Lime Chicken Tacos

by Belinda Thayn // September 5, 2011 // 3 Comments

Dust your crock pot off, and try this super simple recipe that will satisfy your craving for Mexican food!

6 Chicken Breasts (thawed or frozen, it doesn’t matter)

1 pkg. Taco Seasoning

1 15oz can chicken broth

1 C. salsa of your choice

2 limes sliced into wedges

Hard taco shells

Taco Fixin’s (e.g. chopped tomato, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.)

1. Pour chicken broth into a crock pot and stir in taco seasoning.

2. Add salsa and mix well.

3. Place the chicken in the crock pot with the liquid and cover with lid.

4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours or until the chicken can be shredded.

5. Remove the chicken breasts from the pot, shred the chicken with a fork and place back in the pot with the juices.

6. Serve in hard taco shells with lime slices to drizzle over the meat.

Source: Janet Brown

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Jennie Jones // August 31, 2011 // No Comments

These cookies are nummy and nostalgic.

They remind me of many fall things – raking leaves and jumping in them, hay rides, the crunch of a fresh picked apple, football games, the harvest, the way the air smells in the late afternoon, and of course, watching – It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Families stopped what they were doing to watch this. Friends came over because this was something to enjoy. It only came on once. There was no such thing as a DVD or a DVR. If you missed it you missed it.

In honor of The Great Pumpkin – Enjoy.

If your not a fan of pumpkin this works well with pureed Sweet Potatoes or Carrots.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground nutmeg

4 cups all purpose or whole wheat flour (if you grind your own wheat, soft white works best)

2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375

2. In a mixing bowl beat butter for 30 seconds.

3. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy.

4. Add eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla; beat well.

5. Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips beating until well combined.

6. Stir in nuts if using them (Dough will be soft.)

7. Drop dough from a teaspoon 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet.

8. Bake in a 375 oven for 8-10 minutes.

9. Cool on wire rack

Source: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Sweet Potato Puree

by Julie // August 29, 2011 // No Comments

Before too long sweet potatoes will be in season. I love to go ahead and roast and puree them for the freezer so that I can pull out a bag to use them for Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins (recipe found here).

Sweet Potato Puree
1-Preheat oven to 400
2-Wash your sweet potatoes.
3-Line your pan with aluminum foil (easier clean-up-trust me).
4-Place unpeeled sweet potatoes on the pan.
5-Roast in oven for about an hour (or a fork inserts easily).
6-Remove and let cool.
7-Scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor until smooth.
8-Use in your recipe immediately or freeze for future use.

*I put 2 cup values (2 cups or 4 cups) into a freezer bags so that it’s already pre-measured for making the Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Source: Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Classic Waffles

by Kara Thayn // August 25, 2011 // 4 Comments

A few years ago, Mr. Blue Eyes gave me my most prized kitchen possession. My Waffle Iron. “Why in the world is a waffle iron your most prized possession?” you ask. Because it’s not just a waffle iron. It’s a CIRCUS waffle iron. Made by Williams-Sanoma. And they don’t make them anymore. AND it is TOTALLY Awesome. What other waffle maker can make an Elephant, a Big Top, a Clown, and a Lion? None. I mean, check this out!

That’s right. That’s a waffle Elephant. And it is Totally. Freakin’. Awesome.

I did find out that you can get other circus waffle makers here. And while they’re not the same, and totally not as cool (no Big Top), I’m sure they do just fine…maybe. (And now you know what a snob I really am! 🙂 )

However, this post is not about my waffle maker. It’s about the fact that since we got this waffle maker, we are Waffle SNOBS. No more Krusteaz mix-the-water-in mix for us. It’s all about homemade goodness.

This recipe came from the Williams-Sanoma booklet that came in the Circus Waffle Maker. It is the recipe that brought us down (or shall I say, UP?) to our waffle-snobby selves. I’m not going to lie: these waffles are not for a morning where you need to whip up a quick breakfast. But they don’t take all morning to make either. Trust me when I say, the time is well worth it. Nothing says, “I love you, Family,” more than these light, fluffy, waffles.

