Creamy Chicken Marsala

 I LOVE ordering chicken marsala out...it's one of my favorite Italian dishes despite not like mushrooms. So yes I did make this dish and yes I did NOT eat the mushrooms, but it was pretty darn near perfect of a marsala recipe that I've made.

Creamy Chicken Marsala
1 lb chicken breast, cut into cubes
10-12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup marsala cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb pasta(I used penne)
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, cook until lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

Cook pasta according to directions.

Melt 1 tbsp butter in pan, add in garlic, mushrooms, and onion. Cook for about 5-6 minutes. Add chicken back in. Combine marsala, cream, and chicken broth and add it to the pan, bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly thickened.

Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Cook until sauce has been  absorbed a bit by pasta. Add cooking water in needed. Sprinkle with paremsan cheese and season with salt and pepper if desired.

**I almost doubled the sauce mixture...but I figured it was the first time I made it so I wanted to keep it the way it was written until I knew what to change next time. I do think next time I'll double the sauce...I think it also needed to be thicker, but the flavor was SPOT on and delicious!! YUM! Even my boys liked it, which surprised me!

Grilled Chicken Tzatziki

 I'm always looking for new way to make chicken and this sounded tasty and it combined yogurt with chicken for protein packed dinner!


Grilled Chicken Tzatziki-shared from Style At Home
Marinade:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp fresh lemon juice+2 tsp lemon zest
2 tsp hot sauce
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Place all ingredients except chicken in a zip top bag. Mix together until well combined. Add in chicken and cover completely with mixture. Squeeze air out, seal, and allow to marinate for up to 4 hours.

You can then go on to grill the chicken until no longer pink. I cooked it in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 mins and then turned the broiler on for 5 mins to get the charcoal look!

Let chicken rest for about 5 mins and then slice. Serve as is. OR I took a pita, and spread on some hummus, topped it with some lettuce, and then the chicken and wrapped it up.


**This chicken was SO moist and flavorful! It was the best chicken I've had in a long time. I loved the kick the hot sauce added and the citrus tang. Definitely will be made again! YUM! Even the leftovers were still moist and flavorful!

BBQ Chicken Cheddar Braid

 This was another recipe that was pretty quick and easy to make. I can't remember where I got the recipe from, but it's not original! I also used pre-cooked chicken.

BBQ Chicken Cheddar Braid
1 recipe for pizza dough
2 cups chopped chicken
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
water
garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spread dough out into a rectangle. Along the middle of the dough spread your bbq sauce, chicken, and cheese. Cut remaining side of the dough into strips and alternate them back and forth to form a braid over the mixture. Brush with water and sprinkle on garlic salt. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

**This was almost to pretty to eat! But it was delicious!

CHicken Hummus Wraps

On my friend Lori's blog, Teacher turned mommy, she hosts Tasty Tuesday and she will share a recipe each week with her readers. This was one of them!

I altered this as I was having a very unproductive day. Lori actually slathered the chicken with hummus then grilled it, I just grilled it. So you can do it either way!

Hummus Chicken Wraps-shared from Teacher Turned Mommy
1 lb chicken
flour tortillas
romaine lettuce
your favorite hummus

Grill chicken until cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 mins. Slice.

Slather hummus on tortilla to your liking, top with lettuce and sliced chicken. Roll or fold and enjoy!

**I normally make my own hummus but we had just gotten back from vacation and it was on sale. I wasn't feeling like waiting 2 days to get it made. So I used the Red Pepper Hummus from Tribe. I love this and it might be a new go to chicken recipe! I liked how fresh and easy it was to make!

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos with Avocado and Strawberries

I stumbled upon this recipe one night and it sounded delicious! I ended up changing it around a bit as we are headed off to vacation soon and my lack of planning resulted in me not having some of the stuff on hand for the salsa. This way was delicious, but feel free to also make the salsa if you wish! I also am not a fan of chunks of avocado, so they were mashed!

I would have had more strawberries for the meal too if I didn't have 2 red faced strawberry steelers!

