Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

I didn't get a picture of these, but they were super yummy and a great marinade!

Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers

(http://www.kitchenmeetsgirl.com/)

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp oil
• juice of one lime
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tsp Siracha, or I used a honey garlic one
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine your ingredients, through the cilantro.  I didn't use the cilantro because my husband doesn't like it.  Mix thoroughly.

Pour the marinade over cubed chicken breasts and turn to coat.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Put on your skewers and then grill on medium high heat for 6-8 minutes per side.  Make sure juices run clear and enjoy!

Oriental Chicken Salad and Dressing

Oh my goodness!  Yum! 

Can I have this at least once a week!?  Or everyday?

This was sooooo good and everyone devoured theres!  It was such a good summer meal, especially since it is soo easy to prepare!

A great easy salad that had great flavor too!

Oriental Chicken Salad and Dressing

(http://www.chef-in-training.com/)

• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Mandarin Oranges
• Cooked, seasoned and sliced chicken (used Montreal Steak Seasoning for Chicken to season mine)
• Sliced Almonds
• Chow Mein Noodles

Dressing

• 1/4 cup mayonaise
• 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1 tsp dijon mustard

Get all your ingredients prepared and ready.  I opened 2 cans of oranges and just made enough chicken for my family with a little left over.  You can adjust this to as many or as little people as you need to feed.

Keep your ingredients separated so that you can have leftovers another day.  I put my sliced chicken in one bowl, then the oranges in another and so forth.  You then start with placing your lettuce in your bowl or on your plate.  Top with your oranges, chicken and then top with your almonds and chow mein noodles.  Now you are ready for your dressing.

Combine all your dressing ingredients and whisk until smooth and blended.  Pour over your individual salads and enjoy! 

Todd took this to work and I separated it into small containers with the lettuce in the biggest and then he put it together and it was a great leftover lunch!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

I love a good crock-pot meal!  I have instituted another meal day!

We do Breakfast Wednesdays and now I am doing Crock-Pot Tuesdays!

It is nice to have my meal almost put together in the morning and then we can play longer in the afternoons!  This will really come in handy when the town pool opens!

This chicken had really great flavor and we loved it in burritos and nachos.

Try this easy dinner on one of these hot summer days coming up!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

(http://www.goodlifeeats.com/)



• 4 chicken breasts (mine were even frozen and it turned out great)
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (I just used water!)
• 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped (didn't add since someone at my house HATES cilantro)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 large onion chopped (not finely though)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I just sliced mine)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat your oil in a medium sized pan.  Add your chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Add your cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika and garlic.  Saute for another 2 minutes.

Now add your chicken broth or water to deglaze the pan.  Basically you are trying not to leave behind any flavor and getting all those brown bits off the bottom of the pan!  Turn your heat off and set aside!

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.  Add to crock pot and then squeeze your lime juice on top.  Add your cilantro, jalapeno, and pour your onion-garlic mixture over top!

Cook on low for 3-5 hours.  Remove when done and shred your chicken.  You can now add your onion mixture to your chicken or I left it out and it still had tons of flavor.

Now it is up to you to eat it up!  Serve as soft tacos with shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, cheese, sour cream, refried beans, salsa or whatever your heart desires!

Bourbon Chicken (without the Bourbon)

This was a hit with the entire family! 

Everyone loved the flavor and I loved it was simple goodness!

Yes, who doesn't love a quick meal that tastes really really good!

I made it a little different than the recipe, so I will give you both options!

Bourbon Chicken (without the Bourbon!)

(found on pinterest, via jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

• 5 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1/4 cup apple or pineapple juice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Option 1:  Cut your raw chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces with kitchen scissors.  Heat up a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once it is hot, pour your 2 tbsp oil into it.  Add your chicken pieces to the pan and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain some of the chicken juices and then continue to cook the chicken until done.

