Chicken, Rice and Cheese Grilled Burritos

Folks, you have got to make these for your family.

One thing my family loves is Mexican food, or Mexican inspired food of any kind.  I had chicken thighs on hand and was racking my brain trying to decide what to do with them.  Usually I follow a menu plan, always have, for the past almost 20 years, but since moving to Texas, we have had family dropping in on a constant basis and I've found myself flying by the seat of my pants.

I hate it.  I can't cook that way, it's just not me.

I need to go grocery shopping but I still have a bag of frozen chicken thighs in the freezer.  I wanted to use those up, plus some pantry items on hand, and so this recipe came about.

A bit of this, a bit of that and out came these Grilled Burritos which my husband and children raved about. It's been added to the list of favorites and requested to be made again, real soon.

So here we go.....oh and did I mention it's a crockpot recipe? No? Well it is, which makes it even better.

Chicken, Rice and Cheese Burritos

For the chicken:
Chicken Thighs (I used 6 big ones)
1 cup salsa (I used Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa)
1 (12 oz) jar Taco Sauce, Mild
Tortillas


For the rice:
2 cups of rice, cooked
Leftover Sauce from the chicken

Throw the chicken thighs into a crockpot, add the salsa and the taco sauce and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4.

When done, shred the chicken using two forks, and throw out the bones.

Take some of the sauce from the chicken and add it to the rice, stir well until combined.  I didn't have an exact measurement I just eyeballed it according to our taste.

In the middle of a tortilla, add some rice, top with shredded chicken, and then put on a good helping of shredded mozzarella cheese.  Roll up like a burrito and then place on a hot skillet, grilling both sides for a few minutes until nice and brown.

Toad in the Hole

No, not the toad in the hole we eat here in the USA, where you take a piece of toast and fry an egg inside.  Thought, I do love that one too.

This one is a traditional dish from England.  You all know how much I love England and anything from there, and I've wanted to make this one for quite a while.

I actually followed Claire Witt's recipe and it turned out amazing.  Big thumbs up from the whole family.

Toad in the Hole

Sausages
Olive oil
1 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
1 Egg
Salt and pepper

In an ovenproof dish, place the sausages and drizzle on some olive oil.  Should have quite a bit to cover the bottom of the dish.

Bake in a 400 degree for about 20 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the flour, milk, egg and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove the sausages from the oven, the oil should be piping hot.

Pour in the flour mixture over the sausages and pop back in the oven for another 20 minutes or so until cooked through and browned.

Serve with brown gravy and mashed potatoes.

Coconut Macaroons

So here's the deal, coconut macaroons have always been the one cookie that has done it for me.  I don't know but that one little bite of heaven has always drawn me in, much more than any other cookie, or dessert for that matter.  Unless we're talking Victoria Sponge cake which is a very high contender.

Anyway, as much as I love eating them, I have to admit that I've had a love hate relationship with making them, and I think it's due to the fact that I haven't quite found, or rather, hadn't quite found the right recipe.

I tended to always end up with a big round messy pile of half melted coconut which didn't taste bad, but wasn't exactly appealing.

A few weeks ago when I decided to bring back the blog and get back at posting recipes, I was looking through my bookmarked folder and deleting things I no longer want to try, or links to recipes I tried and didn't like etc.  I came upon this one for Coconut Macaroons and honestly my first thought was to delete it because my search for the right recipe had been so long and frustrating.

At the urging of my kids, I kept it and decided to give it one more try, I was completely determined to try it, find it yucky, delete it and never again try my hand at making these delicious little bites.

I'm so glad I didn't.....I think I finally found the Coconut Macaroon recipe for me and I hope that if you've also been on the search for the right now, this may just be it.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Coconut Macaroons

Source:  Bake it and Make it with Beth

1 14-oz bag of sweetened shredded flaked coconut
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 - 3 Tbsp. of all-purpose flour


In a large mixing bowl, mix together the coconut, condensed milk, flour, almond extract, and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Cover and put bowl in the fridge for several hours; overnight if needed.

Use a cookie dough scoop to scoop batter and then roll with your hands to form 1 1/2-inch balls. Place each ball on baking pans lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch of space in between each. If desired, add the chocolate baking discs by placing one disc flat side down on top of each coconut ball (they may flatten, but that is ok).
Preheat oven to 330 degrees. Bake for 20 - 23 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
Immediately transfer macaroons to a plate. Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip, Almond, Banana Cake

So I was looking through my refrigerator and cleaning it out in preparation for grocery shopping.  I found 4 bananas that were needing to be used up or thrown out, and I never throw anything out that I can use.

What came to mind?

Banana bread, but I didn't want to just make plain banana bread, I wanted to kick it up a little.  I've used chocolate chips before but again, I wanted to change that up some, so I grabbed a few things and got to work.  I used my Banana Bread recipe just changing it slightly by adding two different ingredients.

If you want to make this cake, follow my recipe for Good Ol' Banana Bread but add in White Chocolate Chips and some Almonds.  I didn't measure, I just poured in a bit, I would say a cup of the chocolate chips and maybe half a cup of the almonds.

Bake in a loaf pan according to the directions on the recipe.

Remove from pan and let cool, slice the loaf into thirds so you'll end up with 3 layers and let cool completely.

Sandwich them between layers of Cool Whip and dust with powdered sugar.

Your family will thank you for this.  I promise.  It is so good, and all those amazing flavors meld together to create an out of this world delicious cake.

Cream Cheese and Sweet and Chili Sauce

I'm bringing you a fun yummy, super easy appetizer or snack to serve at your next family/friend get together.

It's one of those things that you don't really realize how simple it is to get on the table, but yet when you try it, you're amazed at how yummy it is.

Really doesn't even need a recipe, persay, but nonetheless, I'm sharing it with you.

Cream Cheese and Sweet and Chili Sauce

1 package (8z) cream cheese, room temperature
Sweet and Chili Sauce (your favorite brand)

Place the cream cheese on a plate, pour on the sauce and serve with crackers. That's IT!!!

Like I said, not really much of a recipe, but just an idea for a quick snack to serve, especially good when you have unexpected guests.