Crispy Margarita Chicken Tacos w/Avocado and Strawberries-adapted from How Sweet It Is
1 lb chicken tenderloins
1/3 cup white tequila(about 2 nips)
zest and juice of 3 limes,divided
2 tsp coriander, divided
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 avocado
strawberries, diced
salt and pepper
corn or flour tortillas

Mix together half of lime zest, tequila, and 1/2 the lime juice, add in chicken and allow to marinate for about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix together panko, rest of the lime zest, flour, and coriander together. Dip chicken in breading and press onto chicken to get it to stick. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 10 mins, flip and bake for another 10 mins or until cooked through.

Mash avocado and mix with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Spread onto tortillas, top with chicken and sprinkle with strawberries. Fold in half, eat and enjoy!

**These were a delicious summer time dinner!  I loved the tart of the limes with the sweetness of the strawberries along with the creaminess of the avocado. I did use corn tortillas, but next time I will fry them in a bit of oil to add in some more texture! You can follow the link to actually MAKE the salsa, I'm just not a chuck of avocado fan...or raw onions so I changed it a bit!

Creamy Italian Chicken and Orzo Skillet

I had gotten some really good deals on the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme Cream Cheese. Then I had to figure out WHAT to make with it. The first recipe I tried, I wasn't all that impressed. I then tried this one and it was DELICIOUS!

Creamy Italian Chicken and Orzo Skillet-shared from Kraft
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking creme
1-2 zucchini, sliced
1-2 tomatoes, diced(or 1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained)
2 cups cooked orzo

Place zucchini in skillet and cook for about 6-8 mins until fork tender. Add in chicken and allow to heat through. Add in cooking cream, tomatoes, and orzo. Cook until hot.

**I really liked how fast this came together especially since I already had the zucchini and chicken cooked! It was a delicious summer meal.

Coconut Chicken and Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Fries

I love anything coconut and then add in curry and I'm REALLY there! I saw these and knew I had everything on hand to make them. I was looking forward to this meal ALL week and it did NOT disappoint!

There is a recipe for the Pineapple Curry Dipping sauce also found in the link, but I decided to leave it out as I didn't think it was needed!

Coconut Chicken -shared from Cooking During Stolen Moments
1 lb chicken, cut into fingers or bite size
1/2 cup flour
salt, pepper, curry powder to taste
2 eggs
2 tsp water
1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together flour and spices, place on a plate. Beat together eggs and water in a shallow plate or bowl. Mix together coconut and panko and place that into a shallow bowl. Dredge chicken in flour, followed by the egg mixture, and finally the coconut mixture. Press this onto the chicken if needed. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown and cooked through!

**These were delicious! I love the crispy panko with the sweet coconut! I'm not usually a fan of making breaded chicken and I was thinking that as I had 2 kids running around my feet and I was covered in goo, luckily these were very much worth it!

Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Fries

I know I saw this recipe on someone's blog, but I can't remember which one. I did actually combine 2 different recipes I wanted to try.

2-3 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into fries
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp curry powder

Melt coconut oil. Stir in curry. Coat potatoes with mixture and lay on baking sheet. Cook at 400 degrees for about 20 mins. Potatoes should be soft when poked with a fork and crispy on one side.

**These were pretty delicious, but I do think they were missing something. I think next time I'll add just a little salt to the coconut/curry mixture. The coconut flavor was very subtle.

Mini Chicken Meatballs with Pasta

I didn't quite read this recipe all the way through to discover I needed chicken broth for the sauce...so I adapted it to something else! I do have to say it tasted WONDERFUL! (oh and please excuse the picture!)

Mini Chicken Meatballs with Pasta-adapted from What Megan's Making
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten*
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp ketchup
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley(I used 2 tbsp dried parsley)
1/2 lb pasta, cooked to pkg directions

*I thought the mix was a bit wet with 2 eggs in it, but they did cook up nicely and were moist.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together all the ingredients. Form into mini meatballs and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 mins until cook throughly.

Sauce/veggies
1-2 qts grape tomatoes
sliced sweet peppers(optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp tomato and basil seasoning mix(I used tastefully simple)

Place tomatoes and pepper on cookie sheet with sides. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast with meatballs until tomatoes start to pop.