Option 2:  Place 5 frozen chicken breasts in a pan that has a lid.  Cover the chicken with water and bring pan to a boil.  Once boiling, cover with the lid and poach your chicken for about 20 minutes or until done.

Once done, place chicken on a cutting board or plate and let rest.  Once cool enough to handle, I shredded the chicken and then placed in a skillet and browned the pieces a little.

While chicken is cooking (either option),  combine your sauce ingredients.  Combine your garlic, juice, brown sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, water, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch.  Whisk together until corn starch is dissolved and ingredients completely mixed.

When chicken is browned, pour the sauce into the pan.  Stir it around until it covers all your chicken pieces.

Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pan with a lid at an angle in order to allow some of the steam to escape.  Let this simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring a couple times.

Serve over brown or white rice and enjoy!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

I have started doing at least one crock pot meal a week!  It just makes my afternoons when the kids get home so much easier sometimes to have dinner most of the way done!

We like chicken and rice.  I would eat it once a week at least!  Brown rice would be better and I will probably start trying to add that in!

This was a simple recipe and it even provided sauce to put on your rice!  My chicken was flavorful and not dry and the sauce was yummy!

I am excited to have another easy meal to make!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

(found on pinterest via http://www.lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/)

• 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs~about 3 lbs (I used about 5 chicken breasts)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic (I minced about 4 cloves garlic)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 4 1/2 tsp cold water
• Hot cooked rice
• Veggies of your choosing~broccoli, snap peas, etc.

Place chicken (I even used frozen chicken and it worked great) in your slow cooker~I always try to spray with non-stick spray before I add my ingredients.

In a bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Remove chicken and let it rest.  Skim any fat from cooking liquid and place in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Mix together your corn starch and cold water.  Gradually stir into boiling sauce and stir until sauce is thickened.

Serve sauce with your chicken and rice.  Next time I am going to add cooked broccoli and sugar snap peas to this to make a sort of stir fry with the sauce!

Yummy!!!

Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken

I found this recipe idea on Pinterest.  Yes pinterest again, but it is a great site with lots of people sharing their great finds!

The best part about this chicken is that it was cooked in the crock pot.  I love a meal that is done earlier in the afternoon, especially when you have kid activities in the after school.

Try this and you wont be disappointed!

Crock pot Barbecue Chicken

(found on pinterest via http://www.forkinit.blogspot.com/)

• 4-6 pieces chicken breasts (can even use frozen ones)
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce (she used sweet baby rays, I used what I had on hand)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder.  Place chicken in your crock pot (I try to spray with non-stick spray every time to make for easier clean up).  Pour the sauce over the top and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

We ate this with baked potatoes, broccoli and Cheddar and Herb biscuits~a recipe I will share!

Cowboy Quesadillas

I found this recipe on Our Best Bites website.  They always have great recipes and they are usually recipes with ingredients that I have on hand!

This one was the same!  My family all liked this, but I will say it was just an easy revved up version of a quesadilla.  My kids ate them, but didn't really like the dipping sauce.  I liked it too, but thought next time I might try substituting the barbecue sauce with sour cream.

All the ingredients are good together and I liked the barbecue sauce, but I think I would prefer sour cream!

Very easy and a way to make a quesadilla more of a meal than just cheese!  Also a great way to use leftovers!

Cowboy Quesadillas

(http://www.ourbestbites.com/)

• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1/3 cup black beans
• 1 cup diced cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup fresh frozen corn (no need to thaw)
• 2/3 cup diced tomato (didn't add~I don't like tomatoes!)
• 3 tbsp sliced green onions
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese ~ any type you like!
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (or try sour cream!)
• small tortillas, fajita size

Combine rice, beans, chicken, corn, tomato, green onion and shredded cheese.  Add barbecue sauce (or sour cream) and stir to combine.  Place about 1/3 of the mixture on half of a tortilla and fold over to close.

Heat a skillet to medium heat.  When hot, spray with cooking spray and place your filled tortilla on top.  Cook until golden brown or slightly crisp and turn over to cook on other side!

