House Fried Rice

Fried Rice. Its so easy. You can use pretty much use any leftovers you have in the fridge all at once. I used leftover carne asada meat from a Mexican dish we had. I also threw in a left over grilled mahi mahi fillet. I also used Saffron rice, hence the yellowness.

House Fried Rice

1 1/2 Tbsp oil

1 carrot, sliced thin

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup shredded red cabbage

1 egg

1 tsp soy sauce

2 cups cold leftover rice

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp hot sauce

soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

1 cup leftover meat ( I used beef and mahi mahi)

Heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add carrots and fry until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Add peas, corn and cabbage and cook until cabbage gets soft, another 2-4 minutes. Whisk egg and soy sauce. Push veggies to one side of pan and pour egg on the other side. Let cook until set, then scramble. Add rice and meat and fry until heated through, another 2 minutes. Season and serve!!!

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

I took this salad to a family reunion last night and I got a lot of compliments on it. The fried shallots are soooo good on this.

Chicken Pasta Salad with Fried Shallots

1/2 pound penne pasta
2 cups thinly sliced shallots
2 cups vegetable oil
salt
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/2 of an English cucumber, thinly sliced
10 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of cilantro, coarsely chopped (I skipped this since I didnt have any)
grated peel and juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp honey
Pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a medium sauce pan, bring the shallots and oil to a simmer over medium heat and fry, stirring until golden, 18-20 min (this took about 10 minutes for me) Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Reserve 1/4 cup shallot oil for the dressing.

In a large serving bowl, combine the chicken, cucumber, radishes, carrots, cilantro and pasta.

Whisk the lime peel and juice and honey into the shallot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad and season with more salt and toss to coat evenly. Top with the fried shallots.

Spicy Shrimp Boats

This was a really great appetizer! Everyone came back and complimented me on these. They are cool and fresh and healthy! Its a pretty labor intensive recipe, since there is so much peeling and chopping. And it only makes 24 shrimp boats. Next time I do this I will definitely be doubling it. This came from Everyday with Rachael Ray June/July 2008.

Spicy Shrimp Boats

2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
2 English cucumbers
12 ounces peeled, cooked shrimp, finely chopped
2 Tbsp minced jalapeno chile
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

In a small glass bowl, microwave the vinegar and sugar for 30 seconds or until hot. Stir until the sugar dissolves, season with salt and let cool.

Peel the cucumbers and trim off the ends. Cut each crosswise into 12 rounds. Scoop out part of the flesh from each round.

In a bowl, mix together the shrimp, jalapeno and mint. Add the vinegar dressing and toss. Spoon the shrimp mixture into the cucumber rounds.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

In another blog that I read, Smitten Kitchen, there was a post about 30 ways to be a great guest and it had pics of 30 salads or things to bring to a party. This one jumped out at me. It reminds me of a salad that my Aunt Viola brought to a recent family party. We decided that we are grilling all weekend and I thought this salad would be perfect with the Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp we are also having. It is light and fresh and healthy and full of flavor. I love it. This salad can be a dip for chips or just a great dish on its own. I halved the recipe, but kept the original amount of dressing, since I always like extra dressing. I didnt have ground cayenne so I added 2 tsp Franks Red Hot sauce. I added grilled corn and 2 Tbsp of orange juice to give it some sweetness. I also used 2 limes instead of 1. I felt like it was almost perfect, but needed something else sweet. Maybe next time I will add a diced up mango. I also think it would be divine with some avocado. This is so versatile! I will definitely make this one again and again.

Adapted from this recipe

Black Bean Confetti Salad

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
1/2 super-large or 1 medium white onion, chopped into a small dice
1/2 cup cooked grilled corn from the cob, cooled.
Juice of 2 limes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (I used 2 tsp Franks Red Hot sauce, but we like some heat)
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Mix beans, bell peppers and white onion and corn in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve by itself as a salad, or as a dip with chips, or even as a topping on a green salad.

Vanilla Chai Ice Cream

I had some Tea Masala that Carl's sister, Audrey got for me on a recent trip she took to Nepal. I added it to a few cups of tea, but really havent used it as much as Id like since the weather is heating back up. I was kind of at a loss with what to do with it when I came across a recipe for Green Tea ice cream and I thought, Chai tea ice cream would be yummy too! I took a basic vanilla ice cream recipe, then I added some black tea and the Tea Masala, which is what Chai spices are made from. The ingredients in this spice blend are cinnamon, cardamom, dry ginger, black pepper, nutmeg, mace, cloves, black cardamom, star anise, and white pepper. Well, this turned out yummy! I love the taste, as it really is like a frozen vanilla chai latte. The texture was more like ice milk. I cut back on the half and half though and added more milk with the cream to lighten it up a bit. I may follow the original recipe for vanilla ice cream more exactly next time. Also, I can feel the spices in my mouth when I eat this, which doesnt really bother me at all, but next time I make this I will definitely strain it all through some cheesecloth to make it as smooth as it can be. Either way, I think this is a yummy and different treat!

Adapted from Allrecipes.

2 cups half-and-half cream
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup strong black tea
1 1/2 tsp Tea Masala spices

In a medium sauce pan, combine the half and half with the sugar, vanilla and Tea Masala spices. Cook on medium heat until bubbles form around edges, but do not boil. Be sure to stir it a lot so that all of the sugar dissolves. When hot enough, take off the stove and let steep for a few minutes. Add the milk and heavy cream to the half and half mixture whisking it together. Cover and put in the fridge for 3-4 hrs until very cold. When cold, freeze in an ice cream maker using manufactures directions.

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad

Last night at dinner Carl and I were talking about how much we love grilled food. So we decided to make it a point to use the grill more, now that its hot. Might as well keep the heat outside, instead of in my kitchen. So after making that delicious shrimp the other day, we were craving something like that again. I decided to go for a salad with grilled chicken and other ingredients I had on hand, including the left over cob of corn that was grilled along with the shrimp the other night. I just love grilled corn, shaved off the cob and added to salads. For the chicken, I marinated it in tequila, olive oil, lime, garlic and salt and pepper and a dash of hot sauce. This would have been awesome with some jicama and crushed tortilla chips, but we didnt have jicama and we are trying to count calories right now for swim suit season. YAY.

1 lb grilled chicken, cut up.
2-3 romaine hearts, chopped
1 cup corn (fresh off the cob is best)
1 cup black beans, rinsed
1 avacado, diced
1 sm can black olives
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream and salsa or whatever dressing you like.

Toss everything together. Serve with salsa, or ranch dressing.

Home Made Vanilla Honey Ice Cream

We decided to get out the trusty Cuisinart ice cream machine over the weekend. It's so easy to make ice cream or frozen treats. I also just bought a ice shaver so we can make snow cones. Here in the hot weather, we need all the cold stuff we can get our hands on. Anyways, I found this recipe for vanilla bean ice cream sweetened with honey and brown sugar on Allrecipes.com. The result is a rich, creamy ice cream that tastes like dulce de leche! It had the best caramel taste. After I made this ice cream, I had the worst time trying to get a decent picture of it. It was not cooperating with the scoop at all.

• 2 cups milk
• 1 (7 inch) vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half and half

In a medium pan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to simmering. Do not boil. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown sugar, honey, and salt until light colored and frothy. While whisking constantly, slowly combine the hot milk with the egg mixture. Transfer the mixture back to the sauce pan. Cook and stir almost constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

Remove the vanilla bean from the mixture and reserve. Strain custard into a large bowl. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into the custard. (Vanilla bean pod may be used again to make vanilla sugar.) Stir the heavy cream and half and half into the custard. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

When cold, freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.

Grilled Tequila Lime Shrimp

This was a delicious meal that took minutes to prepare. The most time consuming part was peeling and deveining the shrimp. To make this a 15 minute meal, get shrimp thats already peeled. This was really good. We all ate it up. Even Sam ate a whole skewer of shrimp. I also have to thank my wonderful husband for grilling the shrimp and corn for me.

Tequila Lime Shrimp

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Tbsp Olive oil
3 Tbsp Tequila
1 Tbsp Franks Red Hot sauce
a couple splashes of Cholula hot sauce
zest of 1/2 lime
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
salt and pepper
Juice of 2 limes

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients except the lime juice. Put into a plastic bag and let marinate in the fridge for 1 hr. After the shrimp has marinated, add the lime juice and mix to coat evenly. Skewer the shrimp and grill for 2-3 minutes per side. We served this up with some Jasmine rice and grilled corn on the cob.

