HAWAIIAN HAYSTACKS!! (MARIE'S VERSION)

Well, tonight Kyle and I were so busy I threw in a cock pot meal so we could eat when we got home.

The meal is Hawaiian Haystacks. Similar to what you have all had before, but different because there is NO mayo, and I hate those little crunchy noodles people put on top. EWE.

This feeds 2-3 people but just add more chicken and another can of soup to feed more!

Ingredients:

Sauce:
Adapted from a recipe by Janette Lyon Childs

1-2 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, with all fat removed
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 packet of Good Times Italian Seasoning
1 package of 8 oz cream cheese
a little milk
Cooked Rice to top the sauce with and extra toppings listed below

Directions:
Put chicken on the bottom of your crockpot. Then sprinkle on the packet of seasoning and top wtih the soup and just a little milk.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Then, pull out the chicken and shred it all up. Take out your cream cheese and cut it into cubes and put it back into the crock pot along with the chicken.
now, just let everything cook for another hour.

Now, for the toppings!

Green Onion
Cheese
Cashews
Pineapple (canned tidbits)
Mandarin Oranges

It was tasty and easy and did not make my house too hot because all I used was a crock pot!

Stars:
Kyle: 3
Marie: 3.25

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Casserole with Cheese

Southwestern Chicken, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

SO good! I will for SURE be making this again. It only took 5 minutes to put together and it was delicious!

Total Time: 50 Minutes. 5 min to prep, 45 to cook

Tonight I am trying this recipe. I looked on allrecipes.com and there were SOOO many chicken and rice casseroles. I have my own that I cook sometimes as well, but I wanted to try one with new flavors.

Ingredients:

1(10.75oz) can Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup water
1 cup salsa (thick and chunky works better)
3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain rice (I just buy the dollar kind from wal-mart)1/4 Teaspoon onion powder
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup frozen corn (again, I LOVE the western family super sweet corn)
2-4 chicken breasts (I did 2, the recipe says you can do up to 4)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend ( I all ready had medium cheddar, so I will use that)
How to Make:
1. Stir soup, water, salsa, rice, onion powder, garlic powder, half of the cheese, and corn in a 12x8 shallow cooking dish

2. Top with chicken, you can season chicken how desired, I did lemon pepper

3. Back at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken and rice are done. Top with the last of the cheese last 5 minutes so it will melt.

(Some people commented that they used bread crumbs on top. I am going to put on half of the casserole and see which half I like better)

How did it go??

Stars: Kyle 3.7
Marie 5!!

#1 Sweet and Sour Chicken

Stars:
Kyle 5
Marie 4.5
It is seriously sooo good!!
Sweet and Sour Chicken

Tonight I am making sweet and sour chicken.
The above picture is not my own it is the website I got the recipe from. I will take my own picture and post it after.

Ingredients:
for chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil
for sauce
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:
Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (above) together and pour over chicken.

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced – about 6-8 minutes.

one thing I did was I made the extra sauce and put chunk pineapple it in as well, I love pineapple, so it was delicious!

Nachos

Nachos!

Tonight I just made nachos. Only because I really was going to make Chicken Enchiladas, and then, we forgot to buy tortillas!!

The nachos turned out great though.

You need:Chips
Cheese (I buy a block and shred it, it makes much better gooey cheese than the bagged stuff)
Can of black Beans
Bag of Frozen sweet corn
Green onions (if desired)

What you do:
Spread 1 layer of chips on pan. Put small layer of cheese on top.
Drain black beans from can and rinse in a strainer so extra juice is gone.
Run about a cup of frozen corn under the faucet in a strainer in HOT water, so it is not frozen anymore. Top this mixture on the chips with the green onion if you want it. Then, preheat oven to 350 degrees and watch the cheese for when it melts! Watch carfully, they can burn easily.

I dip mine in Salsa and sour cream afterwards, Kyle likes to put his salsa on before it bakes in the oven.

Stars:
Kyle 4.5
Marie 4.5

All in all an easy and delicious and more filling dinner!!

