Green Chicken Tacos

*This recipe came from my good friend Christie.  Picture, I made a variation of the original she gave me (see below), but her way is great--I was just implementing with what I had on hand.  The recipe is written from her perspective and copied here for my own future reference.  These are tasty!


Ingredients:
3-4 cooked chicken breasts (shredded)
8 oz cream cheese
1-2 cloves garlic
½ red onion chopped
~1/2 bottle green chili sauce (I use pace green taco sauce)
dash oregano
1 t. cumin

Tortillas, cilantro, lime for serving.

Sautee onion and garlic with a little oil. Add shredded chicken. Cut cream cheese into dice-size pieces and add to pan to melt. Add cumin and oregano. Add green chili sauce. Heat through and serve.  Amounts are all farily adjustable, so just add til it looks good. Its good served with black bean/corn salsa.

*Christie's original recipe is great--no need for tweaking, but since I'm a want to be cook and a mother, I found a way to incorporate things I had on hand to make a very delicious version.  In place of red onion, I used a regular yellow onion; but then to add some color, I diced a large tomato and added it to the mix after all the other ingredients had been incorporated.  In place of the green chili sauce, I used about 1/2 cup of Hernandez Green Salsa.  The lime was the perfect touch!  Delicious dinner.

Bacon and Cabbage

Adapted from Allrecipes

*If I try and new recipe and don't think I'll want to make it again, I usually don't go to the effort of posting it.  This is one that I may not make again (but then, there is aways a chance I'll have leftover cabbage and this wasn't a bad way to use it).  I hope not to offend anyone by saying this, but eating this dish made me feel....old fashion, like a farmer eating off the land, a pioneer, European--in the Dark Ages.  Ha, ha.  I served this as a side, helped myself to multiple servings (but my 2 year old and I were the only ones at the table to do so) and ate the leftovers cold for lunch the next day.  They were even good cold. 

Ingredients:

6 bacon strips, diced

1 small head cabbage, chopped (I used 1/2 of a fairly large head, seemed to work just fine)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion (or to liking), chopped

3/4 t salt

1 t ground mustard

Directions:

1.  In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.  Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 T drippings.  

2.  Satue onions and garlic in 1 T of drippings.  Add cabbage and stir-fry to desired tenderness, you may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to assist in this.  Add salt, mustard, and bacon; cook and stir until heated through.

Butternut Squash Soup

From Allrecipes

Ingredients:

6 T chopped onion

4 T margarine

6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (this was equal to 1/2 a very large squash, try using a potato peeler to take the peel off--it worked like magic)

3 cups water

4 cubes chicken bouillon

1/2 t dried marjoram

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/8 t ground cayenne pepper

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese.

Directions:

1.  In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender.  Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

2.  Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth.  Return to saucepan, and heat through.  Do not allow to boil.

*One bowl of this and my husband announced, "This is my new favorite soup!"  He had multiple servings; however, my kids hardly ate any of it.  Being so rich, next time I make this I would try maybe adding a potato in with the squash and cutting down the cream cheese by at least half--so it's still thick, but not as rich.

Outrageous Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 T butter, softened
4 t well-beaten egg (1/2 egg)
1/2 t vanilla extract
2/3 c extra-chunky peanut butter
3 T uncooked regular oats
1 (1.8 oz) chocolate-coated caramel-peanut butter-peanut candy bar, chopped (like Reese’s NutRageous)
2 T granulated sugar
1/4 c chocolate chips

1. Combined flour and baking soda.

2. Beat brown sugar and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 1 minute or until blended. Add peanut butter, and beat 20 seconds or until blended. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until well blended. Stir in oats and chopped candy bar and chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on an aluminum foil or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Dip bottom of a drinking glass in granulated sugar, and flatten mound of dough. Repeat process with remaining sugar and mounds of dough.

4. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes; removed cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 16 cookies.

*I really liked these, but I have to admit they can't take the place of Amber's classic chocolate chip cookies.  That of course didn't stop them from being devoured--even by Jeff (my husband that isn't captivated by the irresistible draw of peanut butter).  Honestly, I'm pretty sure we grown-ups didn't point out the cookie container to our kids the couple of days that they lasted.  Next time, I will definitely just double the recipe!