Southwest Fondue

Justin whipped this together one day

& I absolutely fell in love with it!

He didn't write down the amounts of ingredients he used

so this actual recipe was something I came up with while attempting to recreate it.
This makes a lot, but you could easily half the recipe if you didn't want to make so much.
I keep the leftovers in our fridge & just reheat small amounts when I want some.

3 cups cheese

1 cup salsa

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup ranch

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp chili powder

Use a hand blender to combine all ingredients except for cheese. Add cheese & heat in saucepan over medium heat until cheese is melted. Use hand blender again to help even the texture before serving. Keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.

So far I have tried it with tortilla chips, pretzels, breakfast burritos, quesadillas & my personal favorite... Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos! It tasted amazing with all of them (:

xoxo

Mormon Enchiladas

This dinner is super easy, tasty, & filling...
My grandparents had a friend whose parents were from the Mormon Colonies in Mexico.
They like to make stacked enchiladas out there, hence the name "Mormon" Enchiladas.
The friend made these for my grandparents many years ago,
who started making them for their children.
My dad & grandparents made them for us growing up,
& I introduced them to my husband & our kids.
We have all been enjoying them ever since!

Corn tortillas

Canned chili

Shredded cheese

You can do this one of two ways: Heat the chili prior to stacking or heat the whole thing in the microwave after it's stacked. I usually layer mine first, then just microwave it.

Layers go as follows: Tortilla, chili, cheese; tortilla, chili, cheese; tortilla, chili, cheese... Do this as many times as you'd like depending on how hungry you are. I usually stick to three tortillas high & top with sour cream. Enjoy!

xoxo

Easy Cheesy White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

A few months ago,

my friend Lisa from Pebbles & Piggytails posted a recipe

for Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole on her blog.

We tried it for dinner a while back & absolutely loved it!

My pregnant mind started thinking of different variations of it that we could try since it's so simple...

Hubby even had an awesome idea that I'm going to withhold for now

since I'm sure I'll post about it later!

This dinner was another one of those weird pregnancy thoughts

that turned out to be wonderfully delicious!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole meets Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas.

They fall madly in love.

Easy Cheesy.

25-30 corn tortillas

2 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp chicken base

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 cup cheddar cheese separated (1/2 cup & 1/4 cup)

2 cups monterey jack cheese

Chop tortillas into bite sized pieces. Heat water with chicken base in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until chicken base is fully melted. Mix together heavy whipping cream, sour cream, & chicken base melted in water. Add chicken, green chiles, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, & tortillas then mix well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with monterey jack cheese & remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.

xoxo

Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch

Cheesy CBR.
Parmesan Chicken meets Chicken Bacon Ranch.
They fall in love.
So do my taste buds.
It's quite the love triangle.

4 Tbsp butter (melted)

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 dry ranch packet

4-5 large chicken breasts

bacon bits

grated cheese (I use cheddar & monterey jack)

Melt butter in small microwaveable bowl. Combine parmesan cheese & 1/2 of a dry ranch packet in another bowl. Dip chicken in butter, then coat with parmesan ranch mixture on both sides. Place coated chicken into glass 9x13 pan. Sprinkle generous amount of bacon bits & grated cheese on each piece of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Featured at:

xoxo

Chicken Parmesan

We had Heart Shaped Chicken Parmesan w/ Spaghetti for our family Valentine's Dinner this year...
I got the idea for the heart shaped chicken here, but didn't want to mess with attempting to fry it.
I'm no good at that.
Then I saw this recipe for a baked version...
After looking at it I realized that it was somewhat similar to a recipe I had growing up,
so I pulled that one out & ended up using a mix between them!

3 large chicken breast halves (sliced in half to make 6)
4 Tbsp butter (melted)
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice chicken in half to make 6 thin chicken breasts. {Opt: Cut chicken into heart shapes.} Melt butter in small bowl. Combine breadcrumbs & Parmesan cheese in another bowl. Dip chicken in butter then coat with crumb mixture on both sides. Place in foil-lined pan & bake for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over & bake for another 5 minutes. Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of sauce over each piece of chicken & spread evenly so that it is covering the chicken but not dripping off the sides. Place a slice of mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken & bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over spaghetti or your favorite noodles.

Notes:
- To make the heart shaped chicken, I pressed a cookie cutter on each chicken breast to sort of give me an outline to follow, then I cut the hearts using my kitchen scissors.
- Don't forget to coat & cook the scraps of chicken breast if you make heart shapes since they're still yummy, but they probably won't need to cook as long!

Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas

I grew up with this yummy recipe & love it!

