Update & Chicken Salsa Verde Bake

Hello blogging world! The last month was an interesting one. It had many ups and downs....hence the lack of posts. My aunt passed away very unexpectedly. That was a definite down! That took us to California for a killer weekend trip and honestly that whole ordeal kind of took its toll on me.

On a more positive note, my little guy turned 5 at the end of last month and we were busy for days celebrating the big event! I'll have to post some pictures from his party.

I also have a bun in the oven! 10 weeks pregnant means food sound and looks pretty gross most of the time. However, if you saw me you would wonder how that is possible since I already look like I am 4 months pregnant. I am at that really awkward stage where my regular clothes don't fit me and maternity clothes are still too big. So I basically live in my fat clothes and sweat pants. That makes me feel especially attractive! I haven't been cooking anything to write home about. I usually get sick in the evenings and during the night. When I do crave something, it is mainly for food with a lot of flavor! Mexican always sounds good right now. That, and ice cream. Last night I wanted some ice cream so bad, but I knew I had picked at enough food during the day and didn't need the calories from ice cream. So I passed on the ice cream thinking I was doing myself a favor in the long run. WRONG!!! The entire night I had dreams about eating Neapolitan ice cream. Next time I will just eat the dang ice cream before I go to bed.

Hopefully by the end of June I will be feeling better and in the mood for some good summer cooking! This chicken salsa verde bake sounded good last night. Today I don't even want to look at it. Not a great picture, but hey, at least it's a new post!

Chicken Salsa Verde Bake

adapted from Rachael Ray

2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 (16oz) jars salsa verde

1 (15oz) can kidney beans

1 onion, finely chopped

1 cup sour cream

3 cups crushed tortilla chips

1 (8oz) bag Mexican-blend shredded cheese

In a large bowl, combine prepared chicken, salsa verde, kidney beans, onion, and sour cream. Grease a 9x13 dish or large casserole dish. Scatter 1 cup of chips on bottom of dish, top with 1/2 chicken mixture and 1/2 of cheese. Repeat layers and cover with remaining 1 cups chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with rice, additional sour cream, and salsa.

Serves 6

Cinco de Mayo!

Last night we had our annual Cinco de Mayo party. Yes, it was a couple days early. We had lots of good food and wonderful company.

Mock Fried Ice Cream

3 cups rice krispies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

1 1/2 cubes of butter

1 1/2 cups coconut

2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

Melt butter and brown sugar together in saucepan. Add additional ingredients (except ice cream) and mix well. Layer 1/2 of mixture in bottom of greased 9 inch cake pan or 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the rest of cereal mixture over ice cream and press firmly. Freeze for several hours or until firm. Serve with chocolate and caramel.

Chili Relleno Squares

3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cans (40z each) chopped green chilies

4 eggs

4 tbsp milk

2 tbsp flour

Place half the cheese in a greased 8 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with chilies and then remaining cheese. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk and flour; pour over cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until set. Cut into small squares and serve warm.

Coconut Chicken and Smashed Sweet Potatoes

Tonight for dinner I made one of our favorites!

Coconut Chicken and Smashed Sweet Potatoes. It was delicious!

Coconut Chicken

2 eggs, beaten

2 tbsp water

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

4 tbsp melted butter

In a shallow dish, mix together coconut, flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In another shallow dish, beat 2 eggs with the water.

Dredge the chicken in the egg wash, then coconut mixture. Place chicken on sprayed cookie sheet. Drizzle each piece with a little melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Dipping Sauce:

Combine 1/4 cup orange marmalade with 2 tbsp Dijon mustard. Serve with chicken.

Smashed Sweet Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup honey

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

nutmeg to taste

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and return them to pot. Mash with stock, honey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve and enjoy!

(sources: adapted from Anna Can Cook and Rachael Ray)

Easter Puff Pancakes

We had a wonderful Easter. It was also my birthday week and that was full of surprises, so I am a bit behind in my posting.

I was able to attend the Taste of Home cooking school last week with my best friend Jodi. We had so much fun and got some fun new recipes. I have made German/puff pancakes for years now. It's one of our favorite breakfasts! I got this version at the cooking school and made it for Easter. We loved the berries on top!

Berry Puff Pancakes

1 tbsp butter

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup fresh raspberries (I had to use frozen...just defrosted them and they worked fine!)

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

1/3 cup orange marmalade

2 tbsp confectioners sugar

Place the butter in a 9 inch pie plate; place in a 400* oven for 4-5 minutes or until melted. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk. In another small bowl, combine the flour and salt; whisk in egg mixture until smooth.

Pour into prepared pie plate. Bake 15-20 minutes or until sides are crisp and golden brown.

In a large bowl, gently combine the berries and the marmalade. Sprinkle pancake with confectioners sugar; fill with berry mixture. Serve immediately.

source: taste of home cooking school

Hollywood Squares (peanut butter cups)

Life has been crazy lately...not sure why exactly, but I feel like I need 4 more hours in my day to get things accomplished! I have several great recipes to blog, so hopefully they will make an appearance soon. These are some treats I made a while back. They are thick and rich, but oh so good!

Hollywood Squares (peanut butter cups)

2 cups peanut butter

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:

2 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 tbsp peanut butter

Combine all ingredients, except topping ingredients. Mix well and press into greased 9" pan. Melt topping ingredients together, either in microwave or on the stove. Spread over peanut butter mixture. Chill until topping is firm. Cut into squares and enjoy!

source: changeable table

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundaes

I have seen these floating around the web for a while and needed something fast for a FHE treat on Monday. They were a hit! The four of us shared 2... they are rich and filling! I won't mention the details of my new weight loss challenge I started on Sunday, cause I'm pretty sure these were not list of foods I should be eating. However, this week, I really don't care! Bring on the junk food!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundaes

chocolate chip cookie dough

vanilla ice cream

chocolate sauce

caramel sauce

whipped cream

You can either buy store bought cookie dough or make your own. Fill greased ramekins about 1/2 way full of the cookie dough. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 13-15 minutes. You want the dough cooked, but still a bit gooey in the center. Let cool for about 5 minutes and then top with a scoop of ice cream, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce and whipped cream. All of this can be homemade, but I had it all in my fridge and freezer, so it was super easy!

Eat and enjoy!! I think this is a new family favorite!!

Monte Cristo Casserole

It was been kind of a crazy couple of weeks. The cooking I have been doing is nothing really blog worthy. I am hoping to get back on the band wagon the next week or so. We had a lovely General Conference weekend with lots of yummy food! I made this for breakfast on Saturday (per the hubby's request) and I think I gained 5 lbs from this dish alone! I could eat the whole pan myself. This is one of our very favorite breakfasts!

Monte Cristo Casserole

adapted from real mom kitchen

2 packages (12.5 oz each) frozen french toast sticks, thawed

1 cup milk

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups thick sliced deli ham, diced

1 1/2 cups thick sliced deli turkey, diced

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

2 tbsp dried parsley

powdered sugar

2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1/2 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut the sliced french toast into 3/4 inch cubes.
In a bowl, whisk together milk and eggs.

In a large bowl, place half the french toast cubes and pour half of egg mixture over cubes. Toss gently with wooden spoon until well coated.

Place coated cubes in a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Layer half the ham, turkey, cheese and parsley on french toast.

Using same large bowl, mix remaining french toast cubes with the remaining egg mixture and toss till coated. Layer over meat and cheese, followed by remaining ham, turkey, parsley, and cheese.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes.

While casserole bakes, wash and slice strawberries. Mix sliced strawberries with jam until well combined.

Sprinkle whole casserole or individual pieces with powdered sugar and top with strawberry topping.

Serves 6-12