Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Crock Pot Enchilada Soup

Yesterday I thought enchiladas sounded good and Justin was thinking soup.  I hopped on Pinterest and right there, pinned by another friend, was Crock Pot Enchilada Soup!  I immediately got started thinking I had found a winner!  This was about 4:30 so I just cooked the soup on the stove instead of in a crock pot.  I did not know what Mexican style tomatoes were so I substituted a can of Rotel that was in my cupboard.  It turns out that either the Rotel, or enchilada sauce, or the combination of the two, makes for a very spicy soup!  Justin LOVES hot things and even he said this soup was a little much.  We both put several dollops of sour cream in our bowls in hopes that it would help with the heat.  I enjoyed my soup with a large glass of milk.  My mouth continued to burn despite my efforts at cooling it down.  If you enjoy hot things or know what Mexican style tomatoes are (and they are not spicy) I'd give this soup a try, if not, I'd skip this recipe!:)   

1 lb. of ground beef (browned & drained)
1 onion (sliced)
15 oz. can pinto beans with liquid
15 oz. can whole kernel corn with liquid
15 oz. can stewed Mexican style tomatoes
2 – 8 oz. cans of enchilada sauce
Mexican Style Cheese for serving
Tortilla Chips for Serving
Directions:
Place all together in crock pot EXCEPT the cheese and chips.
Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve by adding Mexican style grated cheese and tortilla chips.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Lemon-Blueberry Pound Cake

I love lemon, but Justin prefers desserts that just have a mild lemon flavor.  This cake looked yummy so I thought we'd give it a try.  I was very pleased.  It had enough lemon flavor that I could taste it and it wasn't to over powering for Justin's taste.  Enjoy!!

Picture by Taste of Home

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened blueberries
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces) lemon yogurt
GLAZE:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions
Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add eggs and egg white, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon peel and vanilla.
Toss blueberries with 2 tablespoons flour. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with yogurt, beating after each addition just until combined. Fold in blueberry mixture.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to wire rack; cool for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Gradually brush onto warm cake, about one-third at a time, allowing glaze to soak into cake before adding more. Cool completely. Yield: 12 servings.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Crispy Garlic-Broiled Chicken Thighs

With our busy schedule we've been looking for quick recipes that we can make before we need to hop in the car and take off again.  We haven't used the broiler much and thought these chicken thighs looked easy.  They were very tasty.  The mixture for basting is very strong before they are broiled, but it leaves a nice flavor on the chicken.   Enjoy!   

Picture by Taste of Home

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter, melted 
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
7 garlic cloves, minced 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)  

Directions
In a large bowl, mix the butter, soy sauce, garlic and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup soy mixture for basting. Add chicken to remaining soy mixture; turn to coat. 
Place chicken on a broiler pan, skin side down. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 10-15 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 180°. Brush occasionally with reserved soy mixture during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Yield: 4 servings.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

I had pinned this recipe on Pinterest a long time ago and had never made it.  Sunday we got together with our life group for a potluck lunch.  I was looking for something different to make on Saturday and ran across it again.  I thought we'd give it a try.  It was really quick and easy to throw together and it tasted delicious as well!  Justin said I could put it on the "keep" list.

12 oz spaghetti

1 (28 ounce) jars prepared spaghetti sauce

1 lb lean ground beef

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian Seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thoroughly coated.

Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday on Thursday: Fried Pickles

The other evening Justin decided he was going to make chicken strips.  We had some Cajun chicken fry mix in the cabinet that he breaded the chicken in.  I thought fried pickles sounded good, so instead of making a different batter, we just used the same one.  They were very good!  I found a baked fried pickle recipe on Pinterest that I included as well. 

Ingredients
Pickles spears or slices (We went with spears)
Cajun Injector Chicken Fry Mix
2 eggs beaten
Oil for frying

Directions
Heat oil to fry in.  Whisk eggs together.  Dip a pickle spear in egg, then the batter and repeat again; egg, batter.  Place in the oil and fry.  Repeat the process with each pickle.  After the pickles are lightly browned on both sides, remove from the oil and let drain on a paper towel or coffee filter.  Enjoy!


A healthier version baking instead of frying:

Ingredients
1 jar pickle slices
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions
Turn oven broiler on high.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and flour. Add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and pepper. Mix well.
Place panko bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Dunk each pickle slice into the egg mixture, than dredge it in the panko bread crumbs.
Place coated pickles on a rack set above a baking sheet and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Place pan in the middle rack of the oven. Broil for about 3 minutes on each side.

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Chicken Tacos

Last night Justin made us Chicken Tacos.  He didn't really have a recipe so I'm going to do my best at telling you what he did.  We had cooked a whole chicken with onions in the crock pot all day.  He de-boned it all, but only ended up using about 1/2-3/4 of the chicken.  He used a quesadilla seasoning pack and jalapeno salt to season the chicken once it was off the bone.  We put the seasoned chicken on soft tortillas with cheese, sour cream, salsa, and jalapenos.  Lettuce and tomatoes would have been tasty on top!

1/2-3/4 whole chicken cooked and de-boned
1 packet quesadilla seasoning
jalapeno salt to taste
A couple tablespoons of water

Soft tortillas
Sour cream
Shredded Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
Jalapenos

De-bone the chicken and place desired amount in a separate bowl.  Sprinkle 1 packet quesadilla seasoning on top, mix in.  You may have to add a little bit of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to keep the chicken from getting too dry.  Add desired amount of jalapeno salt.  Place in a soft tortilla and garnish according to taste.  Good luck and enjoy!

Taste of Our Home Tuesday: Baked Cheddar Eggs & Potatoes

Justin saw this recipe before Christmas and we agreed that it would make a wonderful Christmas breakfast.  We slept in Christmas morning and then ate a late hearty breakfast.  It was very delicious and very filling!  I'm sure we will be having it at different times throughout the upcoming year.  Enjoy!

  

Picture by Taste of Home

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter 
1-1/2 pounds red potatoes, chopped 
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/8 teaspoon pepper 
8 eggs 
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Directions
In a 10-in. ovenproof skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add potatoes; cook and stir until golden brown and tender. Stir in the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. With the back of a spoon, make four wells in the potato mixture; break two eggs into each well. 
Bake at 400° for 9-11 minutes or until egg whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken but are not hard. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 1 minute longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings.