Saturday, November 20, 2010

Chicken Taco Soup



1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Vegetable oil
1 pound chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (I buy the rotisserie style chicken and use the whole thing)
1 package taco seasoning mix (taco bell brand is what I use)
1 (8-ounce) jar salsa
1 (14-ounce) can kernel corn
1 (14-ounce) can hominy
1 (16-ounce) can ranch style beans
2 (4-ounce each) cans tomato paste
2 (14-ounce each) cans chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese

Saute onions, green bell peppers, and garlic in a small amount of vegetable oil. Add chicken, taco seasoning mix, salsa, vegetables, beans, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Adjust liquid to your liking. Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Place cream cheese in a separate bowl. Using a measuring cup, take some of the hot liquid from the soup and pour over cream cheese to melt and then add back to the soup. Simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and grated monterrey jack cheese. Also, great on the second day over rice.

xoxo,
Kelli

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Oldies but Goodies.....

So this post is a reminder of some of the good old food we were raised on. The first one is not one that I totally love myself but its a go to quick meal for Tom. The best part is you always have the ingredients....


Yup you guessed it EGG SANDWICHES

-Couple of Eggs Scrambled
-Bread (I always toast it)
-Mayo (the reason this sandwich is not for me)
-Mustard (I use spicy)
-Salt & Pepper

EASY PEASY

and please don't forget the classic..... GERMAN PANCAKES

German Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 Eggs
1/2 Tsp Salt
6 TB Butter

Heat oven to 450
With beater combine milk, flour, eggs & salt.
in a 9x13 pan, melt butter in hot oven until hot and sizzling.
Pour batter into hot pan and bake immediately for 20 minutes.

Crock Pot Lasagna!!!!

Ok I saw this recipe on Oprah and was so excited to try it. I had never thought of doing things like this with a crackpot. I made it tonight for dinner and soooo yummy and it was soooo easy.

Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients
Crock-Pot Lasagna Recipe
  • 1 can (14.4 ounces) crushed tomatoes ** I used 2 cans and I still could of used more sauce.
  • 3 cloves garlic , finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) grated mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
  • 12 lasagna noodles (about three-quarters of a 1-pound box)
  • 5 ounces (about 6 cups) baby spinach
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper and black pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella and Parmesan.

In the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 cup of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach and cheese mixture. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.

Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender—especially in the center of the lasagna—about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
So the only change I made was added an extra can of crushed tomatoes but no more spices....

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Banana Bread

I have searched for a good banana bread recipe and I think this is the best one! I got it from my friend Kacey.

Mash 4 ripe bananas (set aside)

in a small bowl put 1 cup yogurt (any flavor) You can also use sour cream instead of yogurt
add 2 tsp. baking soda to the yogurt, stir and let it foam

in mixer, cream 1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3 eggs

add banana mixture and 1 tsp. salt, mix
add yogurt and 2 1/2 cups of flour (fold in)

makes 2 large loaves or 4 mini
bake at 350 for 50 minutes

*I like to make a couple batches of banana bread for my kids lunches. I cut it into slices and put each piece in a sandwich bag and stick them in the freezer. Then I can throw them in their lunches and it is easy, and so much healthier then a store bought dessert.*

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Crack!!!



***** WARNING******* Do not make this unless you have someone to share it with, or you WILL eat the entire pan!!

  • 1.5 sleeves of saltine crackers
  • 1 stick (4 oz) butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups chocolate chips


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don’t worry as the toffee will spread in the oven.

4. Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. .

6. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand, and enjoy! Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to a week.

---- I first had this at Missy's as a treat while watching the Bachelorette. I like this because it serves its purpose well when you need a treat but have none in the house. You pretty much always have these ingredients. Enjoy!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This one is Toms favorite meal- I got this recipe from Jaime.


1 12 oz pkg. bowtie pasta
2 tbl butter
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped to bite size pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch of green onions
2 tbl Creole Seasoning (Find it @ super wal-mart)
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
12 oz heavy cream
1 green bell pepper, julienne
1 red bell pepper, julienne
1/2 cup parmesan, freshly grated

Cook pasta according to package directions. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken. Brown about 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, onions, Creole seasoning, and black and red peppers. Add bell peppers. Stir. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover. Stir in cream and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cooked pasta. Add cheese and serve immediately. Serves 6


*** Now for my variations. I have started using the rotisserie chicken from costco, it tastes so much better to me, and its much easier. You could even crock pot cook some chicken so its shredded. Also I double the bell peppers bc thats my favorite part. The best thing about this meal is, like most pasta, its better the next day!!!

Recipe Blog

Hi sisters, I thought it would be fun to have a Knight Girls recipe blog. We can share different recipes we try that our families like. I love to cook, but sometimes get in a rut. I would love to know what kinds of things you guys are cooking for your families. I know for me, I am much more likely to branch out and try a new recipe if I know someone has made it before. If you are wondering about the title of the blog, it's a funny story. When Kasey was about 2 years old, Jeff and Nicki were so kind to babysit one night so Matt and I could go out. When they were eating dinner they were trying to get Kasey to eat what they were having, I think it was lasagna. Well Kasey being the very picky eater that she was, did NOT want to eat it. But, Nicki and Jeff persisted and convinced her to try it. She took a bite and said "It's not yucks, it's just yum!" (did I get that right Nick?) What a revelation! Sometimes I still have to remind my kids to just try new things that I cook..sometimes the things that they think will be YUCKS turn out to be YUM!
So please post ANY and all of your tried and true recipes, or any new recipes you try.