Enjoy this recipe. I also have a few other waffle recipes that have passed the waffle snob test. Stay tuned for more.

Classic Waffles (aka: The Waffle Snob’s Beginning)

1.5 Cups Flour

1/2 Cups Cornstarch

1 Tb Baking Powder

2 Tb Corn Meal (that’s right, corn meal. Gives it a special little bite!)

3/4 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter, melted

3 Eggs, separated

1 3/4 C Milk

1 tsp Vanilla

2 Tb Sugar

1. In a Large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, corn meal, and salt. This is also when I put my butter in the microwave to melt and plug in my waffle iron.

2. In two small/medium-sized bowls, separate the egg yolks from the whites.

3. Add the milk and the vanilla to your egg yolks and whisk together. Set aside.

4. Beat the egg whites till soft peaks form. Add sugar and then beat until stiff peaks form.

5. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until everything is wet and all the large clumps are smooth. Don’t over mix!

6. Stir in the butter.

7. Fold in the egg whites. Don’t over mix! (This is key to the fluffiness. But I’ll tell you, I’ve over mixed a couple of times…and they still turned out!)

8. Pour into your hot waffle iron (don’t forget to spray it if needed) and… Voila! Totally Awesome Waffles.

9. Top with your favorite toppings: syrup, Peanut Butter, jam, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Whatever suits your fancy!

Source: Williams-Sanoma

~Kara

Stove Top Roast Chicken

by Jennie Jones // August 24, 2011 // No Comments

This recipe is so easy and versatile. It tastes like roasted chicken and was created out of desperation for something different with little time left before dinner needed to be on the table. “Roast” extra and use the leftovers for Green and Pasta Salads, Chicken Sandwiches, Soups, many Mexican style dishes. Serve slices as a “roast” or as individual pieces.

Ingredients:

10-14 boneless, skinless Chicken Tenderloins

Non-Stick Vegetable Oil Spray

1 medium to large onion chopped

1 medium to large green pepper chopped

Onion Powder

Lemon Pepper

water as needed

1. Spray large skillet with non-stick spray

2. Place Chicken in skillet. Sprinkle light to medium with Onion Powder and Lemon Pepper – cover

3. Cook on medium high for 8 minutes adding 1/4 cup water after first 4 minutes if chicken is sticking

4. Turn Chicken over and sprinkle lightly with Onion Powder and Lemon Pepper. Add chopped onion and green pepper. Add 1/2 cup water and cover

5. Cook on Medium high until chicken is light brown (7 -8) minutes. Remove Cover

6. Turn Chicken over and cook uncovered until onions and peppers start to and water is evaporated (2-4) minutes

7. Add 1/3 cup water and stir gently. This will create a light sauce on the chicken. Remove from heat and serve.

Source: A Jennie Original

Whole Wheat Waffles

by Heather Moss // August 22, 2011 // No Comments

Even picky eaters will eat these and they are so easy to make. I usually make several batches at one time so that I can have something quick to warm up for breakfast. Since they’re made with whole wheat they are very filling so it doesn’t take many to make a meal!

1 3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I’ve been using white wheat)

2 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. baking powder

2 eggs

1 3/4 c. milk

1/2 c. oil or melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

**Spoon the whole wheat flour into the measuring cup-that will prevent it from “packing” and making the waffles too dense.

1-Sift the dry ingredients into one bowl.

2- In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients.

3-Combine & cook.

A treat at our house is to get a can of cherry pie filling and whipping cream to go on top of the waffles. What’s some of your favorite waffle toppings?

Recipe source: unfortunately I’m not sure where I got this from. I had it up on another blog of mine with a link (the link is no longer valid). Searched a few I know have whole wheat recipes on them with no success. If anyone has used this recipe and knows where it’s located please let me know so that I can give credit where credit is due!