Marie's Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwich

No Mayo Chicken Salad Sandwich

Last night, and this morning we ate my chicken salad sandwiches. They are not like any chicken salad you have had. The truth is, I HATE mayonnaise. So, I made my own recipe about a year ago.

Ingredients:2 chicken breasts
2 apples (I do 1 red, 1 green)
4 celery stalks
4 green onions
one generous handful of cashews
15-20 grapes (any color)
1 bottle of your favorite Caesar salad dressing
Rolls or Croissants, your choice

What to do with all of the ingredients:First get the chicken boiling. I just put mine in a pot with hot water and a little salt and olive oil.
Then, peel the apples, and dice them up. (I use a food processor so they are pretty small)
Cut the celery into little pieces, cut the green onion, cut the grapes in half.
Put all of the above ingredients (but not the chicken) into a bowl and stir together. Next, when the chicken is cooked, shred it. (run the chicken under cold water so that the whole salad is served cold)
Add the chicken and cashews and stir the mixture. Add Caesar dressing slowly and stir in until it is the consistency that you want it. All done!! Whole thing is super fast to make.

I top mine with lettuce, mustard, and cheese. and eat with chips or something like that.

Stars:
Kyle 4
Marie 5

Taco Wednesday!

Tacos

Tonight I am making Tacos. Not Super exciting. Growing up, my family ate Tacos every Sunday.
We put ketchup on them. Kyle likes tomatoes. Maybe I will make the switch. I don't know.


Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
1 small sweet onion chopped/diced
1 package taco shells (kyle likes prepackaged heat up ones, I prefer the ones you cook and they come raw)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)

Toppings:

shredded cheese
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Tomatoes/Ketchup

How to make:

Well, first make the meat and cook according to the directions on your taco seasoning packet.
In the meantime, shred cheese, make guac, cut tomatoes, etc.

I like sweet white corn in my tacos. I like the added texture and sweet taste. I buy Western Family frozen sweet white corn and it is the best!! I just add a little water to a bowl, but the corn in with a little butter, cover it with a paper towel and heat it up in the microwave. YUMMY!!
Tacos are so easy to make and cheap.

Stars:
Kyle 4 Stars
Marie 4.5 Stars (the corn puts them over the top!)

SIDENOTE:
I FINALLY used the brownie pan Kyle got me for my birthday. and I love it!! It is the pan that makes every brownie and edge piece. Yum Yum.

Marie's Easy Hawaiian Chicken

Well, tonight we had a leftover piece of chicken. (by the way when you open a package of chicken how do you store it? We just put it in a ziploc bag)

So what did I do?

I made some chicken on the george forman.

And, I would make it again, it was delicious!!

Ingredients:

- boneless skinnless chicken breast
- 1 tbs soy sauce
-1 can of sliced pineapple.
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and Pepper to taste

How to make:

combine the soy sauce, and the juice from the can of pineapple, along with the lemon juice and S/P.

Put the chicken in the mixture and let soak for 10 minutes.

Put chicken on the george forman and cook for 6-7 minutes. (I cooked for 10 and the outside got a little too much done)

Grill pineapple real quick and put on top.

The End. Eat!!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

STARS: Kyle: 3
Marie: 4

Really tasty. Kyle said his chicken was a little chewy. Maybe the Forman just does that. Mine tasted great!! Loved the pineapple on top. Really easy.
You could probably make on the stove or grill if you do not have a G.F.

Italian Skillet Chicken

Tonight I am making Italian Skillet Chicken.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 Medium onion, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can diced Italian tomatoes
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
garlic powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

How to make it:
In a large skillet, cook chicken and onion until tender. (cut chicken into cubes)

Add tomatoes, broth, basic, garlic and pepper to skillet.

Bring to a boil, stir in spaghetti.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

Marie: 3.5 Stars
Kyle: 3 Stars.


Comments:

Well, it turned out pretty good. The noodles were delicious and had a nice taste to them. A unique dish if you do not want just pasta for dinner. The chicken was delicious. The whole meal was pretty cheap to produce so that is good.


I only use 2 chicken breasts and it turned out deliciously.

I would make this again.