Place drained pasta in large serving dish. Scrape veggies and all the juices over the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle on seasoning and stir to combine. Let sit a few minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add in meatballs.

**This was better than I thought it was going to be! It was perfectly light and flavorful! WE did cut the meatballs in half for the leftovers to help stretch them out more. The meatballs were moist and very flavorful!

Chicken Tikka Masala

On our quest to try new cuisine this was another one on my list. Once I found Garam Masala that I could afford that is! Luckily a friend also shared some of hers as I didn't buy enough at the store!

Chicken Tikka Masala-shared from Recipe Shoebox
3 chicken breast
salt
ground coriander
cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch piece ginger, microplaned
3 tbsp Garam Masala
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes OR crushed tomatoes(I used crushed)
1 tbsp sugar
chopped serrano or Jalepeno pepper(to taste)
Rice:
4 tbsp butter
2 cups basmati rice
1 tbsp tumeric
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 pkg frozen peas

Saute rice in butter until browned. Add in water, tumeric, and salt and cook as directed.(I used brown basmati so I think it took about 45 mins). When rice is done stir in the peas.

Season chicken with salt, coriander, and cumin. Dredge in yogurt. Grill until chicken is charred and cooked through. OR Cook under broiler for 5-7 mins per side. Remove from pan and chop into 1 inch cubes.

Melt butter in large pan add in onion and saute until slightly browned. Add in garlic and ginger, then add in 1 tbsp salt and 3 tbsp garam masala and if desired chopped Serrano pepper(I used a few slices of chopped jalepeno).

Next add in tomatoes and sugar. Stir and simmer for about 5 mins. Stir in the cream and chicken. Simmer for 1-2 mins. Serve tikka over the rice and with Naan Bread.

**I really loved this dish! The chicken was moist and delicious and the sauce was very flavorful..but next time ill use less jalapeños it was a bit spicy!

Chicken Pad Thai

I love Pad Thai at the local Thai place...we generally fight over who is going to order it. We like to share and try new things when we go. I even managed to get my sister to try it once and she couldn't believe how good it was! Thankfully I found this recipe so I can indulge it it much more at home! This recipe came together quick and easy, I want to say it took 30 mins to make!(Of course it helped that I had the chicken already cooked.)

Chicken Pad Thai-shared from Loving My Domestic Life
4 oz rice noodles, cooked according to the pkg
1-2 cups chopped chicken
1-2 tsp sesame oil(I tend to not like the flavor, so I went with 1 tsp)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar(I used organic cane sugar)
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
3 cups shredded cabbage(omitted b/c I didn't have any)
4 green onions, thinly sliced(omitted)
chopped salted peanuts

Heat oil in large skillet. Add in onion and cook for about 5 mins until tender. Add in garlic. Stir in beaten egg until just about cooked. Add in vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and peanut butter. Allow to cook until melted and blended together. Add in chicken, cabbage, green onions, and cooked noodles. Cook until heated through. Garnish with chopped nuts.

**This was REALLY REALLY good! The leftovers didn't last long at all! The only complaint we had was that the noodles were still a bit crunchy. I will definitely be making this again but with different noodles. I used rice threads but they didn't seem to have the same texture as the noodles used at the restaurant! Still highly recommended!

Caribbean Chicken Salad

I got a great deal on some mangoes last week and found I had some extras. I altered this salad a bit due to missing the slaw part of the recipe, but feel free to follow the link to see the WHOLE recipe!

Caribbean Chicken Salad-adapted from Acting Balanced
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1-2 tbsp mayo(depending on taste)
2 tbsp apricot preserves(I used polaner all fruit)
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped

Mix together lime juice, yogurt, mayo, and apricot preserves. Add in chicken, mango, and raisins. Mix until throughly combined. Serve in lettuce cups or over chopped romaine.

**I really liked the flavors of this and perhaps next time I'll have some mango chutney to add to it, but I do think a little curry powder would be a nice touch to the salad!

Cheesy Ranch White Chicken Chili

This recipe peaked my interest...although I am still looking for a homemade ranch seasoning, but until them I used a packet. I also adapted this to the crock pot but you can do it on the stove as well. So this came together easy and smelled delicious!

