Shredded Chicken & Cheese Burritos

My little one loves Mexican food.  She really does.  I can't say that I'm surprised, it was one of my favorite things to eat when I was pregnant with her!!  This is a simple meal that everyone can have fun making.  I make all the elements & let everyone assemble their own burrito.  It's great for a weeknight meal or for entertaining as everyone can make according to their own taste.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts

2-3 cups Mexican Style Rice, prepared

1 Can Refried Beans

2-3 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1- 7 oz can Tomato Sauce

Burrito (Large) size Flour Tortillas

Olive oil

Adobo Seasoning, to taste

Optional Toppings:

Lettuce, shredded

Tomatoes, chopped

Black Olives, sliced

Green Onion, chopped

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.   Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan.  Season with the Adobo Seasoning & drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.  (If you don't have Adobo Seasoning, you can use a little salt, pepper, garlic powder & dried oregano.) Roast in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.  I use boneless, skinless breasts, but you could use bone in & skin on too.  (You could even omit this step & use left oven chicken or a store bought rotisserie for a nice short cut!!)

Set aside to cool, then shred. 

Prepare your rice.  (You can use a store bought blend or make your own.)

In a small sauce pan, add the refried beans.  Heat over low- medium heat, stirring occasionally. 

This is the tomato sauce that I use for burritos.  You can find it in the Hispanic section of nearly every grocery store.  It is spicier than regular tomato sauce, so keep that in mind, but it adds a wonderfully authentic Mexican flavor.  We love it! 

When the chicken, rice & beans are cooked, it's time to make the burritos!  Start with a tortilla.  Microwave 1-2 tortillas for 15 seconds or so, just to soften them up. 

Then assemble each burrito.  On the bottom half of the tortilla, I spread some refried beans then add rice & chicken.  Next, I spoon some of the tomato sauce evenly over & top with some cheese. 

Wrap the burrito up by folding in the two sides then rolling it up.  I like to spoon some more tomato sauce over the rolled up burrito.   

Then I top with a little more cheese & microwave the burrito for 1 minute.  Just to melt the cheese. 

Serve with optional toppings- we like shredded lettuce, tomatoes, black olives & sour cream!

Enjoy! 

 This makes about 6 burritos, depending on how full you fill them. 

Our happy little senorita!! 

Crostini Topped with Garlic & Herb Cheese, Roasted Tomato Bruschetta & a Drizzle of Balsamic Glaze

I love to make Crostini (Italian for little toasts) for appetizers. You can top them with all kinds of things but this is one of my favorite combinations. It's a slew of textures & flavors- crispy bread layered with creamy cheese, sweet roasted tomatoes & tangy balsamic glaze. It's perfection in a bite! Fancy enough for entertaining but easy enough for every day.  I especially like to make this when I'm serving soup for dinner.  It pairs nicely with my Broccoli & Cheddar Chowder! 

Ingredients:
1/2 pint of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
1/2 Yellow Onion, sliced
2 cloves of Garlic, smashed
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Bread (like a baguette of french loaf) sliced 1/4- 1/2" thick
Garlic & Herb Cheese Spread
Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  In a small casserole or baking dish, drizzle a little olive oil then place the tomatoes, sliced onion & garlic cloves.

 Drizzle a little more olive oil over everything & toss to coat.  Season with a little salt & pepper. 

 Roast uncovered in a 325 degree oven for an hour, until everything is soft. 

 Crush the tomatoes with the back of a spoon & stir to incorporate everything.  Set aside to cool. 

 Turn the oven up to 400 degrees.  You can use just about any crusty loaf of bread you'd like here.  Baguettes are good, as is french & sour dough.  I actually used a homemade boule.  You just want to make sure that it's a smaller loaf so your pieces aren't too big.  Slice the bread into 1/4- 1/2 inch slices.

 Lay the pieces on a sheet pan, drizzle with a little olive oil & season with salt & pepper.  Toast the bread in the oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes, flipping once. 

 This is the Garlic & Herb Cheese that I used but you can use any brand that you like.  Alouette makes a good one too. 