Coconut Poached Salmon

This is a really quick and easy recipe that I got from Everyday with Rachael Ray. Ive made this a bunch of times and its always really good. Ive also used Mahi Mahi in place of the salmon and its was really good that way as well. I cant really detect any of the lime flavor, even when I doubled the lime juice. But its a really yummy flavorful, healthy recipe. I served it with Jasmine rice and stir fried veggies.

For the recipe, go here.

Sloppy Joe's

It seems like lately the recipes Ive been posting havent been so glamorous. What can I say, this is how we eat a lot of the time. Its just how it is with small kids around. Sloppy Joe's is a favorite from my childhood. This recipe is so easy to put together. It takes less than 30 minutes to have this dinner on the table. Plus, the left overs are great for lunch the next day.

1 lb ground beef
1 large can Bush's baked beans (any canned baked beans work fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns

Brown the beef and pour off fat. Add the beans to the meat and mix well. Add ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until hot and bubbly. Serve on hamburger buns.

Chicken Stew over Mashed Potatoes

When I was in elementary school, my favorite meal in the cafeteria was the chicken stew over mashed potatoes. With a buttery dinner roll for sopping it all up. I tried to re-create that here for my son and I think I did a pretty good job. He ate it right up. I could tell that when I placed his plate in front of him, he was not too thrilled. But one bite and he was hooked.

For the Chicken Stew:

2 large chicken breasts, about 1.5 lbs
6 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp parsley
2 celery ribs, sliced
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp flour

Heat the water in a large pot until boiling, then add chicken breasts, bay leaves, oregano, and parsley and cook for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts and set aside until cool enough to handle. Add the celery and mixed veggies to the chicken broth. Shred the chicken and return it to the pan. Bring to a boil. Cook for 15 more minutes until veggies are soft. In a jar with a screw top, place milk and 2 heaping Tbsp flour. Close it up and shake vigoriously for a bit until all the flour is mixed and no lumps remain. Add to the stew and bring to another boil. Cook for a few minutes, until thick and bubbly. Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice...whatever floats your boat.

Mashed Potatoes

4 baking potatoes, diced
1/4 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until fork tender, about 7 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour into a large bowl. Add sour cream, butter and milk. Start mashing it up with a potato masher. Then use an electric beater and beat on high for several minutes, until all the lumps are gone and its smooth and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

I decided to try out my first overnight French toast last night. I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com and tweaked it to my liking. One thing that has always turned me off to overnight French toast is the soggy factor. I hate soggy French toast. I never soak my bread at all. I just dip it and fry it because I hate when the middle is eggy and soggy. So, this time I found a recipe that got a lot of reviews that said it wasn't soggy at all. I have to say, it was still a bit soggier than my liking, but it was still really really good. It was more like a blueberry bread pudding with crispy edges. We all had seconds, and there was none left. I think Charlie ate as much and Carl and I. The next time I make this, which will be soon, I will just cut the bread and prepare the egg mixture the night before, but not soak the bread in it all night. I will just pour the eggs over the bread in the morning and bake it and I think that will take away any sogginess at all.

I halved the recipe, so that is what I will put here. It was just enough for the 4 of us. Id probably make a little more next time.

• 1/2 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Butter a 9x9 baking dish. (I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the bottom and sides) Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. Sprinkle with blueberries, making sure to get them in between the bread layers. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take french toast out of fridge. Let it set out why you preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Chipped Beef over Toast

I know that this doesnt exactly look like a beautiful appetizing meal. I would probably be afraid of it if I didnt grow up eating it. It had been years since Id had chipped beef, aka shit-on-a-shingle and recently I was reading Whipped and she had a recipe for Creamed Beef, which is the exact same thing my mom used to make us when we were little. I have always loved these types of meals. Im a huge biscuits and gravy fan. Which is also in the shit-on-a-shingle category. My husband hates gravy and fattening stuff like this, so I really can only make this when Im alone. He is in Boston right now, so I decided to indulge. Im also hoping to get my kids hooked on it like I was.

