baked creamy chicken taquitos.

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Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos from Ashley:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice (juice from half a lime)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T chopped cilantro

2 T sliced green onions

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese

small flour or corn tortillas

salt

cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro and green onions. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly. (If you decide to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.) Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20-30 seconds). Spoon 2-3 T of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone. Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until crisp and golden. 

Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

**To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425F and bake for 20 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).

bruschetta chicken.

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Bruschetta Chicken from Ashley:

1/2 cup flour

1-2 eggs beaten

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup crushed garlic croutons

1 T butter, melted

2 large tomatoes, diced

3 T minced fresh basil

2 cloves garlic, minced (approx. 1 teaspoon)

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish. Place flour and beaten eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken into flour, then into eggs. Place into baking dish. Combine parmesan cheese, crushed croutons and melted butter then sprinkle on chicken. Loosely cover with foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through. Chop tomatoes and combine with last ingredients. Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

*note: I make the bruschetta (tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil) in a blender or immersion blender.

orange rolls.

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Orange Rolls from Brittany brought by Ashley:

1/4 cup warm water

1 pkg yeast (1 T)

1 cup scalded milk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1 egg

1 T orange rind

1 T orange juice concentrate (or juice from orange)

2 1/2 cups additional flour

Icing:

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

Approx. 3 T orange juice (I squeezed from an orange)

1 T. orange rind

smoked salmon dip.

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Smoked Salmon Dip from Ashley:

adapted from Ina Garten

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 T minced fresh dill

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 lb (4 ounces) smoked salmon, minced

Cream the cheese in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until just smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and mix. Add the smoked salmon and mix well. Chill and serve with crudités and/or crackers.

caramel apple dip.

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Caramel Apple Dip from Ashley:

1 8 oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 container caramel sauce (approx. 16 oz)
1 pkg heath bits
granny smith apples, sliced

Mix together thoroughly the cream cheese and 2 big spoonfuls of caramel sauce spread across the bottom of 4 - 1/2 pint jars or 1 glass pie plate. Spread a layer of the remaining caramel sauce as the second layer. Sprinkle heath bits on top. Chill in fridge for a couple hours. Serve with sliced apples.

lemon sour cream pound cake.

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Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake from Ashley:

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cups sour cream

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

juice and zest of one small lemon

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp milk

juice and zest from 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and lemon juice/zest. Slowly mix in the soda and flour until smooth. Pour better into a greased or parchment paper lined bread pan and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. When cake has cooled whisk together glaze ingredients and drizzle over the top.

italian meatballs.

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Italian Meatballs from Ashley:
Recipe from Gianina Bunce

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs or crushed seasoned croutons

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 pound Italian sausage

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper (I did 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper)

Parmesan cheese (I used ~ 1/4 cup)

basil and parsley (fresh or dried, 1 tsp dried/1-2T fresh)

* Jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

Place bread crumbs/crushed croutons, hamburger, sausage, and all other ingredients (except spaghetti sauce) in a larger bowl and mix  well by hand. Form into balls. I make mine somewhere between 1"-2". Place balls onto foil lined 9x13 pan. Pour sauce over meatballs, adding ~1/3 cup of water to the jar at the end to get all of the sauce out. Bake at 400* for 30 min then cover and bake another 20-30 min at 350*. 

* I usually double the recipe and freeze the uncooked meatballs that I am not using that night, leaving me with enough meatballs for 2-3 easy dinners. The frozen meatballs can be put directly into the foil lined pan and covered in sauce. They bake for the same amount of time (closer to 30 min for the second baking).