Black Bean Chicken Chili...or...Kouper's Chili As We Call It!

Good Evening Everyone!

Today I made Slow Cooker Chunky Chicken Chili!  I make an amazing white bean chili and Kouper has been asking me for a black bean chili of some sort and this recipe sounded amazing!!!!  I have to say...yes sir it is!  Pretty amazingly yummy!

There is a little bit of a kick to it...but topped with a little bit of Kraft Mexican Blend Cheese and a dab of sour cream...tamed it down and helped add to the already rocking taste!

Here is the recipe!  I didn't change anything about it this time, just made as is...

What You Need

1 can (15 oz.) dark red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can  (15 oz.) light red kidney beans, rinsed

1-1/2 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Mild Salsa

1 can  (16 oz.) no-salt-added tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1-1/2 lb.  boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 cup  frozen corn

1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese

Make It

COMBINE beans, salsa, tomato sauce and chili powder in slow cooker. Top with chicken, onions and corn. (Do not stir.) Cover with lid.
COOK on LOW 6 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours).
STIR before serving. Ladle into bowls. top with cheese.

All reviews were great!  Kouper LOVED it...and my dad actually asked me for the recipe!  He has never done that before...ment so much to me that he asked mainly becuase he is the greatest cook that I know!  I am always having him try stuff for me and give me great ideas to improve on stuff!  LOVE IT!  Tonight's meal was a good night and we will deffinatly be having it again!!!

Till next time,
- The Bored Housewife

Mexican = Italian?!? RIGHT? However, Very Yummy!!

Hello Everyone!  I am back from vacation and excited to get my blog back on track!  I can't wait to try the dinner that I have prepped for tonight! 

The recipe for tonights dinner was called Cheesy Salsa Mini Meatloaves!  However, I am not the largest fan of Mexican Meatloaf...so, since I am such a huge Italian fan I have turned this in to Italian Mini Meatloaves!

I followed the original recipe that I found on http://www.kraftfoods.com/ and will most likely try the original recipe some point, but I have to say that the changes that I made were extremely yummy!!!

The recipe is as followed:  (the changes that I made are listed below in bold writting!)

What You Need

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 cup  finely chopped onions

1 egg

12   PREMIUM Saltine Crackers, finely crushed (1/2 cup)

1-1/2 cups KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese, divided

1 cup  TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided

Make It

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
MIX first 4 ingredients with 1 cup cheese and 1/2 cup salsa.
PRESS evenly into 12 muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray. Use back of spoon to make indentation in center of each. Place muffin pan on foil-covered baking sheet.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until meatloaves are done (160°F). Top with remaining salsa and cheese; bake 3 min. or until cheese is melted.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

 

Changes I Made:

I subsituted the 1/2 cup of Thick 'N Chunky Salsa with a 1/2 cup of Tomato & Basil marinara sauce
I subsituted the 1 cup of  Mexican Mix Cheese with 3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese and 1/4 Cup Parmasian Cheese
I almost goes unsaid that I finished the meal topped with the Tomato & Basil marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese


Reviews:
Everyone seemed to love the meal!  We served the Italian Mini-Meatloaves with garlic green beans, cesar salad and dinner rolls!  I have to thank Josh, Kristen and Candice for helping with the side dishes.  Ryan said that they were wonderful and we should deffinatly have them again! 

Stay tuned tomorrow for another wonderful meal!   New recipe...so stay tuned!!

- The Bored Housewife

Super Easy and Extrememly Yummy Pasta Bake!

Hello Fellow Food Lovers -

Last nights dinner was amazing!  I can't tell you how amazing it was and more so how simple it was to make!  I am always suprised when a pasta bake turnes out well mostly because I generally only think about pasta in its natural form...not as part of a larger picture!  But this dinner was a solid keeper!  I loved it!

I have to say that I did alter the recipe just a tad...but it altered it for the better!  When the recipe states to cook and drain the meat...I thought that there was something better that could be done!  Since this is pasta and pasta generally means Italian food, I thought why not add a little garlic salt, some white pepper and some fresh garlic in to the beef while we are cooking it!  And let me tell you, AMAZING!!!

here is the recipe:

What You Need

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

3 cups  whole wheat penne pasta, cooked

1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1/3 cup  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

1-1/2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 375°F.
BROWN meat in large skillet; drain. Add pasta, sauce and half the Parmesan; mix well.
SPOON into 13x9-inch dish; top with remaining cheeses.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.


