Tortilla soup...yum!

I've been busy in the kitchen lately. The weather has turned cold, and my husband should be home soon. Now I know that I am not going to want to spend he my time in the kitchen cooking when he returns, so I decided to make a few things and freeze so all I will have to do is pull something out of the freezer, thaw it out, heat it up, and dinner is served. One of my husband's favorites is tortilla soup. It just so happens to be one of mine also. This is the best recipe and I prefer it over the tortilla soup in most restaurants. I usually end up doubling or tripling the recipe when I make it, and I have never had one of my husband's battle buddies turn down a bowl of this soup. In fact they go back for seconds and thirds. Make this soup. Go ahead and double this recipe. Trust me on this. It also freezes well.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/2 small onion, chopped (you can add more or less, depending on how much you like onion)

1 4 ounce can diced green chiles

2 T vegetable oil

2 cloves minced garlic

14 ounce can stewed Italian tomatoes

2 cans chicken broth

1 cup beef bouillon

2 tsp Worcestershire

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

cilantro to taste (I don't always use it, but if you are a lover of cilantro, use however much you like)

Juice of half a lime

Saute the onion, garlic and green chiles in the oil until soft. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, bouillon, spices, and chicken. Simmer for an hour. Add the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, and cilantro.

Top with grated cheese, avocado, and corn tortilla strips. Delicious.

Chicken Enchilada Rolls

Last night I wanted to try out a new recipe I had found. I altered it some as I was making it, and it turned out delicious. Lately I have become addicted to the website "Pinterest" and found this recipe on there in several places. I changed it up slightly, and this is what I came up with, well, I'll get to what I came up with in a bit...

Since my husband is currently deployed, it's kind of hard to cook for one unless I want to eat leftovers for days. I'm not always a huge fan of leftovers, so I don't cook all the time these days. Hopefully that will be changing soon, though! I was just so excited to try this recipe out that I even braved the commissary on a payday to get the ingredients. If you are military, that's a pretty big deal. It's kind of like going to the grocery store on a Sunday afternoon, but times ten.

This recipe is super easy, and I had the rolls in the oven in no time. Smooth sailing, right? I took them out of the oven, let them cool slightly, and ate one. Oh. My. Goodness. Soooooo tasty. I loved them. This recipe makes way more than one person can eat, so I ate another one, then wrapped the rest of them up in foil to take to my awesome neighbors. I even texted Liz and told her that I had some tasty chicken enchilada things to bring her when they got back from the store. Apparently my dog, Recon, had other plans. Since my handsome husband is eleven billion miles away right now, the joyous chore of taking out the trash falls upon me. I went outside to do said chore. When I walked back in the house my dog was running as fast as he could to hide under the table. Hmmm...that could only mean one thing. I noticed foil on the kitchen floor...and more foil in the living room, but no more chicken enchilada rolls. Yes, you guessed it, my dog enjoyed every last one of them. I sure hope he enjoys the back yard just as much today.

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can chicken

1/3 cup enchilada sauce

2 t taco seasoning

1/2 cup shredded cheese (any kind - you pick!)

4 oz cream cheese, softened

2 packages crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix together cheeses, chicken, enchilada sauce, and taco seasoning. Unroll the crescent rolls and separate. On each roll, near the wide end, place a small spoonful of the chicken mixture. Roll up however you'd like, and seal the ends. You may use all the chicken mixture and have a few rolls left over. Just roll these up and bake them along with the filled rolls. Place onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy these, and hopefully your dog will leave a few for you!

Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

I love this stuff. My husband loves it, I think. He eats it, at least. Kids love it. Who doesn't love cheese, and this is full of cheese. I think that's what makes it so good. It's also super easy to make, which is an added bonus. It also makes a lot, so if it's a slumber party night, this is a score! This recipe is easily doubled.

Ingredients:

16oz spaghetti, cooked and drained

1lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can Ro-tel

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Breadcrumbs

Directions:

Cook and drain the spaghetti. While the spaghetti is cooking, mix together the cream of chicken soup, Velveeta, and Ro-tel in a large saucepan. Cook on medium until cheese is melted, stirring frequently. Stir in the chicken and spaghetti. You can use more or less chicken, depending on how chicken-ey you want it. I also don't usually use all the spaghetti. It's a preference thing. Once it's all mixed together, pour into a large, greased casserole dish and top with bread crumbs. You can use plain or seasoned. I like to use the Italian seasoned ones. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until heated through. Serve with french bread and enjoy!

