Lime Chicken

We had a lot of limes left over from the blessing, so when we had a party to host I knew just what we were going to make. This delicious lime chicken!!! We got this chicken recipe from my mom's friend Tami and every time we make it people love it. Great for summer BBQs!

Tami's Lime Chicken

1/2 c. fresh lime juice

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. oil

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. sesame seeds (I didn't have these this time so omitted them)

6-8 boneless chicken breasts

Mix all marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken at least 3 hours or over night. BBQ and serve as you please. Great in tacos, salads or just on its own!

Lime Cilantro Rice and Cafe Rio Pork

For our baby Davis' blessing, we had everyone over after church for a late lunch. I needed something we could cook ahead of time, that would also be a crowd pleaser. I thought a Cafe Rio style meal would be perfect! We have some family recipes that we used for the meal. Lime Cilantro Rice and Cafe Rio Pork. Serve with cooked tortillas (the ones from costco), and all the salad/burrito fixings you can think of. The meal was a success and we had a lot of fun entertaining family and friends.

Lime Cilantro Rice

2 TB oil

4c. long-grain rice

8c. water

1 bunch Cilantro, finely chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 tsp. crushed garlic

Heat oil in large skillet. Add rice, cilantro and garlic. Saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add water and lime juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. You can use a rice cooker. Serves 20

Cafe Rio Pork

6 lbs Pork (tenderloin is best)

1 (16oz) bottle salsa (we use 1/2 salsa and 1/2 chili sauce)

Coke (1-12oz can)

2 c. brown sugar

Place pork in crock pot and fill it 1/2 way up the pork with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Lets be honest, who doesn't like a dinner that comes together like that, is good and is also great for left overs? This meal fits into all those categories. I loved this growing up because i was obsessed with chow mein noodles. I would sneak into my moms pantry and eat them right out of the can, and a meal that uses these is a must eat for me! I added carrots and mandarin oranges in mine, and opted out of the coconut. Thats what is great about this meal, just put on top whatever you like! olives are really good on it too :)

Hawaiian Haystacks

2 c. cooked diced chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. chicken broth
4 c. cooked long grain rice
2 can chow mein noodles

Combine soup and chicken broth in a large saucepan to make gravy. Stir to blend. Add chicken and simmer for 8 to 10 min.

Toppings:

3 med tomatoes diced
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. chopped celery
1/2 chopped green pepper'1/2 c. chopped green onions
1 can pineapple chunks drained
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. toasted coconut

Layer on plate in the following order:

Rice, chow mein noodles and gravy. add tomatoes, celery green pepper, and green onions. Top with pineapple and cheese. Top with almonds and coconut.

Chicken with Rice Casserole

This is a great meal for when you are short on time or want something to just pop in the oven, I like to make this ahead of time and get it out of the fridge or freezer and cook it. I am all about easy meals lately now that I have twins and don't have much time to cook. Just remember to extend cooking time if you do make it before hand. This casserole is also great because of the almonds on top. It gives it that extra crunch that just makes a casserole that much better. This is a recipe from our great friend / second mom Marsha Clawson.

3 c. cooked white rice

3 c. cooked chicken breast shredded

( save 3 c. of broth you cooked chicken in or 3 c. of store bought chicken broth)

1 med onion

1 10 oz bag frozen peas

1 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. mayo

3 T. Lemon Juice

1 tsp salt and pepper

1/4 c butter

1/3 c Flour

1/2 sliced almonds

In a large bowl combine cooked rice, cooked chicken, onion, peas, and celery, set aside.

