Easy Peasy Chicken Tacos

This is probably the easiest recipe you'll ever make, but it's SO yummy!  Only two ingredients and dinner is ready!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

EASY PEASY CHICKEN TACOS

1 Rotisserie Chicken

1 jar of your favorite salsa

1)  Take the chicken off the chicken in bite sized pieces and place in a frying pan.

2)  Dump one jar of salsa over the chicken.

3)  Heat over low-medium heat until hot and bubbly.

4)  Serve in your favorite tortillas with your favorite toppings.

NOTES:  

~This is delicious served with my Mexican Rice recipe!

~Bigger family?  Use two chickens and two jars of salsa!

~To keep this gluten free, be sure to use corn tortillas!

Huge Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My son actually found this recipe online and I just replaced the flour with a gluten free flour blend.  They are hands down THE BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had!  Big, soft, and yes, they stay soft!!  The only bad thing is it only makes 12 cookies, so you might want to double it!  You are going to love these!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

HUGE CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

8 tablespoons salted butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cups chocolate chips

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Microwave butter 40 seconds, so it's mostly melted.

3)  Beat butter and sugars until creamy.

4)  Add vanilla and egg, beat on low until blended, don't over beat

5)  Add the flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix just until blended in.

6)  Add chocolate chips and mix in with a spoon or spatula.

7)  Make 12 large balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.

8)  Bake until puffy and dry looking, but barely brown.

NOTES:

~I always use King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour for all of my gluten free baking.

~Try to make all of your cookies about the same size so they cook evenly.

~You can make them smaller if you want more cookies from one batch, or just double the recipe for more giant cookies!

~Make sure you let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack!  When you do move them, be careful, they will be super crumbly until they cool completely!

~They don't spread hardly at all, so you can place them close together on the cookie sheet if need be.

~Do not over bake them, they should just have a tinge of brown, or be barely brown on the edges or top!

Salsa Chicken

I happened to be making this super simple and delicious recipe tonight and when I looked up the recipe on my blog, I realized that it wasn't here!  I've been making it for years!  I can't believe I never posted it!  It's super duper easy, with only 4 ingredients and it's yummy too!

I hope you and your family love it as much as I do!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

SALSA CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 teaspoons taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

 

1) Preheat oven to 375F

2) Place chicken breasts in a lightly-greased 9x13 baking dish

3) Sprinkle chicken on both sides with taco seasoning mix

4) Top each breast with salsa

5) Bake for 25-35 minutes until cooked through

6) Sprinkle evenly with cheese and continue baking for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted

NOTES:

~I like to use a Mexican shredded cheese blend, instead of cheddar

~This is delicious served with my Mexican Rice recipe!

Baked Orange Chicken

I made this the other night for the first time and it was SO yummy!!!  My pickiest eater LOVED it!!  It's absolutely delicious, with a tangy, fresh flavor!  It was great leftover too!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

BAKED ORANGE CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cups cornstarch

4 large eggs

1 cup canola oil

Orange Sauce:

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Zest of 1 orange

1)    Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2)    Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken pieces.

3)    Add chicken pieces to a gallon sized Ziploc bag (or you can use a bowl) and add the cornstarch.  Close the bag and shake to mix it together and coat the chicken pieces.

4)    Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork.

5)    Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

6)    Take a handful of cornstarch coated chicken pieces and place in the egg.  Coat both sides of each piece and place in the hot oil.  Let cook for 2-3 minutes per side.

7)    After frying, place chicken on a plate lined with a paper towel, then transfer to 9 x 13 dish.

8)    Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all chicken pieces have been browned in the oil.

9)    Combine all the ingredients for the orange sauce into a small bowl and stir with a whisk until mixed.  Pour over the chicken and stir to coat all of the chicken pieces.

10)  Bake uncovered for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes to make sure it stays coated in the sauce.

11)   Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

NOTES:

~Since many soy sauces aren't gluten free (they contain wheat), I used Liquid Aminos.

~When you fry the chicken pieces in the oil, you aren't cooking them through, you are just getting the outside brown and crispy.

~To test the oil for readiness, take a pinch of cornstarch and toss it in the oil.  If it sizzles, it's ready.

~One recipe of the sauce makes enough to coat the chicken, but it's not super saucy and there is barely enough to put on the rice.  I didn't mind it this way, but if you want extra sauce for the rice, I would double the sauce recipe.

