Creamy Chicken Taquitos

A few weeks ago I went to a Crochet Party at a new friend's, Sara's, house.

Can I just say that I am loving meeting new friends?!? 

I joined MOPS this year & have met lots of new people. I have enjoyed meeting new friends & having other circles of relationships. And my relationships are expanding- as I'm getting to know my new friends more I'm meeting more new friends through them & I am loving it!

I have this theory that this stage of life- married, kids, life & responsibilities, etc- is a really lonely time for women. And I don't think it matters whether you're 23, 33, or 43. I think we're just so busy taking care of other people & we're busy doin' what we gotta get done that there's not much time or energy left for building our own relationships. And the times when we do get together with our friends it's frequently with kids in tow & it's a different dynamic. Yes, I spend time with friends at playdates & taking our kids to the zoo but there are small ears in the room so I cannot always share what's really going on with ME & I am frequently entertaining or interacting with the toddlers as much (or more) as I am with my adult friends. Even though I have spent time with women sometimes I feel like I haven't really (REALLY!) spent time with anyone.
And I can imagine that the working mamas have it worse b/c I'm sure that if the opportunity comes up for them to take some time with other women without kids there's a feeling of obligation that they SHOULD be home with spouse & kids AND guilt if they decide to take an evening away.
Does that make any sense??? Anyone else notice that???

Sarah has a blog called Shy of Perfect and she hangcrafts jewelry for her Etsy shop. Sara's jewelry is beautiful & it's reasonably priced. I have the grey mums earrings & LOVE them! Go check out her pieces. You'll be supporting a stay at home mom in the Fort Worth area.

But, I digress.

Like many girls, shopping & jewlery can get me a little off topic.

The Crochet Party.

I do not crochet.

But I was hoping that my time at Sarah's house would remedy this.

Ooh~ I'll crochet a scarf! I will love it & it will be beautiful & I'll feel fabulous when I wear it! Cannot wait!

... 


This is what I accomplished in 4 hours.

At this point I realized a few things:

1. I'm getting really good at the Single Crochet stitch.

2. Maybe I should have learned another stitch while at the Crochet Party.

3. Perhaps I will make a hotpad instead of a scarf.

As my husband just pointed out, This is a cooking blog & crocheting has nothing to do with cooking.

To which I replied, "Yes, it does, I'm going to get to that."

He reminded me that it's not just my blog.

And I retorted that I have way more posts than Kristie & therefore she can't complain." (I'm just kidding, Kristie!)

J- "Because you're blogging about other stuff that has nothing to do with cooking!"  

At this Crochet Party Sarah made dinner for us. She made Chicken Taquitos. (See, there is a segue to cooking!) 
Now, I've gotta be honest. When she said, "I made taquitos." I thought, "ugh... not so good." I love Mexican food- just not the overly fried & slimy & chewy-gross kind. But I was pleasantly surprised- these were Amazing!

Sarah forwarded me the recipe and I was so excited to make them!

But then I had plans this afternoon so my husband made them. 

I appreciate him helping & I'm so glad that he wasn't sitting around waiting on me to come home to feed the kids, And I shouldn't be at all disappointed that I didn't get to make them, right?

They were very yummy! Try them some time!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

from ourbestbites.com

yummy!

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.
Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

~ Alison

Angel Chicken Pasta

Ooh Diggity!
This is a fabulous recipe.
My sister-in-love & I made this recipe together the first time we made it & it was a hit.

It's guest-worthy.

This is the recipe that I'd make if the Queen of England were coming for dinner.

I guess this is the recipe that I'd make if Kate Middleton were coming for dinner.

I'd like to think that I have a better likelihood of Kate coming over.

I mean, what would the Queen & I have to talk about?

Why would the Queen even want to come over?

But Kate...

Kate & I would have a fabulous time!

I'd ooh & aah over her stories of her honeymoon & dating a prince.

We'd laugh together about our fashion blunders of the late 80's & early 90's, which she would bring up casually in conversation, of course.

Then we'd go shopping together.

And she wouldn't for a minute think poorly of my perusing the clearance racks of Target.

And Jason & Prince William would have a lovely time, too! 
Maybe they'd play Xbox or rewire something or go to the shooting range. Or do whatever men do when they hang out. 

Here, let me share this recipe for you so that you, too, will be prepared for when Kate & William come over to your house for dinner.

Angel Chicken Pasta

adapted from allrecipes.com



This is really all you need !



4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup butter

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed golden mushroom soup

1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

8 ounces cream cheese

1 1/4 pound angel hair pasta (I prefer linguine)

Toppings/Garnish of your choice (See under Tips for ideas!) 



Cut chicken pieces in my pampered chef baker.



Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.



