Mexican Fiesta Chicken

This is one of my all time favorite meals.  I love the spiciness of the salsa and taco seasoning combined with the sweetness of the corn and the creaminess of the cream cheese.  It definitely ticks all my boxes for what is required for a good meal.  To top it all off, it is super versatile as it can be used as a dip or a sauce for rice and it is easy to throw in the crock pot.

Not the best picture but you get the idea!

Mexican Fiesta Chicken
(by no means is this an original recipe, but I have adapted it over the years and seen it in so many places that I no longer remember the source!)

• 1-1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (breasts, thighs, anything)
• 2 cups salsa
• 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 1-2 cups corn
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 block cream cheese (8oz)

*Place all ingredients except the cream cheese in a crock pot.
*Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
*Dice up the cream cheese and scatter on top for the last 30 minutes.  Before serving stir to mix.
*Serve over rice or with taco chips for dipping.

I have used chicken pieces for this in the past and then just pulled them out and de-boned them and chopped the meat.  I now prefer to dice the chicken small and then I just have to serve it.  If I double this recipe I use a can of tomato sauce instead of doubling the salsa.

Enjoy!
-C :)

Chili

Suddenly it is fall!  Instead of marinated chicken on the BBQ my thoughts have turned towards comfort foods.  For lunch today I enjoyed a bowl of steaming hot chili that warmed me through and through.  I know that there are a million chili recipes out there but I've never been able to find one that I truly love.  Now I have finally found it!!

Another one of my unskilled photos!

Chili
(adapted from www.food.com)

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (29 ounce) can kidney beans (with liquid)
• 1 (29 ounce) can pinto beans (with liquid)
• 1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 -3 teaspoons cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• salt to taste
• 1-2 cups water

*Brown ground onion, celery and ground beef until no pink remains.  Drain.
*Add all other ingredients.  (Add water as needed). Bring to a boil.
*Simmer 1.5 to 2 hours on low with lid ajar until thick.

I made a few adjustments.  I used beans that I had cooked at home so they had no liquid.  I found that I did need to add the full two cups of water to make the initial chili watery enough that I could simmer it down.  I also added two cans of mushrooms as I love mushrooms in my chili.  I loved the addition of the green chilies, they were the icing on the cake for me!!

Enjoy!

C :)

Chocolate Waffles

G wanted waffles for lunch the other day and I was out of the usual blueberry store bought brand that he likes.  I had recently borrowed my parent's waffle maker, so G and I decided to try something new.  All I have to say is YUMMY!  I'm not really sure that these could be classified as "lunch", more accurately "dessert".  We had ours with butter, but for dessert you could definitely add some ice cream or whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

image: Me, and my poor photography ;)

Chocolate Waffles
(adapted from food.com)

1 cup butter

4 beaten eggs

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup cocoa

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water (or more)

*Mix all the ingredients together.
*Add by the scoopful to your hot waffle maker.
*Cook for 1-3 minutes.
*Remove from waffle maker and enjoy.

These were a little on the dry side but still wonderful...  Kind of like a brownie made in the waffle maker!  I might do a little experiment in the future and try some whole wheat flour to "healthify" these.

-C :)