Mexican-ish Crock Pot Chicken

This recipe is a best friend to a busy mom!  Seriously.  You throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and when you come home you shred the chicken and serve it on tortillas. Of course, that's true of most slow cooker recipes. The best thing about this one, and what separates it from many others, is that everyone will LOVE it.  No, you wont see this recipe printed on the pages of Bon Appetit, but let me tell ya, this will be a huge hit with the fam!  It's good old fashion family style home cooking.  It's perfect for your busy fall schedule!  You know the drill, soccer practice, ballet lesson, math tutor, band practice, back to school night.  Yikes!


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Mexican-ish Chicken

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast, skinless and boneless
1- 15 1/2 ounce can black beans, drained
8 ounces ortega chopped chiles
15 ounce can petite chopped tomatoes
1 cup corn, drained
6 ounce can black olives, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 8 ounce block cream cheese, cubed

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to crock pot EXCEPT cream cheese. (okay-I know the cream cheese is shown thrown in in the beginning in my photo but that was just for the beauty shot!)

2. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours or until chicken is extremely tender.

3. Remove chicken and shred. Add back to crock pot. Add cream cheese, cover and continue to cook on high for 30 minutes.  Stir well and serve with tortillas

Luscious Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Do you love lemon flavored bake goods?  I soooo do.  It seems to me that some people are either chocolate lovers or lemon lovers.  I happen to LOVE BOTH.  Of course I do!  Heaven forbid there be some sorta baked good camp I"m not a card carrying member of.  Well, anyhoo, these lemon cookies are really, really, really amazing! If you love lemon, do yourself a favor and start baking!

Lemon Crinkle Cookies:from Lauren's Latest
Makes 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

The Best Penne with Vodka Sauce (IMHO)

My friend Mary, over at One Perfect Bite, is hosting a tribute to 50 women who are Game Changers in the wonderful world of food.  Today is week 12 and she is spot lighting the incredible Patricia Wells.  Okay, so I have a confession to make. I totally have a chef crush on Patricia Wells.  She is a wonderful chef,  a prolific cookbook author, and lives in dreamy Provence! She's living my dream life!  Anyway, I was excited to participate in this tribute.  I'm reposting so forgive me, but let me tell ya, this is the BEST penne in vodka sauce I've ever had.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

 This is one of my all time favorite pasta dishes.  When my husband used to travel for work, this was the dish that my son and I would always have for dinner.  It is total comfort food to me. It is from the wonderful book Trattoria by Patricia Wells'.   I remember reading a bunch of Amazon reviews before I bought this book and more than one reviewer said that this recipe alone was worth the price of the book.  I could not agree more.  This is by far and away the best Penne with vodka sauce I've had.  I deeply love Patricia Wells for this recipe!  Thank you, Patricia,  my Penne with Vodka Sauce angel !!!!

Penne with Vodka Sauce: adapted from Patricia Wells

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic-minced
pinch crushed red pepper
sea salt
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
1 pound penne
2 tablespoons vodka
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons parsley-roughly chopped

1. In an unheated skillet large enough to hold pasta later, combine the oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt, stirring to coat with the the oil.  Cook over low-moderate heat for 2-3 minutes.  Do NOT brown garlic.  Add crushed tomatoes.  Stir to blend, and simmer, uncovered until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.  (This step is super important.  The sauce needs to thicken for the flavors to intensify.  So the amount of time you cook it is less important than the consistency.  You may need to cook it longer than 15 minutes.)   Taste for seasoning.

2. Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil.  Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt and the penne.  Stir to prevent sticking and cook until al dente.  Drain thoroughly.

3. Add the drained pasta to skillet with the tomato sauce. Toss. Add the vodka, and toss again, then add the cream and toss.  Cover, reduce the heat to low, and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Bourbon Brownies with Double Frosting!!!

Wow! Who knew?!?  Bourbon and chocolate together are absolutely AH-MAZING!!!  I mean, they seriously are, delicious!  I don't even like bourbon.  Well, at least I didn't think I did.  This recipe has totally changed my mind!!!  My daughter says this is the best thing I have ever baked.  Please make these for yourself and tell me what you think!  I LOVE these!

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Bourbon Brownies with Double Frosting:from Southern Living!!
Brownie Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 (6 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (About 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup bourbon

White Frosting Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar

Chocolate Glaze Ingredients

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F Grease the bottom of a 9-inch square pan.
2. Combine sugar, shortening and water in a saucepan.
3. Bring to a boil over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar melts.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Mix chocolate chips and vanilla together until smooth.
6. Add eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition.
7. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
8. Add the nuts.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until shiny and firm on top.
10. Remove from oven and pour bourbon over the top of the brownies while brownies are still hot.
11. Cool completely.
12. To make the first (white) frosting, beat the butter and vanilla together until creamy.
13. Gradually add the sugar until smooth.
14. Spread evenly on top of the cooled brownies.
15. Chill until firm.
16. To make the chocolate glaze, melt and stir together the chocolate chips and shortening in double boiler until melted and smooth.
17. Spread glaze on top of the white frosting.
18. Chill until the frostings are firm, and cut into squares.
19. Store any uneaten brownies in the refrigerator.