Serve with a barbecue dipping sauce (equal parts barbecue sauce and ranch dressing) or try more sour cream, guacamole, or salsa and enjoy!

Thai Peanut Noodles

I found this recipe in the Our Best Bites cookbook.  I have found a love for Pad Thai noodles and trying new sauces and combinations for the noodles.  This one was labeled one of their "most popular" and it was a success!

There are so many things you can add.  I added chicken and peas and left out the peanuts and cilantro.

Will definitely make again!

Thai Peanut Noodles

(Our Best Bites cookbook)

• 8 ounces Udon or linguine noodles (or I used Pad Thai noodles)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 1-2 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (1 tsp mild, 2 tsp hot) ~ I used chili garlic sauce 1 tsp because I had it on hand
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (used 1/4 tsp ground ginger)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• Chopped green onions, cilantro, peanuts
• 2 limes cut into quarters for garnish (optional)
• Add ins:  Shredded chicken, peas, sprouts

Cook noodles in salted water according to pkg directions.  If using Pad Thai, follow pkg directions to cook and allow time to soak the noodles in water.

If using any add ins, cook the chicken and have shredded.  Have peas ready too.

While the noodles cook, combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, giner and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Whisk until smooth and remove from heat.

Toss cooked noodles with sauce and toss with add ins also.  Separate into bowls and garnish with green onions, cilantro, and peanuts if desired.   Squeeze lime juice over bowls also if desired.

Enjoy!

Sara's Favorite Pasta Salad

I don't know the real name of this salad or where we found it.  We have named it this after my sister, who shared this many years ago as her favorite summer pasta salad!  I share her like of this salad too!  It is one of those salads you can really add anything you want and just pour over the yummy dressing.  It is easy, and doesn't require a lot of prep and no oven!!

Enjoy!!

Pasta Salad

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup herbed white wine vinegar - tarragon or sweet basil (I didn't have this on hand and found you could substitute rice vinegar)
• 3-4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp tarragon or sweet basil leaves (if you use the herbed white wine vinegar, match the spice to the vinegar.  If you use rice vinegar, just pick whichever you have - I used basil)
• 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika (I didn't have this on hand and used regular paprika, 1/2 tsp)
• 1 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together until well blended.  Set aside until salad is ready.

Salad:

• 3 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
• 2 jars (6 oz) marinated artichoke hearts
• 12 oz pasta (your choice) cooked and well drained
• 1 can sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• cherry tomatoes, sliced in half - adding as much as you like!
• Optional add ins I have added - chopped red peppers, carrots, cucumbers, or whatever else you might like!  I added Feta cheese this time too!

Place all your salad ingredients in a bowl and pour your dressing on top.  Eat with french bread and enjoy!!

Ginger-Peanut Chicken-Salad Wraps

This is another keeper for me!!  My kids wouldn't eat it, but I loved it!  This is something that I will make and eat for lunches.  I would eat it all week!  Super simple, you can even use leftover rotisserie chicken or if you are grilling, do extra and have this the next day!

Definitely great and loved loved loved it!!!

Ginger-Peanut Chicken-Salad Wraps

(from myrecipes.com)

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1 cup seeded and peeled cucumber (I didn't have any cucumbers, but will definitely add next time!)
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (didn't use cause hubby hates!!)
• 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce (or whatever you have on hand)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and cook until done.  I salt and peppered the chicken too!  Remove chicken from pan and let cool.  Once cooled, shred the chicken into bite size pieces.  Place chicken, cucumber and red pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Place sugar, ginger, lime juice, soy sauce, salt, ground red pepper and garlic in a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add peanut butter and water.  Blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed.

Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture and stir well.  Add cilantro (if using) and toss together.  Warm tortillas.  I warmed them up on a skillet on the stove.  Place warmed tortilla on a plate.  Spoon your chicken mixture down the middle.  Top with about a 1/2 cup of lettuce and roll up!  Enjoy!!

