Easy Cheese Stix

I am always looking for simple things to make for after school snacks. I happened to have a package of wonton wrappers in my fridge and thought we would give this a try. Now my kids make them all the time.



Won ton wrappers
String cheese



Break one string cheese in half or thirds. My half pieces leaked out a little. Wrap them in wrapper. Dip finger in water to seal the edges. Spray with Pam to give them a little crispness.



Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes then turn and 8 minutes more. Dip in marinara, pizza sauce or ranch.

Chicken and waffles

I have a son who is obsessed with chicken, he is also obsessed with waffles. He jokingly said to me that I should just make chicken and waffles together. So :)I did. Everyone was a little hesitant at first but it was love at first bite. My 9 year old nephew and 12 year old niece stopped by and were curious about it. They tasted it... and loved it. The syrup is a must have with it. Just dip and eat baby.



1 bag Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips
1 box mini toaster waffles (you can also make your own, but this was just faster)

Buttermilk Syrup:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons Karo syrup
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda



Cook chicken strips and waffles according to package instructions.
Once chicken and waffles are fully cooked, cut them to desired bite-size shapes. I quartered each waffle.

Buttermilk Syrup: (This recipe will rise so make sure you have enough room or it will go everywhere.)
Heat stove top to medium-high heat.
Use a large pot so the liquid doesn't boil over.
Place the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, Karo syrup, and buttermilk in the pot.
Mix until all the ingredients are fully combined and the mixture begins to bubble.
Let mixture bubble for about 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
Remove the pot from heat and add the baking soda.
Mix until well combined.
Place the pot back on the heat, and let the syrup bubble for another 45 seconds, stirring constantly.
Take off of heat, continue to stir until it cools down a little and the bubbles disappear.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Mussels with garlic butter

Are you looking for some new super bowl recipes? This is one of our favorites. If you like seafood give this one a try.




3 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed debearded

10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter
6 large garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel


Place mussels in pot, cover and cook over high heat until mussels open. Transfer mussels to bowl; discard any that do not open.
Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons parsley, lemon juice, lemon peel and reserved liquid from mussels and bring to boil. Season to taste with pepper. Drizzle garlic butter over mussels. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

cranberry sauce

So this is super easy and sooo much better than canned.




1c. Orange juice (use fresh if you can and add pulp)
1/2c. White sugar
1/2c. Brown sugar
1/4tsp. Cinnamon
1/2-1tsp of orange zest (optional but yummy)
12oz. Pk fresh cranberries
Place first 5 ingredients into medium size sauce pan. Heat on medium setting stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a boil. Add cranberries and return to boil stirring occasionally. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer about 10 to 20 minutes. Continue to stir occasionally. For a thicker sauce go to a full 20 minutes. Pour into a container and allow to cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate until serving. Enjoy

Buttermilk cornbread

My weakness in life is bread. No matter what form it comes in. I can go months without sweets but as soon as I sit down to bread I am a goner. This cornbread is so good with or without honey. Just typing this recipe has got me craving it again. Guess I know what I will be making tonight. My kids love this for an after school snack or with a meal. Guess they take after their mama.




1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
Melt butter in large skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chicken Spaghetti

I love fast meals. Especially during the week when everything is so busy. This meal can be cooked fresh, frozen together, or like I did it and put everything in the crock pot with my frozen chicken. I really didn't know how this was going to turn out but it was really good. Even my picky eaters, you know the ones who don't eat peppers & onions, loved it.



1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 small can mild diced green chiles
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
2 chicken breasts {about 1 lb.}
1 can cream of mushroom soup

3/4-1 lb. cooked spaghetti
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
A few splashes chicken stock {optional}


Place onion, bell peppers, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chicken, mushroom soup and 1 cup of grated cheese together in a crock-pot. Stir to mix ingredients. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken breasts, shred and return to crock-pot. Pour in cooked spaghetti and remaining cheese. Toss to coat pasta in sauce and melt cheese, adding in a few splashes of chicken stock where necessary to get sauce consistency you want. Cook another 20-30 minutes on low and serve.

**Freezer directions: Place onion, bell peppers, green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, chicken, mushroom soup and 1 cup of grated cheese together in a large plastic freezer bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, defrost in fridge, place in crockpot and cook according to directions listed above

cilantro lime rice

Sometimes my husband gets on a kick and wants to make something. When he does he never thinks about what sides to have its all about the main course. On this particular day he decided to make shrimp tacos. I didn't want to run to the store for anything so I decided to make rice. Plain white rice wasn't going to cut it this time, so when I seen this recipe I was excited. Not only was it good alone. It was great on the shrimp tacos too.