Chicken Pie

by Kelsey Teague // August 20, 2011 // 1 Comment

These chicken pies aren’t as “deep” as I consider chicken pot pies to be. They are very simple and easy to put together when the chicken is cooked and shredded in advance.

Ingredients (for one pie)

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 – 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
2 frozen deep-dish pie crusts, or 1 deep-dish and 1 roll-out crust (found in refrigerated section)
Butter, optional

Salt and pepper, optional

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees if you’re planning to bake the pies after assembly.

2. I prefer poaching the chicken with herbs ahead of time or using leftovers from Our Best Bites’ Fauxtisserie chicken, which works out nicely because the chicken is flavorful and already around. I have also found it’s easier to shred chicken when it’s warm. If you’re short on time you can always use your food processor for all or part of the chicken instead of having to take the extra time to shred it. (You could also use canned chicken but “IMHO” doing so makes the pie less flavorful…) Mix the chicken with the cream of chicken soup.

3. Add mixed vegetables as desired and incorporate into the chicken mixture. It may look something like this, depending on your personal preference and how much of each ingredient you’d like to use:

4. Put the chicken mixture in the deep-dish pie pan.

5. Add the other crust or roll-out crust and then slice off extra & pinch together (I pinch using my thumbs). Freeze at this point if you’d like (they do fit in a gallon-size Ziploc bag).

6. Add butter to the top (opt.) and bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes–really you just want the top to brown and the pie to be heated through because everything else is cooked. (Cooking time is longer from frozen, in which case leave more time for cooking…I usually eyeball it.) I always add salt and pepper to taste before digging into my own portion, but of course if you’d prefer you can just add some to the mixture itself during step number three.

Notes

This recipe is easily doubled. I like to eat this with biscuits; then if I have extra filling I just eat it with the extra biscuits later!

The two pies you see in the picture were done a bit differently for the sake of experimentation. Another deep-dish pie crust was used for each (vs. refrigerated roll-out pie crust). The left pie, as you may be able to tell from the ridge, had the top “flipped” onto it; the right pie had the top “set on top” of it. The left pie cooked for 5 minutes before the top was buttered. For the pie on the right, I used a wet paper towel to wipe/even out the flour that came on it, then added butter and put it in the oven (it also cooked 5 minutes less, technically).

Source: I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Myra, and have customized it with my commentary.

Stuffed Shells

by Heather Moss // August 15, 2011 // 2 Comments

When I was getting married I requested everyone bring their favorite recipe to the showers that were given. Some of our favorite recipes are the ones people brought! This is one of those recipes and I love preparing it. I also love it because I can easily double it and freeze some for another meal.

1 box large pasta shells ( preferred pasta if you just want to “layer”-I’ve used penne on many occasions)

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup + 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1 cup shredded cheddar

1 cup shredded mozzarella

1-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2-Cook the pasta until tender. Drain.

3-While pasta is cooking brown the hamburger & onions, drain off the grease. Stir in cream cheese and stir to incorporate the cream cheese as it melts (I usually lower the temperature of the eye so that it doesn’t scorch the cream cheese)

4-Once everything is prepared either stuff the shells with a bit of the meat mixture or layer if you are using penne noodles. If layering put the pasta on the bottom and spread the meat mixture on the top.

5-Spread the spaghetti sauce on top of the stuff shells (or the meat mixture if you layered).

6-Sprinkle the cheeses on top. One thing you will find in every recipe I will probably post that has cheese as an ingredient is “I usually add a little more than what the recipe calls for.” I do love cheese.

7-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until cheese is melted. I usually cover it loosely with some foil until the cheese melts and then take the foil off the last 5 minutes or so to brown it slightly.

This dish freezes well and is great as a leftover.

**If you freeze this I would recommend taking it out of the freezer to thaw out a bit before popping it in the oven to cut down on the baking time that would be required (especially during the summer time-who wants the oven on any longer than it has to be?).

