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!