Southwestern Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 2 TBS lime juice
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 small yellow summer squash
• 2 TBS vegetable oil
• 1/3 c medium picante sauce
• 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:

• Mix lime juice and chili powder in resealable bag; stir in chicken.  Refrigerate at least 15 minutes.
• Cut zucchini and yellow squash into thin slices.
• Heat 1 TBS vegetable oil in wok over high heat.  Add chicken and marinade.  Stir fry until chicken is no longer pink in center.  Remove from wok.
• Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok.  Add zucchini and yellow squash.  Stir fry until vegetables are crisp-tender.  
• Add chicken, picante sauce and cilantro to the wok.  Cook and stir until heated through.

Chicken Fried Rice

This is a very easy recipe! Just make sure you use cold cooked rice, so PLAN AHEAD! If you have one, you're going to want to use a large wok for this recipe; otherwise, it's hard to keep it all contained once you put all the ingredients together!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked white rice, COLD (I like to do half brown, half white rice)
• 5 or 6 green onions
• 2 or 3 eggs
• 2 or 3 TBS water
• Butter
• 1 cup peas, cooked
• 1 cup carrots, cooked
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (should yield about 1 cup chopped cooked chicken)
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• About 1 TBS vegetable oil
• Soy sauce to taste

Instructions:

• Cook rice and refrigerate until completely cooled.
• Chop green onions.
• In a small bowl, beat 1 egg with 1 TBS water. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add egg and leave flat for a couple minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds. Repeat with second egg. Set aside.
• Cook peas & carrots to desired tenderness. Drain & set aside.
• Meanwhile, cook chicken breast in wok, seasoning with black pepper and adding minced garlic toward the end of the cook time. Chop chicken and set aside.
• Heat oil in wok. Add rice, onions, peas, carrots, chicken, and soy sauce. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes. Stir in egg. Serve hot.

Yield: This recipe will serve 2-3 people.

Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground or shredded beef (great way to use up leftover roast!)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pkg dry enchilada sauce mix
• 10 10" flour tortillas
• 1 1/2 + 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cook meat with onion in a skillet. Drain.
• Prepare enchilada sauce according to package directions. Pour 1/4 cup of sauce in a 9" x 13" pan.
• Divide the meat and cheese evenly amongst the flour tortillas. Roll tortillas tightly and place seam-side down in baking dish.
• Pour remaining sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings (i.e., lettuce, cilantro, olives, sour cream, etc.)

Chicken & Pepper Fajitas

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, sliced
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in thin strips
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 8 flour tortillas, warmed

Instructions:

• In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño peppers about 12 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from pan and set aside.
• Heat more olive oil in the same skillet and add chicken. Sauté chicken until cooked through. Return pepper mixture to pan and add lime juice, chili powder, and cumin. Cook a minute or two until heated through.
• Serve in tortillas. Garnish to taste with cheddar cheese, cilantro, lettuce, and sour cream.

Tuscan Chicken Simmer

Ingredients:

• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb)
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded Italian five-cheese blend or mozzarella cheese
• 4 servings of penne or fettuccine pasta

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• Cut chicken into bite-sized strips. Saute in olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add cream cheese, water, pesto and tomatoes to skillet. Cook on medium heat about 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve over pasta.

5-Minute Artisan Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 TBS instant dry yeast
• 1 1/2 TBS Kosher salt
• 6 1/2 cups unbleached flour

Instructions to make dough:

• Mix all ingredients in a 5 qt. ice cream bucket until moistened (3-5 minutes). Let it rest on the counter loosely covered for at least 2 hours while getting a good rise.
• After 2 hours, place bucket of dough in the refrigerator. If using a glass container do not seal tightly, otherwise it is okay to do so after 48 hours.
• You may use the dough immediately or anytime after the 2 hour rise.

Instructions to make French bread:

• Lightly grease a cookie sheet where the dough will be (if the cookie sheet has sides, use the underside).
• Reach in to the bucket of dough and grab desired amount of dough. If necessary, lightly dust with flour to 'cloak' the dough (not to knead in but to make it more manageable); though I have never found that necessary. Shape the dough as desired and place on greased cookie sheet. Do not knead the dough or handle it a lot.

• After 20 minutes, preheat oven to 450° with a baking stone in the oven and a broiler pan on a rack beneath. Set timer for another 20 minutes.
• When timer goes off, gently score the top of the bread a few times with a bread knife. Next, place the cookie sheet on top of the stone in the oven and pour one cup water into the broiler pan. Bake for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes of baking, you can slide the bread off of the cookie sheet onto the stone for the remainder of the time.
• Cool completely on a rack before cutting (if you can wait!). Store cut-side down on a wooden cutting board or in a paper sack (plastic will make the crust soft).

Instructions for pizza crust:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Sprinkle pizza stone liberally with cornmeal. Reach into bucket and grab out the desired amount of dough. Place on stone and spread out to shape. Top as desired. Just for fun, we've been substituting Italian diced tomatoes (drained) for the pizza sauce! Very yummy!
• Bake for about 15 minutes.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup + 2 TBS Kraft Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 tomato, finely shopped
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil leaves

Instructions:

• Place chicken breasts in resealable plastic bag with 1/4 cup of dressing for 10 minutes-1 hour to marinate in the refrigerator.
• Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade.  
• In a bowl, combine tomatoes, cheese, basil, and 2 TBS of dressing.
• Place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of the grill grate.  Preheat grill to medium heat.
• Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill about 6 minutes.  Turn chicken over; place cooked-side up on foil on grill.  Top evenly with tomato mixture.  Close lid.  Grill an additional 8 minutes.