1 tablespoon canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups long-grain rice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Juice of 3 limes and zest of 2 limes (hold back juice of 1 lime for garnish)

Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish


Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add the rice and salt. Cook over a low heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly to make sure the rice doesn't burn. Add 2 cups of the broth and the juice and zest of 2 limes and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the rice is done. Add more liquid as needed. The rice shouldn't be sticky.


Just before serving, stir through the juice of 1 lime and lots of chopped cilantro.

Peach Cobbler

Cooking is something that my family loves! Some of my kids best memories with their grandmas are cooking. My 10 year old little boy is always asking when he can go over and help grandma bake again. I decided that every Sunday I would teach one of my kids how to cook something. My oldest has been cooking for awhile now and he even makes at least one meal a week. Last Sunday my 12 year old and I made peach cobbler from scratch. I involved all the kids in peeling and cutting up the peaches. It was actually a lot of fun. Then he mixed all the ingredients and made the fruit part and then the cobbler. If a 12 year old can do it, so can you :0)

I have been using this recipe for 16 years. I have used it for apple cobbler or peach cobbler and make it just the same. I have never found a better recipe for cobbler.



FRUIT MIX
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. flour
1 c. flour
6 cups peaches (or apples etc)
MIx well and pour into a pan. You can use a 9x9 pan or a 9x13 pan depending how many people you are serving.




COBBLER:
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
mix above ingredients.
Cut in 1/4 cup (room temperature) butter
Add:
1/4 c milk
1 egg

(If you are putting this in a 9x13 pan double the cobbler recipe to make more)

Mix well. Make into balls or use a cookie scoop. Put over the top of the fruit mixture. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Spice rubbed grilled pork

epicurious.com

THIS RECIPE HAS TO BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME TO MARINADE (1-8 hours) My hubs and son are really good about helping with meals. This is one they made and we all loved it. It was a little bit spicy so make sure you cut back on the cayenne, chili powder, and pepper if you don't want it as spicy. My kids just dipped there piece in ranch to take away from some of the heat but even though it was SPICY everyone of my kids ate there whole chop.


doesn't it look so pretty :)


3 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt, either kosher or sea salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne, depending how hot you want it.

Six to eight 10- to 11-ounce bone-in pork rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick

Vegetable oil spray


At least 1 and up to 8 hours before you plan to grill the pork chops, prepare the dry rub, combining the ingredients in a small bowl. Coat the chops with the spice mixture, place them in a large plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate.

Fire up the grill, bringing the heat to medium (4 to 5 seconds with the hand test).

Remove the chops from the refrigerator and let them sit covered at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Spray the chops with oil and transfer them to the grill. Grill for 18 to 20 minutes total. Turn onto each side twice, rotating the chops a half turn each time to get criss-cross grill marks. The chops are done when just a hint of pink remains at the center. Serve hot.

Ranch Chicken

http://life-in-the-lofthouse.com/ranch-chicken/

I am a little hesitant with pinterest recipes because we have all spent the time and money on pinterest fails right. But when I seen this one I thought it looked pretty simple and sounded pretty darn good. So I made this the other night and I have to say it is definitely one of the better ones on there. It is so easy to make and it was so good my husband took it for lunch for 2 days in a row.





3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (1 ounce) packet Ranch dressing seasoning mix
1 cup crushed Corn flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 375° degrees F. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.
Combine the Ranch seasoning mix, the crushed Corn flakes and Parmesan cheese into a large freezer baggie.
Shake well to mix all together.
Dip each chicken breast into the melted butter, and then drop into the baggie. Seal the bag shut and then shake well to coat with the seasoning mix. After well coated lay chicken into the baking dish. Repeat with all of the chicken.
Once all chicken has been coated, sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture onto the tops of chicken.

Bake chicken for 40- 45 minutes. (Towards the last 15 minutes of cooking you may need to lay a piece of foil over the top to prevent from burning.)

Lemon Chicken with Asparagus

http://pinchofyum.com

This is a great meal that is actually easy on your waistline. It was so good I found myself wanting more, which I never have seconds. I love that it is easy to cook and yet still has an amazing flavor. (If you leave it sitting on the lemons too long it will get very lemony)




1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup whole wheat flour (all purpose will work, too)
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1 cup chopped asparagus
2 lemons, sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound until each pieces is about a ¾ of an inch thick. Place the flour and salt in a shallow dish and gently toss each chicken breast in the dish to coat. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat; add the chicken and saute for 3-5 minutes on each side, until golden brown, sprinkling each side with the lemon pepper directly in the pan.
When the chicken is cooked through, transfer to a plate. Add the lemon slices and chopped asparagus to the pan. Make sure the lemon slices are on the bottom so that they caramelize and pick up the browned bits left in the pan from the chicken and butter.
When the asparagus is done and the lemons are golden brown, add the chicken back to the pan and rearrange everything (lemons on top) so it looks nice for serving.