Cut the chicken breasts into large chunks- I slice each breast 6 times. Arrange chicken breast pieces in a 13x9 baking dish.

2. 

Added Cream Cheese.



Melted butter & Dressing Mix



Added Wine, Broth, & Soups.



In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in the package of dressing mix. Blend in wine, broth, and soups. Heat through while constantly stirring/whisking. Mix in cream cheese, and stir until smooth (be patient!). Heat through, but do not boil.

3. Pour sauce over chicken in dish.

sauce over chicken. Put in 325degree oven for 1 hour.

Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. 

4. 15 minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pasta until almost al dente, do not overcook pasta. Drain.

Serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

Add toppings/garnish of your choice!

  

Must learn to take better food pics.

It doesn't look very tasty but Trust me! It is!



Warning- This recipe is not fool proof.

So I'll share my tips that I've learned by trial & error.



- Do not use Whole Wheat pasta.

- Let your cream cheese come to room temperature.

 

- Stir, stir, stir your sauce as it is heating. It will burn onto the bottom of your pot if you're not careful.

 

- Be patient when melting your cream cheese. If you still have little white lumps of unmelted cream cheese keep simmering & keep stirring. You can turn up the heat a little, too. The lumps will not dissolve while baking in the oven.



- Do not use fat free cream cheese! Neufchatel will work; regular cream cheese is best.

- Try to have your chicken & sauce be finished before your pasta is done. Pasta tends to stick together & pouring sauce onto pasta immediately after cooking & draining helps prevent this.

 

- The original recipe called for 1/2 C white wine. I prefer 1/4C white wine + 1/4 C Chicken Broth. If you do not care for wine just use 1/2 C Chicken Broth. You could try using 2T cooking sherry if you're out of wine.

  

- Consider experimenting with garnishes & toppings. I love Goat Cheese & Chives on it. I think Sun Dried Tomatoes would taste amazing. Cooked, crumbled bacon pieces? Delish! Maybe toss in some finely sliced green onions? or sauteed mushrooms, perhaps? Maybe fresh grated Parmesan Cheese & ground black pepper? Roasted sliced almonds could be good & give it an interesting crunch.  

 

Take inspiration from some of the pasta dishes you've tried at Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden, Johnny Carino's, Carabbas, etc.

I hope you make this recipe. Even if Kate & William don't come over for dinner. :-)

~ Alison 

Oh, And if you make it let me know! Or if you have any other suggestions of toppings I'd love to hear them!

*** Update***

~ A Note About Leftovers ~

It seems each time I make this recipe 

I end up with a somewhat problematic 

pasta:sauce:chicken 

ratio.

This time my ratio was

chicken > sauce > pasta

What's a mama to do?

s-t-r-e-t-c-h it!

Here's what I did to get an extra meal out of my leftovers:

1. Cut up chicken pieces into small slices.

2. Add chicken broth to small saucepan. Add chicken & sauce. Heat over low heat, just enough to heat chicken & blend sauce & broth.

3. Make more pasta.

Bowtie Pasta, Stretched Sauce, Chives & grated Parmesan Cheese.

Apple Cider Chicken

I'm back!  THanksgiving was wonderful this year at the Lentz house.  We really have so much to be grateful for this year, the Lord has really blessed us.  I'll be posting pictures soon on my family blog, check them out there! (Link is in the right hand column)

Anyway, we spent most of our grocery budget for the week on Thanksgiving food and items.  Our pantry has been a bit bare and we are out of various items, so I've had to get creative at dinner time.  I looked through the fridge and pantry and found these items:  chicken breasts, mushrooms, an onion, 2 celery stalks, fresh ginger, and apple cider (left over from my apple cider brine used on the turkey).  Thus, the birth of Apple Cider Chicken.

It was delicious!  My husband really enjoyed it and was like, "Now, I like this chicken."  As if there is some other chicken I make that he doesn't like?  He just knows that when I start experimenting sometimes it doesn't work out so well for us.  I'm glad this time it did!

Ya need:

bone in chicken pieces

1 onion sliced thinly

mushrooms-quartered

2 celery stalks chopped

1/2 T. fresh grated ginger (less if you use powdered)

2T brown sugar

2 Cups apple cider

1 cup water (chicken broth would be better!)

2 tsp. ground All Spice

1 T salt

1 tsp pepper

What Ya Do:

Mix up the salt, pepper, and All Spice & coat chicken in it.

Brown chicken.  As you can see, I got a little distracted with the kids and came back to a pan of slightly overly browned chicken.  Oh well.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Saute onions, celery, mushrooms, & ginger.  Once translucent, add in the brown sugar, apple cider & water.

We had an extra big jug.

Add chicken back to the pan and nestle it in with the good stuff.  Put the cover on and braise the meat for about 45 min or until all chicken is cooked through.