In a small pan melt butter, stir in flour. Add 3 Cups of chicken broth stir together. Add mayo, lemon juice, salt and pepper, Add mixture to chicken mixture. Spoon into a 9x13 pan and sprinkle almonds on top. Bake at 350 for 45 min or about a hour if you had it in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Lemonade Chicken

We are back up and running! All three of us were pregnant, and I had twins in october and my sister in law Brooke had her sweet baby boy in November and my sister Lori will have her little boy in March. So needless to say we all have been pretty busy, but now that I got (somewhat) the hang of things, its time to start posting again! Here is a delicious lemonade chicken recipe. I love chicken, but one of my favorite parts of a chicken are chicken legs. They are just so delicious to me! So any recipe that calls for them , I am all for it. This particular recipe has such a good flavor, its one that is constantly requested by my hubby, and it goes great with these potatoes I will post about later :)

Lemonade Chicken

2 1/2 to 3 lbs of chicken pieces

1/4 c flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T. oil

1 (16 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate

3 T. Brown Sugar

3 T. Catsup

1 T. Vinegar

1/2 c cooking sherry

dust chicken with flour and salt. Brown chicken in hot oil. Place in 9 x 13 pan. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. bake at 325 for 1 hour. Baste occasionally. Can also cook in a crock-pot for 2 1/2 hours on high.

Beef Brisket with Mop Sauce

I went to the farmers market last week and ran into a guy who sales grass feed beef. I totally want to buy half of a grass-fed cow from him and split it with some families and have all that good beef on hand. We will see if it happens. I was going to buy some fillets, but the guy talked me into brisket. I have never cooked brisket before, so I figured why not? I checked the family cook book and lo and behold... there was a brisket recipe! This turned out delicious. I did it in the crock pot, so I had to guess how long to cook it. I put it in on high for about 2 hours and then turned it down to low for the next 4 hours. It was perfectly cooked. I bought some really yummy honey wheat rolls at the farmers market and we made these sandwiches.

Beef Brisket with Mop Sauce

1/2 c water

1/4 c cider vinegar

1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. ketchup

1/4 c. dark corn syrup ( I didn't have this so I used agave nectar)

2 TB vegetable oil ( I didn't even use this)

2 TB mustard

1 (3lb) beef brisket

Combine first 7 ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 5 min, stir constantly. Remove from heat. Place brisket in shallow roasting pan (or you can use a crock pot like me if you wish). Cover brisket with sauce. Cover and bake at 350 for 2-2.5 hours or until meat is tender. Let stand for 5 min. Thinly slice meat against the grain.

Hamburger Noodle Bake

maI'm back! New Year resolution #1... try to post a recipe once every other week. I was going to do once a week, but who am I kidding... I want to be able to stick with this! Tonight we were in the mood for a good, comfort food type of meal. So I turned to the family cookbook and decided on this one. It was yummy and even James ate a good sized portion. The only thing I would do different next time is add a little spice. Maybe some chili powder would do the trick.

Hamburger Noodle Bake

~Barbara Davis

1 1/2 - 2 lbs Hamburger Meat ( I used 1 lb of extra lean ground beef)

4 TB butter (I omitted this all together. Didn't seem like it needed it)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp sugar ( I didn't add this either)

32 oz tomato sauce

10 oz egg noodles, cooked and drained

1 small onion, chopped

8 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 c. sour cream (I used light sour cream)

1 c. shredded cheese ( I used light cheddar)

Brown hamburger, drain. Add butter (if using), sugar, garlic and tomato sauce. Simmer 15 min. Combine noodles, onion, cream cheese and sour cream. In a 9x13 pan, layer half of the noodle mixture, half of the meat sauce, repeat and then top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

I remember this one from when I was a kid. Coming home from a long day of dance classes and then eating about 3 servings of this stuff! It really hit the spot. Since James loves broccoli, I thought this was something he would like... and he did! I didn't have bread to crumble on the top, so we just did with out it. It is good either way.

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

6 chicken breasts, boiled and then shredded

2 bunches of broccoli

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 TB lemon juice

1 c. mayonnaise ( I used plain greek yogurt. I am not a mayonnaise fan)

1 1/2 c. grated cheddar

1/2 tsp curry

1/2 c. chicken broth

4 c. cooked rice (I used brown rice)

1/2 loaf white bread

Cook and cut up chicken. Cook broccoli until slightly tender. In a nonstick 9x13 pan, spread rice in bottom. Top with broccoli and then chicken. Mix mayonnaise, soups, cheese, curry, broth and lemon juice. Heat in saucepan until cheese in melted. Pour over chicken. Cut crust of 1/2 loaf of bread. Break up into chunks. Place over soup mixture until it is completely covered. Bake at 350, covered in foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil, bake until bread is browned, approximately 10 minutes.

