Creamy Chicken & Chile Casserole

This is a new favorite! It's the perfect blend of creamy to spicy to delicious! :) And it was SUPER easy! {Way easier then making enchiladas, which I love!}

Chicken & Chile Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of cooked & cubed boneless skinless chicken
8 ounces cream cheese, I use low-fat
4-6 flour tortillas, depending on your pan size
1 can green chiles
1 can green enchilada sauce
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese, I use low-fat

DIRECTIONS:

[1] Mix together chicken, cream cheese, and green chiles.
[2] In a pan, layer: tortillas, spread the cream cheese mix over the tortillas, shredded cheese.
[3] Keep repeating layers. Top off the last layer of tortillas with the enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.
[4] Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. YUM!

Southwestern Salad

Something about the warmer weather here in Texas makes me crave salad. I am a little picky about my salad. It needs to have a TON of flavor right off the bat. And this one did. I served it was Pioneer Woman's Olive Cheese Bread and must say, this has become one of my favorite spring meals.

Southwestern Salad

* please forgive my elegant paper plate. it'd been a busy day! *

INGREDIENTS:
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped
1 bag frozen corn, cooked
2 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
lettuce, amount & type to your liking
cheese, if desired [I didn't use any]
Salsa Ranch, amount to your liking
crushed tortilla chips, I used the "Hint of Lime" kind

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Mix chicken, corn, and taco seasoning well.
[2] On a plate, layer: lettuce, chicken mixture, cheese (if using), dressing, and tortilla chips. YUM!

Oh, Pioneer Woman...

... how I love thee. I had just really discovered her when her show launched on the Food Network.... and now I haven't missed an episode and own both of her cookbooks. ;) Today, we had salad for dinner, so I thought it would be a good night to try that Olive Bread from her first cookbook that looked SO amazing.

AND IT WAS. :)



Seriously, this bread is some of the best I have ever had. I was very good and only had one slice (the spoonfuls of the filling to make sure it was "right" don't count, do they???) but WOW. Try this. Amazing.

Note: I changed it up a little from the original. My ingredients/directions are for how I ran with it. Just FYI. ;)

Pioneer Woman's Olive Bread




INGREDIENTS:
French Bread
6 ounces pimento stuffed green olives
14.5 ounces black olives
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup Chipotle style mayo
8 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Chop olives roughly to your liking.
[2] In a large bowl, mix olives, butter, mayo, and cheese.
[3] Cut slice of french bread in half down the middle. Spread mix over slices.
[4] Bake at 325 for 20 minutes.
[5] ENJOY.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Oh my goodness... this is a winner. LOVE this soup. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. And I am not a soup person at all! I just happened to see this floating around the blogosphere somewhere and decided to give it a shot. It's a new favorite! Chad {the pickiest eater ever} thought it was awesome and Kent loved it too! I love that it's a crockpot recipe!

Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 large bag frozen shredded hashbrowns
3 {14 oz} cans chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
seasonings of choice: I used salt, pepper, & old bay
1 {8 oz} cream cheese block
toppings of choice: I used cheese & bacon

DIRECTIONS:

[1] Put hashbrowns, soups, and seasonings in a crockpot.
[2] Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
[3] Add cream cheese during the last hour of cooking.
[4] Serve with whatever you like on baked potatoes! OMG YUM!

Lasagna!

Feel special! I am about to reveal my most prized recipe. :) For Chad's birthday, I made his absolute favorite meal that I've ever made him... lasagna.

A few years ago, the first time I watched Ina Garten ("The Barefoot Contessa") in fact, I saw her make lasagna. And it was life changing. :) She added in a very unique ingredient.... goat cheese. Being a new cook, I thought, what the heck? And gave it a try.

The result? PERFECTION. The best lasagna I've ever had. My husband and Kent agree. It's so creamy and savory and scrumptious! It's now my go-to recipe for special occasions and company. And here's the recipe for you!

Megan's Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:
no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar your favorite pasta sauce {I use Whole Foods 'Four Cheese'}
1 can tomato sauce
1 lb turkey sausage
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided into two equal portions
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 egg
1 container ricotta

DIRECTIONS:
[1] In a skillet, pour olive oil to coat the pan. Add garlic and saute till fragrant. Add sausage. Cook until browned.
[2] Add in sauces, and mix well. Stir in italian seasoning. Simmer for 20-ish minutes.
[3] Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of the mozzarella, goat cheese, ricotta, and egg.
[4] In a 13x9 pan, layer: sausage mixture (the "sauce"), noodles, cheese mixture. Keep repeating until you run out of ingredients. :) Make sure the last layer is topped off with all remaining sauce. Then top that with remaining mozzarella.
[5] Bake at 375 covered with foil for 35 minutes. ENJOY!

Quick Balsamic Chicken

I am so on a balsamic kick right now. Ever since my hubby took me to Buca di Beppo for a date and they served that amazing bread with the best olive oil & balsamic vinegar ever...... yeah, can't get enough!

I found this chicken recipe online, made it, and used the chicken to top salad. Oh my goodness, I have a new favorite! And it couldn't be easier. Here goes:

Quick Balsamic Chicken



INGREDIENTS:
1 lb chicken tenders
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup balsamic dressing

DIRECTIONS:
[1] Pour dressing over chicken in a 13x9 pan.
[2] Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

YUM!

crockpot buffalo chicken tacos

Oh my! I found this recipe surfing around Pinterest one day {which is super addicting, by the way!} and decided to try it today. It was perhaps THE easiest recipe ever and the hubby absolutely loved it! :)



INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {frozen is fine!}

1 cup buffalo wing sauce

2 tbsp butter

shredded cheese

taco shells

ranch dressing



DIRECTIONS:

[1] Put chicken, sauce, and butter in crockpot. Cook on LOW for 5-7 hours.

[2] Shred chicken, let simmer in crockpot for another 15-30 minutes.

[3] Serve on taco shells with cheese and ranch.

{Hubby liked mozzarella on his, I liked cheddar on mine! :)}

chicken & spinach pasta bake

This pasta dish was SO easy, and another hit with Kent, {cut into bite size pieces, of course!} I just have to share it:

INGREDIENTS
8 oz rigatoni pasta, cooked & drained
8 oz chive & onion cream cheese
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
[1] Mix cream cheese, spinach, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella well. Stir in pasta and pour into a large baking dish.

[2] Top with remaining mozzarella.

[3] Bake at 350, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for another 15 minutes.


[4] Enjoy! Kent sure did. :)


P.S.... My big boy looks HUGE in that high chair! He is growing too fast!