Chicken Enchilada Pasta

I stumbled across this gem of a recipe several months ago (my picture file says June) on a website called My Kitchen Cafe. I was frantically searching through my files trying to find a recipe to post. I stumbled across this one and can't believe I've neglected it before now! It's so super good. I was skeptical when I first read it because I thought, "Enchiladas and pasta? Together? Really?" But the combination is a perfect marriage of texture and flavor. It's just perfection.

This dish has the potential to be super spicy, depending on what kind of enchilada sauce you use. I use mild because I'm a wimp.....er, I mean, because my kids don't love spicy food. I made it once using medium enchilada sauce, and even that was a bit much for us. So if you're not big into spicy, make sure you use mild.

Ingredients:
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
2 (10-oz) cans green chili enchilada sauce
2/3 cup red enchilada sauce
1 can large black olives, cut in half
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
16-20 oz. penne pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta until tender. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet and cook the onion for 2-3 minutes, or until 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. Be careful not to boil the sauce, otherwise your dairy will curdle. Pour the sauce over the hot pasta. Garnish with extra sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, green onions, crushed tortilla chips, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, etc.

Have you ever tried something that originally sounded weird, but you ended up loving it?

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Crockpot Nachos

Today I officially have a 3rd grader and a kindergartner! I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. For now, my house is far too quiet. I'm feeling even more thankful for my little 3 year old running around, otherwise I don't know how I'd deal! The plus side to school being back is that now I'll have lots more time to devote to the little bloggy!

This is another recipe I got from Sandra at Full Bellies, Happy Kids. My kids all love nachos, so when I saw this version adapted for the crock pot, I knew I had to give it a try. It got rave reviews from all the kids, and the adults liked it as well. I just love my crock pot!!

This would be something that would work awesome to serve at a party. I love using my crock pot to feed people at parties. It makes so much less work for me, and I can actually enjoy my guests and the party!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
1 can refried beans
1 can red kidney beans, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder
tortilla chips
jar of Mexican salsa con queso
Topping of your choice (I used finely sour cream, tomatoes, olives, green onions, and lettuce)

Brown the ground beef, and drain the grease. Put into the crock pot, and add in the refried beans, kidney beans, tomato paste, taco seasoning, water, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours.

Warm up the queso. Then plate up your nachos! We put the meat/bean mixture on first, then the cheese, then the toppings.

It really can't get any easier than this meal!

Do you have kids back in school yet?

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Hot Corn Dip

WE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS!!! Woohoo! Be on the lookout for the giveaway on Friday!

I was bored the other night and started surfing cooking blogs. I came across a new one that I am so excited about. It's called Full Bellies, Happy Kids. There isn't a single recipe that I don't want to try! In fact, that very night I tried this recipe. It was so good!!! My husband and kids were literally fighting over the bowl, so we had to dish up separate bowls for everyone. Deeeeeeeeelish.

I didn't have Mexicorn on hand, so I just used regular frozen corn that I thawed in a bowl of water. It still tasted great. If I don't have Mexicorn next time, I'm going to saute a little red bell pepper to put in. Also, a word about the chilies. I came across a jar of chilies at the store a few weeks ago. It's by the salsa, and it's the same thing as those little cans of diced green chilies. Only it's MUCH cheaper.

The recipe says it serves 12. But it's so good that it might only serve 1. ;-)

Ingredients:
2 11 ounce cans Mexicorn
2 4.5 ounce cans chopped green chilies
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
3/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup mayonnaise
tortilla chips for dipping

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a casserole dish and set aside. Mix corn, mayonnaise, cheeses, and chilies until combined. Pour into the casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly.

I know what I'm having for lunch!! :-)

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Huevos Rancheros

I've been on a mission to find meatless meals and came across this one in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I'd never even had Huevos Rancheros before, even at a restaurant, so I thought it would be perfect to try. It was super easy and really good.

You can make these for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We had them for dinner tonight, so I served them up with a side of refried beans and cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
16 ounce can stewed tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons diced green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
5-7 corn tortillas
7 eggs
3/4 cup Monterey Jack or cheddar, shredded

In a large skillet, cook onion in olive oil. Stir in undrained tomatoes, diced green chilies, garlic powder and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush tortillas with some olive oil and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until crisp. Once tomato mixture has thickened, crack one egg at a time into a measuring cup. Gently pour egg into tomato mixture, then repeat with remaining eggs.