 This is the Balsamic Glaze that I used, it's from our local Harris Teeter grocery store.  But again, you can use any brand you like.

 When the bread is toasted, spread a little cheese on each piece.  Then spoon on some of the tomato bruschetta & drizzle a little of the balsamic glaze over the whole platter. 

 Enjoy!!

This recipe is for 4, you can easily double it for a larger group. 

Simple Marinara Sauce

This is a go to recipe for me when I need to get dinner on the table fast but have nothing planned.  It is so quick & easy and I always have the ingredients on hand.  Even better, it makes a lot so I can freeze half of it for another meal.  I made store bought ravioli's with it this time but this marina is so versatile. You can add a touch of cream at the end to change it up & serve over spaghetti or angel hair pasta.  Add it to some baked chicken breasts topped with cheese for Chicken Parmesan, or serve it as dip with mozzarella sticks...the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

2- 32 oz cans of Whole Tomatoes

1 Large Yellow Onion, chopped

2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

fresh, Flat Leaf Parsley

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

In a large sauce pan or chef's pan, drizzle a little olive oil & saute the onion over medium heat.  When the onion starts to soften add the garlic & cook 1-2 more minutes.

 Add in both cans of tomatoes with all of their juices.   

 You could use crushed or diced tomatoes too.  But I read that they use a better quality of tomatoes to can them whole so I try to use those.  These were Italian Style (which means they had some basil it them) Peeled Plum Tomatoes. 

 Using your spoon, crush up the tomatoes.  Then add in the herbs, salt & pepper.

 Simmer for 20 minutes, or as long as you can. 

 The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

 How easy is that?!? (Channeling my inner Ina Garten.)

 I served with cheese filled raviolis.  YUM!

This makes about 4 quarts of sauce.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I don't know anyone that doesn't like Spaghetti!  My daughter was the pickiest eater when we started table food but this is the one dish that she loved.  It's become a staple in our house.  I like to simmer my sauce for a few hours letting the flavors marry but this can easily be made in 30 minutes when needed.  Freeze the extra sauce for a fast, last minute meal!

Ingredients:

(for the meat sauce)

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 Yellow Onion, chopped

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

1- 6oz can of Tomato Paste

1- 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce

1- 28 oz can of Whole Tomatoes

8 oz Water

1 & 1/2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

1/2-1 tsp Garlic Powder

Salt & Pepper

Spaghetti Pasta

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (for topping)

Fresh, Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

In a large pot, or dutch oven drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom & add the ground beef.  Season with salt & pepper & brown over medium heat.  When the meat starts to cook, add in the onion & garlic.  Cook until the onion is soft & the ground beef is no longer pink. 

 Add in the canned tomatoes (with all their juices), the tomato paste, the tomato sauce, water (I use the tomato sauce can filled half way) the dried Italian Seasoning & the garlic powder.  Stir to incorporate, breaking up the tomatoes with your spoon.  If you are in a hurry, simmer on low-medium uncovered for 20 minutes.  Prepare your pasta, according to the package directions, while it is simmering.  But don't forget to add salt to the pasta water!!  If you have some time, cover the sauce & simmer for as long as you can.  (Wait to cook your pasta if you are letting your sauce simmer for a while.)

 I try to let mine simmer for at least an hour.  But when I can cook it even longer.  Ever notice how spaghetti sauce tastes better left over?  It's because it's had time for it all the seasonings to blend with the meat & tomato sauce.  Cooking on low for a long time does the same thing.  The longer you simmer, the better it will be!

When you are ready to eat, uncover the sauce & let it simmer uncovered while you prepare the pasta. 

 Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan & a sprinkle of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.

 Make a Caesar or simple green salad with vinaigrette dressing to complete the meal.

This recipe is for 8-10 servings.  I always freeze half of the sauce, so this makes 2 meals for my family (plus some left overs).

