Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup

I haven't been menu planning the last few weeks. I've been gone A LOT and this week just came on too fast. So, I told my Fargo friends that I'm 'flying by the seat of my pants for menu planning this week.' It has worked out okay so far ... thank goodness!

This recipe is one for which I always keep the necessary ingredients in the pantry. It's probably the most 'processed' meal/soup that I make, so consider yourself forewarned. However, it's one that every member of my family enjoys, and it can be prepared quickly. I can usually get two meals out of a batch; although that is becoming more of a stretch as the kids get older.

Fiesta Nacho Cheese Soup

Yield: 10 servings

Prep Time: I can prepare it in 30 minutes or slightly less

Ingredients:

8 oz. small shells, rings, or spaghettie broken into 1" pieces (I use whatever I have on hand that is similar in size - tonight I used medium shells)

10 3/4 oz. can Fiesta Cheese Soup

10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup

10 oz. can Enchilada sauce

14.5 oz. can chicken broth

2 cups milk

3/4 cup cubed processed cheese spread (Velveeta - I often use 1 cup)

5 oz. can chicken, drained*

2 tsp. dried parsley

2 cups tortilla nacho chips (or as many as needed - 2 cups is less than we use - chips are a treat at our home)

4 oz. finely shredded cheddar cheese (I use what's on hand)

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. In large saucepan over low heat, mix soups, enchilada sauce, chicken brother, milk and processed cheese. I like to heat this thoroughly. When heated, add the diced or canned chicken, pasta and parsely. Simmer 5 minutes over medium heat until heated through.

To Serve:

Our family crunches the chips into the bottom of our bowls and spoons the soup over the top. We garnish with the shredded cheese.

*I often use frozen diced chicken, leftover from a roasted chicken, or frozen diced chicken breast that I've prepared ahead of time for recipes such as this. Another way to 'cheat' on the chicken is to use the Oven Roasted Chicken Bite's from Schwan's. Pop them in the micro to reheat and then dice the bite's into 1/2" cubes or smaller. Schwan's really is my ticket to fast food out here in the boonies.

The label as Mexican may be a stretch, but it has Fiesta Nacho cheese soup!

Chicken Fajita Casserole

I've been craving fajitas for quite a while. I was actually craving a beef fajita recipe that I used to make about once a month when I was first married. It was made in the crock pot and had great flavor - I'll have to post it sometime. I've been holding back on making it because I was pretty sure my kids weren't READY for it, yet. My hubby said I should just 'go for it.' However, the recipe is pretty spicy and I KNOW I would get a lot of grumbles.

Instead of using my old recipe, yesterday I finally acted upon my craving and made a Chicken Fajita Casserole. I used pre-cooked chicken to save time. The peppers are bright and colorful - just the sort of food we should eat when we are craving warmer weather and Spring-time. The kids ate it; it wasn't too spicy and did hit the spot for me.



Chicken Fajita Casserole
Yield: 10 servings


3 chicken breasts, cut into strips (or about 2.5 - 3 cups pre-cooked chicken breast, diced)
3 Tbls. olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced or diced
1 yellow pepper, sliced or diced
1 red pepper, sliced or diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
15 0z. can tomatoes with chili peppers
2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend, but Monterey Jack would be great, too)
1/2 package flour tortillas (I had the Flat-Out wraps on hand, so I used four of them, instead)


1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you aren't using pre-cooked chicken, prepare your chicken by cutting into strips and sauteeing in 1 Tbls. olive oil in a medium sized skillet. When completely cooked, set aside.




2 In a large skillet, saute the three pepper, onion, garlic and pepper in 2 Tbls. olive oil until tender. Set aside.

3. Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, tomatoes, and cream of chicken soup.




4. Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. Tear the tortillas into quarters and arrange half on the bottom of the pan. Layer half the chicken mixture, half the pepper mix, and half the cheese on top of the tortillas. Repeat the layers.




5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

6. OPTIONAL: You can serve the casserole with toppings, such as sour cream, shredded lettuce, black olives, hot sauce, extra cheese, etc. Use whatever your family enjoys.

Chicken Potpie

When I was growing up, mom would occasionally buy the chicken and beef frozen potpies. My brothers and I thought they were so good, and I remember the flaky crust. Plus, we each got our own (I remember being very excited). Then, she stopped purchasing the potpies.... When I tried them again years later, I was very disappointed to find the potpies didn't live up to my expectations for taste, flakiness, or filling!

Well, I got up the courage to try a homemade chicken potpie, and it is definitely a keeper recipe. My whole family liked the flavor, filling, and flaky crust. The smell of the potpie baking brought all the kids into the kitchen at some point.