Burrata with Strawberries and Balsamic Glaze

This is a deliciously fabulous little recipe!  It came to me from none other than my good friend Craig.  If you've read my blog for a while, you remember Craig for some really yummy recipes.  Well, this one is no exception.  It can be served as a salad or as a dessert.  It's incredibly quick to put together, has only three ingredients, and honestly, tastes vastly better than the sum of it's parts.  Oh, and if that wasn't enough, all the ingredients are nice and cool and it's served cold so it's perfect on the hot, dog days of summer when turning on the oven is not an option!

I make this with already prepared balsamic glaze.  You can make your own but this is super convenient.  Here's the brand I used, and btw, I'm not getting paid to endorse it. It's made by Arrezzio.

Ingredients:

6-8 ounces Burrata Cheese

1 basket strawberries

Balsamic Glaze

Directions:

1.Slice Burrata into rounds about 1/4 thick

2. Slice strawberries about 1/4 inch thick.

3. Divide Burrata  among 4 small plates and arrange in a circular pattern.  Top with strawberries then drizzle balsamic glaze on top.

Gringo Enchiladas

Gringo Chicken Enchiladas!!!

This is one of those dishes that I love beyond belief!  It's nutritious, delicious, comforting and pleases everyone in the family. It's one of my favorite comfort foods and I make it more often than any other recipe I have.  I make them so often that I've memorized the recipe.  Sometimes when I wan't a lighter version I use light sour cream and cut out the cheese.  Then I have a no guilt comfort food!

Gringo Enchiladas-adapted from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-poached

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion-chopped

1 (7oz) can chopped green chili peppers

1 (1oz) package taco seasoning mix

1/2 cup water 

1 cup sour cream

3 cups cottage cheese

3 cups Monterey jack cheese-shredded (divided )

1 (28oz ) can mild enchilada sauce

12-9 inch flour tortillas

Directions:

1 .Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. When chicken is cool enough to handle shred.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a large nonstick skillet saute onion on medium  heat until it is soft and translucent.  Keep the heat low enough so that you don't brown the onion.  Turn heat to low.  Add green chili peppers, taco seasoning,  water and prepared chicken to skillet.  Mix ingredients thoroughly until taco seasoning is evenly distributed and mixture remains moist but not soupy.  Take off  heat.
4. In a medium bowl mix sour cream, 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese, cottage cheese  1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Mix until all ingredients are well blended.

5. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of an 11x14 baking dish.  Place approximately 1/2 cup of chicken mixture and 1/2 cup cheese mixture on tortilla and roll up then place in prepared pan seam side down.

6. Bake at 350degrees for 40-50 minutes or until sauces is bubbly and enchiladas are heated through.  Top enchiladas with remaining cup of Monterey jack cheese and broil until melted.  Pull enchiladas out of oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Oatmeal Coconut Cookies!

My daughter loves cookies more than anyone I know.  Seriously.  I know lot's of us love cookies, but honestly, she loves them WAY more than just about anyone I've ever met! We affectionately call her our little cookie monster!  These cookies are her absolute favorites.  Actually, these are a favorite of everyone in my whole family. They're big, soft and wonderfully chewy.  They're also easy to make.  This recipe, for some reason, doesn't call for creaming the shortening and sugars separately before combining with the flour mixture.  That makes it a bit quicker to put these together and saves the cleaning of an extra bowl.  Yay!  That's always a big plus in my book!!!  Another great thing about these lovely's is that they ship well.  Because they're made with shortening instead of butter they stay nice and soft for the time need for shipping.  I send these often to both my college kids and they always arrive in great condition.  I really hope you give these a try.  Enjoy!


Oatmeal Coconut Cookies:


Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar-packed
1 cup butter flavored shortening
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup walnuts-chopped
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
Extra sugar to dip cookies in

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix with a whisk until ingredients are well blended and there are no lumps.
3. To flour mixture add brown sugar, shortening, eggs and vanilla.  Mix with an electric mixer.
4. To the bowl add oats, walnuts, and coconut.  With an electric mixer mix well.  Make sure you get to the bottom of mixing bowl-this is a very thick dough.
5.  Using a large cookie scoop, measure out a level scoop cup of dough.  Pop dough out of scoop and roll into a ball, then roll ball in sugar to coat. Place on a silpat lined cookie sheet.  Flatten cookies just slightly with your fingers.  Bake in preheated oven for 14-16 minutes.

Barbecued Smoked Ribs

You know you have a really KILLER recipe when you go back to it time and time again for over 11 years.  I mean Come ON!  Well, this little recipe here, is one of those  These are my all time favorite ribs! I LOVE everything about them.  They have a delicious rub.  They're smoked slowly.  Then, if all that love wasn't enough, they're slathered in some deliciously sweet, happily spiked, all time yummy, barbecue sauce!   As soon as the weather just begins to warm up, my whole family knows the Weber will be making its first debut and soon we will be feasting on some lip smacking ribs.  The recipe is originally from Bon Appetit, July 2000.