Barbecue Chicken Cobb Salad

Loved, loved, loved this salad!  It isn't anything different or new, but it was a great way to have a summer dinner without all the cooking!  You can even use leftover chicken for this and then it would be super fast!  All the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time too, which makes this a great busy day dinner or even a great lunch idea too!

 Barbecue Chicken Cobb Salad

(Our Best Bites)

• 12 cups romaine lettuce (or whatever your family will eat.  I used a combo with iceburg lettuce)
• 8-12 ounces grilled barbecue chicken (or leftover chicken is great too!)
• 8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled (easy hint-cut your bacon with your kitchen scissors before you cook it and it is already crumbled and cooks fast!)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
•  large avocado, pitted and diced
• 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• I also added in mine ~ sliced carrots, diced red pepper too!
• Zesty Blue Cheese Dressing and Dip (in Dips and Dressings section)

You can divide the lettuce among different bowls or mix it all together.  My family prefers to add what they like to the salad, so the tomato haters don't get tomatoes!  I had all the ingredients prepared and added them to the salads as family members preferred! Just be sure your kids end up with some vegies, mine tried to only eat the barbecue chicken!

Top with all the yummy ingredients above and put on your favorite dressing or try the Zesty Blue Cheese!

Chicken Cream Cheese Soup

It is still soup weather around here and I found another winner!

I tried to get a friend to post this herself (since she found it first) but since I didn't I tried to recipe too!

It is really simple and really easy! Has great flavor and the whole family loved it!

Next time I think I will add celery to it! I am sure there are a lot of other vegies that would be good added too!

Chicken Cream Cheese Soup

(found on Sisters Cafe)

1 lb chicken (breasts or combination)

1 onion, diced

1-2 Tb butter

2 handfuls baby carrots (about 2 cups sliced small)

4-5 potatoes, diced small

1 c milk

1/4 c flour

8 oz package cream cheese

• 
  
  Put chicken in pot and cover with water; boil until cooked. Take chicken out of water but keep the broth. When chicken is cool, shred.


• 
  
  Saute onion in butter. Put onion in pot and add carrots and potatoes. Add 3-4 cups of broth or enough to cover vegetables. Add bouillon cubes or soup base for flavor (I add 4 bouillon cubes). Bring to a boil and simmer until veggies are tender.


• 
  
  Mix flour with milk and add to soup. Soften cream cheese in microwave then add to soup in little pieces and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

(We ate ours with Saltine Crackers!)

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

I really liked how this recipe turned out! I changed it a little, because I didn't add the mushrooms, due to children who would turn there little noses up if they even spied those!

This was a yummy recipe that wasn't as heavy as the other chicken spaghetti recipe posted. I thought this was lighter feeling and just as good!

Next time I make this I am going to add other veggies~zucchini would be good, squash, broccoli, or any of your favorite veggies you like with pasta!~

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti Casserole

(the pioneer woman)

• 1 whole cut up fryer chicken~I used a couple chicken breasts that I cooked in a saute pan with salt and pepper
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 16 ounces mushrooms~or another veggie of your choosing!
• 1/4 cups dry white wine~I substituted chicken broth
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cups flour
• 2 cups chicken broth~I ended up needing way more broth than this, so have more on hand
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cups (additional) dry white wine~again substituted chicken broth
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup chopped black olives
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• black pepper
• extra cheese for sprinkling
• 1 lb thin spaghetti

Cook your chicken. If using a whole chicken~place in a pot of water and boil on med-low heat for 30-40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly and keep broth in pot.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Throw in mushrooms (or other veggie), add 1/4 cup dry white wine (or substituted chicken broth), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until liquid has totally evaporated. Remove mushrooms from skillet (or other veggies) and set aside.

Bring broth to a boil. This broth you are using to cook your thin spaghetti. You need enough to cover your pasta and cook. Break spaghetti into thirds (shorted pieces). Add spaghetti pieces to boiling broth and cook. Drain when al dente.

