Green Chili Enchilada Casserole

This dish is so quick to prepare. It's much easier and faster than filling and rolling traditional enchiladas. AND it's delicious! You can add a small can of jalapenos along with the green chilies for a little kick!

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into small pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

2 cans (4ounce) green chilies

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 flour tortillas, cut into strips about 1 inch wide

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chicken, cook in oil until lightly browned. Add onion, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until onions are tender and chicken is cooked throughly. Add soup, sour cream and chilies, stir until well combined. In a greased 9"x13" glass baking dish, layer half of the tortillas, half of the chicken mixture, and half of the cheese. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

It''s great on it's own, but you may serve with any of the following:

salsa

sour cream

guacamole

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

sliced olives

chopped avocados

Stuffed Green Peppers

I thought since we've been over my grandma's wrongdoings in the kitchen, we should move on to something she did right! Her stuffed peppers were always right! She seems to have misplaced her recipe, so this is as close as I can get. It's pretty close though and it's dang good! No side dished required! Maybe some good crusty bread or a side of fresh fruit is all you need.

4 green Bell Peppers, tops removed, seeded and membranes removed

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup minute rice, uncooked

1/2 cup water

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 small can diced tomatoes or 2 small tomatoes seeded and chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Boil peppers in salted water for 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a large skillet brown ground beef. Drain grease.* Add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes. Add rice, water, tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce. Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in half of the cheese. Fill peppers with mixture. Place filled peppers in shallow baking dish. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over peppers. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

*When I brown ground beef for a recipe like this I always drain the grease when the meat is done. I also rinse the meat with hot water to remove as much of the grease as possible.

Hot Chicken Salad

If you have ever been to a shower given by my family then you've probably had this dish! Our menu planning always seems to lead us here... it's always a crowd pleaser! It's perfect on it's own with some fruit or a fresh green salad, but also great as a warm chicken salad sandwich on a croissant or roll. There is a fair amount of chopping involved but the end result is worth it!

6 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped

3 cups chopped celery

1/2 cup slivered almonds

2/3 cup chopped green pepper

1/3 cup chopped green onion

8 ounce package sliced mushrooms

1 small jar pimentos

1 can water chestnuts

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon season salt

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients except cheese. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Rustic Pesto Pizza

I had a pizza just like this in Las Vegas a few months ago. I haven't been able to get it out of my head! It was soo delicious. So, i decided to recreate it. Which turned out to be pretty simple and pretty close to the real thing!

3/4 cup prepared pesto sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

1 recipe pizza dough

Roll dough to roughly the size of a cookie sheet. Place dough on greased cookie sheet. Use your fingers to press the dough out to the corners and sides of the pan. Bake crust 12 minutes at 450 degrees. Remove crust from oven and top with pesto sauce, cheese, tomato and sprinkle with salt. Return to oven for about 8 minutes longer. Top with fresh basil before serving.

Pizza Dough

1 package dry rapid rise yeast

1/4 cup warm water

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cups cold water

Dissolve yeast in warm water. In your mixing bowl combine flour, salt, olive oil, honey and yeast mixture. Knead with dough hook or by hand about 5 minutes. Let dough rest 10-15 minutes.

Not Your Grandma's Meatloaf

My grandma is a great cook. She cooked for us a lot while I was growing up and I always looked forward to dinner at her house. Her meatloaf however... not so great (to say the least). So I've had this idea for years that I did NOT like meatloaf. This recipe 100% changed my mind. I LOVE meatloaf! Who knew!

1 pound ground beef

3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 /2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg

1/2 cup ketchup

1 recipe Sweet and Sour Sauce

Combine all ingredients. Press lightly into 5"x9" loaf pan. Bake in 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and drain fat. Pour about 1/3 of sauce over meatloaf and return to the oven for 30 minutes longer. Serve with remaining sauce.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 (12 ounce) jar chili sauce

1 (12 ounce) jar red currant jelly*

Cook over low heat until jelly is melted and sauce is heated through.

*Red currant jelly is sometimes hard to find. I have used strawberry and apple and the sauce turns out just fine.

**Based on a recipe from Favorites cookbook

Parmesan Chicken

Chicken is my old stand by. I always have a bag of boneless skinless breasts in the freezer. As you can imagine I have made chicken just about every way you can think of. This is defiantly my favorite at the moment . The crust is perfect... lightly crispy and absolutely delicious. Don't even think of skipping the vinaigrette! It gives the chicken a nice richness yet is still light and fresh. The salad greens on top are very good and make for an elegant presentation. Though the chicken and vinaigrette are delightful on their own!

I know it's tempting to crank up the heat, but this is one recipe you should stick to the recommended cooking temperature. You're looking for that perfect golden brown, too dark and the crust will have a bitter flavor.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 extra-large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

butter

olive oil

salad greens for 4

1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette

-Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/4-inch thick.

-Combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on a plate.

-Beat eggs and water on a second plate.

-Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on a third plate.

-Coat the chicken with the flour mixture, then dip in the egg mixture, and finally dredge in bread crumb mixture. Press lightly to make sure chicken is well coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and cook chicken over medium low heat for about 3 min on each side. Add more butter and olive oil as needed to cook the rest of the chicken. Place a handful of salad on each chicken breast and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Lemon Vinaigrette

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.

*Based on a recipe by Ina Garten