Crock-pot Mexican Chicken Tacos

Serves: 16 (approx. ½ cup per serving)

Warning: This dish can be habit forming. Please exercise moderation while consuming. Side effects can include: tight pants and weight gain, due to lack of sufficient will power to resist eating too many tacos.

Ingredients

• 1-2 16oz jars of Herdez Medium salsa
• 3½ cups water
• 1 lb. chicken breasts 
• 1 lb. dry pinto beans, rinsed but not soaked
• 1-2 packets chipotle taco seasoning
• 2 ounces or more cream cheese for creaminess (optional)
• Salt to taste

Instructions 

1. Place the pinto beans, salsa, and water in a slow cooker or Crock-pot. Stir to get the liquid in and around the beans. Place the chicken breasts on top. Cover and cook on high for 4-­5 hours or low for 7-­8 hours.
2. After about 3 hours, remove the lid and check on the mixture. Stir to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom and add a little more water if necessary. Don't open the lid more than once or twice ­ it adds to the cooking time.
3. When the beans and chicken are cooked, gently shred the chicken with two forks. It should shred easily. Add the taco seasoning and cream cheese and let the mixture sit for another 15-­30 minutes. Serve with rice, tortillas, taco shells or chips. Top with avocado, cheese, and cilantro.

Notes

If you use canned beans, omit the water and reduce the amount of cooking time. Also, the chicken usually cooks faster than the beans. To avoid overcooking the chicken, remove the chicken breasts when fully cooked after 2-3 hours, and store in the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum at http://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-­mexican­-chicken

Chicken Teriyaki

2 Tb Sake or White Wine
1/4 c Mirin
1/4 c Soy Sauce
2 Tb Brown Sugar
1 Tb Fresh grated Ginger
4 Green Onions Sliced
Splash of Sesame oil
2 pounds Chicken thighs or breast cut into bite size pieces
1/2 Tb Olive oil
Pepper to taste

Combine sake or wine, mirin, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, green onions, sesame oil and mix well. Add chicken and let marinate for at least one hour. Heat olive oil in pan add chicken with juices and cook until no longer pink. Serve with rice.

*I like to slightly increase the mirin and soy sauce and use about 1-1 1/2 tsp sesame oil.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 c Crushed Graham Crackers
3 Tb Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/3 c Melted Butter

Combine all ingredients and press into pie pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Cream Cheese Pie

2 8 oz pkgs Cream Cheese
3 Eggs
3/4 c Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 Tb Lemon Juice
1/4 c sugar
1 rsp Vanilla
8 oz Sour Cream
Graham Cracker Crust

Blend cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a blender until smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake at 325 for 25 minutes. It should look a little runny. Take from oven while you blend sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a blender. I like to make sure there isn't too many air bubbles from the blender or the top will not look smooth. Pour carefully over cooked cream cheese. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate over night.

Yorkshire Pudding

1 c Flour
1 c milk
3 Eggs
1 tsp Salt
1/2 stick Butter

Pre-heat oven to 350. Place butter in cake pan and put in oven until butter is melted. Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Pour batter in pan and cook for 30-40 minutes. Will rise and bubble up.

Crescent Rolls

1 pkg Yeast
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 c Warm Water
1/2 c Butter
3 1/2-4 c Flour
1 c Warm Milk
3 Eggs Well Beaten
3/4 tsp Salt
1/3 c Sugar*

In a sauce pan melt butter, milk, sugar, and salt. Mix well. While cooling  mix yeast and 1 tsp sugar and warm water and dissolve. When milk mixture is cool add dissolved yeast. Stir in flour. Let rise 5-6 hours. Turn over onto lightly floured surface. Knead a few times. Cut in half. Roll out to a 12 inch circle. Melt butter and spread over rolled out dough. Cut pie style. Roll each piece from thick end to small. Place on cookie sheet and let rise another 4-6 hours. Cook at 350 for 10-12 minutes, should be golden. When just out of oven brush with melted butter. Dough can be made a day ahead and refrigerated over night then rolled out. You can also cut time by using instant yeast. You would only raise once.