*Serve with buttered egg noodles.

Stuffed Fiesta Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 1/4 cup chive & onion cream cheese spread
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 hamburger buns, split, and lightly toasted
• Salsa
• Sliced avocado

Instructions:

• Mix meat and seasoning mix.  Shape into 8 thin patties.
• Mix cream cheese spread and shredded cheese.  Spoon about 2 TBS of the cheese mixture onto the center of each of 4 patties; top with second patty.  Pinch edges of patties together to seal.
• Grill patties 7-9 minutes per side over medium heat.
• Serve with toasted hamburger buns, salsa, and avocado.

Southwestern Stroganoff

***This is one of Jordan's favorites...and I love it because it's so easy!!!
Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 cups wide egg noodles
• 1 cup water
• 1 16-oz jar salsa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Instructions:

• In a saucepan, brown the ground beef. Drain.
• Add egg noodles, water, salsa, and salt to the beef in the saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil. Turn heat down and simmer covered for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in sour cream.
• Serve!

Yield: about 6 servings
*I usually make a half-recipe of this for Jordan and I.
**This recipe is great paired with Garlic and Cheese Biscuits!

Creamy Bow-Tie Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 3 cups bow-tie pasta, uncooked
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 4 TBS Italian dressing
• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• Italian seasoning and black pepper
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups tomato-basil spaghetti sauce
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the cooking water for the last 3 minutes of the pasta cooking time.
• Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, and sprinkle with pepper and seasoning. Turn all pieces over and repeat on the other side. Allow to cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic to the skillet and cook about 3 more minutes.
• Add pasta sauce and cream cheese to chicken in skillet. Cook on medium-low heat 2-3 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted. Mixture should be well-blended and the chicken coated with sauce.
• Drain pasta and broccoli. Return to pot and add chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

*Serving suggestion: Butter ciabata bread and sprinkle with garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, paprika, and parsley. Broil on high until bread begins to brown.

Ultimate Chicken Fingers

Ingredients:

• About 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/2" strips
• 2/3 cup biscuit mix (i.e., Bisquik)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS butter

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Melt butter in a small dish; set aside.
• In another small dish, crack and lightly beat egg.
• Dump all dry ingredients in a 1 gal. zip-lock bag and shake to mix.
• Dip about half of the chicken strips into the egg and then put into the bag. Shake well to coat the pieces of chicken, then lay each piece on the cookie sheet. Repeat with second half of strips. Drizzle butter over chicken strips.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes, turning about half-way through the time.

Taco Ring

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 lbs. ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 2 TBS water
• 2 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls (8 oz. each)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 medium green bell pepper, salsa, shredded lettuce, 1 medium tomato, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup black olives, sour cream (optional topping suggestions)

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a saucepan, brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning and water.
• Unroll crescent roll dough and arrange the triangles in a circle on a pizza pan with the wide ends overlapping in the center.
• Scoop ground beef mixture evenly onto the widest part of the dough. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Bring the outside points of the dough over the filling and tuck under the wide ends of the dough in the center of the ring.
• Bake about 20 minutes. Serve with toppings as desired.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Chicken Crescent Roll Pockets

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 TBS butter, softened
• Chopped onion, to taste (or minced onion can be substituted)
• 1/2 TBS milk
• Parmesan to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package refrigerated crescent rolls (8 rolls)

Instructions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Season with black pepper and/or other seasonings that you like and saute in olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. In another bowl, mix the next 6 ingredients together. Open the package of crescent rolls and separate them into squares (keeping every 2 triangles together). Pinch the seams together to make the triangles into squares. When the chicken is done, add it to the cream cheese mixture and then spoon the mixture into the squares. Bring the corners of the squares together, pinching together the sides. Turn the square over (so that the pinched seams are underneath) and brush the tops with melted butter.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden-brown.

Yield: 4 Pockets (serves 2-3 people)

Homemade Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups flour
• Cornmeal

Instructions:Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl. Add salt, olive oil, and 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough forms a ball. Knead for a few minutes. Place in a greased bowl, greased side up and covered, in a warm place till double (about 1 hour).
Preheat oven to 450. Punch dough down. Brush 14" pizza pan with oil; sprinkle with cornmeal. Press dough across into the pan, forming a collar around the edge to hold toppings. Add toppings as desired. Bake about 15-20 minutes.

Tip: The dough can be made the night before to make this meal into a 30-Minute Meal on the day of. After making the dough (which takes less than 10 minutes), place it in the greased bowl in the refrigerator and cover it loosely with a damp towel. The next day, it should take less than 10 minutes to get the pizza built and into the oven to bake.

Taco Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef (browned)
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3/4 c. water
• 2 c. crushed Dorito chips
• 1 TBS. taco seasoning
• Cheddar cheese as desired

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350*.
Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake until cheese has melted.