4-6 large chicken breast halves, cooked & cubed

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups sour cream

1 small can green chilies diced or chopped (optional)

1 small can or jar of sliced green or black olives (optional)

3-4 green onions, sliced (optional)

2 cups monterey jack cheese (if you don't have it, cheddar is fine)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

tortillas

Cook chicken & dice; set aside. In large bowl combine soup, sour cream, chilies, olives, & green onions. Add monterey jack cheese to mixture once well combined. Remove 2 cups of mixture & add to chicken. Place chicken mixture into tortillas & roll up. Place in 2 large pans so they are somewhat separated. Spoon remaining mixture over top & cover with cheddar cheese. Cover with foil & bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove foil & bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese begins to lightly brown.

Notes:

- I find it helps to put a thin layer of soup mixture on the pan first so that the bottoms of the tortillas don't get too tough

- I usually cut the recipe in half to make just one 9x13 & freeze the other half of the can of chilies in a snack bag

The only problem is that I can't remember any sides that we used to eat with it...

Suggestions anyone?

xoxo

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

I love cheese fondue but we tend to make it only once a year on New Years Eve.
It's a shame I don't make it more often because it is simple, delicious, & I love cheese.

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or milk (I like to use 3/4 cups of both)

2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional) (I use 1/8 tsp garlic powder instead)

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz mild cheddar cheese, shredded

2 Tbsp cornstarch

In a fondue pot over medium heat, heat the broth/milk with the garlic until bubbles appear. Toss the cheese lightly with the cornstarch & add to the broth/milk mixture. Stir until cheese is completely melted. Keep warm over low heat.

(Tastes great with sourdough bread, french bread, lil smokies, meatballs, carrots, pretzels, broccoli, cauliflower, etc...)

Happy 2013

Happy New Year!

Last night to ring in 2013 we ate way too much fondue & we played Candyland!

It's one of the many traditions I grew up with that we decided to carry on.

You see, we don't play Candyland the same way as most families...

We get to eat the candy as we pass it on the board as if we were actually in the game.

That means that we get these goodies when we pass the following spaces/areas on the boards:
Plumpy & the Gingerbread plum trees (sad - our version doesn't have Plumpy): Gingerbread cookies & plums (we used to get a spoonful of plum babyfood sometimes, but we can't seem to find it)
Rainbow Trail: Skittles
Mr Mint & the Peppermint Forest: Candy canes

Jolly & the Gumdrop Mountains/Gumdrop Pass: Gumdrops
Lord Licorice & the Licorice Castle: Licorice
Gramma Nutt & her Peanut Brittle House: Peanut brittle or some kind of nutty treat (this year we used Butterfingers)

Princess Lolly & the Lollipop Woods: Lollipops or suckers
Queen Frostine & the Ice Cream Sea (She's Princess Frostine in our version, but she's still a Queen to me): Ice cream
Gloppy & his Swamp (He used to be a molasses monster, but I guess now he's into chocolate): We used to eat a molasses cookie or a spoonful of molasses, but now that he's a chocolate monster we have chocolate of sorts. (Last night it was chocolate lava cakes, but next year I think we'll do Lindt truffles. You know, the kind that turn to pure liquid in your mouth...)
King Kandy & the Candy Castle: We don't typically do anything when we get there, but I'm thinking next year that we might have one King size candybar that we can all share as we get to it.
I think you get the idea...
It's a lot of fun (:

Here's the yummy cheese fondue that we ate for dinner.

You can find the Cheddar Cheese Fondue recipe here.
& don't forget the Milk Chocolate Fondue...

Scrumdiddlyumtious!

We were going to slice some granny smith apples to eat with both the cheese & the chocolate fondues but I completely spaced it! Oh well, I get to enjoy them with all our leftovers today (;

Well, I guess it's time to take a look a last years resolutions to see what I've accomplished & what I need to continue to work on...

2012 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily (I did really good until our little Princess was born)
2. Have personal prayer daily (I do this, but I want to get back into the habit of praying on my knees)
3. Be a better & more loving wife (Hubby thinks I was silly to have this as a goal since he likes me the way I am, but I feel there's always room for improvement)
4. Read, sing, & play with the kids more (Again, there's always room for improvement, but I've made progress since last year)
5. Have more park days (No excuses... I need to get out more)
6. Keep our home clutter-free (Work in progress, right?)
7. Complete daily chores (Yes, that includes maintaining the dishes...)
8. Be a better visiting teacher (I'm at least making it out there now)
9. Try making a new meal once a month (Did great at first, but I started slacking)
10. Be more patient (I feel as if I may have actually sort of achieved this goal!)

2013 Resolutions:
1. Read scriptures daily

2. Kneel for daily personal prayers
3. Create a better budget & stick to it
4. Keep our home clutter-free
5. Have family home evening every week
6. Exercise & play together as a family
7. Have more park days
8. Read at least two books
9. Invite people over
10. Be a better me (wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, leader, etc...)

We'll see how I do...
Wish me luck!