Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

• 8oz cream cheese
• 16 oz light sour cream
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1½ – 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• 14 oz quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 4 oz can diced jalapeños, drained
• 10 oz frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
• 2-3 garlic cloves, pressed

Instructions

1. In a medium pot over medium heat, melt together 8oz cream cheese, 16 oz sour cream, 1 stick butter and 1.5-2 cups parmesan cheese, stirring frequently until melted and an even consistency. It should start to bubble.
2. Stir in coarsely chopped artichoke hearts, your drained jalapenos and drained spinach (I used my hands to squeeze spinach over the sink to remove excess water). Finally, stir in 2-3 pressed garlic cloves.
3. Serve hot with chips or crackers or toasted baguettes.

Recipe: http://natashaskitchen.com/2012/09/30/spinach-and-artichoke-dip-recipe/

Warm Bean Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cans (16 ounces, each) refried beans
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix in refried beans until combined. Stir in taco seasoning.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with both cheeses.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese in melted and slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Recipe: http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/warm-bean-dip/

 

Tomato Basil Chicken

**We used home-grown tomatoes from the farmer's market.  Fabulous!  The more flavorful the tomato, the better the sauce will be.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts 
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish
• 8 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine)

Season chicken breasts with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your skillet.  This may seem like quite a bit, but it will form the base for the sauce.  While waiting for the oil to heat up, go ahead and get your water going for the pasta. When the oil is HOT, add the chicken breasts.  After about 4-5 minutes, the chicken breasts should be ready to turn.  By the way, when did chicken breasts get SO HUGE?!   You'll want to cook them on the second side another 4-5 minutes,or until the juices run clear when you pierce them with a small sharp knife.  If you pounded yours out thinner, they will cook faster than this.

After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, go ahead and add in the fresh tomatoes that you have chopped up.  Next, add the fresh basil that you have chopped into ribbons, the cold butter, the minced garlic, and you will probably want to add some more kosher salt and black pepper to season the sauce.  Now give it all a good stir so all those flavors will marry together.

When your chicken is "done," turn the sauce down on the lowest setting to keep it all warm until the pasta is cooked, which should be any minute now.  At this point, if still waiting for the pasta, you can remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and after resting just a couple of minutes, cut the chicken into slices on the bias.   Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and top each with half of a chicken breast, sliced into pieces, and equal portions of the tomato basil sauce.  Top with more fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiana reggiano cheese.

 

Servings: 4

Recipe: http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2013/04/tomato-basil-chicken.html via Pinterest

Ranch Style Chicken

  Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 whole (juice of) Lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Crushed Red Pepper (optional To Taste)
• 6 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 pound Thick Cut Bacon
• Bacon Grease
• Sharp Cheddar Cheese, to taste
• Canola Oil

To begin, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together ½ cup Dijon or country/grainy mustard with ½ cup honey, juice of ½ lemon, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Set aside.
Next, rinse the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to around ½ to ¾ inch thick with a mallet. Next, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
While the chicken marinates, fry up some bacon. When finished cooking, reserve ¼ cup of the bacon grease and clean out the skillet.
When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade. Heat half of the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of Canola Oil in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is nice and hot add two or three pieces of chicken to it. Cook until brownish/blackish, about 1 to 1 ½ minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large baking sheet. If cooking many pieces of chicken, repeat skillet process and remove finished chicken to baking sheet. Place chicken in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from over.
Lay a few pieces of bacon over each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken as generously as you like. Return pan to oven for an additional five minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling. Serve immediately.

**In PW's cookbook, it says to grill the chicken instead of fry it over the skillet.  Approx. 3 minutes per side on the grill and add the bacon and cheese while 2nd side is cooking.  This is how we did it and it was fabulous! I'm sure it's great either way though.

Recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/ranch-style-chicken/ 

Cheesy Chicken & Wild Rice Casserole

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 1/2 cup white rice (modified from 1 cup in original recipe)
• 8 oz. wild rice (modified from 16 oz. in original recipe)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• Garlic salt
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil, onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in a pan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Prepare wild rice and white rice according to package instructions.
2. Stir in chicken, rices, and a dash of salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Reduce heat to low.
3. In a medium pan over high heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, vegetable broth, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Continue to whisk until boiling. Add 2 cups of the shredded cheddar and continue to stir until melted. Transfer chicken and rice mixture to a greased 9×13 baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over rices and top with remaining cheddar.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Serves 8-10

Recipe: http://rachelschultz.com via Pinterest

Crispy Chicken Tortilla Rollups & Avocado Crema

* I made the filling the day prior to assembling and baking these to save time, and it turned out great.  I did, however, make the mistake of covering with foil to keep warm in the oven.  Do not do this.  They ended up becoming soft and more like enchiladas than crispy rollups.  Still very tasty though!

Main Ingredients:

• 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup jack cheese (divided)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (divided)
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1-2 sliced green onions
• 2 grated or minced garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1 tsp. cumin
• the juice of  half a lime
• 1 tsp. salt
• a finely diced seeded Serrano pepper
• 1 container Greek yogurt (I used 32 oz)

Additional Ingredients:

• approx. 12 taco-size tortillas 
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• dried cilantro (I used fresh...finely chopped)
• chipotle chile powder for sprinkling (I used regular chile powder)

Avocado Crema:

• one large ripe avocado (or two small)
• one container of plain yogurt 
• the juice of half a lime
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder (I substituted Frank's hot sauce since I didn't have chipotle chile powder and it was perfect)

 
Preheat oven to 400. Make the chicken filling by combining the main ingredients in a bowl, using only 1/2 cup of each of the cheeses.  

Heat 1/3 cup canola oil and two grated garlic cloves in a small saucepan over med heat. When the oil is hot, turn off the heat and let the garlic infuse into the oil for 5-10 minutes. 

Assemble the tortillas by adding about 2 tbs. of the filling along the lower third of 12 flour tortillas -- sprinkle additional 1/2 cup of cheese. Roll up and place seam-side-down on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a Silpat.

Brush the tortilla rollups with the garlic oil and sprinkle with salt, cilantro, and chile powder. Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping over halfway through cooking so both sides are able to brown and crisp. Sprinkle the tops with cilantro and red chili powder.

While the rollups bake, make the avocado crema. Add avocado to a bowl and mash until creamy. Add one container of plain yogurt, the juice of half a lime, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder (or hot sauce). Stir well to thoroughly combine and scoop into a serving bowl (or individual salsa cups). 

Recipe: www.wendyweekendgourmet.com via Pinterest

 

Baked Chimichangas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground chuck
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 15 oz can refried beans
• 7 burrito size flour tortillas (or 10 taco-sized)
• 1 8 oz package Mexican four cheese blend
• 1 16 oz jar salsa verde, divided
• 1 T vegetable oil

In a large skillet, combine ground chuck, onion, and chiles.  Brown and drain.  Add tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, and taco seasoning to pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is very thick.  Stir in refried beans.

Preheat oven to 450.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture into center of tortillas.  Top with 3 T shredded cheese and 1 T salsa verde.  Fold like a burrito/envelope and flip so seams are down.  Brush with oil.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Top with remaining cheese, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream, if desired.


Recipe: Paula Deen, taken from Carissa Bolinger's blog- http://maryannapowellandlola.blogspot.com/