Baked Crunchy Tacos

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 cup cheese, divided
1/4 cup salsa verde
15 crunchy taco shells
shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, lime juice to top

1. Preheat oven to 400*.
2. Brown and drain meat.
3. Stir in tomatoes, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup cheese and salsa verde into meat mixture, dividing equally until all the meat is used.
4. Arrange taco shells standing up in a 9x13 pan. Fill each shell with the meat mixture, dividing equally until all the meat is used.
5. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the tops of the filled tacos and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cheese will be melted and the meat hot.
6. Top with the toppings and enjoy.

* I really didn't think these would be all that special compared to a normal taco but I was SO wrong! We have made these numerous times since finding this recipe becuase they are so flavorful and addicting! They have a much better flavor compared to your normal taco seasoned crunchy tacos. The hubby and I agree that fresh lime juice squeezed on top and fresh pico are MUST with this recipe!

* Recipe from Heather Likes Food
* Photo from Karrissa's Kitchen

Lettuce Wraps

1 lbs. ground chicken or ground pork (I use ground sausage from by the bacon.)
8oz can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup roasted peanut, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 head iceberg lettuce, separated into rounds
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 pkg Lee Kum Lee Panda brand sauce for Lettuce Wraps in the Asian section at the grocery store

Heat oil over high heat in a large frying pan or work. Add meat and stir fry for 3 minutes or until browned. (I personally don't use the oil because it adds way too much grease for our liking.)
Add all vegetables, peanut and water chestnuts.
Stir fry for an additional 2 minutes.
Add 3/4 pouch of sauce and bring to a simmer.
Add green onions and peanuts.
Scoot the mixture into a lettuce cup.
Drizzle the remaining sauce on top.

* We love lettuce wraps and these definitely didn't disappoint. There wasn't much talking going on between me and my man because we were too involved with eating these good wraps! I will be repeating this one again soon!

Chili's Monterey Chicken

3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 dashes garlic
5 dashes salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
8 slices apple-smoked bacon
8 Tbsp BBQ sauce, of your choice

1. Mix the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt together an place chicken breasts in it. Add enough water to bring the marinade up to the middle of the chicken breast.

OR

2. Mix together the marinade (as mentioned above) and place into a ZipLoc bag large enough for all the chicken breasts to fit inside. Add water until the marinade reaches the top of the chicken breasts. (This is my preferred method!)
3. Marinate for as close to 8 hours as possible.
4. To cook:
Bake, broil, grill or skillet fry. Anyway works well! Chili's grills. Choose your preferred method and cook until the breasts are done. (I usually grill them.)
5. While the breasts are cooking, fry up the bacon until CRISP!
6. When the chicken is done, top each breast with 2 TBSP of BBQ sauce, two strips of bacon and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Microwave the breasts (or broil) until the cheese is melted (I broil them!)
8. Serve!

*WOW! This was incredible! Even my pickiest eater ate her entire helping! The flavor is awesome! This si a new favorite in our house for sure! Pick a GOOD BBQ sauce for this. It makes a difference in how great the flavor is!

Recipe & Photo from Food.com & Lori Mama

Chicken & Red Potatoes

2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp crushed rosemary leaves
1 tsp minced garlic (You can buy this in a jar so it's much easier!)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 chicken thighs, (about 2lbs) (I just cut chicken breasts into strips.)
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

Mix oil, all of the spices and salt in large bowl. Add chicken and potatoes; toss to coat well. Arrange chicken and potatoes in single layer on foil lined 15x10x1 inch baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray.

Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425* oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally.

*This is always a hit with everyone in the house. Mild flavors and very filling! You can buy this near all the spices and seasonings with the majority of the spices all in a package for this recipe. It's a McCormick Recipe Inspiration.

*From McCormick

Hev's Chicken

 * These are just estimates. I eyeball it.

3/4 c sugar
add soy sauce (this more than the vinegar)
add apple cider vinegar
squirt of honey

Add soy sauce till easy to stir but a little thick and goopy.

Fry chicken coated in egg & flour & cook with this sauce over the top. Bake @350 for 20 minutes on each side or until done.

* We combine this we Shauna's Coconut Chicken and it's pretty much to die for! When combining the two, I don't fry the chicken first. I follow the coconut chicken recipe and pour this over the top before the butter of the other recipe then cook it per the directions of this recipe or the sauce will burn.