Cookie Dough!

I admit, I am a sucker for chocolate chip cookie dough. I don't know how many times I have made a batch of chocolate chip cookies just so I could have some of the dough. Or the times I have bought the tube of cookie dough, but never actually baked the cookies. I'm not saying I didn't eat the cookies, they just weren't baked. Oops. This dip tastes just like the dough, and it doesn't require any baking!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Ingredients:

8oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick butter (the real stuff)

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1T brown sugar

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:

Blend together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until combined. Add in the powdered sugar and brown sugar, mixing well. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if you like nuts. It's delicious either way. Serve with graham cracker sticks, or you can just eat spoonfuls of it and pretend you're a kid again. Enjoy!

Tis the season for pumpkin!

This dip is sooooooo good. Almost like the inside of a pumpkin pie, but better. It's been a while since I've made it, and I think I just might need to whip up a batch soon. It's super easy, and takes no time at all. That could be a good thing...or a bad thing. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients:

15oz can pumpkin (just plain 'ol pureed pumpkin)

8oz package cream cheese, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 t cinnamon

1 t ginger

Directions:

This is the really hard part! Blend all ingredients together until smooth. That's it. Nothing else to do. So easy even a husband could do it!

Serve with apple wedges, graham crackers, or just eat it off of a spoon! Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. This recipe can easily be doubled.

Pumpkin Krispie Treats

It's fall. Well, it's supposed to be fall. It was almost 90 yesterday, and it felt more like summer to me. Fall means pumpkins. All the neighbors decided to get together last night and carve pumpkins for Halloween. I won't go into the details on the huge mess we made, or how the pumpkins turned out. That's for another time. Anyways, while I was at the store buying a pumpkin, I happened to notice pumpkin spice marshmallows. Yum! I had to have those. They were even shaped like little pumpkins! I figured we needed something to snack on as we dug out pumpkin guts and tried to keep the kids from throwing pumpkin everywhere. There was a recipe on the bag, but of course I had to change it up a bit. The Pumpkin Krispie Treats turned out so good. I'm not sure who liked them more, the adults or the kiddos. I would have taken a picture, but they disappeared rather quickly. Do yourself a favor and make these, but make more than one batch!

Ingredients:

1 bag pumpkin spice marshmallows

5 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 stick butter

1 tsp vanilla

dash of cinnamon

optional: chocolate chips or candy corn

Directions:

In a large pot over medium heat, stir together the marshmallows and butter until melted. Add vanilla and a dash, or two, of cinnamon. Stir in Rice Krispies. Now comes the fun part! Coat your hands with butter, and press the goodness into a greased 9x13 baking dish. You could use a 9x9 dish if you want thicker treats. Top with chocolate chips or candy corn if desired. Let set and cut into squares. You can thank me later.

King Ranch Chicken

I think everyone has made this dish at one time or another...or at least eaten it. I don't know how many different versions there are, but I am pretty sure it's somewhere around eleventy billion, give or take a few. I've been making this for quite a while now, and have played around with different recipes, and this is the one I came up with. It's not too soupy, not too thick. I think it turns out just right. It's definitely a crowd pleaser. King Ranch Chicken is also really easy to make. Now, some people use cream of mushroom soup in theirs, I don't. I don't care for it in mine, and I also happen to have a husband who is allergic to mushrooms. Some people use flour tortillas, I use corn. That's just my preference. Play with the recipe and make it your own!

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cans cream of chicken soup (you can substitute one can for cream of mushroom if you want)

1 can Ro-tel (you decide how hot you want it)

2 cups (or more - I use more) grated cheddar cheese

Corn tortillas (or flour, your preference)

chopped onion (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x9 baking dish. I suppose you could use a 9x13, but I always use my 9x9 dish because it's the perfect size. Mix together the cream of chicken soup and Ro-tel. You can throw in a can of diced green chiles if you want. Now is also the time to toss in some chopped onion if you happen to like onion. Place a layer of tortillas on the bottom of your baking dish. Next, add a layer of chicken, then top with half of the soup mixture. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the soup mixture. Repeat, ending with a layer of cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until heated through. Top with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped olives if you so desire. Enjoy!

