Homemade Chicken Tortillas

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo! This recipe is actually two in one. The first recipe is the homemade tortillas and the second is the crockpot chicken recipe. I got these from a new food blog I came across, Barefoot and Baking. She is fairly new and makes a lot of yummy things. The tortilla recipe is actually a family recipe and the chicken is so easy it should be a crime! I will put in my notes in parentheses.

Tortillas
4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (this depends on the humidity of where you live, so start with a little less and add until the dough cleans the bowl but isn't sticky, like playdoh consistancy, and shouldn't break at the edges when kneading it. I used a little over 1 1/4 cups.)

Mix flour and salt together then cut in Crisco. (At this point I added the mixture to my Kitchenaid). Add water (with dough hook). Knead until it is smooth and fully combined, about 50 times (or until dough cleans the bowl). Break into 16 balls (I broke in half, then half again, then into quarters). Roll into balls and put in a covered bowl for about an hour. Roll into desired thickness (I found the thinner I rolled them, the better they cooked up later). Let rest for at least 10 minutes (I rolled mine with a little flour on each side or they stuck to the table and then just laid them all on top of each other. The flour kept them separated). Cook in a skillet (cast iron apparently is best but I don't have that) until bubbles form, about 30 seconds, then flip. If bubbles don't form, let your dough rest a little longer. (Your tortillas should have a few bubbles come up and when you flip it you will see brown spots like on store bought ones). Place tortillas in a pan with a lid to keep warm and soft. If you are going to refrigerate or freeze them, put them in a plastic bag and leave open until they are cooled completely or the condensation will make them mushy.
(**I know this looks like a lot, but it was a lot like making bread and it was surprisingly yummy. The tortillas tasted homemade and authentic to me)

Crockpot Chicken (for burritos or tacos)
3-4 frozen chicken breasts
one can red enchilada sauce
one can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (I used light brown)
garlic salt to taste

Combine enchilada sauce, tomatoes and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour over chicken in a crock pot. Cook on high 4-6 hours. If your chicken is thawed, cook a little less. Shred chicken and add garlic salt to taste. When you shred the chicken it will absorb a lot of the juices, but you will still want to use a slotted spoon or tongs to get the chicken. It is really yummy.

Serve with all the fixins: carmelized onion, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, olives, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

You can make just the chicken and use store bought tortillas, but if you ever have the chance to try and make your own, you should do it! It was a little time consuming, but no more than making bread or cinnamon rolls or anything. Hey, if I can do it, you can do it! Good luck!

Coleslaw

I love a good coleslaw, but the only good one I can find is at KFC. So a while back I found this recipe on Picky Palate and tried it and LOVED IT. Seriously it is so good. I always make this when we BBQ or when I make pulled pork sandwiches. I love to put the coleslaw on top of the pulled pork sandwich. Yummy!

Simple Coleslaw
16 oz bag of coleslaw mix
½ Cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon honey
*Note- I also add some salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients except the coleslaw mix. Add in the coleslaw and mix together well. I found that I liked my coleslaw more wet than her recipe calls for, so I also add a little more more mayo and mustard, then adjust the seasonings to my taste. This also tastes better if you let it chill in the refrigerator a few hours so the flavors can blend.

Happy grill season!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Babies

I made these tonight for the Cub Scout Spaghetti Dinner and Bake Sale - and I thought I was a real trooper giving these away because they were so dang good! They are way easy to make, but sound super gourmet, and they make about 20 cupcakes, so you can share with friends (or not - I recommend eating them all yourself.) I didn't use the Cool Whip and cherries because the Cool Whip would have melted by the time someone bought them, and cherries are gross. But if you eat these at home, I would highly recommend the whipped topping of your choice and maybe a drizzle of chocolate syrup!

1 pkg. brownie mix (13x9-inch pan size)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup peanut butter (I guessed on this and probably used more)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
20 maraschino cherries (totally optional)

Mix brownies according to package directions. Spoon into 20 paper-lined muffin cups. I sprayed my paper liners with cooking spray because the Kraft website reviews stated that the brownies stuck to the liners. Spraying them prevents this.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, peanut butter, and vanilla with mixer until smooth. Spoon one rounded Tablespoon into center of batter in each cup, pressing down slightly into batter. **Note - I placed a sandwich bag inside a cup and filled the bag with the cream cheese mixture, sealed the bag, cut an opening in the bottom corner, and piped the cream cheese mixture in. It was much faster and cleaner, and since "pressing" the mixture is sort of hard because it's so soft, you can place the tip of the sandwich bag slightly into the batter and squeeze away. You should have plenty of cream cheese mixture, so put plenty on. I had a little leftover. Bake 30 minutes or until middle is set. Mine baked about 27 minutes. Let cool completely! And eat away!

Recipe Request

I am seriously craving some fresh homemade salsa!!! Anyone have a good recipe???