Shauna's Coconut Chicken

 * These are estimates. I eyeball it.

Mix together:
1/2 cup flour
salt & pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1-1 1/2 cup coconut flakes (this should be more than anything in the mixture)

Mix up an egg.
Dip chicken in egg & then in flour mixture.
Coat very well. (I press extra on top of the chicken once in pan.)
Place in greased glass pan.
Melt a stick of butter and dump over the top of the chicken.
Bake @ 400* for 20 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

*Optional:  Mix 4 parts apricot jelly to 1 part dijon mustard as a sauce.

* We like to combine this with the sauce for Hev's Chicken!

Kaeloni's Potato Bacon Soup

8 slices of bacon
1 cup chopped onion
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 cup water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
2 tablespoons parsley (she usually leaves this out as do I)

Fry bacon till crisp. Sautee onions in bacon grease. Strain fat. Put potatoes in water till boil. Cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in soup and sour cream. Gradually add milk and seasonings. Add onions and bacon. Heat.

*From Kaeloni Wamsley

Chinese Chicken Salad

1 cup sunflower seeds 
1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix 
2 packages Beef Top Ramon dry, save the packets 
1 bunch green onions chopped 
2 cups cooked and diced/shredded chicken (I refrigerated this after I cooked & shredded it until it was cold.)

SAUCE
1 cup peanut oil 
1/2 cup sugar 
1/3 cup white vinegar 
2 packets beef seasoning from Top Ramon packages listed above

1. In a large mixing bowl, toss sunflower seeds, coleslaw, chopped green onions and chicken.
2. Smash Top Ramon packets with fists until they are crushed into small pieces. Reserve beef packets for sauce. Add Top Ramon pieces to salad and toss to evenly distribute.
3. In blender, combine peanut oil, sugar, vinegar and beef packets. Blend until evenly mixed.
4. Toss the dressing and salad together until coated with dressing and you reach desired flavor.

* This was amazing! My husband and I both could not get enough of this salad! The flavor was perfect and this was a super easy recipe. The most time consuming part was boiling and shredding the chicken. There was a small portion leftover that I refrigerated and ate for lunch the following afternoon and it was still just as good. I can't wait to make and eat this one again!

Recipe from Chef In Training
Photo from Amber's Delectable Delights

Baked Fried Chicken

 Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 minutes. (I cut up chicken breasts into strips and let it soak for 5-10 minutes due to time.)

Mix in a gallon size ziploc or large bowl:
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp season all (I just used seasoned salt that I had)
3/4 tsp pepper
1 cup flour
2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through. 

 

* This was a huge hit in our house! I was in desperate need of going grocery shopping but had not found the time so I was low on ingredients and a friend suggested this great recipe. It was super easy and I already had all the ingredients at home. The best part by far was how much my family enjoyed it. My husband was sold instantly and even my 4 year old ate hers all gone which says a lot on it's own! We love adding different side dishes to it like vegetables and rolls or mashed/baked potatoes. It really goes with anything! This will become a staple meal in our house.
Recipe & photo from Our Life Uncommon

Chicken Tamale Bake

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14.75 oz.) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5 oz.) box corn muffin mix

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles

1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the cheeses in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the combined cheese, the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix, and green chiles.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.  Remove the cornbread from the oven and pierce all over with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn bread. Top with the chicken and remaining cheese. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

* I absolutely love tamales. If you have never tried them, be brave and try them! I remember not wanting to try them out the first time they were offered to me 7 years ago and I was so delighted and surprised at how amazing they are after my first bite! You could call me obsessed now. Seriously! It's was no surprise to my husband that I found this recipe and HAD to try it. This tasted just like a tamale! WOW! My husband and I could not get enough of this delicious and simple recipe. Add a squeeze of lime over the top of your serving... AMAZING!

Recipe & photo from Let's Dish.

Crock-pot BBQ Chicken

Frozen chicken breasts
18oz BBQ sauce
water (if desired)

Put frozen chicken breasts in crock-pot and cover with BBQ sauce. If you desire to have the flavor a bit more tame (my daughter doesn't like straight BBQ sauce, you can fill the bottle up to half full of water and pour that in to water it down slightly. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and use on rice, sandwiches, or just as is!