*You can use 1/2 cup sugar to make either orange rolls or cinnamon rolls

Dinner in a Pumpkin

1 Small to Medium Pumpkin
1 Onion chopped
2 T Oil
1 1/2 -2 lbs Hamburger
2 T Soy Sauce
2 T Brown Sugar
4 oz Mushrooms sliced
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 1/2 c Cooked Rice
8 oz Sliced Water Chestnuts

Optional Seasonings
1/2-1 tea Nutmeg
1/2-1 tsp Pepper

Brown hamburger and drain grease out. Add rest of ingredients to hamburger and mix together. Hollow out the pumpkin and fill with hamburger mixture and replace top of pumpkin. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 1 hour or until Pumpkin is cooked. We like to draw a face on the pumpkin with a perm marker before cooking on Halloween.

Kale Salad

Amazingly Delicious Kale Salad

• Fresh Kale (lightly steamed) 
• Fresh Mustard Greens
• Carrots
• Fresh Beets (toasted)
• Fresh Parsley
• Fresh Cilantro
• Tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt and Pepper

1. Wash all vegetables thoroughly to remove any dirt or residue. (Dirt=Bad Seasoning)
2. Peel and slice the Beets; then broil in a toaster oven until it starts to caramelize (5-10 mins). It's Good don't question it.
3. Cut Kale into ½-inch pieces and steam until bright green but still crunchy (about 5 mins). Then immediately rinse with cold water.
4. Peel and slice the Carrots and Cucumber then slice the Tomatoes.
5. Cut or tear Mustard greens into smaller pieces.
6. Cut and discard the stems from the Parsley and Cilantro.
7. Put it all together; Then Salt and Pepper.
8. Pour the EVOO and Balsamic Vinegar on your Lovely salad (no need to mix beforehand).
9. Enjoy.

Note: Mustard Greens are spicy and is what gives this salad its kick. If you prefer, you can substitute the Mustard Greens with any other kind of greens.

Cowboy Casserole

Don't be shy to try due to the steps and amount of ingredients with this one. Most ingredients you will already have in your pantry. It does take time but is worth the time you take to make it. I usually split it into two pans and freeze one for a meal at a later time. It freezes well! Recipe from Foodnetwork.com By Emeril Lagasse

2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken
2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 cup White Wine
1/4 cup Coarsely Chopped Cilantro
1 1/2 tbs Lime Juice
2 Garlic Cloves, mashed
1 tsp Black Peppercorn
1 1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Oregano
2 Bay Leaves
6 TB Butter
1 lb Mushrooms washed and quartered
Pinch Black Pepper
4 TB Flour
1 1/2 cups Milk
12 cups Tortilla Chips
2 cups finely chopped Onion
1 cup finely chopped Bell Pepper
2 Jalapenos, seeds removed, chopped finely
8 oz Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
8 oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 TB Emeril's Southwest Seasoning, recipe below
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 can drained Chopped Tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can Green Chiles, drained

Emeril's Southwest Seasoning (I love to put this on chicken when grilling makes a great rub!) You can half this you will not use all of it for this.

2 TB Chili Powder
2 tsp Cumin
2 TB Paprika
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 TB Coriander
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 TB Garlic Powder
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 TB Salt
1 TB Oregano

Combine the chicken, chicken stock, wine, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano, and bay leaves in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the chicken to cool in the poaching liquid for 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the cooking liquid and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Reserve the chicken. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over high heat until foamy. Add the mushrooms, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, stir to blend, and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and stir, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken cooking liquid, stir, and cook until very thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the tortilla chips in the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch glass casserole. Crush the chips with your hands so they form a thin layer on the bottom of the dish. Pour 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid over the tortilla chips and allow them to soak up the liquid. Scatter the chicken over the top of the tortilla layer. Spread the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos evenly over the chicken. Top with half of the grated cheeses. Sprinkle with the Southwest Seasoning, chili powder and ground cumin. Spoon the reserved mushroom mixture evenly over the top of the spices, then top with the tomatoes and green chiles. Cover with the remainder of the cheeses. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the casserole is heated through. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Oil
1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 Eggs
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 3/4 cups Sugar
4 TB Cocoa
1 tea Baking Soda
1/2 tea Cinnamon
1/2 tea Salt
2 cups Zucchini
2 cups Chocolate Chips

