Tortilla Soup ~ by Sarah

I found this recipe on Pinterest after wanting to find a good soup to take to Mom's for Christmas Eve.  It was definitely delicious!  I did all the prep work that morning, so putting it together was really easy.  It smelled wonderful while it was cooking and tasted even better!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
¼ cup diced green bell pepper
¼ cup red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (10 oz. can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
32 ounces, fluid low sodium chicken stock
3 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups hot water
2 cans (15 oz. can) black beans, drained
3 tablespoons cornmeal or masa
5 whole corn tortillas, cut into uniform strips around 2 to 3 inches

Garnishes:
sour cream
diced avocado
diced red onion
salsa or pico de gallo
grated Monterey Jack cheese
fresh cilantro

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed---add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese. (The garnishes really make the soup delicious.)

(Not my picture...)

Tator Tot Bake ~ by Sarah

A Facebook friend shared this recipe on my news feed and I thought it looked good, so I made it the next day.  It is delicious!  And even better the next day!  Easy, too!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion (diced) (I used green onions, instead.)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 small can black olives (sliced)
1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen corn
1 (4 ounce) can green chilies (diced and drained)
1 (12 ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 (16 ounce) bag shredded Mexican cheese blend (I shredded my own jack and cheddar because I think bagged cheese is just not as good.)
1 (16 ounce) package frozen tater tots
1 (10.5 ounce fluid ounce) can enchilada sauce
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Add ground beef, garlic, and onion and cook while breaking the meat apart with a spoon or spatula until the ground beef is completely browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add taco seasoning mix, green chilies, frozen corn, and black beans to the ground beef. Cook until heated through.
Step 2: In a large bowl combine ground beef mixture, ¾ of the Mexican cheese blend, and all of the tater tots. Stir well to combine.
Step 3: Pour about 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Add the tater tot mixture to the baking dish and lightly pat the mixture down into a solid, even layer. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tater tots.
Step 4: Place into the oven and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking, top the casserole with the remaining Mexican cheese blend and the sliced black olives. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

(Not my picture...)

Chicken Enchilada Casserole ~ by Sarah

I found this recipe in my Pioneer Cookbook.  I modified it a little bit to make it more like the chicken enchiladas I make and we love.  It turned out to be very good!

Ingredients:
8 corn tortillas, cut into eighths
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed and cooked
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. chicken broth (I would recommend low sodium--there's enough salt in everything else and you don't want it to be too salty)
1 medium can diced green chilies
4 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. jack cheese, shredded
2 small cans sliced black olives


Directions:
Cook cubed chicken.  Add green onions and chilies.  Simmer for 10 minutes or so to let some of the juices evaporate.

Find a cute little chef to help you:

Place half of tortillas in the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch pan.  Mix chicken, onions, chilies, soups, broth, olives, and half of each cheese in large bowl.  Put half of the mixture on top of tortillas.  Place other half of tortillas on mixture in pan.  Follow with the final soup/chicken mixture.

Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Sausage-Kale Breakfast Strata ~ by Sarah

I made this for the first time the other day and took it to a breakfast potluck at school.  It is a Pioneer Woman recipe, so it is not fat free.  It got rave reviews.  I liked how I made it the night before and then just had to bake it in the morning.  Kale is growing on me...this is really good!


Ingredients: 
12 whole Eggs
2-1/2 cups Half And Half (or Milk, If You Prefer)
Salt And Pepper, to taste
4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano (or Parsley, Basil, Etc.)
1 loaf Crusty French Or Italian Bread, Cut Into Cubes
2 pounds Breakfast Sausage Patties, Cooked And Cut Into Cubes
1 bunch (large) Regular Kale, Torn Into Pieces
Olive Oil (for Frying)
16 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Halved
2-1/2 cups Grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Preparation Instructions: 
*Note: Recipe can easily be halved.

Mix together eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, and minced oregano. Set aside. Drizzle olive oil over mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then roast in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat, then throw in kale. Cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Remove from heat and set aside. Layer half the bread, half the kale, half the mushrooms, and half the cheese in a large, buttered lasagna pan. Repeat with the other half of all the ingredients, ending with the cheese. Slowly pour egg mixture all over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight if possible. To bake, remove from fridge 20-30 minutes before baking. Replace plastic wrap with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden brown and slightly crisp.

(Pioneer Woman picture)

If you want to see her step-by-step pictures, you can see her post here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2012/01/sausage-kale-strata/

Cowboy Calzone ~ by Sarah

I love calzone--something about all that pizza dough just does it for me.  This is a Pioneer Woman recipe I've been wanting to try and it didn't disappoint!  The calzone are huge--and very filling!  This recipe may seem like a lot of work, but it's really very easy and didn't take much time at all.  This makes 8 calzone...

Before you make the calzone, you need to make the pizza dough:
Ingredients:
1 t. or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. kosher salt
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:
Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl.  Sprinkle the yeast over the water and set aside.  Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.  With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle the olive oil until just incorporated.  Gently stir the yeast/water mixture and then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture; mix until the dough forms a ball.  (You can also mix by hand until the dough comes together.)  Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl.  Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.  Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Now it's time for the calzone:

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. hot breakfast sausage

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 can Rotel

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil for brushing

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the sausage and hamburger with the onion.  Brown over medium heat.  Drain the excess grease.  Pour in the tomatoes and chilies.

Stir to combine, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.  In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.

Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal-sized balls.  With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.  Place 1/8th of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.

Fold half of the circle over the other half, gently pressing to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside.  Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.  Brush the calzone with olive oil.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.  Transfer the calzone to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

I like a little sauce with my calzone, so I served these with marinara sauce for dipping.  Delicious!