White Chicken Chili

Seriously, my next post will have a picture! I thought about taking a picture of this recipe once we had slurped down every last bit in the crock pot! Oh well, it's still a really good recipe that you'll have to try. Plus it's really easy! 

I modified this recipe from a large recipe, this one serves 2-3 people (double or triple as needed).

White Chicken Chili

1 large (or 2 small) chicken breasts (I put mine in frozen)

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. salsa

1 can white beans, UN-DRAINED

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. black pepper

3/4 c. sour cream

shredded cheese (enough for garnishing...we like a lot!)

Put everything except the sour cream and cheese in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours, or til chicken is cooked and easy to shred. Once it's cooked, shred the chicken well, add in sour cream and cook for another 15 mins or so. Add cheese to each bowl and more sour cream is desired.

Enjoy!

My husband and I are home visiting my parents for a few days, I collected a ton of acorns today to spruce up our fall decor. Can't wait to use these!

Dresden's Menu

It's been awhile since I've posted my menu...I finally got one together, I hope you enjoy or use some of the recipes for your menu. Have a fabulous week!

Monday: Cornbread Taco Casserole

(sounds kinda gross but it was actually really yummy!)

Tuesday: Fajitas

Wednesday: White Chicken Chili

Thursday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Pasta Salad & Peaches

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Chicken Alfredo Pasta

Sunday: Steak with Twice Baked Potatoes and veggies

image source

Fun stuff happening over on my blog...check it out!

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

Image

I love chicken enchiladas.  I was partial to a creamy white enchilada that my mom made all growing up. It was one of the first recipes that I learned to make all on my own and I haven't branched away from it at all.  I saw this recipe a long time ago, but didn't make it until last week.  I think it is definitely going to be added to our rotation. Making your own enchilada sauce seems intimidating, but I think the extra little bit of effort was worth it. And cooking the chicken in with the sauce is genius since it added flavor and saved me a pot :)

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

1 medium onion, chopped fine

1 jalepeno, seeded and chopped fine

1 teaspoon oil

3 medium garlic gloves, minced

3 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons sugar 

2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 large tomato, chopped

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large pieces)

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup mozzarella or monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 c minced fresh cilantro

6-8 flour tortillas

cooking spray

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part is no longer pink in the middle), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce, 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Toss to combine.

Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).

Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour sauce evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.


Recipe adapted from Tide and Thyme, but originally from America's Test Kitchen

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I made this recipe awhile back and forgot how much I liked it. We had it this week again and it was even better than the last. I still don't have a camera...

so I'm using the picture from the original recipe (kinda blurry).

picture source and original recipe

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Serves 2-4

1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded or cubed

2 T. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 smallish red pepper, diced

4 oz. can of green chilies, diced (I only used about 1/2 of the can)

1 can of green enchilada sauce

1/3 c. red enchilada sauce

1 c. sour cream

1 c. grated cheese (I used colby jack)

2 c. penne pasta (more or less depending on how saucy you like it)

Bring a large pot of water to boil, cook pasta. While pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 mins then add garlic and red pepper. Let that cook for another 2-3 mins til red pepper is barely tender. Add cooked chicken, green chilies and enchilada sauces, let the sauce simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add sour cream and cheese, heat through but do not boil. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta, garnish with anything such as tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips.

The original recipe had about 4-5 more ingredients...I used them all the first time I made it and didn't think they were necessary. I have modified the recipe to feed less people, if you want the full recipe click here.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I hereby declare that this is the easiest meal EVER.  This is serious. I said EVER.  For one, you probably already have everything on hand.  And the original directions for the recipe pretty much consisted of "open up cans, dump everything in, heat through".  If that doesn't sound easy, well then I don't really know what to do for you.

I originally got this recipe from my Aunt Jenny.  I made a few adjustments to make it a little more hearty, but still - easy peasey.  Since the weather is rather dreary outside today, I thought it was the perfect day to share it.  It tastes similar to a taco soup, but with chicken and my addition - rice.  I used to defrost the chicken, cut it up, maybe even BBQ it. Then I eliminated the BBQ step and would throw the defrosted chicken chunks into the soup to cook. Last night? I just pulled a chicken breast out of my freezer and threw it in. When it was thawed enough, I just pulled it out of the soup, shredded it and threw it back into the pot.  I also used to add in rice I had previously cooked, but then I just started throwing in raw rice and adding extra water.  Give it a try tonight! You know you don't know what to make and going to the store doesn't sound fun!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 14.5  oz can green chili enchilada sauce
1 14.5 oz chicken broth
1 can black or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn (or about 1.5 cups frozen or fresh corn)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 chicken breast (thawed, frozen, cooked, whatever)
1 envelope taco seasoning
2/3 c. white rice (optional)
1-2 cups water