Simmer gently, covered, for 3-5 minutes, or until the whites are completely set and yolks begin to thicken (but are not hard). To serve, place a tortilla on a plate, top with 1-2 eggs, some of the tomato mixture and then cheese.

We don't have a very comment-happy group lately!
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Taquitos

I had this really out of the blue craving for taquitos the other day. Which is funny, because I absolutely HATE the store-bought frozen kind. They have zippo flavor and are just icky. Plus they're not very good for you. I decided to make my own, more healthy, version -- baked, not fried. It's really a very simple concept, and they turned out a million times more delicious than the pre-made ones.

Another bonus. It really impressed my husband. He came home from work, walked in, said, "Taquitos, huh?", put one in his mouth and then stopped dead in his tracks. Then he said, "Wait a minute. These have salt on them. These have flavor........Did you MAKE these? Like, from SCRATCH?" Why, yes! Yes, I did! :) I didn't tell him how ridiculously easy they were to make. I wanted all the brownie points I could get.

I won't tell if you won't! :)

This is another "recipe" that's just a method. This is just how I did mine, but you can season it however you want, use chicken or pork instead of the beef, use a different cut of beef, etc. I used the cut I did because I found a really good deal for a GINORMOUS roast that week.

Ingredients:
1-2 pound eye of round roast
2 teaspoons each of garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup salsa
8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
2 tablespoons butter, melted
corn tortillas

Put the roast in the crock pot and season well. Pour salsa over the top and cook on low for 6 hours.

When meat is falling apart, shred it, then let it cook on low for another hour.

Place meat in a large bowl. Add the cream cheese and mix until well-combined. If you're having trouble getting it to mix together, you can add a little of your cooking liquid from the crock pot.

Microwave corn tortillas in between damp paper towels until they are very pliable, about 2 minutes. Spoon some meat mixture onto each tortilla and roll. Place seam-side down on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. While you're working on rolling up each tortilla, keep the already-rolled ones covered with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel, otherwise they will dry up and start to crack.

Brush the tops of each tortilla with melted butter, then sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 375 until tortillas are golden brown and crispy. Serve with sour cream and guacamole for dipping.

The slightly-too-browned edges are what happens when you're distracted by your potty-training 2 year old -- she suddenly had to go, actually made it to the potty and was so insanely proud of herself and CUTE that I got too caught up in dancing around like a crazy person, clapping and cheering, and forgot about my food in the oven.... :)

Did you do anything festive for Cinco de Mayo?

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Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Ranch

I've seen some other recipes for this dressing out there that are a heck of a lot more complicated than mine. The other recipes I've seen call for tomatillos. I've never been able to find them, so I had to change the recipe up a bit. I just substitute some salsa verde for the tomatillos -- all the work is done for me and is in a nice little can. Get the smallest can you can find, because you won't use the whole thing for the dressing. What can you do with the leftover salsa? Drizzle it on Mexican White Chili, Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup. Pour some into Fiesta Rice Saute, on top of Chicken Enchiladas, or on 7 Layer Bean Dip.

Ingredients:
1 recipe ranch dressing
1-2 tablespoons salsa verde

Just combine the ingredients to taste, then let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can add in some freshly chopped cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice if you want, but the salsa verde has it all in there for you.

Now put it all together: Cafe Rio Pork, Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice and Cilantro Lime Ranch. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, olives, guacamole, sour cream, freshly chopped cilantro, green onions, etc.

What's your favorite restaurant meal to make at home?

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Cafe Rio Black Beans

I really like black beans, but they can get so boring! Using canned beans instead of prepping your own is such a time saver, but I also like to be able to personalize store-bought products to make them more my own. I'm not sure how Cafe Rio authentic these are, because I honestly only had it once, but they taste really yummy!

I don't always do these beans exactly this way. If I want a little more variation, I'll add a can of whole kernel corn, throw in some chili powder, toss in some chopped cilantro just before serving, add some diced onion or diced green chilies, add some hot sauce, use diced tomatoes (canned or fresh) instead of tomato sauce, add. . . You really can do tons of little changes that completely change the taste.

Now, don't rush off and make the sweet pork and these beans just yet -- Friday's post will complete this yummy dish!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salsa verde
1/4 cup tomato sauce

All you've gotta do is combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Easy peasy!