This recipe makes two pies. You can bake one and freeze one; or bake both, if you need more than six adult servings. The first time I made the recipe, I cut it in half because I didn't want to have extra, if it was a flop. This week, I made the full recipe and put one in the freezer. I'll update later to let you know if the frozen pie bakes up as nice.

TIP: You may want to bake the pie on a cookie sheet to catch drips. The first pie dribbled over the pie plate quite a bit and would have caused a burnt mess in the oven. The second batch was fine (which is good, because I forgot to put a cookie sheet under it!).

CHICKEN POTPIE
Yield: 12 Servings
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
4 pastry crusts for a 9 inch pie (2 crusts per pie)

DIRECTIONS
1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter. Whisk in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended.

3. Gradually whisk in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.


4. Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture.

5. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Place over filling; pinch the edges of the bottom and top crusts together. Cut slits in top pastry to release steam. Cover the edge of the crust with foil to prevent over-browning.

6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Remove the foil in the last 15 minutes of baking to let the edges brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting (I did skimp on the ‘sitting still’ time).

We were all so hungry, I forgot to take a picture of a serving on a plate! We just dished up, prayed and ate. The crust is wonderfully flaky and the flavor is comforting. I'll definitely be adding this to the recipe list. For our family it's a 5 star recipe.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS: Cover the potpie with plastic wrap and then foil. Label the potpie and include baking instructions on the label.

BAKING THE FROZEN PIE: Cover the crust edges with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown.

Poaching Chicken

I first tried poaching chicken about 4 years ago for a BBQ dip recipe that my sister-in-law made. I haven't made the BBQ dip in about that many years, but I've been poaching chicken since then for any recipe that calls for diced or shredded chicken. In my opinion, the microwave cooks the edges too much and the oven leaves the chicken breasts crispy - not the texture I want for dicing or shredding. So, this is the quickest way to prepare chicken for adding to recipes, while preserving the tender juicy texture. Of course, leftover roasted whole chicken meat is the best for flavor, but poaching is a very close second. Leftover turkey from Thanksgiving is a great substitute for any chicken recipe, too.

I usually use chicken breasts for poaching, but any boneless chicken meat can be substituted. At this time of year, turkey is often on sale and chicken thighs go on sale quite often, too. For our family, I purchase frozen chicken breasts in bulk.

This is my approximate method:

1. Thaw the chicken breast completely. Thawing overnight in the frig is best, but if you must, use the microwave to get a jump start on the process.
2. Fill a 5 quart stock pot with water*.
3a. Add 5 or 6 chicken breasts and bring the water to a boil.
OR
3b. Bring the water to a boil and then add 5 or 6 chicken breasts.
4. Skim off the foam as it is created - less mess later on.
5. Boil until the chicken breasts are done (I have to admit, I haven't timed this step, but it's usually 10-15minutes). I do check for doneness by slicing the largest breast at its thickest point. If it's still pink, place it back into the boiling water and continue poaching until no pink remains.
6. Remove chicken from the water & let it cool slightly on your cutting board.
7. As soon as you are able to comfortably hold the meat, start dicing with a knife OR shred with a fork. I shred by pushing the fork into the meat about 1/2 inch from the edge & pulling away. You can always cut the shredded portions into bite-sized pieces.
8. Measure and add to your recipe OR measure into a freezer baggie and label for later use. I usually store 1-2 cups in each baggie.

*If you have a smaller or larger pot, adjust the number of breasts accordingly. This does tend to boil over easily, so a larger pot is better!

NOTE: I'll try to remember to take a few pictures next time I poach chicken.

Chicken Tamale Casserole

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe that was printed in November 2008. I altered and substituted for a few of the ingredients and amounts, but it turned out scrumptious. As you can see, I even have pictures to share (thanks to my husband who was finally able to get them downloaded to my computer - Argh! Technology gets the best of me, again.)! The leftovers are just as tasty the next day.


Chicken Tamale Casserole
Yield: 8 servings

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground red pepper
1 (14¾ oz.) can cream-style corn
1 (6.5 oz.) bag corn muffin mix
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles, drained
1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
½ cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine ¼ cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, cream-style corn, muffin mix, and green chiles in a large bowl. Stir until just moistened. Pour mixture into a 13x9 inch baking pan that has been coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Pierce the surface with a fork and pour the enchilada sauce over the top. Top with shredded chicken and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and top each with a tablespoon of sour cream before serving.

The preparation time is approximately 55 minutes. I saved time (about 15 minutes) during the evening by poaching and shredding the chicken earlier in the day. Poaching is a great way to keep the chicken moist, and chicken is really easy to shred when poached. It's also a time-saver to poach and dice extra chicken breasts. In fact, I had an extra cup that I diced and froze to use in another dish.