Monterey Chicken

I have seen this meal pop up in conversation several times, so I decided to look it up and make it. Super easy pantry meal, super yummy, and very simple.

Monterey Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce (I have used home made or Sweet Baby Rays)
1 can rotel, drained (save the liquid)
1 tbsp dijon
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
4 slices crisp bacon, crumbed
3 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Take turns placing a breast in a freezer bag and hammer it out so its all the same thickness. It doesn't have to be super thin and flat, but just flatted the thickest parts so they are even with the rest and will cook evenly. I use a rolling pin.

If the bag is still usable, place all the chicken breasts in the bag and add 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce, the rotel liquid, the dijon, and the worcestershire sauce. Seal with the air removed and smush around to evenly coat. Let marinade 1 hour at least, or overnight if possible. No more than 24 hours

Preheat oven to 375. Place chicken in a baking pan and cover with foil. Cook 30-40 minutes, until done.

Meanwhile in a small bowl, mix the remaining BBQ sauce and rotel pieces together. Top chicken with rotel mixture and cheese. Put back in oven for a couple minutes until melted. Top with bacon and green onions

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Husb and I were wanting to spice up our homemade pizza night and decided to go with a nod to spinach and artichoke dip. This turned out just as delicious as it sounds.  This time we took advantage of the grocery store bagged dough.

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough, par baked until just starting to lightly brown
olive oil
1 5- 6oz package of fresh baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion or large shallot, fine diced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 oz cream cheese
4 oz mozzarella pearls (or fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes)

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat up a large skillet over medium. Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom and add the onion and garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the spinach and artichokes and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until wilted, stirring often, 3-4 minutes.

Drizzle par baked crust with olive oil and spread the spinach and artichoke mixture on the top. Pinch off pieces of cream cheese and distribute evenly along with the mozzarella cheese.

Place on a pizza stone or baking sheet and cook around 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Breakfast Casserole

This is a great meal for a breakfast for dinner night, or for a special weekend breakfast. We had this Christmas morning along with cinnamon rolls.

If you have baked potatoes for one meal, make a couple extra to use later in this. Makes this meal a snap. Even if you have to start the potatoes, its still a breeze. Just wash, dry, poke, rub with oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake directly on the rack at 375 for around 45 minutes.

Any potato will work, but golds are especially good due to the thin skin and firm texture.

Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

3 cooked potatoes, cubed
1-2 bell peppers, diced
1 can diced green chilis
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 lb breakfast sausage (cooked, drained) or cubed ham
1.5 cups shredded cheese (whatever you want. Cheddar, colby, pepperjack)
8 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
few shakes hot sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350

Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 pan. Potatoes, bell peppers, chilis, green onions, crumbled sausage, cheese.

Beat the milk, eggs, hot sauce, and S&P in a bowl and pour on top

Cook for 45-50 minutes, or until set.

White Bean, Kielbasa, and Kale Soup

Ok, so I am a fan of big pot of soup. Its cheap and nice to have around for leftovers for a few days. I haven't tried freezing this one yet but its probably fine.

I think that any greens would work in this, especially spinach. I am sure collards or chard would work too, but I don't have as much experience with them. At the first serving, the kale still had a nice texture that spinach would lose pretty quick.


You could use canned beans in a pinch, but why not make your own? Its much cheaper anyhow, and its pretty easy. I use this method. The white navy beans I used needed more like 90-95 minutes, so don't be afraid to add a little more time once you check them and account for a bit extra time so you aren't eating late. The soup can always simmer longer if its done too early.


Home made chicken stock is so great in soups like this. Its really not that much more work! Plan a whole chicken for one meal (or put in the crock pot and shred for another meal) and then put the bones and some veggies or veggie scraps in a crock pot or stock pot and simmer over night. Strain in the AM and presto, stock for your soup. No more salty and pricey store bought broth. Here is more info on this. 