Croissants

The baker upstairs

Just hearing the word croissants makes me hungry. Especially knowing you can make your own and eat them fresh out of the oven. These are so good that I have made them twice this last week. They go perfect with everything... turkey dinner, soup, salad, etc.




1/3 c warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups milk, warmed (I used skim, but I'm sure it would be great with whole)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature, divided
1 large egg, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 1/2 cups flour, more or less as needed

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar. Let stand until yeast is foamy. Add sugar, milk, 5 tablespoons of butter, egg, and salt, and mix until well combined. Mix in two cups of flour. Slowly add remaining flour and mix until dough is smooth and elastic, and slightly sticky to the touch. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide into two equal sized balls. Roll each ball out into a circle and spread each with two tablespoons of butter. Cut each circle into twelve wedges (I usually use a pizza cutter to make it easier). Roll each wedge up, starting at the wider side, and place point side down on a lightly greased baking sheet (I can fit 24 rolls on a single large baking sheet.) Cover and let rise about one hour, or until doubled in size.

While the rolls are rising, preheat oven to 375. When the rolls have risen, bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush lightly with remaining butter

Baked Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs

justataste.com

Everyone is looking for healthier recipes right now, including myself. These are healthy and also very good. If you want an Asian flair without the same old meal than try it in these moist meatballs. I wouldn't add the salt it calls for in the meatballs, I did use the low sodium soy and I still think it was salty enough.

For the meatballs:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 1/2 lbs. ground chicken
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons minced scallions
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup crushed pineapple (juices drained, save juices for sauce)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the sauce:
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 500ºF. Spray a mini-muffin pan or baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir together the milk and Panko breadcrumbs and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, crushed pineapple, pepper and soaked breadcrumbs. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the meat mixture and then shape it into balls using 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat per meatball.

Place the shaped meatballs into the prepared pan and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked. While the meatballs are baking, prepare the sauce.

Make the sauce:
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, whisk together the soy sauce, water, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved fully.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with the water to make a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and simmer until it has thickened to the consistency of syrup, about 5 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the oven and transfer them into a large bowl. Pour the sauce on top and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Kelly's Notes:

The meatball mixture will be very wet while you are shaping it into balls, however the added liquid from the milk and crushed pineapple helps guarantee the meatballs will be very moist.

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

lovintheoven



You have probably tried the oreo cookies you can make with a cake mix but what about oreo cookies with oreos AND chocolate chips in them.... I got your attention right ;)

1 stick softened butter
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt*
11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.


* I would use less salt they seemed a little salty.

Restaurant style salsa

Pioneer Woman

My family is a very tight family. We love to be together. We play ball together, we watch games together, we do everything together. One thing that we love is to play games together. When we play we have to have snacks. One of our favorite snacks is SALSA!! Last Sunday my son and I decided we wanted to make salsa and we didn't have all the ingredients for our normal salsa so we looked up other recipes and came across this one. We happened to have all the ingredients for this one and so my boys and I whipped it up. It was so easy and so dang good we made another batch that same day. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
1/4 teaspoons Sugar
1/4 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
1/2 whole Lime Juice


Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Homemade bread

iheartnaptime.net


There is nothing better to come home too then the smell of bread baking in the oven. When I make bread I like to make them in huge batches. That way I can freeze the loaves and give them to my neighbors or have them to pull out on days when I don't have time to bake. This recipe freezes wonderfully then you just pull it out in the morning and allow it to rise and then bake it. You can even run errands while its rising. This recipe can also be white or wheat. I like to mix mine half and half.



2 cups warm water
2 1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
5-7 cups of bread flour, white or wheat will work too (can use more if needed)
1 Tbsp. shortening
1 Tbsp. butter (to top bread)


Place the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Pour the warm water (not too hot) over the yeast mixture and let it sit for 15-20 minutes, or until nice and bubbly.

Combine melted butter, sugar, evaporated milk and salt into a large mixing bowl. When your yeast mixture is ready add them together and mix.

If you are using a stand mixer put on your bread hook and then pour in 3 cups of flour. If not you can stir/kneed it as well. Then add in 1 cup of flour at a time and mix. When you get to 5 cups of flour in the bowl, add in 1/2 cup more of flour at a time until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides. You'll know it's ready when your fingers no longer stick to the dough.

Cover the ball of dough and sides of the bowl with shortening and cover the bowl with a warm towel. Set by the window and allow it to rise (approx 1.5 hours). When it has risen over the bowl punch it down and place on a floured service. Kneed the dough for 2-3 minutes.