In a mixer mix butter, oil, buttermilk, and eggs. Sift together dry ingredients and slowly mix in with butter mixture. Mix until smooth then add zucchini. Pour into prepared cake pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of cake mix. Cook at 325 for 45 minutes. **Family Recipe provided by Aunt Viola Kesler

Apple Pie Bars

For Filling:

4 Whole Apples, peeled and chopped coarsely
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 TB Lemon Juice
1 1/2 TB Cornstarch
1 TB Water

For Crust and Topping
3/4 cup Butter, Softened
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 Walnuts or Pecans, Finely Chopped
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9-inch square pan or pie dish with cooking spray.

To Prepare apple pie filling, in a large pan combine the chopped apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until apples are tender. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and water. Add the cornstarch mixture to the apples and continue cooking, and stirring constantly until thickened, about two minutes. remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To make crust, beat butter on medium speed for about one minute. Add brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about an additional minute. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until blended but still crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture for the topping. Press remaining mixture unto the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 15minutes until slightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven.

Spread the apple filling evenly over the crust. Stir the chopped nuts and cinnamon into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over apple pie filling. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before cutting.

*Submitted by Suzanne

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

1 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Curry Powder (up to 2 if you love curry)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 Onion Chopped
2 Carrots, Peeled and Diced
2 tsp Fresh Ginger, Grated
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1/3 cup Tomato Paste
7 cups Water
15 oz Coconut Milk (I use Thai Kitchen)
2 cups Dry Lentils
1 15 oz can Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas Drained
1 TB Lime Juice, Freshly Squeezed
1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
Lime Wedges optional for garnish

Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the curry and cinnamon, stirring often until spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes. Add carrots, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and tomato paste. Continue to cook and stir for another 2 minutes. Pour water, coconut milk, lentils, and chickpeas. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes or until are tender and soup has thickened. Before serving stir in lime juice. Taste for seasoning add salt, pepper, or other spices as needed. Serve with fresh cilantro and line wedges.

Note from Suzanne: This was so good. Everyone loved it. I served it Naan bread and green salad. I have only found red or pink lentils as they are sometimes called at Sprouts Farmers Market. They don't sell them at Walmart, They usually sell them in health food or whole food stores. Nut the texture is creamier than regular lentils so the texture would be slightly different if you use regular lentils. The regular lentils are found at Walmart if that is your only option.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

4 Eggs
1 2/3 cups Sugar
1 cup Oil
1 (14 oz) can of Pumpkin
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt

Mix eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin well. Sift together remaining ingredients and mix with pumpkin mixture. spread onto an ungreased jelly roll pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup Butter or Margarine. softened
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 (4 oz) pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp Vanilla

Miix butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar. Frost cake.

Heavenly Deliciousness

1 lb Butter
2 2/3 cups Sugar
1 cup Corn Syrup
2 TB Vanilla
2 TB Coconut
1 cup Slivered Almonds
1 Bag Corn Puffs

Combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup in sauce pan. Heat to soft ball state remove from heat. Add vanilla, coconut, and almonds stir together. Pour corn puffs in a big bowl pour mixture over corn puffs and mix together. Spread out on wax paper and let cool.

Peanut Butter Fingers

1 cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Peanut Butter
2 eggs
1 tea Vanilla
1 tea Baking Soda
1/2 tea Salt
2 cups Oatmeal
2 cups Flour

Frosting
1 cube Butter
1/4 cup Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
3-4 cups Powdered Sugar
1 tea vanilla
Milk

Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, and eggs. Stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add Oatmeal and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Spread evenly over un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Cool completely and frost with chocolate frosting.

Frosting: Melt butter, add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, and cocoa. Mix in milk until it is spreading consitency. Spread on cooled bars.