Chipotle Chicken Tostadas

I went to a baby shower for our niece Ashley a few Sundays ago and made these yummy Chipotle Chicken Tostada bites. I wish I had pics from the shower, but I didn't bring my camera and haven't seen them yet. It was very girly (since shes having a girl) and was SO cute! I pinned this recipe on pinterest and it's from Apple A Day.

Ingredients-
1/4 c. plus 2 TBSP chipotle salsa, pureed (She recommended Herdez brand)

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (I used 2 chicken breasts)

2 avocados

zest and juice of one lime

2 TBSP red onion, finely minced

1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced

1 Roma tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped

2 TBSP fresh cilantro, minced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced (optional)

1/4 tsp. cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

24 round tortilla chips

24 cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

1.  The night before serving, pour 1/4 c. pureed chipotle salsa over the chicken breast and allow to marinate, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.  Turn once during marinating time.

2.  Cook the chicken, covered, in a saute pan.  Allow to cool, then shred.  Mix shredded meat with remaining two TBSP salsa.

3.  While chicken is cooling, make guacamole by combining all remaining ingredients (except chips) in a nonreactive bowl.  Mix together with a fork, leaving only small chunks.  Adjust salt and pepper as desired.

4.  Just before serving, top each chip with a generous TBSP each of guacamole and chicken.  Top with a cilantro leaf and arrange on a platter.

They were a big hit and very tasty. I would try to wait until right before to put them out as the chip does got soggy after a little with the guacamole on it. Sorry these are iphone pics so not the clearest.

Pizza Stuffed Pretzels!

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a few weeks, but have been busy blogging about trips so here it is finally. My pictures weren't as detailed so some of these come from Joy in My Kitchen.

Pizza Stuffed Pretzels -
1 lb. dough or store bought.
Tomato paste or sauce
Italian Seasoning
Cheese, shredded (I just used mozzarella)
Turkey Pepperoni
Olive oil

 Cut the dough into 4 parts and roll them out into thick pieces.

Slice the pepperoni into thin slices, and shred the cheese. Spread each piece of dough with tomato paste, and top with pizza toppings.

Seal up the dough over the toppings.

Shape into a pretzel (see instructions on making a pretzel). Measure out about 1 tsp. olive oil. Dip your finger in it and rub it over the pretzels. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the pretzel. Bake at 425 for ~15 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve warm with marinara sauce and enjoy!

Party Recipes

A few people have asked me for some recipes from the party so I will post them here for you.

Witches Brew Punch

• 2 bottles of champagne
• 1 gallon of orange juice
• ½ gallon orange sherbet
• Black peeled grapes (I was too lazy to peel them and they sank so I only put a few in)
• 1 bottle of Sprite
• 1/2- 1 bottle of Vodka (judge based on taste)
• Rubber Glove (optional) to freeze with food colored water

 Orange Jello Shots

This Basic Vodka Jello Shot Recipe is an excellent way to learn how to make Jello shots.
1 (6-ounce) box of Jell-O, flavor of your choice(ORANGE) 2 cups boiling water 2 cups vodka, 1 oz jello shot cups (the best ones are the ones at party city).

Directions: In a bowl, pour the boiling water over the Jello and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then stir in the vodka. Pour the mixture into shot glasses or Jello shot cups. I added 1 gummy worm to each cup. Refrigerate until well-set, at least 6 hours.Using the large box of Jello makes about 32 1-ounce Jello shots.

 Slow Cooker Meatballs (thanks to Darrin for demonstrating for us)-
I always get so many comments on these and they are so easy.
-1 bag frozen meatballs (I got the Italian style ones from Sams Club) Pour them in your crockpot until you think there's enough, this bag is HUGE so you won't use all, probably half the bag.
-1 can spaghetti sauce (I used Kroger tomato and basil and Ragu) Since I had so many meatballs I ended up using 1 can and a half of pasta sauce
-1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used sweet baby rays)
-All you do is stir it up. I cooked it on high for 3 hours and then turned it on warm once the party started.

Mummy Hot Dogs

Spider Cookies-
-1 pack orange filled oreos
-Red hots for eyes and I used a little frosting to stick it on
-Licorice for legs (Shoestring licorice is hard to find these days, but I found Twizzlers "Pull-Apart" candy)

 Pumpkin Cupcakes- 
I used wrappers I found at Michael's to put them in. The frosting is funfetti frosting that was already orange.

Spinach Artichoke Dip-

• 2 cups parmesan cheese
• 1 (10 ounce) box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix together Parmesan cheese, spinach, and artichoke hearts.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and mix with spinach mixture.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
5. Serve with crackers or toasted bread.

 Carmel Apples- I had the hardest time finding cellophane bags to put them in, so I used treat bags that we had to cut to fit the apples. We had fun dipping them in Snickers, Twix and Peanuts.

I also served southwest egg rolls from Sams. I just love those and they are always a hit. They make a great appetizer for any party! Can you tell how much I love food by all this!

Menu Plan Monday- October 11th Week

I am organized for week number 2 in a row! I went shopping and even made one of the meals already. I'm not sure when we are having what so I'll just call them Meal 1 and so on.

