Crockpot garlic beer chicken

If you're on pinterest, odds are that you've seen the pins for the garlic chicken (baked in the oven) and the crockpot beer chicken.  I've made each recipe separately, but I decided to mash them together this time, and let me tell you - the results were mouth-watering!

Crockpot garlic beer chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 12-oz. bottle of beer
3 cloves garlic, minced
herbs and salt and pepper to taste
1/2 large onion, cut into chunky rings

Spray crock with non-stick spray.  Place onion on bottom of crockpot and lay chicken on top.  Sprinkle with seasonings, pour beer over top, and top with garlic.  Cook on low for 6-8 hrs.

I tossed in some halved baby red potatoes to soak up the goodness and provide a ready starch for the meal.  I served steamed corn on the side.  If you don't serve the broth, ladle it out and freeze it in an ice cube tray to use to flavor other meals :)

Healthier Oven-fried Tilapia

My family and I love fish.  We especially love fish and chips.  But that isn't exactly the healthiest way to enjoy a lean protein.  I was trolling through the trillions of tilapia recipes online and I found several that had elements I liked.  So I decided to do what I do best - mash them up and make my own!  Below, please find my new favorite oven-friend fish recipe.

Healthier Oven-fried Tilapia
2 fillets tilapia, thawed and patted dry
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 c. panko bread crumbs
scant 1/16 tsp. chili powder
scant 1/8 tsp. (Hungarian) paprika
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
1-2 tsp. (vegetable) oil

Line a large baking sheet with foil and drizzle with oil.  In a shallow dish, mix together bread crumbs, chili powder, paprika, and dill.  Coat tilapia fillets with mustard and then dredge in crumb mixture. Lay coated fillets on oiled baking sheet and loosely tent with foil.  Bake in a 425 degree oven 20-25 minutes, until fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.

Simple Chicken Guacamole Tostadas w/ Spanish Rice

If you watch Food Network, you might be familiar with Sandra Lee and her Semi-Homemade Meals show. I took a page out of her book last night and I whipped up some simple tostadas, blending some ideas I found on pinterest with my own recipe for tostadas.  If you've never had tostadas or don't usually make them, I like them as an alternative to tacos, just to switch it up - it's basically an open-faced soft taco, but the combinations and flavor possibilities are endless.  I also made a quick cilantro and onion relish and let it marinate while I was doing the rice and mixing together the chicken topping for the tostadas - my husband loved it!  Use the recipes below to create a meal or use them to create elements of a meal.

Spanish Rice
1 Tbsp butter (unsalted)
1/2 c. (jasmine) rice (don't use a minute rice here, use a long cooking one)
1 14.5 oz. can (reduced sodium) chicken broth
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground oregano

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, melt butter and toast rice until grains are solid in color and brown (it should smell toasty), stirring frequently.  Pour in chicken broth and tomato sauce and stir well to combine.  Add in spices and stir; bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Stir occasionally until rice is cooked through and liquid is absorbed.

Quick Cilantro Onion Relish
1/2 medium sweet onion, diced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp. chopped cilantro (I used a prepared cilantro paste I bought in the produce section - it stays fresh so much longer!)
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground coriander

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine, and let sit while dinner cooks!  Use to garnish tostadas.

Chicken Guacamole Tostadas
4 fajita-sized tortillas (I used corn, that's what I had on hand)
1 can cooked chicken
1 c. prepared guacamole (I used Wholly Guacamole, purchased from Costco)
1/2 c. shredded low-fat cheese (I used part-skim mozzarella)

Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 350.  In a medium-sized bowl, mix together drained, cooked chicken and guacamole (chicken should shred nicely).  Place tortillas on foil-lined baking sheet; divide chicken topping into four equal parts and spread on tortillas, as evenly as possible.  Top with cheese and bake in oven until heated through and the cheese is melted and golden in color.

Oven stew

This is one of my favorite recipes from when I was growing up.  It is simple and tastes phenomenal.  I usually serve it over cooked egg noodles.  It does take some planning ahead as it has to cook for 3 hours.

1 lb. stew meat, trimmed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton's beefy onion soup mix
2 c. water

In a 2-quart greased covered-casserole dish, whisk together cream of mushroom soup, beefy onion soup mix, and water.  When thoroughly combined, add in stew meat, making sure to break up into individual pieces.  Cover with foil and then casserole lid.  Bake at 350 for 3 hours.  Serve hot.

Note: I don't like cream of mushroom soup, so I always make this with cream of chicken soup.  It doesn't taste weird, I promise, lol.

Easy frittata

This works great as a meal any time, not just for breakfast.  It could also be partially prepared ahead (up until baking) and then baked off in the morning.  It is also very delicious as leftovers.  You could substitute some leftover pasta for the hashbrowns too.

1/2 package shredded hashbrowns

2 T (vegetable) oil

2 T minced onion

7 eggs

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. dill

2 tsp. Frank's red hot sauce

1/4 c. ham slices, minced

1/3 c. mozzarella

salt

pepper

In a high-sided, oven-safe skillet, heat 2 T. oil over medium high heat.  Add hashbrowns and onions, season with salt and pepper, press firmly with a spatula and let cook for 5-7 minutes.  Turn over in sections and remove from heat.  Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, dill, and hot sauce and whisk briskly.  Layer ham and cheese on top of hashbrowns and pour eggs over top.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bake in skillet at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until eggs are fluffy and golden.  Serve hot, with additional hot sauce if desired.

Macaroni and Cheese

I made this for our toddler, so I omitted salt and pepper from the cooking process.  Also, since I used Parmesan, you would need significantly less salt, as it is a very salty cheese.  I used 1 1/2 c. cheddar, 1 1/2 c. Parmesan, and 1 c. cubed American.

1 lb elbow macaroni

1 stick butter

1/2 c. flour

1 c. milk (plus additional, if needed)

1/4-1/2 c. sour cream

1 Tbsp. (dijon) mustard

4 c. cheese

Breadcrumbs (optional)

Salt

Pepper

Thyme (optional)

Cook macaroni 3-5 minutes shy of al dente.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish and preheat oven to 350º.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat; whisk in flour.  Continue whisking until roux turns a golden brown (this is important, otherwise your mac and cheese will taste like flour); slowly whisk in milk, continuing to whisk to break up lumps.  When mixture is smooth, add in sour cream, dijon, and salt and pepper.  Using a spoon, stir in cheese and continue stirring until mixture is smooth and melty - you may need to add more milk to create a thick sauce.  Drain pasta completely and transfer to baking dish; pour cheese sauce over pasta and stir to combine.  Sprinkle top of pasta with breadcrumbs (if you want a crunchy top) and season lightly with thyme.  Bake for at least 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

To reheat, moisten slightly with chicken broth or milk and microwave in 45 second intervals until desired temperature is reached.

Easy Chicken Breasts

This is an easy and quick recipe I use as a go-to.  There is minimal prep and minimal dishes to do afterward.  Always a plus.

4 chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Poultry seasoning
Chicken broth
1 6-oz. can of tomato paste (little can)

Drizzle large skillet with a 4-count of EVOO. Turn heat to low-medium. Season both sides of chicken breast with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Put into pan and leave to carmelize (about 5-10 minutes) before turning. Allow to carmelize another 5-10 minutes on side 2. Once good carmelization is achieved, add tomato paste to pan. Add 12 ounces (fill up the tomato paste can twice) of chicken broth and use spoon to break up tomato paste. Cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, or until sauce is reduced almost by half.