Cheesy Ranch White Chicken Chili-adapted from Siggy Spice
2 cup water
2 chicken breast
1 pkg dry ranch seasoning
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans(or 4 cups) white kidney beans(or cannelini beans),rinsed, drained
1-2 cans diced green chilis
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 cup shredded monteray jack cheese(I used colby jack)
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream(omitted to keep it thicker)

Toss everything in the slow cooker, except cheese, whipping cream, and sour cream. Stir the best you can Place on low for 7-8 hrs or high for 5 hrs.(Or until chicken is cooked through, mine was frozen when I started) Remove chicken and shred. Add back to soup. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let cheese melt for about 15 mins. Enjoy!

**We really liked this soup! It was boarding on a little salty but it was still very good! We loved the addition of ranch and made it very flavorful. Next time we will add some frozen corn to the mix! This would also work great as a vegetarian meal by leaving out the chicken and perhaps adding more beans!

Turkey Salisbury Steak and Cheesy Spinach Orzo

I really do love my Salisbury steak recipe, but I thought this sounded like a tasty twist on a classic meal. I can't say that it is "healthier" because I used the 93% lean ground turkey, but if you use all white meat it would be that much healthier.

Turkey Salisbury Steak-shared from Apples to Zucchini
1 lb(or 20 oz) ground turkey or chicken
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
3 tbsp water
1 onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, minced(omitted)
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tbsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:(this is a half recipe, still made more than I needed)
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp cornstarch
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If using ground chicken breast, make sure to grease the pan or line it with parchment paper.

Mix together the water and flax seed and set aside to get thick...I missed this step and I'm not sure what its actually supposed to do, so you don't have to.

Mix all the ingredients together until fully mixed in. Form into thin patties and place in a 9x13 pan or a jelly roll type pan.(I got about 6-7 patties out of the 20 oz of meat). Bake for 20-30 mins until golden brown and firm.

While the patties are cooking, place ingredient for gravy in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and allow it to thicken. Pour over patties.

**I really liked these, almost better than the beef version! The gravy on its own wasn't anything to write home about, but with the patties it worked very well! They were very flavorful and pretty quick to make!

Cheesy Spinach Orzo-How Sweet It Is

This was originally a 3 cheese orzo, but I only used 2! It was pretty simple to make and really tasty!

1 cup orzo

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 bag baby spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/3 cup cheddar cheese(I used extra sharp)

Boil water and cook orzo according to the package directions.

Place oil oil in large frying pan and heat up. Add in onion and saute until onion is soft about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and spinach, cook until spinach wilts.(I did place a lid on this to help speed it up.) Drain pasta and add to spinach and onion. Stir in cheese until its melted.

**This was really good and its just about the only way K will eat spinach...it can't be plain spinach, at least cooked! He will do a spinach salad, and that has to be baby spinach! The boys looked at me like I had 6 heads but perhaps maybe someday they will try it! You couldn't even taste the spinach because the cheese was very flavorful!

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Smoky Maple Chipotle Chicken Tacos

We recently had the Maple Chipotle Chicken Crispers from Chili's (which by the way are EXCELLENT) and after seeing the taco recipe on another blog I thought that maybe I could replicate the recipe, but just be a little healthier.

Smoky Maple Chipotle Chicken Tacos-adapted from Eat At Home
2 cups chicken, chopped(or 2 raw chicken breast)
2 green peppers, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 maple syrup
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1  chipotle pepper, chopped fine

 Place all ingredients in slow cooker, place on low and cook for 5-6 hours. Serve in soft tortillas with cheese and lettuce.

**I did leave out some of the pepper seeds when making this. We don't like super spicy foods! This was perfectly spicy and a little sweet! The only thing I didn't like was that they were very watery...so next time I will drain the tomatoes.

South African World Cup Curry

My friend Kim, posted this recipe on her blog. She stated it was the BEST curry she has ever had, so I had to give it a try!