While spaghetti is cooking, shred your chicken. You need about 2 plus cups of chicken.

Return large skillet (the one for the mushrooms) to med-low heat. Add 6 tbsp butter. Sprinkle flour over butter, whisking to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Pour in 2 cups of broth and whisk to combine. Pour in milk, additional 1/4 cups dry white wine (or chicken broth0, salt and pepper to taste. Cook and bubble until thick.

Turn off heat, add Parmesan cheese and stir.

Add mushrooms (or other veggies), chicken, chopped olives. Stir to combine and check seasonings. Add cooked spaghetti and stir.

Turn into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or golden brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I found this recipe on Jack and Jill's Kitchen. I have found a love for Wild Rice and decided yesterday with the snowy weather we needed soup.

This soup was a hit with my family. It was hearty and it was yummy. Had lots of great flavor and good yummy veggies!

I halved the recipe for my family and it was perfect. We had enough for us and leftovers for 2!

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

(Jack and Jill's Kitchen)

• 10 cups water
• 10 bouillon cubes or 10 tsp chicken base ~ chicken base found at Costco!
• 4 chicken breasts ~ can be frozen too!
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 boxes Rice a Roni Wild Rice flavor
• 1 onion, finely chopped ~ I used the dried onions, which worked out great!
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 small can stems and pieces mushrooms ~ I didn't add!
• 2 cans cream of chicken soup

Fill your pot with water and bring to a boil.

Add chicken, onion, b0uillon, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer about 25 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from the boiling broth after the 25 minutes. Use scissors or knife and cut or shred your chicken. Return chicken to the pot. The chicken should be cooked through.

Add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and boxes of rice (pour in the rice and seasoning packets that come along in the box). Cover and let simmer about 15 minutes more, until the veggies and rice are cooked.

Add the cream of chicken soups, turn up the heat and let it come to a boil. Once the soup is thickened (this takes just a few minutes after it comes to a boil again) it is ready to be served. ~ I added about 2 cups of hot water to this soup. The picture above was taken before the water was added. I wanted more of a soup, not a stew. I also found the seasonings to be really strong and the water softened it up alot! Just add how ever much hot water to make it the consistency you want. The flavors should still be strong enough!
YUMMY!!

Chicken Spaghetti

I found this recipe on Jack and Jill's Kitchen! It was really good and everyone loved it! My family has been kind of tired of regular spaghetti and this was a great change!

You make it in the crock pot which was a big bonus for me!

I halved the recipe for my family and it made a lot even halved!!

Make sure that you add an hour to your when you start! Once the chicken is done and shredded it needs another hour with the saucy stuff!

Chicken Spaghetti

(found on Jack and Jill's Kitchen)

6 chicken breasts (I added more just because I was planning on feeding more than just my family) ~ I even used frozen chicken
1 onion chopped (I always use a sweet variety)
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms ~I didn't add these because of the boys
2 pkgs dry spaghetti sauce mix - use McCormick
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter (can substitute with chicken broth. I used 1/4 cup each butter/broth)


Cook in crock pot 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. I found my chicken was done sooner, so watch!

When done shred the chicken with a fork then add:

2 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Stir. Cook on low for 1 hour longer. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Teriyaki Chicken

I have had this recipe for quite some time and have never tried it! It was given to me by a lady that lives near by who is a great cook! I don't know why it took me so long to try it~it was simple, easy and my kids ate it up (and my husband)!

It isn't really saucy, but the chicken has great flavor! My kids prefer it this way, since they like there chicken on the side and butter on there rice! We all didn't mind the less sauce!

Teriyaki Chicken

• 6 chicken breasts (I only did 3, but kept marinade the same)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt

Place chicken in a zip lock bag. I cut up my chicken into smaller pieces so they would cook faster too.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic salt. Pour over chicken and squish the bag around to get the chicken coated. Can leave the chicken in marinade for a few hours or use the chicken right away after coating.

