Chili Ghetti

Ingredients:
1 lb. Lean ground beef (I never add this cause I'm not a real meaty person and the chili has meat in it)
1 package (8 oz) spaghetti
3/4 cup chopped onion   
3 cups grated Cheddar cheese
2 T. butter, melted   
1 cup sour cream
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 can (32 oz.) chili


Directions:
Brown ground beef and onions in butter. Drain off fat.   Stir tin tomatoes and chili.   Simmer 45
mins.   Meanwhile, cook spaghetti.   Drain, set aside.   Remove skillet from heat.   Stir in grated cheese until melted.   Fold in sour cream.   Mix with cooked spaghetti.   Spoon in 4 or 5-quart casserole dish.   Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.   Cover, bake at 350 for 45 mins.

Number Of Servings:serves 8


This is one of my all time favorites!

Pixie's Pantry Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:
3/4 of 10-ounce bag tortilla chips, preferably blue corn
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup honey
Zest of two limes and juice of one lime, divided
6 chicken breast halves
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
3/4 cup mango salsa
6 slices Monterey Jack cheese
 
Crush tortilla chips in bag with a rolling pin; add garlic powder and black pepper, then shake bag to mix. In a bowl, mix together honey, zest of one lime and half of the juice of one lime. Pound chicken breasts so they will cook evenly. Coat chicken breasts generously in honey-lime mixture, then coat well in crushed tortilla chips. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is almost, but not thoroughly, cooked. Remove from oven and turn broiler to low. Mix together sour cream, cilantro, the zest of the second lime and remaining lime juice. Place evenly atop chicken breasts: sour cream mixture, then mango salsa, and finally the slices of Monterey Jack cheese. Place chicken breasts in the middle rack of oven and broil until cheese is golden brown and chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.

We made this at my parents house over conference weekend, and it was really good!

Roasted Chicken with Rosemary

This chicken looks fancy and people will think you took all day to make it. But that is not so. It's really easy. Roasting whole chicken is my new favorite thing. You could also try different flavors in the cavity. Another favorite is a lemon that is quartered, a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, and a clove of garlic inside the chicken. Another reason why this is so easy is because you add the potatoes and carrots and roast it at the same time. That's a full meal in one pan! I don't have a roasting pan and a rack, but I did this whole one in a 9x13 baking dish and it worked just fine. Without further ado:

standing

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 4 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 whole roasting chicken (5 to 6 pounds)
• 6 small red potatoes, halved
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, quartered

Directions:

In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in the seasonings. Place chicken breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Spoon half of the butter mixture over chicken. Place the potatoes, carrots and onions around chicken. Drizzle remaining butter mixture over vegetables.
Cover and bake at 350° for 1-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 30-60 minutes longer or a meat thermometer reaches 180° and vegetables are tender, basting occasionally.
Cover with foil and let stand for 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables. Yield: 9 servings.


Enjoy!

Barbecue Quesadillas

4 flour tortillas
1 c. shredded cheese
4 oz. can green chilies
18 oz. tub refrigerated bbq chicken*
1 c. bottled salsa
1/4 c. sour cream (optional)
1/4 c. sliced green onion (2, optional)

Coat one side of each tortilla with cooking spray (I'm a slacker and used butter). Place, coated side down, on cutting board or waxed paper. Sprinkle 1/4 c. cheese over half of each tortilla. Top with green chilies and chicken. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently. In a hot 10-in skillet cook quesadillas two at a time over med. heat for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Cut each into 3 pieces. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and green onion.
*I would recommend seriously cutting back on the amount of meat. Like maybe half.)

So, I always plan on posting recipes on the blog, but then I always forget. I'll try harder.

New Recipes

Sorry, its been awhile since we've posted new recipes. But we just put some up, and more are coming soon. Does anybody else have any good ones out there? We'd love to try them.

African Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Spice Rub:
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
3/4 teaspoon(s) ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon(s) onion powder
3/4 teaspoon(s) ground cayenne pepper
Chicken:
4 pound(s) bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed
3 tablespoon(s) vegetable oil
Peanut Sauce:
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 clove(s) garlic, minced
1 teaspoon(s) finely diced and seeded jalapeño chili
4 cup(s) chicken broth
1/2 cup(s) smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon(s) tomato paste
1/2 tomato, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon(s) chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 teaspoon(s) peeled, grated fresh ginger ( I use dried ginger cause that's what i have)
1/2 cup(s) well-mixed coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1/4 teaspoon(s) finely ground black pepper
1/4 cup(s) chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:
1. Stir together the spice rub ingredients and rub onto chicken pieces.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add half the chicken and brown on all sides, taking care not to burn the spices. Transfer browned pieces to a platter and set aside. Brown remaining chicken and transfer to platter.
3. With a paper towel, wipe skillet dry; then add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add onion, red and green bell peppers, carrot, garlic, and jalapeño chili. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in remaining sauce ingredients, and simmer 2 minutes. Return browned chicken to skillet. Cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender and cooked through, stirring frequently to prevent sauce from sticking. Turn chicken pieces over midway through cooking time. Garnish with parsley.

This recipe sounds kind of complicated, and there are a lot of ingredients, but it is really really good. The recipe makes a ton of sauce, which I like to keep in a leftover container and eat over noodles for lunch. It's the best. Also, I don't use the jalapeño chili because I don't like things too spicey. Even without it, this recipe is pretty spicey. Love it!

Indian Spiced Chicken Pitas

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 cup thinly sliced seeded cucumber
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or mint
2 teaspoon lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, warmed
1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
2 small tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cupthinly sliced red onion

1. Preheat grill to medium-high or position rack in upper third of oven and preheat broiler. If grilling, oil the grill rack (see Tips & Techniques). If broiling, coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.

2. Sprinkle chicken with 1 teaspoon garam masala and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place the chicken on the grill rack or prepared pan and cook until no longer pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 4 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the size of the breast. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine cucumber, yogurt, cilantro (or mint), lemon juice, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl. Thinly slice the chicken. Split open the warm pitas and fill with the chicken, yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

These were really good. My brother said that the sauce tasted like sprite (we used mint leaves instead of cilantro.) Also, I didn't feel like buying the Garam Masala spice because it was an expensive spice, and I didn't know if we'd even like it. So, we made our own out of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon corriander. They do sell Garam Masala at Macey's though.