Green Cheese Squares

This is a nice and healthy dish. My kiddos (ALL of them) wanted MORE! I think my oldest ate 3 pieces and the 2 middle ones ate 2 pieces, my youngest wanted more than 1 piece, but I didn't give him another one!
I personally thought it was ok, not my best, but it was good. I can't believe my kids ate as much as they did and wanted MORE! Then kept saying how GOOD it was!
They also kept calling it pizza! I dunno, whatever gets them to eat, not that I can complain, my kiddos eat anything and everything, and for that, I am grateful for! ;)




Milk


Milk and eggs


Wheat flour added


white flour added


Whisk it all together


Add the shredded cheddar cheese


This is what it will look like


Now add the torn pieces of fresh baby spinach


Place in an 9x9 baking dish

And here ya go, the finished product. (The more I think about it, the more I think I FORGOT to add the baking powder, so I think that's why mine is so "flat".. opps...)


Green Cheese Squares

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir these ingredients together in a bowl then add
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Tear 3 ounces of fresh baby spinach into little pieces and add that to the mixture and stir.
Pour mixture into a greased baking pan.
Bake in preheated oven about 30 - 35 minutes.
(A knife inserted in the center should come out clean, that means it is done)
Cut into squares and serve!

*You can add some browned sausage, gonna try that next time! :)
Enjoy!!!

Chicken Flautas

Had NO idea what to make tonite for supper, so finally decided on these...

Boy were they GOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!! Been on an anything fried and/or Mexican kick! Better break that habit before I gain weight!!! :D

These are really easy to make too! I actually had the chicken already cooked, it's leftover from when I made chicken salad a few days ago. I had the other ingredients, so it's all good!



Fry up your tomato, onion and jalapeno in a bit of oil


Shredded chicken


Add the chicken to the tomato, onion and jalapeno


Stack of corn tortilla ready to go!


Place about 2 tablespoons of the mixture onto the tortilla


Ok, here's how to roll it up! One side in....


Then the other side in...


Then fold up the bottom.....


Then fold the top down....


Here's what the other side looks like


The inside....


Place toothpicks in it so it doesn't unroll while frying


Here's what it should look like


Place them in the frying pan


Here's what they should look like, nice and crispy brown, not burnt, just right! :D


Lettuce on the plate


Make sure you take the toothpicks out!


Place the Flautas on the shredded lettuce and drizzle with sour cream!


Yummy!!!


The inside of the Flautas


Chicken Flautas

1 medium onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped small
1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded chicken
8 corn tortillas
Oil for frying
Chopped lettuce
Sour Cream

Place a small amount of oil in a small frying pan. Place your onion, tomato and jalapeno in it. Fry it for about 3 minutes, then add the shredded chicken to the mixture. Fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until mixed thru and chicken is warmed.
While the onion, tomato and jalapeno are frying, pour some oil in another large frying pan, about 1/4 thick, turn the heat on med-high.
After your chicken and mixture are all mixed, turn off heat and get your tortilla ready. Place about 2 tablespoons on the tortilla. Roll up (see picture on how to roll!) Then place toothpicks in it to keep it closed while frying.
Place 4 in a frying pan, fry on each side until nice and crisp, a light brown. (you can refer to the picture above...)
Once browned on both sides, take out and place on paper toweled covered plate.
Make sure you take the toothpicks out!!!!
While you have the first 4 browning, place you chopped lettuce on a serving plate, then place the 4 you have done on top. Once the other 4 are done, place them on the place as well and put sour cream over the top of them all.
Serve at once! SOOOO good!!! Enjoy!

*Like I said, I buy chicken and cook it all together and either chop it and freeze it, or put the whole cooked chicken breast in the freezer. It makes for a little bit of work, but when you need cooked chicken for a recipe, it makes it easy and FAST!
Also, stack your tortilla on the counter, that way they are all right there and ready to go. Super easy.
I also used coconut oil when frying! It worked GREAT and it made it somewhat healthy, right?

Make sure you take the toothpicks OUT before serving! :)

Cutting Onions Tip

Thanks to my hubs for this tip...

When cutting or dicing an onion, put a piece of gum in your mouth and start chewing, then go get your onion and start chopping away! It will keep the tears away! :)
I've been doing this for over 2 months and have NOT cried ONCE since doing it! Try it and tell me if it works for you!
I may just need to try this next time I am working with jalapenos! hahaha

Corn on the Cob on the Grill

Super easy and super delish!
Now that we can get some super sweet corn on the cob at the store, I figured I'd post how to grill it! There are many ways you can do it, but this is how I did it this time around!



Take your corn and lay it on a piece of foil



Butter it up!



