Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup

I am always trying to come up with new, simple and fresh soups for a quick meal night. This one is really easy and what makes it fresh are all the garnishes....I love just fresh ingredients....this soup is a good way to use up some leftover roasted chicken or if you don't have any chicken, I didn't....you can always roast or poach some seasoned chicken breasts, shred and add....this soup was a hit last night......

Makes: 4 Servings

2 T Olive Oil (I used a little bit of Garlic Oil & Lime Oil, cause I had them)
1 1/2-2 Sweet Onions, finely diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 Jalapenos, seeded and minced
1 Serrano chili, seeded and minced
1 14.5 oz can of Petite diced Mexican Tomatoes (Green Chiles, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Lime)
1 1/2-2 C Shredded Chicken
1 Quart Chicken Stock or Broth
Salt & Pepper
Canola Oil, for pan frying
8 Corn Tortillas, cut into strips about 1/8-1/4 in thick

Garnishes:
1/4 head of Cabbage, shredded
1-2 Avocados, diced
Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
Cilantro, chopped
Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
Green Onions, chopped
Tapatio Hot Sauce
1 Lime, cut into wedges for squirting into soup
Tortilla Strips (ones you just made or if you dont feel like making you can use store bought)

Place a stock pot over medium heat and coat with the olive oil. Add in the onions, garlic, jalapenos and serrano chili, cook until softened about 10 min. Add in can of tomatoes and cook for another 5-10 min. Add in chicken and season with salt and pepper. Add in chicken stock, check seasoning and then simmer for 20 min.

Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of canola oil over medium high heat. When oil begins to smoke add some of the tortilla strips and fry in batches until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

To Serve....If you like cabbage, I recommend putting it first in the bottom of the bowl. Then ladle soup and top with your favorite garnishes, fresh lime juice and hot sauce....

Best Bran Muffins

I am not a muffin eater I usually prefer croissants, breads, brownies, and sconces......but there are two muffin recipes that I absolutely love, these bran muffins and blueberry corn muffins (recipe to be posted at later date).....These bran muffins are the best.....the are so good and moist......not too sweet....and just all around are yummy......this recipe makes about 2 dozen....it is an easy recipe to double.....which is nice since you can leave the batter in the fridge for a few weeks and bake as many as needed at a time.....

Makes: About 2 dozen

1 C Boiling Water

2 C Kellogg's All Bran

1 C General Mills Fiber One Bran

2 C Buttermilk

1/2 C Shortening

1 1/2 C Sugar

2 Eggs

2 1/2 C Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Mix the two cereals in a bowl and pour the boiling water over the top. Stir in the buttermilk and set aside. In a large bowl cream together shortening and sugar, add eggs one at a time until well combined. Add cooled cereal to the sugar mixture and stir. Stir in flour, soda and salt until dampened. Do not over stir. Bake as many as desired @ 375 Degrees for 15 min. Spread with butter if you desire and Enjoy!

Naples Style Lasagna

I grew up with this basic recipe and over the years of making it I have found this version to be my favorite....I am a crazy cook and I like all my red sauces to taste different.....my spaghetti sauce can not taste like my marinara and my lasagna sauce can not taste like my spaghetti sauce.....on so on....The sauce for this is really simple and that's probably why I like it.....quick and easy....I also like using a combo of cottage cheese and ricotta...you could use one or the other.......its also best to make a day ahead and let set up in the fridge too....I only do that when I have time....can also freeze to eat at a later date too.....anyway this is becoming one of Mikiah's favorite dishes....she loves it.....Enjoy!

Makes: 9x13

1 lb Ground Beef

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 Med Onion, finely chopped

1-1 1/2 C Mushrooms, quartered

Salt & Pepper

3-4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1/2-3/4 C Dry Red Wine

1 10.75 oz can of Tomato Puree

1 28oz can Crushed Tomatoes, Italian Style or Plain

1 Bay Leaf

1-2 tsp dried Basil

1/2-1 tsp of Italian Seasonings

1/2 box or 10 Lasagna Noodles

3 beaten eggs

1 1/2 C Ricotta

1 1/2 C Cottage Cheese

3/4 C Grated Parmesan

1/4 C Italian Parsley, chopped

8oz-16oz Fresh Mozzarella, sliced use as much or as little as you want (I buy a two pack of fresh Mozzarella at Costco and use one of them, but I have seen them in grocery stores and you can use regular mozzarella too, we just prefer fresh)

Cook Noodles in salted boiling water for 8 min and drain well.