Reviews were amazing!  My parents thought that is was super...Ryan said he was suprised by how much he linked it and Kouper ate it right up!  I loved it tons!!!  I hope everyone has a great night and a fab dinner with their families!

- The Bored Housewife

Oven Baked Chicken Parm...Can We Say Nummy?!?!?

Hello Followers and Fellow Cooks!

Sorry about taking a night off last night, we had the privilege of eating dinner with my parents!  Pot Roast and if you had the privilege of knowing my parents you would know that you never pass up on of their Pot Roasts!  YUMMY!!

But we are back tonight with a new recipe and I am telling you that this one is a keeper!!  So good...really shocked me!

I went to www.kraftfoods.com and found another chicken recipe that looked amazing.  Oven Baked Chicken Parm and I was instantly excited!  I love making chicken parm but most recipes that are out there require you to do some sort of frying of the chicken with oil after it is covered with bread crumbs...but not this one.  That is what excited me.  I have never been able to apply bread crumbs to chicken and then fry it with our burning it. 

The dinner was hands down amazing.  The outside crust of the chicken was crispy while the chicken inside was nice and juicy.  The marinara sauce on the outside with the melted mozzarella cheese was exactly what it needed.  I have no complaints about it; even better it only took me about 10 minutes to prep dinner and 20 minutes to cook.  Great family meal with out hours being spent in the kitchen. 

The recipe:

What You Need

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)

1 pkt.  SHAKE 'N BAKE Chicken Coating Mix

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1-1/2 cups  KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp.  dried oregano leaves

Make It

HEAT oven to 400°F.
COAT chicken with coating mix as directed on package; place in 13x9-inch pan.
BAKE 20 min. or until chicken is done (165°F).
TOP with remaining ingredients; bake 5 min. or until mozzarella is melted.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

 

 

Reviews were awesome!  Ryan said it tasted as good as going out to Olive Garden.  Kouper told me that on a scale of 0-2 it was a 2!!!  And I have nothing negative to say.  I defiantly should mention thought that I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper along with dipping the chicken in egg prior to rolling the chicken in bread crumbs.  AMAZING!

 

I hope everyone has a great night and someone gives this recipe a try!

- The Bored Housewife

What Is Better Than A Whole Roasted Chicken?!?!

Hello and Happy New Year, Almost!

I decided that since today is the last day of 2010 our family should celebrate everything that we have been through in 2010!!!  I really wanted to run out to the store and buy a honey ham and make a feast, but then I remembered that it isn't quite pay day and we have items in the house that we can eat.  I opened the freezer and got inspired because I had bought 2 whole chickens at Costco a while ago for $10.00 and froze them for a rainy day!  Well hello rainy day!!! 

Before my great aunties pasted away they taught us (when I say us I mean my Dad and then he taught me) how to make their oven baked chicken!  This is the best chicken that I have ever had...It is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and it has SOOOOOOOO much flavor.  Now, while they used legs and thighs, you can modify their recipe to be used on a whole chicken.

There are only 6 ingredients that you will need to make your chicken.
1)  Garlic Salt
2)  Red Pepper
3)  White Pepper
4)  Ginger
5)  Ground Black Pepper
6)  Salt

Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl to make a dry rub.  I generally use mostly garlic salt with a hint of everything else, but it can be mixed to the cooks preference.  Just be careful with the red pepper it can add quite the kick to the chicken!  The white pepper can so that also.

I place to chicken on an oven pan that is able to drain.  I start the chicken off a 500 degrees for 12 minutes and then turn it down to 350 degrees until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Then pull out of oven and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes.  Don't serve unless chicken is cooked to 165 degrees.  I like to make a mix of melted butter and veg oil and bass chicken with it throughout the cooking process. 

I hope everyone has a great new years!  reviews were great as always...but who doesn't love a good roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans.

- The Bored Housewife