Chicken Enchilada Pasta.....

Another GREAT Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe!  She needs to write a cookbook!!  My hubby LOVED this.  It makes a lot, so next time I am going to freeze half of it!  Enjoy!

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 (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.

Quick and Easy Fish Tacos!

6-8 frozen crispy fish fillets
2 ripe Avocados, peeled, pitted and chopped
3/4 cup salsa
1 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/3 cup canned enchilada sauce
6-8 taco shells
1 package angel slaw (or cabbage)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Bake fish according to package directions

Meanwhile, combine avocados, salsa and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl; set aside.  Stir together sour cream and enchilada sauce in a small mixing bowl; set aside

To assemble tacos, place fish fillet in taco shell, then top with angel slaw, avocado mixture, sour cream mixture, and cheese.

Enjoy!!!

Halloween Candy Surprise Cookies

(Sorry for the blurry picture... a photographer I am not...)

Looking for a way to use up some of those oh-so-tempting mini candy bars in your kids Halloween buckets? If you are like me- I am doing a good job at hiding the candy on top of the fridge to where the kids don't really think of it that often. The problem is- I still know it's there! So, I came up with this for when I needed to make some cookies for a function.

First, I used this cookie recipe posted previously on this blog.

Then, I added 1/4 cup peanut butter along with the butter (though I thought it could use a little more, so go up to 1/2 cup if you like).

I reduced the amount of chocolate chips to 1/2 cup

Then, I chopped up random candy bars from the kids Halloween buckets until it equaled 2 cups. I stirred these in and baked as directed in the recipe. (I would stick with things that would go good in chocolate cookies- I used Kit Kats, Reeses cups, Snickers, Hershey bars and M& M's. There are certainly other possibilities!)

These were a HUGE hit and disappeared in no time! Moist and rich and a surprise (a pleasant one) in every bite!

Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Chicken Bake

This is adapted from an allrecipes.com recipe. Very good and so very easy- a perfect weeknight meal. My husband and 2 of my 4 children gave it rave reviews (trust me, that is good! The other two just didn't know what they were missing.) I served it with herb rice and vegis. It would also be good on sandwich rolls.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 deg. Grease a 13X9X2 pan.

2) In a small bowl, stir together the honey, Dijon mustard, melted butter and pepper. Place chicken in baking dish and pour the honey mustard sauce over it.

3) Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, basting frequently with the sauce until chicken is firm and juices run clear.

Notes:
- The original recipe called for 1/2 cup honey. One reviewer recommended keeping it even with amount of mustard to keep from being too sweet, so that is what I did and it was oh so good and a bit tangy! (The original recipe also called for a whole stick (1/2 cup) of butter- but trust me- 2 TBSP is plenty!)

-I will definitely make this again as is and I also want to try another tip from a reviewer that sounded good. She recommended dipping the chicken in the sauce- then coat in bread crumbs and then pour remaining sauce over it. She says it adds a little crunch and takes away the need for basting.

Enjoy!!!