If you let the dish thaw out a bit then it will probably require around 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees to get thoroughly heated through. I just usually check it around 45 minutes and then kind of take it from there. If you start dipping and it’s not quite hot all the way through in some spots, no biggie, you can just pop it in the microwave to warm it completely.

It’s Time to Get Fresh!

by Kara Thayn // August 15, 2011 // 6 Comments

As the newest member of the Maven’s let me just begin by saying it is a privilege to be joining such great group of women! What to cook is the age-old dilemma, and it is great to have fresh ideas and unique perspectives each day.

And now, drumroll please………It’s time to get Fresh!

Here’s the assignment: Go to the farmer’s market. Take a good look around. That’s right, it’s locally grown, freshly picked fruits and vegetables! This food has not been in a box for 2 weeks or traveled 2000 miles. Someone may have plucked it from the ground or off a tree as the sun came up this morning.

This is the perfect time to visit the farmer’s market. There are so many delicious things in season right now, and it all tastes amazing!! I personally love supporting local businesses and growers, and if you think you can’t find great deals, you’re mistaken. Who can argue with giant slicing tomatoes for $1 a pound? The farmer’s market can also bring out the inner photographer. Here’s my favorite picture I snapped from the North Carolina State Farmer’s Market in Raleigh:

One fruit that is a true “must” when it comes to buying locally, is peaches. The flavor of freshly picked peaches just can’t be beat! A bowl full of fresh peach slices in a pool of cold milk with a dusting of sugar is my favorite summer midnight snack. Prime picking time for peaches may vary a bit from place to place but right now is the time for people like me in North Carolina. I can’t get enough! What should you do with all the peaches you buy after you go crazy at the farmer’s market? Jam, delicious peach jam. It is super easy, and you don’t even have to bottle it if you don’t have canning supplies.

All you need is:

*a few plastic containers with tightly sealing lids

*peaches peeled and chopped fresh or cooked and mashed

*sugar

*lemon juice (a little squirt so your peaches don’t go brown)

*box of pectin (preferably the no sugar needed type, even if you do add sugar it is deemed to be the easiest to work with. There are also no-cook pectins out there and then you don’t even have to boil anything!)

Follow the directions in your box of pectin for mixing your jam. Fill your containers, and cool if needed. Pop the extra containers in the freezer. Enjoy your fresh jam on toast or pancakes!! Your open container should be good in the fridge for about 3 weeks.

Chicken Divan

by Aubrey Wilford // August 12, 2011 // No Comments

When I was young, one of my best friends was the 6th child in a family of 12 kids. I thought their house was joy personified. The best part was that sometimes I would spend the night and at breakfast, one [or both] of her parents would be like, “Oh, Aubrey, I didn’t know you were here.”

At the time I never thought much of it, but now as a mom myself, I am stumped at how my friend’s mom managed to feed all those people (plus the extras that were always hanging around). It’s a mystery I still don’t have an answer for, but I do know she had some yummy recipes. This was one of my favorites, so she passed it on to my mom who passed it down to me.

2, 14 oz. packages frozen broccoli florets

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup, 98% fat-free

1 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 tsp curry powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Hot, cooked rice

1. Cover the bottom of a 9×13 casserole pan with the broccoli florets.

[If the florets are clumped together, I rinse them in a colander to separate them. The original recipe called for cooked broccoli spears, but I’ve found that the broccoli was too mushy for my tastes then. If you find that it’s too firm without pre-cooking, feel free to heat the broccoli before layering it.]

2. Top broccoli with the cooked chicken.

3. Mix together the soup, mayo, curry, salt and pepper; then layer on top of the chicken.

4. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

5. Bake at 350˚ for 30 minutes.

6. Serve over hot, cooked rice.

[Due to my hubby being very particular about his rice, we gave him a Zojirushi rice cooker for Father’s Day a few years ago. It turns out perfectly ‘sticky’ rice every time. I love it!]