I'm sure you could just do the same with plain old apple juice.  The all spice gave it a really nice flavor.  The pictures don't look great, but trust me- this is one you should make!

Happy Wednesday!  It's Pizza night here!

~Kristie

Recipe Request: Poppyseed Chicken

My friend Kristi Ballard asked for my PoppySeed Chicken Casserole recipe.
I started with Allison Cravey's recipe & tweaked it a little.

Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded (or leftover turkey!)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
2 tablespoons dry sherry
salt and pepper to taste
1 sleeve ritz crackers, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x13 pan. Place chicken in pan.
In a bowl combine the soup, sour cream and sherry. Pour or spoon mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
Mix the poppy seeds and crushed crackers and sprinkle mixture over the chicken, salt and pepper. Drizzle the melted butter or margarine over the cracker/poppyseed layer and bake covered in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, remove foil for the last 5 minutes.

Some time I'll make it & post pics.

Happy Thanksgiving!
~ Alison

The Best Chicken Salad- My Secret

The Lentz family are big fans of chicken salad.  What's funny is that I just started eating it about a couple years ago!  My mom stumbled across a very important chicken salad secret and I have using it ever since...... here it is.... 

drum roll..........

 Marie's Cole Slaw Dressing!

My mom discovered this a couple years ago.  I think maybe Paula Deen uses it in hers.  I should probably look into that.  I get compliments on this chicken salad anytime I've brought it places or made it for anyone.  Honestly, the Marie's does the trick!


You also need the following:
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup Marie's
salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cooked, shredded (or chopped if that's your thing) chicken breasts
1 cup grapes
2-3 green onions chopped
1 stalk celery chopped/sliced thinly
1/2 apple chopped into small chunks
*cranberries would be good, I toyed with putting in craisins- they are shown below, however- they did NOT make the cut into my chicken salad.


Sorry craisins, nothing personal.  Just not feelin' it.


And I wish I would have had some walnuts.  Maybe next time.  Of course, if I buy walnuts I think I'd rather put them into cookies... 

Anyway, back to the point-  mix all ingredients to your liking.  Add more or less of whatever you want.  If you like yours creamier, add more mayo or Marie's.  If you are into curry, add a bit, I know lots of people who love curry chicken salad.  Just not this momma.

You can eat this on a fresh roll or just plain bread too.  I always just eat it with Ritz crackers.  Such a light and fresh meal.  

And I'll check into that Paula Deen thing, wouldn't want to not give credit where it's due!  

I'll let you know!

~Kristie

Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips

One of my favorite ways to prepare chicken at home is making Crispy Coconut Chicken Strips.  It is always really yummy and my two year old thinks they're great too.  It's an easy recipe that takes just a little bit of TLC since you will be pan frying them.


I started the process by marinating the strips in fruit juice.  For the strips, I just cut up boneless skinless chicken breasts using my kitchen shears into appropriate sized strips.  If you're feeding big kids (husbands) then cut bigger strips.  For Will, I make shorter skinnier strips.  


For the marinade I just looked in the fridge to see what I had.  I had fruit punch.  Toddler fruit punch.   That will work...
  Mott's for tots Fruit Punch to be exact.  I mixed up some juice, lime juice, salt, pepper, and olive oil and tossed it in the bag with the raw chicken.  You can marinade the chicken however you want, or not at all, it's up to you and the flavor you want.  Let them marinade for at least an hour in the fridge.

For the rest you need:

2 c. flour

2 c. panko bread crumbs

1-2 c. coconut flakes

3 eggs- beaten with about a T of water

chicken strips

Make an FEB station- flour,egg, breadcrumbs.  Mix the panko and the coconut together in a bowl.  I think I did about 2 cups coconut to 1 cup coconut, but you can add more if you'd like.  Dip strips in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.  Place strips in hot oil in frying pan.  Use med to med-low heat.  The sugar in the coconut will burn if it's up too high.  This is a bit like bacon- low and slow is the best way.  

Once they are browned on both sides, remove them to a stack of paper towels to drain.

                                  

If you aren't sure that the strips are cooked through, but they need to come out of the oil, just put them in the oven for a few minutes.

And there they are!  Yummy, sweet, crispy chicken strips!  So easy and super delicious!

They are really great the next day too warmed in the oven.  

**If you have never used panko before you are missing out!  We always try to have two boxes on hand.  I use them to bread anything from chicken, porkchops. shrimp, and veggies like zucchini.  

So I hope you'll make these and let us know how they turned out! 

~Kristie

Orange Rosemary Chicken

Both Alison and I roast a lot of whole chickens at home.  They are so cheap, super tasty, nutritious, and really easy to pull together for dinner.  The fall weather always makes me crave this kind of meal.  Another thing I love is that it's basically a one pot meal.  The chicken and veggies are roasted all together in one dish, leaving little clean up.  

