Salsa Chicken

Does anyone else have a recipe folder on their email like I do?  Mine has emails all the way back since we got married and I've only cooked maybe a third of them.  So when I'm tired of cooking what feels like the same old, same old, I go search that folder to find something that I want to make.  

Recently I found this Salsa Chicken recipe.  I haven't made it before since it asks you to marinate the chicken in the salsa for at least two hours or overnight and I rarely have my act together enough time to do that.  But now that C is taking an afternoon nap I prefer to get dinner ready during her nap so that when it's time to cook all I have to do is stick it in the oven.  So I found that this recipe worked for me where I am right now.  

It ended up being a pretty light recipe that didn't take an inordinate amount of time of prep work although all the chopping did eat up some of nap time.  Be prepared that this is not a tomato based salsa recipe, it's a green pepper salsa recipe so if you're looking for a traditional salsa dish this is not one to try.  But it was very good and pretty easy.

Salsa Chicken

From Dinner by Design

• 11/2 cups diced green pepper (about 2 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 Tbl chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 Tbl red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients, except chicken. Reserve 1 1/2 cups salsa (to serve with chicken), cover and refrigerate. Place chicken in a large resealable bag. Add remaining salsa to the chicken. Seal bag and marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.

Drain and discard chicken marinade. Grill chicken over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, when a thermometer reads 170°, turning once. OR bake chicken at 400° on a broiler pan for 20-25 min. Serve chicken topped with reserved salsa.

Miss Nicole's Chicken Quesadilla's

As I think I mentioned last week, my friends Nicole and Kristina are doing a feature on Nicole's blog showcasing what their menu's look like each week.  I've already gotten a lot of ideas from these posts so make sure and check them out if you're on the lookout for a new recipe to cook!

Last week I made Nicole's Chicken Quesadilla's and they were so good and easy that I know this will be a recipe that we come back to again and again!  Thanks Nicole for sharing!  

Miss Nicole's Chicken Quesadilla's

1 lb uncooked chicken tenders or breasts

Lawry's Mesquite Marinade

Flour Tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream

Hot sauce (we didn't use)

1. Cut chicken into small strips like for fajitas.  Mine were between 1 and 2 inches long and were pretty skinny but just chop them into smaller pieces, size doesn't really matter.

2. Put cut up chicken into bowl and let it marinate for 30 minutes or longer until you're ready to cook.

3. Throw chicken and marinade into skillet and saute chicken until cooked through (takes maybe 5 or 10 minutes).

4. In the meantime, warm your tortilla's up and get everything out to make the quesadilla's.

5. When chicken is cooked make quesadilla's up however you like and enjoy!

*Note: This made enough for us to give Charlotte chicken to eat and make four large quesadilla's.  If you are serving more than just a small family, you should increase the amount of chicken that you use.

Salmon and Citrus Rice Bowl

Now that I'm out of the first trimester I can stand going to Publix again and smelling the seafood department. I can also stand eating fish again (on some occasions). Because of this I really wanted to cook a salmon dish because it's so healthy and I hadn't eaten it for a while. This Martha Stewart recipe had been sitting in my recipe drawer for a whlie so I thought I'd try it since I figured Charlotte loves rice and oranges so she'd at least eat some of it. The dish was good if a little bland. I'll probably add some soy sauce to the rice and maybe some salt and pepper to the peas next time. But it was a very good recipe that I'll definitely make again!

Salmon and Citrus Rice Bowl
Serves 4

4 navel oranges
1/4 ounce (1 inch piece) fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, plus 1 teaspoon finely grated
1 dried bay leaf
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon brown-rice vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 pound skinless salmon fillets
1 cup uncooked brown rice
5 ounces (1 1/2 cupes) sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1. Cut away peel and pith from 2 oranges. Cut between orange membranes, and let fruit and juice fall into a bowl. Squeeze juice into bowl and discard membranes. Cut segments into small pieces, and place in a separate bowl. Juice remaining 2 oranges and add juice to bowl (for a total of 1 cup).
2. Bring orange juice, sliced ginger, bay leaf, and coriander to a boil in a small saucepan. Cook until mixture is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely. Straing, and whisk in vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and oil.
3. Combine 3 tablespoons juice mixture and salmon in a resealable plastic bag, turning to coat. Refrigerate salmon and remaining juice mixture for at least 1 1/2 hours (or up to 3 hours).
4. Cook rice according to package instructions.
5. Preheat broiler. Remove salmon from marinade, and pat dry with paper towels. Discard marinade. Place fillets on a baking sheet, and broil until cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes for medium. Transfer to a dish. Let salmon cool slightly, and flake into bite sized pieces.
6. Divide rice among four bowls. Top with salmon, peas, and orange segments. Drizzle each serving with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the reserved juice mixture.

