Simply Sides 27 - Better Than a Restaurant Mexican Rice

As promised in my last post for the queso chicken, today's recipe is an easy way to make a delicious rice side dish. In my opinion, this recipe is even better than a lot of the rice I have at Mexican restaurants. Plus you can control the amount of spices you put it in so you can make it as flavorful as you like!

Better Than a Restaurant Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 a small onion, diced
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbs olive oil

***optional: 1 clove garlic minced

Directions:
Saute the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. If you are adding garlic, saute now for 1 minute. Stir in the rice.  Saute for 2 minutes until rice is coated with oil and seasonings and begins to toast. Add in 1/2 the can of tomato sauce; stir well. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a very low simmer and place a lid on. Steam rice for 25-30 minutes.  When the rice is cooked through, add the remaining tomato sauce if desired, and fluff with a fork. Serve with your favorite Mexican or Southwestern meal. Enjoy!

Southwest Queso Chicken - CROCK*POT CAFE 13

I know a lot of you have busy lives and now that kids have recently gone back to school in the area, I know a lot of parents are looking for a lot of easy dinner ideas. I tried this recipe yesterday and I have to tell ya, it doesn't get much simpler than this. Not only that but it's very few ingredients AND it is super delicious. Plus, it cooks itself since this dish uses your slow cooker as the cooking vessel. Prepare some rice in a rice cooker and a heat up a veggie like corn in the microwave for side dishes and you have a complete meal in no time! I served mine with a homemade version of rice you would get at a Mexican restaurant (super easy, I will post that recipe in the near future!). You can also add some great additions like black beans to bulk the dish up with virtually no effort. Also, you can start the chicken from fresh OR frozen with no change to the cooking time. In addition, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the recipe depending on your family size. How great is that???

Southwest Queso Chicken


Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken breasts 
• 1 can Rotel (I use the one with fire roasted tomatoes, great flavor)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 jar queso (I use Tostitos, it's the only one I like)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (use your favorite, I favor Old El Paso)

Directions:
Place chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Sprinkle on the packet of taco seasoning. Combine the chicken broth and Rotel, and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in the queso and let cook 30 more minutes. Serve with your favorite Southwest sides. Enjoy!

Beefy Cheesy Sliders - Home Cooked Recipe #83

In addition to perusing Pinterest and the internet for recipe ideas, I also watch a boat load of cooking shows on Food Network and the Cooking Channel. One of my favorite Food Network shows is The Kitchen which premieres new episodes on Saturday mornings. Sunny Anderson is one of my favorite hosts from that show and when I saw her recipe for these yummy sliders I had to make them. I varied the recipe slightly but the results are still delicious. You can find here original recipe HERE. These are great for a party or tailgate or any event where you are wanting delicious little sandwiches.

Beefy Cheesy Sliders

Ingredients:

• 12 count slider rolls (I use Hawaiian Rolls - the butter flavored ones)
• 1 tbs Montreal steak seasoning
• 1/2 lb roast beef, sliced paper thin
• 8 oz shredded cheddar
• 4 oz provolone slices (I use Sargento ultra thin slices)
• 1/4 cup chipotle mayo 
• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 2 tbs grated onion
• 2 tbs grated Parmesan
• 1 tbs Worcestershire
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Slice the rolls in half and place the bottom halves in a baking dish. Sprinkle the Montreal steak seasoning on the buns then top with the provolone slices. Top the cheese with the roast beef slices. Mix together the cheddar and chipotle mayo and spread over the roast beef slices. Top with the roll tops. Mix together the butter, Worcestershire, Parmesan, grated onion, and red pepper flakes. Brush this mixture over the tops of the rolls. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake and additional 5 minutes to brown the rolls. Enjoy!

Nacho Cheese Casserole - Pinterest Pick #25

Sometimes I will just get a craving for Doritos. It's not super often but once in a while. It's funny because as a kid I think Doritos were my least favorite chip. When I was scrolling through Pinterest one evening I saw this casserole and thought I just had to make it. It was pretty delicious! Here is the original PIN. The recipe can be found HERE.

Nacho Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs oil
• 3 tbs flour
• 2 10 oz cans of your favorite enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso)
• 1.5 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper
• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• black pepper
• 1/2 bag Doritos
• 2 cups shredded cheese (you can use cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, or a combo of your favorites)

***Toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onions, sour cream, salsa - whatever you like on a taco basically!

Directions:
First, the sauce. In a pot over medium, make a roux with the oil and flour. Once combined and the flour is cooked out for a couple of minutes, add the sauce, broth, cumin, salt, & pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer while preparing the meat. Next, the meat. Brown the ground beef. Add onions and garlic and spices and cook a few more minutes. Combine beef with sauce mixture. Then, prepare the casserole. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 dishes with cooking spray. Lightly break up Doritos. Divide into 2 portions. Place one portion in one baking dish and reserve the 2nd portion. Top with the beef mixture. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-60 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Simply Sides 26 - Funeral Potatoes

I can't believe it has already been 2 months since I have given you a new recipe but a lot has been going on around here. In January hubs brought me home a new kitty fur baby he adopted from our local shelter and in February we adopted a doggy fur baby from an event that our local shelter was having at a PetSmart location. I have attached their pics at the bottom of this post so you can see my new kids! And now on to our new recipe...
Do NOT be discouraged by the name of this dish! It is nothing morbid, in fact it is a flavorful & cheesy potato side dish that you will want to eat often. Funeral potatoes are also called hashbrown casserole, cheesy hashbrown casserole, and party potatoes so if you feel weird calling them funeral potatoes, use one of the monikers. The best part of this dish is that it hits so many cravings people have. Cheesy, salty, crunchy, creamy... And very comforting! This is also an extremely easy dish to make, so try it soon!

Funeral Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of fresh shredded potatoes (I use Simply Potatoes, plain hashbrowns - find them in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, by the eggs etc). **You can also use frozen, you may need to bake the casserole for longer.
• 2 cups sour cream (1 16oz container should be fine, I use Breakstone's)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 package shredded cheddar (or grate a block and use 2 cups)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 cups potato chips, crushed
• 2 tbs butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. In a bowl, mix together sour cream, cream of chicken soup, onion, salt & pepper, and shredded cheese. Fold in potatoes. Combine butter and crushed chips in a separate bowl. Pour sour cream/potato mixture into 9x13 pan. Top with chip mixture. Bake for 30-45 minutes (closer to an hour if using frozen hashbrowns). Enjoy!