Have you ever noticed how almost every single party dish revolves around cheese?? Dips, cheese balls, cheese logs, pinwheels….it seems almost every single holiday recipe starts with an 8 ounce package of cream cheese. Not that I’m complaining! However, since learning of my lactose intolerance (and my mom’s, and possibly my sister’s), I tend to pay more attention to these things nowadays. I try to cut down on the amount of cheese dishes I make when I host parties. Goat cheese doesn’t count, thank the Good Lord (I’m not affected by goat’s milk, just cow’s milk), so there’s ALWAYS plenty of that! 
So, this year, instead of a cheese ball (or two) and a couple of cheesy dips, I chose only one cheesy dish. This Baked Pimento Cheese Dip. Josie debuted it first, then Annie. After drooling over it on both girls’ blogs, I finally decided it was time to make it! Perfect party food, easy to make, and definitely a crowd-pleaser. What more could you ask for?
Baked Tex-Mex Pimiento Cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup greek yogurt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature (reduced fat is fine)
3/4 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped finely
8 oz extra sharp cheddar, grated (about 2 cups)
8 oz Pepperjack cheese, grated
1/3 cup minced scallion (2-3 scallions)
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
tortilla chips, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the dip, reserving 1 tablespoon of each cheese for topping. Mix well and spoon mixture into the baking dish.
Top with the reserved cheese and bake 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Garnish with additional cilantro, and serve with tortilla chips.
Recipe source: adapted from Pink Parsley; originally from Southern Living
How was everyone’s Thanksgiving? Ours was wonderful- Cassidy seemed to really love Thanksgiving food, which made mommy proud. We’ve been eating nothing but leftovers lately, which is awesome, but I’m ready for some different flavors now (I think it’s probably a good idea to lay off the pie for awhile, too). 
When I saw a recipe for Mexican quinoa on Annie’s blog, I immediately added the idea to my short list. So glad I did- this exceeded my expectations big time! I really love quinoa any way I can get it, but the addition of chicken, tomatoes, and Mexican spices just puts it over the top.
If you’re feeling hesitant about this recipe, just go for it! Trust me, you’ll love it! Quinoa might sound intimidating and weird, but it’s really not- it’s easy as can be and super yummy! Give this one a try- you’re Thanksgiving-overloaded taste buds will thank you!
Mexican Quinoa with Chicken
1 cup quinoa, thoroughly rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
half an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can rotel tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chiles)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, fully cooked and shredded
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
juice from half a lime
shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for garnish
In a large pot, sauté onion in the olive oil until translucent; about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Add water, quinoa, salt, and spices and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook for 20-25 minutes, until water is absorbed. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chicken, and lime juice. Top with cheese and sour cream if desired. Serves 2.
Recipe source: heavily adapted from Annie’s Eats; originally from Peanut Butter Runner
Happy May, y’all! It’s going to be a good month, I can just feel it! It started off especially awesome since Cassidy slept until 9:30 this morning! Hallelujah! AND, Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, so you know what that means- Mexican food and margaritas all around! Yee haw! Speaking of Mexican food- Joel and I made these amazing mushroom fajitas Saturday and BOY, were they good! I’m kind of obsessed with mushrooms, so the idea of a fajita centered entirely around garlicky grilled portobello mushrooms is fantastic in my book! I marinated the mushrooms in a garlic/lime juice/oil mixture and Joel grilled them; then we topped it with pepper jack cheese and grilled onions and peppers. Served alongside my grilled corn salad (always a favorite!), this was one amazing meal!
Mushroom Fajitas
2 portobello mushrooms; stems removed and sliced into thick slices
1 red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
juice of 2 limes
salt
cilantro
shredded pepper jack cheese
4 corn tortillas
Combine the garlic, oil and lime juice in a small bowl and toss with the mushrooms to coat. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and grill mushrooms over medium-high heat until soft, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Grill onions and peppers about 10 minutes until soft. Top the corn tortillas with the mushrooms, vegetables, cheese and cilantro. Squeeze over additional lime juice if desired. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
I can easily say this is hands down, the BEST meal we’ve had in a long time! In fact, there are leftovers in the fridge and I can’t stop thinking about them! I dreamed up these tacos when I discovered chicken breasts and a couple of chiles in adobo stashed in my freezer. I had no idea they’d turn out this good. All it took was a brief description to my mom and she was off to the store to get all the ingredients! Spicy, moist chicken topped with a cool, creamy, smoky yogurt sauce…oh man, I’m getting so excited just thinking about it! You MUST make these tacos. You MUST.
Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Cream
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 chiles in adobo, whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lime
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
handful cilantro, stems and all (don’t chop it)
1/2 cup water
flour tortillas
avocado for serving
Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chiles and set aside (you’ll need them for the chipotle cream). Remove the stems of cilantro and discard. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Spoon into flour tortillas and top with chipotle cream and avocado. Serves 4.
Chipotle Cream
3/4 cup reduced fat Greek yogurt
reserved chipotle chiles from the chicken mixture, seeds removed and finely diced (at this point, they’ll almost be mush after cooking for so long; all you’ll need to do is mash them up a little)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
*If you don’t want your sauce too spicy (those chiles are hot!), you don’t have to use the chiles at all- you can just spoon in a little of the adobo sauce from the can instead. You’ll still get that awesome smoky flavor without all the heat.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
This is one of those last minute, throw together meals that just happened to turn out to be a huge success (even if it doesn’t look all that appetizing). I had a can of black beans, a jar of salsa, some flour tortillas and cheese just sitting around waiting to be used, so I whipped up these super quick Mexican pizzas. They were excellent as is, but some shredded chicken or ground beef, cilantro, green onions and fresh tomatoes would have really made it awesome! I’m definitely going to play around with these again and see what yummy versions I can come up with!
Mexican Pizzas
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 flour tortillas
approximately 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or as much as you’d like)
1 cup salsa
salt and pepper
sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the tortillas with butter or olive oil spray and bake for about 3-5 minutes on each side until golden and crisp.
In a small saucepan, mash the black beans with the back of a fork or a potato masher (it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth- some lumps are just fine. In fact, I prefer it that way!). Spoon in approximately 1/4 cup of the salsa, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat until heated through.
To assemble: Spread some of the beans on a tortilla. Top with salsa and cheese. Top with a second tortilla and repeat (ending with the cheese). Repeat with the remaining two tortillas (so you’ll end up with 2 pizzas). Bake for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for sloppy Tex-Mex. I love pretty much anything doused in enchilada sauce covered in cheese- it’s my weakness (well, one of ‘em). The other night I was craving Mexican food pretty bad (it happens a lot lately) and I decided to whip up these burritos. They took no time to make and tasted awesome. You’ll have to excuse the fact that I had to photograph them on a paper plate…we’ve been in the middle of having some renovations done and I packed all my dishes up temporarily. If you’re in need of a quick, delicious meal, try these burritos- they won’t disappoint!
Smothered Burritos
1 pound ground beef
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
half a (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
burrito-sized flour tortillas, warmed
shredded cheddar cheese
Garnishes:
shredded lettuce
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped green onions
sliced black olives
cilantro
avocado
Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium-high heat and drain. Stir in chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the green chiles and turn off heat; keep warm. Warm the refried beans in a small skillet over low heat.
In a saucepan, combine the tomato soup and enchilada sauce. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until heated through.
Place a warmed tortilla on a plate and spread some of the refried beans into the center; sprinkle with cheese, then spoon some of the ground beef mixture onto the center. Tuck in the ends of the tortilla and carefully fold into a burrito. Spoon some of the enchilada sauce over the burrito and top with additional cheese and garnishes. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serves 4-6
Recipe source: Adapted from allrecipes.com
As a new bride (5 years ago this month- yay!), I bought a soup cookbook from Williams-Sonoma so I could learn to make easy, delicious soups for my new husband. I bookmarked a ton of recipes from the book but this one always stood out to me; it claimed to be a 15-minute soup. Intriguing! I tried it and found that not only was it a quick and easy recipe, it was super scrumptious! Joel fell in love with it and I’ve been making it religiously for 5 years now. In fact, this was the very first recipe I ever blogged waaaay back in April 2008 (isn’t it cute? The pictures are just terrible!)! I thought I’d go ahead and re-blog it since it never really got the attention it so deserves. Joel never gets tired of it and as soon as soup season rolls around every year, Chicken Tortilla Soup is his first request! I’m happy to make it for him as often as he wants because I happen to love it too and like I said before- it’s EASY. This isn’t your typical high-fat, loaded with tons of ingredients chicken tortilla soup. It’s base is a flavor-packed broth seasoned with chili powder, cumin and lots of lime juice (my favorite part!), and the zucchini is an authentic addition suggested by my friend Amanda’s mother. It’s simple, full of tons of great flavor and extremely satisfying!
Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (I like to roast or poach bone-in chicken breasts until tender, then shred the meat. Additionally, you could also use a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
half an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small-medium zucchinis, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
juice from 2 large limes
salt and pepper to taste
Coat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion and zucchini and sautee until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chile powder, salt and pepper and stir until fragrant. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Add the shredded chicken, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is heated through. Add the lime juice and taste for seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with and desired garnishes. Serves 4.
Garnish ideas:
crushed tortilla chips
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
sliced avocado
fresh cilantro
Recipe source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma’s Soup Made Fast
Hello friends! Guess what- I’m finally in my 2nd trimester and starting to feel a little better! I’m at 15 weeks now and the baby’s the size of a large navel orange- which means I’m starting to look….um, “plump”. Personally, I don’t really think I look pregnant- just fat. Oh well!
I made these tostadas for dinner awhile back and they tasted so good! And they’re insanely simple to make (plus, Joel grilled the chicken for me, which made it even easier)! They’re so versatile- you can use any meat you like and any toppings. A vegetarian version would be great too!
Easy Chicken Tostadas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 can refried beans
sliced black olives
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa
1 large avocado, sliced
4 flour tortillas
For the marinade:
juice of 3 large limes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the chicken and marinade in a large ziploc bag and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill chicken pieces over medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until fully cooked.
Heat the refried beans in a small pan over medium heat until hot (I like to stir in a little liquid smoke and a splash of jarred jalapeno juice to jazz it up).
Spray the tortillas with a little cooking spray and place on a baking sheet; bake for about 5 minutes, until crisp. Spread each tortilla with a thin layer of beans then top with the cheese, black olives, salsa, chicken, lettuce and avocado. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
Have I mentioned how much I love quesadillas? All you need is tortillas and cheese and you’ve got the foundation for a great weeknight dinner! This time around, I chose black beans and avocado. Black beans are so good for you and full of flavor (we love them!) and the avocado added a nice creaminess. Add in a little grated monterrey jack cheese and cilantro and you’ve got a delicious dinner! I whipped up a quick dipping sauce with ranch dressing and homemade salsa that really gave the quesadillas a nice kick. We loved this meal and I’m certain I’ll be making it again and again.
Black Bean and Avocado Quesadillas
4 large flour tortillas
1 cup grated monterrey jack cheese
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, sliced
cilantro
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two of the tortillas with the cheese, black beans, avocado and cilantro. Place the two remaining tortillas on top and bake for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Slice into quarters.
If desired, mix 1/2 cup ranch salad dressing and 1/4 cup salsa for dipping. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original
I have to confess that one of my favorite fast-food treats is Whataburger’s breakfast taquitos. Particularly the potato, egg and cheese variety. They’re huge and full of crispy tater tots, scrambled eggs and lots of cheese. LOVE it! Unfortunately, like most places, they stop serving breakfast at 11AM, so I can’t get them at dinner time (shucks, Whataburger!), so I just made my own! These were so good and a teensy bit healthier since I didn’t deep-fry my potatoes. Topped with a big spoonful of homemade salsa, these weren’t only better than Whataburger’s, they were some of the best breakfast taquitos I’ve ever had! Go me!
Potato, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Taquitos
1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
half an onion, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 tablespoon butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
2 large flour tortillas (I used the burrito size)
salsa, for serving (optional)
Put the potatoes in a pot and fill with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just beginning to soften, about 5-7 minutes. You don’t want them to cook all the way; they’ll finish cooking in the skillet. Drain and set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the potatoes, salt and pepper and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through and starting to get brown and crisp around the edges.
In a separate skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk until homogeneous. Add to the hot skillet and stir constantly, until all the eggs are scrambled. Season with salt and pepper.
To assemble: Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, until warm. Divide the eggs, potatoes and cheese between the two tortillas. Top with salsa if desired. Serves 2.
Recipe source: Sing For Your Supper original, inspired by Whataburger (thanks, Whataburger!)
