Mexican Hash Brown Casserole

I'm trying to get back into this blog thing with sharing recipes again. We tried a new recipe, Mexican hash brown casserole, the other night that I found on Pintrest. I love Pintrest! It's a good place to find new recipes. My husband Bryan even said he gave this one a 10 out of 10. He would like to have it again. That's a lot coming from a picky eater. I thought the homemade seasoning would not give it enough flavor but it was good and not spicy. I made ours using ground turkey instead of ground beef and I used Meijer brand frozen hash browns. I made mine into kind of a taco salad. I topped mine with diced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, fresh spinach, kale, avocado, and fresh salsa. It was delicious! My picture below doesn't do how good it was any justice because it's not a picture with all my toppings. Of course it doesn't look like the pretty Pintrest picture. The link to the recipe is below.

Mexican Hash brown Casserole 

Winter White Fruit Cake

I made this for my dad for Christmas since this is one of his favorite treats this time of the year.
It was very easy to make. It came out good except for the cake sticking to the pan even after I greased it. I made it like the recipe except for I didn't had the cream cheese topping and cherries.  I'm sure it is just as good with the toppings. 
It was definitely a big with my parents. 
Winter White Fruit Cake

Copy cat Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken Skillet

Favorite Chinese dishes at our house.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsps salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs (I use panko crumbs)

Glaze
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsps grated orange zest
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cut chicken into 2 inch pieces and place in a large bowl. Add egg, salt, pepper, and melted butter. Sprinkle the chicken pieces sparingly with bread crumbs,  be sure all sides have crumbs. Spread the chicken pieces on baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, until chicken is lightly browned. To make the glaze, melt butter in a small pan and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Contine to cook, stirring,  for about 3 minutes.  Reduce the heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Pour glaze over chicken and serve. We serve ours on top of rice. I usually sautee up some vegetables to go with mine.

Recipe is from America's Most Wanted Recipes.

Homemade chili seasoning

Today would be a good day for some chili here in Indiana. I'm a big fan of Pintrest and finding new food ideas on there. I found this recipe for chili, but I particularly liked the recipe for the seasoning. It is way better than the packaged stuff you buy at the store! I'll share the recipe for the chili too.

Chili Seasoning

Ingredients you'll need
2 Tsp. Sugar or sugar substitute
2 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp. Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne) or less depending on how hot you want your chili
2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. Onion Powder
1 Tsp. Basil
Ground Black Pepper to taste


 Measure and mix into a plastic container with a lid. Shake up. Then you have some really good chilli seasoning!

Chili

Ingredients you'll need
1 to 1.5 lbs. of ground beef
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 normal can of tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 garlic clove
1 onion
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of green beans
1 can of corn
Brown sugar
Cooking oil of your choice (optional)

Brown ground beef. Chop up vegetables and saute. Combine can ingredients in a large pot. Don't forget to drain them Add ground beef and vegetables to pot mixture when done. Add chili seasoning recipe and a few pinches of brown sugar. Add cooking oil, optional. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for a long as your want. Enjoy with some shredded cheese and crackers!

Recipes from ebaumsworld. Found on Pintrest.

Taco Stuffed Shells

A mix of Mexican and Italian. Delicious and easy dish!

 

Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
1 package McCormick taco seasoning
4 oz cream cheese
12 pasta shells
1 cup salsa
1 cup fat free shredded cheddar
1 cup monterey jack
1.5 cup tortilla chips (crushed)
3 green onions
1 cup fat free sour cream

 

Directions

Brown meat, cook according to taco seasoning instructions. Add cream cheese, cover and simmer until cheese is melted. Set aside and allow to fully cool.
While meat is cooking, cook pasta shells according to instructions.
Poor salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
Stuff each shell with meat mixture
Place the stuffed shells in the baking dish
Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes
After 30 minutes, uncover and sprinkle crushed chips and shredded cheeses on top. Cook for about 15 more minutes.

Recipe is from Spark People

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta

Delicious! My husband loves chicken cordon bleu so I thought we'd try this. He loved it of course.

Recipe courtesy Amy's Kitchen
Serves 6

1 lb. Pasta (I used penne-you could use any fun shaped pasta)
1 cup Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed
1 cup Ham, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
2 Tbsp. Dried Minced Onion
2 cups Swiss Cheese, shredded
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Panko Crumbs
1/2 cup Butter, melted 



Bring a large pot of water to a boil over med-high heat. Salt it and add the pasta; cook until al dente (about 11 minutes-I used whole wheat pasta which takes a bit longer than regular pasta). Drain and return to the pot. Add in the chicken and ham and toss to combine.

Preheat the broiler. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream cheese and minced onion over low-medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it becomes a smooth texture (about 5 minutes). Stir into the pasta mixture. Stir in the Swiss cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pasta to a baking dish and top with Panko crumbs. Pour melted butter over crumbs and broil until browned (I gave it 4 minutes). 

Link to recipe with picture @ http://amysnewkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/03/chicken-cordon-bleu-pasta.html?showComment=1352778390325#c6557788065069028107 

Chicken Parmesan Pasta Toss

Good if you want a lighter chicken Parmesan recipe. From http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/chicken-parmesan-pasta-toss-104895.aspx