Mexican Chicken Skillet

I was going to make sloppy joes one night this week. About an hour before getting dinner started I checked my email and found this recipe from Kraft in my inbox. It was really good and really easy once I changed it up a little bit.

2 cups cooked rice, white or brown

       Prepare your rice using low sodium chicken broth instead of water. If you don't have reduced       sodium broth use 1/2 broth and 1/2 water in preparing your rice or this dish ends up too salty

 

1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup cream cheese or sour cream

1lb diced uncooked chicken 

1 jar of salsa, I used medium which was so good, but rendered this dish toddler/baby unfriendly

1/2 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

 

In a skillet pour another 1/2 cup or so of broth and add the diced chicken. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. The smaller your chicken pieces the faster it will cook. Add more broth if needed to keep chicken from sticking to the pan. Add the cooked rice and salsa. Stir in the sour cream and cheese. Serve on a plate. I think this would make a very good filling for a soft burrito as well!

 

Mine didn't really look anything like the picture since I diced the chicken and used salsa instead of a boring old chopped tomato, but what's a recipe without a photo!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatori

Traditionally you would use bone in chicken pieces like drum sticks and thighs for this dish. I just cook with what's in the freezer. There is no quick dash to the grocery store when it's 35 miles away! I used two diced chicken breasts, about a pound and a half of meat. And since this is crock pot style and supposed to be EASY there is no dredging the chicken in flour and searing in a skillet of hot butter or oil... although I am sure that would be delicious if you're up for the extra work!


Thanks Google images for this picture. There are over 6 pages of chicken cacciatori pictures, so why take my own?? :P 

3 lbs chicken pieces, thighs and drum sticks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 can of Italian style diced tomatoes undrained
6 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 -4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (we have basil in a squeeze tube, its amazing!!)
1/2 teaspoon celery powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Dump all into crockpot and cook on low 7 hours. Serve over spaghetti

Beef Stroganoff

Wow, now posts since October! Well seeing that we've eaten 3x a day everyday since the last time I posted its easy to say I am behind! Now that I think about it, morning sickness started in October and is finally subsiding. I'm finally in the mood for food again and lots of it! Dinner around here has been rather hectic. Nicholas is usually in his high chair hollering. By the time I get food in front of him he is too upset to eat. Usually then he screams through half the meal before realizing there is food right in front of him, if only he would calm down enough to eat it! The woes of being one.

Thanks Betty Crocker for the picture and recipe base :)

Beef Stroganauff is a new one for me, I have never made it before. I found I really like it! We had a package of stew meat in the freezer so that is what I used instead of sirloin. One thing Andy can't bring himself to eat is mushrooms. So I skipped those and used a whole green pepper instead.

1 pounds beef sirloin steak, 1/2 inch thick

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced (I used 1 chopped green pepper)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2-3Tbsp butter or margarine

1 can beef flavored broth 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sour cream ( I only needed about 1/2 this much, maybe I had less volume than the original recipe since I skipped the mushrooms)

3 cups hot cooked egg noodles

1. cut beef across grain into about 1 1/2x1/2-inch strips 

2. Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic in butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender; If you used mushrooms remove the veggies from skillet so mushrooms don't get too "mushy." If using peppers leave them in the skillet to continue to soften while you cook the beef

3. Cook beef in same skillet until brown. Stir in 1 cup of the broth, the salt and Worcestershire sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until meat is cooked through

4.  Stir remaining broth with flour; stir into beef mixture. Add the mushroom mixture if needed. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in sour cream; heat until hot (do not boil). Serve over noodles.