* I left the house right before dinner for a meeting for several hours and when I got home my husband asked, "What in the heck did you make because it was so good I had for plates!". When I told him the time and ingredients I put into it, he was stunned and told me we would be making that again next week. This was a favorite for me because everyone loved it and it was probably the easiest homemade dinner I have ever made whcih = WINNER!

Recipe from Wendy Glass

Photo from Lex's Life As a New Wife

Mexican Casserole

1 box Rice-A-Roni "Whole Grains Spanish" Blend

2 cans chopped tomatoes, drained

1 can sweet yellow corn, drained 

2 big handfuls of fresh spinach

mexican blend shredded cheese (maybe 2 cups total)

1/2 package taco seasoning

1/2 package ranch seasoning 

1 lb ground turkey or ground beef

corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350*. On the stove top, follow the instructions for the Rice-A-Roni and prepare your meat and rice. If you don't want to use the Rice-A-Roni, simply brown your meat of choice. When the meat is browned (and the rice is cooked according to the box directions), add 1/2 packages of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. stir and allow to cook for a little bit longer, and then set aside for layering.

In a medium-sized casserole dish, begin with a layer of corn tortillas. I had to cut one in order to make sure the entire bottom of the dish was covered.

Next, start adding ingredients layer by layer. add 1 cup of shredded cheese, followed by the meat and rice mixture, spinach, tomatoes, corn, etc. start another layer with more corn tortillas, and continue through the above ingredients. you'll have two layers total.

Cover the casserole in loose foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the foil off and bake uncovered for 3-5 more minutes just until the cheese is nicely melted.

*note: On the back of the Rice-A-Roni  box, there are optional instructions if you want to add meat (ground turkey or beef). Please follow those directions! or, if you're a vegetarian, just make the rice according to the regular instructions.

* This was super, super simple and so pretty with all the colors! My husband loved how filling it was and how easy it was to adapt different flavors even after it was cooked like using hot sauce, salsa, sour cream, etc. This will become a new regular on those busy nights when we still want to eat something homemade and delicious.

Recipe & photo from Just Cook Already

The Best Steak Marinade

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

* This marinade was light and flavorful. We really enjoyed all the flavors. It smelled wonderful while it was on the grill. I served it with Baby Back flavored rice and sauteed veggies.

Recipe & photo from allrecipes.com

Nacho Hash

1 box Mexican Rice-A-Roni
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups water
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
taco seasoning
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips
sliced olives & salsa, optional toppings

1. Brown beef and drain grease.
2. Add Rice-A-Roni rice-vermicelli mix to beef and saute until vermicelli is lightly golden brown.
3. Add water, seasoning packet from Rice-A-Roni beans, corn, and 1/2-3/4 package of taco seasoning.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover & simmer without stirring 20-30 minutes or until rice is done.
5. Stir in can of tomatoes and heat through.
6. Remove from heat & let stand 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve in bowls. Top with shredded cheddar cheese & sour cream. Eat with tortilla chips for scooping.

* This has been a family favorite since we first got married. There was a time my husband asked for it weekly. I love how easy it is and I always have these ingredients on hand. I love that it includes meat, plenty of veggies, and some grain and then is topped with dairy products which really makes it a well rounded meal in our home. We love the flavor and texture combination and how filling it is. Even my extremely picky 3 year old eats this dish! This makes quite a lot for our family but it reheats great and even has more flavor the next day. It is also good rolled up in tortillas.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken

4 frozen chicken breasts
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup Teriyaki sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drain half the juice out
Crushed red pepper flakes

Spray the crock pot with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken breasts.
Stir soy sauce, Teriyaki sauce, and pineapple chunks (with half of the juice) together.
Pour over the chicken.
Sprinkle as many red pepper flakes on top as desired.
Cook on high for 4-6 hours.
Shred chicken with two forks in the crock pot and serve over rice.
You can also save some of the sauce if you like it a little bit more saucy and drizzle it over rice and chicken.

* This dish was good but not too flavorful. The chicken was incredibly moist and cooked super fast. It was also very filling! Two chicken breasts was more than enough for us with plenty of leftovers. I will make this again with a few changes. I think it needs something a little sweet in the sauce, possibly a little bit of brown sugar. Also, I would not add the pineapple chunks until right before serving it since they soaked up so much of the sauces and became slightly too salty. I love the idea of the recipe so I will try it again for sure.