Boston Cream Pie

I made this for the sister missionaries when we had them over for dinner and it was delicious. They even asked for the recipe so they could make it themselves. It is way easy and pretty cheap too. Of course, it is from the kraftfoods.com website, which I love!

Boston Cream Pie

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup cold milk
1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 round yellow cake layer (8 or 9 inch)
1 square BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
1 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. cold milk

Beat pudding mix and 1 cup milk with whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in Cool Whip. Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut cake horizontally into 2 layers with serrated knife. (*Note: A standard cake mix makes 2 yellow cake rounds. You can freeze one by wrapping it in saran wrap then foil for up to a month. Just defrost and serve as you like. My 2 rounds ended up really round on top, so I cut both of them in half horizontally and used the bottoms of both cakes for the 2 layers in this cake. My kids loved eating the top halves!).

Stack cake layers on serving plate, spreading pudding mixture between layers. Microwave chocolate and butter on HIGH 1 min.; stir until chocolate is melted. Add sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk; mix well. Spread over cake. Refrigerate 1 hour.

German Brotchen Rolls

For my fellow European travelers--these German rolls are the best. They're like little French bread rolls. We used to buy them when they were heavily buttered and with cheese on them. They are so yummy and actually really easy to make. They are just a process. Thought I'd share!

2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp shortening
2 tsp salt
7 cups flour
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 egg white (for egg wash)
2 Tbsp cold milk

1. In a large mixing bowl dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix in shortening, salt and 3 cups flour. Beat with dough whisk or heavy spoon for 2 minutes. Fold in egg whites. Gradually add flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough forms a mass and begins to pull away from bowl. Turn onto floured surface. Knead, adding more flour as necessary, for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic with bubbles.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Deflate the dough, form into a round and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 425. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Form into oval rolls (I just roll into balls). Place on lightly greased baking sheets, cover and let rise until double in volume, about 40 minutes.

5. Place an empty baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. In a small bowl, beat the egg white and milk to make the egg wash. Lightly brush the risen rolls with egg wash. Place 1 cup ice cubes on the hot baking sheet in the oven and immediately place rolls in the oven.

6. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool.

Favorite Things

When Brent and I were getting married, my mom was so cute and gathered together all these little things she thought essential for home life. Two were tupperware items, and this hamburger press has really become one of my favorites too. The first recipe I posted was a hamburger recipe (that no one tried). It's still our favorite. It's a juicy burger with chopped onions cooked right in it. And, this press makes the perfect patties. I love making my own burgers cause they're so easy. If I were Oprah, I would buy all of you one of your own. But, I'm not. So, treat yourself and thank me later!

Bird's Nests

This is another family tradition of ours. I've been making them for the past four years. And, I'm sure you do too. But, if anyone is missing out on this one--they're pretty fun. This is the recipe I like best. Happy Easter!

2 cups butterscotch chips
1 cup peanut butter
10 oz small chow mein noodles
4 cups marshmallows

Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter in double boiler or microwave. I microwave for 1 minute, then 30 seconds until smooth. Stir in chow mein noodles and marshmallows until blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls on wax paper. Press your thumbprint in the center. Chill until set. Put jelly beans or any other egg-shaped candy in the center!

Banana icecream topping

Made this last night for FHE and it was a big hit! So easy and soooo yummy! This recipe is out of my Taste of Home magazine. Love it!
I halved this recipe for my family

6 Tbls. butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. orange juice
4 bananas sliced
2 tsp. vanilla
vanilla ice cream

Combine butter and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat stirring contantly until butter is completely melted. Add orange juice and continue cooking and stirring for 2-3 minutes until mixture is slightly thick. Add bananas and stir to coat and heat through. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Mix well and serve over vanilla ice cream. Makes 8 servings

Mexican BBQ chicken Salad

My cousin posted this recipe on her blog and I tried it the other day and LOVED it! She said the recipe is from Nordstrom's Cafe. Never been there but I love it already! This is really easy to put together and very versatile! You can adjust the amount of ingredients to your needs. Enjoy!

tortillas
lettuce torn
BBQ chicken breasts shredded
corn
black beans
tomatoes
avacado
ranch dressing

Layer and enjoy!

Chicken Salad Sonoma

We had this chicken salad on croissants at our Relief Society birthday dinner. It was super yummy. I could have totally eaten two or three of them if I wasn't on a diet! The girl who made them finally posted the recipe on her own blog so I could steal it and put it on mine! Plus, who doesn't need more recipes that are good for warm summer days?

Chicken Salad Sonoma

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons poppyseeds
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Salad:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Prepare the dressing by thoroughly mixing together all dressing ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to dress the salad. Can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.
Cook chicken. Cool in fridge for 2 hours. Dice them into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in pecans, grapes, celery and dressing. Enjoy on croissants, bagel bread, or large pieces of lettuce, however you like to eat your chicken salad!