Crockpot Mango Salsa Chicken

This recipe is delicious, easy and fast!  Win all around!


Ingredients:

3lbs frozen chicken tenderloins (original recipe calls for 4 boneless breasts)
2-3 C mango or pineapple salsa (Costco has a great Mango Peach Salsa)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp coriander
1 clove garlic

1.  Place the chicken in the slow cooker.  Add all ingredients over the top.  Cook on high 3 hours or low for 5 hours, shred chicken and return to crock pot for another hour, for a total of 4 to 6 hours.  For frozen chicken increase time by one hour.

2.  Serve over rice or burrito style.

Mel's note:  I served burrito style with black beans, cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato and cilantro avocado dressing.

Recipe Source:  Oh Sweet Basil

Yummy Steak Kabobs

Kabobs
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin or trip tip roast- cut in to 1 1/2 cubes
1 red bell pepper sliced in to 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 green bell pepper- sliced into 1 1/12 inch chunks
1 large onion- sliced into 1 1/2 inch chunks
salt and pepper

Marinade
2 Tbl- steak / grill seasonings- I love Spade L Ranch
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbl. Soy Sauce
2 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl lime juice

Marinade 4-6 hours or overnight

Soak wooden skewers in water before grilling.  Grill approximately 2-3 minutes per side

Great served with Carmelized grilled Pineapple, Cilantro Lime Rice or Steak Fries

Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Teriyaki Chicken
8 large chicken breasts

Marinade:

2 cups soy sauce

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 cup Asian sweet chili sauce- like Mae Ploy

1 cup cider vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 Tbl. minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground ginger

8 tsp cornstarch

1 cup olive oil 

Garnish:

green onions

sesame seeds

 Asian chili sauce

Reserve about half of marinade to put thicken on stove and put over chicken after grilling.  Marinate one hour or overnight  (overnight is best).  Grill

Salad

1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced

1 cup pineapple,  bite size chopped

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 red bell pepper- julienned then cut into thirds

1 cup snow peas- julienned then cut in to thirds

5 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes, toasted

Pineapple Sesame Vinaigrette

 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

3 Tbl honey

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 1/2  tsp toasted sesame oil

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbl Mayo- optional for creamier

1/2 cup canola oil

1 Tbl  sesame seeds

Sweet Chili Teriyaki Chicken

8 large chicken breasts

Marinade:

2 cups soy sauce

1 1/3 cup sugar

1 cup Asian sweet chili sauce- like Mae Ploy

1 cup cider vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 Tbl. minced garlic or 1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp ground ginger

8 tsp cornstarch

1 cup olive oil 

Garnish:

green onions

sesame seeds

 Asian chili sauce

Reserve about half of marinade to put thicken on stove and put over chicken after grilling.  Marinate one hour or overnight  (overnight is best).  Grill

Recipe from Carlsbad Cravings

Puff Pastry Almond Croissants

Puff Pastry Almond Croissants

yield: makes 6 to 8 croissants

 

total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed completely
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces and refrigerated
• 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• powdered sugar, for sprinkling
• almond paste or pastry cream for filling, if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make sure the puff pastry is completely thawed! Take one sheet, cover it with the pieces of butter, and top it with the second sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll the pastry into a much larger, thinner rectangle - at least double the size if you can. Be patience and gentle with the pastry since it can easily tear! You need it to be as thin as possibly or inside will not cook. If this intimidates you, can you simply roll out 1 plain sheet of pastry, slice it into triangles, and roll it up. It won't be quite as flakey, but it will still be delish!

Once you have your large rectangle, use a pizza cutter or knife to cut triangles in the dough - like a "zig zag" pattern - from top to bottom. Take the bottom of each triangle and fold it up, rolling it up into a croissant-like shape. Place it on the baking sheet and repeat with the others.

Brush the tops of the croissants with the beaten egg wash. Place them in the oven for 20 minutes.

While the croissants are baking, heat the sugar and water over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Remove it from the heat, let it cool slightly, and stir in the almond extract.

After 20 minutes, remove the croissants and brush them liberally with the almond syrup, then press the sliced almonds onto the dough. Sometimes I brushed before AND after the almonds were on. Return the croissants to the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tops start to get really golden and the almonds are toasting. Gently cover the croissants on the sheet with a piece of foil so they don't burn and bake for 10 minutes more. You want to make sure the insides are done! You can even cut one open to see if you'd like. If it's still doughy, return the sheet to the oven for 5 minutes increments (still covered in foil) until done.

Let the croissants cool and then sprinkle them with powdered sugar and filling with almond paste or pastry cream if desired!

From:  howsweeteats.com

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

 

Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana

The classic zuppa toscana soup, in slow cooker form! It tastes WAY better than Olive Garden's, and is sure to be a crowd pleaser!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 513 kcal

Author The Chunky Chef

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground Hot Italian sausage (we have used ground and links browned, sliced and then halved, I prefer the links)
• 1 bag Simply Potatoes diced potatoes and onions (can substitute with 1 diced yellow onion and 4 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed)
• 2 cloves large garlic minced
• 32 oz chicken stock
• 1/2 bunch kale (a couple of handfuls) de-stemmed and torn into bite sized (we like baby kale)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flakes optional (not for my crowd)

Instructions

1. Heat large saute pan over medium high heat and brown sausage.
2. Add minced garlic and stir to combine.
3. Drain off the grease and then add sausage and garlic to the bottom of slow cooker.
4. Add bag of diced potatoes and onion, cover with chicken stock and water (if necessary) to completely cover potatoes and sausage.
5. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 3-4 (potatoes should be soft)
6. BEFORE SERVING:
7. Whisk together heavy cream and flour until well mixed. Pour into slow cooker, add kale and stir to combine.
8. Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until soup has thickened slightly.
9. Taste, season according to your tastes, and serve.

