Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I have said it before, and I will say it again that I LOVE the blog (and cookbooks) Our Best Bites. Any cookbook, recipe blog, website, or other place to collect recipes will have recipes that you like, others you love, and others that you feel are just so-so (and let's be honest, sometimes you may even try a recipe that doesn't suit your taste buds AT ALL). All that being said, I have yet to make a recipe from Our Best Bites that I don't like....and most of them fit into my "LOVE" category. This recipe is no exception. It's delicious!


 (ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE FROM OURBESTBITES.COM! My additional comments are in blue)
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheesesmall corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it (I usually do around 8 and microwave them for 1 minute).

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip ‘em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or this dressing. Makes 12-16

Freezer Instructions: Prepare the taquitos through rolling them out and placing them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 and place the taquitos on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.  (*I do this every time. They freeze very well, and it's an easy way to make a couple here or there for lunch!) 

I like to serve these with Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, and/or corn. We also love to serve it with the Cafe Rio-style dressing. 

They also make a BEEF version that is delicious as well. Looking for the beef version? It's right here!

Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta Chicken 

Recipe and Photo Source

what you need

4

small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4

cup  KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided

1

 tomato, finely chopped

1/2

cup  KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (I use 1/4 cup Mozz and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

1/4

cup  chopped fresh basil

HEAT grill to medium heat (I chose to broil mine in the oven, which works great too).

make it

PLACE chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 2 Tbsp. dressing; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 min (or longer). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

COVER half the grill grate with sheet of heavy-duty foil.  Place chicken on uncovered side of grill grate; grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil. (Or cover a cookie sheet or other pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheet. Broil for 5-7 minutes; turn and broil another 5-7 minutes. Top with tomato/Cheese mixture and broil 1 minute until melted.) 

TURN chicken over; place on foil. Top with tomato mixture. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

kraft kitchens tips

VARIATION

Marinate chicken in shallow glass dish instead of in the plastic bag.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve with hot buttered egg noodles, and grilled or steamed vegetables. (I served with steamed broccoli and rice)

SUBSTITUTE

If you don't have fresh basil, you can use 1 tsp. dried basil leaves instead.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

 

Recipe from: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com

This was another easy and yummy crock pot recipe that I found through pinterest.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

I found this yummy recipe on Pinterest and it was really good! http://rita-may-recipes.blogspot.com

2 chicken breasts, still frozen
1 can Rotel tomatoes (I didn't have so I used 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can of green chilies)
1 can corn kernels, do not drain
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn, drained and rinsed beans,
ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,
stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice
 to blend in the cheese.
Shred the chicken into large pieces
and serve over rice.
I added some toppings: avocado, green onion and cilantro.
Serves 4

Pumpkin Waffles

I Love fall. I LOVE anything with Pumpkin...and I especially love these Pumpkin Waffles!!

Pumpkin Waffles (Source)

2 1/3

cups Original Bisquick® mix

1 1/2

cups milk

1/2

cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4

cup vegetable oil (I like to use 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt instead)

2

tablespoons packed brown sugar

1

teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2

eggs

1/4

cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar, if desire

• Heat waffle iron; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. In large bowl, beat all waffle ingredients except pecans and powdered sugar with wire whisk or hand beater until blended. Pour batter onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid of waffle iron.
• Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops and waffle is golden brown. Carefully remove waffle. Sprinkle with pecans and powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.

You can serve with Maple-Apple Syrup found Here. But I prefer to just top them with some powdered sugar or cool-whip/whipping cream. YUM!!!! 

Caramel Apples

I've had a few requests for this, so rather than type this out a dozen times, I'm just going to post it here where all can see it.  :)  

CARAMEL APPLES

Ingredients: 

8-10 apples (any kind - but I like green or Fuji the best) washed and dried

1 C. butter (salted)

2 1/4 C. brown sugar

dash salt

1 C. light corn syrup

1 - 15 oz. can sweet cream condensed milk

1 t. vanilla

Directions: 

1. Wash and dry apples.  Pull the stems out entirely (I use pliers and pull as close to the base as possible).  Hammer the sticks into the apples and get it as straight up as possible  (We're not playing around here, people.  :)  Put the apples into the freezer while you make the caramel.  (THIS IS THE SECRET KEY!  THIS MAKES THE CARAMEL NOT RUN OFF THE APPLE.  SORRY I'M YELLING ABOUT IT, THOUGH!! :)

2. Melt the butter.  Add the sugar and salt.  Stir.  

3. Add corn syrup and mix in completely.

4. Gradually add the sweet cream condensed milk - stirring constantly. 

5. Cook on medium heat for 12-15min.  (245 degrees on a candy thermometer.)  

*Plug: get a candy thermometer.  If you use a 40% off Michael's coupon, they're about $7.  They are so worth it.  I ruined many a batch of caramel apples before I got mine and they've been good since.  