Meatloaf

I so much prefer the colder weather and being able to turn on the oven without sweating away in the kitchen. So here is the meatloaf recipe from our recipe book.

Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs

1 onion, finely chopped

1 egg

salt and pepper

1 (16oz) can tomato sauce

3 T. brown sugar

2 T. prepared mustard

1/2 c. water

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 T. vinegar

My favorite way to make meatloaf is shaped on a cookie sheet like this. It cooks fast and all the fat runs off to the side.

Mix beef, crumbs, onion, egg, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Shape into loaf pan (or on a cookie sheet like I did). Combine remaining tomato sauce and the rest of the ingredients and pour over the meat loaf. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. It takes about half the time on the cookie sheet - depending on how thick you shape your loaf.

Italian Chicken

This is my Aunt Nancy's recipe. It has always been one of my favorites! When we were in Montana we made this to go along with Debra's pasta carbonara and a green salad. I think this was the favorite meal of the week! I ate it for left-overs a few days and it was still just as yummy to eat a couple of days later.

Italian Chicken

2-3 (60z) jars marinated artichoke hearts (we used canned and it was just as good!)

Flour

2-3lbs skinless chicken breasts

1 (28oz) can tomatoes

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced (we used cremini mushrooms and they were super yummy!)

1/2 c- 1c. cooking sherry ( we didn't have this so we used chicken broth)

Fresh or dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

Drain artichokes (saved liquid if using ones marinated in oil). In plastic bag, shake flour and chicken pieces. Brown chicken in reserved liquid or olive oil. Brown 5 minutes per side. Put chicken in 9x13 inch plan. Combine tomatoes, mushrooms, sherry and seasoning in saucepan and cook for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 for 50 minutes. Put artichokes on top and bake for 10 more minutes.

Chicken and Cashews

This meal sounded more time intensive than it really was. It turned out delicious and we loved it served over brown rice.

Chicken and Cashews

6 chicken breasts

1 tsp sugar

4 TB corn starch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 tsp. vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 TB oil

2 c. chicken stock (broth)

2 tsp. lemon juice

(I added cabbage because I wanted a vegetable and that is what I had that sounded good)

1/2 c. cashews

Cooked Rice

Cut raw chicken into bite size pieces. Combine sugar, 2 TB corn starch, salt, soy sauce, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Dredge chicken pieces in this mixture. Drain and save for later. Stir fry chicken in oil until lightly browned and tender, about 10 min. Remove chicken from pan. Ass remaining corn starch and the dredge mixture into pan. Mix well and then add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Add lemon juice and chicken pieces (and cabbage if you choose to add a veggie). Reheat, but do not boil. Taste to correct any seasonings. Add cashews and serve over rice.

Chicken Enchiladas

 These enchiladas were so different from any recipe I've tried before.  The best way to diferientiate them is that they just taste super fresh.  The ingredients is fresher and that definitely caries through in the taste.

Fresh Chicken Enchiladas
4 oz. green chilies
1 clove garlic
2 T. oil (or less, I always use less)
1 1/2 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled and choped
1 tsp. cumin
3 c. cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheese
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 c. sour cream
corn tortillas

In a saucepan combine the chiles, onion, garlic, and oil.  Saute until soft.  Add your tomatoes, oregano, cumin and the 2 tsp. salt.  Simmer until thick.  In a seperate bowl, mix the chicken, 1 cup of cheese, sour cream and the 1/2 tsp. salt.  Fill the tortillas with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture and roll up.  Put in a 9x13-inch pan.  Finally pour the sauce on top and cover with the remaining cheese.

I loved this recipe for it's unique fresh taste.  It's also one of many wonderful things you can do with your garden tomatoes!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

These little pizza rolls are perfect for a night you don't have a lot of time for dinner, but you want something that the kids will love (and adults too!). We gobbled these right up!

