Chicken Flautas

Here's a recipe that was accidentally retired from our house, because for some reason I had never made a recipe card for it. I discovered it on my computer last week and made them tonight. So glad that we have rediscovered this!! :)

Ingredients:
12 6-inch flour tortillas (the recipe says 12, but we were able to make 15)
2 c. finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8 oz)
1-1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2/3 cup salsa
8 tsp. vegetable oil

Instructions:
Heat tortillas as directed on package. (I used the microwave method: four tortillas between two damp paper towels, microwaved for thirty seconds.) Meanwhile, in bowl, mix cheese, chicken, and cumin.Place about 1/4 c. chicken mixture on each warm tortilla. Top each with 1 Tbsp. salsa. Roll up tightly; secure each with toothpick. Brush filled tortillas with oil.

In 10-inch skillet, cook filled tortillas over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until filling is hot and tortillas are toasted. Remove toothpicks before eating.

Salsa Chicken with Rice

I should call this recipe "Miracle Chicken", because it's a miracle that I've actually posted THREE recipes this month!  :)  I decided the other day to institute the tradition of a "Sunday dinner" (actually, lunch) each week in our home, and so today I started this in the crockpot before we left for church.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1-1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup salsa 
1 Tbsp. olive oil (I used vegetable oil)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:
Spray interior of slow cooker with cooking spray. Pour rice into slow cooker. Add chicken broth and salsa. Stir together well.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to skillet and brown chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side. Place chicken breasts on top of salsa mixture in slow cooker.

Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours or until chicken and rice are tender. Top with cheese just before serving.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine and tried it for the first time tonight. My brother-in-law had "thirds", so I'm going to call it a success! I changed the name of the recipe, since I didn't like the original name very well. :)

Ingredients:

1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 Tbsp taco sauce

1/4 cup chopped green chilies

3 cups cubed cooked chicken

12 slices processed American cheese

4 cups broken tortilla chips

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, taco sauce, and chilies. In an ungreased shallow 2-quart baking dish, layer half of the chicken, half of the soup mixture, half of the cheese, and half of the tortilla chips. Repeat layers.

Bake uncovered at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield:
The original recipe says 4-6 servings, but those would be rather large servings. I'd say more like 8 average servings.

Nachos: Chili Cheese and Regular

It's impossible for our family to eat nachos without running this joke into the ground: "Get your hands off my nachos, because they're NACHOS." Get it? Not yours. Yep... a joke that never gets old.

Chili Cheese Nachos
My favorite nachos to make are chili cheese nachos. The chili is mixed in with the velveeta, so it's not what you might think of chili cheese nachos as being. It ends up looking more like it's hamburger mixed with velveeta... I don't think anyone would know that there's chili in it unless you were to tell them. As long as you don't use chili with beans, that is!

Ingredients:
1 lb Velveeta
1 can chili, no beans
1 can rotel (as mild or hot as you prefer)
tortilla chips

Instructions:
Cube Velveeta. Combine all in a crockpot or saucepan and heat until cheese is thoroughly melted, stirring occasionally (often if using saucepan... which you might want to spray with cooking spray first). Serve on top of tortilla chips or on the side for dipping.

Yield: I dunno. If you double this recipe, it'll give you a full crockpot (I think mine is a five quart crockpot??).


Rotel Nachos
I think everyone in the world already knows this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Velveeta
1 can rotel (as mild or hot as you prefer)

Instructions/Yield:
Pretty much the same as above. :)

Taco Pie

Last night, my son and daughter-in-law came over for dinner and I made his favorite dinner for the first time in a year and a half... Taco Pie! I made it for him 18 months ago for his last meal at home before he got married and moved out... and the recipe has been retired ever since. Too sentimental... I completely associate this recipe with him, and will never cook it for anyone else. :'( sniff, sniff.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
2 cans tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 can crescent rolls
8 oz. Velveeta Mexican cheese (I use mild)

Optional garnishings: tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, onions, sour cream, etc. (I have never tried it with any of these optional ingredients.)

Instructions:
Unroll the crescent roll dough. Press on bottom of round pizza pan to form crust. Bake according to crescent roll directions.

Meanwhile, cook ground beef; drain. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce; simmer. Cube Mexican Velveeta.

When crust is done, pour the ground beef mixture on top and spread evenly. Layer the cubed cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted.

Add optional garnishings afterward (or let everyone add to their own slices).

Note: You can cut and serve this right away, but it will serve up pretty sloppy if you aren't very careful. It cuts much easier and serves much neater if you let it cool for awhile first.

Yield: 8 regular slices (or 6 jumbo slices)

Potato Quesadillas

This recipe sounds so strange, but it is SO GOOD!!! This is our go-to meal... when we don't have much food in the house or have anything planned for dinner, someone always ends up suggesting these. :)

(Note: These measurements are from the original recipe. There's really no need to measure anything, though... just a layer of cream cheese, a layer of potato slices, and as much or little cheese as you want!)

Ingredients for one quesadilla:
1 large tortilla
1 oz plain or chive flavored cream cheese
1 small-to-medium cooked potato, sliced
1/4 c. shredded Mexican (or cheddar, or probably any!) cheese*
salsa

*The last couple of times that we've fixed these, we were out of all cheeses except for Swiss cheese slices. I think we actually liked them BETTER with the swiss cheese! We've tried Mexican, cheddar, and swiss and liked them all three ways.

Instructions:
Spread cream cheese over one half of tortilla. Lay sliced potatoes over cream cheese. Sprinkle cheese on; fold top over filling.

Spray skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Brown tortilla on both sides over medium heat until crispy and cheese is melted. Cut into wedges. Serve with salsa or taco sauce.

Yield: One quesadilla