Meal 1- Bruschetta with a Garden Salad- We had this last night and it was so yummy. I'll post the recipe now so you can see, recipe is from Our Best Bites.
Ingredients
2 C diced tomatoes (squeeze out seeds before dicing)- I used 5 on the vine tomatoes
1/3 C diced red onion
1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
a few cracks black pepper
1/4 C chopped fresh basil leaves
1 french baguette or bread of your choice
additional olive oil

Combine tomatoes, onions, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and 1 tsp olive oil in a bowl and mix to combine.  Add basil and gently toss to distribute.  Give it a taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Cover and chill. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette into half inch slices and place on a baking sheet.   Drizzle or brush some olive oil on top.  Place in oven for 8-10 minutes until just lightly toasted.  Remove pan from oven.

Top with about a tablespoon of the tomato mixture.

 Look at how yummy everything looks!

Meal 2- Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice

Meal 3- Nachos with Grilled Fajita Chicken and Pico de Gallo

Meal 4- Practice Mummy Hot Dogs (for Halloween) and Mac and Cheese

Meal 5- Asian Noodles

Meal 6- Stouffers Lasagna. Now I'm not crazy about frozen food, but I like their lasanga and at $3 for a family size meal you can't beat that. Kroger is having Buy 10 get $5 off sale this week and I stocked up on some great items (garlic bread, rolls, bacon, waffles, hotdogs, lunch meat, california pizza kitchen pizza, etc..) I spent $68 this week and saved $37.

Grill Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa

I hope everyone had a great memorial weekend. We had a lot of bbq's, pool time and fun with friends. I'll post about some events soon. I wanted to share this amazing salsa recipe from Our Best Bites.
Grill-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salsa/Salad 
3-4 ears corn 
5-6 tomatoes, slightly firm 
3/4 C sliced green onions 
3/4 C chopped cilantro 
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (it's great without the beans too)
1/2 t cumin 
1/4-1/2 t Chipotle Chili Powder*
*(you can substitute 1/2 t chili powder + 1/4 t cayenne pepper)
kosher salt 
pepper 
2 limes 
2 avocados


Prepare grill and set to med heat.

Shuck corn. Lightly brush corn cobs and tomatoes with olive oil. You can put them all on a big tray and spread the oil around. Sprinkle them all with salt and pepper. 

Place corn and tomatoes directly on the grill. Turn them periodically. I also put a couple of chicken breasts on with a jerk seasoning (lawrys).

The tomatoes will be done first, and it doesn't take long. They should be plump with the skins just starting to split. Be careful not to over cook tomatoes or they will be mushy and fall apart (but if that does happen, no worries, they still taste good!). They should be slightly firm to the touch still.

The corn will take a little longer. Anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Just keep turning and you'll see the kernels becoming vibrant yellow indicating they've cooked.

While the corn and tomatoes are cooking, combine everything except for the lime juice and avocados in a bowl so it's all ready. 

Remove corn and tomatoes from grill. You can remove the skins from your tomatoes if you want, or leave them on. Remove corn from cobs and chop tomatoes. David is doing a great job by demonstrating this step.

Add them to the bowl and combine. The hot veggies will warm everything up. 

Add the diced avocado and lime juice last of all and toss to combine.

You can eat it like this as a dip or you can make it more of a meal. 

I chopped up the grilled jerk chicken and made it into nachos (minus the cheese). 

It was fantastic and great for parties or dinners at home.  

Pico De Gallo/Guacamole and Spicy Shredded Pork

I was craving Mexican since that's where my siblings spent all of last week so I will post these yummy recipes for you. Both recipes come from The Pioneer Woman.

 PICO DE GALLO:

     5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes
     ½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion
     3 whole Jalapeno Peppers (I used 1, they are just too spicy for me)
     Cilantro
     Lime Juice
     Salt To Taste

 GUACAMOLE:
     3 whole Avacados
     Pico De Gallo
     Lime Juice
     Salt To Taste

Pico de Gallo:
Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onions into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Just remove and discard the long leafless stems before chopping. No need to remove the leaves from the stems completely. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl and give it a good stir.
Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again.

Guacamole:
Start with buttery-soft avocados. Halve them lengthwise and remove the pits. Next, with a spoon scrape them out onto a large plate. Next, with the bottom of a clean cup (or with a fork) mash the avocados, making sure to leave it relatively chunky. Add just a couple of shakes of salt to taste. Next, add a generous helping of Pico de Gallo. Fold together. Lastly squeeze the juice of half of a lime over the top. Give it one last stir.

    Next we made Spicy Shredded Pork to make soft tacos with.
     Ingredients
     4 pounds (up To 7 Pounds) Pork Shoulder (you can use pork tenderloin, if you can't find a shoulder)
     1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
     1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
     1 teaspoon Chili Powder
     1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Salt
     Pepper To Taste
     3 cloves (to 4 Cloves) Garlic
     1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Olive Oil
     2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) White Wine Vinegar
     ¼ cups Brown Sugar
     1 whole Onion
     Lime Wedges

Preparation Instructions
Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the spices. Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the pork shoulder.

Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds an in crevices. Then place the pork into your slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork on low for approx. 8 hours. When it’s done let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding.

Shred the pork shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat. Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa...

It made a ton so invite some friends or bring it for lunch!