Chicken Empanadas

I had no idea what an empanada was until I found this recipe. It looked good and the ingredients were all things I enjoy so why not give it a try!? Well, I am so glad I did. This is really something different that I have never eaten before but the taste combination was so flavorful! I actually made some salsa for dipping but we didn't even use it because these were so tasty and filling. I could only really eat three and my husband stopped at five. We absolutely loved them and they will go on our must-make-again list. These would be perfect for a game night or small get-together with friends or family, too.

Chicken Empanadas

Adapted from: Sing for your Supper, originally Paula Deen

2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed small

8 oz Monterey Jack Cheese blend

4-6 ounces softened cream cheese

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tbsp ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

1 package refrigerated pie crusts (2 crusts, 15 oz)

water

I cooked the chicken ahead of time by boiling 2 parts water, 1 part beef broth (because I forgot the chicken broth). Normally I would use chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate to cool.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease two baking sheets. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except water and pie crust. Mix well. Unroll one pie crust onto lightly floured surface and roll into a 15-inch circle (a bit thinner than what the package comes in). Cut rounds using a large cookie cutter (or I used the rim of a can from a 28-ounce jar of diced tomatoes). I am all about reycling! ;) As the rounds are cut, place a generous 1 tbsp of the mixture in the middle. With a clean fingertip, lightly brush the edges of the crust with the water. Fold dough over and seal gently with a fork.

Repeat and re-roll all dough until all empanadas are made and placed on baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before serving. They will be hot!

Homemade Salsa

If you are a fan of Annie's Eats (and I highly suggest that you become one if you already are not), then you will know this salsa as My Favorite Salsa. I always love going out to Mexican restaurants because of the chips and salsa. Now there is no need because this is so comparable to restaurant quality, but without all of the preservatives and salt. If you haven't guessed already, I don't really like much salt in anything. Well, anyways I went to the grocery store hoping to find big, beautiful jalapeno's like I normally do but this time they were all wrinkly and soft so I opted for getting a pepper that was a bit hotter and using one less. It's okay, I figured, since Brad loves spicy foods. This was great and I will most likely keep some on hand for guests and/or ourselves for snacking from now on! No more store-bought salsa!! If I can just find the perfect queso dip, we probably will never leave home again.

Homemade Salsa

Adapted from: Annie's Eats

1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 marzano pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large vine-ripe tomatoes, cubed (large)

1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz), drained for chunky salsa

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp cumin

1/2 red onion, chopped

dash salt

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

juice of one lime

In a large food processor, combine the peppers and garlic. Process until finely chopped. You might have to scrape the sides of the bowl to get the excess. Add remaining ingredients and pulse on low speed until salsa is at desired consistency. Transfer to airtight container and refrigerate 2 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Note: I have a very small food processor and combined the first half of the ingredients in the first batch and then pulsed the canned tomatoes and sesasonings in the second batch. Then I mixed everything in a large bowl together.

Quick Skillet Lasagna

It's really not often that I venture away from my traditional lasagna that is so delicious and has wonderful layers of pasta, cheese and beef. This week, however I had asked my husband to find recipes and cook them for me. It was somewhat out of frustration of my always cooking (and he rarely does the dishes to help out) and partially because I wanted to see what he would come up with. I need more ideas of things he might like. On a side note, I very much love my husband and even though he might not do the dishes, he does a lot around the house in terms of fixing it up/construction and what I like to call 'manly duties'.

This was one of the recipes that he had picked out for the week. I knew he liked lasagna but this was a quick and easy recipe with only a few ingredients. I'm sure he thought to himself, "Why doesn't Kelly make this lasagna recipe instead of the one she slaves for hours over?" Well .. the traditional lasagna is an impressive culinary dish for large get-togethers of our friends and family. This dish is something I can whip together in 30 minutes or less just for the two of us and there isn't too many leftovers that will get wasted. PERFECT for us!

Quick Skillet Lasagna

Adapted from: Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals

6 oz dried mafalda noodles (mini lasagna)

1.5 lb ground beef

1 jar marinara/pasta sauce (24-26 ounces)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large 10-inch deep-dish skillet cook ground beef until browned. Strain the ground beef and wipe skillet out with paper towel.

Layer half of the cooked pasta in the skillet. Cover with half the pasta sauce and meat. Cover with cheese. Repeat layer with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until cheese on top has melted. Remove from skillet and let stand for 3 minutes and serve.

Sausage Jumbalaya

I have always been a huge fan of anything cajun. It is really hard for me to recreate it at home but this is so easy and is so declicious it's really almost impossible to mess up. That is my kind of dish! The spices don't overpower the vegetables and sausage; it's just right. It has taken me a few trials until I found one that I really felt was blog-worthy and that was just .. perfection. Here it is!!! Enjoy.

