Chicken Tacos

Today is my husband's birthday, and I just couldn't wait to get home and give him a big hug and a kiss. His name is Kirk, but I call him Mr..  He's just an awesome guy, and I'm very blessed to be able to share my life with him.

Years ago, I worked with a Quality Manager who would jokingly say to me "Mr. makes the rest of us men look bad". He's always doing something selfless and thoughtful, love ya honey!

Anyway, on my home from work I was conjuring up different dinner ideas and finally came up with this one. I hope you like it, we really did!

Chicken Tacos

1 package chicken tenderloins cut into small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 fresh squeezed lime
1 cup grated cheese
6 four tortillas

Directions:
Pour the olive oil in a skillet on the stove and add the chicken, onion, jalapeno and spices, cooking over medium heat and stirring occasionally, mmmmm this smells really good. When the meat mixture is nearly done, using another pan on the stove, about 1 tsp butter and put 1 tortilla in, allow it to cook for just a minute and turn, cooking until the other side is slightly golden, set aside on a plate until you're ready to serve dinner.
Once the meat is completely done, set off the burner and squeeze the fresh lime over it and give it a little stir.

Grate the cheese and assemble. I just love Monterey Jack.....and don't forget the cilantro!

I also put some home made salsa and chopped lettuce on these and it was just plain yummy!

Happy eating everyone!

Shephard's Pie

For dinner tonight I was really wanting something kind of savory and satisfying, but not loaded with tons of calories, afterall I needed to save up some calories for the Mango Nut Bread that I planned to make afterwards. One of the first things that came to mind was Shephard's Pie which is something that we all really like. The potatoes on top just finish this dish.

I browned some ground turkey first

Then I added some Italian Style Diced Tomatoes and mashed them up a little in the pan, then an 8 oz. can of tomatoe sauce. Once that was bubbling, I added frozen mixed veggies and just let it simmer there on the stove for a couple of minutes.

I have never in my life purchased ready made mashed potatoes, but for this recipe I can do that. I look for brands that have sour cream and chives in the potatoes and I add shredded cheddar cheese and drop by spoonfuls over the top of the meat mixture.

Shephard's Pie

1 lb. lean ground turkey

1-15 oz can Italian Style Diced Tomatoes

1 - 8 oz can tomatoe sauce

1 1/2 C mixed frozen vegetables

1 container premade mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Brown ground turkey until no longer pink, add diced tomatoes and mash in the pan then add tomatoe sauce and frozen vegetables, turn stove down low and allow to simmer. Meanwhile place potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap and 2 minutes. Add cheese and microwave for one more minute and make sure cheese in incorporated through. Drop by spoonfuls on top of meat mixture and broil for 5 minutes or until potatoes start to turn golden brown. Serve warm.





Rebecca's Chili Verde

My beautiful cousin Rebecca was gracious enough to share this recipe with me awhile back, she's such a wonderful cook and an amazing person! I just love this chili verde, and it freezes well for hunting camp too! I will say, this does take some time to put it all together and then you need at least 4 hours of crock pot time for it to get really nice and happy before serving it.

Rebecca’s Chili Verde Recipe


4 lb. boneless pork loin (slice into ¾ inch slabs)
8 – 7oz. cans of green diced chili (mild) or 10 roasted, peeled and diced Anaheim peppers
2 small white onions – diced
1 bunch of celery – diced (use heart and two stocks)
1 whole head of garlic cloves – minced or pressed
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground oregano
2 tablespoons dried cilantro
1 jalapeño (optional for a hotter spice)
2 roasted and peeled green bell peppers
8 roasted, peeled and pureed tomatillos (optional)
1 cup dry white wine or white cooking wine
1 – 26 oz. chicken stock
2 tsp. granulated chicken bouillon (Knorr brand is my favorite)
Rue ( ¼ cup melted butter and 1/3 cup flour whisked together)
Olive oil as needed for browning pork

Directions:

In a large skillet pour in 4 tablespoons of olive oil
Place skillet on burner – high heat
Dust pork slabs with garlic salt and pepper and place in pan to sear both sides.
Remove pork slabs from heat and put on plate to cool
Keep grizzle in pan
Turn heat down to medium
Add onions and garlic to skillet (stir until golden brown)
Add chopped bell peppers, celery, cumin, oregano & white wine to skillet
Continue cooking until most of wine evaporates
Add Chicken stock and granulated chicken bouillon
Dice pork slabs into ¾ inch cubes and add to skillet
Add two cups of water
Bring to a boil – continuously stirring

Add Rue (the flour from the rue will help tenderize the pork but you don’t want to over thicken at this point or the sauce will scorch. You can thicken more before you serve.)
Reduce heat to low, cover with lid – stir occasionally.
Cook for at least 4-6 hours or until pork cubes are tender to the bite – (overcooking will shred the pork) Sometimes I cook the chili overnight on low temperature for a really tender pork.
Add more rue for a thicker sauce before serving

Mom's Beef Enchiladas

This is my Mom's recipe that she came up with years ago, I've made a couple of minor changes to it, but ultimately this is still her yummy recipe. My husband really loves beef enchiladas and he requests them quite often, it doesn't seem to matter what time of year it is either, this is one of his favorites.

I started with some ground beef, about a pound and browned it along with some onion and my spices.

Now, I put some oil in a pan and let it get good and hot then I softened my tortilla shells in that and placed the cooked tortilla shells on a paper towl to drain. A jalapeno pepper could be finely chopped and added to this as well, I just didn't have any on hand at the time.

Then I took and put kidney beans and chili powder in the food processor, give it a good mixing and let it get creamy. This is going to be used for spreading on the tortilla shell.

Then comes the meat and the cheese......Yum!!!!

Time to put the tomatoe sauce and the enchilada sauce on, don't forget the cheese on top!

And here it is......just can't wait to dig into this one.





Mom's Beef Enchiladas


Ingredients:
1 15 oz can kidney beans (drained with only a tiny bit of juice)
4 1/2 tsp. chili powder (divided)
1 lb ground beef
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 small onion chopped
8 yellow corn tortillas
1/3 C cooking oil
14 oz can Old El Paso enchilada sauce
8 oz can tomato sauce
3 - 4 C medium cheddar cheese


Directions:
Drain kidney beans, leaving a tiny bit of juice place in food processor with 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder and process until fairly creamy, set aside.
Brown the ground beef, remaining chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, and onion until meat is done. Heat cooking oil in a small frying pan and slightly cook each tortilla shell only for about 30 seconds in the oil. Using a spatula gently lift the tortilla shells out of the pan and let them drip. Lay each tortilla shell out on a paper towel while you cook the rest (this is to soften the shells, making them easier to roll).
Assemble the enchiladas by spreading about a tablespoon of the bean mixture on a tortilla shell, then place about 1/4 cup of the browned meat and about 1/4 cup of cheese, roll the tortilla up and finish the rest. Once all of the enchiladas are rolled up, combine the tomato sauce and 8 oz of the enchilada sauce together in a bowl (I use glass measuring cup with a pour spout) pour over the top of the enchiladas, top with remaining cheese and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes, until bubbling on the sides.

Garnish with shredded lettuce, and sour cream.