STUFFED PIZZA ROLLS
1 roll of refrigerated pizza dough ( you can make your own or use any dough you like. I didn't have pizza dough and used crescent roll dough. It worked just as well!)
Marinara or pizza sauce
2 TB Parmesan
1 TB olive oil (or just spray it on like I did)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Mozzarella cheese (grated or diced)
any pizza toppings that you like :)

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out pizza dough onto a floured surface into a large rectangle or square. Cut into about 24 squares ( around 3x3 inches). Just eyeball it. Place cheese and other desired toppings in the center of square and then fold up the sides to make a little ball. Make sure it is sealed. Place on a sprayed pie tin (or other small casserole dish) seam-side down. Brush the top of the rolls with oil, butter or just spray them. Sprinkle the top with garlic powder, seasoning and Parmesan. Bake in oven for 15-20 min. Keep an eye on them since all ovens and doughs are different. You want them to be golden brown on top. Serve with warm pizza sauce for dipping. Wallah!

Curried Chicken Shepherd's Pie

This chicken recipe was quick, easy and delicious!!! If you don't add too much butter to your mashed potatoes, it is healthy too :)

James was a huge fan of this one. I am always excited when there is meals I can make for Haws and I that James can eat too. This one is a winner and I will plan on making it often.

Curried Chicken Shepherd's Pie

1 lrg. onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

3 TB, butter (you can use less and it still tastes great)

1 c. frozen peas and carrots (I used just peas)

3 TB. all purpose flour

1 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 c. reduced sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. 2 % milk

2 c. cubed, cooked chicken

2 TB. dried parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 c. mashed potatoes (with milk and butter)

1/4 tsp. paprika

In a large skillet, saute onion and celery in 1 TB butter until tender. Add frozen vegetables and remaining butter; cook 2 min longer. Stir in flour and curry until blended; gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 min. or until thickened. Add the chicken, parsley, salt and pepper. Transfer to a 2 quart baking dish (or 9x13). Top with potatoes; sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie might seem more like a fall or winter dish. But it's been cold here. It definitely doesn't feel like summer is about to begin. Aside from that, I was really wanting chicken pot pie. So I decided to make it for lunch yesterday. Luke (my 4 year old) LOVED it. He was so proud of himself for eating vegetables. So here it is.

Chicken Pot Pie
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
1lb. chicken breast, cubed 1/3 c. flour
1 c. sliced carrots 1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. frozen peas 1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. sliced celery 1/4 tsp celery seed
1/3 c. butter 1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. chopped onion 2/3 c. milk

Preheat your oven to 425. In a saucepan or pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside. In the saucepan, over medium heat cook the onions until they are soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed (i just used basil because I didn't have celery seed). Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk, and simmer over medium low heat until it thickens.

I don't like the taste of store bought crusts too much, so I decided if I was going through the effort of making the dish - I might as well make my crust from scratch as well.

I mixed together my chicken mixture and the sauce, but the recipe in the cookbook says to place the chicken and veggies on your bottom crust, then pour the sauce over them. So I guess take your pick. Then cover with your top crust and seal the edges. Make serveral small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Finally bake your pie for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubble. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

It really was delicious. I was surprised at how well the boys (4 and 6) ate it. My one year old is going through a bad eating phase right now, so she just picked at it and made a mess. I was thinking that to try and cut down on the fat, I might try just having a top crust next time. Regardless I was pleased. Good comfort food!

Spaghetti Casserole

This meal was really easy to make and really good! It is Marsha's recipe and I followed almost the whole thing except I used Sun Dried tomato Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's (pork free with no casings) and just cut it into slices. James loved the zucchini and Haws loved the sausage :)

6 oz. Italian Turkey Sausage, casing removed (or slice up chicken sausage. You can really use what ever meat you like!)

2 small zucchini, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (14.5oz) can stewed tomatoes

3 oz. spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Over medium, heat sausage, zucchini and onion, breaking up with spoon and cooking until zucchini is crisp and tender and sausage is no longer pink. About 10 minutes. Drain juices. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, spaghetti and water. Transfer to prepared casserole dish, covering spaghetti with the liquid. Cover casserole with foil and bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and let stand for 5 minutes.