Pasta Fagioli

This is my (very American) version of the Italian soup, Pasta e Fagioli, meaning pasta with beans.  It is one of my favorite soups.  Patty, good friend of mine, brought my family over a big pot of it accompanied by a loaf of crusty bread a couple of years ago after I had been in the hospital.  It was so thoughtful & so tasty too!  I've been hooked on it ever since.  It's really more like a stew than a soup, it's so thick.  Which is probably one of the reasons that I like it.  I make it with ground beef but if you don't eat red meat, pork, chicken, or turkey sausage would be a great substitute.  (I'd also recommend substituting chicken broth for beef in that case too!)  You can also change the beans, I use cannelloni beans but you could use kidney or any bean/ combination that you'd like.  This is definitely one of those recipes that you can make to suit your own taste (or pantry!).  If I'm lucky, I have a Parmesan rind in the freezer to add to it.  Shhhh, that's my secret ingredient!  If you don't have one, don't fret.  I don't always either so just leave it out.  It will be delicious either way!!

Ingredients:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 medium Yellow Onion, chopped

1 medium Carrot, chopped

1 stalk of Celery, chopped

2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced

1- 28 oz can of Tomatoes

1- 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1- 15 oz can Cannelloni Beans, drained 

3-4 cups Beef Broth

1 & 1/2 cup Elbow Pasta

2 cups of Fresh Spinach (packed)

1 Beef Bouillon Cube (or the equivalent in Granules)

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 & 1/2 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

4-5 dashed of Hot Sauce (Texas Pete or Tabasco)

Parmesan Rind

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (for topping)

Directions:

Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a large pot of dutch oven.  Over medium- high heat, brown the ground beef, adding in the onion, carrot & celery.  Season with salt & pepper and cook until the beef is no longer pink & the veggies are soft. 

Add in the canned Tomatoes (with all their juices), Tomato Sauce, Beef Broth, Bouillon Cube, Garlic Powder & Italian Seasoning.  Stir to incorporate it all.  Bump the heat down to low & you're ready for the super fun, secret ingredient!!

Here it is.  A rind of Parmesan!  I hope you haven't been throwing yours out!  Once I've grated all the cheese that I can off my wedge of Parmesan, I pop the rind into a plastic bag and put it in the freezer.  It's great for seasoning things!  It adds a nice, salty Parmesan flavor; not over baring just in the background & it also helps to thicken up the soup.  Now, you have to use the real deal here.  It has to be Parmigiano-Reggiano & you'll know that it is because it is stamped on the rind.

Once the soup is on low, drop the Parmesan rind in, cover & let it simmer.  Let it simmer for as long as you can.  I let mine simmer a couple of hours.  If you don't have an hour or so for it to cook, don't waste your Parmesan rind on it.  Save it for another time.  I stir it occasionally, but on you don't really have to worry about it over low heat. 

After a couple of hours, I add the beans (drained first).  You can add 2 cans of beans if you'd like to bump up the protein or stretch out the soup for more people!  If you don't have a couple of hours to let it cook, just add the beans in with the tomatoes & broth.  They tend to get mushy if you cook them in too long.  I usually simmer mine for 2-3 hours, then add the beans & simmer another hour.  You certainly do not have to cook the soup that long.  You can easily make this in 30 min-1hr.  This is just one of those things that gets better to longer it's sits...which makes it great for left overs!!

When you are ready to eat, cook your pasta, according to the package directions but slightly al dente.  Add a couple of big handfuls of fresh spinach to the soup & stir.

Add in the dashes of hot sauce.  Even if you don't like spicy food, add in a few.  It doesn't make it spicy, it just adds a bit of warmth to the soup.  Check your seasonings & adjust if needed. 

When the pasta is cooked, you can either add it directly to the soup or add a little pasta to a bowl & ladle the soup over it.  I usually do the ladder because I am cooking for 2 & 1/2 so I end up freezing half of my soup.  I don't like the freeze the pasta in it, but that's just a personal preference.  You can do it either way.  My Parmesan rind had mostly disintegrated, but keep in mind that I cooked it for about 4 hours this time.  If yours is still in the pot, I would fish it out before serving.  Then top the bowls with freshly grated Parmesan.

Yum!  Now that's a hearty soup!  Enjoy!

This recipe will serve 6-8 people.