Sausage Jumbalaya

Adapted from: Easy Slowcooker Cookbook

1 lb cooked, smoked sausage links, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

1 lg can diced tomatoes (28 oz), undrained

1 tbsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Spray slow cooker and combine all ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the rice, mix well, and cook an additional 1 hour on low. Serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This was another dish I have to give my husband credit for making. I didn't feel well this past week so I asked him to cook for me. Who knew he could find something so satisfying and amazingly delicious!? This was a very easy, quick weeknight dinner. I really wasn't sure how this would all come together in 30 minutes or less but it really did and I was actually craving more when my plate was clear! This dish also looked surprisingly like something you would order at a restaurant. That is not something we can often make in our household.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Adapted from: Biggest Book of 30-Minute Meals

white rice (as desired)

1 can pineapple chunks (8 oz)

1/2 cup sweet and sour sauce

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch pieces)

1 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium red pepper, sliced

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

Make white rice per box instructions. Meanwhile, drain pineapple, reserving 2 tbsp juice and set chunks aside. In small bowl, stir together pineapple juice and sweet and sour sauce and set aside. In medium bowl, toss chicken with soy sauce and set aside.

In medium skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil on medium-high heat. Add peppers and carrots and cook for 4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to skillet and using a slotted spoon, add chicken to pan. Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add sweet and sour mixture, vegetables and pineapple chunks. Heat thoroughly and serve over white rice.

Chicken, Pepper, and Green Bean Salad

I made this quite some time ago but have not been feeling well enough to roll myself out of bed, much less sit at a computer for a while to blog. My apologies!! This was a salad that I made with a main course and a side dish but this was so filling I think it really stands well on it's own. I have never been fond of oil or vinegar based dressings but this was just out of this world amazing! I love the combination of all the different flavors of peppers, lettuce, chicken, celery, onion, etc. The dressing really pulls everything together. The only modification that really sticks in my mind is that the directions originally called for setting the beans in cold water and adding them cold like that (I think to keep them nice and crisp), but they just didn't go well with the rest of the warmed salad. I have accounted for that change below but feel free to try the cold beans for yourself.

Chicken, Pepper and Green Bean Salad

Adapted from: Essentials of Healthful Cooking, Williams-Sonoma

2 large red bell peppers

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar w/a dash of sugar (or you can sub sherry vinegar)

1 tbsp chopped thyme

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp olive oil

3/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into strips

1 small red onion, sliced thin

2 celery stalks, sliced thin

10 oz mixed baby salad greens (or your choice)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cut bell peppers lengthwise into strips. Remove seeds and ribs. Arrange peppers on a cookie sheet lined with foil and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast turning once, until the edges are blistered (about 40 minutes). Removed from oven and allow to cool then peel away loosened skins and set aside. This is pretty messy so you can buy raosted red pepper in the store .. but this was really worth the effort as it tasted fantastic!

Bring a sauce pan 3/4 full of water to a boil and add the green beans. Boil 5-7 minutes (timing depends on size) and drain. Set aside and keep warm. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, thyme, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and a grind of pepper for the dressing.

Brush a large, non-stick frying pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. Add the chicken a few pieces at a time, turning to cook until no longer opaque and cooked thoroughly. Add 2 tbsp of dressing mixture into skillet, mix well and continue to cook another 2 minutes. Let chicken stand in pan.

In a large bowl combine salad greens, 1 tbsp vinaigrette and toss to coat well. Add chicken, red peppers, pan juices and greens. Toss to coat well. For a nicer presentation you can place the greens on a large serving platter first, then toss the latter ingredients in the bowl with juices. Then, top the greens with that mixture.

Classic Fettucini Alfredo II

I love pasta. I can't emphaasize that enough. I am so grateful to have good genes (in some areas) and that my parents have very high metabolisms and don't gain weight very easily. I am probably not doing myself any favors by eating pasta all the time though. Well I tried this recipe a while back and it was pretty good. The sauce was amazing since I had never made home made fettucini sauce before. I have always loved my fettucini with tomatoes. I put tomatoes on everything: pizza, pasta, doesn't matter. I thought this would be a wonderful addition to the recipe. I also used fettucini noodles instead of spaghetti this time (I forgot last time) and it was just fantastic.

Classic Fettucini Alfredo II
Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Brown Eyed Baker
For chicken breasts: (OMIT for vegetarian entree)
1-2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, butterflied
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper, to taste

For fettucini sauce:
3 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1.5 cups heavy cream
1.5 cups parmesan cheese
salt & pepper, to taste
3/4 cup chopped roma tomato pieces

First, boil water stove top and cook noodles to preferred consistency. Meanwhile, cook chicken breasts with oil in a small skillet on mediut heat 3-5 minutes on each side until no longer pink. Slice and set aside. Keep warm.

Then, melt butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and cream, simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook an additional 5-7 minutes until thickened. Mix in cheese until melted and salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss in the tomatoes and serve warm with chicken on top.