Baked Cinnamon Tortilla

I should start by saying that you probably already know about this. My mom has been making this for us for years, either with left over dough (she makes the best bread/roll/pizza/any-kind-of dough) or with a tortilla.

You will need:
*tortillas (as many as you want to make)
*butter/margarine
*cinnamon & sugar

You will:
*Preheat the oven or turn on the broiler (either would work).
*Butter and cinnamon&sugar the tortilla

*Put in the oven (on a pan) for 5 or so minutes (depending on how you cook it, it may take longer or a little shorter - keep an eye on it and wait for the butter to melt and for some browning around the edges)

*Take it out, let it cool just a bit, and enjoy!

Easy Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas

The other day, I made the yummy Easy Chicken Tacos. Today, using the chicken taco meat, I made....

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas!

Simply and Oh-So-Tasty!

1) Shred some cheese.
2) In a skillet, spread shredded cheese and chicken (wasn't warm, it had been in the refrigerator) on one tortilla.
3) Top with another tortilla,  and turn the burner on (med-hi).
4) Flip the quesadilla once. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn, but does get warm and crispy.
5) Remove from the skillet, cut (I used a pizza cutter), and serve!

Those steps made it sound more complicated than it is. For the chicken part of the recipe, just click on the link at the top of the post.

Blueberry Banana Cream Slushy

This recipe came from the same place as the strawberry banana slushy from the other day, but I'll give you the link to the blog anyway. I found this after I found the strawberry banana one, which I liked so much I wanted to try another. I will say that I didn't LOVE this one quite as much as the strawberry banana, but it was still quite tasty.

In a blender, blend:
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 can of diet cream soda

She also gives the option of adding sweetener, which I feel is unnecessary. BUT if you make it and it's just not doing it for you, try adding a little sweetener.

I look forward to making this more in the summer and to trying more of her slushies... she has a pretty good flavor-mixing thing going on! (and the best part is that they're super low-cal, tasty without the cost!)

Easy Chicken Tacos

The first time I ever had these chicken tacos was about a year ago (last Thanksgiving, actually), whcn my cousin made them for me. I loved them and decided that I just had to make them... it only took me a year!

This recipe was found on Pinterest (from this blog), but when I told one of my friends what I was making, she told me that she'd been making it for years and that it was wonderful! I was very excited to try it.

Here are the basics:

*6 chicken breasts
*1 packet taco seasoning
*1 jar of salsa
*Crock Pot

Seriously, that's it!

Put all together in the crock pot (I mixed the salsa and taco seasoning, but I'm not sure that you need to), and cook on high for 4-6hrs or on low for 6-8hrs.

My friend even told me that you can put the chicken in there frozen... which I did and it still worked! Here's a little photo tour of what I did:

All 3 ingredients - wowza!

Probably not the most appetizing picture, but I wanted to show that they were, in fact, very frozen when I started.

 

This is actually the next day after it was refrigerated. It looks mostly the same anyway. I'd also shredded some parts already by then.

No extra toppings, just chicken and tortilla.

I have to tell you that I've been ordering chicken tacos from Mexican restaurants for several years now, and I love them. I did not imagine that I'd be able to make them at home. These are very similar in taste, juicy, and downright fabulous.

My lovely friend also gave me some other ideas of how to use the chicken... which will be blogged very soon...

French Bread Pizza

I decided to put the Jalapeno Chicken on hold, hoping that a certain friend (you know who you are) will come make and eat it with me... but I do have a couple of other recipes for you! I'll do one today and one tomorrow.

I had the brilliant idea this evening to make french bread pizza, which I've made several times and was sure I'd blogged. When I looked back and found that I had neglected it, I decided that it was finally the time!

This is a quick and simple recipe that can be easily tailored to different tastes. This makes it fantastic (and fun) to make with friends, but also good for just one or two because you only have to make as much as you'll eat. I'll keep the rest of the bread around for a couple of days, and then freeze it for later use. I've found that bread freezes and recovers pretty well - especially when toasted (or baked).

Start to finish (including clean up), this took me about 20 minutes.

First, I should admit that I love the salad bar at my local grocery store... not so much for the salads (they're good too), but for the already chopped, fresh veggies. I use them for stir-fry meals and pretty much any recipe that does not involve using a whole vegetable (bell pepper, broccoli, etc). Today, I even found a few pepperoni in there - which I was wanting, but not wanting to buy an entire package of 100 (or whatever a package of pepperoni contains). This in inexpensive and cuts down on prep time and waste of unused veggies (today's container cost me a whopping $0.75).

Cut your bread into manageable pieces, and then in half lengthwise. I like to cut mine into four pieces, and then make a total of 8.

I wasn't going to put a shot of this until I had it all together and ready (next picture), but in case you are under the false impression that things are neat and clean when I cook/bake, I wanted to set your mind at rest. This was today's oops!

Once all pieces are cut, you'll want to prepare each piece with as much sauce, cheese, and additional toppings as you like - this is where it's fun to let other people prepare their own. Also, I prepped these on the cutting board and then moved them to the pan for less mess. I also like to put foil down most of the time to help with cleanup... it's so much easier to throw away foil than to scrape off baked on cheese and sauce and toppings...

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20-25 minutes (I got that from somewhere on the internet... I actually baked mine for about 18 minutes, and it was fine. If you're making the whole loaf, you'd probably need the full time).

Plate and enjoy! I like to top mine with a little Parmesan Cheese and Red Pepper Flakes. And, I just like this picture. It turned out so much nicer than the others!

Strawberry Banana Slushy

Ingredients:
1c ice
1c strawberries
2 bananas
1/2 can diet 7up

Instructions: 
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend away!


This simple and tasty recipe comes from the StilettosandLegos.com

'Tis very tasty and refreshing... and it makes about 2-3 times this much. I put the leftovers in the freezer and am going to try thawing and re-blending it later.

Coming Soon... {November Edition}

Would anyone like to guess how the last two weeks have gone? They've been a little crazy, and I've barely cooked anything since my last post - sad, but true. I did, however, have enough left over from the last few recipes that I didn't have to cook for about a week. So, now that those crazy two weeks are over, and before the next crazy one begins, I'm going to do a little cooking...


The two big tries of the week are going to be:


Jalapeno Kettle Chip Crusted Chicken {thank you Pinterest} from this blog.

and

Zero Calorie Strawberry Banana Slushi from this blog {also found via Pinterest}

Have I ever told you how much I love Pinterest! While I know it's a time-sucker for most people (and for me, I'll admit it), it has been so useful to me! I get ideas for food and crafts and work that I actually use - on a regular basis! I will never use everything I pin... but it has definitely been a fantastic way to try things! :)