 Combine all ingredients in a medium stockpot. Bring to a simmer.  If you use raw chicken or rice, simmer until cooked through (about 25 minutes). Add water as needed when the rice starts to soak up the juices. Stir consistently - especially the bottom of the pot as all of the heavy ingredients fall there.  Serve with sour cream, guacamole or avocado (my favorite), cheese, and tortilla chips

Dresden's Menu

Happy Monday evening everyone! I've heard from a few of you that you've been using our recipes. I am so glad! We'd love to see some of your yummy recipes, feel free to email us or leave a link in a comment.

Last week I posted a recipe for crock pot ranch potatoes, I highly recommend them if you're looking for a good side dish. I used cream of chicken instead of cream of mushroom only because I am not a fan of cream of mushroom. I also added a decent amount of salt & pepper, season to taste.

Here's my menu for the week:

Monday: Leftover French Dip Sandwiches

Tuesday: Enchiladas (didn't get to this last week) with salad

Wednesday: Crock Pot Lasagna (thank you for the recipe Lani!)

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Salad (using Natalie's idea from here)

using this salad dressing recipe

Friday: Hamburgers with corn on the cob

Dresden's Menu

Another week is already here, I seriously feel like August flew by faster than any month this year. Which is weird cause my birthday is this month and it usually goes by really slow. We've been super busy every week this month so that's probably why it's has gone by so quickly. I have a few new recipes I'm trying this week, click on the green ones new recipes to try.

Monday: Hamburgers with fruit

Tuesday: Crock Pot Orange Chicken & rice

Wednesday: My birthday!

Thursday: Enchiladas with salad

(I can never have too many of my mom's enchiladas:))

Friday: Chicken Alfredo with broccoli

(this is my favorite alfredo sauce recipe)

Saturday: Steak with Crock Pot Ranch Potatoes

I was looking for a healthy granola recipe for awhile when I came upon this. My old roommate is a super incredibly healthy strong girl. She has lots of great workout and healthy eating tips over at her blog here. These little babies are peanut butter oatmeal banana granola bars, a recipe from her blog. I made a batch of them, wrapped each one in freezer paper + tape and grab one on my way out the door from the freezer every morning. I highly recommend them as a snack at work, they are yummy!

California Club Pizza

If you know anything about my cooking, you know I LOVE pizza. I am not talking about plain old red sauce and pepperoni pizza {although I still think it is yummy}. I am talking about delicious specialty pizzas which usually include chicken.  I make a variety of different pizzas, but I am pretty sure this is my all time favorite. And lucky for you, it is also one of the easiest!

This pizza is a direct replication of the California Club Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. I always used to go there just for this pizza. I decided that I could try replicating it on my own and it tastes EXACTLY like it came from CPK.  Since making it on my own, I never have a reason to go there anymore!  This pizza tastes so fresh, it is perfect for summer.

Also, are you still buying your pizza dough? Give the recipe below a try! It is SO EASY! Don't be intimidated by the yeast. I think that pizza dough is the perfect place to start using yeast because if your dough isn't perfect, it doesn't ruin the pizza.

Pizza before toppings are added. This is how I store my leftovers as well.

California Club Pizza

1/2 recipe pizza dough (see below)

1 chicken breast cooked and cut into small pieces {cooking method is all preference here. I browned mine in a little olive oil and salt & pepper}
6 slices of bacon - cooked and chopped into small pieces
Grated Mozzarella cheese {I'm not putting a direct measurement here because 1- everyone has different preferences for how cheesy they like their pizza 2- does anyone actually measure cheese?}
2 Tomatoes, sliced and slightly salted
1 Avocado, sliced
1/2 head Romaine Lettuce, chopped into tiny pieces {like almost pulverized :)}
Mayonnaise - desired amount. I like a little, my husband likes a lot.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out dough onto pizza stone leaving the outer area slightly thicker to create a crust.  Poke holes in dough to prevent bubbles and leave standing for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare chicken and grate cheese.  After dough has slightly risen, layer chicken and cheese on the pizza. Put into oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Pull out and top with bacon. Put back into oven and bake until crust is golden and cheese is starting to get small brown spots (about an additional 5-10 minutes). When pizza comes out of the oven, let it cool just slightly for a few minutes. During that time, toss lettuce with mayonnaise. Top pizza with tomatoes and avocado and finish off with the lettuce/mayo mixture.

