super easy yum recipe

Here's a quick yummy recipe that yields a lot of food.  I made this for bunco last night.  I doubled the recipe and it easily fed the 14 people that were at my house.  We did it as salads, but you can do it in just a tortilla.  It sure was tasty.

Chicken Bean Tacos

In a crock pot combine:
3-4 chicken breast ( I did 6 for last night)
1 bottle of salsa
1 can of black beans
some lime juice
any seasoning you want
cook on high for five hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred the chicken and return to crock pot to mix with the juices. 
Serve in a tortilla with lettuce, tomato, onion, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, etc...
Super easy super good.  I haven't been able to eat it since I was pregnant with Sydney, but it hit the spot just right last night.  It's a less expensive alternative to the cafe rio recipes.

Food at the Hartmann house

Here is the menu for our house this week...most of the time I make a list but don't always cook it in the order I write it. What we eat depends on momma's mood :)

Roast/cooked carrots (my new favorite)
Enchiladas (with the leftover meat...we didn't get to this last week)
Potato bar (we like it with the usual stuff but have added chili,chopped spinach,avacado..yum)
Homemade tomato soup, grilled ham & cheese
Chicken lemon pasta (grilled chicken,lemon butter sauce, saute veggies, usually with noodles)
BBQ'd steaks with fresh salsa
Chicken and Broccoli (we had this tonight and I tried something new. Since Brooklyn has a fit when it's all mixed together and the sauce is (gasp...) on the chicken, I decided to separate it. I had cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken from Costco that I had previously split up and had in the freezer, then cooked the broccoli and rice and made the sauce (with extra milk to thin it down) and layered it like a hastack with fresh tomatoes on top. It tasted just the same and was easier to feed Brooklyn.

mom also wanted me to post my recipe for Sausage Bean Soup...I ran across the original recipe a little while ago but have adapted it to include things I have and to use beans in our food storage. Jerry bought me a pressure cooker for Christmas and it makes the beans way easy. I'll give you my recipe then give you some of the original ideas. These are real approximate measurements. I usually just dump and taste and add as I please :)

Sausage Bean Soup

1 lb cooked sausage, drained

1/2 large onion, minced

2 carrots chopped

2 celery chopped

1-2 cloves garlic (I use the minced jar garlic)

1/2 bunch cilantro chopped(divided into 2 parts)I use close to a whole bunch,but we like cilantro

1tsp each..basil, oregano, chile powder, cumin

1 can chicken broth + 1 can water

1 large can green chile enchilada sauce

4-6 cups cooked beans...how much do you like beans? (I have a dry 16 bean soup mix that I use. )

cook the sausage and drain. Set aside. Saute onion,carrots,celery,garlic in a couple tablespoons of butter or oil. season with salt and pepper. Add sausage and other spices and saute together a few minutes. Add broth, water, and enchilada sauce and simmer. you may need to add more water or broth, but I like to make it a little bit thicker. Last, add your cooked beans and 1/2 the cilantro. I let it simmer a few hours to help it all meld together.

Top with a dab of sour cream, other chopped fresh cilantro, and shredded white cheese. Avacado is good also.

It's very green, but good...considering it has lots of beans :)

Sometimes I add a couple tablespoons of sour cream to soups at the end to make it a little more rich and creamy...a secret I use a lot. This is surprisingly good soup!

The original recipe called for a pork roast that you cube and brown instead of the sausage. They also use canned white beans and leave out the enchilada sauce. We have lots of sausage in the freezer and it's cheaper than a roast. Dried beans that I cook are also cheaper, I need to practice using them, and they have less sodium than the canned. The sauce makes it thicker and adds lots of flavor and a little more spice. You can make it even spicier with some tobasco or something.

Happy Cooking!

Exactly the same!

So I tested out the Chicken Bryan recipe, and it tasted the exact same as the restaurant.  Here is a picture of the creation.  My presentation needs a little work, but the cheese didn't slice very easily.

Jodie's Terriyaki Bowls are great. I have made them and it is easy and good.

This week's menu for Mom and Dad

Beef Chimichangas (trying Laurel's recipe)
Carrot dill soup (very orange but good for you)
Lasagne
Lettuce Wraps (I have found a good little tip. Use Nappa cabbage instead of lettuce. Taste the same but holds the goodies better)
Potato Bar
Italian Chicken (recipe below - Jodie this is the one you ask for once, I believe. We had this in Nauvoo right after the Hoop-de-doo)
Mexican Stew

Italian Chicken

1 pint sour cream
1 pkg. dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 - 4 chicken breasts but into 2 inch pieces (or so)
Pasta of choice
Parmesan cheese
optional: cooked broccoli, chopped tomatoes

Mix the first 3 ingredients. Spread a small amount in a crock pot. Layer with chicken pieces, more sauce, repeat. (2 layers ending with sauce on top)

Cook in crockpot on low for 6 -8 hours

Dish chicken and sauce on cooked pasta. Top with parmasean cheese. Broil until the cheese gets melted and starts to brown. Place broccoli around the pasta and sprinkle with fresh tomatoes.

Menu for the Week

Hey everyone here is our menu for the week. 

Stuffed bell peppers
Chicken bryan (recipe on post below)
Turkey sandwiches (deli sliced turkey, cranberry sauce, banana peppers, tomato, lettuce, delicious)
Bruschetta (we didn't eat it last week.  Here is a quick recipe)
toast your french bread
grilled chicken
cut up tomato, cucumber, and chicken
mix in a bowl with some mozarella cheese, little bit of olive oil and salt and italian spices
It's that easy, and it's so yummy.
Sloppy joes
Chipolte steak burritos (in my better homes and garden cook book.  If it's good I will post the recipe)

Hope you all have a great week.

That's all

Help

So Nick thought of the idea of posting our recipes in a comprehensive list (whatever that means ;)) so we can click on a recipe and bam it's there.  So for you computer savvy's please figure it out and let everyone know or help me to figure it out.  Thanks!  Jodie I'm all for recipes.

How bout some recipes here people?? :)

Alright, so all your food sounds good... but I don't know how you made it?? What the heck!! JK. :) I'll post Spencer's all time favorite (and one of my easiest recipes)

Baked Teriyaki Chicken.. yum yum

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Bowls

1tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp + 1 tsp cold water

2/3 cup white sugar

2/3 cup soy sauce

¼ cup + 1 tbsp vinegar

2 tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp ginger

sprinkle black pepper

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a small saucepan combine cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, & pepper. SLOWLY bring to a boil. Once mixture boils and starts to thicken, pour over chicken in baking dish.

Bake chicken and sauce in oven @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes.