Easy Chicken Tacos

 

 The source for this recipe is my FAVORITE cooking experts, America's test kitchen.  I LOVE their shows, I love their explanations of why they added a certain amount of an ingredient, and all the different ways they tried it.  I love the scientific theory behind cooking they share.  I love their food and equipment reviews.  They are the best!  They really do have the best, most well developed recipes in my opinion.  I've never tried any I haven't liked.  This particular recipe was on Cook's Country, and I wouldn't have considered it had it not been from america's test kitchen.  It sounded like a weird combination.  But I am SO glad I saw that episode!  They are now our favorite tacos and Jay chooses this every time its his turn for a favorite meal. On Saturdays, our family takes turns picking a splurgy meal.  I make whatever they want, pizza, chicken nuggets, ramen noodles, whatever).  Every six weeks, when it is Jay's turn, we have this.

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp butter

1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

1/2cup orange juice (or 2 tbsp orange juice concentrate)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast

1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Salt (to taste)

Flour tortillas (we use the raw ones usually)

INSTRUCTIONS

The first thing I do is chop up my chilies.  I pull them out one by one, and scrape all of the ribs and seeds out.  Then I chop them up as small as I can, and measure them, making sure I add some of the adobo sauce as well.  While you are chopping, you can start melting the butter in the pan.  Then add the chilies and garlic and let them cook for just a minute.  Then I add the chicken and everything but the salt and cilantro and let it all cook together.  I usually make Jay and the kids pull off the cilantro leaves while I am cooking it, and we add it in whenever they finish.  I add the salt at the end.  I don't know why, that is how they did it, so I copied.  This recipe is done when all of the liquid is cooked out.  I don't like to pour off any flavor, and usually, by the time the water cooks out the chicken is falling apart and perfect.  A couple of times when it has excess water, I have poured some of it into a little sauce pan and let that reduce while I'm reducing the sauce in the chicken.  If you don't multiply the recipe, you shouldn't have as much problem with too much liquid anyway.  I have tripled or quadrupled the recipe for a crowd, or just when Jay wants to eat leftovers for days!  Part of my problem with excess water is also because I always forget to thaw my chicken and it always goes into the pan partially or completely frozen.  When the chicken is cooked, I use a star chopper from pampered chef to chop it up.  This is one of my favorite things they sell by the way!  It is a black stirring instrument.  If  you look at it from the bottom, it looks like an asterisk.  I use it to chop up spaghetti or ramen for my kids, or hamburger meat, and for these and my southwestern egg rolls it does a great job of both chopping it up and mixing it together.  ( I think it is actually called mix and chop...)

Just an fyi, this is not the exact recipe they have.  We've added extra chipotle chilies over time, we add all of the cilantro at once during the cooking time...  If you want their original recipe, just google cooks country easy chicken tacos.  Tons of people have posted it on blogs.  (In fact, any ATK recipes you want, this is the best way to get them off season.  They let you have their current season of recipes, but make you pay for a membership to see all of their recipes.  Any time I can't access one, I just google it and have always been able to find them.)  Of course I do try to support them financially when I can!  I watch their show, and buy some of their books :).

Crock pot pork chops, potatoes, and onions

I "slow cooker chops" from allrecipes as a starting point for this recipe.  (Allrecipes is almost always my starting place when looking for ideas to use what I have on hand, or looking for a specific type of recipe.  I love the reviews!  They really help you fine tune your recipe.)  I usually use 6-7 chops and 6-7 potatoes.  But I have doubled this recipe in my lg 7 qt crock pot using at least 15 potatoes and 14 chops.  I filled it right to the top layering 1/2 of the potatoes and chops and then the other half.  And it still worked great!  (By the way, when smith's puts their whole pork loin on sale, that is a perfect chance to make your own boneless pork chops.  I just slice the whole thing up and freeze them in the portion sizes I want.  Thanks must go to my sister Candice, for sharing this idea with me.  Thanks Candy!)
So here goes!

Ingredients
6-8 potatoes (8 if they are small)
6 pork chops
1 large onion
2 cans of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
tony chacherie's and onion powder, any seasoning you usually use when cooking meat.

