Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 onion, chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 1/2
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 small can diced green chiles
1 clove garlic, minced
8 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 (12 ounce) jar salsa
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium, non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Drain excess fat. Cube the chicken and return it to the skillet. Add the onion, sour cream, Cheddar cheese, parsley, oregano and ground black pepper. Heat until cheese melts. Stir in salt, enchilada sauce, chili powder, green chiles and garlic.

3. Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas. Arrange in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with salsa and 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Yummiest Chicken Salad

Ingredients

4 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
1 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
A few dashes poultry seasoning
A few dashes garlic powder
1 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup toasted chopped pecans
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika, seasoned salt, poultry seasoning, and garlic powder. Blend in dried cranberries, celery, green onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill 1 hour.

I love this with Whole Wheat Ritz!

Watergate Salad

My Grandma used to make this and I love it.  Just made it for us for dessert tonight!

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, in juice, undrained
1 package (3.4 oz) pistachio instant pudding
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients.
Refrigerate one hour.

Then enjoy!!

Crunchy Mac & Cheese

8 ounces elbow maccaroni

4 cups shredded cheddar (i use 2% milk cheese)

8 ounces sour cream (i use light or non fat)

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped onions

1 cup crushed cheese crackers (we use cheez-its)

Bring water to a boil in a large dutch oven; stir in maccaroni. Cook until tender; dran. Rinse with cold water.

combine macaroni and next four ingredients. Spoon into a lightly greased 11x7 baking dish. Sprinkle with crackers.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Enjoy! It's a must have in our house!

Meaty Biscuit Cups

(Serves 10 - 2 biscuits cups each)

INGREDIENTS

1 pound 90 % lean hamburger- cooked

1/3 C finely chopped onion

1/3 C barbecue sauce

½ C corn

1 (10 count) can flaky biscuits

Muffin Tin

½ C shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown hamburger and onions - drain

Divide each biscuit in half by pulling apart the layers.

Press each half into non-stick muffin tins coated with non-stick spray

Combine Hamburger, Corn and BBQ sauce

Divide the meat mixture evenly into the muffin tins

 Double wrap and attach serving label (If freezing)

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS:

THAW Completely!

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes

Remove from oven and sprinkle each cup with cheese. Return to oven and bake an additional few minutes until cheese is melted.

Rigatoni Bolognese

This is SO GOOD. If you make it, you will look like a culinary master! :)

This recipe is adapted from the Wei.ght Watch.ers Pure Com.fort cookbook. It's a favorite of ours - a must-make at least once a month. It's a really flexible recipe - you can leave out the veggies if you don't like them (we never add the carrots), or add in others for a new taste.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground lean beef (5% fat or less) or ground turkey
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 T dried parsley
1/4 C beef broth or dry red wine
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper
2 C rigatoni
1/4 C Parmesan cheese

optional ingredients (we usually add these in, but the points value given below doesn't include them so you'll have to adjust the points value accordingly)
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
small can mushrooms, drained
small can sliced or chopped olives, drained
dried basil

1) Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the beef (and sausage if you choose to have it) and cook until brown, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Stir in the tomatoes, parsley, wine/broth, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and add pasta to sauce mixture. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until sauce cooks into the pasta a bit. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Point info (does not include optional ingredients):
6 points per serving
serving = 1 1/2 C with 1 T cheese

You can also make the sauce portion ahead of time and freeze it and it's ready to go when you reheat and add the cooked pasta.

Mac & Cheese Soup

Who doesn't love Mac & Cheese and this was so freaking easy! Recipe from Food Network with a few changes.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
• Cooking spray
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 shallots (I used green onions)
• 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 3/4 cups fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
• 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and set aside. (I had this cooking at the same time as the broth)

Mince the shallots, carrot and celery in a food processor. Mist a saucepan with cooking spray.

Add the vegetables and cook over medium-high heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.

Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring, until thickened, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from the heat.

Add the milk, cheeses and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt. Season with pepper.

Per serving: Calories 476; Fat 20 g (Saturated 12 g); Cholesterol 84 mg; Sodium 636 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 2 g; Protein 27 g

*This was REALLY yummy - it could use more of a "kick" though - some kind of spice, even just crushed red pepper, could really liven it up!
I served it with home-made chicken fingers and fruit.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Devil’s food cake mix
1 8oz brick of cream cheese Softened
1 egg
1/3 cup of sugar
Dash of salt
6 oz mini chocolate chips


Use a standard Devil’s food cake mix ( follow directions on mix to make a cake)
Fill cupcake liners half full
Add one tablespoon of cupcake filling
Bake according to directions for cupcakes

Cupcake Filling:
1 8oz brick of cream cheese Softened
1 egg
1/3 cup of sugar
Dash of salt
Mix all ingredients together with a mixer
Stir in 6 oz mini chocolate chips


I made these for Super Bowl Sunday and they were delicious!