  

Over the 11 years I've been making these I've made very few changes.  The original recipe calls for 6 racks of ribs.  I use the 3 pack I get from Costco.  I make the rub just as it was originally written.  For me, it works perfectly for the 3 racks.  Guess I like things a little more intense.  The sauce I generally make also as written and always have LOTS left over.  This is ultimately a really good thing for me because I love this bbq sauce.  I use it on absolutely everything from bbq chicken to roast beef and smoked cheddar paninis.   Now, if you're in the more vinegary bbq sauce camp, this is NOT the bbq sauce for you.  This is a yummy SWEET sauce that doesn't even call for a drop of vinegar.  Feel free to sub out for your own favorite if you're a vinegary sauce lover

Okay, there are a few gadgets that make smoking these babies a whole lot easier.  First is the Weber char-basket charcoal briquet holder.  I bought mine at Home Depot but I know it's available on Amazon.  This holds the charcoals any where you want them in neat little baskets.  In this case, I place them on opposite sides of my Weber.  The second thing that you might want to consider investing in, is a grill that has hinges.  My 22 inch Weber didn't come with this, but for me, this purchase was a no brainer.  Probably because the first time I made these I had the standard grill and I thought it was a gianormous pain to lift the ribs off and then the grill as written if step 7.  Anyway, these things are obviously not required, but I just wanted to share with you what works for me!

Lastly, if you think the whole smoking thing sounds like a royal pain, these ribs are seriously delicious just plain ole baked!  Of course they don't have quite as much smokey yumminess but they are still honestly delish!

Here are the little beauties on the Weber.  Check out the rib rack. Love it!!

Sweet and Smokey Barbecued Baby Back Ribs: slightly adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

• 6 baby back pork rib racks
• 1 cup bourbon
• 
  

Rub:

• 3 tablespoons coarse salt
• 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 cups hickory wood chips
• 2 cups beer ( I often just use water)

Bourbon BBQ Sauce:2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses

1/3 cup bourbon

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder
Sauce Directions:

1.Combine all ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until sauce thickens and flavors blend, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill.)

Ribs and Rub Directions:

1. Arrange ribs in large roasting pan. Pour bourbon over. Chill 30 minutes, turning ribs often. Pour off and discard bourbon.

2. Whisk salt and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture on both sides of ribs. Let stand 1 hour.

3. Place wood chips in medium bowl. Pour beer or water over; let stand 1 hour. Place handful of torn newspaper in bottom of charcoal chimney. Top newspaper with 25 charcoal briquettes. (I've never counted! I just fill the chimney up as far as I can)  Remove upper rack from barbecue. Place chimney on lower grill rack. Light newspaper and let charcoal burn until ash is gray, about 30 minutes.

4.Open 1 bottom grill vent. Turn out hot charcoal into two Weber Char-Basket briquet holders on either side of the grill in the lower rack.  Remove 1 cup wood chips from beer and drain (keep remaining chips in beer). Scatter drained chips over coals (avoid using too many wet chips, which may douse the fire).

5.Place upper grill rack on barbecue. Arrange ribs on upper grill rack in a rib rack. Cover barbecue with lid, positioning top vent directly over ribs. Place stem of candy thermometer through top vent, with gauge on outside and tip near ribs (thermometer should not touch meat or grill rack); leave in place during cooking. Check temperature after 5 minutes. Use top and bottom vents to maintain temperature between 275°F and 325°F, opening vents wider to increase heat and closing to decrease heat. Leave any other vents closed.

6. After 45 minutes, use technique described earlier to light an additional 15 charcoal briquettes in same charcoal chimney set atop nonflammable surface. ( Sometimes this is not necessary.  Only do this if temperature falls close to or below 275)

7. If, and/or when, temperature of barbecue falls below 275°F, use oven mitts to lift off upper rack with ribs; place rack with ribs on heatproof surface. Using tongs, add hot gray charcoal from chimney to bottom rack. Drain remaining 1 cup wood chips; sprinkle over charcoal. Reposition upper rack on barbecue, placing ribs above loaf pan. Cover with lid. Grill until ribs are very tender and meat pulls away from bones, about 45 minutes longer, brushing with 3/4 cup Bourbon Barbecue Sauce the last 15 minutes of cooking.
8. Transfer ribs to platter. Brush with 3/4 cup more barbecue sauce. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately, if desired

Alternative Baking Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Follow above instructions for sauce, rub, and rib preparation.

3. Bake ribs for 2 1/2 hours on a cookie sheet.

4. Remove ribs from oven and cover generously with bbq sauce.

5. Broil ribs on both sides just until sauce glazes nicely.

Yes, I had two of these going! Six racks of total YUM!!!!!