Chipotle Burritos

*I've heard these are amazing! Use the Santa Fe Chicken recipe below rather than the meat in the burritos. Just cook the veggies in all the yummy seasonings. Hope this makes sense, enjoy!

Chipotle Burritos From Mary Bishop

Rice
We like to use brown rice and cook with the juice from one lime and some cumin and use chicken broth instead of water. After it is cooked you can mix with dried or fresh cilantro if you like cilantro.

Black Beans
1can of black beans – dump out 1/2 of the juice
3 shakes of cumin
chopped fresh garlic

Meat ( can use steak or chicken cut up into strips or however you like it)

Fill the bottom of frying pan with olive oil
Add: Garlic
Cheyenne papper
Hot sauce ( Tobasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce)
Balsamic vinegar
Cumin
Chili Powder
Salt
Then Add:
Chopped red onion
Chopped Peppers (green, red, yellow, whatever you have or like)
Then Add:
Meat

Stir fry in the pan until the meat is done.
You can get this all started in a heavy pot and then stew it in the oven for several hours to get really tender meat.

OR……. Make the Santa Fe chicken meat and cook it on the grill. If using the Santa Fe Chicken recipe, follow the above recipe for only the vegetables.

Santa Fe Chicken

Juice from 3 limes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp. Olive oil
chili powder
cumin seed
ground coriander
honey
6 cloves minced garlic
2 whole boneless skinless breasts

Marinate for at least one hour, better if longer. Grill and then slice at a diagonal for serving. Great for fajitas or serve with sour cream, lime slice, fresh salsa and a green onion firecracker. (A fire cracker is a green onion with the end chopped off and then sliced down through the center a couple of times to let the end split apart to look like a fire cracker. It is really just a garnish, but it looked cool on the picture! You could do it if you really wanted to impress someone!

Place all of these ingredients in a large flour tortilla. I like to garnish with sour cream, Monteray jack cheese, salsa and guacamole. Bryan also likes to add more Tobasco, but he puts that on everything, so whatever you like.

Check out my Slide Show!

Creamy Italian Chicken

Ok, totally embarressed myself (and Mat) by having 3rds, yes, I said thirds of this meal at a families when they had us to dinner! That is horrible. It is yummy! Haven't tried it with carrots in it but I bet it would be good. Enjoy!
*The website where she got the recipe is http://busycooks.about.com and the contributor was Linda Larsen :)


2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz. container cream cheese with chives, softened
10 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic (couldn't find, just used cream of mushroom)
0.7 oz. pkg. Italian dressing mix (you can use that good seasonings mix) or 1-1/2 Tbsp. Homemade Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:Cut chicken breasts into strips and place into a 3-4 quart crockpot. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, softened cream cheese, soup, Italian dressing mix, broth, Italian seasoning, and pepper and stir until blended. Pour over chicken in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir well, then serve over hot cooked pasta or rice.

(We serve over brown rice)

You could add vegetables to this recipe to make it a one-dish meal. A package of baby carrots, or a cup of chopped onion should be placed under the chicken and cooked for the full time. Add sliced mushrooms to the crockpot in the last 2 hours. And add sliced bell peppers or zucchini during the last hour of cooking. Serves 4-6

Chocolate Frosting

I got this recipe from Sister O'Bryant who was one of the couple missionaries in my mission. I love it!

1/2 cup cocoa
2/3 cube magarine
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
milk to moisten

Beat at least two minutes.

Chicken Alfredo Parmesan

Here is one of my Mom's yummy pasta dishes...

Cooked Penne or Ziti pasta (12-16 oz. dry)

Diced, cooked chicken (can use canned chicken, drained - I like to crock-pot chicken before-hand)

Cooked vegetables, if desired (broccoli, mushrooms, green onions, etc.)

Sauce:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups heavy cream (can substitute milk for lower-fat)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. marjoram

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add garlic.  Add cream or milk. -Stir constantly!-    When warm, add sour cream.  When warm, add parmesan (stirring especially important when parmesan is in, or it will stick).  Add the remaining ingredients (spices), stir and simmer 10 minutes.

Mix cooked pasta, chicken, vegetables and sauce in baking dish.  Sprinkle with additional parmesan.  Bake at 350 degrees until warmed through (about 10-15 minutes).

Salmon Marinade

I know that some of you aren't into fish, but this is a really good salmon recipe. We have it at least once a week.

1 TBSP. Paprika
1TBSP. Kosher salt
2 tsp. Lemon Pepper
4 TBSP. Brown sugar
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Dried Tarragon
1 tsp. Dried Basil
Salmon (about 3 pounds)
Pure maple syrup

Mix together the first 7 ingredients. Then rub the dry mixture onto the salmon and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, drizzle with pure maple syrup and extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 450 degrees for 12-18 minutes or BBQ.

Yogurt Parmesan Chicken

This is really simple, really fast, and really good... great for a large dinner group!

2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. seasoned salt
4 – 6 chicken breasts, patted dry
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine and set aside first 4 ingredients.
Coat the chicken breasts with the yogurt then roll in the crumb mixture and arrange in a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish.
Drizzle with melted butter and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until fully cooked.

Mary's Stuffed Shells

1 box jumbo shells
1 20 oz. Ricotta (I usually end up buying a 32 oz and using about 28 oz)
1 lb bag mozzarella cheese
1 large Costco size Prego sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Cook shells 10 minutes (do not overcook). Rinse shells under cold water. Mix ricotta and most mozzarella cheese and spoon into shells. Pour little sauce into bottom of 9x13 pan. Double layer shells if necessary. Cover all stuffed shells with sauce and put mozzarella on top. Bake 45 min-1 hour on 375.

Variation: Add frozen spinach to cheese mixture

Cafe Rio Pork

This pork is to die for- so yummy and really tastes like Cafe Rio...

3 lb. pork loin
16 oz. chunky salsa (put in blender until chunks are gone)
1 can coke
2 cups brown sugar

Put pork loin in crock pot and cover half the pork with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain water, cut pork into 1/3rds, pull fat off and shred with a fork. Mix sauce together (salsa, coke and br. sugar) pour over pork and cook another 3 hrs. on high. Leave on low until ready to serve.

Cafe Rio Dressing

3 tomotillos-peel off paper and chop
1 hidden valley ranch dressing packet
1 cup of mayo
1 cup cilantro chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped (this is a little strong for me, I would probably only do 1 but you know me and garlic)
1/2 -1/3 c. buttermilk

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve.

I served with, lettuce, shredded cheese, black beans, and tortillas.

Carrot Cake SUPREME!

This is the most delicious carrot cake on the planet! This is actually Kriquett's recipe... she made it for her dessert night months ago and we are still talking about it. I know this is not the best way to start off the year or a dinner group recipe blog, but it must be posted!!

CARROT CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups grated carrot
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 1/2-oz) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
Buttermilk Glaze (recipe below)
Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

-Grease three 9-inch round cakepans; line with wax paper. Lightly grease and flour wax paper. Set aside.
-Stir together first 4 ingredients. Beat eggs and next 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrot and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pans.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
-Drizzle warm Buttermilk Glaze evenly over warm cake layers; cool in pans on wire racks 15 minutes. Remove from pans, inverting layers. Peel off wax paper; invert again, glaze side up. Cool completely on wire racks.
-Spread Deluxe Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Chill cake several hours before slicing. Store in refrigerator.
-Yield 16 servings

BUTTERMILK GLAZE
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

-Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly until glaze is golden. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

DELUXE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 (3-oz) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 (16-oz) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

-Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beathing at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.