Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

I must have a million pins on Pinterest, most of them cupcakes and delicious desserts though. I was really stumped the other day when I was planning my week's menu and what I can make that actually excited me.

I never really venture on to my "Salads" Pinterest board but summer is all about healthy vegetables and eating right, right? So I saw this salad recipe and it didn't look too bad!

My husband's verdict? "I'd make this again. I mean, I'd have YOU make this again."

 

I love all of these ingredients. I used canned corn (called for by the recipe) but only because sweet corn isn't too in season yet AND because I have a brand of corn that I really truly like. Delmonte's Summer Crisp. It is not like the others!

 

I didn't even mind this green leafy stuff. It gets covered in the creamy chipotle dressing and you can barely taste the healthy parts. :)

 

The best way I've found to make the precooked chicken is to wrap the breasts in a foil packet, baking at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. I lightly salt and pepper it and it always comes out smelling divine. I made the chicken this morning and it made for easy assembly later.

I didn't even use all of the dressing and it was plenty. It was smoky and spicy, just a nice kick. The recipe is originally from Cooking Light and it says that it tastes just as great the next day. I have some fresh, dry lettuce leftover in case it's a wilted mess but I don't think we'll mind!

I didn't have taco bowls so I just spread a few tortilla chips on the bottom of each plate.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad.

 

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Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I have two parties tomorrow that require treats. Okay, require is a strong word. I signed up to bring treats! That's a lot of baking so I thought I would make cookies. Cookies aren't that hard. Combine dry ingredients, cream butter and sugar(s), fold in other ingredients, bake. They are also fun to make.

The hard part is baking a dozen at a time, many times if you double a recipe like I did. But checking the oven every 10 or so minutes is fine by me.

And if you know me, you know that I adore coconut. This recipe has shredded coconut AND coconut oil. AND oatmeal. And double chocolate (cocoa powder and chips). YUM. I do admit that I'm not getting the full flavor effect... due to my glass of red wine that I've been sipping on... :)

 

So they don't look like my normal fancy cupcakes, but I'm hoping they are an unusual flavor combination and my "fans" won't be disappointed. There was a high expectation of "moist cupcakes" for one of the gatherings. That particular group of people are getting used to disappointment. Sad face.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

 

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Blackberry Pie Bars

I'm hoping that the treat recipient will love blackberries.

 

My friend Ann raved about this recipe and really we have so much in common that I knew that I would love this recipe too!

The top and bottom of the bars are a shortbread buttery goodness. There is a custard like filling full of fresh blackberries (and a few raspberries for added color and well, because I didn't have quite enough blackberries!)

I waited the minimum 60 minutes before digging into a piece. It was still warm and very moist. I think the filling will firm up even more and taste better chilled.

New recipes make me happy and this one didn't disappoint! I hope these are well received tomorrow :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Blackberry Pie Bars.

 

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Mess Cake

My Mom would always make this cake for us when we were young, for birthdays. We loved it. The devil's food/chocolate cake would chill just right with the bananas, pudding, and cool whip. It was a chilly gooey mess on your plate.

I fancied it up by putting it in a trifle bowl and using the best chocolate cake recipe I know, instead of a box mix. James really loves cake but he prefers his "plain". He wasn't sure what to think of the Mess Cake even though he loves each component individually. Silly kid.

 

You must serve this kind of cake in a bowl. You'll never get a perfect slice on a plate. Just put it in a bowl and swirl it all around so you get chocolate, banana, and cake goodness on each spoonful.

 

My baby sis Kiki makes a version with oreos. She's such a rebel.

Click here for the BEST basic chocolate cake recipe.

 

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Spinach Mostacciolli Pasta Bake

This is an oldie. I've been making this for years, but not too often because there are so many recipes out there in the (internet) sea. This is from Cooking Light, I think from one of my first CL cookbooks.

 

I've always liked this recipe because it is meatless. Sometimes you don't need meat. For real. And this is full of spinach and tomatoes, and cheese, and creamy goodness. You just don't miss the meat.

The crunchy breadcrumbs really make this pasta dish. And it makes plenty. I should probably half this recipe one day. I always forget.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Spinach Mostacciolli Pasta Bake.

 

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Oreo Icebox "cake"

Easiest dessert ever!

 

You dip Oreos in milk and layer those between spoonfuls of Cool Whip! The hard part is letting it sit for 6+ hours or overnight. I must confess that I couldn't wait that long! I believe I made this one night Jim was out of town. The beauty of this dessert is that you can make one portion or a whole 9x13 pan!