French Fry Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

Mix seasonings together, pour into shaker, sprinkle generously onto french fries as soon as they're done cooking. Enjoy!

lasagna

This is a family favorite recipe, it's so good and completely easy to make. I so don't know exact measurements on most of this stuff, but it's fool-proof I promise.

*Note: I use 1 lb of ground beef for my little fam, but if we're making it for company, I'll use 2 lbs. It's easy to add a bit more of the additional ingredients to stretch it.

What you need:
1 lb. uncooked ground beef
1/4 C chopped onion
1 normal size jar spaghetti sauce
uncooked lasagna noodles - 6 is usually fine for the smaller version, I'll use 9 noodles for a 9x13 pan
1 (ish) C Cottage Cheese (I suppose you could use Ricotta, I never have)
2 (ish) C shredded mozzarella, divided

Optional (chopped):
mushrooms
green peppers
black olives

What you'll do:
Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet. Meanwhile, cook lasagna according to package directions. You can take it out a couple minutes early if you want, the noodles will finish cooking in the oven. In a small bowl, combine the cottage cheese with about 1 cup of the mozzarella. Obviously, increase or decrease the cheeses to your own liking, but it should be mixed well and not too wet/not too dry. When the meat is browned, drain the grease and add in your spaghetti sauce and any of your optional veggie mix-ins.

Spray an 8x8" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread a spoonful of the meat mixture in the pan. Place one layer of noodles in the pan (you will need to cut 4ish inches off the noodles so they fit an 8x8). Spread 1/2 the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Spread 1/2 the meat mixture on the cheese. Repeat the noodle, cheese, meat process once more. You will have the meat mixture as your top layer. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top of the meat mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbly.

Cheesy Chicken Tortolleni Bake

Ingredients
Pasta Mixture:1/2 cup Chopped onion
1 tsp Olive oil
1 Garlic clove, pressed
1 jar White Alfredo pasta sauce (16 oz.)
2 Pkgs refrigerated cheese-filled regular or spinach tortellini (9 oz each pkg)
1 1/2 cups Cubed cooked chicken
1 cup Milk
1 cup Water
1 cup Frozen peas
1/4 tsp Ground black pepper
2 tbsp Snipped fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil leaves

Crumb Topping:1/4 cup Grated fresh Parmesan cheese (1 oz)
2 tbsp Butter or margarine
1 cup Fresh bread crumbs

Preparation1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. For pasta mixture, chop onion with Food Chopper
3. In 4 qt. Casserole, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic pressed with Garlic Press. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender.
4. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas, and black pepper. Heat until mixture just comes to a boil; remove from heat.
5. Stir basil into pasta mixture
6. For crumb topping, grate Parmesan cheese. Place butter in microwave on HIGH 30-45 seconds or until melted. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well.
7. Spoon pasta mixture into Square Baker; spinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown

My changes:
*I made this w/o chicken - it was still FAB!
*I used packaged bertolli tortolleni that I had to boil first, I just boiled it for 1/2 the time (like 5min) and then went ahead with the directions.
*I also left onions out because I didn't have any and used garlic powder instead of pressed garlic, am lazy!
* This is REALLY good and not as rich as you might think

Amazing Pork Tenderloin

INGREDIENTS
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons lite soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Cream Cheese Chicken

This is one of my new favorite things to make - it is SO easy and SO yummy!

Cream Cheese Chicken
Makes: 6 servings Total Time: 6 hr
what you need:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I usually just buy like a package that equals 1.5 lbs or so)
1 stick butter
1 package Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 bar cream cheese
1 pound gemelli pasta (this is the type I use but you can really use any pasta or rice)

make it:
In your slow cooker place the chicken, put stick of butter on top and pour package of Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing onto it all. Cook on low for 5 hours.
Take out chicken and shred/cut up.
Add can of cream of chicken soup and bar of cream cheese into crockpot seasoning/butter mixture and stir. Add shredded chicken back in and stir. Cook on low for one more hour.
Serve over pasta (or rice).

*I usually add 3/4 chardonay after hour 4 or 5
*I only use 1/2 or 1/4c of butter (it really does not need it!)
*I used cream of mushroom instead of cream of chicken.  Cream of celery would probably be yummy too!

White Chicken Chili

This is one of my favorite go-to dishes in the winter!  It's from Bush's Beans.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 (16 ounce) cans BUSH'S® Great Northern Beans

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth 1 1/2 cups finely chopped cooked chicken breast Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional) Sour cream (optional) Salsa (optional)

Directions:

1	In large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot.
2	Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Copyright © Bush Brothers & Company, 2011