Pizza Dough
Note: This recipe makes enough for TWO pizzas. I always make the full recipe, let the dough rise, cut the dough in half, wrap it in plastic wrap and throw it into the freezer for another time. {When you are ready to use the frozen dough, just pull it out a few hours before you need it and let it rise until double in size.}

1 1/2 c. very warm water
1 Tbs yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbs oil - I use olive

3 1/2 - 4 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

Combine yeast, sugar and water in a bowl (or bowl of KitchenAid). Let stand for about 5-10 minutes. When the yeast is ready, the foam of the mixture will be about 1/2 inch thick. Add salt, oil and add flour in 1/2 c. increments until dough is fully combined. You want the dough to be slightly tacky, but not too sticky, so adjust flour measurements as needed. Knead by hand or mixer for 5-7 minutes. Cover with towel and let rise about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Easy Ranch Chicken Pillows

We pretty much love anything wrapped up in a crescent roll and baked. Who doesn't?! Well the other night I was thinking about what to make and this popped into my head. It is a combination of a couple recipes. I cooked an extra breast at the beginning of the week and put it in the fridge. When it came time to make this it took like 15 mins in total to prepare. Simple. 

If this is for a family you'll want to double the recipe, this feeds me & my husband.

Ranch Chicken Pillows

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast cooked & shredded (I bbq'd mine)

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened (1/3 less fat tastes great in this)

1/3 cup cream o ckn (or more depending on how saucy you want it)

2 t. Ranch Seasoning (ranch dressing mix)

1 pkg. crescent rolls (the ones with 8 in them)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cream cheese, cream o ckn & ranch seasoning in a bowl. Add pepper to taste or more ranch seasoning. Add chicken and mix well.

Open crescent rolls, spread them all out on a cookie sheet. It should be one large rectangle. Take 2 crescents and press the centers together making 4 small rectangles in total (make sense?).

Add a spoonful of ckn mixture in the middle of each rectangle, fold sides over and seal edges.

Bake for 13-15 mins, checking often after 13 mins. You want them to be golden brown, like a normal crescent roll.

Serve with a side of veggies and enjoy!

Sorry no pictures again...my point & shoot got wet last weekend :(

Natalie's Menu

It's already Wednesday! We skipped a few days of making dinner to meet up with friends we hadn't seen in years. But I'm back on track tonight! And I'm planning on making these yummy no-bake cookies since it's so dang hot.

source

Sunday: Homemade hamburgers, fresh cut french fries with lots of salt + pepper and salad.

Monday + Tuesday: Ate out

Wednesday: BBQ chicken drumsticks, roasted lemon broccoli, garlic bread

Thursday: Chicken enchiladas + green salad (we didn't end up getting to it last week)

Friday: We're shooting a wedding in LA so we'll grab dinner afterward.

I'm excited about chicken drumsticks tonight. We eat chicken breast every week and my husband likes a break with a little dark meat every once in a while and these organic ones I got were on sale for less than $3 for a pack of 5.

Kristine's Menu July 24-30

I have another lofty goal this week to cook EVERY meal at home. I had the same goal last week, but only ended up cooking 5 out of the 7 nights because of unexpected plans and my craving for a JCW hamburger :)  Here's my menu for the week!


Sunday: Country Chicken Picatta {recipe coming this week}.  Mashed potatoes. Asparagus. Salad.

Monday: Tin foil dinners {hamburger, onions, carrots and potatoes wrapped in foil and baked}

Tuesday: Pesto pizza. Salad.

Wednesday: Ranch chicken {chicken dredged in ranch dressing mix and bread crumbs and baked}. Mashed potatoes. Salad. Broccoli.

Thursday: Egg Breakfast Sandwiches. Fruit.

Friday: Fried Chicken Sliders. Salad. Natalie's onion rings.  Sooooo excited to try these!

Saturday: Pork chops. Salad. Fresh fruit.


Have you jumped on the plan your menu bandwagon yet? What's on your menu this week?  I love looking at other menus to get inspiration for next week and to get out of the rut of cooking the same thing over and over and over again! Share your menus in the comments!

menu, menu, read all about it!

Hey everyone! How was your Monday? Ready for another week? I'll tell you what, I am not. I was out of the office all last week at a show in Chicago so it's a little hard being back at work. But I still managed to go grocery shopping and come up with a menu.

I hope this helps you with your menu!

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Pasta (click for new recipe!)

Actually made this on Sunday and we really enjoyed it-if you like enchiladas and you like pasta then I highly recommend it.

Tuesday: BBQ Pulled Pork

(we are huge fans of Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, just toss that and a pork roast in a crock all day and you're good to go!)

Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas (a mean staple in our house and so easy)

Thursday: Steak & Mashed Potatoes with veggies

Friday: Chicken Wraps (click for recipe)


Have a great week!

I'm starting P90X tonight...yikes! Wish me luck!

Chicken Waikiki Beach

As promised, here is the recipe for Chicken Waikiki Beach. I wish I knew where this recipe came from so I could give the proper credit, but I have no idea! I know it did come from an old roommate and she probably got it from a cookbook... or was it a family recipe? I can't remember. It's a little bit sweet and a little bit tangy but definitely packed full of flavor.  The prep time is minimal with most of it being in the oven! It probably isn't the healthiest of recipes, but serve it up with some brown rice and veggies on the side and you might be able to get away with it ;) Hey, healthy food gets boring sometimes.

2 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and brown in a small amount of oil. Since the chicken will be going in the oven, it is only necessary to brown it instead of cooking it all of the way through.

Sauce:
1 can pineapple
1 Tbs. soy sauce
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. ginger
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Chicken Bouillon cube
3/4 c. cider vinegar

1 green pepper  cut into bite sized pieces

Drain pineapple juice from can and combine with water to make 1 1/4 c. Add to a saucepan. Add all sauce ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes {the sauce will be relatively thin, but will thicken in the oven}. Place browned chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes uncovered. Add pineapple and green pepper and bake 30 minutes longer. Serve with rice.

{Before adding the peppers and pineapple}

This is definitely enough to feed a whole family. With my husband and I taking large portions, we still barely made a dent in it, but it makes great leftovers!

Menu for the Week

I just finished my menu for the week and finally finished my grocery list so here are some ideas for your menu this week. I went to a fun cooking demo on Friday so I'm kinda hooked on Our Best Bites recipes this week. I hope you enjoy!

Monday: Chicken Cacciatore

Tuesday: Hamburgers with homemade fries

Wednesday: Panzanella with Grilled Chicken 

(p. 78 if you have the Our Best Bites Cookbook)

Thursday: Waffles with Strawberry Sauce

Friday: Chicken Fajitas

Saturday: Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Have a great week!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Hey everyone, this is Dresden, hopefully I'll be posting a recipe every week or so to add to Natalie's delicious recipes! Want to know more about me? Visit my blog and feel free to visit often. Today I'm sharing a recipe that happens to be one of my very favorite. I cook this as often as my husband will let me, especially because it's really easy and quick. I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients:
3 cups Rotini, cooked & drained (or any other pasta works, I use penne a lot)
2 Tbl. butter
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced in strips about 1/2" thick
3 glove of garlic (minced)
1 bunch green onion chopped
2 Tbl. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. ground red pepper (cayenne pepper)
8 ounce heavy cream
1 green bell pepper (cut up)
1 red bell pepper (cut up)
8 oz. fresh mushrooms quartered (optional)
½ cup parmesan cheese grated (fresh really makes a huge difference)


Directions:

Cook rotini (or similar pasta) according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add chicken. Cook stirring frequently done (10-15 mins). Add garlic, onions, Cajun seasoning, ground black and red pepper. Add bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Cover for 5 minutes.

Uncover stir in cream and let it simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in parmesan cheese. Stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Side notes: Cajun seasoning can be a little spicy,
I would start with a little less if you do not like spice.
This makes quite a bit, for two people I usually only do 1 large chicken breast and 2 cups of pasta. This recipe can be stretched really far by adding more pasta and whipping cream.



garnish with more parmesan cheese

Green Chili Soup - and a new author!

Hello everyone!  My name is Kristine and I am going to be posting recipes on this blog as well.  I wish that I could say that Natalie invited me to post, but she didn't - I volunteered!  If you want to know more about me, you can blog stalk me here.   

Today, I am sharing a recipe for a delicious soup that I adapted last year from my sister's recipe blog here.  With fall FINALLY making an appearance (maybe?), this is the perfect soup to warm you up on a chilly day.

Green Chili Soup

1 chicken breast

2 c. salsa verde/green salsa--I used medium and it was SPICY (the kind that makes your nose run). If you can't handle the heat, go with a mild salsa

1 4 oz. can fire roasted chilis

5 c. chicken broth

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 c. milk

1/4 heavy cream

2 c. frozen corn

1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

salt + pepper, to taste

1 avocado, diced (optional)

sour cream 

grated cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breast in a baking dish, cover with a splash of olive oil and season with a little salt and pepper. Roast chicken for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. (Or if you have an outdoor grill that you can still use, grill it!)

