Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

June 17, 2010 · 9:26 pm

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This dish was awesome. I think I am going to just start making the salsa part of this recipe to have with tortilla chips. Yummo!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 T fresh lime juice
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions:
In a small bowl combine 1 tspn. salt, 1/4 tspn. black pepper and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice. Set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into the onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Did I change anything? I ended making twice as much rub as the recipe above calls for. It wasn’t nearly enough for 4 chicken breasts. I also only used 1/2 of a red onion. The original recipe called for an entire red onion. I felt like 1/2 was almost too much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I could eat that avocado salsa all day long. Not only would it be scrumptious on its own, but it was fantastic on the chicken as well. The coolness of the avocado went along nicely with the spice of the chicken. The chicken was way too spicy for our oldest. The youngest loves spicy things, so he ate it even though he kept wiping off his tongue with his napkin.

We had this with leftover Spanish rice, watermelon and some tortilla chips.

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican, Spicy

June 12, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Chocolate Black Bean Brownies

I made these tonight for my family. We have had these several times before and I have always hid the fact that they have black beans in them for fear of a revolt. Tonight though the kids watched me as I put the beans in with the brownie mix. They were a little confused at first, but they didn’t seem to mind that there were beans in their brownies when they were asking for seconds.

Ingredients:
1 box of brownie mix
15.5 oz. can black beans

Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature that is says on the brownie box.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Put the beans back in the can and fill the can to the top with water.

Dump the beans and water in a blender and puree.

In a large bowl, combine the beans and the brownie mix.

Pour mixture into an oiled 9×13 in baking dish.

Bake according to package directions.

What does the family think? They love them.

recipe from Weight Watchers

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 10, 2010 · 9:51 pm

Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes

Holy schmoley these were good! We had these with hamburgers and watermelon tonight…a classic summertime dinner.

Ingredients:
1 lb. green beans, stem ends trimmed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put an empty rimmed baking sheet on an upper rack. (Not too high though.)

Coat the beans and tomatoes with the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

When the oven is ready, pour the beans and tomatoes on the hot baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until tender and caramelized.

What did the family think? Vegetables were not meant to taste this good. Wow! How could something this easy taste so good? How? Hubby and I could not get enough of these. Our oldest said the green beans tasted like french fries and proceeded to eat them with his hands as if they were french fries. Youngest said he couldn’t eat them because he has two loose teeth and the green beans would hurt his teeth. Whatever.

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 5, 2010 · 10:30 pm

Cheesy Brunch Casserole

Breakfast for dinner, anyone?

Ingredients:
1 lb. turkey Italian sausage
5 cups herbed seasoned stuffing mix
Cooking spray
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. butter, melted
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
2 c. milk
1/2 tspn. black pepper
16 oz. egg substitute

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove casings from sausage and cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine stuffing and sausage and mix well.

Place stuffing mixture in a 13 x 9 casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Drizzle stuffing mixture with broth and butter. Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine milk, pepper and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over stuffing mixture.

Bake 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Let stand five minutes before serving.

What did the family think? I made this for a Mother’s Day brunch and it was a hit with everyone.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It

May 31, 2010 · 10:07 pm

Black Bean and Chicken Salad with Brown Rice

I got this recipe from someone I used to only know via our blogs until we ran into each other at the library one day. Anyhow, she posted this recipe on her blog the other day. It sounded awesome and right up our alley, so I made it tonight. I really loved it…I think what I loved about it the most, besides that it tasted great, is that it’s so colorful. 🙂

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 tspn. chili powder
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
1 c. canned corn
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 large chicken breasts, already cooked and cut into bite-size pieces or shredded

Rice (brown or white) whichever you prefer

Directions:
Cook rice according to directions on package.

For salad:
Cook the bell pepper, onion, and corn in the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until the onions have started to soften.

Add the beans and heat through for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the bean mixture and the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

Gently fold in the avocado, tomatoes and cilantro.

For dressing…place all ingredients in a Mason jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake until everything is blended. Pour over salad and then gently mix it all together.

Place a serving of rice in the bottom of each person’s bowl and then spoon the yummy salad on top. Enjoy!

I am so excited that we have leftovers of this. One, we hardly ever, ever have leftovers. Two, I think this salad will taste even better tomorrow once all of the flavors have had time to blend together a little bit.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really, really liked it. Our oldest tolerated it. He ate everything, but tomatoes just aren’t his thing. The youngest ate the chicken and the rice.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Salad

May 28, 2010 · 12:29 am

Spicy Asian-Style Pasta

I don’t know if I would say it was “spicy” but it was definitely good.

Ingredients:
I lb. linguine, broken in half

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

4 T oriental sesame oil
3 T honey
3 T soy sauce
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper

1 T olive oil
1 red bell peppers
2 c. snow peas
1/2 large red onion
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Drain and set aside.

Whisk sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion and snow peas. Saute about 5 minutes or until veggies are crisp, but tender. Add basil to skillet.

Divide pasta between four bowls. Divide veggies in the same way and spoon on top of pasta. Divide chicken and spoon on top of veggies. Evenly divide sauce between bowls, toss and serve.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for three bell peppers. I like bell peppers as much as the next person, but that seems like a whole lotta bell peppers. I cut down on the snow peas and the red onion, too. There were still PLENTY of veggies to go around. I also added the chicken so it could be a meal instead of a side salad.