What are your favorite ways to jazz up store-bought products?
Do you use canned beans, or do you prefer to use dried and make them yourself?

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Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

About a year and a half ago, we took the kids to Utah to visit some family. While I was there, I met up with my good friend Kim. She took me to Cafe Rio for lunch. I'd never been there before, but I fell in love with their pork and was determined to figure out how to recreate it at home. I think this is pretty darn close!

Ingredients:
2 pound sirloin pork roast
1 can Dr. Pepper
2 cups enchilada sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 can diced green chilies
1 tablespoon garlic salt

Pour Dr. Pepper, brown sugar, enchilada sauce and chilies into your crock pot and stir to combine. Add the roast and sprinkle it with garlic salt. Cook on low for 4 hours, then remove meat and shred. Return to crock pot, stir well to cover meat with sauce and cook for another 2 hours.

Other parts of this recipe:
Cilantro Lime Rice
Black Beans
Cilantro Lime Ranch

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Taco Soup

And I'm baaaaaaack! My new charger finally came. Let's hope I can keep track of this one a little longer than last time. I never did find the original one. Strange.

Anyway, taco soup. This is pretty much the epitome of easy and delicious. My husband's grandma made this for us when we visited her, oh, 6 years ago or so, and I begged her for the recipe. We've made it frequently ever since. I really love it because the ingredients are all things I always have stocked in my pantry, so it's one of those "go to meals" for when nights get busy and dinner plans need to change.

This meal is also a great one to keep pre-made in the freezer for quick weeknight meals! It would freeze and reheat beautifully. It would also make a very tasty meal to take to someone who's sick or who just had a baby. And it's perfect for large get-togethers because it's so cheap without compromising any flavor. Kids and adults alike love this one.

This recipe can easily be modified to work for a crock pot, too. If you want to do it that way, just cook your ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is done, then throw everything into the crock pot on low until you're ready to eat. It only gets better the longer it sits.

My toppings are just the basics, the things I always have on hand anyway. But you can easily jazz it up by adding cilantro, avocado, using the fire roasted hot chilies instead of the mild kind, different cheeses, etc.

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can kidney beans, quickly rinsed and drained
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies
1 package taco seasoning OR 1/4 cup bulk taco seasoning
1/3 cup water

Toppings:
shredded cheese
sour cream
Fritos

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Drain any excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.


Then you assemble the deliciousness -- Fritos, then a ladle of taco soup, then cheese, then sour cream. My husband does his with the Fritos on top because he hates them getting the least bit soggy. Either way works.

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Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

This soup is one of my favorites of all time. When we moved away to go to college in 2004, our new tiny town didn't have a Chili's, and I was so bummed. Every time we went home to visit, which was pretty often because we were only an hour and a half away, I'd always make sure I went to Chili's to get a bowl of soup to tie me over until next time.

Then, one day, I realized, DUH! I can find the recipe online and can make it at home! Wow, I'm smart. I couldn't find the exact recipe, but I found a few that gave me some good places to start, and then I tweaked it to make it a pretty darn good replica, if I do say so myself.

Each recipe I found for this soup used an ingredient I'd never heard of before, Masa Harina. So to spare you the temporary anxiety I had from not knowing what this ingredient was, let alone where to find it: it's a Mexican flour found in the baking section of your grocery store, and it's used to make tortillas, tamales and the like.


You can really use whatever you have on hand in this recipe. If I have cans of broth and enchilada sauce, I use that. But most of the time, I just use bouillon cubes and packaged enchilada sauce (both prepared according to package directions). It tastes fantastic either way. If you use bouillon cubes, though, use a little less salt than the recipe calls for. Those are much saltier than canned broths.

This makes a huge pot of soup. I made it the other night for my family of 5, and we all had 2 bowls, plus we all had some for lunch the next day, and I still have at least 1 more bowl's worth in my fridge. But it's so good that you won't mind eating it for like 3 days straight or longer. Oh, yum, now I know what I'm having for lunch!

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Masa Harina
3 cups water
3 cups enchilada sauce
16 ounces Velveeta, cubed
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder

Garnish (pick and choose from this list -- they're all great!):
tortilla chips, crushed
cheddar cheese, shredded

AND/OR:
salsa
tomatoes, sliced or diced
avocado, sliced or diced
pico de gallo
red onion, diced
green onions, diced

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Saute onions and garlic until onions are tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth. Combine Masa Harina with 2 cups water, and whisk until well-blended. Add to soup. Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, Velveeta, chicken and spices. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes, or until thick.

