Rachel's NY Chicken Panini's

My picture above - her picture below

both delicious :)

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

6 slices bacon, crumbled

2-3 plum tomatoes, chopped

handful of Swiss cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

salt and pepper to taste

artisan bread

Combine ingredients, load on bread, and grill. (I used my George Foreman.)

Serve w/fries

Total Cost of this meal : $14.00 for 8 servings

I bought a really nice bread. 

Chicken Tostada Salad.

this picture doesn't do it justice - this is the best recipe if you are in the mood for bright (lime) mexican food.

10 mini corn tortillas

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)

1/2 small red onion, diced small

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

3 garlic cloves, minced

Half the Breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-size pieces (1 1/2 cups)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

3 fresh limes ready to be squeezed

1/2 head romaine lettuce (6 ounces), rough chopped

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced small

Fresh cilantro, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with 2 teaspoons oil and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crisp, 10 minutes. Divide cheese among tortillas and return to oven. Bake until cheese is bubbling, about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high. Add half the red onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken and 1/4 cup water and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is warmed through and water is almost evaporated, 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon lime juice and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce and 3 halves of squeezed lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and divide among tortillas. Top each tortilla with chicken mixture, tomato, avocado, remaining onion, and cilantro.

Serve with fruit, tonight we did grapes because they were on sale.

Total cost for 6 servings and NO LEFTOVERS $16.90

BUT - I cooked my own chicken rotissire so I could use the leftovers for another meal.

So cut the cost of chicken into $2.50 and this meal is $14.40

White Castle Casserole

Recipe from Beth! Sorry for not posting that earlier! :)

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
2 TBS Mayo (light may be used)
1.5 cups shredded cheddar (2% cheese can be used)
1 packet Onion Soup Mix
1 package dinner rolls (like Hawaiian or Sarah Lee)

Brown meat in pan. While browning, cut rolls in half. Leave all tops and bottoms together. Leave tops off, and place bottoms in a baking dish or pan that has aluminum foil in the bottom. Leave enough aluminum foil to cover the tops of the rolls later. When meat is browned, remove fat (if needed), and add in mayo, cheese, and soup mix. I leave the burner on low till all cheese is melted. Place mixture over the top of the roll bottoms. Smear the meat mixture over all the rolls, (you can add in pickles if you like, we do at my house) and place tops on. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. This seams the burgers. When done, unwrap and use a knife to cut the sandwiches apart. Let cool and serve. 

They are an instant hit... and way more healthy than the real white castles.

French Breakfast Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

These remind me of Snickerdoodles, but muffins! :) I found this recipe in an old church ladies cookbook but I didn't like the recipe so I changed it a bit.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together egg, milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened (batter may be lumpy). Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon When muffins are finished baking, dip tops of muffins in the melted butter, and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Yields 12 muffins

White Chocolate Mango Muffins

Recipe from Confections from a Foodie Bride

Ingredients

• 3 cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 1/2 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1 cup diced mango
• 1 cup white chocolate chunks/chips
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling tops (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in medium bowl; set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition followed by the vanilla and almond extract.
5. Beat in half of dry ingredients, followed by a third of the yogurt.
6. Add remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, until incorporated.
7. Toss mango and white chocolate with the remaining 1 Tbsp flour and add to the mixer, mixing for just a few more seconds to distribute evenly (the batter will be very, very thick).
8. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners. And if you find that you're 3 paper liners short, you can improvise with some parchment paper cut in ~5-6 inch squares. But it's a total pain.
9. Divide the batter evenly among cups, using a large cookie scoop (my scoop is ~2.25 inches across).
10. Sprinkle top lightly with coarse sugar, if using.
11. Bake for 8 minutes and then decrease oven temperature to 375 and bake for ~12 more minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
12. Let cool 5 minutes in the pan before removing and cooling completely.
13. Will keep ~4 days in a covered cake plate, can be frozen.

--Valerie --- Mine made 16 regular and 24 mini muffins

Fiesta Chowder

Recipe from Lindsey.
Turned out FANTASTIC!!!

3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 package fajita seasoning, divided into tablespoons
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can mexicorn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can mexican style stewed tomatoes (I use a can of Rotel)
1 small can chopped green chiles (drain off half the juice to reduce hotness)
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked instant brown rice
1 can condensed nacho cheese soup
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
1 tablespoon lime juice (I usually omit this, cuz I'm too lazy to buy a lime)

Combine flour and 2 tablespoons fajita seasoning in a ziploc bag; add chicken. Seal and shake to coat.
Cook chicken in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, until browned. Reduce heat to medium high; add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Stir in remaining fajita seasoning, corn, next 5 ingredients, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until heated throughout. Stir in nacho cheese soup, cilantro, and lime juice. Turn off heat and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

pic from 365 days of slowcooking...which is where recipe is from

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil (if using fresh oregano and basil add it now, if using dried oregano and basil add it in the last hour of cooktime), and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. About an hour before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for another hour until ready to serve.

Greek Lemon Roasted Chicken

Simple. Don't be afraid to cook a whole chicken, its easy and soooooooo good!

1 whole roasting chicken (3-1/2 lb.) usually $4 or $5

1 lemon, washed, halved

3/4 cup Kraft Greek Vinaigrette Dressing

3 Garlic cloves

Heat oven to 350°F. Put chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish.

Cut and squeeze juice from lemon into small bowl; place squeezed halves in chicken cavity. Mix dressing with juice; and minced garlic drizzle over chicken. Bake 1-1/2 hours or until chicken is done (165°F), basting occasionally with pan juices.

Serve with Cous Cous and Salad!

Made enough dinner for my family of 5, plus leftovers for my hunny's lunch for the next day. 

Total Cost : $11 for 6 people.

Chalupa Bake

This is the weirdest concoction made from left over pantry items but its a FREEZER meal and its delish.

It looks SO weird right?  Well, it is like "slop" appetizing huh?  You dish it in a bowl and dollop with sour cream and then top with shredded lettuce and eat it.  My family ATE THE ENTIRE PAN in one night!  It is that delicious!

1 pound of ground meat (beef or turkey)
1 onion diced
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp chili powder
1 can tomato soup
1 1/2 cup sour cream
8-9 tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of water

Saute onion, add beef and brown. Add flour, Chili powder and water to beef and onions.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add soup and sour cream and take off heat.

Tear tortillas to make a layer on a 9x13 pan.
Add 1/2 meat mixture, then 1/2 cheese, more tortillas then meat then cheese 2 more times. So 3 or 4 layers in all.

Top with olives if you want.

350 for 20 minutes.  Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream on the top.

I mean wow. It is that goooooooooooood.

Mexican Pizza

• 
  
• 1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 (6 inch) corn tortillas
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
• 8 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
• 2 green onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
• 1/2 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon black olives, sliced

1. Heat the refried beans.
2. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef. Stir in the seasoning packet.
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Let the oil heat, then place one corn tortilla in the skillet. After 15 seconds, flip the tortilla over and let it fry another 15 seconds. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas, letting them drain on paper towels once they have been heated. When the tortillas have drained, arrange them on a cookie sheet.
5. Spread a thin layer of beans on the tortillas, followed by a layer of beef, and cheese.
6. Bake the tortillas in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Slice the tortillas into wedges and arrange them on plates or a serving platter and garnish them with the sour cream, tomatoes, green onions, chiles, avocado, and olives.

Light Chicken Orzo

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1/2 pound orzo (1/2 box)

1 can french cut green beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 whole roasted chicken, (3 pounds), skin discarded, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook orzo until al dente, according to package instructions; add green beans during last 6 minutes of cooking. Drain; rinse under cold water until cooled.

Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Toss pasta and green beans with corn mixture and chicken. Season generously with salt and pepper.

I bought a whole chicken and cooked it like a rotissiree it was $4.50.

Orzo is in the pasta section because it's - PASTA!!! Which means its a great price $1.50

Everything else is canned or frozen so it is uber easy.

Total cost for this meal - $9.50ish for 6 people!

Lots of leftovers!

I served this with crisp cold apples. Its a favorite meal in my house!

Crispy Herb Baked Chicken

2/3 cup dry potato flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (3 pound) chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces
1/3 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line with foil a baking sheet or a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.
In a medium bowl, combine potato flakes, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Stir until well mixed.

Dip chicken pieces, one at a time into melted butter or margarine, and roll in potato flake mixture to coat. Place in prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is tender and golden brown.

I served with cheesy rice and broccoli, cause that's what my kids like! :) Serves 4, but we double it.