I won't lie, it was a bit time consuming and seemed like there were a lot of steps involved along with a lot of pots! Not quite busy mom approved...well at least with a 4 and almost 2 year old! (Kim won't like this part, but next time I will put it all into my slow cooker!)

I did use a little less meat than what it called for, but that's all I had on hand, it still made a ton of curry!

South African World Cup Curry-shared from Mac's Kitchen Adventure
3 lbs meat(I acutally used 1 lb flank steak, 2 cups chopped cooked chicken)
3 tbsp curry powder
1 onion, chopped
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chicken broth
1 granny smith apple, chopped
3 tbsp lime juice
2 inch piece, ginger, peeled
3 tbsp chutney
2 tbsp apricot preserves
2 jalapeños, chopped(with or without seeds, depends on your spice tolerance)
3 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cup seedless golden raisins

*These are the directions adapted to the slow cooker, if you want to do it the way Kim and I did it, just follow the link above!

Cover meat with curry powder. Let sit, while you heat up your pan. Brown meat and place in your slow cooker. Add in tomatoes, coconut, broth, onions, and apples.

In a food processor or blender, combine lime juice, chutney, preserves, jalapeños, ginger, and garlic. Mix until pureed well. Add into slow cooker. Add in bay leaves and raisins and stir well. Turn slow cooker on low for 4-5 hours until meat is tender.

Serve over brown rice.

**The first night I was told that it was too spicy...but I thought it was fine. It was a little, but not that bad.  The second day the spiciness wasn't as prominent. This is a very flavorful dish and delicious! Thanks for sharing Kim!

Sesame Chicken

I love trying out new Chinese recipes! This one has been on my list for a while now, it was quick and easy to make.

Sesame Chicken-Let's Dish
1 lb chicken, cubed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
dash of ground cloves
dash of ground cinnamon
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
brown rice

In a large resealable bag, combine flour with spices. Add in chicken and shake to coat the chicken. Heat oil in pan and fry chicken until browned on both sides. Place chicken on paper towels to drain.

Mix together sauce ingredients. Place peppers and onions in pan and saute for 5 mins. Place chicken back in the pan and add in sauce ingredients and cook until thickened. Stir in sesame seeds. Serve over rice.

**I really liked the flavor the chicken had, but I think next time I won't bother frying it. I didn't find that it really added to the flavor, so I will use it like a rub and brown the chicken and add in the sauce. This was really tasty and delicious!

Coconut Chicken Chili

I stumbled on this recipe while going through The Sweets Life collection of soups and stews. I LOVE coconut and looking at it the recipe it looked like a nice mix between chili and thai. It's not that pretty to look at, but it was very tasty!

Coconut Chicken Chili-shared from The Sweets Life
1-2 cups chicken, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
1 14 oz can lite unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup water
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
2 cups white beans
3 carrots, shredded
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups brown or jasmine rice

Place oil in stock pot and warm. Add in veggies and garlic, and cook for 5 mins. Stir in flour and spices. Cook for 1 min. Stir in peanut butter, coconut milk, and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in chicken and beans. Simmer for another 10 mins. Serve over rice.

**At first this recipe sounded great...then I went to make it and wasn't too sure about it. BUT once I tasted it, it was WONDERFUL! It does have a little bit of a kick, but it is mellowed out by the coconut milk. I did have to add some salt, but other than that it was fabulous! This could easily be changed to a vegetarian meal by leaving out the chicken!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup

This wasn't on the original list of food to make this week...but after my whole chicken didn't thaw in time for dinner sat, I bought some other chicken and then had quite a bit of chicken and broth to use up. I was planning on making it for my inlaws for dinner, but then those plans changed. I was thinking of also sharing it with a friend, but I'm not sure it will last that long as it was really good! I also had poor planning in that I had nothing here ready for lunch today, so its now lunch and dinner!

I did add 6 cups of chicken broth instead of the 1.5 cups the recipe called for. I had that much broth and I figured this would stretch it further!

BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup-adapted from Picky Palate
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 sweet pepper, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 bag frozen corn
1-2 cups chopped cooked chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup barley(optional)

Heat oil in pan, add in onions and peppers and cook for about 5 mins. Add in chicken, corn, broth and barley. Bring to a boil and simmer until barley is tender. Season to taste. Add in bbq sauce and cook until heated through.

