Hawaiian Haystacks

INGREDIENTS
Coconut Rice
2 cans reduced fat coconut milk
2 cans* jasmine rice
*use the coconut milk cans to measure rice

Chicken Gravy
1 can coconut milk, divided
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded chicken**
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup whole milk

Toppings

Pineapple tidbits
Sliced black olives
Crunchy chow mein noodles
Shredded coconut
Slivered almonds
Shredded cheese
Shredded carrots

Mandarin orange segments
Frozen green pees, thawed
Diced bell peppers, green, red
Diced tomatoes
Diced green onions
Diced celery

**Make this as easy or involved as you like. Rotisserie chicken is delicious, and so is frozen chicken made in the instant pot and shredded. I guess you could even go the canned chicken route.

DIRECTIONS

In your rice maker, combine jasmine rice and coconut milk, and cook according to package directions. The rice will be moist, and has the potential to burn on the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 can coconut milk and sour cream. Whisk until combined and then set aside.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter.

Add the garlic, continually moving garlic around until lightly browned. Add flour, and whisk in the pan for 1-2 minutes. The longer you cook this portion, the more flavor you will impart on your gravy.

Add salt, black pepper, and onion powder, milk, and half of the coconut milk.

Whisk until combined, and bring to a simmer.

Cook until gravy starts to thicken up, about 2-3 minutes.

Whisk in remaining coconut milk, and the sour cream.

Add chicken, and stir until the gravy has warmed through.

Place all of your toppings in individual bowls, or in rows on a sheet pan for people to pick their own toppings.

To Serve:

Bed of coconut rice, top with chicken gravy and pile toppings as high as your tummy will let you.

Creamy Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

INGREDIENTS
3 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
2 large eggs
8 ounces evaporated milk
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese
8 ounces Medium Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard.

In a large pot, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot, and over low heat melt in the butter, toss to coat.

Stir egg/milk mixture into the pasta, and add the cheese.

Over low heat, continue to stir for 3-5 minutes, or until creamy.

Enjoy!

You know when the craving for a pot of creamy macaroni and cheese hits, and you're out of the boxed stuff, but you're also going to die before you can whip some homemade goodness up AND pull it out of the oven? Well, that was last Sunday at our home. Everyone was hankering for some hot mac'n'cheese, and none of us wanted to deal with the hassle of a baked mac'n'cheese, but we also didn't have any of the boxed stuff and by the time we got back from the store, even that would have been too long of a wait. So while at the store, I told my sister to throw 3 cups of macaroni in some boiling water, and we would figure it out when we got home. My niece grabbed 8 ounces of cheddar, and 8 ounces of monterey jack when she ran into the store, and we made adjustments based on what we had. I added more evaporated milk, used all the cheese that she bought, the only hot sauce we had was sriracha, and it got doubled because I didn't know how to open it. My niece who hates mac'n'cheese freaking loved this, and it was so easy that it will for sure be how we get our mac'n'cheese on from now on.

I think you could use just about any combination of cheese your heart desires.
This recipe could easily be gluten free if you used a GF pasta.

Homemade Crunchy Taco Skillet

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

INGREDIENTS
1lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion, frozen
1 good sized jalepeño*
1 taco seasoning packet
1 cup salsa
1 32 oz box chicken stock**
1 cup long grain white rice
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 1/2 cups sweet corn, frozen
1 cup shredded cheese

Corn tortilla chips to crunch on top

DIRECTIONS
Brown ground beef with onion and jalapeño in a large skillet over medium-high heat. If using a fattier burger, drain then return to skillet.
Add taco seasoning, salsa, chicken broth, and rice and stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a boil, cover with lid and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in corn and black beans until warmed through, remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
Place lid back on the skillet then let sit for 5 minutes before serving with toppings.

Okay friends. I first made this recipe for my family FIVE YEARS AGO. And it has become a family favorite, and has made at least two appearances on the table every month since. We've made even more modifications to the original recipe that I posted, and to be honest, the original doesn't even compare. We've upped the convenience by using frozen diced onions and frozen sweet corn. The frozen sweet corn is necessary because it completely changes the meal. We also just increased the salsa to a full cup because no one wants to wash a second measuring cup.

Seriously y'all. This recipe is the real deal. It's even requested as special birthday meals, because the kids have grown up loving this! We're love it as is, but you can definitely top it with whatever your heart fancies. Make this! Your family will not be disappointed.

*For a milder crunchy taco helper, remove rib and seeds from inside of the jalapeño.
**You can totally sub half of this for water, but if I am opening a box of chicken stock, I'm just going to throw the entire thing in. I will forget the other half of the box and it will go to waste. That's just the type of person I am.

Chicken in a Pan

recipe from The Morris Family
INGREDIENTS
5-6 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup apple juice
1 box stove top stuffing
3/4 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a medium bowl, mix cream of chicken soup with apple juice until well blended. Set aside.

Layout chicken breasts evenly in a 9x13" baking dish. Top with cheese, and then with soup-juice mixture. Spread the dry stuffing mix evenly over the top, then top with melted butter.