I experiment a lot with different flavors on my chickens- probably more than my husband would like.  He claims that every meal I cook is a big experiment- not true.  Not EVERY meal anyway. 

Anyway, today I had a chicken thawed and decided to make Orange Rosemary Chicken.  

Here's what ya need:

1 chicken- about 5lbs (Only $3.77!)

1 orange

1/2 stick butter or margarine

zest from that one orange

2 T orange juice from orange

1/2- 1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary (or dried)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 T coarse salt

And here's what ya do:

Rinse chicken & spatchcock it.  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, Google it.  You're basically just cutting out the backbone and opening it up to cut the cooking time down.  I just takes a minute with some good kitchen shears. (Although for a long time I just sawed that puppy out with a sharp knife)

Mix up butter, zest from the whole orange, 2 T juice, rosemary, salt, & pepper.  Also, I added in some chunks of the orange flesh.  Pretty big chunks to make it extra orangey.  

the butter or "buttah"

Loosen the skin along the neckline of the chicken and start shoving in the butter mixture with your hand or a spoon.  I use my hands.  Just fill up every area you can under the skin with the herb butter.  Also, spread some of the butter over the top of the chicken.  Sprinkle with some more salt and pepper. 

I'll make this picture small in case it makes you uncomfortable.  I understand, it's a little creepy.

Put in oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Drop the temperature down to 375 for another 30-35 minutes.  You chicken should be done.  Check to make sure the juices run clear or that a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Ta DAAAAA!

And that's it.  Super easy.  I know a lot of people who never cook whole chickens b/c it either seems to intimidating or like too much work. But seriously, butter her up and toss her in.  AND $3.77!  That's a dinner and lunch the next day at my house.  $1.89 per meal.  How can you beat that!? 

My other two favorite ways to flavor the chicken are garlic & lemon or tomato basil.  Although I will tell you to not scoop tomato paste under the skin.  It was just weird and tasted like a bad chicken parm.  That was a dinner failure for sure!

Ok, now... I've got a toddler to round up for nap time!  Always a good time!

~Kristie

Root Beer Chicken & Zucchini Two Ways

This is the ultimate kid pleasing meal!  Root beer chicken & crispy zucchini fries. It is definitely not one of my most nutritious meals, but after a long day home with two small ones it just sounded yummy.  Plus, I was able to pull it together using stuff I already had in the kitchen. Always a plus.


SIDE NOTE:  It is difficult for me to post recipes b/c I never really follow recipes (except for baking).  I just throw things together, whatever I have on hand, changing recipes to fit my tastes, and rarely measuring anything.  For blogging purposes I will start measuring and paying attention to what I'm tossin' in.


Root Beer Chicken... the idea came from my friend Haley.  A few women from church and I have been trying to have monthly recipe swap parties- they are a lot of fun and I come home with some great new ideas to try.  Anyway, Haley's contribution at the last swap was Coke Chicken.  I didn't have Coke, but I did have root beer.  It's super easy.


You need only 3 ingredients!!!:
Chicken- any kind, as much as you want to make (boneless cut into chunks, or bone in pieces)   I used chicken thighs, 10 pieces for $4.50!  That's a deal!
2 cups  Root Beer- or Coke- or Dr. Pepper
1 cup    BBQ sauce (Haley's recipe calls for a whole bottle, I reduced it)


4 Steps:
1.  Brown chicken
2.  Dump in soda & sauce
3.  Boil until thick for about 15 minutes
4.  Reduce to simmer for about 10 more minutes


You cannot get any easier than that!  Serve it with rice or noodles to soak up the 'dewicious 'sauce.  Plus, you get to tell you kids that they will get to have SODA for dinner!  My little man freaked out!

FEB 

Also, a disclaimer:  I am NOT a food photographer.  My pictures may look awful.  That's just the way it is.  

Zucchini Two Ways


First way: Oven roasted, my favorite
1.  Chop squash into 1 inch chunks
2.  Coat with olive oil, salt, & pepper
3.  Bake for about 35 minutes at 375 (or whatever)


Second Way:  Crispy Zucchini Fries (the kid's favorite)


You need:  
zucchini
eggs
flour
breadcrumbs
parmesan cheese (grated, or whatever you have)


1.  Chop into fry shape- spear- wedge- triangular prism.... whatever you prefer to call
2.  Put pieces through the FEB assembly line (Flour -> Egg-> Breadcrumbs & Parm)  
3.  Place on baking sheet & Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes until golden brown.


I just put both of these on the same baking sheet at the same time.  




Test these out on your family & let us know how it turned out!


~Kristie