Chicken Chipotle Burritos

My awesome mother-in-law made us dinner last night and she made these burritos. My husband and I thought they were really good. I got the recipe because I know I will be making these a lot in the future. The seasoned chicken, salsa and chipotle cheese make these burritos really flavorful and besides a little cheese they are also really healthy.

Chicken Chipotle Burritos

• 1 lb. chicken, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
• salt and pepper to taste
• dried cilantro to taste
• chili powder to taste
• 1 cup rice, cooked according to package directions
• 1 16oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 cup grated chipotle gouda cheese, divided (or you could use a Mexican cheese blend)
• 4-6 tomato or spinach wraps

preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. add cubed chicken and crushed garlic cloves. cook for a few minutes and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, cilantro and chili powder. continue cooking until chicken is completely cooked through.

meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine rice, pinto beans, salsa and 1/2 cup cheese. stir in cooked chicken. spread mixture evenly over wraps and roll up. spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray and then place each burrito inside. top with remaining cheese. bake 6-8 minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted.

A-MAZ-ING Lasagna

We invited some friends over for dinner a few nights ago and I wanted to make something that was really good but also something that wasn't too difficult or stressful to make. I decided to make lasagna since I could prepare it ahead of time and then pop it in the oven right before our guests arrived. I feel like lasagna can sometimes be a more homely dish and not very impressive for dinner guests but this recipe is amazing and perfect for entertaining. Everyone loved it including my husband who readily admits that he's kind of a food snob. The key to this recipe is the combination of the ground beef and Italian sausage. It makes the lasagna so much more flavorful. I served this with a salad and garlic bread and it was absolutely perfect!

A-MAZ-ING Lasagna

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 pound Jimmy Dean Italian Sausage
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (6oz) cans tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons dried basil
• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (24oz) carton low fat cottage cheese
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (the one in the green can)
• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound sliced mozzarella
• 1 (10oz) package lasagna noodles

in a large skillet, combine beef, sausage and garlic. brown over medium-high heat. drain off most of the fat. add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, 2 Tablespoons parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. simmer for 30 minutes.

meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. add about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the boiling water so that the noodles do not stick together once cooked.

in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, beaten eggs, parmesan cheese, 2 Tablespoons parsley and 1 teaspoon salt. set aside.

To Assemble- place 4 cooked lasagna noodles on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish, overlapping if needed. spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. cover the cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella. spoon just less than half of the meat mixture over the top. repeat ending with meat sauce. sprinkle more grated parmesan cheese generously over the top.

bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. you can also freeze it or cover and refrigerate it for up to two days.

Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken

I can't really think of anything clever or interesting to say about this recipe other than that it's super good! I always love a good lemon dish but don't really like it when the lemon is too overpowering. This chicken has just the right amount of lemoniness (is that a word?) and sweetness from the brown sugar. I've made this recipe with both chicken breasts and chicken tenders. Both are delicious but my husband said he thinks he likes the tenders best. Either way this chicken is super tender from first cooking it over the stove and then finishing it off in the oven. It's also really easy to prepare and you'll more than likely have all of the ingredients on hand so it makes a great last minute meal.

Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken

(adapted from here)

• 3-4 chicken breasts (or you can use 1-1.5 lb. chicken tenders)
• lemon zest from 1 large lemon
• juice from 2 large lemons
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons brown sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees. pound out chicken to 1/2 inch thick if using chicken breasts. 

in a shallow dish combine flour, paprika and salt. toss chicken in flour mixture to completely coat. in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. place chicken in oil and brown on each side, about 4 minutes for chicken breasts and 2-3 minutes for tenders. it should have a nice crust on it. remove chicken to a baking dish. 

pour lemon juice in the hot pan and whisk to deglaze. pour juice over chicken. sprinkle chicken with lemon zest and brown sugar. bake 30 minutes for chicken breasts or 20-25 minutes for tenders.

Sugar Cookie Bars

The weirdest thing happened the other day. My house was completely clean, my baby was asleep and I had absolutely nothing that I had to do....I was bored! I honestly can't remember the last time I was bored or didn't have something that needed to be done. It was a really strange feeling. So to entertain my two year old and myself, I decided to take my favorite sugar cookie recipe and make them into bars. I love a good sugar cookie but making them is sometimes a hassle. These bars were super easy and quick and the recipe makes a lot so it would be perfect for a birthday party or any function with a lot of kids.

Sugar Cookie Bars

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

cream butter and sugar. add eggs and beat well. add sour cream and vanilla. sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. grease a jelly roll pan. place dough in pan and smooth it out evenly with a spatula. bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. cool completely and then frost.

frosting:

start with-

• 1/2 cup butter, very soft
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

combine. beat with hand mixer, adding more milk and powdered sugar as needed until you get the perfect creamy consistency that you want. add food coloring if desired.

Frozen Hot Chocolate

I had a girls night get together over at my house this weekend to celebrate one of my friends who just had a birthday and who is moving away this week. For dessert I kept it simple and made chocolate chip cookies and frozen hot chocolate. It was the perfect treat to have while sitting around the table and talking for hours. The taste and texture of this frozen hot chocolate kind of reminds me of a frosty making it a great drink to have on warm summer night!

Frozen Hot Chocolate

• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons of your favorite hot cocoa mix
• 2/3 cups white chocolate chips
• 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 12oz. cans evaporated milk, divided
• 9 cups ice
• whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles for garnish

fill a small saucepan with one inch of water and bring it to a gentle boil. place a glass bowl on top of the saucepan and make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. melt butter in bowl. stir in cocoa mix and sugar. stir in white and semi-sweet chocolate chips. stir in 1 cup evaporated milk and whisk until smooth. remove bowl from saucepan and cool to room temperature. (I put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.)

combine ice, chocolate mixture, and remaining evaporated milk in a blender (divide this into batches if your blender isn't big enough to hold it all at once). blend until smooth. divide into glasses and top with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.

*makes 6 glass fulls