Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I got this recipe from Our Best Bites cookbook. They are so yummy! I made them for lunch today, and Ryan said they were too good to be lunch food, he felt like we just had dinner. These are really easy to make, especially since I made the shredded chicken (Lisa's method) the night before. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro (I didn't use this, yuck!)
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
Small corn or flour tortillas
Kosher salt (Next time I would skip this too!)
Cooking spray

1. Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

2. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well. You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

3. Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

4. Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can.

5. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

6. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Makes 12-16

Ryan and I dipped them in salsa. They are tasty!

The BEST way to make Shredded Chicken

I made shredded Chicken on Monday. It took me 30 minutes to shred the chicken. I hated every minute of it. I made shredded chicken today, and it took me less than a minute. Here’s what you do:

#1. Cook the chicken. I prefer to put the frozen chicken in a pot of water on super low for over an hour. That way I don’t have to keep an eye on it. It’s sort of like a crock pot. Or if you’re short on time, boil it the more traditional way.

#2. Drain the water out. I get salad thongs, remove the chicken and dump out the water really fast.

#3. Get out your electric mixer (or kitchen aid if you’re lucky enough to have one. I don’t.) Turn it on low and go at it. Some chicken may go flying, be careful. Then, once the chicken is broken up, put the mixer on a higher setting. You might have four or five small little fatty pieces that won’t break up, but I like to be able to find them easily after I’m done. Then I remove the fat by hand and tear it into smaller pieces.

#4.  Make enchiladas, chimichangas, or chicken salad. YUM!

I made enchiladas, but I didn’t want to roll up each one, so I made them lasagna style.

Layers: 1-tortillas, 2-chicken, 3-cooked onions and peppers, 4-sauce, 5-cheese, 6-tortillas, 7-chicken, 8-onions and peppers, 9-sauce, 10-cheese, 11-tortillas, 12-sauce, top-cheese.

Ta-Da! Chicken Enchilada Lasagna!

It’s in the oven now. I’ll tell you how it turns out.

(made using Julie/Mom’s recipe in the family cookbook)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is already in the family cookbook, but I absolutely love it...so I'm going to post it again. This cookie recipe is unique because it has no egg in it, so Ryan doesn't feel guilty about eating the cookie dough. Seriously, best. cookies. ever.

1 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 t baking soda
¼ cup boiling water
1 t vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ t salt
2 cups quick oats
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, stir into butter/sugar mixture.
3. Add vanilla, then dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
4. Drop small balls onto ungreased  cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy No Bake Cookies

Ryan asks for these every week. They are so easy to make! I would recommend using the quick bake oats instead of the regular ones though. The first time I made it, I used regular ones. They were good, but the oatmeal was really chewy. Lesson learned.

No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes

½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats.
5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set. (And they really do set! I was skeptical...)

Another Brown Eyed Baker recipe. Yum!

Turkey Sandwich Rolls

I don't really have a recipe for these. I just kinda made it up by looking at the store bought ones. But I make them for Jason for lunch all the time and we both love them. I even brought them to a baby shower once and they were a huge hit. So here are the directions:

Ingredients:

Turkey sandwich meat (or any other kind of sandwich meat)

Sliced or shredded cheese, any flavor

Spinach leaves (lettuce can be substituted, but it doesn't roll as nicely)

Thinly sliced tomatoes

Mayonnaise

Mustard or Salad dressing (I like Ranch or Caesar)

Tortillas (white taste better than wheat, but I've used both)

Tooth picks

1. Spread out desired number of tortillas. Each tortilla makes three sandwich rolls. Spread thin layer of mayonnaise. Add mustard or salad dressing, mixing it with the mayonnaise.

2. Lay out slices of sandwich meat to cover the entire tortilla.

3. Spread shredded cheese over the top. If using sliced cheese, tear in half and make a line across the center of the tortilla, using about 2 halves (sometimes 3 if the tortillas are especially large).

4. Line tomato slices up next to the cheese slices.

5. Evenly spread the spinach leaves over the tortilla.

6. Roll the tortilla tightly, in the opposite direction of the cheese and tomato rows.

7. Insert three toothpicks: one about an inch from each edge and one in the center to hold the roll in place.

8. Cut the turkey roll between the toothpicks.

9. Enjoy!

I have tried several varietes. One combo is mayo/mustard with turkey and cheddar. Another uses Ranch dressing, provolone cheese and turkey. A Caesar variety uses Caesar dressing, shredded Parmesan cheese and turkey.

And make sure to remove the toothpicks before eating!

Introduction

Hi Family! I remember David mentioning over the break that we should have a place where we can continue to update our family cookbook. I thought this could work. Feel free to add whatever recipes are your favorites!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Last Sunday Ryan and I were craving cupcakes. We didn't have any cake mix or frosting. And it was Sunday, so we couldn't go to the store. Sad day...until I found this recipe. It was a lot easier to make than I thought I was going to be. Also this is the first cake recipe that I've tried that, in my opinion, tastes better than cake mixes. I was in love.

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 to 24 minutes

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

3. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.


Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

(Cupcake recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated; Frosting recipe is a Brown Eyed Baker original)