Air Fryer Chicken Chimichangas

Holy moly! I didn't think I would ever get to eat these again since fired food is off the menu. Air Fryer Chimichangas are the bomb! Super easy to make. Here are some of my mods: 

1. Make double the amount of sauce when cooking the chicken - it tastes amazing poured over top of them when they come out of the air fryer. 

2. It's ok to use cream cheese if you don't have Neufchatel-it's what I did. :)

3. We had a ton of green chilis in our garden this year so I added fresh ones to the mix. Yum! The rest went into my canned tomatillo green chili recipe that I use for chicken enchiladas. [I ended up with 17 quarts!]

4. I added some shredded cheese to the tops while cooking-nice touch!

5. This works best with an upright air fryer with trays that looks like a mini oven. [Also comes with a rotisserie attachment.] Worth the extra dollars.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/278702/air-fryer-chimichangas/?fbclid=IwAR2CnzKUgy3h1YCrnGLNQZCMvg-xZBJzI5OmquljLhr-TIS4-r-EBuYiR-s

Creamy Blueberry Gelatin Dessert

I love my inventory app. It alerts me to what’s expiring in the  pantry. This week it was grape jello so I went to Pinterest for ideas. I found this classic that I can’t believe I’ve never tried! I ended up making my own blueberry pie filling with fresh blueberries (quick and worth it!). With the crushed pineapple and cream cheese/sour cream topping with walnuts-this was crazy good. I mean, I’ve never had a dessert like it. The hubby said it is now his number one dessert-knocking blueberry pie to number 2. That’s saying a lot!

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/creamy-blueberry-gelatin-salad/

Pecan Chewies

What's expiring this week? Pecans and self-rising flour. What can you do with those ingredients? Pecan blondies! Don't make these if you're trying to lose weight. The brown sugar/pecan combination is ADDICTING! It was hard not to eat a half a pan in one night. I will definitely be keeping this one in my recipe box to bring to a party. Your guests will thank you-or not if they eat too many. Haha.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/77030/pecan-chewies/

Wild Rice Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Moving forward, my blogs will be based on expiring inventory and the recipes that I find to use up those items. Wild rice and mushrooms were on the list this week. I chose to use a crockpot rather than my InstantPot because wild rice takes so long to cook at 6500 ft elevation. I ended up adding heavy whipping cream instead of the flour roux and some pepper. So, so good. :)

https://pinchofyum.com/instant-pot-wild-rice-soup

Broiled Thai Sweet Chili Salmon

I've recently started using a pantry inventory app and now know what I have and when it's set to expire. One of those items was a bottle of Thai Sweet Chili. This recipe made one of the best broiled salmons I've had in a long time. I ended up throwing some cauliflower on the pan with the salmon and using the extra sauce over the veggies, then served over a bed of rice. Yum!

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/broiled-salmon-with-thai-sweet-chili-glaze.html

 

Turkey Burgers

Leftover hamburger buns + thawed ground turkey=Turkey Burgers.

The texture is definitely not as easy to make into patties, but the egg helps keep it constituted when cooking. If you're looking for the beefy hardiness, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a healthier option that goes well with ketchup, pickles, onions, lettuce and tomato, this is an excellent alternative.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a19664658/best-turkey-burger-recipe/

Kansas Cucumber Salad

I'm feeling nostalgic for some good old-fashioned Kansas side dishes and luckily I get Taste of Home's emails periodically. I've made a couple of really good ones in the past week, so I thought I'd share.

We had some extra English Cucumbers and fresh dill from the garden. The apple cider vinegar made this a scrumptious dish. Can't wait to make it again when our garden cucumbers are ready!

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/kansas-cucumber-salad/?_cmp=holiday&_ebid=holiday5162020&_mid=345977&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b&os_ehash=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Broccoli Cualiflower Salad

I'm feeling nostalgic for some good old-fashioned Kansas side dishes and luckily I get Taste of Home's emails periodically. I've made a couple of really good ones in the past week, so I thought I'd share.

Brocolli and Cauliflower always seem to need some help and, well, bacon makes everything better!

I made a couple of changes: I added pepper, omitted the grapes and substitued green onion for red. [The original recipe from the 50's would have had raisins.]

