Mexican Crockpot Chicken: *My Way

1 can no-salt-added corn, drained
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
1 small jar chunky salsa
1/3 small yellow onion, chopped
garlic salt
pepper
2 chicken breasts
shredded 2% milk cheese (I used Colby Jack)

Mix corn, beans, 1/3 jar of salsa, onion and put in bottom of crockpot. Place chicken on top, season to your liking with garlic salt & pepper, top with remaining salsa. Cover and cook on high 2 1/2 - 3 hours until chicken is done, careful not to overcook. Sprinkle cheese on top and cover until cheese is melted. Serve as is or over rice, even shred the chicken if you like and put in tortillas.

*There are tons of versions of this. Some add cream cheese or Velveeta and omit the onion and seasonings. This is my version! Next time I think I will try hominy in place of the corn and Rotel instead of salsa.

Joe's Baked Potatoes

These are easy, delicious and pretty darn healthy!

Clean your potatoes.
Rub olive oil on the outside.
Sprinkle kosher salt on the outside.
Use a fork to poke holes in the potatoes.
Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook for 10-15 minutes, until done/tender.

Works with regular baking potatoes or sweet potatoes. You'll be shocked to find that when you do this with sweet potatoes you won't need to add anything else to them when it comes time to eat them!

Spicy Mini Meat Loaves

1/2 c finely chopped yellow onion

3 tbsp dry bread crumbs (I prefer Panko)

2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/8 pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

8 oz ground turkey breast

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

3 tbsp ketchup, divided

1 tsp Tabasco

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine onion, the next  11 ingredients and 2 tbsp ketchup in a bowl and mix well.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Distribute mixture evenly into three of the muffin cups.

Combine Tabasco with remaining 1 tbsp ketchup in a bowl; brush over meat loaf tops.

Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

Makes 3 servings. Serving Size: 1 muffin/loaf

DC Chicken Salad

Ever had The Corner Bakery's DC Chicken Salad? If not, you're missing out.

It's delicious and I (think) I found the recipe! I searched for it and found it here:

DC Chicken Salad

It's not "official," but it sure does taste like the real thing!



Goes great in a whole wheat pita pocket with a side of fruit. 

Here's the recipe:

4 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into cubes or 1 small whole roasted chicken, de-boned and shredded

1/3 small red onion, finely chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1/2 granny smith apple, chopped

1/4 cup dried currants

1 1/2 ounces slivered almonds

1/4 cup Miracle Whip  ( I used 1/2 low fat Helman's mayo, 1/2 fat free plain yogurt) 

Mix together and serve. Would also be good over lettuce. Hana prefers hers in the shape of person with currant eyes and a strawberry smile.

You're welcome!



Tator Tot Casserole, Massey Style

I have seen this made several ways. Joe saw it on TV and requested I make it this week so I looked up quite a few recipes but nothing sounded great to me. I then decided to do it my own way. It turned out great! This is a new Massey family favorite! Hana and Joe devoured theirs and I thought it was pretty tasty myself.

1 pound lean ground beef

garlic salt

garlic powder

1 yellow onion, chopped

  2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used the traditional green bean, corn, pea & carrot mix)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 small can mushrooms

black pepper

frozen tator tots

shredded cheese

green onions, chopped

___________________________________________________________________________________

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown hamburger seasoned with garlic salt & garlic powder (to your liking) with yellow onions.

Spray 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray.               

Spread hamburger/onion mix into bottom of pan. 

Spread frozen veggies as next layer.

Mix soup (straight from the can) with mushrooms, garlic powder (to your liking) and pepper.

Spread soup mixture over vegetables to cover entirely. 

Layer tater tots on top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, checking after 30 minutes to see if tots are getting too brown. If so, turn down to 350 degrees.        

Sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese on top (I used 2% milk Colby Jack) and put under broiler for a couple minutes until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.

Let sit 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with green onion. 

Hey, Scallywag!

We did it. We finally got some pirate ship shaved ice. And...disappointment. I wanted the workers to be dressed as pirates, maybe speak a little pirate lingo, the whole nine yards. Nothing. Actually, the customer service was below average, the ice wasn't as "shaved" as we like and the sugary, syrupy, juice stuff tasted watered down. Boo! Next time we'll go to our trusty ol' Shiver Shack! They might not be in a pirate ship, but they're super duper friendly and everything is delish!

Possibly the worst meal ever...

It sounded different and good enough to try. It came out of the cookbook I cherish and have never had a bad dish out of yet. This proves that nothing is perfect. That cookbook is not perfect and this recipe was far from perfect.

What was in it? Squash, zucchini, pasta, onion, rosemary, Dijon mustard, mozzerlla, proscuitto, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Doesn't sound too bad? Ugh! It was! I'll never make it again. On to the next recipe!