Chimichangas

Yummy!  I thought this would be a good choice for Cinco de Mayo tomorrow!  The filling is super delicious.  And what's great about this recipe is that it's baked, not fried...but it tastes like it's fried!!!  Word to the wise...use ALL the butter it calls for.  This time around I used hardly any (thinking that I'd save a few calories from going to my hips), and the end result was too much like chips on the bottom and ends instead of fried goodness like what it tasted like last time I made this.  It still tasted good, but it didn't have the wonderful texture of the previous batch!  !Tienes una buena dia manana!

Ingredients:

2/3 c picante sauce or your favorite salsa

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 1/2 c cooked chicken, shredded or chopped

1 c shredded cheddar cheese (can also mix some monterey in there)

2 green onions, chopped with some tops (about 1/4 c)

6 8" four tortillas

2 Tbsp margarine, melted

Extra green onion and picante sauce, for serving

Directions:

Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions.  Place about 14 c mixture in the center of each tortilla.  Fold opposite sides over filling.  Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.  Brush with melted margarine.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.  Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.

Pretty easy right?  I also like to freeze my extra chopped up green onions.  This saves me time and money later (and typically an extra trip to the grocery store...b/c who has these on hand all the time?).  Another extra time saver:  Whenever the chicken that is fresh from the meat dept goes on sale, I like to buy lots and cook it all that night in a crock pot with chicken broth.  I just put it on low, and in the morning, very moist and easy to shred chicken is done.  Then I freeze it in the little snack ziploc baggies for whenever I need already cooked and shredded chicken!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is one of my husband's favorite recipes that I make.  I smushed two recipes together to get the taste and the texture that I wanted.  It's not deep fried, so it's way better for you than the Chinese take-out version...but it's also not crispy.  It does have a lot of good taste though!  Enjoy.

2 chicken breasts, cubed

corn starch

accent & garlic powder

beaten egg

Sauce:

1/2 c sugar

1 Tbsp soy

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 c water

1 tsp salt

1/4 c ketchup

Sprinkle chicken pieces with accent and garlic powder; then dip in corn starch.  Dip in beaten egg and fry until brown (I just use Pam to spray the pan...no oil needed).  Meanwhile, beat ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken pieces after browned.  Simmer for 1/2 hour.  During the last couple minutes, add pineapple.  Can also add green peppers, onion, and julienned carrots if desired about halfway through cooking time.  Serve over rice.

Red Robin anyone?

Mmmmmmmmm. This isn't really Red Robin, but you could probably guess that. This is a recipe I love to make for dinners. Red Robin's Teriyaki Chicken Burger is better than the homemade version, but it's close enough that we really enjoy this. For those of you who don't know, Jaren and I met while both working at Red Robin in Provo! 

This is a very simple recipe.  Toast the hamburger buns on a stove grill (or pan). Then, grill chicken breasts marinated in teriyaki sauce (To save time, I use Tyson fully cooked chicken breasts and just microwave them until fully defrosted. Then I just grill them on the stove and put the sauce directly on them during grilling.) Melt the cheese onto the chicken. Red Robin calls for swiss cheese, but we use cheddar because that's what we've got. Next, grill two pineapple rings marinated in teriyaki sauce for each burger needed. Toppings are just mayo, lettuce, and tomato. So easy!

Chicken Pot Pie

This isn't the best picture of the inside of the pie, but I thought I'd show what it looked like and how thick the sauce is inside.

Here is the recipe:

Chicken Pot Pie

1 c potato, diced

1 c chopped onion

1 c diced celery

1 c chopped carrot

1/3 c melted butter

1/2 c flour

2 c chicken broth

1 c milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 c chopped chicken

2 pie crusts (homemade)

Saute onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes in butter for 10 min. Add flour, stirring well. Cook one min stirring constantly. Combine broth and milk. Gradually stir into mix. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well. Pour in pie pan and top with crust. I just make two pie crusts and roll out one thick layer, then put on pie as though it were one crust. Cut slits for steam. Bake 40-50 min at 400 until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly and cooked through.

Cafe Rio Pulled Pork Salad

This was very delicious! You probably can't tell from the picture...I'm afraid I'm not so good at taking good food pics. :( I actually started eating this before I realized I needed a picture to put on here. I got this recipe from Rebecca's blog. Kind of a lot of work, but if you need to feed a lot of people, it's worth it. I made about twice the meat, twice the dressing, and one batch of rice. The amount of meat (3 1/2 lbs) was perfect for 10 people. I had WAY too much dressing, and I had leftover rice (that I froze and ate with enchiladas). Another time when I have the craving and extra time, I will definitely make this again! The dressing really tasted a whole lot like Cafe Rio.