Mexican Chicken Casserole in the Crockpot

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15oz) cans corn, drained

1 c. chunky salsa

1 c. shredded cheese

Place uncooked chicken in the Crockpot. In a large bowl, combine beans, corn and salsa. Mix well and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Sprinkle cheese over the mixture, cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.

* You can also serve this over rice or with Tortilla Chips

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Prepare this simple and quick breakfast casserole the night before and you will have a delicious hearty meal waiting for you in the morning. This casserole has all your favorite breakfast standbys ham, eggs, cheese, toast and veggies.

Serves: 10

Ingredients
6 slices bread, cut in cubes
2 cups mild cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup cooked, cubed ham
1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
6 eggs
3 cups milk

Instructions
1.Mix bread, cheese, ham, bell pepper, and onion; spread in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, treated with nonstick spray.

2.Whisk eggs and milk, and pour over top.

3.Cover dish with foil and freeze. (or make in the evening, refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning.)

4.To prepare for serving, thaw dish, and bake uncovered in a preheated 375 degree oven until eggs are set.

Quick Chicken Piccata

This chicken recipe is perfect for those who want quick dinner recipes for kids. In under 20 minutes, you have a delicious dinner ready to go with this inexpensive and quick recipe.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, split
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth, or chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
Instructions
1.Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten to a uniform thickness of slightly less than 1/2 inch. Season with salt and pepper.

2.Melt half of butter or margarine in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides; remove from skillet and set aside.

3.Melt remaining butter in same pan. Add mushrooms. Cook over high heat until they begin to brown, 2 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic and cook 30 seconds.

4.Add wine and chicken breasts. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

5.Just before they are cooked, add lemon juice, parsley and additional salt and pepper.

Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 a bag egg noodles
1 can corn
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1/2 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
1.Cook egg noodles in boiling water till chewy.

2.Cook chicken in olive oil, and salt till chicken is not pink in middle, then drain oil.

3.Combine cream of chicken soup, egg noodles, and chicken till boiling.

4.Reduce heat, and add Velveeta cheese, corn, and pepper. Cook until all of Velveeta is melted. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley flakes.

Serves: 4

Cooking Time: 30 min

Potato Bacon Chowder

I thought I would post this soup recipe because Kristi was asking me if I had any good soup recipes yesterday. This is the one I was talking about. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup water
8 bacon strips
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 3/4 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

Directions:
In a covered 3-qt. saucepan, cook potatoes in water until tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. In the same skillet, saute onion and celery in drippings until tender; drain. Add to undrained potatoes. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until heated through (do not boil). Crumble bacon; set aside 1/4 cup. Add remaining bacon to soup along with parsley. Sprinkle with reserved bacon.

Note: I usually just put all the bacon into the soup. And I never buy fresh parsley, so I just add some of the dry kind to the soup.

Oatmeal Waffles

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in eggs, milk, butter and brown sugar until blended. Pour batter on to preheated, lightly greased waffle iron. Close lid quickly; do not open during baking. Use fork to remove baked waffle. Top with fresh fruit and yogurt, maple syrup, or peanut butter.

Spinach Artichoke Pasta

I saw this on Studio 5 a long time ago. The girl that was on has a blog - http://www.mindikamoments.com/. She said she bought the ingredients to make Spinach Artichoke Dip during the holidays but never got around to it. So she turned it into a dinner instead. It is REALLY good. Tony and I both love it. FYI - I make some changes to it based on our family, so I'm not sure how this exact recipe tastes! ;)

SPINACH ARTICHOKE PASTA
(Mindi Original)

6 to 8 oz. pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 small chicken breasts, cubed

2 t. olive oil

1/2 c. onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

1 can artichokes, chopped

1 c. chopped spinach, packed (if using frozen, defrost, drain and squeeze out the water)

1 can diced Mexican style tomatoes

1/2 c. cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. sour cream

1/2 c. chicken stock

1/2 c. half and half

7 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (reserve 1 oz.)

2 T. hot sauce (**as a side note - I think 2 T. hot sauce is WAAAAY too much. Even with just 1 T. it still has a big kick to it. Just add according to your tastes, but be warned that 2 T. is A LOT!)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta, drain and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over med high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for a couple of minutes or until onion starts to become translucent.

3. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook until chicken is done and juices run clear.

4. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream. Cook until they are melted and incorporated into the mixture.

5. Add the artichokes, spinach and tomatoes. Stir to incorporate.

6. Add the chicken stock, half and half, Parmesan cheese and hot sauce. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Add the pasta and pour the mixture into a large casserole dish, top with remaining Parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.