Banana Smoothie

I've kind of adapted this from my sister-in-law, Rachel, who made this fabulous drink while we were in Cabo that included frozen bananas, sugar, and milk. Here's my take on it:

1 banana (sliced and frozen)
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons sugar
1 cup of ice

Mix all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. Add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Enjoy!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

If you know the McKissick family, you know that Gerry makes the best taquitos ever, especially that green sauce that goes so wonderfully with it. So, when making this, I already knew it wasn't going to be as good as his, but it surprisingly turned out really good. I'm a terrible cook, and once again added too much of an ingredient this time, that ingredient was salsa. I bought a small can of the green salsa (7 oz), and dumped the entire thing in the mix, and yet it surprisingly out fine. Of course, Justin loved it and that's really all that matters. Here's the recipe:

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese
about 12 small corn or flour tortillas (we liked flour better)
kosher salt
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder and mix well. Add cilantro, green onions, chicken and pepperjack cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

The corn tortillas are harder to roll without cracking. For the corn tortillas: work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 3 Tablespoons of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

 

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Makes around 12 taquitos.

 

Easy Philly Cheesesteaks

I have never had a Philly Cheesesteak from Philadelphia so I don't know how good they're suppose to be, but this was absolutely delish! I ended up using some roast beef from the deli, and I didn't use the cream cheese for the spread on the hoagie roll, since I thought it was a little weird. I might try it next time though. The cream cheese, however, was good in the meat. This really is an easy recipe, and it tastes great!

2 c. beef broth
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
8 oz. cream cheese
sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
3-4 hoagie rolls

Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil. Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper. When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip.. I tried this a couple weeks ago when I made these at my sister's house and it was awesome). Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll. Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet. Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Pasta With Lemon Cream and Capers

This is suppose to be a recipe from Sweet Tomatoes. I love and miss that place a lot! I don't know if I this really is just like the one from Sweet Tomatoes, since I might have added a little more lemon than was necessary, on accident of course. I recommend not putting more lemon than the recipe calls for. I also put in grilled chicken in place of the capers, since we're not really big fans of those. Otherwise, it was delish!

PASTA

1 tablespoon table salt
2 1/2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 teaspoon canola oil

LEMON CREAM SAUCE

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chicken base (see note)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons capers


For the pasta: In a pot, bring 6 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a full boil. Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, until al dente. Immediately drain pasta and cool in cold water. Drain water completely. Coat pasta with canola oil to prevent sticking.

For the Lemon Cream Sauce: In a stock pot, make a roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning.

To the stock pot, add the heavy cream, lemon juice, chicken base, lemon zest, kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk or blend to dissolve the roux. Heat to 200 degrees and simmer 15 minutes, or until thickened. Stir often to prevent burning.

Combine cooked penne with Lemon Cream Sauce and capers. Serve.

Note: Chicken base is sold in jars near bouillon in many supermarkets.

Oriental Chicken Salad

This is suppose to be the copycat of the Apple Bee's Oriental Chicken Salad, however Justin thinks it tastes better than theirs! I wanted to make something fast, and just bought a package of salad with shredded carrots and cabbage, and frozen chicken strips and cut them into thinner smaller strips. All I really had to make was the dressing, and it was so easy! If you have more time than I do, or would rather follow the recipe, here ya go:

Oriental Dressing:
2/3 c. honey
1/3 c. rice vinegar
1 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. oil
Throughly mix dressing ingredients then move to fridge to cool while preparing salad.

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cornflake crumbs
½ c. Panko Bread Crumbs
2 tsp. salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 chicken breasts
2 c. vegetable oil (for frying)
6 c. chopped romaine letuce
1 c. red cabbage (optional)
¾ c. carrot, julienned or shredded
½ c. sliced almonds
1 c. chow mein rice noodles

Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat. You want the temperature of the oil to be around 350 degrees. In a small, shallow bowl beat together egg and milk. In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake and Panko crumbs, salt and pepper. Cut each chicken breast into 4 or 5 long strips. Dip each strip of chicken first into egg mixture then into the flour mixture, coating each piece completely. Fry each chicken finger for 6-7 minutes or until coating has darkened to brown. Drain on a paper towel to get off any excess oil. (if the chicken is not quite done, place them in the oven at 350 degrees until they are completely cooked.)

Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, and carrots.
Sprinkle almonds over the salad, (I carmelized the almonds with 2 tbs. sugar in a sauce pan. That made them extra crunchy and very tasty) then the chow mein noodles and chicken pieces.

Serve with oriental dressing drizzled over it or on the side.

Chipotle Chicken Pizza

Ok, I did not follow the directions very well with this recipe and ended up putting a whole can of chipotle in it. It was sooo spicy! However, Justin absolutely loved it. Next time, I will only put 1/2 a chipotle in it, for me at least. I might have to make Justin his own pizza and put the whole can of chipotle on his.


1 can (11oz) Pillsbury refrigerated thin pizza crust
1 cup Old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky mild salsa
1/2 to 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped (from 7-oz can)
1 package (5oz) refrigerated cooked Southwestern-style chicken breast strips
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (6 oz)

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 400°F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet. Unroll dough on cookie sheet; starting at center, press dough into 15x10-inch rectangle. 2 In small bowl, mix salsa and chipotle chile; spread to within 1/2 inch of edges of dough. 3 Top with chicken strips, onion and peppers; sprinkle with cheese. 4 Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

 

Note: Chipotle chiles are jalapeño chiles that are dried and smoked.

Cafe Rio Salad

I had been looking for this recipe on one of my sister-in-law's blogs, but could not find it because I had been looking for it in the wrong sections. So, desperate to make it one day (since I really like it), I found this recipe (click HERE):

SWEET PORK:
2 pounds pork (we like to use boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (1ooz) can red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!


CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


CILANTRO RANCH:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!