I came across this version of the soup and it had the addition of a parmesan rind. Its optional, but highly recommended. Totally worth buying the block of parmesan at the store. You know you can use the rest somewhere. Or better yet, just make a mental note to keep leftover rind in the freezer for times like this. 


Ok, on to the soup

White Bean, Kielbasa, and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 package white beans (cannelloni, great northern, navy) cooked or 4 cans drained
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
4 stalks celery, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 package kielbasa, sliced 1/2" thick
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
Parmesan rind (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch kale, stem removed and cut into 1ish inch pieces

In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil on medium.

Brown the kielbasa on each side. Remove. Add the veggies and cook 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the beans, broth, kielbasa, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and rind to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper (i used home made stock and beans, so I needed a good amount of salt)

Let simmer for 15-30 minutes (at least long enough for veggies to be soft)

Remove bay leaf and rind. Add kale and let simmer 5 minutes and serve.

Simple Herb Stuffing

Yeah, so I could be a smart blogger and post all these awesome recipes before the holiday that they would be great for. But I am just a mom and just doing this for fun, so you get what I make, after I make it. But trust me, this is so yummy and easy, that I will be making it for more than just thanksgiving.

I am not a fan of fancy stuffings. I like it simple and good. I think I succeeded.

You can use virtually any bread you like for this.

I didn't get a picture this time, but I will add the next time I make it

Simple Herb Stuffing

1 loaf bread, cut into 1 inch pieces (or buy the bag of unseasoned dried bread cubes if you must)
8 tbsp butter
2 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced pretty thin
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 cups chicken stock (get the very good stuff at the store, or better yet make it yourself. Or veggie)
2 eggs, lightly beaten

If using fresh bread, spread onto a cookie sheet and let sit overnight to dry out. Or place in a 20 degree oven for 10-20 minutes.

Melt the butter in a pan. Reserve half of it for later. Add celery and onion to the existing butter and cook a few minutes until really softened.  Add herbs and cook 1 more minute. Add a little salt and pepper.

Whisk eggs into broth. Put bread in a large bowl and add onions and celery and the broth and mix very well.

Pour into a buttered casserole dish and pour remaining butter on top.

Cook in a 350 oven 45 minutes

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

A while ago,  I decided to cook a roast with little seasoning, shed, divide up, and freeze for later meals. This ended up being a great idea and I have since made french dip sandwiches and "philly" style beef sandwiches. I decided to use my remaining meat for this dish. You could easily use left over pot roast for this as well. Or you can throw a small roast in the crock pot to shred up.

And homemade enchilada sauce! Who knew it was that easy! Never buying it again!

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

Enchilada ingredients:

2 cups shredded beef
2 cups drained beans (black, pinto whatever. I used kidney this time.)
2.5 cups shredded cheese, divided. (I suggest cheddar, mexi blend, or pepperjack)
1 can diced green chills
8 tortillas (medium)

Sauce ingredients:
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp flour
2 heaping tbsp chili powder
8oz tomato sauce
1 cup broth (or water in a pinch)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium, heat oil. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Cook for 1 minute

Whisk in all other ingredients. Bring up to heat, and then put on low for 10 minutes.


In a medium bowl, mix together the beef, beans, 3/4 cup cheese, can of chilis, and a few spoonfuls of sauce.

In a 9x13 pan, ladle a bit of sauce on the bottom. Enough to just coat the bottom.

Assemble enchiladas and place seam side down in pan.

Top with remaining sauce and then cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until heated through.

German Pancakes

I believe there are multiple names for this yumminess. I was introduced to this by my husbands family, and its a nice yummy change to the breakfast routine


Its kind of a cross between a omelet and a pancake. Its great with syrup or jam.

German Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 tbsp butter
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
pinch of salt

Place a 9x13 pan in a oven an heat to 450.

Meanwhile, whip together on high the eggs, milk, flour, and salt.

Once oven is preheated, add butter to the hot pan. Once melted, pour the batter into the pan. Cook 15-20 minutes, until pancake is raised up the sides of the pan and are nice and browned. This will expand a lot and then collapse a bit once its out of the oven.