Pretzel Dogs

• 
  1 1/2 cups warm water
  1 tablespoon sugar
  2 teaspoons kosher salt
  1 package dry active yeast
  4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  10 cups water
  2/3 cup baking soda*
  1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
  Pretzel salt (or kosher salt), for topping
  8 hot dogs, cut in half
  Directions:
  - Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, until the yeast is foamy and begins to smell of yeast.
  - Add the flour and butter to the yeast mixture. Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and, on medium-low speed, combine the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and appears shiny, roughly 4 to 5 minutes.
  - Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray (or lightly grease with vegetable oil) and place dough in greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl in a warm area (near the oven, perhaps) and let dough rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  - Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with non-stick spray. Set aside.
  - In a large pot, bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a roiling boil.
  - Place the dough on a greased surface, and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, roughly 12 inches long. Carefully wrap each piece around a half hot dog. Pinch the ends together to seal the dough. Alternatively, to make regular pretzels, shape the rope into a U shape, cross the ends over each other and fold the twisted ends back onto the bottom of the U. Again, pinch the dough together to form a seal. Place each shaped pretzel on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  - Boil the shaped pretzels and pretzel dogs, one at a time, in the baking soda water for 30 seconds each. Using a slotted spatula, remove each pretzel dog from the water and place it on a drying rack to allow any extra baking soda mixture to drip off.
  - Place the boiled pretzel dogs back on the parchment lined baking sheets.
  - Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with pretzel or kosher salt.
  - Bake until golden brown, roughly 14 to 15 minutes. Transfer pretzel dogs to a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving. Serve with a variety of mustards.
  Makes 16 pretzel dogs.
  * Yes, I know that this seems like a crazy amount of baking soda, but trust me, you need it

Chewy Coconut Cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 cup butter


• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar


• 1/2 cup white sugar


• 1 egg


• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.


2. In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.


3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.

Caesar Chicken Bowls

lets be real here - that is not enough bacon!

1 1/2 lbs of chicken cubed
1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup  creamy Caesar dressing
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Parsley
3 plum tomatoes sliced
5 Tbsp bacon crumbled
1 cup shredded Parmesan 


Cook the chicken in hot oil in large covered skillet on medium-high heat 5 min. until browned.

Add the dressing and the broth and Oregano and Parsley until well blended. Bring just to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Add the Tomatoes mix well. Cook 2 to 4 min. or until tender, stirring occasionally. Top with Cheese and Bacon.

Serve over Brown Rice (shown) or our favorite cold spinach. The heat from the meal will wilt the spinach and the sauce will be so creamy and good. Mmmm.

Broccoli & Bow Ties

Or Macaroni and Trees! :)

1 cup water
1 pound broccoli florets cut small
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic minced
3 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound pasta
1.2 cup grated parmigiano regiano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste


Make pasta, and broccoli set aside.
Put oil in a med hot pan and cook garlic and red pepper flakes.
Add broccoli and coat with the oil.  Pour over Pasta and stir in cheese, parsley and nutmeg. Season to taste.

Serve with Salad and Bread. mmm.
Excellent Vegetarian meal, and perfect fast and easy.

Southwest Chicken Stacks

2 cups frozen corn
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 TBSP Taco Seasoning
2 large frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 cups salsa

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place the frozen chicken breasts on top. Add taco seasoning and Cover with beans and salsa. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and top with additional garnishes: lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, etc.

Puffy Enchilada Bake

1 pound ground turkey
1 onion chopped
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (4ounce) can on green chilies
1 tbsp hot sauce (I use franks)
1 can reduced fat refrigerator biscuits
1 ¼ cups shredded low fat Mexican Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown turkey and onions drain if needed. Mix in a can of enchilada sauce and tomato sauce and chilies. Cut the refrigerated biscuits into fourths and stir them in the meat mixture. Then add the hot sauce. After everything is combined you just dump it all in a greased casserole and bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Shredded Lettuce and Sour Cream.
You can make this into 6 or 8 servings.

It is such a weird recipe but SOOOOO good! AND fast!

Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

1-½ pound Skirt Steak Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain

½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Sherry Or Cooking Sherry

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1 bag frozen Sugar Snap Peas thawed

Salt As Needed (use Sparingly)

3 Tablespoons Peanut Oil

Crushed Red Pepper

Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add sugar snap peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.
Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.
Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the sugar snap peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.
Top with Red Pepper Flakes., serve over rice.