Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

Super easy and tasty!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 1 28-oz can green enchilada sauce
• 1 can green chilies (optional)
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 10-12 corn tortillas

Directions:

Cook chicken in crock pot with enchilada sauce and chilies until done (about 4-5 hours on low). Shred chicken in crock pot. Mix in a handful or two of cheese and 4-5 tortillas (allow the tortillas to break; the tortillas will dissolve and thicken the sauce). Lay remaining tortillas on top of chicken mixture, overlapping to cover chicken mixture completely. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover crock pot and continue to cook on low until cheese is melted. Serve with rice, beans, sour cream, and/or chips and salsa.

Hawaiian Haystacks

Ingredients:

• rice, steamed or boiled
  
• condensed cream of chicken soup
• approx. 1 lb chicken breast (fresh or frozen)
  
• celery, chopped
• carrots, grated
• pineapple, crushed
• cheddar cheese, grated
• Chinese noodles
• green onions (I'd don't usually use them, but some people like them)

Directions:
Cook chicken and soup (do not add water) in crock pot until done. Shred chicken. Serve with remaining ingredients over rice. Enjoy.

Our Favorite Shepherd's Pie

Shortly after the birth of our baby, our friend Emily made us a shepherd's pie. At first my husband wasn't too thrilled--he had never had a shepherd's pie he liked. Then he took a bite, and was amazed. "Wow, this is really good!"

Recently, my husband's mom and little brother Danny came for a visit. I had made a shepherd's pie according to Emily's recipe the night before. I shared some with them for lunch. A little while later, I received an email from Mom asking me to post the recipe on my blog because Danny liked my shepherd's pie better than hers! So without any further ado, here is it:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. ground beef (90% lean)
  
• basil, onion powder, garlic powder to season beef to taste
• 1-2 cups frozen green beans (or one can)
• 1-2 cups frozen corn (or one can)
• 2-4 oz sliced fresh mushrooms (or one can)
• 1 can condensed tomato soup (reduced sodium)
  
• about 1 cup shredded cheese (a blend of cheddar and mozzarella works well)
• large batch of mashed potatoes
  

Directions:

Brown beef with seasonings. In a 9x13 casserole pan, mix together beef, vegetables, and condensed soup (do not add extra water, and drain liquid from canned vegetables). Mix in about a handful of cheese. Spoon mashed potatoes on top, spreading evenly and filling the rest of the pan. Sprinkle on remaining cheese. Cook at 350F for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and pie is heated through.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

By Becca

Simple, easy, fun, and ooh-so-good!

I absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times over the last month without tiring of it. I now keep a stock of precooked black beans in my fridge in case I get a quesadilla craving for lunch.

Exact measurements in this recipe are not necessary! (You will notice I didn't even put any.) Play around with quantities and proportions to fit your taste buds' desires! Want more a more hearty quesadilla? Add more beans. Feeling in the mood for something lighter and a sweeter? Add more corn. Or, are you just feeling cheesy? Omit the beans and corn altogether.

Ingredients:

• Black beans, precooked or from a can
  
• frozen corn
• Monterey Jack cheese, grated (mexi blend pre-grated cheese also works well!)
  
• 8-10 in flour tortillas (wheat and multigrain tortillas also work well!)
• canola oil
• salt
  

Directions:

1. Toast corn over medium to medium-high heat in a nonstick pan until it begins to pop (parts of the kernels will have blackened).
2. Add black beans and squish slightly with back of spoon or spatula to help corn and beans stick. Remove from pan.
   
3. While still hot, wipe pan clean with a paper towel.
4. Preheat tortillas (one at a time) on pan just until they begin poof.
5. Remove from heat and spread cheese and toppings on half of the tortilla. For added kick, sprinkled on some hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco Green Jalapeño sauce. Fold tortilla over to form quesadilla. The folding method helps prevent toppings from oozing out during cooking and eating.
   
6. Brush oil direction onto the side of the tortilla you will cook first. Sprinkle sparingly with salt (the salt adds flavor and texture).
   
7. Grill up to 2 quesadillas (depending on pan size) at a time, oil side down until until tortilla is nicely toasted. Oil and salt the other side, and flip over. Grill second side until nicely toasted.
8. Remove from pan. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before cutting in half.
9. Eat as is, or serve with hot sauce, salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream.
10. Enjoy again and again!
    

Turkey Split Pea Soup w/Barley

By Becca

Super easy and tasty!

Ingredients:

• 4-6 cups Turkey broth (see recipe on blog, or use store bought; chicken broth will work too)
  
• 3-4 handfuls of split peas
• 1/2-1 cup barley
  
• about 1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic, or dash of garlic powder
• dark turkey meat

Directions:

Simmer ingredients in Crockpot until peas dissolve. (I put it together before bed and let it simmer all night and it turned out great!)

Thanksgiving Dinner Wrap

By Becca

Ingredients:

• Flour or wheat tortilla wrap (or flavor of your choice)
• Thanksgiving dinner leftovers (e.g., turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce--any flavors that blend well together; your pick!)

Directions:

Wrap leftovers in tortilla wrap. Cut in half. Enjoy!

Turkey Bacon Avacodo Wraps

By Becca

This is a great way to get a completely different taste combination with your leftover Thanksgiving turkey! Also works great with deli-sliced turkey breast.

Ingredients (per wrap):

• Spinach wrap (or flavor of your choice)
• a few slices of turkey
  
• 2 slices cooked bacon
• 1 small or 1/2 large avocado, sliced
• romaine lettuce
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped
• Parmesan cheese
  
• Dressing of choice (I like Creamy Italian for this recipe)

Directions:

Roll ingredients into wrap. Slice diagonally and enjoy.