Oven Fried Pork chops

This weekend we had some pork chops and were looking for a new way to cook them so I put Jason in charge. He stepped in and found an oven fried recipe that sounded good, was easy, and that we could make all from ingredients that we had in our pantry -- the perfect trifecta! The pork chops were pretty good although ours were thick so took about twice as long to cook as the recipe said. But we will definitely be making these again!
Oven Fried Pork Chops

* 4 pork chops, trimmed
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
* 1 egg, beaten
* 2 tablespoons milk
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* (We added 1/4 teaspoon of salt)
* 1 cup herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix (we used half panko bread crumbs (plain) and half italian seasoned bread crumbs)
Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Pour butter into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Stir together egg, milk and pepper. Dip pork chops in egg mixture, coat with stuffing mix and place in pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn chops and bake for another 10 minutes, or until no pink remains in the meat and juices run clear.

Miss Kelly's Baked Beans

When we first moved to town we found a great Sunday School class. We made some friends that I hope we'll continue to be friends with our entire lives. And we often go together potluck style with everyone bringing a dish. Kelly often brought baked beans which we loved but I always forgot to ask for the recipe. Last Saturday we had Kelly and Tripp's going away party and we served bbq and asked people to bring sides and desserts. I decided that I would make Kelly's baked beans! They were a hit and everyone asked me to post the recipe for Recipe Wednesday. So, without further ado, Miss Kelly's Baked Beans!


Miss Kelly's Baked Beans
Makes 1 9x13 dish

1lb ground chuck, cooked & drained
3 1 lb cans of pork & beans (add last)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3tbsp mustard
2tbsp worstechire sauce
1 med onion, chopped & microwaved until tender (I just used a good amount of onion powder since Jason doesn't like onion pieces)

Mix all together. Cover & bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I got this recipe from Mrs. Smith at The Adventures of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. I was intrigued by her name for it "World's Easiest Chicken Casserole" and thought that I would make it for our dear friends Leigh and Justin who had just had a baby. I doubled the recipe because Mrs. Smith showed one recipe of it in a square pan and two recipes filled two square pans to the brim -- I probably could have put a decent portion in three different pans instead of filling two pans so high. This recipe is really easy and it is also REALLY good! Try it next time you want something quick and filling!


Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
1 lb chicken breasts or tenders
2 microwavable packages of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice
2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 can Chicken Broth

1. Cook chicken for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into bite size pieces. (I salted and peppered my chicken before baking.)
2. Cook rice per instructions.
3. Mix together chicien, rice, soup, and chicken broth.
4. Pour into a square baking dish.
5. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Tortellini Alfredo

This recipe is totally stolen from others but it is way too good not to pass on! I saw the recipe on Kristen's blog Raising Acorns and she said that she got the recipe from Amanda's blog Kevin & Amanda. So, I give them credit, because this recipe is great and super easy! Also, I went with Kristen's version that included peas and it made it fantastic! It was good the night I made it, but honestly, even better reheated the next two days for lunch!
Tortellini Alfredo
1 (8 oz) pkg cheese tortellini
1 cup ham, diced
(8 oz) cream cheese
1 pkg dry Italian dressing
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick butter
1 cup frozen peas

Add tortellini to a large pot of boiling salted water and let cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a skillet to medium heat. Add the cream cheese, butter, cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing, and milk and stir until smooth. Once smooth, add in ham and peas and stir to coat. After the tortellini finishes boiling, drain, then add to cream sauce. Stir to evenly coat and serve warm.