Chicken Taquitos

My daughter sent me this recipe after she’d made it and watched her family devour them. It’s always so nice to find a new recipe that your kids will eat because let’s face...some kids are just picky eaters. But I can see why they loved them so much. Super good and even leftover they’re great after they are heated in the oven for a little while. We’ll be making these again!

Chicken Taquitos

 

24 corn tortillas

Oil for frying

3 chicken breasts ~ cooked and shredded

1/2 cup salsa

1/3 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

6 ounces cream cheese ~ room temperature

1 1/2 cups baby spinach ~ chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Add enough oil to a large skillet to come up almost half way. heat over medium heat.

 

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, and sour cream.

 

Add the chopped spinach, grated cheese along with some salt and pepper then add the shredded chicken and stir.

 

Divide mixture between the corn tortillas.

 

Roll tortillas then place taquitos into the hot oil, seam side down and fry until golden brown on both sides.

 

Drain on paper towels and keep in a warm oven until all taquitos are cooked.

 

Serve with extra salsa and sour cream.

The line up!

Mix together the cream cheese, 

sour cream and salsa.

Add the grated cheese, spinach 

and salt and pepper.

Stir in the cooked, shredded chicken.

Divide the mixture between the tortillas.

Fry 'em up!

Add some extra salsa and 

sour cream for extra goodness!

Cece’s Pineapple Bundt Poke Cake

I got this recipe from a friend of a friend back in California. She told me about it the other day and said how good it was and I said....send it to me NOW! And she did. And guess what? She wasn’t kidding! This easy cake is pineapple-y goodness through and through. You need to try it because you’re life is seriously lacking if you don’t. And...AND....just so you know...it’s super good with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Cece’s Pineapple Bundt Poke Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple ~ drained, juice reserved

1 3.4-ounce box vanilla instant pudding

3/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 tablespoons vanilla ~ divided use

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter ~ melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan very well cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, pudding mix and 3/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice.

Beat for 2 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of the vanilla.

Fold in the drained pineapple (I squeezed mine dry between my hands to get more juice)

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Mix together the powdered sugar, remaining tablespoon of vanilla and the melted butter.

While cake is still hot and in the pan, poke holes all over the cake using a skewer.

Pour powdered sugar mixture over the top of the cake and allow to sit in the pan for 45 minutes or so.

Turn cake out onto a serving platter, removing pan.

Drizzle cake with a powdered sugar glaze if desired.

Let's make a cake!

In a large mixing bowl, combine 

the cake mix, eggs, oil, pudding 

mix and 3/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice.

Add the vanilla....

...then fold in the drained pineapple.

Pour the batter in the pan.

Bake it up then poke 

holes all over the top.

Mix togther the rest of the pineapple juice, the powdered sugar and the butter.

Pour that mixture over the cake and 

let it sit in the pan for about 45 minutes.

Next...the unveiling! Wish me luck!

Ahhh....perfect! Drizzle with 

powdered sugar glaze, if desired.

Serve with vanilla ice cream 

or not...it's good either way!

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Bake

I’m pretty sure there’s nothing as good as pasta and cheese. In just about any combination. This little casserole is so yummy and so easy! Plus...with a pregnant daughter who can’t hardly stand to get in the kitchen and cook anything, a casserole that normally would go into a 9x13 inch pan, gets split into two 9x9 inch pans so I can give one to her. IT Guy and I certainly don’t need all that food so it works all the way around. I had this dish thrown together in less than 30 minutes and it only baked for a few minutes then dinner was done!

Chicken Spinach Tortellini Bake

2 cups cooked, diced chicken

2 cups chopped, fresh spinach

1 12-ounce package cheese tortellini ~ cooked and drained (reserve about 1 cup pasta water)

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic ~ minced

3 tablespoons flour

6 strips bacon ~ diced

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook diced bacon until crispy. Remove to a plate to drain. Reserve drippings.

