Tex Mex Chicken Tenders in Crockpot

With so much to do and so little time we are trying this new crockpot recipe for dinner tonight!

Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix(1/2 of 1-1/4-oz. pkg.)
2 tablespoons flour
1 green pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup shredded four-cheese Mexican blend cheese

Directions
1Spray crock pot with cooking spray.
2Place chicken with seasoning and flour in slow cooker.
3Stir in all remaining ingredients except the shredded cheese; cover with lid.
4Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
5Stir well just before serving.
6Top with the shredded cheese and serve over rice.

Orange Jello Cool Whip Salad

Yummy salad for the summer!

1 large can pears
1 large can peaches
1 medium can crushed pineapple
bottle of marachino cherries
8 oz sour cream
large cool whip
large box orange jello

To drain fruit put in strainer, but in bite size pieces and drain . (drain for a long time, like an hour in the fridge)
Sprinkle powder from jello on fruit and put in fridge overnight
1 hour before eating, drain cherries, cut in half and add with sour cream. Fold in cool whip

Oriental Chicken Salad

I love this salad, but it makes a lot. So I usually make it to take to a pot luck. Enjoy!

2 c. cooked chicken cubed
3 T. sesame seeds (I omit this)
3 T. slivered almonds
2 T. sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup (or less) cooking oil
3 T. salad vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 packages top ramen seasoning
2 green onions
2 pkgs. top ramen noodles (uncooked, broken)
5 cups chopped cabbage (or cole slaw mix)

Toast sesame seeds and almonds in cooking oil. Add sugar, vinegar, salt and seasoning. Add cooked chicken and toss. Place cabbage, onions and noodles in serving bowl. Add chicken mixture and toss.

Porcupine Meatballs

When we farmed we would get cows butchered....so I always had lots of ground beef. I had to be creative to find new ways to have plain old ground beef. This is one not only the kids love, but Neil also. You could always substitute ground turkey for the beef.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. parsley flakes
1 tbsp. minced onion
1/3 cup uncooked rice
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. hamburger seasoning salt
1 cup water

1. in a mixing bowl combine the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, worcestershire sauce, salt, parsley flakes and minced onion.
2. mix together and then form beef into 8 meat balls
3. roll each meat ball in the rice so that the rice sticks to it
4. put the meat balls in a skillet
5. make the sauce by combining the tomato sauce and hamburger seasoning salt. Pour this sauce over each meat ball.
6. carefully pour the water into the skillet between the meat balls, not over them.
7. cover the skillet with a lid and simmer over medium heat for about 45 minutes.

hint: use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop out the meat for the meat balls so they will cook evenly.

Chili's Bayou Chicken with Pasta

got this off the internet, haven't had it at Chili's but Neil loves the dish. We omit the tomatoes because I am the only tomato eater in the house.

12 oz penne pasta
3 tbs. butter
1 1/2 cup half & half
1/2 parmesan
salt and pepper
1 lb. boneless chicken
cajun spice
2 tsp. oil
2 firm tomatoes

1. Bring pot of water to boil. Cook penne according to package.
2. melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, stir 1 minute. Add half & half; thicken about 6 minutes, add parmesan, salt and pepper. cover
3. place chicken between plastic wrap; pound to 1/2 inch thickness. Rub with cajun spice. Warm oil in skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken turning once until no longer pink (6-8 minutes) Slice chicken.
4. Toss pasta with sauce, top with chicken and tomatoes

Pork Chops

I love this recipe because the Pork Chops are still moist and the rice is amazing. The flavor is just fantastic. I tend to double everything but the chops because we enjoy the rice so much.

1 cup regular rice (not quick)
1 can Campbells beef comsumme soup
Pork chops (about 8, enough to fit your 9X13)

Butter casserole dish, put rice in and add soup and 1 can water. Cover with foil and place in 350* oven for at least 1 hour. As soon as you put rice in oven, brown pork chops in small amount of oil, then add them to the rice dish, recover and return to oven. Do not cook more then 1 1/2 hours, just cook until moisture is absorbed by the rice.

Cafe Rio

cafe rio pork3 lbs pork roast [ask your butcher where it is if you don't know.. one time i came home with ham instead of pork..]16 oz chunky salsa [or you can blend if you don't want chunky]1 can coke2 cup brown sugar
place pork in crock pot + fill half way up the side of the pork with water. cook on high for 4 hours. drain water. cut pork into thirds, then mix sauce [coke, brown sugar, + salsa] and pour on top. cook 4 more hours on low. shred pork. mix back in with sauce if you want it saucy or not.cafe rio chicken1 small bottle of kraft zesty italian dressing1 tbs chili powder1 tbs cumin3 cloves garlic-minced5 lbs chicken breastcook all together in a crockpot for 4 hours on high, shred, then cook for an additional 1 hour.
cafe rio rice
3 cups uncooked rice4 cups water4 tsp chicken bouillion2 cloves minced garlic1/2 cup chopped cilantro1 can green chili's diced3/4 tsp salt1 tsp zest of lime2 tbs lime juice2 tsp sugar1 tbs butter1/2 onion, chopped
saute onion, garlic + butter until the onion is soft. add water, rice, and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. after it begins to boil rapidly, reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid + simmer for about 20 minutes.
cafe rio creamy cilantro tomatillo salad dressing
1 package dry hidden valley ranch salad dressing1 cup mayo1/2 bunch cilantro1 large clove garlic3 small-medium tomatillos, husk off [like tomatoes but green and has a husk on it]1/3 cup buttermilkjuice of 1 lime1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 small jalapeno) - optional
place all ingredients in a blender + blend until smooth. chill in fridge at least 1 hour before serving, then it will thicken.
black beans[i just used a can of black beans without anything else, but this recipe looks good too]1 can black beans, rinsed and drained1 1/3 cup tomato juice2 cloves garlic, minced1 tsp ground cumin2 tbs olive oil1 1/2 tsp salt2 tbs fresh chopped cilantro
in a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. add beans, tomato juice, and salt. continually stir until heated through. just before serving stir in the cilantro.
assembly
salad- order of assemblytortilla - i use the tortilla land brand of uncooked flour tortillas from costco or sams. they are awesome and taste like cafe rio's homemade tortillas,shredded colby +monterray jack cheese,rice,beans,pork,lettuce,pico de gallo - [or chopped tomatoes, diced onions, cilantro, lime juice]guacamole,feta cheese crumbles, cilantro, lime wedge [for lime juice]tortilla strips,cilantro tomatillo dressing
burrito, toritilla ,rice, beans, pork, shredded cheese,any other toppings wanted roll it up
ENJOY!