6. Remove.  Add vanilla.

7. Here comes the tricky party.  Quickly remove the apples from the freezer and dip the apple into the caramel holding it by the stick.  You may need to tip the pan a little bit to get the caramel to go all the way to the top of the apple.  Once it is covered, twist it as fast as you can with the stick between both hands (picture the way you would do it like you're warming your hands over a fire).  The excess caramel will fly off it (so be careful!).  

8. Set them on parchment paper (NOT wax paper - unless you like the taste of wax paper, because they will stick).  

9. Let them cool for at least 30 min.  (Don't worry your pretty little head if there are bubbles/lumps in the caramel.  It won't show.)

 10. Melt your chocolate.  I use white almond bark (it tastes the best).  Follow the directions on the package and melt it till it's runny.  (If you over-cook it, it will become lumpy and thick.  Thin it out with olive oil.  If it still won't cooperate, start over.  I know it hurts dumping the whole pathetic chunk into the garbage can.  But it is dead.  Let it go and start over.)

11. Once it is properly melted, get a spoon and start drizzling.  The best way to do it is to turn the apple at an angle and then use the spoon like you would use a marker and just quickly draw lines from the top to the bottom of the apple while you rotate it by the stick. Go all the way around.  

12. Drop your toppings on it (the possibilities are endless.  Favorites include: Reese's, Butterfinger, Oreo, M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Snickers, and cinnamon sugar.)  

If your toppings run off the chocolate, stick the chocolate in the fridge/freezer for a minute till it's a little more solid.  Then go at it.  

13. Try not to eat all 8 of them in one night.  I know; I've tried.  :)

Enjoy! 

Roasted Corn Salsa

My family LOVES this stuff. Seriously, it's amazing. My husband could eat an entire bowl himself. Once upon a time I took a beautiful picture of this so-named Roasted Corn Salsa. I've searched and searched for the picture, but cannot find it. So I made a decision to post the recipe without the picture. Make it. You'll thank me, I promise.

Roasted Corn Salsa
16 oz package Frozen Corn
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Avocados, diced
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 1 lime, optional
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place corn on baking sheet and broil until lightly brown. Mix together with remaining ingredients in large bow and let sit for a few hours for flavors to "marry." Serve with corn chips.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbs bottled chili sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs honey

Turn oven on to broil. Mix chili sauce, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Place a piece of foil on a pan, spray with a little cooking spray. Put diced pork chops onto pan and dump sauce over top. Broil for 7-10 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies.

Simple, cheap, and yummy.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

These are delicious and easy low calorie cookies.  They have 61 calories per cookie and satisfy your sweet tooth.  They are fast and easy to make as well.  Find Almond Paste on the baking aisle at the grocery store in a can.  It is a kind of expensive but you can bake a couple of batches with one can of the paste.  You can also make your own almond paste.  There are a bunch of recipes on the web on how to do it. Use homemade raspberry freezer jam to make these cookies extra tastey!!  Enjoy!

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

 Ingredients:

    3/4 c  Grated Almond Paste

    2/3 c  Sugar

      5 T  Butter,Softened

    1/4 t  Vanilla

      1 lg Egg White

  1 1/4 c  Flour

    1/4 t  Salt

      6 T  Raspberry Jam

1.  Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Line large cookie sheet with parchment of use silpat on bottom of

pan.

3. Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium

speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg

white; beat well.

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Add flour and salt to almond paste mixture; beat at low speed until

well blended.  Use a cookie scoop and shape dough into 34-36 1 inch

balls.  Place balls on cookie sheet and press thumb or back of cookie

scoop into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation.  Bake for 10

minutes until set.

4. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks.  Spoon about 1/2

teaspoon raspberry jam into center of each cookie.