Grill or cook over the stove on medium heat for about 20 minutes. I poured some of the marinade over the chicken and cooked it in that too.

May also bake the chicken in the oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Serve over hot buttered rice!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas

I found this recipe on a blog I stumbled upon and thought it looked like a great and easy dinner idea! It made a quesadilla a little more exciting and yummy!

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Avocado Quesadillas

(www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes)

• 4 medium sized flour tortilla shells
• 1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper
• 8 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 avocado, diced (or I used guacamole)
• mild cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp butter

Cook bacon until desired crispiness. I like to cut mine up before it is cooked with kitchen scissors so it is already crumbled. Drain bacon on a paper towel and get rid of grease.

Use the same skillet as you cooked the bacon and add your chicken. Cook in bacon grease until chicken is done. Remove chicken from skillet when browned and cooked through.

In a clean skillet, melt about 1/2 tbsp butter over medium heat. When foamy, add a tortilla and swirl it around to get it nice and buttery. Layer one side of tortilla with chicken, bacon, avocado and a little cheese. Use tongs (or I used my fingers carefully) to flip other half of tortilla over and press down. Cook tortilla for about 1-2 min. or until golden brown and crispy.

Repeat with rest of tortillas, adding a little more butter to the pan to brown the tortillas. Eat and enjoy with salsa and sour cream!

Celebrity Chicken

I am super surprised this recipe isn't on the blog yet! This came from our Wards cookbook and I haven't made it in forever! It is easy and very good!

Celebrity Chicken

(Sharon, Ward Cookbook)

• 1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Mix these ingredients together and set aside.

Line a cookie sheet with foil. (I sprayed the foil) Lay 6-8 chicken breasts (I just use what I need, last night I used 4 chicken breasts) on foil and top with mixture.

Cook for 1 hour on 350 or 2 hours on 325 or 275 for 3 hours.

Wild Rice Soup

I found this recipe on Sisters Stuff blog and had to try it! There is something about soup in the winter, the comfort and warmth of it that is super inviting!

This recipe is very easy, but one step gave me a little trouble! Don't burn the onions! I used dry onions and they got a little toasty and gave the soup a little bit of a burnt taste! So be careful and maybe add them a little later!

All in all it was a great soup and I loved that there were carrots added, but you really don't notice them if you have picky eaters! Also, the rice gave it a different taste and yum yum!!

Wild Rice Soup

(Sistersstuff.blogspot.com)

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 medium onion or 2 tbsp dried onion
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken broth (I am going to add 5 cups next time for more liquid)
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• 1 cup cooked white rice
• 1 cup diced ham or chicken (I used chicken but she said both are excellent)
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
• 1/2 tsp salt (I think it needs more salt, so maybe 1 tsp)
• pepper to taste

Saute onion in butter. (Be careful with this step and make sure to not burn the onions!) Blend in flour and cook for 5 minutes. (I am going to do less time, this might have been where I burned the onions) Add ham or chicken, rice, carrots, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10-20 minutes and enjoy!

Poppy Seed Chicken

I found this recipe on Sisters Stuff and it had rave reviews from her and many other commenters. I am always loving a new idea to do with chicken!

This was a very good recipe, my children were a little skeptical because of all the poppy seeds, but they did eat it! I did saute the chicken in a skillet instead of poach it, and I like the taste of the chicken better that way~

Poppy Seed Chicken

(www.sistersstuff.blogspot.com)

• 4-6 chicken breasts, boiled and cubed (or browned in a skillet)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup sour cream
• Ritz Crackers (I used about 1/2-3/4 of a sleeve)
• 1/2 cube butter, or 1/4 cup
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

In a casserole dish, place cubed chicken.

Heat soup and sour cream together, but not to boiling. Pour over chicken.

Melt butter. Crush crackers. Add crackers and poppy seeds into melted butter and mix together. Sprinkle on top of soup mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve over rice!