In the meantime, combine salsa verde, chilis, chicken broth, corn, black beans and cream of chicken soup in a large stockpot. Bring to a soft boil (just heated through and beginning to bubble a little bit--I just let it heat up while I was waiting for the chicken to roast). Once chicken is roasted, dice up and add to the soup mixture. Add cream and milk (only if you want it to be more creamy).  Serve hot with diced avocado, sour cream and your choice of cheese. I also served this with some roasted chips and cheese (aka, chips and cheese that I put under the broiler).

This made enough soup to feed my husband and I for two dinners and I also had the leftovers for lunch a few days. It makes a lot of soup!

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken

Ok. This is seriously one of the easiest dishes I've ever made, especially when you taste how good it is! I'm writing it from memory, but I found it in a family cookbook. I will say that it's far from healthy. But sometimes you need something quick and easy and delicious. Serve a big salad next to it to make yourself feel better about the butter! :)

Here's what you need:

1 brick cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 ranch packet
1 can cream of chicken soup (you could use cream of anything probably)
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
3-4 chicken breasts

Let the butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, then mix everything together (I mix it all in the crock pot, then add in the chicken on top.) Cook for about 4 hours and serve over cooked rice. It's so good!

Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Burgers

Something about a big piece of pineapple on top of a hamburger just sounds so refreshing- After a recent trip to the Trolley, one of my favorite little places to eat in Utah, I decided to recreate it on my own.

What you need:

Grill a chicken breast that's been marinated in teriyaki
Pineapple slices (I used canned rings because the fresh ones didn't look good)
lettuce
some kind of roll or hoagie

I sliced the chicken breast (after letting it rest, of course) and loaded it on a warmed roll with the pineapple slice and lettuce. It was so juicy + refreshing. It's the perfect meal for the warmer weather.

Cilantro chicken quesadillas

I love Guru's but it's a bit expensive. One night Christiana and I decided to recreate their Cilantro Lime Quesadilla so we could enjoy it at home. It was a success! You can mix and match the ingredients but I think the chili powder on the outside of the tortilla really makes it. Here's how to assemble:

Ingredients for 2 large quesadillas (serves 4-ish)

1 bunch cilantro
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 limes
flour tortillas (we prefer the uncooked ones)
1 chicken breast, cooked zn the oven and shredded
2-3 cups of shredded mozzarella and white or yellow cheddar (you can shred as much as you like and combine)
canned corn
black beans

To make the paste that you'll spread on the tortilla, combine cilantro (just the leaves), zest and juice of both limes and garlic cloves in a food processor or blender and blend until it's a paste. I also add a little salt and pepper to this mixture.

Spread the paste on two tortillas. Cover one of the tortillas in chicken, cheese, corn and black beans. Put the two tortillas together and top one side with a little chili powder. Spray your pan and heat. Cook each side of the quesadilla for a few minutes, or until very brown and the cheese is melted. I like to cut mine with my pizza cutter. I served it with the salsa (see below) and sour cream.



We served the quesadillas with Cafe Rio's cilantro lime rice:

1 1/2 cups rice (I like jasmine)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 limes
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 stick of butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 bullion cubes
3 cups of water


Melt butter in a pot and add onion, celery and rice and the 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro, zest in the lime zest and add the juice of both limes as well. Add the water and bullion cubes. Bring to a boil and cover. Lower heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes.




I also made Kelsey Nixon's guacamole-tomatillo salsa. It was really good with the quesadillas and with chips.

Bacon Basil Chicken

This meal is one of the first meals I made after getting married. It was inspired by David's LOVE of bacon. It's so easy and really really good. I'm always looking for ways to spruce up chicken, because it is my favorite meat!

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of bacon, cooked
a handful of fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt + pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


Cook the bacon and let it drain and cool. In a blender or food processor combine the bacon (break it up a bit), basil leaves, a few tablespoons of olive oil and a teeny bit of salt and pepper. Blend until everything is about the same size, maybe 45 seconds. You don't want the mixture to be mushy or soggy looking, just broken up into small pieces. Set aside.

Take the chicken and slice a hole in the center. Don't cut all the way through the chicken. Put as much of the bacon basil mixture as you can into the hole. You don't want it coming out, just nice and full. Put the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish thats been greased. Rub a little olive oil and salt and pepper on top. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, you want the internal temperature to be at 165 in the fattest part of each breast. Don't let it go above 165 because it will continue cooking a tiny bit after you take it out of the oven. Once it's done, take it out and cover them breasts with foil- then let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will ensure juicy chicken! I would serve it with broccoli and mashed potatoes. It's a nice flavor change from normal chicken! Plus if you slice it on an angle, the green peeking through the slices of chicken looks really pretty and almost fancy.