The future of Fooblog

Well, as it seems, I just don't have the time to keep up on Fooblog any longer. I wish I could, but I don't know if I can! Sadly, Fooblog may disappear from this site.

But don't lose hope! I will perhaps try to occassionally add a recipe to my regular blog. So keep an eye out there.

Until later, may you have many empty plates followed by full tummies!

Chicken, Black Bean & Tortilla Casserole

Nobody really likes the word "casserole", do they? But they're easy... and often tasty too! So here's a recipe Heath got from work one day that we tried out:

2 chicken breasts (diced)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. cumin
1 chopped onion
chopped green bell peppers
14.5 oz. can diced Mexican-style tomatoes
3/4 c. salsa
2 15 oz. cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
6 7-inch tortillas
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese (mozzarella might be good too)

In a large skillet, brown the chicken with a little garlic salt and pepper, the cumin, and the minced garlic. Add the onions and bell peppers and cook a bit longer.

Add undrained tomatoes and salsa. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in the beans.

Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick spray. Add 1/3 of the chicken-bean mixture to the pan. Sprinkle with a little cheese. Layer three tortillas on top. (I found that if you do a whole one first, then cut the next into fourths and put those with the corners in the corners of the pan, followed by another whole one atop that, then you get complete coverage. Clear as mud? Maybe I'll post an illustration if we get complaints. ;o)

Repeat the process: chicken-bean mixture, cheese, tortillas, then chicken-bean mixture. (Now stop because you've run out of tortillas!)

Top with the rest of your cheese (and a little more if you're feeling sassy). Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (Needs to have that congeal-factor, like homemade pizza.)

This is a staple meal at our house. Dee-lish!

Chocolate Chip Paradise Knock Off

I had to get this down before it all disappears! Heath and I went to Chili's for dinner a few weeks ago and had this awesome dessert called Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie. As I looked at it, I thought, "Huh, that doesn't look too hard to make..." So the next time we went shopping, I picked up some walnuts (not a staple around here) and got to work.

Start with a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe (minus the chips). This is one from my old Betty Crocker cookbook.

First, cream these ingredients together:
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. margarine (softened)
1/3 c. shortening
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Now add:
1-1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix together until smooth and tasty.

Spread the soft cookie dough out into an 11x7 baking dish. Sprinkle generously with walnuts, then lots of chocolate chips, and finally top it off with a generous helping of shredded sweetened coconut.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Oh man, this is even better than buying it at a restaurant!

Chicken & Eggs Skillet Dinner

We've been eating out so much lately! Whew... it's good to eat at home...

Tonight, I started too late to make the Black Bean Casserole I'd had on the menu. So I started defrosting some cubed chicken in hopes that inspiration would hit in five minutes or less.

Well, it did and it turned out pretty tasty. I threw in some veggies that we had lying around plus a can of Mexican tomatoes. But the wrench in all this is that I forgot to get any pasta or rice going to serve with this concoction. So what did we use? Scrambled eggs! I figured it would turn out like one of those fancy skillets at the Olive Branch... and it really did!

cubed chicken
sliced onions
garlic pepper & salt
rosemary (thanks for the tip, Erica!)

Cook these up until chicken is browned. Then I added:

sliced sweet peppers
snow peas

Saute these a bit, then add 1 can Mexican style diced tomatoes and a splash of lemon juice. Simmer until the liquid has reduced.

In a separate pan, scramble some eggs. I used 3 whole eggs, 2 egg whites, and a little milk. Add cooked eggs to the chicken and veggies.

I'd imagine this would be awesome with some mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. Then again, isn't everything awesome with cheese?