The hubby said it's one of the best broccoli dishes he's ever had. :)

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cauliflower-broccoli-salad/?_cmp=holiday&_ebid=holiday5212020&_mid=347010&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b&os_ehash=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Brown Mushroom Gravy

On Tuesday, we had NY Strip with some corn-on-the-cob and potatoes (with Za'atar seasoning). After discovering we were out of steak sauce, the hubby requested a mushroom gravy, so I found this one--best one I've ever tried, by the way! I think the key ingredient is balsalmic vinegar. It was so good. Don't really need to say much about it other than, wow!

https://www.daringgourmet.com/best-brown-mushroom-gravy-from-scratch/

Celery Risotto with Apples and Basil

This crazy recipe was discovered when I was looking to do something with limp celery that wasn't a soup. The original recipe called for Asian Pears and Shiso, so I substituted with Apples and Basil instead. I also didn't have ricotta or Romano, so I substituted for mozzarella and grated parmesan; I also used Chardonnay rather than vermouth. This was probably one of the most bizaare but totally worth it recipes I've made in a long time. So delicious! This might be one of my staple party side dishes in the future. :)

https://food52.com/recipes/14444-celery-risotto-with-asian-pear-and-shiso

Leftover Turkey in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I tried to cook a turkey in my new CharBroil Oil-Less Turkey Fryer but the wind literally picked up when I fired it up. It didn't cook according to the timing and directions, so I might try again on a warm, windless day and post the recipe later. I ended up having to cook it some more in the oven. After all that, I had to deal with the dilemma of what to do with the leftovers. I had a bunch of mushrooms to get rid of too and so I was excited to try this in my 12" cast iron pan. It turned out delicious, however I would make a couple of modifications. Substitute some of the chicken broth for white wine and go easy on the chicken broth if using granules. The turkey was injected with a salt/syrup mix and was plenty salty. I ended up omitting the salt in the recipe and used salted butter. [I never use unsalted butter because I don't notice a difference in the food.]

https://natashaskitchen.com/leftover-turkey-creamy-mushroom-sauce/

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake

Sometimes I buy too much sour cream when the menu changes. Since I’ve been hyper vigilant about watching expiration dates, I was able to find a way to repurpose some. I had heard or sour cream chocolate cake before but never seemed to make time to bake it. At first I just googled “sour cream desserts” and then found this recipe (5 ⭐️ reviews)! Both the cake and frosting were de-licious, maybe too good. Hard to stay away from this one, especially when there’s extra milk in the fridge. Definitely a keeper-and high altitude friendly.

https://lilluna.com/moist-sour-cream-chocolate-cake/

Hot Dog Bun Croutons

In these uncertain times, I’m trying not to throw anything away. I can’t believe I never thought to make these from leftover buns. They’re the perfect consistency! They’re a little sweeter than regular bread but I’m really happy with the recipe I found. Next time maybe I’ll try making my own brats instead :)

https://www.savoryexperiments.com/hot-dog-bun-homemade-croutons/

Dutch Oven Ham

I forgot to take a picture of my dutch oven on Easter but I wanted to share this link and picture of the ham I fixed. [We used to raise pigs-I managed to keep a few hams in our freezer and used fresh pineapple for the glaze. I put it all in the Dutch oven for 1.5 hrs] Omg! It was the best ham I’ve ever had. Also had au gratin potatoes in the 10” but didn’t really like the recipe...maybe next time I’ll share.

https://temeculablogs.com/dutch-oven-ham/

The pineapple glaze is from an old Betty Crocker cookbook of my mother’s. (the best!)

Cabbage Rolls

I had an excess of cabbage this week so I decided to try cabbage rolls for the first time. The hubby was blown away by how delicious they are. However, some lessons learned - They blew up like ballons in the oven, so, apparently, I shouldn't have rolled them so air-tight. I will probably poke a hole in the tops next time. Secondly, they weren't very tender. I will probably do the crockpot rather than oven method next time or boil the cabbage longer. Otherwise, I have a feeling I will be making these quite often. Next time I might add in some sausage with the beef.

https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/stuffed-cabbage-rolls/

2 Ingredient Chocolate Cola Cake

Ok-I finally decided to try this recipe. This Coronavirus has me taking a thorough and creative look at my pantry. I had a chocolate cake mix I needed to use and a couple mini cans of Coke I’ll never drink. I looked up recipes and reviews and decided to go for it. Now-it’s technically a 3 ingredient cake because, according to the reviews, adding the eggs gives it structure (definitely true). The cake turned out great even at 6400 ft elevation. But-don’t stop there. By itself, the cake is “meh”. But add homemade chocolate frosting-wowsers! [Be sure to sift the frosting ingredients].

The recipe is literally a box cake, 12oz of cola (or diet) and 3 eggs. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Here is the link to the chocolate frosting. [I used Hershey’s Dark cocoa]

https://images.media-allrecipes.com/userphotos/720x405/7818822.jpg

Zucchini Crust Pizza

I know I've posted something similar in the past, but this one is definitely a keeper especially with the need to conserve flour lately. It's also Keto friendly, but I ended up using 1/2 cup of regular flour because I didn't have coconut flour (which is said to be the most absorbative to handle the wetness of zucchini). It only takes 2 cups of zucchini, but takes 3 eggs-so make sure you're willing to use up your eggs for this one. It also takes 16oz of shredded mozerella, but we are well supplied with our cheeses (did you know they freeze well?). :)  For the toppings, I actually used 3 cheese spaghetti sauce and chicken, mushroom and onion. For the crust, I also sprinkled semolina on the pan and preheated a stone pizza pan in advance. It take about an hour and 15 minutes if you follow the steps of pre-heat (30min), crust bake (20min)  then the pizza itself (20min). So worth it! Zucchini grows like wildfire here in Colorado, so I have a feeling, I'll hold on to this recipe and keep making it over and over in the next few months. [I've already made it twice in 2 weeks!]

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/zucchini-pizza-crust-recipe-low-carb/

Pistachio Pineapple Dessert

So I had Pistachio pudding that needed used up and St. Patty's day was this week, so what a perfect time to make a green dessert! I actually skipped the cookie crumble step and just made the pudding mix. The addition of pineapple, lime and cream cheese was exactly what this needed. So tangy and delicious! It was hard not to eat the entire thing in one night!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/pistachio-pineapple-dessert-1970610

Baked Corned Beef and Cabbage

Wow what a week! Coronavirus is turning everything upside down. The positive is that I've had more time to get back in the kitchen and type up the recipes I've been trying. This week was St. Patrick's day, so I managed to snag a brisket from the grocery store and cook up some corned beef and cabbage in a 13x9 pan. It was sooooo yummy! I know I have a splash of Irish in my genetics and I can't get enough potatoes and cabbage in my diet. One word of caution-don't add salt if you buy pre-seasoned corned beef. It is already plenty salty enough in the end. [I ended up having to add rice on day 2 for a Corned Beef, Cabbage and Rice stew in the crockpot-so good!] I will post the Pistachio Pineapple Dessert I made to go with it separately.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/27024/baked-corned-beef-and-cabbage/

Blueberry Apple Pie

Happy “pie” day. I actually made this one a few days ago, inspired by my trip to the Pagosa Springs  Bakery. The hubby loves blueberry and who doesn’t like apple? I also, for the first time used an old fashioned crust recipe that uses shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco). The hubby said it was the best crust he’s ever had. I’m posting the recipe I used from the internet for the basic ingredients but I made a few changes. I used one Granny Smith and one pink lady apple. I also used tapioca instead of cornstarch.

My mom was the true pie queen. Happy to bake such a delicious pie in one of her dishes. <3

Attached is my picture before we devoured it!

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sunny-anderson/simple-blueberry-apple-pie-recipe-2014863

Rigatoni Pie

The hubby bought rigatoni noodles so I decided to take this opportunity to see if Rigatoni Pie was worth the video hype. First I read a few reviews then went to YouTube and found Jeannette from Rachel Ray. She has a whole series about testing internet recipes (cauliflower grilled cheese was hilarious). Just type #jeanettedoesthiswork in the search field on YouTube and you’ll get hooked. I definitely recommend watching the Rigatoni Pie one before attempting to make it on your own.

My version: I left out the ricotta and made my meat sauce a little thinner so that the flavor got down into the pasta. I also made extra meat sauce to go with it since it’s a lot of pasta. As Jeannette said: the cheese and meat sauce are basically “pasta frosting”. Definitely agree with cooking al dente. Don’t use a 10” cheesecake pan, it’s way too big. I used a 9” cheesecake/springform and it worked great! Definitely put a cookie sheet underneath and parchment paper. It pretty much looked just like Jeannette’s including falling apart when serving, lol. I would probably serve it as a centerpiece but definitely add extra sauce when serving.

https://www.rachaelrayshow.com/rigatonipie

Nourishing Noodle Soup (Forks Over Knives)

There's a chill in the air this week so Chicken Noodle Soup sounded good Saturday night. The hubby doesn't like the traditional Reame's-style noodle or even the spaghetti-style noodle so I usually replace it with rice. This time I decided to try orzo pasta. I also like looking at other recipes for inspiration. Forks Over Knives magazine won the prize. I ended up modifying it with the following: replaced canned jackfruit with chicken (not a fan of canned ingredients); used green onions instead of chives; used orzo instead of linguine; used fresh lemon juice instead of zest. Yummo! This meal is definitely on the comfort food list without all the guilt. Super easy to make, especially if you cook the chicken in the same pot and just keep adding the ingredients over 20 minutes or so then let it cook for an hour. Can't wait for leftovers tonight. :)

https://www.forksoverknives.com/recipes/quick-easy-vegan-noodle-soup/#gs.s2mvim