Here is the recipe:

1 Tbps butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1 package Carl Buddig beef
Salt and pepper
a pinch of nutmeg

yakisoba

This was such a great recipe. We all loved it. It had a sweet taste and kick to it, since I add hotsauce to alot of things I make. Anyways, a lot of my friends ask me how I have time to cook when I have 2 small kids to take care of. Well, my answer to that is that I do the prep work ahead of time (usually when Charlie is napping) and then at 5pm when its time to get dinner on, if Carl is home, he takes the kids outside and if Im with the kids alone, I get them set up watching some tv show. Then I can just throw it together and cook it. When I was throwing this dish together at dinnertime, I was wondering why I dont make more stir frys. They are so quick and easy! Especially if you have all the veggies cut up and ready to go ahead of time and the sauce made. I got this recipe from a blog that I recently started reading called Blazing Hot WokI followed it almost exactly, except I used broccoli instead of mustard greens. Also, I didnt have any fresh ginger on hand, so I used 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder. This was good. Easy, quick and delicious!

Yakisoba Stir-fry with Chicken and Broccoli

• 3 tbs hoisin sauce
• 2 tbs black soy sauce (regular soy sauce is fine too)
• 1 tbs Chinese chili bean paste (or chili garlic sauce will do fine)
• ½ tbs brown sugar
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1 tbs minced garlic
• 1 tbs minced or grated ginger (I used 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
  
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 ½ to 2 chicken breast, sliced for stir-fry ( I used 1 lb chicken breast cutlets)
  
• 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
• 1 (32 0z) package of yakisoba noodles

Start by separating the noodles. They come compressed together and it can be hard to separate them when they are cold. You could dunk them into boiling water for about 10 or 20 seconds, but that’s too much work for me. I’m also afraid they will get too soft and become soggy when I stir-fry them. What I normally end up doing is putting them into my stockpot and filling that with lukewarm water and carefully trying to separate the noodles with my hands. Every strand doesn’t have to be separated, but they should be loose. Drain them and keep them in a colander until ready to use. They come lightly coated with oil so they shouldn’t clump together and stick.

Make the sauce mix by combining the hoisin, soy sauce, chili bean paste, brown sugar and sesame oil. Mix well to dissolve the sugar and set aside until it’s needed.

Heat a wok over high heat. When it’s very, very hot add a splash of oil (about 2 tbs). Add the garlic and ginger and fry for about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and then the broccoli. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until the chicken is almost done. Add the drained noodles and stir-fry until everything is well mixed, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mix and continue to stir-fry until the noodles are coated with the sauce, about a minute or two more. Turn off the heat and throw in the green onions. Toss a couple more times and you’re done! Serve immediately. Even though this is well seasoned, I always serve noodles with fish sauce, lime wedges and sambal oelek on the side just in case anyone wants to a little extra seasoning.

Amano Chocolate

Today I was so excited to get a package in the mail from Blake Makes. It was a giveway for some free chocolate from Amano artisan chocolates. I am planning on making something really cool with this chocolate, but I havent decided what. I did sample 2 squares of one of the bars and it was soooooo good. Thank you Amano and also Blake Makes for the yummy chocolate!!!

Migas Arizona Style

I had never even heard of Migas until the other day when I was reading Homesick Texan. She had the most beautiful recipe for a Tex-Mex breakfast I have ever seen. Growing up and living in Arizona, I have always loved Mexican food and foods from the Southwest. I was suprised that Migas are such a staple for breakfast in Texas since Ive never heard of it. I had most of the ingredients on hand so I decided to try out my own version and see how it went. I have to say it was absolutly delicious!!! It was kind of like Juevos Rancheros with suprises of crispy fried corn tortilla in every bite! So good! You have to try this one out. I just love this pic below with Charlie watching me cook. I get him all set up in his highchair like that so I can cook and keep an eye on him at the same time:)


Migas AZ Style

4 eggs
2 Tbsp whole milk
2 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch thick strips
2 Tbsp peanut oil
3 green onions with stems, chopped
2 Tbsp canned chopped green chilis
1/4-1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper
salsa and sour cream to taste
hot flour tortillas for serving

Whisk the eggs with the milk and salt and pepper and set aside. In a skillet, heat peanut oil until hot, then fry tortillas for a couple minutes turning once. Add onions to the pan and let cook for a minute. Add eggs and let cook until set on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Stir the eggs gently, breaking up the tortillas a bit. When the eggs are almost done, add the green chilis and top with cheese. Let it melt and stir it, then top with a bit more cheese. Serve it with cilantro, salsa and sour cream to taste.

Mahi Mahi en Papillote

I got the idea to do this from reading Blake Makes . I used to love to make fish in foil packets years ago, but haven't done it in a long time. Tonight I decided to try out parchment paper. This is a great way to make a meal. You can use pretty much any veggies you like. I used asparagus since that is what Blake used. I did do things a bit differently though. Here is my recipe that I ended up using.

