Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

What a week.

Enough said.

I want to share the baked southwest egg rolls that I made last week with a bunch of gal pals at my Pampered Chef party! It was so much fun to be in the kitchen with all the ladies and cooking up at tasty appetizer. And this was the perfect recipe to try. They came together quick and are a healthier alternative because they are baked. 

From the census from all the ladies there that night I would say they were a hit. They have a avocado ranch dipping sauce to enjoy with the egg rolls. They were even good left over. I refrigerated them and then heated them up in a little bit of oil in the skillet for my husband the next day, he also thought they were a winner!

 Baked Southwest Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the egg roll wrappers ;) 

Scoop ingredients into egg roll wrapper and roll up. Use water on your finger to close the egg roll wrappers. (There should be instructions on how to roll on back of wrapper package!)

Place seam side down on parchment paper lined baking sheet. 

Brush each wrapper lightly with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, turning each egg roll over half way through.

Avocado Ranch Sauce

1/2 cup ranch
1/2 avocado
(lime juice and cilantro optional)


 Source: Budget Savvy Diva

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This chicken is seriously the BEST sweet and sour chicken I have ever made. Not only is it the best I have made, it compares to the best take out Chinese food. I had serious reservations on trying this but the blogger where I got the recipe from said it was her favorite, so I thought why not?! My husband and I have enjoyed it so much I have made it twice this week and I went to the store to get more to make this weekend...{Don't judge me!}

The complexity of this recipe was not too bad. You do have to stir the chicken every 15 minutes and it does cook  for one hour so allow a night where you have a bit of time to babysit the chicken. It was cheaper than going out for Chinese which is also a plus. Now all I need is for someone to send me a stellar recipe for fried rice so I can have the whole package. My attempts were feeble at best but the chicken made up for it. ;)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2-3 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 c. cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. canola oil 

For the Sauce:

3/4 c. sugar
4 Tbs ketchup
1/2 c vinegar
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, I didn't want it to be overly sweet)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken into cubes and salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Coat chicken first in cornstarch and then dip into beaten eggs. Fry until brown but do not cook all the way through, this will finish in the oven. 

Place chicken in 9x13 baking dish. Mix all the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken. Bake for 1 hour and turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!
{Make sure to soak the 9x13 dish right away after cooking so the sauce doesn't cake onto the sides!}

Source: Mandy's Recipe Box

Grandma's Hotdish

I love one pot wonders for supper! They are my absolute fave. You may call it a casserole or a hotdish depending on how you grew up, I just call them amazing! My grandma's hotdish has been my favorite ever since I was little. It was the first meal I ever remember getting excited about. I was such a picky eater growing up {sorry mom} and I got so excited about this meal.

This hotdish has evolved over the years as my taste buds have matured. Ah hem :) I've added spice but it is so easy to take away the spice for a more simple but yummy hotdish! Its a great base to start with and play with and adapt to what your family enjoys. For instance you could use tomato soup or cheddar soup instead of  fiesta nacho cheese soup.

I hope you  enjoy this hotdish as much as I do. And just a FYI it is great as leftovers, its like the flavors have time to hang out together and become so much more!

Grandma's Hotdish

1 lb hamburger
1/2 medium onion
3 cups uncooked Wacky Mac Past
1 can Campbells Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup
1 8 oz can Rotel Tomato Sauce {Note this is SAUCE}
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce 
1- 1.5 c frozen corn
1 Tbs Brown Sugar {my grandma's secret weapon!}
1 c Cheddar or Pepper jack cheese

Brown hamburger and onion. At the same time cook the pasta according to the package. 

Once the hamburger is browned add soup, tomato sauces, corn, and brown sugar. Mix through and them add over drained pasta in 5 qt pan or dutch oven and mix.  Then sprinkle cheese on top and place in preheated oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 45 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Source: Adapted from my Grandma Mary's recipe

BBQ Beef Pockets

Growing up I don't think we ever had a bottle of bbq sauce in the fridge. {Correct me if I'm wrong mom!} I was too picky growing up to ever try the darn stuff so mom probably just kept it out of the house. To me bbq meant sloppy joes, the tomato based ones. It is amazing how my taste buds have changed as I've grown up. 

This recipe is a hearty supper chalk full of bbq flavor. If you are fan a bbq sauce this would be a great supper to try. It is so easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients!  That is a winner in my book. My husband and I really liked the left overs, which I was afraid they wouldn't be as good the second day. Oh cont-rare my friend I thought it was even better! 
 