No recipe needed.

 

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Rhubarb Ginger Crumble

I love when my husband utters these words- "I think this is one of the best things you've made yet."

 

I couldn't go wrong combining his loves of rhubarb and ginger. Really. That man is pretty easy to please :)

Another BEB recipe. Seriously, run don't walk to her blog. She's fabulous. I think I'm a groupie.

I did add a bit more than the 2T of chopped ginger. My husband REALLY loves ginger. I knew we wouldn't be disappointed with a bit more.

I also was leery when I accidentally tasted some of the crumble. It is just flour and butter... so it tasted really bland and dry. DUH. You need to eat it with the rhubarb, ginger and sugar mixture. It is plenty sweet and flavorful.

 

My husband was in heaven. I think he was tempted to eat some for breakfast this morning but he has these weird dessert/breakfast rules for himself. (I don't share such rules!) Well, and then I met his demand for pancake balls, bacon, and eggs for breakfast so he didn't really need any dessert. I'm sure he'll have some for lunch :)

Seriously, you should make this. Six simple ingredients! Rhubarb, ginger, sugar, flour, salt, butter. Easy peasy.

OH MY! Just realized I didn't add the little bit of (divided) sugar to the crumble mixture. That's why it was bland! I forgot the 1/2 cup of sugar. And it still tasted good. It will taste even better next time when I make it correctly! My husband's mind WILL BE BLOWN!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Rhubarb Ginger Crumble.

 

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Scotcheroos

 

 

It was my dear friend Jessica's birthday and I volunteered to make something for her birthday bash at work. I was told that Scotcheroos are one of her favorite treats. Challenge accepted! I didn't even have any idea what they were really. I knew there was a chocolate icing, that's it.

Where do you turn if you need a good recipe? Brown Eyed Baker! My favorite blogger. Of course she had a recipe and it was a snap. Really! One of the easiest recipes I've made. And oh so good!

My work friends did enjoy these. One said that these are good because they aren't hard and tough. I guess that's a common problem. But not with a BEB recipe :)

These are like rice krispy bars but with peanut butter. And BEB suggests a chunky peanut butter for added texture in the bars. A delightful idea. And the chocolate topping with butterscotch and chocolate melted together? Yum! (I didn't really think I like butterscotch. Turns out I kinda do. Occasionally.)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Scotcheroos.

 

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Lighter Thai Inspired Wraps & Crunchy Asian Cabbage Salad (repeat)

I really love this picture. You can't get any more colorful than that!

 

This is a great combo! Some of the same ingredients are in each food, but it made it easier for chopping.

The peanut sauce in the wrap sandwich is awesome! I actually made a 1 1/2 recipe so we could enjoy it a bit more. (Good decision, Lisa. *pat on the back*) The sauce ingredients are all staples in our household, so even better. -lime juice, peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, ground ginger-

I think we got all of our vitamins through vegetables in just this one meal! No complaints from the husband. He really did dig this meal.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Lighter Thai Inspired Wraps.

I've made the Crunchy salad before. This is the post where I wrote about it.

 

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Broccoli and Cheese Mini Egg Omelets

 

These were made because I had all the ingredients. I froze them for easy breakfasts.

I liked them just fine but I think I like the idea of them more than the actual taste from this particular recipe. I found that these needed a lot of seasoning afterwards to make them taste like something good. They were a bit plain, if you can imagine that with all the cheese and vegetables inside.

Pretty cute little breakfast treats! Mental note: just add more salt and pepper. And maybe some tabasco? Tabasco makes anything good.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Broccoli and Cheese Mini Omelets.

 

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Star Wars geeks

Yes, that is a Tie Fighter and a Death Star PB&J!

 

I get super excited to include something cool in my son's lunchbox but then I don't get a reaction from him. Boo!

 

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara

I try and mix Brussels sprouts and bacon whenever possible for my dear husband. He's at the point that he doesn't need the bacon anymore but I still do it. He is sold on the idea that Brussels sprouts are just a part of our household now!

This is an easy recipe. The two times that I've made this I've had my husband roast the sprouts ahead of time (he works at home, slick!) and I finish the rest of the meal when I get home from work. It comes together quite easily at that point.

Roasted sprouts, bacon, and eggy pasta? YES PLEASE!

 

Lately our pasta of choice is bowtie. Our little one just loves the bowties.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara.

 

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S'mores truffles

 

 

Truffles are really way too easy. I think I don't make them often because for how easy they are, it is quite painful to wait the hour or so for the chocolate to firm up before you can roll it into balls. For such a little treat, my brain thinks they should be done in little time.

