Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

I'm not even sure where I got this recipe, so I'm sorry I can't give credit where credit is due.  I'll tell ya what, though, they deserve it!!  This is so good!!  It's a lot of work, but it's worth it.

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 1 1/2 12-oz boxes)--I've used Manicotti noodles before, and it's actually faster...
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5 oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions; drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease 2-13X9X2 inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce.  Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.  Spoon into shells.  Spread half of the spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes.  Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake, covered for 40 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.  Bake for 5-10 more minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Sweet Pork Burritos

My sister Liz introduced me to these.  They are so delish.  And what's better is that they are SO easy!! 

Ingredients:

Pork (I use either a roast or country style boneless ribs)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup salsa
1 can of Sprite

Throw all of it in the crock pot.  Cook it all day.  Shred the pork. 

It's the best in freshly made tortillas, topped with cheese, beans, guac, and maybe some rice.  Sooooo delicious! 

Easy Chicken Tosadas

Easy Chicken Tostadas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 can refried beans
sliced black olives
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa
1 large avocado, sliced
4 flour tortillas

For the marinade:
juice of 3 large limes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken and marinade in a large ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill chicken pieces over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until fully cooked.

Heat the refried beans in a small pan over medium heat until hot (I like to stir in a little liquid smoke and a splash of jarred jalapeno juice to jazz it up).

Spray the tortillas with a little cooking spray and place on a baking sheet; bake for about 5 minutes, until crisp. Spread each tortilla with a thin layer of beans then top with the cheese, black olives, salsa, chicken, lettuce and avocado. Serves 2.

Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original

 

Crock Pot Chile Verde

1 small onion, diced
1 (4 ounce) can diced chile (mine were mild, your choice)
Pork roast (shoulder or chuck)
1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 tomatillos, diced (peel off the outer wrapper, if they have one)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons sage
1 Tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

The Directions.

I used a 6 quart. Trim any visible fat from the meat, and plop into your slow cooker stoneware. Add diced bell pepper and onion. If your tomatillos have the leafy-outer skin left on them, take the skin and stem off, and dice finely (I used the pampered chef chopper thingy. You can pulse in a food processor, instead, if you'd like). Pour in the contents of the diced chile can and the tomato can. Add spices. Stir a bit to get the spices down the sides of the meat. Add chopped cilantro to the top.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, high for 6, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. After 7 hours on low, my meat was still pretty tough, so I chopped it into large chunks, and put it back in the pot for another 2 hours. By then, it had shredded nicely for me.

Teriyaki Marinade

This is an amazing marinade for chicken, and super easy.

1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Oil (I used EVOO)
6 oz Sprite
1/2 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Horseradish (optional)

Mix all ingredients together and poor over chicken in ziplock bag. Refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. Then grill chicken.

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 chicken breats, cooked and shredded
After chicken is cooked and shredded marinate in:
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Salad:
1 head of lettuce chopped or broken up
1/2 cup to 1 cup green onions, finely sliced
2 Tablespoons slivered almonds (I used more)
2 Tablesppons toasted sesame seeds
1 8-ounce can mandarin oranges
2 ounces won-ton shells, fried and broken up (I used more)
2 ounces rice sticks, fried and broken up (I didn't have these but I'm sure they'd be amazing)

Dressing (or you can use any oriental style dressing)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup sesame oil (I did not have this but I will get it for next time)
3 Tablespoons rice vinegar (I used 4)
1 teaspoon accent (optional)

Strawberry-Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
12 ounces of fresh baby spinach
1 (16-ounce) container of fresh strawberries, quartered
1 (4 ounce) package of crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sliced sugared or toasted almonds

Dressing:
2 large shallots, minced
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Okay, here is my opinion on this salad: it is delish but the next time I ate it I added shredded chicken and crumbled bacon. It was so much tastier and more filling. Also, I used Briana's Poppy Sead dressing instead I liked it better.