BBQ Beef Pockets1 lb beef
3/4 bottle (18 oz) your favorite BBQ sauce (I used sweet baby rays, will try famous daves next time)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 box refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust

Brown hamburger until no longer pink. Drain off any grease. 
Next add bbq sauce until meat is well coated. You don't want them to be dry!
Roll out both pie crusts. Cut both pie crusts into quarters. You will have 8 sections when done.{They make big pockets, if you want smaller pockets cut the dough into smaller sections}
Take one quarter of the pie crust and spoon on beef mixture. If you are doing just 4 pockets put 1/4 of beef mixture on. Sprinkle on desired amount of cheddar cheese. 
Place a second quarter of pie crust on top of beef filled pie crust and pinch the seams all the way around until it is sealed. 
Repeat these steps until you have 4 beef pockets. When finished make 3 slits on each pocket so the steam can escape.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Source: Chef In Training

Peanut Butter Granola

Spring is in the air today! I've decided to focus on how beautiful today is instead of thinking of the impending storm coming behind this gorgeous day!

Today I'm sharing with you a homemade peanut butter granola. It is so tasty. I sprinkle mine over vanilla yogurt or homemade greek yogurt {which I will share this recipe one day in the future!} It would also be great paired up with fruit and yogurt for a parfait. Or another tasty option, make your own trail mix with this granola. Add dried fruits, dark chocolate, or nuts. It would be a super healthy snack for yourself or the kiddos!

I was amazed at how easy it was to make this granola. I made it one night late at night because I wanted something to put in my yogurt. And it was a hit in my book :)

 Peanut Butter Granola:

4 Tbs creamy peanut butter
4 Tbs honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with PAM. 

Combine the peanut butter and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until it melts. (Around 25 seconds) Stir until it is smooth.

Stir in cinnamon and vanilla and mix until all is combine. Pour the mixture over the oats and stir until completely combined. Spread out the oat mixture on the cooking sheet in an even layer. 

Bake for 8 minutes or until slightly browned. Let cool before enjoying!

Source: Shape Magazine

White Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt and Green Chili Sauce

I am in a cooking rut. I just really haven't been in the mood lately which I don't like when I get into this mode. It is sometimes hard to get motivated which is where having the food network channel always helped me! This is one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog. As a way to reflect on past recipes I have tried and get inspiration for supper. I also wanted to be able to help my friends and family come up with new supper ideas. 

All recipes that are on this blog I have made myself and taken my own photos. {I'm working on improving my food photography skills, I just want to prove to you I did make the recipes!} I only post recipes that I thought are worth making and are ones that I would make again.

This supper was a good surprise! I was really feeling enchiladas but wanted to try something new. I had run out of sour cream so I used greek yogurt and it turned out really yummy. The sauce is quite tasty. Try this version of enchiladas to mix it up ;)

White Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt and Green Chili Sauce
{That is a mouthful!}

7 Flour Toritillas
2 C cooked chicken {Rotisserie Chicken would be great!}
1.5 C cheddar cheese
1.5 colby jack cheese
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
2 c water
1 Knorr Homestyle Chicken Stock Pouch
1 c greek yogurt (or 1 c sour cream)
1 (4oz)can green chilies
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x13 pan. Mix cooked chicken, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 c chedder cheese together. Divide chicken mixture evenly between flour tortillas roll up and place seam side down in pan.

In medium saucepan on medium heat melt butter. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add water and chicken stock pouch. Stir  until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in chilies, yogurt, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. DO NOT BOIL.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake 20-22 minutes. Broil for 3 minutes.

Corn Bread Taco Bake

The great sickness of winter 2013 has hit my house and it hit hard. I was out of commission for a week and I have never been happier to get back to doing my house cleaning, laundry, and cooking! And also back to posting a blog post!
I really did not like corn bread until meeting my husband. (It is kind of a southern thing!) But now I enjoy it. Corn bread is really yummy combined with the Mexican flavors in this taco bake. Who knew?! Its a snap to throw together for a quick fix supper. It really shakes up the classic taco with a fun twist.

Corn Bread Taco Bake
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1/3 cup water
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix, plus ingredients to make cornbread
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Sour Cream
Salsa if desired
Dorothy Lynch {I top all my mexican dishes with this!} It is so yummy.
Cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink in the middle. Drain off any fat.Stir in water and taco seasoning packet and simmer for 5 minutes. Next stir in 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, rotel, and drained black beans. Spoon into greased 8x8 baking dish
Prepare the corn bread according to box and spoon over beef mixture. Cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. If desired bake for 3-5 minutes longer.
Serve with sour cream and dorothy lynch :)

Source: Plain Chicken