Molasses Cookies

This recipe I got from my mother-in-law. These are my hubby's absolute FAVORITE cookies! Super easy to make and absolutely delicious! (similar to a gingerbread cookie)

Molasses Cookies

3/4 Cup Butter/Margarine
4 Tbs. Molasses
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Tsp Cloves (can reduce if desired)
1 Tsp Ginger
2 Tsp Cinnamon

Cream molasses, egg,  butter/margarine, and sugar. Sift flour, cloves, ginger,and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture. Depending on dough consistency, add more flour (1-2 Tbs at a time), until you get dough so it doesn't stick to your fingers. Roll into balls, and then roll into cinnamon/sugar. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes (depending on oven, may need 400)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 1-oz bottles red rood coloring
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp white vinegar

preheat oven to 350. (This makes 2 9-inch round cakes) In large bow, whisk together dry ingredients. Add oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium=low speed, beat for 1 minute until well blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cook in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

McCormick Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
4 tbs butter, softened
2 tbs sour cream
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix first 4 ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk and Cinnamon Butter

I LOVE sweetened condensed milk. Anything with it is delicious, honestly. It does get a little pricey....so how about making it yourself? It's EASY!

This can be used just like the kind you buy in the store.

Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup warm water
1 Cup + 2 T Instant Nonfat Dry Milk
3/4 cup Sugar

Place warm water in bowl. Add dry milk and mix well. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Store in refrigerator in container with a lid.

My 2 favorite recipes that contain sweetened condensed milk?

Fudge Bars

and
Cinnamon Butter..you know the stuff you get at Texas Roadhouse? Yeah, kind of like that! :)

Cinnamon Butter
1 cup Butter, softened
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 tsp Cinnamon (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp corn syrup

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

These are a favorite at our house:
You can buy the spices pre-packaged by McCormick in their Recipe Inspirations. I did that once, but now just follow the recipe at home. It's simple, healthy, and delicious

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Minced Onions, dried
3/4 tsp ground cumin (I just do a heaping 1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro leaves (you can omit this if you don't have any)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (I usually omit this)
1 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I like to do 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red pepper)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Tortillas

Directions:
Mix juices, oil, and all of the spiced in small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade (if you forget, it's OK!). Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add remaining marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes of longer for even more flavor (overnight is SUPERB).
Cook the chicken in large heated skillet on medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add peppers, onion, and reserved marinade (if you forgot to reserve some marinade, just put a few more dashes lime juice on the pepper/onion mixture while it cooks); cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to skillet. Cook 2-3 mintues or until heated through.
Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

YUM! These are the hubby's favorite!

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Chicken Farfalle

So Kraft has out their new "Anything Dressings," and I was really intrigued by the Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. I got some thinking SURELY I could find LOTS of recipes online...no such luck. I found ONE. So, I had to come up with my own, and it was an enthusiastic WIN at our house!! This one will be sticking around. So, I thought I'd better write it down for the next time!


(I made this for 4 people, and these are my estimated amounts, so add or subtract to your liking.)

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Chicken Farfalle
1/2 box bowtie or other small pasta, cooked and drained (toss in a little olive oil until you're ready to add other ingredients); I used Barilla: Piccolini's Tomato and Carrot mini bow-tie pasta (1 serving of vegetables! Hooray!)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tbs garlic, minced
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
About1 cup (divided) Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette "Anything dressing"
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked, diced
2 tbs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped 
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbles
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded


Cook pasta, drain water, toss in a little olive oil and set aside (I let the pasta cook while I was preparing the next step). Place chopped onion, garlic, and olive oil into a skillet and cook onion and garlic until fragrant. Scoop onion/garlic into pasta. Using your same skillet (or a new one...I just prefer to do less dishes), cook diced chicken breast with 1/2 cup dressing until cooked. Combine Pasta, Onion/garlic, chicken, parsley, and pine nuts. Add remaining 1/2 cup of dressing (I left the pasta in a pan, and just added ingredients to it as they were ready). Allow to simmer (or just microwave) for a few minutes until all ingredients are warm. Just prior to serving add Feta and Parmesan Cheese. YUM!!! 

Lon's Chicken

This is a recipe we got from our friend Lon. It is a family favorite and is nice for the summer because you don't have to turn on your oven to make it. I had to recalculate the measurements from a larger recipe that is why some of the measurements are a little strange. 2-3 pkg. Chicken Tenders or Chicken Breast cut into strips
 1 onion diced
 1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup brown sugar
 1 cup plus 2 T. water
 2 1/4 cups catsup
 1/4 t. tabasco sauce
 1/4 cup cornstarch
 Mix cornstarch in water until softened. Mix remaining ingredients together except for chicken. Place sauce in crockpot and add chicken. Cook in crockpot on high for about 3 hours or low about 5 hours until chicken is cooked through. Serve with baked potatoes.