**I added the barley as I felt something was missing. You could also add in some rice. My son just happened to have pulled out the barley to make a project with so I just tossed in the rest into the soup. The soup was absolutely delicious and one I will make a again. It was a great take on a chicken soup! The barley really added to the soup, at least we thought so! K really enjoyed it! This was after the barley cooked all the way through(I got sick of waiting and ate it before it was completely done) So it's a little less "soupy".

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I had some cream cheese to use up and I thought these sounded tasty! Although, mine aren't that small but it could be because I used bigger tortillas.

I did have to use regular salsa as for some reason my store had NO green salsa.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos-shared from Food, Family, and Fun
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green or red salsa
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp lime juice
1.5 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 cup shredded cheese(I used monteray jack with jalapeño)
3 tbsp chopped cilantro(omitted)
2 tbsp sliced green onions(omitted)
flour tortillas
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425
Mix together lime juice, cream cheese, spices until combined well. Stir in cheese and chicken.

Heat tortillas a couple at a time between paper towels for about 20 secs in the microwave. Place 2-3 tbsp of filling on bottom 1/3 of tortilla and roll up as tightly as you can. Place seem side down on cookie sheet. Continue until all filling is used. Make sure they are not touching each other. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 15-20 mins until golden crisp.

**We did really like these. They were perfectly crispy and not to spicy. They weren't a big hit with the kids, but anything with a touch of spice they don't like!

For 8 total taquitos-171 calories, 10g fat

Olive Garden's Chicken (Homemade) Gnocci Soup

I was out to lunch one day and tried this soup...it was AMAZING! Later that week this recipe popped up so I knew I had to try it!

This does include a recipe also for homemade gnocci, but you can buy your favorite brand!

Chicken Gnocci Soup-shared from Brenda's Canadian Kitchen
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp flour
1 onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, finely diced
1 cup carrots, shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt half and half
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chicken, chopped
1 lb gnocci*
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
pamesan cheese

Place butter and oil in large kettle and allow to melt and get warm. Add in veggie and saute for about 5 mins or until onions are translucent. Stir in flour and let cook for one min. Add in half and half, stir to combine. Add in chicken. Stir.Once mixture becomes thick add in chicken broth, once thickened again add the cooked gnocci and seasonings, continue cooking until heated through. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cook gnocci according the package or recipe directions.

**This soup was REALLY good! K went back for seconds, but I honestly can't remember how it compares to OG's but it is still very tasty!

Homemade Gnocci(via Foodnetwork)

This might sound hard, but they actually are not! The most time consuming part is "shaping" them, which I attempted, but then I figured they are going in the soup so I didn't really care about the shape. It also would have helped if I had the right kind of fork clean!

I did have to add some water to get my dough to form, although the recipe DID not call for water. I was mixing it and basically just had crumbs, so if this happens add just enough water to form a soft dough. I baked my potatoes so that may have been where I had trouble, less moisture was in them.

4 potaoes, cooked(recipes said to boil them)

1 1/4 cups flour plus 2 tbsp

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp fine salt

dash or two of nutmeg

pepper

water if needed

Run potatoes through a ricer. Or grate on the finest tooth on a box grater. Add in rest of the ingredients and lightly stir to form a soft dough. DO NOT over mix as this will make them tough.

Divide dough into six pieces. Roll dough into 3/4" width snake. Cut into pieces about 3/4" big. *Leave as is...or place a large salad fork at a 45 degree angel. Holding the dough with the finger and thumb gently push the dough over the back of the fork and down. This should cause the dough to have lines and a little divot on the other side.

Place on cookie sheet and continue until all dough is complete. Place in fridge and allow to rest for at least an hour or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook, bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt water.  Place gnocci in boiling water and let cook 1-2 mins or until they rise to the top. Remove and drain excess water. Do not over cook gnocci as it will cause them to get tough.

**Considering this was the first time I've made them they were pretty good! The salted water is a plus and the nutmeg made them delicious!