Mexican Rice and Beans

This makes a great side dish to any Mexican food.  I found two recipes and adapted them to make them mine, and lemme tell ya, I LOVE it!

The Ingredients:
3T vegetable oil
1 c. long grain rice (uncooked)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. tomato sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chopped green chiles
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
garnish: sour cream, diced tomato, cheese

The Instructions:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add rice. Cook, stirring constantly until puffed and golden.  While rice is cooking sprinkle with salt and cumin.  Stir in onions and cook until they are tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes .  Add beans, chiles, and cilantro and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.  Serve with whatever garnishes you prefer!

Rice Pudding

This recipe is TO DIE FOR!  My husband and I loved the creamy texture, and it was awesome to start with cooked rice, therefore cutting the cooking time down by half! :)

The Ingredients:

3 c. cooked rice

4 c. milk

2/3 c. sugar

½ t. salt

2 eggs beaten

2 T. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

The Instructions:

Combine rice, 3 c. milk sugar and salt.  Cook over medium heat until creamy.  Stir in 1 c. milk and egg.  Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Cool and serve.  Good both warm and cold.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

I have never been much of a fan of bell peppers. Though admittedly I have grown up a little and as my taste buds continue to die, I have found that I don't mind bell peppers so much these days. I DO prefer yellow or red peppers over green, though! This recipe was surprisingly simple, and OH SO TASTY. Don't believe me? Try it and see!

The ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 1/2 c prepared rice

6 medium to large bell peppers

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1/2 cup honey, separated

grated cheese

The instructions:

Dice onion and place in a skillet, add ground beef and brown however you prefer seasoning to taste with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Once the meat is cooked, add the cooked rice. Add 1 can tomato sauce and a HEAPING 1/4 cup of honey. Simmer on low while you prepare the bell pepper.

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove seeds and membrane. Cut the stem off and place side by side in a 9X13 baking dish. Pour meat mixture into each bell pepper "boat." In a small bowl combine the remaining can of tomato sauce and another HEAPING 1/4 cup of honey. Microwave for about 30 seconds to better incorporate the honey and tomato sauce. Stir well then pour the sauce over the stuffed bell peppers.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until peppers are cooked to desired done-ness. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve once cheese melts a bit.

((YUMMY! This recipe makes a lot. I cut it in half and was easily able to serve this to my small family of 4 (With leftovers for the hubby to take to work). Also, the filling freezes well, so feel free to make a full batch and freeze half if you have a small family.))

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This recipe was given to me by a neighbor about a year ago. It was a family favorite the moment I put it on the table. This is one of the few foods I can get both my girls to eat. Thanks Lori!

The ingredients:
Meatballs
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
dash of pepper
1/3 c. milk
1/3 c. chopped onion
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. rolled oats

Sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c. barbeque sauce (I prefer Honey BBQ)

The instructions:
Combine all the ingredients for meatballs; mix well. Form into 2" balls. Place in a casserole dish in single layer. Cover with sauce. Combine all sauce ingredients and blend thoroughly. Heat and pour over meatballs. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

((Sometimes I forgo the meatballs and just brown up some ground beef, once cooked I add the sauce to the skillet and let simmer for a few minutes...))

Bourbon Street Chicken

A few years ago my husband and I were lucky enough to be exposed to some fine dining at a neighboring city restaurant. It was a high-class Chinese food restaurant (I promise, such a thing DOES exist!), and I ordered the orange chicken. I will never forget that food. It was FANTASTIC, and I think one of the most amazing parts of it was the very VERY lightly breaded chicken. I had never experienced breaded food like this. It was slightly crispy, it held in the chicken's natural tenderness, but it wasn't overpowering. Now fast forward a few years to last week. I was doing my typical THANG online and ran across a recipe that sounded good... So, of course, I tried it. And WHAT DO YA KNOW?! It was lightly breaded chicken! The sauce was fantastic too. So without further ado I will pass it on to you!

The Ingredients:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs. oil (for frying)
4 Tbs. cornstarch

Sauce
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

The Instructions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and lightly dust with cornstarch. I used a gallon ziplock baggie. Just toss chicken and cornstarch together. Heat oil in your wok or frying pan and fry chicken until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine all sauce ingredients (I chose to NOT add the red pepper flakes since my kids are anti-spice... Oh who am I kidding- I don't like spice either). Pour into wok or frying pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice!

(picture and recipe found and adapted by Mmm... Cafe)

Crock Pot Honey BBQ Ribs

I think this may be one of my favorite meals of all time. Especially good in the winter. It gives you that smoky flavor as though you slaved over an outdoor grill to prepare this tasty dish. It is so tender that turning it into a BBQ pulled pork sandwich is a snap! The key to this fake barbecued flavor is the liquid smoke. IT adds the perfect touch or smoke.

The ingredients:
3 lbs. boneless pork ribs
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. spicy brown mustard
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp. liquid smoke

The instructions:
Place pork ribs in bottom of slow cooker. Cover and cook on High for 3 hours. Drain
and discard liquid. Reduce heat to Low. In a bowl, combine garlic salt, pepper,
ketchup, brown sugar, honey, spicy brown mustard, Worcestershire sauce and liquid
smoke. Mix well. Pour over ribs in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 3 hours.
Serve with rice. Or shred and serve on rolls.

(This recipe freezes well. Double the batch, and freeze half for a future dinner.)

Chicken and Black Eyed Peas

It is that time of year when I find myself extra busy, with too much on my plate and not enough time in my day. So, of course, I have a very good relationship with my crock pot! There is nothing quite so nice as preparing your dinner early in the day and then not needing to worry about it anymore! This recipe is simple, and delicious! A true family favorite. My daughters especially love the "beans" (black eyed peas).

The ingredients:
1 (16-oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 (16-oz.) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 bone in chicken (whole or cut into pieces)
1/4 c. water

The instructions:
Mix everything together in crock pot and cook on high for 1 hour then on low for 6 more. OR- Cook in pressure cooker until rocking, turn down heat and allow to rock for 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice.

(It is pretty heavy on the rosemary- feel free to cut it back if you don't love rosemary as much as we do!)

Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

Happy Sunday! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. And hopefully some of you scored some majorly awesome deals on Friday! On to dinner!

On Sundays I love nothing more than to crock pot a simple meal to make my dinner prep time almost non-existent. This recipe in particular is extremely easy to make and I would be willing to bet good money that most of you have the ingredients on hand right now. I LOVE this recipe, and I absolutely appreciate my neighbor for giving it to me. Thanks Mindy!

The ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (can be frozen)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup salsa
1 cup minute rice (or 1/2 c. regular rice, but will have to adjust cooking time)
1 can beans, drained and rinsed (I prefer black beans, but any kind will do)

The instructions:
Combine chicken, soup and salsa. Let cook on low for 5 - 6 hours or high for 2 - 4 (may need to cook longer if you start with frozen chicken). Chicken is done when it falls apart when squeezed with a pair of tongs. Shred chicken up and add rice and beans. If using minute rice, cook for 15 more minutes. If using real rice, you will need to cook for about an hour.

Serve on flour tortillas with lettuce, more salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and any other toppings you would like.