Chicken Chimichangas

Football Sundays mean trying new recipes for me. After a search ~ I dug up this Chimichanga recipe from the Foodnetwork. These are really good! Thanks Emeril. I did adapt this a little bit and didn't totally fry them ~ mostly baked. And still very good! (I have to work on my food photography skills... the pics I took do this NO justice!!)

Chicken Chimichangas

Adapt from Food Network ~ Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus 8 cups for frying (I omitted the 8 cups for frying & used a couple more TBSP to just crisp them a bit)
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken breast, shredded while warm (I shredded the chicken by putting the chicken on a plate ~ salt & peppered a bit ~ a bit of buttermilk ~ microwaved for 8 minutes ~ worked perfectly)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• Wooden toothpicks
• Chipotle Salsa (Emeril gave a recipe ~ I just bought some & it was great)
• Sour cream, for garnish (I used Greek Yogurt)
• Fresh cilantro sprigs, for garnish (Shredded lettuce instead)

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the green chiles. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes, or until heated through. Set aside and cool slightly.

One at a time, place the tortillas on a work surface, keeping the remaining tortillas covered with a damp towel. (For pliable tortillas, sprinkle lightly with 1/4 teaspoon water and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 10 to 20 seconds just before ready to stuff, and keep covered until ready to roll.) Spread 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture in a rectangle in the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold the bottom of the tortilla over the filling and then fold the sides over. Fold the top of the tortilla over the folded sides and secure the sides with wooden toothpicks. Place folded side down.

Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a deep stockpot or deep fryer to 360 degrees F. Using tongs, lower the chimichangas folded side down, 1 at a time into the hot oil. (It is helpful to hold the chimichanga with the tongs until it has "sealed" together.) Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and continue with remaining chimichangas. I totally altered this part of the recipe. Instead I put a TBSP of oil in the pan, just put each side of the enchilada in for 1 minute or 2 to crisp. I put them on a baking sheet as done and baked at 350 for about 15 minutes or so to heat through and ensure the cheese was melted inside.

Remove toothpicks from the chimichangas and serve immediately with Chipotle Salsa, sour cream, and fresh cilantro. (Again I used Greek Yogurt & Lettuce.)

Inside Out Ravioli

Ahhh ~ this recipe reminds me of my college days! Our group used to go to Lake Conesus in New York ~ we'd stay at the beautiful cottage of the Riches. We'd water ski, lay out and laugh and laugh. And our course, eat! That's where I was introduced to this recipe. Mrs. Rich used to put this together for us. It was great ~ easy to put together, can do ahead and freeze and goes great with a salad. I have made this one of my go to dishes when making a meal for someone that they can freeze and make when they need a meal. It never fails me.

Inside Out Ravioli

Source: The Rich Family

Ingredients

9 X 13 pan or large casserole dish

1 10 oz. box frozen chopped spinach

4 cups small seashell pasta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup oil (less!!)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 well beaten egg

Spaghetti Sauce ~ 28 - 32 oz.

Directions

Cook spinach and shells. Drain well. Make sure to squeeze the extra water out of the spinach. I put it in a dishtowel and 'wring'. Mix together spinach and shells.

In a separate bowl, mix together cheese, bread crumbs, egg and oil.

Mix spinach and shells with this mixture.

Mix in sauce, reserve a bit to top.

Spread in an greased/oiled baking dish.

Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Again, can be made ahead and frozen. Just bake as directed.

Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos

My first attempt at salsa. So easy & simple to make. Had a little bit of a kick to it. We thought this would be a great accompaniment to some dishes maybe not the one for chips.

Chipotle Salsa with Pan-Roasted Tomatillos

Source: Elly Says Opa!

Ingredients

4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut in half (about 8 oz.)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 chipotles in adobo (more if you want more heat)

Directions

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Lay in the tomatillos (cut side down) and the garlic. When the tomatillos are well browned, about 4 minutes, flip everything over and brown on the other side. The tomatillos should be completely soft.

Scoop the tomatillos and garlic into a food processor and add the chipotles, about 1/4 cup water, and salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp.). Process everything together into a course puree. Thin with additional water if necessary.

Red Chili Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

I just started eating black beans. So I searched for a recipe with them in it. This hit the spot! We really enjoyed this recipe. It can be eaten alone or even rolled into a burrito.

Red Chili Chicken and Rice with Black Beans

Source: Elly Says Opa!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1.25-1.5 lbs. total)
2.5 Tbsp. ancho chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, large dice
1 cup rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions, roots and wilted outer leaves removed before chopping (OR 1/3 cup cilantro OR 2-3 Tbsp. epazote or hoja santa)
1/2 to 1 cup salsa, such as Smoky Chipotle Salsa, or chipotle hot sauce for serving

Directions

Heat the oil in a medium-large heavy pot (with a lid) over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breast with salt and 1 Tbsp. of the ancho chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining 1.5 Tbsp. ancho chili powder. Cook one minute, and then add the broth and salt to taste. Stir well. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

Cut the chicken breast into 1″ pieces. Add them to the pot along with the beans. Re-cover and cook 12 minutes longer.

Sprinkle the green onions and test a kernel of rice. It should have no more than a hint of chalkiness at in the center, in which case you place the cover back on, remove it from the heat and let it stand 5-10 minutes. If it’s not cooked, cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Fluff the mixture with a fork and serve with salsa for each person to spoon on al gusto.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 517 / Fat: 10.4g / Saturated Fat: 1.3g / Carbs: 60g / Fiber: 9.3g / Protein: 44g

White & Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Cookies

When the worlds align and you happen to have all of the ingredient for something as amazing sounding as this.... you get on it & make it. These are GOOD! I found this on Picky Palate blog. If you haven't checked it out, do so, great ideas!

White & Chocolate Chunk Butterscotch Cookies

Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Cups Chocolate Chunk pieces
1 Cup white chocolate chips
1 Cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl; sift of stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with all the chocolate/chips. Mix until just combined.

3. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet placing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until edges just barely start to turn golden. Remove and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Enjoy!!

About 3 dozen cookies

THE Chicken

On a chat board I frequent, the recipe was recommended. Quick, easy & tasty. Made a nice dinner tonight. This will be a go to quicky!

THE Chicken

Source: The Nest - Pittsburgh

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into tenders

1 pack good seasons dressing mix

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix together dressing mix, Parmesan & garlic salt.

Cut chicken into tenders, coat in the Parmesan mixture. If it isn't sticking wet the chicken with a little bit of water.

Place on a baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes.