe and picture from Two Peas and Their Pod one day while I was menu planning and blog surfing.  At our house we eat some form of breakfast for dinner at least once a week.  With Port working 60-65 hour weeks, we have at least two nights a week that we don't see him before bedtime.  On those nights I know that I need quick, kid-friendly food to keep my sanity and the peace in our house.  I get tired of regular pancakes and breakfast burritos so I am always on the lookout for good, different breakfast ideas.  I don't know if it is pregnancy cravings or if baby girl #3 has a slight addiction, but I have seen a few recipes full of coconut lately and I can't wait to make them.  This french toast DID NOT disappoint.  It fulfilled my breakfast for dinner requirement and it was so yummy!  My kids were skeptical, but loved it and said it tasted like a donut.  I couldn't agree more.  I doubled the recipe, just because I knew the original wouldn't be enough.  

3 large eggs
3/4 cup lite coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
6 slices of French bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices
Butter, maple syurp, and strawberries-for serving, if desired

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, coconut milk, coconut extract, vanilla extract, and salt. Place the shredded coconut on a plate. Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the egg mixture. Dip both sides of the coated bread into the shredded coconut. Drizzle a little egg mixture on top of the coconut to make it stick to the bread.


2. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan or a griddle to medium to medium-high heat. Cook the slices of bread until golden brown on one side and then turn and cook the other side. Serve immediately or keep French toast warm in a 250 degree F oven.

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

3. Serve with butter, pure maple syrup, and/or strawberries.

Slow-cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Okay, so I love Pinterest.  I have found some real winners as far as recipes go.  This one is one of them from Polish the Stars.  It is so simple, goes in the crockpot, and makes you feel really great when you eat it.  I have made this recipe quite a few times and my kids can't get enough.  I was worried that the biscuits wouldn't be good, but they hold their flakiness in the dish.  It is not the most health conscience, but on these cold windy Idaho days it is awesome.

1lb of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (3-5)
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 cans (10.5oz) Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can (14oz) Chicken Broth (I use two cans so I can add more biscuits)
1 medium White Onion, diced
4 Large Flaky Refrigerator Biscuits  (I use a whole can)

Place chicken in crock pot and top with butter. Add cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and diced onions. Cook on High for 4-6 hours.  Remove chicken from crock pot and use a fork to shred. Return chicken to the crock pot. Cut each uncooked biscuit into 9 pieces and stir into the chicken mixture. Continue to cook on High for 30 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes about 6-8 servings.

Vegetable Enchiladas

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it came from Perry's Plate. I was a little skeptical, but we didn't miss the meat at all. I am kind of picky right now about strong flavors and I only like what I like. Hopefully it will get better in a few months. I loved these and two of my four kids loved them. I have two kids that think black beans are pure torture to eat. Definitely a quick fix meal and easy to substitute in things if you wanted.

1 10-oz can mild enchilada sauce
3 cups (12 ounces) grated pepper jack cheese or whatever you have on hand
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed or 1 can corn kernels, drained
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1 teaspoon cumin
1-2 teaspoons Williams-Sonoma Spicy Chipotle Rub  (I just used taco seasoning)
1 teaspoon salt [if using 2 teaspoons rub or taco seasoning, reduce to 1/2 teaspoon and add more as needed]
1/2 teaspoon pepper
16 small corn tortillas (6-inch) or 8-10 (depending on how big you roll them) flour tortillas [we used 6-inch tortillas and ended up with 12 enchiladas, and filling to make 2 more if we had room in the pan]

Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups pepper jack cheese, black bean, corn, scallion whites, rub (or taco seasoning), and cumin. Season mixture lightly with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9×13 baking dish [two 8-inch square baking dishes will also work, and set aside. Stack the tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute, or, if you have a moral objection to bombarding your food with microwaves, stack and wrap in aluminum foil and heat them in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Top each tortilla with a heaping [seriously – heaping] 1/3 cup of filling, roll them up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes. Sprinkle the enchiladas with remaining 1 cup pepper jack cheese.

[If you want to make this ahead of time, you can stop right here, cover the dishes with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze the enchiladas for up to 2 months.]

Top with enchilada sauce. Bake the enchiladas uncovered until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. [If baking from frozen, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes first, then uncover and bake for 15 more minutes.] Cool for 5 minutes and serve garnished with scallion greens.

**The original recipe called for frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry and added to the filling.