Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

courtesy of The Sisters Cafe

6 Tablespoons Honey

5 Tablespoons Lime Juice (about 1-2 limes)

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 Tsp. garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (about 3-4 chicken breasts)

8-10 flour tortillas

2 1/2-3 cups monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

16 ounces green enchilada sauce

1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with the shredded chicken.  Marinate  in a ziplock for at least an hour (I prefer to marinate it all day or overnight).

Pour about 1/2 cup of of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan.  Fill flour tortillas with chicken and cheese (reserving 1 cup of cheese for the top).

Mix remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and any leftover marinade.  Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Suzanne's Note: These are really delicious and really fast to put together.  Mixing the enchilada sauce with the cream makes it more visually appealing to my kids because it doesn't look green anymore, just like another cream sauce.  The chicken would be really good on its own too. It would taste great with tacos or something if you didn't want the enchiladas.

Orange Chicken

Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

Orange Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (white distilled vinegar can be used)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Green onions for garnish, optional

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice.  Garnish with raw green onions.

Lighter/Speed Method: Cook desired amount of cubed chicken breasts in a frying pan.   Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Make sauce as directed.  Drizzle desired amount of sauce on your chicken, then freeze leftover sauce in labeled ziplock bags for later use.

Suzanne's Note:  The sauce is the key to this,It is really good.  So if you are watching your calories and don't want to coat the chicken and wait 30 minutes for it to finish cooking, I would recommend the speed method since you still get all of the good taste.  It just tastes a little less "deep fried"    

Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake

courtesy of Kraft Foods

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

1 tub (8 oz) cool whipped cream topping

1 pkg. (3.9 oz) Instant chocolate pudding mix

8 Oreo cookies chopped

12 Vanilla ice cream sandwiches

POUR fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup COOL WHIP. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies. 

ARRANGE 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the COOL WHIP mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining COOL WHIP. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.

Freeze for 4 hours.

Suzanne's Note: Yummy Yummy. Sorry about the blurry picture.  We have been making this recipe for a few years. In this particular picture  we forgot to buy Oreos so we did m&ms instead.  It was really good but I prefer the Oreos.  In the past we have also gotten different flavors of ice cream sandwiches, so you can pretty much play with this recipe to get it how you like it.  It is perfect because you can just keep it in the freezer and cut off a piece whenever you want and it keeps for a long time.

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon minced fresh rosemary, or 1 Teaspoon dried rosemary

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme, or 1 Teaspoon dried Thyme

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened Red grape juice

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3-4 cups beef broth

Parsley, for garnish

crusty bread, for serving

In a large soup pot heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes.  Toss the beef in a bowl with flour, salt, and pepper.  Turn the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot.  Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes.  Add the grape juice to the pot.  Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.  

Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine.  Add the beef broth.  Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered for 1 hour.  Season the stew to taste with salt and pepper.  Garnish with chopped parsley.

Suzanne's note: Be sure to notice that this has to simmer for an hour. Be easy on adding salt and pepper to taste.  I didn't have to add very much more.  Don't brush this off as just another beef stew. It is really good and is a really a unique twist to your typical stew.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stew Over Rice

Marinade:

2 Tablespoons frozen Orange Juice

1 14 oz Can low sodium Chicken Broth (about 2 cups)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 Tablespoons low sodium (lite) soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 dash Allspice

Remaining Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cut in half

1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms (about 4-5 white mushrooms)

2 Tablespoons butter

11 oz. can mandarin orange sections, drained

1 green bell pepper, sliced

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cold water

Rice or potatoes

Marinade: The night before you plan on slow cooking your dinner, mix together marinade ingredients and Chicken in crockpot or baking dish that has an oven proof lid.  Put in the fridge, covered overnight.

In the morning or early afternoon cook on low (if crockpot) or 200 degrees in the oven, for 6 hours.

After the six hours are up increase the temperature to High (if crockpot) or 350 degrees in the over.   Meanwhile, slice up the mushrooms and peppers.  In a small fry pan melt the butter and add the sliced mushrooms.  Saute until they are starting to brown.  To the crockpot add, the mushrooms (with pan juices), raw bell peppers, mandarin oranges, and ginger.  Stir.

In a measuring cup mix cornstarch with the milk and water. Then add to the crockpot.  Recover the slow cooker and cook for 15-30 minutes.

Serve over cooked rice or Potatoes.

Suzanne's note: This is a really tasty. I expected this to have an oriental flavor because of the ginger and orange, but it didn't at all.  The orange flavor blends in nicely to give a unique layered flavor. I used low sodium chicken broth and soy sauce, so it might taste a bit salter if you just use regular.  I would suggest cutting out the 1/2 tsp. salt if you don't use low sodium broth and soy sauce.  Both times I made this it was in the oven, so I can't vouch for doing it soley in the crockpot.

ZOPF-German Bread

I got this from a German exchange student, so you know it's authentic

• 6 cups flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoon yeast
• 1 1/4 cup warm milk (between 105-115 degrees F)
• 2 eggs room-temperature (warm up in a bowl of hot water)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• lemon zest from 1 medium lemon
• egg white beaten
• slivered Almonds (optional)

1. Dissolve yeast into the warm milk.

2. Put the flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and milk mixture into a large bowl. Mix it with your hands, until well mixed.  Add the vanilla and lemon zest and mix it again.

3.  As soon as the dough is mixed (it will be slightly sticky), knead it on the table.  The longer and harder you knead the dough the better your "ZOPF" will turn out.

4. After the dough has been kneaded. Put the dough into a large bowl and cover it. Place the dough in a warm place (I set on my stove after heating the oven up to 200 degrees, once it is preheated, turn off the oven, so that the rising spot doesn't get too warm)

5. Let dough rise 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.

6. When dough is done rising, cut the dough into 3 equal size pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope, the length of a cookie sheet.

7.  Lay the three ropes on the greased cookie sheet. Braid the three ropes together. 

8. Brush the egg white on the bread

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

 

Suzanne's note: This bread is really good. The lemon and vanilla combine to give this bread a sweet (not too sweet) taste. It is good.

Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

• 2 red peppers, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 zucchini, cut into one inch cubes
• 2 summer squash (yellow), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoon dried italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
• 2 Tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2.  On a baking sheet toss: onion, peppers, squash, zuchinni, mushrooms with the olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt,1/2 tsp. pepper and dried herbs.  Roast until tender about 15 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cook penne until done.

4.  In a large bowl mix : drained pasta, roasted vegetables, peas, marinara sauce, cheeses, 1/2 tsp. salt,  1/2 pepper.  Using a wooden spoon gently mix until all the pasta is coated with the marinara sauce.

5. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

6. Top with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and butter pieces.

7. Bake until top is golden and cheese is melted. About 25 minutes.

Suzanne's Note: This is really good. I couldn't find fontina cheese, so I just used Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese because I had it on hand.  But reviews raved about the combination of cheeses, so if you want to spend the money and can find the fontina and smoked mozz. cheese, then it will probably be better.  I like mushrooms so next time I make it I will add more mushrooms since there weren't a lot. I also substituted shell pasta for the penne.