First, you season your chops and start to brown them at medium heat on the stove.  (I use a deeper pan, but whatever
works for you is fine)  I sprinkle them pretty generously on both sides with tony chacheries, (my favorite all purpose spice), and with a little onion powder.  While browning the meat, or just before, peel and slice your potatoes.  I have a progessive hand held slicer that I LOVE!  It isn't to expensive, just a simple tool with a handle and a slicing blade.  So they slice up thin and even in no time.  Of course you can slice them by hand, just remember, for quick cooking, the thinner the better.  I place the potatoes in the bottom of the crock and stack my chops on top.  After browning your chops, you slice the onion into thin slices and put it in your pan to brown(my slicer works great for onions too).  Onions are the star of the show in this dish.  I sometimes use two.  And if your onion isn't huge I would use two!!  If you don't like onions, you probably won't like this recipe, because it is so bland without them, and of course, being the star, they are the main flavor player here.  The onions are so much better if they get that carmelized cooked flavor and they also help you pull all of the delicious brown bits off the pan from your pork chops.  I am actually a pretty messy cook.  If I'm in a hurry, I just dump my onions on top of the chops, and they fall around them, and start cooking.  As I lift out the chops, more and more onions get brown,  I sometimes turn the heat up too much and some get a little too brown while others don't get cooked at all...It doesn't seem to matter, it always tastes good!  I'm sure a cooking expert could tell you all of the reasons that is the wrong thing to do, but it works for me!  After the onions are brown I pour them over the chops in the pan.  The last step is to pour the mushroom soup and water into the pan you cooked the onions and pork in.  I am obsessive about getting all of the good flavor out of that pan and into my crock.  You don't necessarily have to cook it, just stir it around in there and pick up all of the spices and brown stuff of the pan, then pour it into the crock. Then set it on high and cook for 3-4 hours.  (In fact, it can probably be eaten after 2/1/2, but I like it to get a little brown on the sides, kind of like when you cook it in the oven)

Homemade granola

I altered "meghan's granola" from allrecipes to come up with this.  My mom made the BEST granola when I was a kid, and this makes me think of that.  I have recently adjusted it trying to use as many natural ingredients as possible, but I used to make it with brown sugar instead of agave, fake maple syrup, and canola oil.  I have left out some of the nuts at different times, but for me the coconut and sunflower seeds are a must!  But it is easy to adjust for taste and always tastes good!

Ingredients

8 cups rolled oats (not the quick kind)

1 1/2 cups wheat germ

1 1/2 cups oat bran

1 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup finely chopped almonds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup finely chopped cashews

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup agave

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1 cup coconut oil

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.  Combine the rest in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Then pour over the dry mixture and stir to coat.  Then pour it onto two cookie sheets place in a preheated 325 degree oven.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring every ten minutes to prevent overbrowning the top.  When I used natural ingredients, it didn't get as crunchy at this amount of time, but I liked it the way it was.  You can cook it longer if you want it more crunchy, but watch it close, because it can burn quickly.  Or lower the temperature to 200 and cook for twice as long, still stirring at intervals so it won't burn.  By the way, it hardens more as it cools.  And one more tip, if you make it with real maple, you have to store it in the fridge, or it will mold.  I just poured it into an old ice cream bucket for storage.  The original recipe called for 2 cups raisins or cranberried, (added at the end after it is cool) but I left that out.  ENJOY!

German Chocolate cake mix cookies and a quicker version, German Chocolate Brownies

My grandma made german chocolate cookies when I was a teenager and I LOVED them.  The recipe died with her, but the cravings never did!  Several months ago I was determined to find the recipe so we could enjoy them again.  And thanks to the miracle of the internet, and particularly in this case to allrecipes, I think I have.  Try these, you will not be sorry!  I usually triple the batch so I can use even cans of evaporated milk.  Not to mention the fact that they go fast!  I have listed the recipe with these ratios.  It makes about 6-8 dozen cookies.

German Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
Topping:
3 cup white sugar
2 cans evaporated milk
3 squares butter
3 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 egg yolks, beaten
4 1/2 cups flaked coconut
4 1/2 cups chopped pecans
Cookie:
3 (18.25 ounce) packages German chocolate cake mix
1 cup butter, melted

In my opinion it works best to make the topping in advance.  Combine sugar, milk, butter, and egg yolks in a pan on the stove and blend them well.  Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly.  Make sure you are stirring constantly.  It doesn't have to be a fast stir, just a slow methodical movement making sure you are hitting all parts of the bottom of the pan regularly so it doesn't cook on to the pan.  It usually takes 15 to 20 minutes for this big of a batch.  After it thickens, remove from heat and add coconut and pecans.  Then get it cold in the fridge.  These cookies spread a little when cooked, even in the best of circumstances.  In my experience, they work best when cold.  So I either make sure my topping is really cold, or I put the dough in the fridge to get it cold before making the cookies.  In fact, I try to keep it in the fridge between batches.
Here goes...  Combine cake mix, either soft or melted butter, and 6 cups of your topping.  I use my cookie scoop to shape my cookies.  Then, I use a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon to make a well in the center of each cookie.  Of course if you don't mind getting messy, thumbs work great for this purpose :).  Fill well with approximately a teaspoon remaining of filling, it will stick up over the cookie.
Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for a couple minutes to set up and then move to a cooling rack.  Make sure not to overbake.  I usually pull these out just BARELY before they look done. and they finish cooking while setting up on the pan. If you're not real familiar with cookie baking, that is when they are still puffed up, and before they start to fall.  It might take a few batches to learn what point they are about to fall.  If you pull out a little too early, just leave them on the pan a little longer and they will keep cooking.  They are SO chewy and good.  They are even chewier the next day if you store them in a sealed container.

Here's a bonus short cut german chocolate brownie recipe too!  I hope it is accurate...I made them months ago and forgot to write it down at the time.
I was in a big hurry to make something for a relief society gathering I had forgotten about.  I didn't have time to do the cookies, but I whipped up a half batch of the frosting (using one can of evaporated milk) and used two large size brownie mixes (9 by 13 size) made per directions on the box, and poured in a cookie sheet.  I think I left just a little bit of the batter in the bowl for fear that it would overflow, but not much.  I poured the warm topping over the brownie batter and baked at 350.  I was afraid they would overflow the pan, but they didn't.  They did, however take longer than I planned on to cook.  Right now I can't remember for sure how long but I think it was more than half an hour (30-40?).  By the time they were done, the topping was a little brown, but they still tasted really good.  I like the cookies best, but lots of people loved the brownies and asked for the recipe, and they are much less work.

A word for the wise, do not, I repeat, DO NOT try the frosting by itself.  If you do, you might not want to leave any to fill your cookies with!  It is delicious! :)

Marshmallow frosting

I wouldn't advise this one unless you have a kitchenaid mixer or LOTS of patience!  Or come use mine! ;)

1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I started whipping my egg whites with the vanilla. (you want to get them to soft peaks).  While they whipped, I started the sugar, water, and cream of tartar on the stove.  You need to boil it till the sugar is dissolved and its all bubbly and clear.  When that is done, make sure your whites make a soft peak when you pull out your beater.  When they are there, continue to beat them while slowly drizzling sugar mixture into the bowl.  When its all in just beat it FOREVER till it is shiny white and forms a really stiff peak.  ( I think it is often called 7 minute frosting because you have to whip it that long.  I think I whipped mine longer)  It is a BEAUTIFUL glossy white frosting!  I used it to frost Kayleigh's chocolate ganache birthday cupcakes.  I used my easy accent decorator and it was so easy to manage and held up so beautifully.  I might turn the pics someday, no time tonight!  You can add food coloring or extracts too to change things up.  I wished I added 1/4 tsp of almond extract.

Sturdy Whip Cream frosting

I must thank my mother in law for this recipe.  Yummy!

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream

Whip cream cheese, sugar and vanilla till smooth.  Gradually add cream and whip to stiff peaks.  I don't know if I whipped mine quite long enough because it kind of sagged over time, but it tasted fantastic and stayed on the cupcakes so I was happy.  In fact, everyone at the party was using the extra on their fruit and whatever else they could find.  Wonderful stuff!  I used it to frost blueberry cheese cupcakes.

Blueberry Cheese Cupcakes

I made these for my sister's birthday, and I thought they worked out great!  Not to mention they tasted amazing!

1 (18.25 ounce) betty crocker cake mix white or lemon
1 pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar
1 (21 ounce) can Blueberry pie filling

I was making lots of cupcakes that day and wasn't sure what cake flavor would taste best so I did half of them lemon cake and half rainbow chip. I liked both, but I think they were best with the rainbow chip (or white).  Others who were there can also weigh in if you like!  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cake batter as directed on package and put in the fridge while you prepare the filling. 

 Mix cream cheese, egg, and sugar until well blended. Remove 3/4 cup of the pie filling and set aside for topping the cupcakes. I used my cookie scoop (1 oz size) to fill the cupcake cups uniformly.  Then I washed out the scoop and filled it about 1/2 full of cheese and put on the center of each cupcake.  Then approximately the same amount of blueberries.  Finally I topped it off with one more scoop(slightly less full) just to cover the filling.  It almost filled the cupcake cups and I was afraid they would all overflow, but it worked out just fine.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to wire racks. Cool completely. 

Frost with sturdy whip cream frosting (I used my pampered chef easy accent decorator), and top with reserved pie filling.

I made two frostings and I liked the sturdy whip cream frosting best for these cupcakes, but the marshmallow frosting was good too so I am going to post both of them.