Recipe & photo from Chef In Training

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded.
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small can diced green chilies drained (You can use two cans if desired.)
1/2 to 1 cup half and half
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
flour tortillas
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)

In a medium sized bowl mix together shredded chicken, diced chilies, 2 cups of cheddar cheese and cumin; set aside. In another bowl mix 2 cans of soup, add half and half to get a somewhat runny consistency.(You don't want it to be completely runny because it will break down a little bit as it heats up.) Spoon your chicken/cheese mixture into the flour tortillas and roll. Put all rolled enchiladas into a 9x13 pan. (I like to put a bit of the sauce on the bottom first.) Pour sauce over enchiladas and the remaining cheddar cheese on top. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes or until heated through.

* This was a quick and simple dish to put together but was lacking some flavor. It was so creamy but kind of bland for our taste but still good and we enjoyed it. We used some hot sauce and salsa on top to spice it up. (We like things packed full of flavor and spice in our house!) I will definitely use 2 cans of chilies next time I make these. We couldn't even notice them with one can.

* Photo and Recipe from Dinner For Dollars

Spicy Chicken Wings

Chicken wings (We used drumsticks instead of wings because they have more meat on them.)
Frank's Hot Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. Rinse and dry chicken.
3. Roll in Frank's Hot Sauce. Pour the remaining over the top of chicken.
4. Place on foil lined and greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Top with some fresh sauce.
7. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

* These were so fast and easy that my husband actually made them! We love the taste of Frank's Hot Sauce and these drumsticks turned out great! They smelled amazing while they were baking and the flavor was delicious.

Photo from The Culinary Review

Honey Chicken Skewers

1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Place twenty 8-inch wooden skewers in water to soak. Heat grill to medium-high. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire sauce; set aside.

2. Slice the chicken lengthwise into twenty 1/2-inch-thick strips {or use chicken tenderloins and avoided this step}. Thread each strip onto a wooden skewer. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Lightly oil the grill. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes, basting with the ketchup mixture during the last 2 minutes of cooking.

* Only 3 ingredients to make a simple and tasty chicken dish?! Yes, please! The flavor of this chicken was very light and mild but good. We would have liked a bit of a stronger flavor but it was still yummy! I served the chicken with some extra basting sauce on the side to dip it in and that helped a lot. I used whole chicken breasts instead of doing pieces on skewers and it still worked out great..

Recipe & photo from Just Cook Already

Balsamic Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place chicken breasts in a zip-top plastic bag. Combine balsamic vinaigrette, garlic and crushed red pepper and pour over chicken. Seal bag and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (the longer, the better). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and place in a baking dish. Pour remaining marinade over chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Alternately, grill chicken over medium heat for 5-7 minutes per side.

* Who doesn't love a super easy dinner dish? I prepared the marinade the night before so the chicken could soak up the flavors extra long. It was so fast to put together! The chicken had a wonderful flavor! I cooked it in the oven with the extra marinade and it came out so moist. Next time I am going to switch it up and grill it. I served it with mixed vegetables and buttermilk rolls.

Recipe & photo from Let's Dish

Sweet and Sour Meatballs and Fried Rice

1 to 1-1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 1 lb and it made 14 meatballs)
3/4 cup oats

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix ingredients and form into 12 2-inch balls. Place in casserole dish, cover with sauce (recipe follows) and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce for meatballs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tsp mustard

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Fried Rice

1/4 lb. bacon

1 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced celery

1 bell pepper, diced (I used 1/2 each of a red and green pepper.)

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 cups COLD, cooked rice (I cooked mine before I started everything else so it was warm and turned out fine when heated through with everything.)

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and sauté vegetables in bacon fat. Add rice and soy sauce until heated through. Crumble bacon on top and stir all together.

* We were a bit hesitant to try this in our house since we are not fans of meatballs but they were simply amazing! The meatballs and sauce had such a delicious flavor. The rice was so simple to make and it turned out incredible. Neither my husband or myself could get enough of this meal! This recipe is a keeper for sure!

* Photo and Recipe from See Jane Cook!