For Sauce:

In a pot add beef, sausage, onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until meat is browned. Drain off fat, return to heat and add in the garlic cook for 1-2 min. Add in the wine and stir. Then add in crushed tomatoes/puree, bay leaf, basil, and Italian seasoning. Re season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thick stirring occasionally, I usually let it simmer for 40 min or so. Discard bay leaf.

For Filling:

Combine beaten eggs, ricotta, cottage cheese, Parmesan and fresh parsley.

Arrange 1/2 the lasagna noodles in the bottom of a greased (I just spray with non stick spray) 13x9x2. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture, 1/2 of the meat sauce, and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Repeat with noodles, then the rest of ricotta mixture and the rest of the meat sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 45min to 1 hour until hot and bubbly. Uncover and add the remaining mozzarella cheese and bake for another 15 min or until lasagna is hot through and cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 min before serving. Serve with bread and extra Parm cheese if you like....

Chicken and Balsamic Cream Sauce

So when I create I never quite know what something will taste like....its pretty much a crap shoot....last night I made this dish and I must say it turned out pretty good.....I definitely have some fine tuning to do to make it even better but I think it is worth posting for all you to try, edit and create.......that is if you like balsamic vinegar.....you can leave out the goat cheese if you don't like it, but I tell you that combined with the sauce was my favorite part and could never leave it out....but I LOVE goat cheese.....crap I love most cheese.....its definitely one of my guilty pleasures....besides chocolate.....So edit away and enjoy this twist on a old time chicken and noodles....or rice....

Makes 6 servings

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Salt & Pepper

1-2 T Olive Oil

2-3 Shallots, finely chopped

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 T Flour

2-3 T Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Thyme (I used fresh cause I had it)

2 C Chicken Stock

1-1 1/2 C Half & Half

1/4 C Italian Parsley, finely chopped

1 lb Orzo, cooked according to package (You could use rice too)

1-2 Bunches of Broccoli, steamed

Plain Goat Cheese, topping

Splash Balsamic Vinegar, topping (optional)

In a large skillet heat olive oil over med high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper add to heated pan. Cook chicken 5-6 min per side and then remove and cover with foil. Turn down the heat to med, and add Shallots, Garlic and Thyme. Cook for 2-3 min. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for about 2 min. Whisk in the Chicken Stock, Balsamic Vinegar and Half and Half. Turn up the heat a little bit and simmer for 3-4 min or until thickened. Slice up the chicken and add it back to the pan, then add in the Parsley. Heat for 1-2 more min until hot.

To serve: Place some orzo in a bowl, top with Chicken Cream Sauce, Goat Cheese and a splash of Balsamic vinegar along side some steamed broccoli. Enjoy....

Italian Pesto Pasta

So this is one of those meals that I usually have everything for and it is easy to whip together....We love it with sliced Italian Sausage links, but I will use whatever I have from cooked Chicken to Flavored Smoked Sausage to Salami......This is probably one of Mikiah's favorite meals....whenever I ask her what she wants for dinner she usually replies with "Pesto Pasta"......You can use any semi soft or soft cheese that you like.....I just so happened to have some Farmers Cheese which worked great.....Havarti also works great as well as those flavored spreadable cheeses....add more veggies if you like.....Peppers would be a good add in.........Oh and I love Trader Joe's pesto....which is a major bummer about living in San Antonio....No Trader Joe's down here.....Totally miss that store.....

Makes 4-6 servings

1 pkg Italian Sausage Links (Sweet or Hot)

2 C Cream

1/4-1/3 C Prepared Pesto

3 oz Cream Cheese

8 0z (1 C) Farmers Cheese (or any other Semi Soft/Soft Cheese)

Pepper, to taste

2-3 C Fresh Broccoli, cut into florets

1 Lg Can Medium Olives (you can slice, I don't so Shawn can pick them out)

1 lb Pasta (we use Mini Penne or Bow Tie, easier for the twins to eat)

1/2 C Parmesan Cheese or Parm Cheese Blend, garnish on top

Fry up the sausage links until done all the way through. Remove from heat and slice.

Boil a pot of water. Add in a some salt and then the noodles. Cook according to package, except in the last 2-4 min (depending on how done you want your broccoli) add in the broccoli to the pot. Drain and dump back into the stock pot and then add the olives on top.

While noodles are cooking. Start the sauce. Pour the cream into a sauce pan or deep skillet. Heat over med low/med heat for 5-8 min until hot through. Stir in pesto and heat another 1-3 min to bring back to hot. Stir in cream cheese once combined add in the semi soft cheese and stir until melted and well combined. Then add the sausage to the pan and season with pepper, keep over med low/med heat and bring sauce to back to hot and slightly thickened around 5 min or so. Pour sauce over the noodles/broccoli/olives and stir to combine, serve out of the pot or dump into a pasta bowl.....Top with Parmesan Cheese and Enjoy.....

