Chicken Cornbread Bake

I found this recipe in our newspaper in the kids section of the comics. It sounded good so I thought I'd try it. We both really enjoyed it and it's easy enough that I can see it making appearances in our dinner rotations. It has a Mexican/enchilada taste.

1 cup pre-shredded four-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 14.75 oz cream style corn
1 8.5 oz box cornbread mix
1 4 oz chopped green chilies, drained
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine 1/4 cup of cheese and the next seven ingredients in a large bowl, stirring just until moist.
3. Spray 9x13 inch baking dish; pour in mixture.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Pierce surface with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top.
5. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
6. Bake for 15 more minutes until cheese melts.
7. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
8. Top each serving with some sour cream.

Lime White Chocolate Cookies

I had lime white chocolate cookies on a plane and they were so good I just had to find a recipe. This one is very good.

1 cup butter, softened
2 c sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1tbs lime zest
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, and yolks in a large bowl.

Blend in flour, baking powder, salt, lime juice and zest. Fold in chocolate chips.

Roll into walnut sized balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Country Green Beans

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cooked ham
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In a saucepan combine all ingredients. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until beans are tender.

(I would use ham lunch meat and we love these beans. I'm sure if you used real ham they would be even better.)

Lime Squares

Key Lime Bars
Martha Stewart Living

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice , (about 23 Key limes total)
1 cup sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)
2 Key limes, thinly sliced into half-moons

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.(Leave oven on.)

Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.

Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime.

These were soooo delicious! I made them for a baby shower and I got so many compliments on them. They are involved (squeezing all those limes) but taste so good! I used regular limes, about 12 of them and the bars still tasted great. 

Spaghetti Sauce

I found this recipe and was pleased with it. It's not perfect so I'm still playing around with the spices, but here's the version I tried. It's very easy!

1 chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter
2 15 oz tomato sauce (I used 2 8oz cans and 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomato)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter. Then add rest of ingredients and cook until hot.

Next time I'm going to try and cook minced garlic in with the onion.

Enchiladas with PepperJack Cheese and Green Sauce

8 corn or taco-size flour tortillas

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained*

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces, optional

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for flour tortillas or 350 for corn.

2. Spread 2 tablespoons of the cheese on each tortilla and roll up. Add the chicken if using. Place the tortillas seam side down in a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan; stir in the flour. Add the broth all at once and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in the sour cream and chiles. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble, but do not boil. Pour the mixture over the tortillas and bake for 20 minutes for flour tortillas; 15 minutes for corn.

4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the enchiladas and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Serves 8

*I actually only used half of a can of chiles because that was all I had on hand. I thought the enchiladas were spicy enough with only half a can because the pepper jack add spice as well.

Fired-up Mac n' Cheese

I used the full amount of cayenne the recipe calls for and I thought it was pretty spicy, kids probably wouldn't eat it, so if you're feeding kids use 1/8 teaspoon. However, my husband and I thought it was the best mac n' cheese we've had. It's nice to have an easy homemade mac n' cheese because i know exactly what's in it, unlike the blue box kind.

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni, or other pasta (penne, etc.)

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Crumb topping:

2 to 3 slices white bread*

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the pasta according to package; drain.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and 8x8 inch baking dish.

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan and add the flour. Stir with a whisk until mixture is bubbly, about 1 minute. Add the milk, cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir for 1 minute.

4. Remove pan from the heat and add cheddar cheese and the 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Stir in the pasta. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

5. To make crumb topping, tear the bread into small pieces and pulse in the food processor to make 1 cup crumbs. Mix in the butter and the parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture. Bakes for 20 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the topping is brown.

Serves 6

* Note: I used about 3/4 of a sleeve of ritz crackers instead of the bread, which I crushed

The Food Nanny

My sister-in-law let me borrow her cookbook from Liz Edmunds, "The Food Nanny." So far everything I've tried from her has been super yummy. I've made a new label for "Food Nanny" so she gets the credit she deserves. I'll be posting her recipes as I try them.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

The book I got this recipe from claims this soup is good as any you'll get at a restaurant. I totally agree, it was delicious! I used the marinara recipe listed in the post below.

I used our nifty hand blender to smooth the soup and that worked perfectly. I thought this soup was so good. I can't wait until I can go to the farmer's market and get fresh ingredients. I even used fat free half and half and it was still great.

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

4 cups chicken broth

3 1/2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, or 8 to 10 small vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook and stir for 5 minutes to slightly brown the mixture. Whisk in the broth. Increase the heat and cook and stir until thickened. Decrease the heat to low, stir in the half and half, simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Stir in the marinara sauce, tomatoes, and basil, and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve as is chunky style, or puree in a food processor or blender for a smooth soup.

Makes 12 cups

Super Easy Marinara Sauce

Sauce for soups, pizza, pasta sauce, breadsticks, etc.

1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes, or 4 fresh tomatoes peeled and diced (about 2 cups), crushed in blender

4 small garlic cloves, minced

2 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

1. Pour tomatoes into a small saucepan and stir in the garlic and oregano. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes.

I used canned tomatoes and dried basil and this sauce was super delicious!

Potato Keilbasa Skillet

1 pound red potatoes, cubed

3 tablespoons water

3/4 pound smoked kielbasa or polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups fresh baby spinach

5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1. Place potatoes and water in a microwave- safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until tender; drain.

2. In a large skillet, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender. Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

3. Combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted.

Serves 4. Ready in 30 mins.