Mahi Mahi en Papillote

3 Mahi Mahi fillets, 4 ounces each
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch spears
1 lemon, sliced
dill (chopped fresh if you have it)
2 Tbsp butter, cut into 3 chunks
salt and pepper
chopped parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper both sides of the fish. Arrange each piece of fish in the middle of a piece of parchment paper, about 15x15. Sprinkle the fish with dill. Place 2 slices of lemon on each piece of fish. Arrange asparagus spears on and around fish. Top with a chunck of butter. Carefully wrap up the fish and make a little packet. It doesn't have to be air tight, but make sure it stays shut so it steams the fish and veggies. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Adjust baking time for thickness of fish. The fish I used was about 3/4 inch thick.

My Grandma's Buttermilk Biscuits

Years ago, my Grandma Lumpkin gave me a cook book that she had written in hand, of family recipes. This is her recipe for buttermilk biscuits. The cooking temp is high, at 450 and the time was for 12-15 minutes. I'm glad I checked them at 8 minutes because they were already too done. So they turned out a bit dry. I think next time I will cook them at 400. We had these with breakfast this morning with butter and jam and eggs and bacon. I didn't have enough eggs, so I decided to make some biscuits to be a filler. I threw the dry ingredients together in a bowl last night and when I got up this morning, it was easy to prepare the rest.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C. cold shortening
1 C. buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Add buttermilk all at once. stir until dough follows fork around bowl. Roll dough 3/8" thick. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet in oven 450 12-15 minutes. This would have been way too long. Watch them carefully.

Big League Brownies

This afternoon, Sam and I were sitting around kind of bored while Charlie was taking his afternoon nap. Since Sam loves helping me in the kitchen, I decided we should bake something together. So I decided we would make these brownies that Id seen on the brownie box mix. Yes, I used a box mix. Its the easiest way when Im busy with my kids. We doctored these up though with a nice peanut buttery cheesecake filling. YUMMY. I wanted my filling to be more like cheesecake, so I subbed in some cream cheese for 1/2 of the butter. Also, I didnt realize it until after these babies were in the oven that this was a family size mix for a 9x13 pan. I poured it into a smaller pan, so we ended up with some THICK brownies. They were really yummy. And even with the cream cheese, the texture was still like peanut butter brownie. Please excuse Charlie's hand as he is reaching for the brownie. Its not always easy to photograph food and watch kids at the same time.

Big League Brownies

1 box Pillsbury Brownie Classics mix prepared and set aside

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup margarine or butter

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare brownie mix and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and margarine. Beat until smooth. Add sugar and flour, beat until mixed. Add eggs, blend well.

Spread half of the brownie mix in bottom of a greased pan. Carefully spread peanut butter mixture over brownie mixture in pan. Spread remaining brownie mixture over peanut butter mixture. Bake for 30-33 minutes. Cool 1 hr before cutting.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I know that it isnt really hot soup weather. But when is it here in Phoenix? I still crave soup on 100 degree days. This is a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com
It is sooo easy. It takes 5 minutes to prepare. The biggest effort is chopping the onion.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Blogging with a purpose Award

I was so flattered to find out that my blog was given the Blogging with a Purpose Award by Gaga at Gaga In The Kitchen. Thank you so much Gaga. I am so new to food blogging, this is my first ever award! Totally unexpected. If you havent seen her blog yet, go check it out. She has some really great Asian recipes that I cant wait to try. And now Im passing on the award to 5 of my favorite blogs:

Homesick Texan: This was one of the first food blogs I came across. I love the photography and the yummy spicy Tex Mex inspired dishes. Id say that her purpose is to scour the city looking for food that reminds her of home.

Good Things Catered: I love this blog. It has sooo many great recipes in it. Tons of Lebanese recipes and family recipes...and a whole lot more.

The Food Duo: This is a blog that I just recently discovered. I love it because I love couples that cook together. They have a lot of great recipes.

Whipped The Blog: This is probably my favorite blog. I love the way she photographs her recipes. Ive tried several of her recipes and they have been perfect. I also love that she is a young mom...just had a baby! Congrats!

Under The Highchair: Another young mom, cooking and blogging. This blog has a bunch of neat stuff. Its all about food and home and life and kitchen stuff. I havent tried any recipes yet, but Im planning on it when I get a chance. Great photos too.