Baked covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

I grew up a home where we never ate casseroles… like, ever. So just the idea of all that cheese, and butter and the cream of whatever soups would gross me out like there is no tomorrow. And it still does, so when my friend, Karli was talking about this recipe, which her family affectionately calls, "Chicken in a Pan" I was thoroughly disgusted by it. Thankfully, Karli is as determined as they come, and let me know that the next time her family has it, I WILL be over for dinner, and if she has to, she WILL forcefully feed me this dish. So when the time came for me to come over, I was hesitant, but from the first bite, the to last bite of my second serving, I was in Mormon-Relief-Society-Arms Heaven. Seriously, this dish is SO good, it has me converted to the gospel of casserole dishes.

Tortilla Chicken Soup

INGREDIENTS
1tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, small dice
1 tsp minced garlic
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 23-oz box chicken stock
2 cups water
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn
1.5 lbs shredded chicken*
1 16-oz tub of sour cream
Shredded colby-jack cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

Sauté diced onion in canola oil over medium high until fragrant, add minced garlic and continue to sauté until onions are translucent. Add crushed tomatoes, and spices. Stir continuously while cooking for at least a minute. Add chicken stock, water, black beans, corn and shredded chicken. Bring to a boil for one minute, then turn heat down allowing soup to simmer for at least 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add sour cream, and stir until sour cream is fully blended into the soup.
Serve with crushed tortilla chips and colby-jack cheese, and enjoy!

For my shredded chicken, I cooked up some boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a tiny bit of canola oil in the pot I was going to cook the soup in. Threw them into my KitchenAid Stand Mixer with the paddle attachment and shredded the cooked chicken at the #2 setting. Perfectly shredded chicken without having the sit with a couple of forks shredding for forever!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Cheesy Croutons

adapted from Kitchen Confidence by Kelsey Nixon

INGREDIENTS
SOUP
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano whole plum tomatoes
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons basil
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
CROUTONS
1 loaf of day old french bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS
SOUP
In a large sauce pan, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, and sugar. Use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Purée soup with either an immersion blender or in batches using a blender. Stir in the cream. Bring soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

CROUTONS
Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Toss bread cubes in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Spread evenly onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes until croutons start to become light golden brown.

After ten minutes, sprinkle cheese over croutons, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven.

Serve soup with croutons, and enjoy!

100 Billion Dollar Spaghetti

adapted from being grown up

INGREDIENTS:

1-16 oz pkg spaghetti

1 lb of ground beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
8 oz of cream cheese
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 lb low fat cottage cheese

1 large egg

2 cups grated mozzarella, divided
1/2 stick butter, sliced into pats


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Boil your spaghetti noodles until al dente (firm). Drain and set aside until ready to assemble.
Combine the cream cheese, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, egg and 3/4 cup mozarella until well blended.
Brown your hamburger, drain well. Combine the hamburger with your spaghetti sauce.

Assemble:

On the bottom of your 13x9" pan, place half of the pats of butter. Add half of the cooked spaghetti.

Top spaghetti with cheese mixture. Add remaining spaghetti, and pats of butter.

Top spaghetti with sauce. Place pan in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, remove from oven and top with remaining cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, let cool, and then serve!

I was going to make some crunchy taco hamburger helper, but my niece and nephew ate all of the chips while I was at church. Soooo, I had to find something else to make for dinner. Lasagna sounded good, but I am a lazy soul, and looking for lasagna noodles did not sound fun. SO, I hopped on Pinterest, and my favorite (this is what I literally call her because I can never remember her name) had pinned a recipe for million dollar spaghetti, and I decided to give it a try.

Unfortunately, I didn't have sour cream, but I did have greek yogurt, so in it went. I added an egg, because I like things to really set up,  and I am so glad that I did. It cuts into beautiful squares once cooled. So it ends up pretty AND delicious. Since I made a lot of adjustments, I decided to dub this 100 Billion Dollar Spaghetti.

Tequila Lime Chicken

adapted from The Pioneer Woman on FoodNetwork

INGREDIENTS
4 limes
Zest of two limes
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño, sliced
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
12 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups grated Monterey Jack

DIRECTIONS
Slice open the limes and squeeze the juice into a food processor or blender. Add the tequila, olive oil, salt, garlic, jalapenos, lime zest, and cilantro. Blend the mixture until totally combined. Add the chicken to a large plastic bag and pour in the lime-tequila mixture. Seal the bag and marinate in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the bag and grill it over medium-high heat. Rotate the chicken 45-degrees on both sides to create nice grill marks, and continue grilling until the chicken is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Melt the Monterey Jack over the top of the chicken breasts.

I watched this episode of The Pioneer Woman, and knew that I had to make this chicken. How can you go wrong with tequila, limes, jalapeños, and cheese? Well friendos, you can't because this chicken is amazeballs. I'm like 99% sure that the tequila made all the difference. Because I have a crazy love affair with limes, I decided to add lime zest to the recipe, to give it just a little bit more intense lime flavor. I served it with black beans, spanish rice, and corn tortillas. My entire family loved it, which is a rare, so you should definitely add this to your recipe list!

Pasta with Spinach Sauce

adapted from recipe by Giada De Laurentis, The Food Network
Ingredients
1 pound whole wheat or multi grain pasta
3 garlic cloves
3 wedges Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Wedges

1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Stirring occasionally.

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss Wedges, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.