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Chicken Enchiladas

I love chicken enchiladas, but sometimes I just don't feel like the traditional red sauce kind. When my mom gave birth to my youngest brother, a friend of ours brought her some enchiladas, and they quickly became a family favorite. I found another recipe a while ago, and I sort of combined the 2 to make my own version.

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced into bite-sized pieces
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup cottage cheese (sounds weird, I know, but it's yummy)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can diced green chilies
flour tortillas
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 recipe Cilantro Lime Rice

Toppings:
cilantro, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
sour cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Season chicken (I used cumin, chili powder, garlic salt and lime juice) and cook until done. While chicken cooks, combine soups, cottage cheese, sour cream and chilies. When chicken is done, add to soup mixture.

Lay tortillas out on a flat surface. Spread each tortilla with a generous spoonful of rice and then top with some meat mixture, reserving some of the meat mixture for the top of the enchiladas. Roll up and place seam side down into a sprayed 9x13 baking dish.

Top prepared enchiladas with remaining sauce and then top with shredded cheddar cheese. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve topped with sour cream, tomatoes (or salsa) and cilantro.

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Cilantro Lime Rice

All I can say is yum. I went to Cafe Rio a few years ago, and they served this rice. I was instantly in love and just had to have the recipe. I experimented and came up with something that tastes insanely close.

This rice is so yummy as a side dish by itself. But stay tuned, because over the next few days, I'll post a few recipes that are fabulous with this rice.

Ingredients:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar

Cook rice in chicken stock according to package directions. When rice is done, add butter, lime juice, cilantro and sugar.

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Fiesta Rice Saute

This is a recipe we found off a Spanish rice box years and years ago. Seriously, years ago. I remember making this when my oldest was just a brand new baby, and she's turning 7 in January. Anyhow, it's super-duper easy and yummy, is quick to throw together, can feed a crowd and tastes great! How's that for some key selling points?

My husband and I just had friends over for a game night a few weekends ago. So we had 4 adults and 5 kids eating between all of us. We made the recipe as is, no doubling or anything, and we still ended up with leftovers. So yeah, really filling.

Ingredients:
3/4-1 pound ground beef
1 box Spanish rice
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can diced green chilies
shredded cheddar
sour cream
green salsa
tortillas

Cook rice according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef. When meat is done cooking, add cooked rice, corn and green chilies. Heat through.

Serve wrapped in tortillas and topped with green salsa and sour cream. See, I told ya it was ridiculously easy!

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Veggie Enchiladas

I'm always looking for new meatless meal ideas. My good friend, Marcy, who is also the one who gave me the fantastic Cayenne Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa recipe, passed this recipe along to me recently. I'm so glad she did! It really was very good. My husband and I really enjoyed it, and our almost 2 year old wolfed it down in a matter of seconds. As for my other 2 kids, well, our 6 year old refused to so much as touch the plate it was on ("Spinach?! You want ME to eat SPINACH?!"), and our 3 year old claimed he wasn't hungry. Kids. :)

As far as changes go, I did pepper jack and Monterey jack. The original recipe called for 3 cups of pepper jack, but I didn't want it to be too spicy. Also, the original recipe called for a 10 ounce box of spinach, which I think was a bit too much compared to the other ingredients, so I cut it back a little.

Thanks, Marcy!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
8 ounce can tomato paste
14.5 ounce can vegetable broth
1.5 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
1.5 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
6-7 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can whole kernel corn
green onions, thinly sliced
corn tortillas

Heat oil over medium heat in a sauce pan. Whisk in flour, tomato paste and 1 teaspoon cumin. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly.

Whisk in vegetable broth, salt and pepper and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 6 minutes.

In a medium bowl, combine spinach, corn, 2 cups of cheese (I did the pepper jack in the filling and used the Monterey jack for the top), beans, some green onion, 1 teaspoon cumin and salt and pepper.

Spoon filling into corn tortillas, roll up and place seam side down into a lightly sprayed casserole dish. Top with sauce and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and garnish with remaining green onions.

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Mexican White Chili

I'm sure, where most of you are from, fall is upon you. The cool, crisp air, changing leaves, prime soup weather! However, I'm in Arizona, which means we're still in the 90's. In an effort to challenge the weather to be more like Idaho's, which is where we moved here from back in June, I decided to make some delicious soup for dinner last night.