Recipe Notes

** if desired, top soup with slices of crumbled peppered bacon
** goes great with a nice crusty bread
STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS

1. In your dutch oven or large soup pot, brown the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes over MED-HIGH heat. The last minute or two, add minced garlic. Drain.
2. Add chicken stock and bag of diced potatoes and onion (or substituted russet potatoes and diced onion), bring to a boil.
3. Keep at a low boil for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender (this time will vary based on your stove).
4. Whisk flour and heavy cream and add to pot, stirring to combine.
5. Add in kale, stir, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes (or until soup has thickened slightly).
6. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

• 10-12 oz. penne or ziti pasta
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
• ½ tsp. onion powder, more or less to taste
• ½ tsp. garlic salt, more or less to taste
• 2 cups shredded swiss cheese, separated
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked with garlic salt and a little paprika and chunked
• ¾ cup bacon, cooked and chopped
• ¾ cup diced ham
• Panic bread crumbs
• Butter

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to its package's directions. Drain. I always add a little olive oil after I drain it and stir in around so the pasta noodles don't stick together or the pot.
2. Heat cream cheese on stove over medium low heat until melted. Stir in heavy cream. Stir until completely combined. Add onion powder and garlic salt until it tastes how you would like it to. Stir 1 cup of cheese until smooth consistency.
3. In a 9x13, layer noodles, chicken, bacon and ham. Pour sauce over top. Sprinkle top with ½ cup cheese and Panko bread crumbs that have been browned in some butter.  
4. I actually made this without the bacon or the ham and threw in some spinach.  It was yummy!
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Perfect Cinnamon Rolls- Mels' Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

Rolls:
• 4 cups milk (see note above)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 3/4 tablespoons instant yeast (see note above)
• 4 large eggs
• 11-13 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling:
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons maple extract/flavoring
• Pinch of salt
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• Cream or milk for consistency

DIRECTIONS

1. For the dough, heat the milk in a medium saucepan until the milk is scalded (which is basically heating it until right before it simmers - it will start steaming and little bubbles will form around the edge of the pan). Pour the milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or you can do this by hand with a large bowl, wooden spoon and lots of elbow grease).
2. Add the butter, sugar and salt. Mix until the butter is melted and let the mixture cool until warm but not hot.
3. Add the yeast and eggs and mix until combined.
4. Gradually add the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The exact amount will depend on the temperature, humidity and how you measure flour. I usually end up adding just under 13 cups of flour. The dough should be soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Let it knead for 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled.
6. Divide the dough in half. Roll each portion of dough (it's soft enough to be patted and stretched with your hands) into an 18-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Spread one stick of softened butter over each rectangle.
7. Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle half of it over each rectangle. Pat it in slightly with the palms of your hands. Starting with one long end, roll up the cinnamon rolls as tightly as possible, pinching the seam lightly to seal.
8. Working with one long log of cinnamon roll at a time, using a serrated knife, cut it in half. Then cut each half in half again (forming four equal portions). Cut each of the four portions into three rolls - twelve cinnamon rolls total. Repeat this with the other roll - you'll have 24 cinnamon rolls total.
9. Place the rolls evenly spaced on a parchment-lined large, rimmed baking sheet about 11X17-inches (or 12X18-inches). I space the rolls 3 across, 4 down. If the ends have come free, carefully tuck them under the cinnamon roll.
10. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until double. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
11. Bake the rolls for about 18-22 minutes until only very slightly golden on top. Let the rolls cool almost completely in the pan before frosting.
12. For the frosting, in a large bowl, whip together the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla, maple and salt and mix until combined.
13. Gradually add the powdered sugar (if you add it all at once, be prepared for a huge snowstorm in your kitchen) and mix until thick and creamy. Add cream or milk a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and spreadable to your liking.
14. Spread the cinnamon rolls with frosting.
15. To freeze, once the cinnamon rolls are completely cooled, use a spatula to carefully transfer a single cinnamon roll to a quart-sized ziploc bag. Seal the bag with as little air inside as possible and freeze for up to a month. To reheat, remove the roll from the bag (it's easier than it seems - it will pop right out!) and warm on a plate in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

My Mom's Famous Homemade Egg Nog

In blender pour in 2 c. heavy whipping cream, 4 whole eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp rum flavoring

Whip/Blend until frothy.  While whipping add 1/2 n 1/2 to fill up the blender container.

When finished, pour into cups or punch bowl and sprinkle lightly with nutmeg.

Thai Peanut Noodles

Thai Peanut Noodles

1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter- I used chunky
1-2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
8 oz. linguine noodles
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into quarters
Chopped peanuts
*I like to add- onions and colored bell peppers when I warm up the sauce.  Then throw in some julienned spinach at the end.

Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

*If desired, you can add meat to this dish by stir-frying shrimp or very thinly-sliced chicken (partially freeze it first) in some olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, some fresh ginger, some green onions, soy sauce, and a small squirt or two of Sriracha chili sauce.

Recipe from Our Best Bites