Saute the garlic in the bacon drippings for about 1 minute.

Add the flour and whisk for a minute or so.

Pour in the milk and cook and stir until smooth.

Stir in the salt, pepper and lemon juice. Turn off heat.

Add 3/4 cups of both cheeses and stir until cheeses melt then stir in the chopped spinach.

Gently stir in the diced, cooked chicken and the cooked tortellini.

Add a little bit of the reserved pasta water to thin out the mixture, if needed.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until hot.

How about we make a casserole?

Dice the bacon then fry it up crisp. Remove it from the pan when done.

Add the garlic into the bacon 

drippings and cook for a minute or so.

Now add the flour and cook 

and stir until smooth.

Add the milk.

And the lemon juice, salt and 

pepper and cook until thickened.

Add 3/4 cup of each of the cheeses. 

Stir until melted.

Stir in the chopped spinach.

Next stir in the cooked tortellini 

and the cooked, diced chicken.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan(s) then sprinkle with remaining cheeses.

Bake and serve!

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

What a fun cookie! I love shortbread cookies but the addition of almond then following that up with raspberry jam makes for a great little bite-sized treat! These didn’t last very long in my kitchen. Every time I’d walk by the plate of cookies I’d snitch one. I finally had to put them out of sight. Holy cow but these are yummy. And SO simple! IT Guy loved them as much as I did! I think you should try them to see if we’re right!

Raspberry Almond 

Shortbread Cookies

 

1 cup butter ~ room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

1 cup powdered sugar

4 - 5 teaspoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

3 - 4 tablespoons sugar ~ for sprinkling

 

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 2/3 cup sugar on medium speed for two minutes.

 

Gradually add the flour and combine.

 

Cover and chill for 1 hour.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Scoop dough into 1” balls and place 2” apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

 

Press an indentation into each cookie with your thumb then fill the hole with about 1 teaspoon of the jam.

 

Sprinkle each cookie with a little sugar.

 

Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are light golden brown.

 

Cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes then move to a cooling rack. Cool completely.

 

In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of almond extract and the water.

 

Stir until smooth then drizzle the cooled cookies with the glaze.

 

Allow glaze to harden.

Here's all you need to make 

these yummy cookies!

Mix together the sugar, butter 

and almond extract.

Then add the flour.

Chill the dough for an hour.

Scoop then make a little 

well in each cookie.

Sprinkle with sugar then bake.

Mix together the powdered sugar, 

water and almond extract.

Drizzle the cooled cookies with the glaze.

Enjoy!

Chili Cups

Every once in a while you need to jazz up your food a little bit right? And that’s what canned biscuits are for! I’ve always wanted to try cooking biscuits this way but was afraid it would be a big fat flop but guess what? It wasn’t at all! It was pretty fun actually. I made a small pot of chili then baked the biscuits on the backside of my muffin tin and voila! Little bread bowls! So fun! You gotta try ‘em!

Chili Cups

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion ~ diced

1 package chili mix

1 14-ounce petite diced tomatoes

1 cup salsa

Salt and pepper to taste

1 8-count package Grands Refrigerated Biscuits

In a large skillet, saute the onion in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Add the ground beef and cook through.

Add the chili mix, canned tomatoes and salsa.

Simmer for 15 minutes.

Spray the backside of a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

Unwrap and separate biscuits and press flat to about a 4” circle.

Form the flattened biscuits over every other inverted cup so that the dough is not touching. (You may have to cook in batches. )

Cook according to package directions until golden brown.

Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove from the tin.

Fill with chili mixture.

Add cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Let's have some fun with our food!

Saute the onions a bit then 

cook the ground beef until done.

Then add the chili mix, salsa 

and tomatoes along with some 

salt and pepper.

Simmer about 15 minutes.

Press out the biscuit dough.

Then form over every 

other inverted muffin cup.

Bake!

Then fill the cups with the chili 

and add your favorite toppings!