Chicken Quesadillas

I am not a big fan of Quesadillas, but my husband likes them. So, when I came across this recipe I gave it a try. I actually really liked it and will do it again.

2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2/3 cup salsa
1/3 cup sliced green onions
3/4 to 1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
6 flour tortillas (8 inches)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I actually used mozarella with a chedder mix)
sour cream and guacamole

In a skillet, combine the first six ingrediets. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Brush one side of tortillas with butter. Spoon 1/3 cup chicken mixture over half of unbuttered side of each tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese; fold plain side of tortilla over cheese.

Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 475 for 10 minutes or until crips and golden brown. Cut into wedges; serve with sour cream and quacamole. Yield: 6 servings.

Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls

from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2

The directions are for frying but this time we baked it to make healthier and it was still great! I also didn't add the red pepper b/c I didn't want to buy it. To bake, you don't need to freeze, and I defrost the frozen veggies before starting.

Eggrolls

2 skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
4 Tbsp minced green onion
2/3 c frozen corn
1/2 c canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 Tbsp thawed and drained frozen spinach
4 Tbsp diced, canned jalapeno peppers
1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp salt
2 dashes cayenne pepper
1 ½ c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
10 (7 in) flour tortillas
6-10 c vegetable or canola oil for frying

Avocado- Ranch Dipping Sauce
1 avocado, smashed
½ c mayonnaise
½ c sour cream
2 Tbsp buttermilk
3 tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp onion powder
2 dashes dried dill weed
2 dashes garlic powder
2 dashes pepper

Garnish
4 Tbsp chopped tomato
2 Tbsp chopped onion

Heat oil in skillet and grill chicken (or brush oil on chicken and cook over a grill on bbq for 4-5 minutes per side until done). Lightly salt and pepper each side of chicken while it cooks. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Preheat 2 Tbsp oil in a skillet. Add red pepper and onion and sauté for a couple minutes until tender.
Dice cooked chicken into small cubes and add to pan. Add remaining egg roll ingredients except the cheese. Cook another 4 minutes. Stir well so the spinach separates. Remove pan from heat and add cheese, stir until cheese is melted.
Wrap tortillas in a moist cloth and microwave on high for 1 ½ minutes or until hot. Spoon mixture into tortillas. Fold in ends and roll up.
To bake, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 until golden, about 15 minutes.
Frying Directions:
Pierce each tortilla with a toothpick to hold together. Arrange on plate and cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
Preheat oil to 375. Deep fry 12-15 minutes and remove to paper towels or rack to drain for about 2 minutes.

Slice each egg roll diagonally and arrange on a plate around a bowl of dipping sauce. Garnish the dipping sauce with tomato and onion.

Dressing:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

submitted by dalyce

Easy Bake Granola

2 c regular rolled oats
1 c coarsely chopped sliced almonds, chopped walnuts or chopped pecans
1/2 c coconut (optional)
1/2 c shelled sunflower seeds
1/4 c toasted wheat germ
1/4 c flax seeds
1/2 c honey or maple syrup-flavored syrup
2 T cooking oil
1 c dried fruit (cherries, snipped pitted dates, raisins, or cranberries) (optional)

Grease your baking pan, set aside. Combine oats, almonds, coconut (if desired), sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and flax seeds. In a bowl combine honey and oil; stir into oat mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan. bake in a 300 F oven for 30-35 min or until light brown, stirring after 20 min. If desired, stir in dried fruit.
Spread on a large piece of foil to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. (Or store infreezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.)

No Crust Quiche

I love this recipe because it is so flexible. For example, I made this the other day and threw in about 2 cups spinach, 1 cup mushrooms, 2 cloves garlic, and about 2 tablespoons of Tabasco. The quiche turned out great so I am sharing the measurements I used, but again it is so flexible and you could easily omit or add different ingredients or even cut back on amounts of the main ingredients.

Main Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 cups grated colby-jack cheese
8 oz cottage cheese
8 oz sour cream
3 tablespoons cream cheese (can be optional)
1/4 cup parmesan (can be optional)
1/4 cup flour

Optional Ingredients:
chopped garlic
Tabasco sauce
spinach
mushrooms
tomatoes
sausage, ham
green peppers
etc., etc.

Mix all ingredients together with hand mixer and then pour into quiche dish or 8x8 baking dish. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Fresh Salsa

This is my favorite salsa ever. It makes a huge recipe, but in the summers after my mom would make a huge tupperware full, it was always gone in a couple hours--I think I could eat the whole thing if I had had the chance.
It is not traditional salsa--it isn't that hot, it isn't cooked, and it's really chunky. My brother who served his mission in Mexico always said that we actually shouldn't call it 'salsa'--but whatever it's called, it's good. I don't know if it's what you're looking for, Dalyce, but I thought I'd share it.

Fresh Salsa
30 Roma tomatoes (12 cups)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
Juice of 4 1/2 limes
Juice of 3 lemons
1 1/2 bulbs fresh garlic, chopped
2 red peppers, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
3 serrano peppers, chopped (These are thin green hot peppers--I think jalapenos would work too)
3 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cumin

Marshmallow Crunch Brownie Bars

from Buttercup Bakes at Home

I was really surprised at the attention these brownies received when I brought them to church yesterday for the youth. I think 7 people who saw or tried them asked for the recipe. So here it is.

*you could make these with a brownie mix and skip to the part where you bake them, making it much easier, and I think just as good (what can I say? I love brownie mixes!)

Brownie:4 oz unsweetend chocolate
1 1/3 sticks plus 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
¾ c semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
4 lg eggs at room temperature (leave at room temp ~30 min before baking, or if in a hurry I fill a bowl with warm water and let them sit in it while I get the other ingredients ready)
2 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:1 (10 ½ oz) package mini marshmallows
1 ½ c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 c smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 ½ c crispy rice cereal

Preheat to 350
Grease 9x13

In med saucepan, melt chocolate, butter, and ¾ c of chocolate chips on medium heat.
Stir occasionally while melting. Set aside and cool for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir in melted ingredients, mix well. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients, mix well.

Pour batter into pan and even with spatula. Bake 25-30 mins or until a tester inserted in center of pan comes out with moist crumbs.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle marshmallows on top. Return pan to oven for 3 more minutes.

While baking, place chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until melted. Remove from heat, add cereal and mix well. Allow to cool 3 mins or so. Spread the mixture evenly over marshmallow layer. Refrigerate until chilled before cutting (we didn’t -we ate them right away and liked them better warm, than refrigerated. We like them best warmed in the microwave.)

sub by: dalyce

Peanut Butter Cookies

Source: Pillsbury cookbook

This recipe was requested so here it is. I think this is my most requested recipe and is the most requested/baked in our home. We love them! They should turn out soft and chewy like chocolate chip cookies, not so much like the normal peanut butter cookie texture.

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 c margarine or butter, softened

1/2 c peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/4 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven 375.

Combine sugars and margarine. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add peanut butter, vanilla, and egg. Blend well.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

I add the small Reese's Pieces (the ones that look like M&M's.) I've tried out regular cups and Peanut Butter M&M's and found these are the very best! It really brings out the peanut flavor. Stir in Reese's Pieces. Shape into cookies and bake until just setting up. I take them out of the oven before they turn golden (they might have slight golden spots but not dark) and let them finish baking/setting up, on the sheet out of the oven.