Tostadas De Pollo (Chicken Tostadas)

INGREDIENTS:

Tostadas (store bought or make your own by deep-frying corn tortillas)
Cooked chicken (shredded)
4 tomatoes, diced
1 white/yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
Refried beans
shredded lettuce
sour cream
cheese
favorite salsa
red onion, cut in thin slices
2 limes, juiced




Sautee onion in a skillet and then add tomatoes, jalapenos and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Grab a tostada and smear refried beans

Add chicken, lettuce, salsa, cheese, sour cream and red onions (read below how to prepare the red onions). In a plastic container (w/ a lid), put the red onions, lime juice and salt, cover. Shake the container every so often to make sure the onions are evenly covered with the juice and salt. The lime juice will cook the onions.

Here's the finished product! You can also add avocado slices on the top.

Ok, if you feel lazy or don't have time to make salsa, you can use this sauce. It comes in a yellow can and I believe the other side has a picture of a duck(pato). The salsa is pretty good for tostadas.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I made this for dinner tonight and my family LOVED it. My picky 5 year old daughter even asked for seconds!


*Plan Ahead: the recipe calls for cooked chicken so use leftovers or plan enough time to cook the chicken beforehand.

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 (19-oz) can green chili enchilada sauce (I used mild)
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce (I used mild)
1 can sliced black olives
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
12-16 oz. penne pasta (Depending on how "saucy" you want the pasta)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion is translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for another 2 minutes, until pepper is barely tender. Add the cooked chicken, green chilies, spices, enchilada sauces and olives. Let the sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese and heat through, until the cheese is melted (but don't boil!). Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions or crushed tortilla chips. Serves 6-8.


Recipe Source: My Kitchen Cafe (http://www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com/)

Ultimate "M&M's" Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c (2 sticks) butter softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 12oz pkg "M&M's" semi-sweet or milk chocolate mini baking bits
3/4 c chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. blend in creamed mixture. Stir in "M&M's" mini baking bits adn nuts. If using. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool one minute on cookie sheet; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

JELL-O/Mousse

Ingredients:

1 box of Jell-o
zest of one lemon plus half of it's juice
2 tbsp honey
2 c boiling water
1 c cold water
1 can evaporated milk (place in refrigerator to cool)

Mix first 4 ingredients until well blended and then add 1 cup of cold water. Place in glass container and then place it in the refrigerator.

Pour the evaporated milk in a bowl and whip. Once jello is somewhat set, add to the whipped milk. Whip everything together and then place it in a dish to set (put it back in refrigerator). When it's set, crumble vanilla cookies on top and serve.

Cheese Cake Factory Cheesecake

Killer Cheesecake

I've never really made this recipe, but I have tried it and it's delicious! One of my coworkers tried to make it and said that hers over flowed. You might want to make two cheesecakes out of this recipe. I'm sure you'll be able to tell when you make it and see how much batter you end up with.

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs of cream cheese at room temperature
1 3/4 sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs
2 additional egg yokes
1/4 c whipping cream
9-inch springform pan lined generously with butter and patted with graham cracker crumbs

Directions:

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Prepare springform pan. With an electric beater, mix the cheese, sugar, flour orange and lemon zests and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and yokes, beating in one at a time, and finally the cream.

Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan and bake for 10 minutes or until the top of the cake turns golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 200-225 and bake for one hour longer.

Remove cake form oven and cool on a rack until it reaches room temperature. Then release the sides of the pan. Do not remove the bottom of the pan. Place cake on a platter. Top with fruit or glaze, if desired, and serve.

Striped Delight

Prep: 20 minutes plus refrigerating

Ingredients:

35 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
6 Tbsp butter or margarine melted
1 pkg (8oz) Cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
2 Tbsp cold milk
1 tub (12 oz) Cool Whip Whipped topping, thawed, divided
3-1/4 c cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling

Mix crushed cookies and butter in medium bowl. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Refrigerate 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and 2 tbsp. milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in 1-1/4 c of the whipped topping. Spread over crust.

Pour 3-1/4 cups milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. Pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 minutes or until thickened. Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls over pudding; spread to cover pudding.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Cut into 24 squares. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator. Makes 24 servings, 1 square each.

Note: For a festive look, sprinkle crushed candy canes on dessert squares.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1- 1 1/2 c canned pumpkin puree
3 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 c (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray

Using a mixer, cream butter, white and brown sugars. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then add vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes.

Pork Stir Fry

So yesterday I was on creative mode and decided to try something new. I wanted to make something quick but good and I came up with something delicious! Seriously, I loved how this turned out...so did my husband who took all the left-overs. Can't wait to make it again and wanted to make sure I posted the recipe on here before I forget how I made it.

***

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb boneless pork rib (cut in bite sizes)

1 can pineapple (chunks)

1 onion, cut in half then slice

1 bell pepper, sliced

salt

pepper

about 1/4 brown sugar

about 1 tsp Spicy Montreal Seasoning

***

Heat a wok and begin cooking the pork. Add salt, pepper, and Spicy Montreal Seasoning. Note, I really only added the Spicy Montreal Seasoning because I wanted my dish sweet but spicy! I didn't have red crushed pepper so I added that specific seasoning because red crushed peppers are in it. Anyway, as you cook the pork, add juice from the pineapple can little by little. When the pork is cooked, add the onions, bell pepper, pineapple chunks, brown sugar and any remaining juice. You can also add a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Enjoy!

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is different from the traditional cinnamon rolls because after it is rolled and cut, you put the roll in muffin tins, with the glaze on the bottom. When it is cooked, you invert the muffin tins and glazing covers the cinnamon roll.

Sweet Rolls

• 2 cups milk


• 3 Tbsp sugar


• 1/2 stick butter


• 1 tsp salt1 pkg yeast (scant 1 Tbsp)


• 1/3 cup lukewarm water


• 2 eggs, beaten


• 5 cups all-purpose flour


• Sugar and Cinnamon as desired

Sweet Roll Butter

• 8 oz brown sugar (1 cup)


• 4 oz butter, softened (1 cube)


• 2 oz corn syrup (about 1/4 cup)


• 3/4 oz honey (heaping spoonful)


• 2 cups chopped pecans

*note- sweet roll butter is not for rolling into the dough, but rather cooking under the dough*
In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt and stir; let cool. Soften yeast in lukewarm water and add to milk mixture. Beat in eggs and add flour gradually. Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and not sticky. Place dough in buttered bowl, brush with melted butter and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. (We did overnight in the fridge)

While the dough is rising, prepare the sweet roll butter by combining all the ingredients in a bowl.

Punch dough and roll out with a rolling pin into a long narrow strip about 3-4 inches wide. Sprinkle top of dough with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Roll up tightly as you would a jelly roll and cut into slices about 1 1/2 inches thick. Place a sliced roll into a greased muffin tin that has been filled with 1 Tbsp of Sweet Roll Butter and pecans. Let rolls rise until almost double in size.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Carefully invert onto a tray large enough to hold all the rolls.

Yield: 1 1/2 to 2 dozen rolls