~The recipe says to cook for an hour.  I check the chicken by cutting a piece open after 30 minutes, and it was cooked through, so I took mine out at that point.

~I used a large naval orange for the zest.  Whatever you use, just make sure you wash it before zesting!

Crispy Baked Chicken Legs

These are so easy and so delicious!!  Flavorful, crispy skin outside and tender, juicy meat inside!  Best part, kids just love eating them!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN LEGS

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds chicken legs with skin on

1)  Preheat oven to 425F.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2)  Mix spices in a small dish and set aside.

3)  Lay chicken legs on greased foil and brush each leg with olive oil.

4)  Sprinkle the seasoning mix over each leg.

5)  Bake 40-45 minutes or until browned and meat thermometer registers 165 degrees or higher.

6)  Cool for at least 10 minutes and serve with your favorite sides.

NOTES:

~I always use Kosher salt when I'm cooking.

~Sometimes I throw a little garlic powder in with the spices too.  You can change it up if you like!

Best Ever Italian Meatloaf

A friend gave me this recipe years ago (sorry it took me so long to post it) and it is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES!!!  It's so flavorful, delicious and simple to make!!  I am confident you'll love it as much as I do!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

BEST EVER ITALIAN MEATLOAF

2 large eggs

1 onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the kind with the green label)

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

For The Sauce:

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

2 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Topping:

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

1)  Preheat oven to 350F.

2)  Add the first 9 ingredients to a food processor or a good blender.  Process well for a minute or two until the mixture is smooth.

3)  Add this mixture to the meat in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and mix together thoroughly.

4)  For the sauce, just use the same food processor/blender, you don't even need to rinse it.  Add the 7 sauce ingredients to the food processor/blender and process until smooth.

5)  Pour half of the sauce into the baking dish with the meat mixture and mix well.  Press the meat out flat and pour the remaining sauce over the top, then top with the mozzarella cheese.

6)  Bake 50 minutes.

7)  Cool 10 minutes, then cut into squares and enjoy!

NOTES:

~The meat loaf will shrink up as it bakes and it will release a lot of juices.  I usually get rid of about 1/2 of the juices and keep half to pour over the pieces as you serve them.

~After storing any leftovers in the fridge, the fat will come to the top and solidify.  I discard it and just use the juice that remains underneath.

~You can leave the sugar out or add a bit more if you like it a little sweeter.

~This recipes goes well with a nice tossed salad and some garlic bread!

Tanghulu

This treat originated in China!  Believe it or not, my 13 year old son saw it on Tik Tok and was dying to try it. We did, and it was super yummy and super easy too!!  We did strawberries the first time and they were delicious.  We learned a few tricks in the process that I will share with you.  We made it again and tried cutie orange segments and grapes in addition to the strawberries.  My son loved the oranges, I thought they tasted a little weird, but weren't horrible.  The grapes were delicious and of course the strawberries are probably the favorite!  What a great crunch and so fun to eat!!

Enjoy!

Kirsten

TANGHULU

Fruit of your choosing (strawberries, grapes, orange segments)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1)  Lay out some wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Spray the paper lightly with coconut oil cooking spray.  Rub it with your hand to spread the oil out thinly and evenly, you don't want too much.  Set aside.

2) Pour the sugar and water into a small saucepan.  Do not stir it.  Just give it a little shake in the pan to combine the two slightly.

3) Put over medium heat until the mixture becomes bubbly and golden brown. DO NOT STIR!

4)  As soon as it turns golden brown, turn the heat down slightly and quickly dip your fruit and set aside on the prepared wax paper.

5) Place the tray in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes so the fruit can cool.  Then pop them in your mouth and enjoy!

NOTES:

~We used fondue forks to dip, but you could also use skewers, or even toothpicks, but be careful, you definitely don't want to get this on you!!  I wouldn't let young children dip, since the mixture is sticky and very, very hot!!

~Dip quickly so the mixture doesn't burn!

~This coats maybe 10-15 pieces, depending on the size.  Double the recipe to do more fruit!

~If you don't wait for it to brown, it won't harden, so be patient! Turning the heat up too high will only burn it, not make it go faster!

~I recommend cutting the leaves off the strawberries so you can just pop them into your mouth when they are done!  If you bite into it, the coating can easily break apart and fall off.