What did the family think? Hubby said he really, really, really liked it. Our oldest was literally slurping up the noodles. They both loved the sauce that went into this. Well, the youngest ate the chicken and acted like he might die when he ate a noodle tainted with the sauce. He is a pasta purest…red sauce only with that boy’s pasta.

adapted from a recipe from Bon Appetit

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May 24, 2010 · 10:22 pm

Chicken with Herbed Vegetable Sauce

This is a great dish to make out of all of the fresh veggies that are in season now.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T fresh thyme
3 T olive oil
2 small zucchini, cut into thin strips
1 small leek (white and pale green parts only) cut into thin strips
1/2 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. chicken broth
8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to season

Directions:
Heat half the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken to skillet and season with salt and pepper and half of the thyme.

Cook chicken until cooked through then transfer to a plate.

Add zucchini, leek, carrot, garlic and remaining thyme and oil to skillet.

Saute vegetables for about five minutes.

Return chicken to skillet and add chicken broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover.

After about five minutes, add basil and cook an additional five minutes.

We had this with parmesan risotto that our oldest had been begging me to make. It was actually a pretty good combo.

Did I change anything? Yes…I left out the celery and the tomatoes which were on the original recipe and not because I meant to but because they never made it onto the grocery list. Frankly, though, I think the tomatoes would have been too much; there are already a lot of veggies in this. I also didn’t read the recipe very well and I added an entire can of chicken broth instead of just a cup. It turned out fine though. I just got it out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. I really liked all of the fresh herbs in it. Our oldest liked it and ate just about everything. Our youngest ate the chicken with some catsup and he also ate the carrots.

Original recipe from Bon Appetit

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It

May 23, 2010 · 9:56 pm

Quesadilla Pie

This is a great dish because you can add just about any reasonable ingredient to it and it comes out fabulous.

Must-have Ingredients:
4 large flour tortillas
1/2 lb. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend or Pepper Jack)

Possible Ingredients:
Beans, cooked (black, pinto)
Tomatoes, chopped
Onions (green, red, white, yellow)
Corn
Squash, chopped or shredded
Pork, chicken or beef-cooked and shredded
Rice (plain or Mexican) already cooked
Chiles
Cumin
Chili Powder
Cilantro

Garnishes:
Avocado
Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter bottom and sides of a pie dish that is about the same size as your tortillas.

Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish.

Next add 1/3 the ingredients that you have chosen to add to your quesadilla pie. (Note: all layers don’t have to be the same.) Make sure you put cheese in all of the layers though.

Place a tortilla on top of the first layer and add another 1/3 of the pie fillings. Top that layer with a tortilla, add more fillings and then place the last tortilla on top.

Spread a little butter on top of the last tortilla. Don’t skip this step. 🙂

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Then remove aluminum foil, turn oven up to 400 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the pie set for about ten minutes before you cut into it.

Did I change anything? One thing we always have with this is a concoction of salsa and sour cream mixed together that we use as a dip for these. Yummo!!!

What does the family think? Hubby and I really like these. The kids are inclined to eat anything that involves sour cream. 🙂

Recipe from Simply Recipes

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Pork, Vegetarian

May 20, 2010 · 11:45 pm

Mexican-Style Chicken Sandwiches

I broke out a cookbook I hadn’t used in years and found this yummy recipe.

Ingredients:
2/3 c. mayo
2 T fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
15 oz. can black beans, drained
1 1/2 tspn. ground cumin
4 French rolls, split horizontally, lightly toasted
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
3/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
1 T olive oil
4 slices hot pepper Monterey Jack cheese

2 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

Directions:
Whisk together mayo and lime juice in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir beans and cumin in a small skillet over medium heat until heated through. Using fork, mash beans in skillet to a coarse paste. Arrange toasted rolls on plates and spread bean mixture on 1/2 of each roll.

Heat olive oil in a skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle cayenne pepper over chicken as it cooks. When chicken is cooked through, top chicken with cheese slices, cover skillet, reduce heat and cook on low until cheese melts.

Place chicken on bean mixture. Top with tomato and avocado. Spread lime mayo on 1/2 of rolls that don’t have the beans on them, assemble and serve.

Did I change anything? The only think I changed was that I melted the cheese on the rolls while they were toasting in the oven instead of melting the cheese on the chicken in the skillet.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked these sandwiches. Our oldest wasn’t feeling well and went to bed so he didn’t eat dinner and SURPRISINGLY our youngest did eat it without much fuss. Once I removed the avocado and the tomatoes he ate it. I was so proud of him and it sure made dinnertime MUCH more enjoyable.

Recipe from Bon Appetit

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Mexican, Sandwich

May 19, 2010 · 11:13 pm

Chile Salsa Verde Bake

Tonight was the first time I ever made this and it was G.O.O.D.

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
16 oz. jar chile verde sauce
15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion, diced
1 c. sour cream
3 c. crushed tortilla chips
8 oz. shredded Mexican-style cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine chicken, verde sauce, kidney beans, onion and sour cream in a large bowl.

Grease a 9-by-13 inch casserole dish. Scatter half of the chips on the bottom of the casserole dish and top with half of chicken mixture. Top with half of cheese.

Repeat the layers.

Bake until cheese is bubbly…about 15 minutes.

Did I change anything? The recipe above is exactly how I made it. The original recipe called for twice as much chicken and twice as much verde sauce…that just seemed like a whole lotta food. I am glad I changed it. The amount I made was perfect for us.

What did the family think? Hubby and I loved this dish. Hubby is a huge verde fan so I knew he would like it. Our oldest thought it was good and our youngest is trying to not like anything I cook for dinner so his opinion will be the same unless I make pasta or pizza which is very frustrating…he used to eat just about anything. Stinker!