Green chiles and pork chops...an amazing combination!

This is such a simple recipe, and oh so delicious. It makes your house smell amazing, and it's one of those meals that you can just throw together in the morning, and let it cook all day. The leftovers are also delicious...if there are any. I love my crock pot, and this is one of my favorite things to make in it.

Ingredients:

4 thick cut, boneless butterflied pork chops

1 can chopped green chiles

1/2 cup onion, thinly sliced (or more if you really like onion)

1/2 - 3/4 cup chicken broth

2 cloves minced garlic

Salt, pepper to taste

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Toss into a crock pot. Cover the pork chops with the green chiles and onions. Add the chicken broth and garlic. Cook on low 6-7 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Remove the meat to a bowl, and shred. Place the meat back in the crock pot and mix with the juices.

We like to make pork tacos when we make this dish. Corn tortillas are our favorite to use, and we top with sour cream, salsa, and Monterrey jack cheese. Delicious!! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf. It's one of my husband's favorites. If I ever want to make him a dinner he absolutely loves, I just make him meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It never fails. Right now, I would give anything to be able to make him meatloaf. I guess I could make some and ship it overseas, but I really don't think he'd enjoy the smell when he opens the box in 120 degree weather a week later. Now this isn't some fancy meatloaf with all kinds of veggies in it. This is just a plain meatloaf, but people seem to love it. I remember one time I had made it and one of my daughter's friends was over. This was a kid who didn't really care for meatloaf. She had a few bites, then a few more. Next thing I knew I was taking the girls to their soccer game, and Arron is sitting in the backseat of the car with a huge serving of meatloaf, and she's inhaling it right before the game. I guess maybe it is a little tasty.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs lean ground meat

1 sleeve crushed saltine crackers

1 1/2 cans tomato soup

1/2 - 1 package onion soup mix

2 eggs

Splash of worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the ground meat, eggs, and tomato soup. Don't be a wimp and use a spoon, get in there and use your hands to do it. Add the crackers, soup mix, salt and pepper, and worcestershire sauce. If it seems a little dry, add a little more tomato soup. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and form the meat into two loaves. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes, until done. Serve with mashed potatoes or some crusty french bread. This also makes excellent meatloaf sandwiches the next day. My husband might know something about that! Enjoy!

Time to mash some taters

It's definitely been a while. As in over a year and a half. As in my life has totally changed. I still live in Texas, but it might as well be Mexico. I have a baby now. Well, he's not so much a baby any more. He's year old. My husband is deployed. That last part just plain sucks, but he's the reason I'm back to the blog. See, he kept telling me that I really needed to start it back up. I kept meaning to, but life just always got in the way. Honestly, I am surprised that my little piece of the internet is still here! So...here goes.

Mashed potatoes. My husband loves mine. He asks me to make them whenever I make meatloaf, but that's another post for another day. When I make these taters, my sweet husband will eat them right out of the pan. Relax...before you go on about that's unsanitary, it is just us eating them, not the whole neighborhood. These aren't just your plain ole mashed taters. These are fancy! OK, maybe not fancy, but definitely yummy. I don't think you can actually make mashed potatoes fancy.

Ingredients:

Potatoes, scrub the skins good (for the two of us I use about 5-6 potatoes so we can have leftovers)

1/2 stick real butter

1 packet Ranch dressing mix

Milk

Grated cheese

Sour cream

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

Peel about half of your potatoes. Leave the skin on the rest of the taters. You want to do this, trust me. Cut the potatoes into chunks, toss in a pan of water and boil until they are soft. If you are lucky like me, you have an awesome pressure cooker, and your potatoes are done in no time flat! Once the potatoes are done, drain and place in a mixing bowl. Now comes the fun part! Add about half a stick of butter, about two handfuls of grated cheese, 1/2 to 1 cup of sour cream, and a few splashes of milk. Then sprinkle in a little of the Ranch dressing mix, because everything goes better with Ranch. I use a hand held mixer to mix 'em up...but you want to leave them a little chunky. Now taste your potatoes and add more of whatever YOU think they need. That's what's so great about this recipe...you add everything to taste. I do promise you, that leaving the skin on some of the potatoes just makes them a little bit better. Sprinkle with crumbled, cooked bacon when serving. Your family will love you for it!