Party Flank Sandwiches

We love sandwiches in this house....from Panini's, to toasted cheese, to oven baked....you name them we eat them...here is a twist on a steak sandwich........you can cook it all up and put it in 1 giant loaf of Rustic Bread and slice or you can buy demi loafs and serve the sandwich individually....I usually make 1 big loaf but since I was at Costco I actually picked up some rustic bread that were individual size which it the picture you will see.........I just love crusty rustic bread sandwiches.....

Makes: 1 Large Sandwich or 4-5 Individual Ones

1.5 lbs Flank Steak

Favorite Steak Seasoning

1-2 T Olive Oil (I use garlic flavored)

1 Large Sweet Onion, thinly slices

Salt & Pepper

1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced (Red, Orange, or Yellow....what ever looks the freshest)

3-4 cloves garlic

1 T Dijon Mustard

1 tsp Hot Sauce

1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce

1 T Flour

1 C Beef Stock or broth

1 Lg Loaf Rustic Crusty Bread (or small individual loafs)

10-12 Slices Provolone Cheese

Prepare bread: Slice bread in 1/2 lengthwise, scoop out some of the middle on the top side or both if you like. Toast loaf at 375 degrees for 5-7 min. Set aside.

Season Steak with steak seasoning and Grill for 5-6 min per side for med-rare, cook longer if you want it cooked more. Pull off and let rest.

While steak is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan over med heat add onions, salt & pepper. Cook for 7 min add in garlic, peppers, mustard, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. Cook for another 4-5 min, add in flour stir and cook for 1 min. Add Beef stock and simmer until nice and thick. After Steak has rested slice and add to pepper/onion mixture and stir well.

Layer cheese on both sides of the bread and scoop meat mixture on to the cheese and close sandwich. Cook in oven @ 375 until cheese melts about 5-7 min. Slice into wedges & serve....

Warm Winter Soup

I love trying new recipes.....and I have been wanting to do a blended soup, that way Shawn will eat it....My lovely picky eater husband (Love Ya Babe).......I have been wanting some sort of squash or pumpkin soup and this recipe fit the bill for me....it was very good and very tasty with very few ingredients....feel free to spice it up if you like.....the great part is it is a fairly light recipe since you use potatoes and half and half to thicken it up instead of heavy cream....Serve with bread toasts covered in your favorite cheese.....we had Swiss Cheese Toasts and they were so good dipped in this warm comforting soup....

Makes: 8 Cups of Soup

2 T Butter

5 C Butternut Squash, peeled & chopped in 1/2 in cubes (about 2 small ones/1.5 lbs)

2 C Russet Potatoes, peeled & chopped in 1/2 in cubes (about 2-3 small potatoes)

1 tsp Salt (I use Kosher)

1/2-1 tsp Ground Pepper

2 C Leeks, chopped (about 2 medium ones)

4 C Chicken Stock or Broth

1 C Half & Half

3-4 T Fresh Chives, chopped for garnish

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium high heat. Add squash, potato, salt & pepper and cook 3-4 minutes. Add in leek and and cook 1-2 more minutes. Stir in broth and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Then place 1/2 the soup mixture into a blender (remove center of blender lid to let steam out) place lid on blender and cover the center hole with a clean towel to avoid splatters. Blend soup until smooth, pour into a bowl or large measuring cup, repeat with second half of mixture and then return all soup back to stock pot. Stir in half & half. Cover and keep warm over very low heat. Serve with chives, black pepper and Cheese Toasted Baguette slices....

Warm Spinach & Artichoke Dip

One of my favorite party dips to make beside Jalapeno Crab Dip (to be posted at a later date)...There are so many variations to this dip so feel free to experiment with this one. I still experiment with it, I actually just made it the other day and added a tablespoon of the marinate from the marinated artichokes...it added a little zing.....but the trick is making sure you get good quality marinated artichokes with a flavor you like, if you do not like the marinated artichokes they do have canned ones and ones w/o marinade....This recipe makes and 8x8 pan for a crowd....1/2 the recipe for a smaller group.....it also can be lightened up by using low fat cream cheese and low fat mayo.....Serve with your favorite bread or crackers......

Makes 8x8 glass pan

2 8oz Pk Cream Cheese, softened at room temp

2 Small Jars Marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained & chopped (can stir in 1-2 T of the marinate)

1 10oz package of Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed, drained & squeezed

3/4-1 C of Mayo

1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

1 Lemon, juiced

1 C+ Parmesan Cheese or Parmesan Cheese Blend (Asiago/Parm/Romano), shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat Cream Cheese and Mayo together. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into dish, top with extra parm cheese if you like and bake for 25-30 min until hot throughout. Serve with your favorite fresh bread, toasted bread, crackers or tortilla chips.....

Blanco Chicken Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite comfort foods....there are so many variations you can do, red sauce, white sauce, pink sauce....This recipe is a good way to use up some cooked chicken, shoot you could even use leftover turkey.......This recipe even allows you to use the infamous "Poultry Seasoning" which I seem to only use around Thanksgiving and usually end up buying fresh every year.....Anyway its easy to double and a recipe I like to make and take to new parents when they come home from the hospital....

Makes: 9x13 Pan

8oz Lasagna Noodles
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
3/4 C Chicken Broth
1/2 t Salt
1/2 t Poultry Seasoning
8oz Package Cream Cheese, softened
1 C Cottage Cheese
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 C Mayonnaise
1/3 C Onion, finely chopped
1/3 C Green Bell Pepper, finely chopped
1/4 C Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
3 C Cooked Chicken, shredded or chopped
Buttered Bread Crumbs

Cook Noodles according to package (8-9 Min). Rinse in Cold Water and set aside. Mix chicken soup, broth, salt and poultry seasoning in a sauce pan and heat over med-low heat (watch the soup it can stick to the bottom of the pan). In a bowl beat softened cream cheese and the cottage cheese together, add in the sour cream and mayo. Then stir in the onion, green pepper and parsley. Butter or spray a 9x13 pan and then layer 1/2 the noodles, 1/2 the Cottage Cheese mixture, 1/2 the Chicken and then pour 1/2 the soup mixture. Repeat layers and top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 min, until bubbly and hot.....

Crazy 'K' Chops

I have been wanted to try new recipes for pork chops for some time. I look forward to cooking some new ones from the Pork Cookbook I got for Christmas...But I have had this recipe for some time and really been wanting to make it. Shawn's brother Joel wanted to name these "crazy eyez killah chops".......he absolutely loved them..... Now that I have tasted these and edited the recipe I think these are some of the best pork chops I have had in a long time too...The trick is to not over cook your pork, otherwise it dries out and pretty much tastes like crap then.....

Serves 8 (depending on size of chops)

1 C Mayo

2-3 T Lime Juice (1-2 limes)

2 T Fresh Cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-1 tsp Chile Powder

1-2 squirts Chipotle Tabasco

8 pork chops, about 1/2-inch thick

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the pork chops. Reserve 1/2 cup mayonnaise mixture. Season chops with salt and pepper and grill or broil chops, turning once and brushing frequently with remaining mayonnaise mixture, until chops are done. Serve with reserved mayonnaise mixture and a slice of lime.

Lemon Linguine

I have started to see a trend in my cooking.....we love citrus. Lemon especially......Maybe its because it just gives food that extra pop or zing. We just had this dish a few days ago and all of the family really liked it, especially Mikiah.....she was slurping the noodles 1 by 1.....and of course she had seconds....Shawn and I both think this would be great with some grilled shrimp instead of chicken....but it was what I had.....Oh do we love pasta.....

Serves 4-6

1 lb of Linguine Noodles

3 T Lemon Olive Oil or reg Olive Oil

3-4 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2 Lemons, Zested & Juiced

1-2 C Cooked Chicken Breast Strips (I used Frozen Grilled Strips)

2 C Heavy Cream

1 C Grated or Shredded Parmesan

1/2 C Flat Leaf Parsley, Finely Chopped

10-12 Basil Leaves, sliced thin

1 Lemon Sliced for Garnish

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and then drop in the noodles, cook according to the package (about 8-9 min). After about 5 min of the noodles cooking use a glass measuring cup and pull out some of the pasta cooking water about a 1/4 of a cup. Drain Pasta when done.

Heat large deep skillet over low heat, add in olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add in chicken and cook for 5 min. Add in the 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water, lemon juice cook for 3-5 more minutes until chicken is hot through. Then stir in the cream and blend. Raise the heat a little bit and bring the sauce to a small bubble and reduce the cream. Add lemon zest and half of the cheese, half the basil and half the parsley, stir. Season with salt and pepper. Add Pasta to pan and turn off heat. Toss the pasta with the sauce for a few minutes allowing the pasta to soak up the sauce. Place all in pasta bowl and top with the rest of the cheese, parsley and basil. Add a slice or two of lemon to squeeze on right before eating, if you like.