We love chili at our house, so I decided to make a white chili -- Mexican style. It was fantastic! It's a great alternative to regular chili, and the Mexican twist really makes it even more special. I thought I found this recipe on another recipe blog a girl I used to go to church with does, but when I went back to link to it, I couldn't find the recipe on her site. I'll keep looking for it, and I'll edit this post if I do find it.

Anyway, I modified the original a little bit to make it more my own. The original recipe had way too much onion (and we love onion!) and also too much corn. I also adjusted the seasonings. I really didn't measure the spices, so don't strictly adhere to the measurements I post -- they're just estimates. I just dumped some in and tasted as I went.

I've mentioned before that I really prefer chicken thighs to breasts, so that's what I used in this recipe. I think the flavor is so much better. But you can absolutely use breasts if that's what you prefer! Or, you could cut the chicken out completely and just have yourself a delicious bowl of vegetarian chili. Anyway, I seasoned my chicken thighs with cumin, chili powder, a little cayenne, fresh minced garlic and a squirt of lime juice. So good!

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans chicken broth
1 can whole kernel corn
2 cans white beans
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup green salsa
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons lime juice

For garnish:
Monterey Jack, shredded
avocado, sliced
cilantro, chopped

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a skillet. Season chicken on both sides, and cook until done. Let cool for a few minutes, then shred it, chop it into bite-sized pieces (that's what I did), or even just slice it into strips. Whatever you feel like doing is just fine. Just get 'er done! (Have you seen that show on Comedy Central where that hickish-dude says that?)

Cook onions and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes. Add green salsa, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in chicken and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Ladle yourself a yummy bowl full, then top with shredded cheese, avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with cornbread! Now, a note about the cornbread. My plan for last night was to add some diced green chilies and some cheese to my cornbread, which I thought would be fantastic! My husband said he wanted regular cornbread instead, so I didn't do it. But I'm going to next time!

Enjoy!!

It's a darn good thing I have leftovers to eat for lunch today!!

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Cornbread Casserole

I'm finally back in the game! My new laptop cord finally arrived yesterday -- it shipped from Hong Kong, so it took for-e-ver (said like Squints from The Sandlot. Great movie. Watched that all the time as a kid.). Anyway.

This is a yummy dinner that fills you up fast, which is great for cheap cooking! It's kind of like a one-dish chili and cornbread. We made a pan of this last night, and it fed our family of 5 with plenty left over for several lunches throughout the week. This recipe is one that my husband takes responsibility for preparing, since it's his grandmother's recipe. So that means I get a night off when we make this, which definitely adds to its appeal! :)

You can change it up tons of different ways! Add kidney beans, green chilies, jalepenos, Monterrey Jack instead of cheddar, toss in some leftover veggies, etc. Spice it up with cumin or chili powder, make it more Italian by adding some oregano and basil.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
cheddar cheese, shredded
1 package cornbread mix, or see our made-from-scratch recipe

Brown ground beef in a large skillet. Add onion, corn, tomatoes and bell peppers. Saute until veggies are soft. Meanwhile, prepare cornbread mix. When meat/veggie mixture is done, pour into a 9x13 casserole dish, top with cheese, and then spread cornbread mix on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until cornbread is done. **Insert a toothpick into the center to make sure cornbread is cooked all the way through before serving.** Top with sour cream, if desired.

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Mexican Chicken

This chicken is really yummy. And seriously, you cannot get any easier than this recipe - there are only 4 ingredients! My husband doesn't like chicken in the crock pot (he says it has a different texture), but this is the one recipe he really likes.

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can El Pato Mexican tomato sauce
1 can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoons taco seasoning

Put chicken in the crock pot. Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning, then pour El Pato sauce and stewed tomatoes over the chicken.

Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot, shred and then return to crock pot.

Cook for another hour to allow the now-shredded meat to really absorb some of the sauce. When I serve this, I usually soften up some corn tortillas in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on the stove, then put some of the meat mixture in and then top with cheese, sour cream and guacamole. This time, I just used the meat to make taco salads with because I had a bunch of lettuce in the fridge that was threatening to go bad on me. Since I was doing a taco salad, I added homemade ranch dressing, olives and crushed tortilla chips.

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