Rosemary, Garlic & Olive Oil Chicken for the Crock Pot

Yesterday I was on a mission to find a healthier Crock Pot recipe using chicken. So many of my chicken recipes for the Crock Pot seem to be bathed in delicious, heavy cream sauces and that was just not going to work for me. I haven't eaten as healthy as I should for the better part of a week now and I wanted to get back on track. I didn't feel like spending hours in the kitchen, either, so the Crock Pot seemed the best solution. Throw it in and forget it!! Now just to find a healthy recipe! I went straight to Google (what would I do without that marvelous search engine?) and found what looked to be a great recipe in a relatively short time. By the time I found my recipe it was already 1:45 in the afternoon and I still needed to make my near-daily trek to the grocery store. Here is the recipe I found. Just click here

It was so easy to make, and cooks on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

The chicken was very moist and tender and the house smelled delightfully of the fragrant Rosemary, with just a hint of the garlic. It also tasted like it smelled - delicious! For a fast, healthy meal, you can't beat this one. I served it with a side of steamed Brussels Sprouts and a nice salad with my homemade Ranch dressing.

Beer Lime Grilled Chicken

This was the main dish last night and it was really good! I don't know why I find myself SO surprised when something so simple tastes so good. For years I felt if I didn't slave for 3-4 hours in the kitchen, I was cheating my family. I think this comes from my belief that I show my love for my family via my cooking. My mom always told me, growing up, that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach. I think that adage stuck with me and that is why I feel the way I do about cooking. Or maybe I just love cooking and don't mind spending hours on a meal. I think it would take a shrink to figure me out...and I'd rather spend my money on quality ingredients!

I found this reicpe at AllRecipes.com. Just click on the link below.

Beer Lime Grilled Chicken from Allrecipes.com

Here is a photo of the plated dish:

Corned Beef and Cabbage

This year I cooked my Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock Pot. It was tasty and tender. I am opposed to tough Corned Beef ;). Here is the recipe (again, from allrecipes.com).

Corned Beef and Cabbage
1 (3 lb) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half (I leave whole but I have a large Crock Pot)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (I use about 10 small, red onions, skins left on and kept whole)
1 lb baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP cider vinegar
1/2 tsp pepper
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Place the corned beef in bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker. Add onion, potatoes and carrots. Combine water, garlic, bay lear, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove corned beef and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil. Place cabbage in Crock Pot and cook until crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. If you like soggy cabbage, then add it in with the other vegetables, but my prefence is crisp-tender cabbage.

Caity Sue's Turkey Enchiladas

By now people must be getting pretty sick of turkey, if you still have any left over...I know I am getting tired of that bird! I decided to use the last of Tom Turkey tonight by making a turkey enchilada dish. I decided to create my own recipe and I hope you like it. The measurements are approximate but I think they're pretty close.

Caity Sue's Turkey Enchiladas

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husks removed, quartered
1 white onion, coarsely chopped
1-3 jalapenos (depending on your taste), seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
water
1-3 cloves garlic (depending on your taste)
2 - 3 TBSP cilantro
Chicken broth
4 cups turkey meat, shredded
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream, separated
1 can cream of chicken soup, separated
1/2 tsp cumin
12-15 corn tortillas
For garnish
Chopped cilantro
green onions, chopped
shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Take the tomatillos, onions and jalapeno(s) and place in a sauce pan with enough water to cover. Add salt and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain off broth and place vegetable mix into a blender; add chicken broth to cover by about 1" and blend well. Add about 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup cream of chicken soup to the blender with the cilantro and blend again. Reserve 1/2 cup.

In a large bowl add turkey, 3/4 cup sour cream mixed with 1/2 tsp cumin, rest of the can of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and 1 cup cheddar cheese, and 1/2 cup of the tomatillo sauce. Mix well. Cook tortillas until they are soft (today I wrapped them in foil and put them in a 350F degree oven for 15 minutes, but other times I will spray them with Pam cooking spray and bake them on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 3-4 minutes; also you can soft fry them in oil OR you can soften them in the sauce....just heat it back up to a low boil and dip the tortillas in the sauce until soft...be careful because it's easy to get it too soft and they will break apart). Put about 1/2 to 1 cup of sauce in bottom of 13"x9" baking pan. Dip each tortillas briefly in blender of sauce and fill with turkey filling. Roll up and place, seam side down, in baking dish.

When they are all filled and in the pan(s), pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and bake, until bubbling, about 30 minutes. Halfway through cooking I place the cheese for garnishing all over and continue baking. When the enchiladas are cooked, removed from oven and garnish with green onions & cilantro. Bon Apetit! NOTE: Next time I won't put as much sauce over the enchiladas as it can make the tortillas too soft...but it was YUMMY!!!

Enchilada Casserole

I discovered this dish about 10 or more years ago. I have long forgotten how I discovered it, so I can't give credit to anyone. I recently went to a dear friend's house over the weekend for a mini scrapping retreat and offered to cook dinner for the ladies, and I made this dish:

Enchilada Casserole

3 lb ground beef
1 pkg (2 tubes) beef Chorizo (remove casing)
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 pkgs taco seasoning
1 28 oz can Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce (+ small can, if needed)
2 dozen corn tortillas
1 8 oz pkg Velveeta Cheese
1 8 oz pkg Velveeta Cheese, Mexican variety hot or mild
1 16 oz sour cream
Vegetable oil for frying
1 8 oz can kidney beans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Darin grease (for additional fat drainage you can rinse with warm water). In a separate pan fry chorizo until cooked. It is hard to tell when this happens but when chorizo is watery it is done. Mix chorizo into ground beef mixture. Add taco seasoning and ¾ cup of enchilada sauce. Let simmer as long as possible, stirring frequently, anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour. Add kidney beans if desired. In 6-8” frying pan, fry tortillas in about ¼” vegetable oil. Fry soft (3-5 seconds per side). Place on paper towel and blot excess oil. (I actually put 6 tortillas on a baking sheet and spray each side lightly with Pam cooking spray and bake in oven for about 6 minutes - this softens the tortillas up nicely and saves you the mess of frying). Set aside. Cut cheese into cubes ½” x ½” and set aside. (Cut only 10-15 cubes of each style cheese as needed). Pour enchilada sauce into a flat pie plate.
To Layer: You will need a 10” x 13” x 2” baking dish. Spoon a small amount of meat mixture into pan to cover bottom. Dip tortillas in enchilada sauce. Layer tortillas on top of mixture to cover - up to 6 tortillas - 2 across and 3 down - they may overlap a bit. Layer meat mixture and then about 10 pieces of cheese (5 of each type), 3-5 dollops of sour cream. Continue layering until all the mixture is gone. I prefer to end the casserole with the cheese and sour cream on top. Cover with foil and bake until dish is hot and cheese is melted, approximately 20 - 30 minutes.