Cafe Rio-esque Cilantro Dressing/Dip

While searching for a lime chicken reciep the other day, I came across a blessed recipe. The delicious Cafe Rio Lime Cilantro Dressing. It called for somethings called tomatillos, and the grocery store I go to unfortunately did not have these items. So I changed that up, and just used red tomatoes. I also couldn't find limes (yeah, i go to a lame college grocery store), so I used key limes instead.  I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did! I think it turned out to taste quite similar to dressing from Cafe Rio. It's really good on salads, nachos, or just to dip chips in. I also found a recipe for the rice and chicken from Cafe Rio, so I will definitely be trying those out soon!


Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 package of Buttermilk ranch dressing mix  (you'll need mayonaise for this)
1 medium tomato

2 key limes

1 jalepeno (take the seeds out)

8 stalks of cilantro (just the leaves)

1 clove of garlic

Mix together the buttermilk mix according to directions. Let it set up in the fridge for about 30 minutes. After this, blend together all of the above ingredients in a blender until smooth. Refridgerate until ready to serve. 

Spaghetti Chicken Bake

So every Tuesday and Wednesday, I head over to my brother to watch American Idol. We have started a tradition to always have some kind of good food. Well, after the first couple of weeks I started running out of ideas. So I started searching through blogs, and using the website Big Oven . It has tons of yummy recipes, but my favorite feature is the recipe generator. You type in three ingredients you have and it finds recipes for you. Last week I found a recipe for something Called a Spaghetti Chicken Bake. I ended up not being able to find all the right ingredients, so I changed it around and added a few ingredients..It looks kind of gross, but its absolutely delicious. My brother says its one of his new favorites! It's pretty simple to make, and is very filling..Enjoy!





Spaghetti Chicken Bake

1/2 box of Wheat Spaghetti (or white, just depends on your preference), broken into 3 inch pieces

Grilled Chicken strips (about 1.5 pounds)

1 container of Queso (Just the cheese dip you find at the store by the tortilla chips)

4 tbsp butter

1 red pepper

1/2 large red onion

5 slices of turkey bacon, cut into  small slices (you could use regular bacon as well)1

1 can tomato sauce

1 can cream of mushroom soup

Mexican Blend grated cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Bring water to a boil and cook broken spaghetti until tender. Strain and rinse with cold water; set aside. Cook grilled chicken strips (I used pre-cooked ones, so I just cooked them until they were warm), and then cut into smaller pieces. In a very large pan, saute red pepper and onion. After sauted, put tomato sauce, queso, and cream of mushroom soup together in pan until smooth and hot. Add chicken and coat. After this mixture is complete, add the spaghetti noodles, and combine until everything is mixed well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 greased pan. Top with mexican blend grated cheese. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. After this, take pan out and garnish with turkey bacon. Cook for an additional 30 minutes. Immediately upon taking out of the oven, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Delicious when served with garlic bread!

German Chocolate Cookies

Two recipes in one day? It's your lucky day!
So the other day at work, I was going through some blogs, and randomly came across one that had this delicious sounding recipe on it. It was called German Chocolate Cookies. So I immediately wrote down the recipe, and decided to make it. So I went to the store and bought the ingredients..And of course, because I wanted to be able to say it was my own recipe, I changed it up a little bit. They seemed to be a big hit. Since I'm not eating sweets this month, I was disappointed not to be able to eat the leftovers today :( They are really easy to make, and definitely delicious!



German Chocolate Cookies

1 box of German Chocolate Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1 4 oz (I think it's really like 4.16 oz on the package..but find the package closest to 4 oz) package of andes mints
3/4 of a bag of Milk Chocolate Chips
1/2 bag of Butterscotch Chips

Beat all the ingredients together in a bowl until well mixed. Place spoonfuls of cookie dough on a well greased pan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Pizza

All credit for this goes to Kristalyn! Seriously, she made it during Christmas Break because I remembered how I absolutely loved it the one time she made it like 10 years ago. And well, 10 years has not changed my taste buds. It's so yummy! I made it last week for my brother and me and some of his roommates...Yum! Here's the recipe :) (BTW, these pictures are from when Kristalyn made it. I felt it appropriate to put them because it's her yummy recipe!)



Chicken Pesto Pizza



One box of Jiffy Pizza Crust (if you want a thicker crust, use two)
Any kind of chicken, shredded (I actually used grilled chicken strips, and just cooked them up in a pan for awhile..it was yummy!)
1 packet of pesto sauce (to make this sauce, you'll need oil--preferably olive oil--and milk)
Any kind of cheese
Diced Tomatos (optional)
Bacon (optional)

Cook up the chicken and set aside. Make the pizza crust according to directions. While it is being prebaked (I believe it's like 5 minutes), cook the pesto sauce according to directions. After the crust is done being prebaked, pour most of the sauce on the crust, and spread it around. Leave enough of the sauce to mix with the chicken. After putting the sauce on, cover the top with cheese. And then layer with the chicken, a tomatos/bacon (if you desire). Cook at 425 for about 18-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Pies, Pies, Pies!

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is all the pies! At Enrichment meeting a few weeks ago, the wife of one of the members of the Bishopric of my ward taught us how to make homemade pie crust and apple pie! It really made me want to contribute to my family's Thanksgiving feast with pie! I asked my mom if I could make my favorite pie ever, a Carmel Apple Pie, and she said that would be great. In the end, I actually ended up making three pies, all of which turned out pretty well! I thought it was a nice assortment; there was something for everyone! I think even the pickiest eater would enjoy eating! I discovered the Carmel Apple Pie last October when I was trying to find a recipe for a ward party. It was in the Taste of Home magazine, but it called for pears. I was a little hesitant about that, so I switched it out for apples! My mom said she thought it was absolutely delicious! I also made a chocolate pie, using my mom's recipe, and a traditional pumpkin pie! We refrigerated them over night, but I'm sure they would be delicious right out of the oven as well!




CARMEL APPLE PIE

• 3 cups sliced peeled ripe pears (about 6 medium)
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
• 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
• 18 caramels
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine pears and lemon juice. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar, tapioca, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to pears; stir gently. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Pour into pastry shell. In a bowl, combine the oats, flour and remaining sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pears. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. Stir until smooth; add pecans. Drizzle over pie. Cool on a wire rack.



Chocolate Pie

1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding (small)
1 pint of vanilla ice cream
1 cup milk
Pie crust (graham cracker or shortbread)

Mix in a medium size bowl vanilla ice cream and pudding until smooth. Stir in milk until everything is smooth and well blended. Pour into a pie crust. Refrigerate over night so it can set up! Enjoy!




Pumpkin Pie

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can Libby's Pumpkin
• 1 can evaporate milk
• 1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
• Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Apricot Chicken

Who says that a fancy meal has to take forever to make and use a ton of ingredients! One of my very favorite meals is way simple, but it definitely could qualify as something you could order at a restaurant! I discovered this recipe about a year or so ago when I had some apricot jam in the fridge that I wanted to try and use for dinner. I came across this delicious, but simple, recipe for apricot chicken, and it has become a family favorite ever since. I made this a few weeks ago for my roommates, on the night of the Election, and they all seemed to love it! I recommend serving it with garlic bread or garlic knots

APRICOT CHICKEN

6 chicken breasts
3/4 cup Apricot Jam
1 pkg. French Onion Soup Mix
1/2 bottle French or Catalina Dressing
Linguini (or rice...I like Linguini the best though!)

Mix together jam, french onion soup mix, and dressing in a medium size bowl until well combined. Place chicken breasts in an oven safe container. Pour jam mixture over the chicken. Cook in over at 325 degrees F for about an hour. Serve over Linguini or rice. I like to put parmesan cheese on top.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Another item on the menu for the BYU versus U of U football game party was my mom's delicious Chicken Salad Sandwiches! For as long as I can remember, my mom would make these delicious sandwiches for our long road trips, and all of us always loved them! I have made them a few times while at college, and enjoy them everytime! They only take a few ingredients and are extremely simple to make! They are great to make for a bridal or baby shower, or to bring to someone for lunch or dinner when they aren't feeling well!




CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICHES

2 cans of canned chicken
Mayonaise
Garlic Powder
Lemon Pepper
Grapes, Apples, Celery, etc.
Croissaints (or another kind of bread to put the salad on)
Cashews

Mix together 2 cans of canned chicken and a spoonful or two of mayonaise. Just play it by ear how much you should put in; you just want enough to blend it. Put in about a teaspoon of garlic powder and lemon pepper and mix. If you desire, put in cut up apples, grapes, and/or celery. Putting cashews in is a nice touch as well! Spoon onto croissants and serve. Put in refrigerator if you won't be serving for awhile.