Chicken Flautas

I'm back! I've got a new recipe planned every day 'til Friday. I should have several new posts this week for you! On the menu tonight was Mexican food. I can never serve Nate enough Mexican food. I saw this idea a few weeks ago over at Lindsay's Menu and I've been thinking about them ever since. One of Nate's favorite dinners is taquitos, and these are very similar, these flautas are pan fried where my taquitos are baked. Enjoy!


Yields 14 flautas.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*
2 jalapenos
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used monterey jack)
14 small flour tortillas (I used fajita size, but next time I want smaller tortillas)
salt and pepper
vegetable oil
toothpicks
toppings/garnishes like salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, etc.

Preparations:
First you'll need to roast your jalapenos. I didn't want to fire up the grill for 2 jalapenos, so I broiled them instead. Line a baking sheet with a little tin foil and broil your jalapenos for about 2 minutes each side or until skin is charred. Remove from oven and put them in a small ziploc bag. Let them steam in the bag for a few minutes and then remove the charred flesh and then the seed. Finely chop. Add jalapenos, chicken, cheese, and salt and pepper as needed and mix. Warm tortillas so that they are pliable and easier to work with. Scoop some filling onto the bottom third of the tortillas then roll up and seal with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining tortillas. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil. Pan fry the flautas in the hot oil, rotating so that both sides get golden brown and crisp. It took me about 4 minutes per batch. Drain cooked flautas on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Serve hot with your favorite Mexican garnishes.


*This is our favorite Mexican flavored rub to use on chicken.
2 tsp. chile powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Mix all of those really well. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil on chicken breasts and then add some of the seasoning and cook your chicken. I baked mine at 400 degrees for 32 minutes, let rest for 10 minutes then shred.




I shared this recipe over at Chef in Training and Mandy's Recipe Box.

Smoky Grilled Pork Chops

We planned dinner at the last minute, but I still wanted to try something new. Nate and I jumped online to find a quick rub. I found this idea over Allrecipes. This is easy pork chop recipe and you should have everything on hand already. Now get grilling!

Ingredients:
4 pork chops, 1/2" - 3/4" thick
1 Tbsp. Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper (I used Lawry's seasoned pepper)
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring, depending on how much smoke flavor you like
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation:
In a bowl, mix together the seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, smoke flavoring, and oil until thoroughly combined. With your hands, massage the spice rub into the meat; allow to sit for 30 minutes.
Grill the chops over indirect heat until no longer pink inside, about 12 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Allow chops to stand for 10 more minutes before serving.

We Love You Grandma

We love you Grandma Durfee. Thanks for your love and example. You will be missed.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll Ups

One of Nate's favorite dinners is chicken cordon bleu. I saw this variation over at Plain Chicken and knew I had to make it for Nate. We had his two youngest siblings over today and I thought this would be a fun dinner for them too. They all enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
1 tube crescent rolls (mine had 8 in it)
mustard
swiss cheese slices
deli ham
fully cooked, frozen chicken strips

Preparation:
Separate the crescent rolls into triangles. Spread a little mustard on each then top with a half slice of swiss cheese. Then add a piece of ham. Finally add a chicken strip (I cut some of my chicken strips in half so they were a better size). Roll up the crescent and place on foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining crescent rolls. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This is one of Nate's favorite ways to eat potatoes. I don't make them very often, especially not in the heat of the summer, but we needed some comfort food today. I even upped the ante and added some bacon today. I like the potatoes nice and full, so I always make more potatoes than I end up serving. So if I'm serving four potatoes, I'll bake up six so I have lots of filling. I hope that makes sense.

Ingredients:
makes 4 servings (8 potato halves)
6 small/medium baking potatoes
milk
butter
salt
chives
pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
cooked, crumbled bacon (optional)

Preparation:
Wrap potatoes in tin foil, poke with a knife, and bake at 425 degrees for an hour or until tender.
Once potatoes are finished baking, unwrap and slice in half length-wise. Let cool on a foil lined baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the middle with a spoon. You'll want to end up with 8 halves. Peel the remaining potatoes and add them to the rest of the potato scoopings. Add some butter, milk, salt and pepper, and chives to potatoes and mash until your desired consistency. Add some shredded cheddar cheese and bacon crumbles and fold into the potatoes.
Fill potato shells with generous amounts of the mashed potato filling. Top with a little more shredded cheese and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot. Enjoy!



I shared this recipe over at Chef in Training and Mandy's Recipe Box.

Savory Grilled Chicken Marinade

I hope you have tried my savory wing recipe. If so, tonight's recipe is one I know you'll love! It is quick and easy and super tasty. You most likely have the ingredients on hand too. Nate has really been into chicken thighs lately, so that's what we used. We marinated them for about 4 hours and then grilled them up. A perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. chicken (we used thighs)
2 cups Italian dressing (we used fat free)
1/2 cup soy sauce (we used low-sodium)
1 Tbsp. lime juice

Preparation:
Whisk together dressing, soy sauce, and lime juice. Pour over chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. Grill away!

Macaroni Chicken Salad

Okay, this dish is from Zak and Domonique. They brought to a family cookout over Memorial Day weekend. Everyone liked it, especially baby Jack!

Here's what they used:
macaroni noodles
diced sweet peppers
quarter of a diced onion
diced cucumber
diced celery
ranch and mayo to taste
garlic salt
Tony Chachere's
pepper
canned or shredded chicken