Hearty Red Beans and Rice

from the Gooseberry Family Favorites Cookbook

1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. green onions, chopped
1/2 c. celery, chopped
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled, drippings reserved
1/2 lb Polish sausage, sliced (I used smoked sausage)
1 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. chicken broth
6 oz can tomato paste
2 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained
2 T. ketchup
1 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 c. cooked rice

Saute green pepper, onions, celery, and parsley in reserved bacon drippings in a skillet over medium heat until tender.
Stir in bacon, sausage, and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over cooked rice. Serves 4.

This was INCREDIBLY flavorful! Everyone liked it! We also decided it would be really good with chicken if you aren't in the mood for sausage.

Chicken Chimmies

from the Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites Cookbook

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste
1 T. butter
10 (8 inch) flour tortillas
8 oz pkg shredded Monterey Jack cheese
6 green onions, diced
1 T. vegetable oil
Toppings: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, lettuce

(I cooked my chicken in the crockpot with some cumin and garlic and then skipped the first step)

Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chicken and saute about 3 minutes.
Spoon chicken evenly onto tortillas. Top with cheese and green onions; fold up sides and roll up, burrito style. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add rolled up tortillas and saute until golden. Serve with your choice of toppings. Serves 6-8.

We're having it with Cuban Black Beans

Pitas

Saturday I got to go to Trader Joe's (a store I LOVE and try not to be bitter about the fact that it's an hour away) and I got some pita bread just because it looked good and it was cheap there. I cut some chicken and some steak in strips and put the steak in soy sauce and the chicken in italian dressing to marinate for awhile. I'm just going to cook it on the stove and we'll put it in the pitas with some good salad mix. I might make some rice to eat with it too- not sure what I'm going for here, but rice just sounds good- and could go inside the pitas as well. If I had planned ahead I would have bought some red and yellow peppers to go with it.

Chicken Souffle

This is a super easy casserole that I haven't made in awhile. I'm hoping the kids love it like they used to!

4-6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
2 cans of chicken noodle soup
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 eggs, slightly beaten
8 slices of bread
2 sticks margarine or butter

mix soups and eggs. pour over chicken in 9 by 13. cut bread into cubes. melt margarine or butter and mix with bread. pour over soup and chicken. bake for 45 min at 350 degrees.

here's how i change it a little: i like to add some veggies like peas and carrots or a can of mixed veggies. also, i never use that much chicken. i could use 3 or 4 chicken breasts and it would be plenty. and you could really get by with half the butter or margarine.

Creamy Chicken, Bacon, and Tomato Pasta- Kraft.com

3 cup whole wheat farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) italian style diced tomatoes undrained
4 oz Neufchatel cheese, cubed
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed.

Meanwhile, cook chicken in large skillet on medium heat 5 or 6 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Add bacon, tomatoes, Neufchatel cheese, water, and pepper. Mix well. Cook 3 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently.

Drain pasta, place in serving bowl. Add sauce, mix lightly, sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

The recipe says it serves 4 so I might double it and have leftovers.

Along with it, we're having asparagus and yummy, crusty bread.

Chicken and corn quesadillas- my own

1 can of chicken (aprox 10 ounces)
1 can of corn
1 can of green chiles (chopped)
1 can of white beans
dash of cumin- or two or three
about a Tbsp of mayo
shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
16 Corn and/or flour tortillas (the small ones)


This is a great way to hide some beans from my kids- stick them in a food processor and make them creamy by adding the mayo (you could use a little bit of milk, but I'm trying to reduce dairy). Also add the cumin to give it a little smokiness. Using this bean mixture helps to make the quesadillas creamy without using a ton of cheese. You can also add a can of diced tomatoes if you want.

Mix everything together (well, not the tortillas obviously!). Butter one side of each tortilla. Put half of the tortillas butter side down on a large griddle, cover with the mixture, and top with a tortilla (buttered side up). I'm pretty sure that was totally not necessary to explain, but just in case, there you have it. Cook until they're a little brown and crispy then try to flip them without losing all the filling and cook to brown and crispy on the other side. Cut in slices like a pizza and top with salsa or taco sauce, sour cream, and my favorite- shredded lettuce. I'm talking about the finely shredded lettuce you buy that way- I love it!

What I'd do differently next time:
Use less beans. For two reasons. One being that we had chili the night before- YIKES. And also because the filling mixture was kind of messy and not quite cheesy enough. The kids all loved it, but if Pete had been home for dinner I'm sure he'd agree that half the beans would have been better.