Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

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I've had this recipe forever and finally made it a couple of weeks ago. Why oh why did I let that recipe sit there for so long? It is soooo good! I've tried many tortilla soup recipes and haven't found one yet that I loved, until now. This is fast prep and easy to make. The best thing was that my kids liked it! They are the pickiest kids when it comes to soups, casseroles, chili or anything that has lots of "stuff" in it. Most of the time my kids like all of the ingredients individually but when it's all mixed up they are scared to try it. When they saw their bowl of soup topped with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and cilantro they were all for it! All of 3 of my kids love cilantro. When they smell it or see me chopping it up they come running for their own little stem of it to munch on. It just warms my heart since I'm in love with cilantro too! I'm training them well aren't I? At least I'm trying to anyway. I used rotisserie chicken because it is easy, flavorful and moist and I didn't have to cook it. I didn't have frozen corn that day so I just used canned but added it in the last 30 minutes. Oh, and I did not make my own tortilla strips. Who has time for that? I just grabbed some tortilla chips from the pantry and crunched them up over the top. The directions are here, though, if you decide to venture that far.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
(www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions

1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

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No need for Chinese take-out with this recipe in your file! It's a little time consuming but worth the effort. All of my kids LOVE it! I just serve it with rice and egg rolls or pot stickers (my faves are from Schwan's).

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
www.melskitchencafe.com

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
1 1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Stir chicken every 15 minutes.

Cucumber Salsa

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I made this last week for a Just Jewelry party that I had. My party was a total flop and probably the worst "selling" party that I've ever had. But on the positive side, more salsa for me! This is cool, refreshing and has just enough spice to it.

CUCUMBER SALSA
www.allrecipes.com (can you tell I like this site?)

Ingredients
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, stir together the cucumbers, tomatoes, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, lime juice, parsley, cilantro, dill, and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Buttermilk Pancakes

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These are by far the best pancakes I've ever had. I haven't bought a pre-made mix since I started making them a couple of years ago. I can't go back to mixes! Because I don't always have buttermilk on hand, I buy a large carton and freeze it in 3 cup batches so it's there when I need it. Do you see my awesome new griddle? It is HUGE and I love it! No more whining over who gets the first few pancakes anymore!

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions
1.In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it's ready!
3.Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Baked Dijon Salmon

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I have a lot of catching up to do! I have so many recipes that I am waiting to share and finally have an evening now to catch up. Ethan and Clara are loving my food blog too! When I'm making dinner they'll say "Don't forget to put this on your blog!" Or there's been a few times when they've had dinner and said "Don't put this on your blog it's yucky!" Here's our favorite salmon recipe for you, enjoy.

BAKED DIJON SALMON
www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lemon, for garnish

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.In a small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, and honey. Set aside. In another bowl, mix together bread crumbs, pecans, and parsley.
3.Brush each salmon fillet lightly with honey mustard mixture, and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the bread crumb mixture.
4.Bake salmon 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until it flakes easily with a fork. Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Chicken with Yellow Rice and Sausage

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Here's a great one pot dinner that is delicious! Check out my tips and suggestions at the bottom of the recipe.

CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE WITH SAUSAGE

This one only takes about 10-15 minutes of prep time, then you put the lid on and let the rice cook. So in actual start to finish time it's 40 minutes, but your part is over after 10.

2 TB olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 lb sausage (chorizo, kielbasa), cut into 1/2 moons
1 onion, diced chunky
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized strips
10 oz yellow rice mix
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
S&P

Using a large pot with a lid or Dutch oven, drizzle olive oil and cook the chicken, sausage, pepper, and onion on med-high heat for 3-5 minutes. (will finish cooking later) Add about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper-or more or less-whatever you like.
Add the yellow rice mix and as much water as the mix calls for (usually 20 oz of water). Once the water boils, put the lid on and turn the heat down to low and cook according to the rice directions (about 20-25 minutes).
When the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas and serve.

Tips & Suggestions:
* I like to use turkey kielbasa when I can find it to lower the fat. You can hardly tell a difference!
* My favorite chicken to use for this is shredded or cut up rotisserie chicken. I love buying those chickens because they usually are enough for 2 meals. Or I throw a couple of chicken breasts and a little water in the crock pot with some seasoning (poultry, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) and shred it when it is done. If you use pre-cooked chicken just add it in when you add the rice.
* Sometimes it can take 30 minutes for the rice to get done all the way. Just check it at 25 minutes and see if it needs more time.
* It goes very well with cornbread!

Tortellini Soup

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This amazing soup is in my top 3 favorite soups and my entire family loves it! I usually grate most of the zucchini and leave just a few chunks to hide it from my kids. They have no idea! So here you go friends, enjoy!

TORTELLINI SOUP

1 lb. Italian sausage (mild)
2 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 small onion, diced
5 C chicken broth approx. (I use about 1 1/2 of the 32 oz cartons) Use more if it is too thick.
1/2 c. apple cider
1 can chopped, stewed tomatoes (16 oz.)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
1 cup sliced carrots
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
2 medium zucchini, grated or sliced
1 8-10 oz package cheese tortellini (I like the frozen kind-and put it in frozen)
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese (for garnish-to taste)

Brown sausage, garlic and onion in large soup pot. Add remaining ingredients, except zucchini, tortellini and parsley. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in last three ingredients, simmer another 30 minutes. Add more broth if too thick and salt if needed. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.