Cut dough into two pieces and roll them out into a rectangle. Roll the dough up and place into 2 greased bread pans.
Let the bread rise again, and when it looks like a good loaf of bread place them in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. When the bread is done, coat the top with butter and remove onto a cooling rack.

AND HOW GOOD WOULD THIS LOOK IN THESE CUTE BOXES FROM PICK YOUR PLUM?



http://www.pickyourplum.com/cooking-up-a-storm-striped-baking-box-8-pack-group-box-baking-stripes-christmas.html

USE REFERAL NUMBER 9532215 SO THEY KNOW I SENT YOU WHEN ORDERING :)

Taco Crescent

We were visiting my mom the other day and pretty soon it was 5 o'clock which means time to start dinner. My sister and I started talking about what to make and my mom said oh we don't need to worry about it Bailey is making dinner. Bailey is my 9 year old niece. She had help cooking the meat from a grown up but otherwise she made this meal all alone. Im sure some people worry when a little kid makes food but this girl totally rocked this meal. I even had seconds! You can serve this with salad or veggies or jello. Really anything goes. Way to go Bay I am so proud of you, you are an awesome cook little lady!

1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning (or make your own like we do and use 1-2 Tbsp.)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup cheese
2 cans crescent rolls

Brown the ground beef. Drain. Stir in the taco seasoning and then add the tomato sauce. Stir in the cheese. After its all mixed well, place a heaping Tablespoon of the mixture on each crescent roll triangle. Roll the crescent roll into a traditional crescent shape. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

One Pan Chicken Burrito

http://www.number-2-pencil.com/

I hear a lot of people complain that they hate cooking. I think there are a few reasons for that. 1) they don't know what to cook 2) They try to make hard meals when life is busy and rushed. Don't take me wrong I make hard meals but I make them on the days that I have plenty of time to make them.

I have a crazy busy life ... with 4 kids all active in something or another. So I am always looking for shortcuts just like everyone else. One of the best things I ever learned was that I could take frozen chicken and put it in the crock pot with a little chicken broth and let it cook for about 4 hours and then come home to cooked chicken. I then take the chicken and cut it up or shred it and can make so many things in a short time. I know I have talked about it before but that's what I did with this one so had to remind you.



1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
1 cup of uncooked extra-long grain rice
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups of colby jack, monterey jack or cheddar cheese
kosher salt and pepper
freshly diced tomatoes
diced green onions
sour cream
guacamole

Sauté onions in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften.
Season diced chicken with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
Add chicken to pan and cook over medium high heat until chicken has started to brown.
Move chicken to one side of pan, in the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and sauté uncooked rice for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
Stir in black beans, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.
Cook about 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
Sprinkle with cheese, recover and let set for 2-3 off heat to melt cheese.
Garnish with fresh tomatoes, green onions, sour cream and guacamole

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Our Best Bites

This is the recipe that uses the leftover grilled taco chicken that my family LOVED! It is a really great soup. If you don't like lime cut back a little bit. Its not the normal meat and veggie soup so it is a great recipe to break up the norm.



Leftover grilled taco chicken
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1-2 jalapeno peppers, minced
4 (15 oz) cans chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes
1/4 c fresh lime juice (3-4 limes)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
garnishes:
crumbled cotija cheese or shredded pepper jack cheese, cilantro, advocado, lime wedges, crispy corn tortilla strips

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeno and cook a few more minutes until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings. Grate or crumble the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado, and fry the tortillas. Right before serving add lime juice, cilantro, and cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and add desired toppings.

Grilled Taco Chicken

Our Best Bites

I was going through recipe books the other day when I came across this beauty. It looked so good we made it the next day. We drove 35 minutes just to get the limes because we were so anxious to try it lol. This recipe calls for 4-8 hours to marinade but we did it overnight because I knew I wouldn't be around to make it that day. I can not tell you how good this recipe is!!! I made 12 pieces of chicken because there is a follow up recipe for the leftovers, the kids were so mad I wouldn't let them have more. This is a new favorite for sure at our house. My husband doesn't like fruits with meat so he was really hesitant about it. But it was the BOMB!!!! This chicken is definitely finger licking good :)



1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2-3 juicy limes
1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place chicken breasts in a zip top plastic bag. Squeeze lemons over chicken. Add vinegar and the minced garlic. Seal the bag and shake to distribute the marinade. (I just mixed the vinegar, lime, and garlic together and then poured it over the top).
Preheat grill to medium high heat (about 400 degrees).

Combine chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Remove chicken from bag and discard the used marinade. Rub the spices onto the chicken. Place chicken breasts on the hot grill. Grill for 7 minutes, turn, and grill for an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat to a clean plate and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.