Lasagna

Lasagna
1 lg onion Chopped
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 cup oil (I used about 1/2 T. olive oil)
1 1/2 lbs ground meat and/or sausage
1 T. chopped parsley
1 large can tomatoes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 sm. can tomato paste
salt an dpepper
4 bay leaves
2 T. brown sugar

Saute the onion and garlic in oil (or olive oil). Ad the ground beef and parsley and brown. Drain off any fat. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook your lasagna noodles according to the package directions - or get the no boil kind.

Cheese Sauce
1 sm. onion, chopped fine 3 T. flour
4 T. butter 2 c. milk
2 egg yolks 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Cook the onion in butter a few minutes. Then mix in the flour until smooth. Add grated Parmesan cheese and a dash of salt. Gradually stir in the milk, stirring constantly until it is a thick cream. In a seperate bowl, sightly beat the egg yolks. Then mix in a little hot cheese source before adding the eggs to the cheese sauce. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

To assemble the lasagna, layer the noodles in a 9x13 pan. (I put a little tomato sauce under the noodles). Then pour half of the tomato sauce over the noodles, followed by the cheese sauce over that. Repeat the noodles and tomato sauce and cover with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We thought the lasagna was very yummy. It also wasn't as labor intensive as other lasagnas I've made before. We'll definitely make this one again.

Chicken Tomato Bisque

It rained this week. What is up with rain in the middle of May??? I didn't really mind it, it just was weird. But it did put me in the mood for some soup. I love soup as a main dish. It's healthy, filling and warms you up when you are a little chilly. This soup was delicious! I topped my with some tri-colored tortilla strips. You could serve some warm, crusty bread with it too for the perfect meal.

1 TB. olive oil

1 carrot chopped

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 c. flour

1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes or diced with juice

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 tsp. chopped oregano

1/4 c. heavy cream

1 tsp. salt

2 c. shredded, cooked chicken breast

Heat pot over med-high heat, combine oil, carrot, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are soft (6-8 min). Stir in flour until vegetables are all coated. Add tomatoes, broth nd 1/2 tsp. oregano, stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 min. Working in small batches, puree soup in blender or food processor and then transfer back into pot. Stir in chicken, cream and salt and heat through. Season to taste with pepper and garnish with remaining oregano.

Cafe Rio Pork

For my son Joshua's birthday he said he wanted "Spaghetti with meatballs and pasta with basil on it (pesto)."  We were celebrating with family on Sunday after church, and since we don't get out until 4pm and everyone was coming over at 5pm, I wanted to do something that required a little less prep time.  Since he loves going to Cafe Rio, it was easy to have him switch his order to Cafe Rio Pork.  I was even able to cook it the day before in the crockpot, then heat it up Sunday after church.

Cafe Rio Pork

6 lbs pork (tenderloin works best)

1 16oz bottle salsa

1 can Coke

2 c. brown sugar

This recipe was so simple.  I was skeptical as to how good it would turn out, but it was sweet and delicious.  All you do is put the pork in a crockpot and add water to fill it half way up the pork.  Cook the pork on high for five hours, then drain off the water, cut your pork into thirds, mix the Salsa, Coke, and sugar, and poor it in.  Cook everything for 3 more hours. Finally shred your pork with a fork and you're ready to serve. 

We served the pork with tortillas, black beans, rice, lettace, tomatoes, and cheese.  Though the recipe for the Cafe Rio Salad Dressing is in the cookbook, I took the easy route and picked it up from Cafe Rio.  They sell their dressing for $5.99 a pint - which I think is a pretty good deal!

Tami's "Lime" Chicken

I say "Lime" because when I went to make this I realized I had lemon juice instead of lime juice. So the recipe I made was actually for lemon chicken. It is good either way! This chicken recipe is easy and a crowd pleaser. It is very versitile. You can use it for tacos, salads or however you like! It is also good just on it's own.

Tami's Lime Chicken (or lemon)

1/2 c. fresh lime or lemon juice

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/2 c. oil ( I used about half this)

1/2 c. soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. sesame seeds

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix all ingredients. Marinate chicken for 3 hours or overnight (the longer the better in my opinion). Barbeque chicken. Serve whole or slice into thin slices.