Look at that butter, yummy! :oP



Sprinkle salt and pepper on it



Roll it up



Twist the ends like so... (a piece of hard candy)



All done off the grill and ready to eat!



YUMMY!!!! (sorry, it's on a kids plate, we were in a hurry and that was the first one I unwrapped!)



Corn on the Cob on the Grill
As many ears of corn you want
Butter (the REAL butter, stick)
Salt and pepper, optional
(If you want some spicy, add some crushed red pepper to it with the salt and pepper)
Foil

Shuck all your ears of corn, make sure you get all the little "hairs" off, then wash it, pat dry with a towel.
Take your piece of foil and lay an ear of corn on it, then slide the stick of butter all around your ear of corn. You want to make sure it's nice and buttery!
Then season with salt and pepper if you like, you don't have to.
Then wrap your corn up and twist the sides, ya know how some hard candy is wrapped?
Take it over to your grill, and put it on your top rack. Mine wasn't big enough so I turned only the front burner on and then put them all towards the back of the grill, so it wasn't directly above the heat. (make sense?)
I closed the lid and left my heat on high, checked it after 15 minutes and then I turned them over. Let them go for another 10 to 15 minutes, then take them off the grill.
Enjoy!
The great thing about fixing it this way is since it's wrapped in foil, you can let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes and it will stay HOT! I unwrapped the ones for my kids so they would be nice and cool for them, but 20 minutes later, my hubby's and I was still hot. VERY good!!!

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad

This wasn't my favorite, but think that after it sits for 24 hours, it will taste even better! I am not a huge fan of the balsamic vinegar, but it is good! My sons LOVED it and gobbled it up, while my daughters didn't like it. I guess they are with me on the balsamic vinegar! I will make it again, but may not add as much vinegar...
I also didn't have any green onions, so I didn't add that.

Let me know what you think!





The quinoa and water in the pot, bring to a boil

The vinegar and garlic and oil


Add the quinoa, green beans, dried cranberries and walnuts to the vinegar mixture.



After it's all mixed up!
Put in the frig for atleast 30 minutes. The longer it sits in the frig, the better it will be!


Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad


1 cup quinoa
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup frozen green beans, defrosted
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced


Combine quinoa with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and continue cooking until all water is absorbed.

In a medium bowl, combine cooked quinoa, dried cranberries, green beans, walnuts, and green onions until well mixed. In a small bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic until well blended. Pour over the quinoa mixture. Toss until well blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving

*Instead of mincing the garlic, I put it through the garlic press.
I may add more cranberries and walnuts too! The crunch makes it really good!

Mexican Bread Pudding

So I am not really a fan of bread pudding, I am not sure why, I'm just not! Maybe it's the ooey, gooey middle that gets me? Things that are not done, I can't handle, it has to be firm and cooked for me to eat it... Oatmeal, yuck, don't even get me started! ;)

But my hubby and kids like it, so I thought I would try this one. It's different then the others that I've had, MAYBE, just MAYBE I would like this one?

You know what, I actually ate a small bowl and did OK with it! I think it may have helped that the outside was nice and done and I made some super yummy whipping cream to go over the top. No, it didn't call for it, but it sounded good, and it was!



This pic is kinda blurry sorry, I was in a hurry making this and didn't take the time to fully make sure the pics were good! My bad.... The bread all cut up in the greased 9 x 13 pan

Added the cheese and egg mixture, mixed it up with my hands


Right before putting it in the oven, raisins have been added, and sprinkled cinnamon over the top


All done ready to eat!


Pic was kinda bright, flash was to bright, then without the flash, you couldn't see, so I could win a whole lot with pics and this post! OH well..... ;)



Now it's ready to eat, put a dollup of whipping cream on top and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon, yummy! :oP


Mexican Bread Pudding

1 large egg beaten
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter, unsalted
6 cups cubed french bread
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (I didn't have the dark, but it still turned out with the light... Makes me want to go buy the dark to see if it does taste any different!)
2 1/4 cups water
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. In bowl, beat together the egg, milk and butter. Place the cut up cubed bread in the pan and pour the egg mixture over top the bread and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Mix together with your hands (yes, you are gonna have to get a little dirty!).
In a medium saucepan heat the brown sugar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat to low and simmer the syrup uncovered for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla.
Sprinkle the raisins over the top of the bread and then pour your brown sugar mixture over the top of the bread. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top and place in oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve warm!

*You could mix the raisins in with the bread before you pour the brown sugar over the top.
I also served this with some homemade shipping cream I made, or you could serve with a little bit of vanilla ice cream.
You could also add some chopped up walnuts.