The chocolate mixture is pretty standard I think, nothing to it. I then rolled a mini marshmallow inside of each ball and then rolled the chocolate ball in graham cracker crumbs! If I really want to fancy these up even more, I could make my own marshmallows. I'm crazy like that.

I think I owe my sister Ana a batch of these. She'd love me forever. Or at least stop teasing me for a day about something something.

Click here for the stolen recipe for S'mores truffles.

 

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BBQ Comfort Meatballs

This is comfort food to my family. I don't make these often because there is one fussy, messy step to these meatballs but when I do make them I always thinks I should make them more often. You just can't win in my own head.

 

Also, whenever I make this, I think that this BBQ sauce rocks. And I should use it always whenever a recipe calls for BBQ sauce. Why buy a bottle when you can whip together a few ingredients and make your own?

I'm very surprised I haven't posted about these before. They are GOOOOOD. Add some mashed potatoes and my husband is VERY happy!

Click here for the stolen recipe for BBQ Meatballs by Pioneer Woman.

 

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Bacon and Brussel Sprout Salad

I KNOW Jim is sold on brussel sprouts now but I always try and include bacon when possible. I enjoy them that way too, so no harm done!

For this meal I made a roasted chicken, Thai style.

And the brussel sprout salad was plenty as a side. It was full of texture and tasty bits. Bacon, parmesan cheese, citrus, shredded sprouts, crunchy almonds, and a bit of olive oil.

 

It made a huge amount so I would scale this back a bit when I make it again. Or maybe not? I'm pretty sure we finished it all. The sprouts wilt a bit with the citrus and olive oil by the next day, but it was still good eating!

 

MUST MAKE THIS AGAIN SOON. My husband will kiss me to thank me, I'm sure!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Bacon and Brussel Sprout Salad.

 

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Guinness Beef Stew

We don't really do St. Patrick's Day but we do do Guinness beer and Irish whiskey!

I made this stew the weekend of St. Patrick's Day.

 

It was good. I am still in search of a better stew though. The meat didn't get as tender as I hoped, and I kept needing to put salt in my bowl to give the stew some flavor. Maybe I was just in a foul mood because normally a stew/soup puts me in a good mood! Soup is good food, yo.

I must have been crabby. I didn't even wipe the rim of my bowl for the picture. So messy. Apparently, I wasn't caring about the possible blog picture.

 

I'm sure the stew was fine. I didn't get any complaints from the hubby (he wouldn't dare?)...

Click here for the stolen recipe for Guinness Beef Stew.

 

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Rose's Chicken with Green olives

It's an ancient Mexican secret recipe (:

 

I had to substitute green El Pato for the yellow. Darn!

Mmmm. Tamales leftover from Christmas and Cilantro lime rice complete our plates.

 

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Garlic Toast

Best thing I ever did was start buying French/Italian bread, slicing it, freezing it, and replacing my husband's beloved Texas Toast. I never liked the ingredient list!

 

I'm sure I'm not saving too many calories, or even shortening the ingredient list much...but it is so much cheaper! And I feel better about using my own ingredients for the same taste.

$1.50-$1.99 for a giant loaf, plus a little Smart Balance spread, and garlic salt. Yum!

I freeze the bread in slices and take out what I need. Butter both sides and broil for about 90 seconds per side (about 6 inches from the top of the broiler)..

 

Bonus: James loves it!

 

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Chocolate Sour Cream Poundcake

Yay! I finally used the cupcake cake pan that my baby sis sent me for my birthday!

My experience with cake molds is that you need a firm cake. I looked for a chocolate pound cake recipe online thinking it would go over well with my son. I found a recipe by Paula Deen, full of butter of course, and I figured that would be a winner recipe (she knows her fatty foods!)

I decided not to frost the cupcake. It really isn't needed. I think I might make some pudding for a filling.

Winner winner chicken dinner! James loves the cake. He was so excited to see the "biggest cupcake ever"! The cake wasn't as firm as I thought, but very fluffy and chocolate-y. The outside of the cake became slightly crisp, which worked well for it to hold its shape.

The cake pan was smaller than the recipe so I tried to put the rest of the batter in small loaf pans. I guess I should have greased and floured those pans too. DOH. Well, the scraps made for a good taste test and small snack for James.

I caught James trying to sneak a taste of the cupcake. And he just begged me to let him have the cupcake before dinner :)

 

Click here for the stolen recipe for Chocolate Sour Cream Poundcake.

 

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