vanilla crepes with fresh blackberries

Last night my husband took our daughter on a walk in the neighborhood and they collected a bucket of fresh blackberries.  My kids were astonished when he came home pulled out his own cookbook full of recipes he's collected and started making crepes.  They filled the crepes with fresh blackberries and sweetened condensed milk then drizzled a little more on top.  On some, we even sprinkled a little cinnamon on top.  A wonderful dessert.

vanilla crepes with fresh blackberries (my husband)
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons melted butter

fresh blackberries
sweetened condensed milk
sprinkling of ground cinnamon

In a blender, mix together the milk, egg yolks, and vanilla.  Add the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter.
Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot.  Coat with vegetable oil or cooking spray.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges.  When bubbles form on top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden.  Repeat with remaining batter.
Fill crepes with blackberries, sweetened condensed milk and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

slow cooker chicken tinga tacos

Chicken Tinga Tacos.  They just sound delicious, don't they?  We LOVED them.  Three musts that make these better than other tacos:  the feta cheese sauce, the diced red onion and Tapatio sauce dashed over the top. 

slow cooker chicken tinga tacos (i heart nap time) 
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I used frozen)
1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes or Ro-tel tomatoes
1/2 diced onion
3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

 feta crema
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used light)
3 tablespoons feta cheese (I used light)
1/2 lemon, juiced
whole milk, if needed

for serving:
tortillas
diced red onion
crumbled feta
shredded lettuce
diced tomatoes 
Tapatio sauce 

Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
In a blender, add the tomatoes, onion, peppers, garlic, taco seasoning and salt.  Pulse 3 to 5 times.  Pour over the chicken.  Cook on High for 6 hours (if chicken is frozen) or until you are able to shred the chicken.
For the feta crema, stir the cream cheese, feta and lemon juice until smooth.  Add milk if needed to thin it out.
Serve chicken tinga inside tortillas with your favorite toppings.

greek chicken burger

Wasn't sure how these would go over but we all enjoyed them very much!  The creamy ceasar dressing over the top is an absolute must.  Yum!

greek chicken burger (i heart nap time)
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup chopped red peppers
3 tablespoons feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
whole wheat buns, toasted
optional toppings: sliced red onions, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, feta cheese
non-optional topping:  Caesar dressing (our very, very favorite is Ken's Light Creamy Caesar)

Turn on the grill to medium heat.
Place the chicken, peppers, cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, oregano and pepper into a bowl.  Stir until combined and then shape into 4 patties.  Place on the grill and cook each side for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the inside is no longer pink.
Assemble your burger.  Definitely drizzle Caesar dressing over the top. 

grilled chicken in lime avocado quinoa salad

I loved this salad.  It's one that will be great to pull out for meals and snacks.  My kids didn't go for it but I had a feeling they wouldn't.  More for me!

grilled chicken in lime avocado quinoa salad (adapted from Chatelaine)
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, about 1 1/2 limes

1 tablespoon rice vinegar or cinder vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 avocado diced

1 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup minced red onion

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup mozarella cheese, diced

3/4 cup broken, unsalted tortilla chips, broken (optional)

 

Preheat the grill on high.

Combine the water and quinoa in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 13 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Whisk together the oil, lime juice, vinegar, honey, cumin, salt, cayenne and cilantro.  Gently toss the avocado with the dressing and set aside.

Place the cooled quinoa, red pepper, red onion and avocado in a medium bowl.  Gently toss and set aside. 

Grill chicken breasts until they are done (I sprinkled mine with Pappy's garlic seasoning).  Cube.  Let the chicken cool then toss into the salad.  Add the diced cheese.  Serve on individual plates then sprinkle with tortilla chips, if using.

peanut butter layered dessert

When I asked my kids how this dessert rates on a scale of 1-10 my family shouted "10!".  So there you have it.  Look at the list of ingredients- you know it's good.  It makes a big 9x13 pan!  Thank you, Mr. Milton Hershey for inventing chocolate + peanut butter.

peanut butter layered dessert (the idea room) 
1 box chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup chopped peanuts, divided
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar 
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (16 ounce) tub frozen whipped topping like Cool Whip- thawed and divided
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 1/2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the cake mix, butter, milk and egg.  Add 3/4 cup peanuts.  Spread into a greased 9x13 baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Set aside and cool.
In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, condensed milk and vanilla until smooth.  Fold in 3 cups of the whipped topping then spread your mixture over the top of your chocolate crust.  Top with the rest of the whipped topping and peanuts.
In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and butter on high for one minute.  It may take longer.  Stir in vanilla until smooth.  Drizzle over the top of your dessert.
Refrigerate for 1-3 hours before cutting.

Note:  For the chocolate drizzle I chose to melt the butter and chocolate chips on the stove.  I increased the butter to 3 tablespoons because that's what seemed right for me.

spicy potato soup

My teenager told me she was bored one afternoon so I told her to find a recipe that looked good to her and I'd pick up the ingredients.  She chose this soup and made it for us.  The soup was simple and delicious.  It just needed a sprinkling of cheese over the top.  Mmmm.

spicy potato soup (recipe from cookbook Taste of Home Ultimate Five Ingredient Recipes)
1 pound ground beef
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes, 1/2" cubes
1 small onion, chopped
24 ounces tomato sauce
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (we love Tapatio)
shredded cheddar cheese for sprinkling

In a Dutch oven or large kettle, cook the ground beef until no longer pink; drain.  Add the potatoes, onion and tomato sauce.  Stir in the water, salt pepper and hot pepper sauce; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until the potatoes are tender and the soup has thickened.  Sprinkle some cheese over the top  Makes 2 quarts.  6-8 servings

slow cooker chicken taco meat

This recipe is a winner.  It's so fast and easy and I've made two batches this week because I love taco salad for lunch. I also love to put some of this chicken in a tortilla with some Trader Joe's enchilada sauce, roll it up and pour more enchilada sauce over the top and a sprinkling of cheese. Cook it in the microwave for a minute- it makes the most delicious chicken enchiladas!  Lunch made easy.

slow cooker chicken taco meat (food.com)
2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 tablespoons bulk taco seasoning mix (I found mine at Costco)
2 cups chicken broth 

Dissolve taco seasoning into chicken broth.  Pour into slow cooker sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Gently place frozen chicken into slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low for 8 or more hours.  Shred chicken.

quick and easy blueberry muffins

We picked blueberries again so this morning there was really only one right thing to do- make blueberry muffins!!  I had many hands helping me and these muffins were eaten right out of the oven, hot and delicious.  Excellent recipe.

quick and easy blueberry muffins (inspired taste)
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon or more for muffin tops
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg 
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  For standard-size muffins, line 12 standard-size muffin cups with paper lines.
Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Add the vegetable oil to a measuring cup that holds at least 1 cup.  Add the egg then fill the measuring cup to the 1-cup line with milk.  Add vanilla and whisk until combined.
Add milk mixture to the bowl with flour and sugar then use a fork to combine.  Do not over mix.  Add blueberries and gently fold them into the muffin batter.
Divide the batter between muffin cups.  Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin.
Bake approximately 18 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool.