Taco Grande

 
8 - 6-7" flour tortillas
1 lb lean ground turkey or (beef)
2 T taco seasoning mix
1/2 cup water
16 oz jar or homemade salsa
 8 oz (2 cups) shredded Colby & Monterey Jack cheese (divided)
1 green onion sliced w/tops (divided)
4 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Spray bottoms and sides of a deep dish baker (pie plate), with Pam or non stick cooking spray.  Arrange four flour tortillas in bottom of baking dish, overlapping slightly.

In large skillet, cook meat on medium heat 8- 10 minutes, breaking into taco meat.  Drain if necessary, and add taco seasoning mix and water cook until water is absorbed and meat is no longer pink.  Remove from heat and add salsa. 

Spoon meat evenly over the tortillas, sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese, and half of the green onion. Top with the remaining flour tortillas and overlap slightly, press down lightly. 

Add remainder of the cheese and green onions, bake 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. 

Top with layer of sour cream, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, black olives, jalapeno, guacamole etc.

Sesame Chicken

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, divide

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
5 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, cut into wedges
1/2 cup green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons honey

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, black pepper, five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes. Place a few pieces of chicken at a time into the bag, and shake to coat. Remove to a platter.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken, and set aside. Stir onion wedges and bell pepper slices into skillet; cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Remove, and set aside.

3. Return chicken to skillet, and reduce heat to low. Mix in teriyaki marinade, 1/4 cup sesame seeds, and honey; stir until sauce thickens. Return onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Warm through, and serve.

You’ll probably end up tripling the sauce amount; the fried chicken chunks generally absorb the relatively small amount of sauce mixture that is called-for very quickly.

Use sesame oil (refined for high heat) for frying. I’d also recommend that you pre-mix together the teriyaki sauce and honey separately in a small dish (or measuring cup), as opposed to adding each of those separately to the chicken pieces after you put them back in the skillet. This prevents one or the other tastes from becoming overly dominant.

I would definitely *not* omit the five-spice powder, as this is the unique, exotic ingredient that has a chance to give this dish a distinctively Asian taste. The end result of this recipe is relatively unsweet; if you do like more sweetness (most restaurant-style sesame chicken is actually sweeter than this recipe) I’d add brown sugar to taste when you're at the final mix, and maybe a little soy sauce and ginger powder.
I have also used broccoli and carrots rather than the onion and peppers.
Serve over a bed of rice

Gumbo Bake

From: Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons House Seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 cup chicken or fish stock
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 10-ounce package frozen cut okra
• 2 cups shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined
• (This wasn't in the recipe but I added 1 1/2 cups of rice to thicken it up some and it was good that way!)

Topping:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup milk
• 12-ounce package corn muffin mix

Directions

In an iron skillet, saute onion and celery in oil. Add bay leaves, thyme, lemon-pepper seasoning and House Seasoning. Pour in stock and add tomatoes and okra. Cover pot and gently simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in shrimp.

To prepare the topping, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix together egg and milk, add to muffin mix, and combine until just well-blended. Drop by tablespoonfuls on top of hot shrimp mixture, leaving the center uncovered. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Cook's Note: This Southern dish usually is prepared and served in an iron skillet, but may be cooked in a frying pan with an ovenproof handle.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Rasta Pasta

• 1 pound penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons Cajun-style blackened seasoning
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 (24 ounce) jars meatless spaghetti sauce
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces; cook and stir until browned. Season with blackened seasoning, and remove the chicken from the wok and set aside.

3. Melt the remaining butter in the wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook and stir until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add the green, red and yellow pepper strips, and season with red pepper flakes, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the peppers are hot. Return the chicken to the wok and pour in the spaghetti sauce. Heat through and serve over pasta

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Makes: 2 casseroles
• 2 rotisserie chickens
• 2 jar(s) (16- to 17.6-ounce) mild salsa verde
• 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup(s) (loosely packed) fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
• 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 container(s) (8-ounce) reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 package(s) (8-ounce) reduced-fat (2%) shredded Mexican cheese blend
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Directions:
1. Remove meat from chickens and coarsely shred; place in medium bowl (you will need 5 1/2 cups; reserve any extra for use another day). Discard skin and bones. Stir 1/2 cup salsa verde into chicken to evenly coat.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 13" by 9" glass or ceramic baking dishes; set aside. In 12-inch skillet, heat remaining salsa verde, green onions, and lime juice to boiling on medium-high. Boil 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons cilantro; keep warm over very low heat.
3. With tongs, place 1 tortilla in salsa verde mixture; heat 10 seconds. Place tortilla on waxed paper; top with about 1/3 cup shredded-chicken mixture. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture, arranging 8 tortillas in each dish.
4. Stir sour cream and broth into remaining salsa verde mixture in skillet; spoon over filled tortillas. Cover one baking dish with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with 1 cup cheese and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese melts. Meanwhile, sprinkle remaining cheese and cilantro over second casserole and prepare for freezing

Tips & Techniques

To reheat after thawing:
Conventional oven: Heat, loosely covered, at 350 degrees F 45 minutes; uncover and heat 10 Microwave oven: Not recommended; baking dish will not fit.

Chicken Gumbo Pot Pie

Makes: 2 pies
• 2 slice(s) bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 pound(s) skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup(s) chicken broth
• 4 medium stalks celery, sliced
• 1 (1-pound) jumbo onion, chopped
• 1 medium red pepper, chopped
• 1 tablespoon(s) Cajun seasoning
• 1 bag(s) (16-ounce) frozen sliced okra
• 1 can(s) (14 1/2-ounce) stewed tomatoes
• 1 package(s) (17.4-ounce) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
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Directions:
1. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook bacon on medium 6 to 8 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. With slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle chicken all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt. In bacon fat in skillet, cook chicken, in 2 batches, 5 to 6 minutes per batch or until beginning to brown. With tongs, transfer chicken to medium bowl.
2. In same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook about 7 minutes or until deep golden-brown, stirring constantly. Gradually add in chicken broth, stirring with whisk to prevent lumps; heat to boiling. Boil 1 minute, stirring. Remove skillet from heat.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add celery, onion, and pepper, and cook about 10 minutes or until all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in Cajun seasoning; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken-broth mixture, frozen okra, stewed tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling on high. Stir in chicken chunks and bacon; reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside, stirring occasionally.
4. Divide gumbo between 2 ungreased 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plates. Top each with 1 sheet puff pastry, tucking pastry corners under to form a round top. Cut six 1-inch slits in pastry to allow steam to escape during baking.
5. Bake one pot pie 35 minutes or until pastry is golden-brown and puffed. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, prepare second pot pie for freezing

Tips & Techniques

To reheat after thawing 24 hours:
Conventional oven: Heat, loosely covered, at 400 degrees F 30 minutes; uncover and bake 40 minutes longer or until crust is golden-brown.
Microwave oven: Not recommended — crust must bake in conventional oven

Mom's Chicken and Dumplings

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 c. shortening
5 to 7 T. milk
boiled, deboned chicken

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add milk until you can form a soft dough ball. Roll very thin and cut into 1 inch wide strips. Let dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drop one at a time into rich broth that is boiling. Do not stir but once or twice very carefully. Cook on medium low 30 minutes or until tender (covered). Add the chicken that you removed from the broth.

Chicken Spaghetti

1 Whole chicken
2 small onions, chopped
1 bunch of celery, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 stick butter
2 T. cavanders
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Ro-Tel
1/2 lb. Velveeta
3/4 c. shredded chedder cheese
1 pkg. spaghetti

Boil chicken with 1 of the onions (chopped), 2 celery stalks, (chopped) and cavanders, salt & pepper. De-bone and save broth. In large pan, saute 1 onion, bell pepper, 3 to 4 celery stalks in butter for about 30 minutes on very low heat. Add soups, Ro-Tel, and Velveeta. Stir. Add chicken that has been shredded. Boil spaghetti in broth; drain and add to chicken mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is too thick, thin with broth. Pour mixture into a greased baking dish, top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Florentine

Ingredients
· 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach
· 6 chicken breast halves (about 4 pounds), cooked, boned, and shredded
· 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
· 1 cup mayonnaise
· 1 cup sour cream
· 2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
· 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
· 1 teaspoon curry powder
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
· 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
· 2 tablespoons butter
Directions:

Remove the outer wrappers from the box of spinach. Make sure to drain the spinach well!!

Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the spinach and put into a large bowl. Add the shredded chicken.

In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce.

Pour the sauce over the spinach and chicken. Mix well with a spatula.

Place the mixture into an 11 by 7-inch casserole dish or 2 (9-inch) square disposable aluminum foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula

Combine the Parmesan and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top. Dot with the butter.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes until bubbly.

Mexican Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut into bite size pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can rotel
1-2 cups cheddar cheese
Package of corn tortillas (small)

Tear the tortillas into small pieces and line the bottom of a pan.
Mix together the soups, rotel and chicken and pour on top.
Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.