Greek Nachos

We had these on a Wednesday night for dinner, and by Saturday we were both craving them again and made them again. We have a new favorite I believe!

You will need:
- Pita Chips
- Feta Cheese
- Diced Tomatoes
- Diced Cucumbers
- Diced Marinated Artichoke Hearts
- Sliced Olives
- Your Favorite Hummus
- Cooked, shredded chicken (I've been cooking a batch in my crock pot in chicken broth, placing in the kitchen aide, mixing for 20 seconds, and I get perfectly shredded chicken. I think freeze in small bags and pull out when needed, that made this recipe super easy!)

Place chips on a plate. Get the hummus and dilute it. We used two parts hummus to one part water. Sprinkle the hummus "sauce" over the chips. Sprinkle diced tomatoes, olives, artichokes, and cucumbers, and mix a little for variety of colors and flavors. Then add feta dn chicken and enjoy! It's that easy, and they really are to die for!

Hawaiian Haystacks

I first had this food at a church function and looked at it and thought "ew." But, my family rule was that you had to try everything my Mom made. You didn't have to like it, but you had to try it. I'm grateful they raised us to be open minded because I have fallen in love with many a food I thought "ew" when I first saw.
Did I mention these are super easy? Also they may be the world's greatest potluck food. Everyone can bring one topping, it's fantastic!

Sauce:
2 cups of chicken broth
1 Large can of cream of chicken soup
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken (I boil mine in the chicken broth)

Cook chicken in broth, remove when fully cooked (about 10-15 minutes) and dice the chicken. Throw back into pot, and add the cream of chicken soup.

You will also need:
2-4 cups cooked rice
chopped tomatoes
chopped olives
chopped celery
cheddar cheese
pineapple tidbits
coconut
chow mien noodles

Place rice on a plate, cover with sauce, add any desired toppings.

3 Ingredient Salsa Verde Crock Pot Chicken

You know after cooking for a while it's not hard to realize subbing a few spices can change the flavor of a dishl, you know like cilantro will be a more south of the border flavor and parsley a more Italian flavor. As we're Southwestern kids it's always in our best interest to modify for a little kick and Southwest flavor.
I've been all about the slow cooker with the busy work schedule lately. After looking at so many recipes and trying several it didn't seem too hard to sub an ingredient, ax a few, and come up with a southwestern style ridiculously easy, and we thought ridiculously yummy recipe!

You will need:

2 large chicken breasts
1 can of Herdez Salsa Verde (you could use any, we just like the kick of this one and the bottle is a little larger)
1 package of cream cheese

Place the chicken and salsa verde in the crock pot and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. If you go the 8 hour route add a couple tsps of water to the salsa mix so it doesn't dry out.
When you're in the last 30 minutes before eating add the cream cheese. Stir before eating, this will shred your chicken into chunks as it will be very tender.

Serve on top of cooked rice. Garnish with cilantro. Don't tell your guests something this good is this easy.

Crock Pot Thai Chicken

I set a new goal this year, finishing grading within a day and get the grades entered. The result: sometimes I work a little later. That can be a problem for dinner. Crockpots luckily fix this problem. I've been on a quest to find some awesome slow cooker meals to enjoy on days I anticipate to be extra busy. Watch for several slow cooker recipes in the upcoming post!

Thai Chicken:

2 Large chicken breasts
1 cup of hot salsa
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 TBS lime juice
1 TBS Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped peanuts (we like honey roasted)
fresh cilantro to garnish
Cooked rice

Place chicken in slow cooker.  In a bowl combine salsa, pb, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger.  Pour over chicken and cook 8 hours on low.
Serve over rice and add chopped peanuts and cilantro to the dish.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

When we bought a 5 gallon jar of honey from a local farmer we knew it was time to step up the honey recipes outside of the normal uses. (Tea and biscuits weren't going to cut it helping this honey really be enjoyed).
Blessed Pinterest has way enhanced the culinary enthusiasm lately. Low and behold I found this awesome link here:http://www.justcookalready.com/2009/06/honey-lime-chicken-enchiladas.html

Here was our re-creation:


Recipe:
2 Large Chicken Breasts, boiled and chopped in bite sized pieces
Set in a bowl and set aside

Mix in another bowl:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
 whisk together and pour over the chicken

While marinading, take out 10 corn tortilla shells and warm up in a skillet to soften.
Stuff with chicken mixture and sprinkle Mexican cheese on top and lay seam side down inside a baking pan.

When all are rolled and placed take out a new bowl.  Mix 1 can green enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup cream together.  Pour a little in the bottom of the pan first, then add to left over marinade and mix together.  Pour all over enchiladas and top with cheese.

Bake on 350 for 30 minutes.  You will NOT be disappointed!

Easy Poppyseed Chicken Casserole

1 1/2 cup cooked diced chicken (about 1 large or 2 small breasts will do it)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
splash of Worcestershire sauce
10 cracks of fresh pepper ground
2 tsp poppy-seed
1 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed
1/2 cube of butter melted (1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chicken on the bottom of a 9x9 pan.  Mix sour cream, cream of chicken, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl.  Pour sauce mixture over chicken.  In a separate bowl mix melted butter, poppy-seeds, and crushed Ritz together.  Pour over the chicken mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes until the top is crisp and the liquid is boiling.

Cafe Rio Style Pork Barbacoa in the Crock Pot

We are lucky enough to live near Cafe Rio, which has to-die-for Pork Barbacoa.  We decided to try their pork recipe and make our own salads.  There are several copy cat recipes out there, most pretty good, some not so great.  But we played with all the recipes and found one we absolutely love!

Ingredients:
Pork roast (about 2 lbs)
2 cups of root beer (don't do diet you need that sugar)
2 cans of tomato sauce (8 oz each)
2 TBSP honey
1 clove of garlic minced
10 cracks of fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt

Coat the pork roast with salt and pepper and cook in water overnight on low for 8 hours.  Drain all the water from the roast when finished cooking  Shred the pork in fairly thick shreds (too small makes it mushy and you can always further shred later).
In a separate bowl mix all the ingredients together.  Note the salt and pepper go in the mix too, what you used above was separate.  Pour the liquid over the shredded pork and cook on low for 4 more hours.
*If you want to do it before work and need it to sit for 8 hours in the crock pot double the liquid amounts above.

Serve over cilantro-lime rice, beans, lettuce, and a tortilla shell.  Add cheese, guac, and pico de gallo for a salad.  Or serve inside shells with rice and beans as a burrito.