The Flavor Book

Mini Cheesy Barbecue Meatloafs

2012-01-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

1 mini cupcake pan
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (divided)
1 cup shredded cheddar (divided)
1 pound extra lean ground beef (I use 96/4)
1/2 cup herb flavor stuffing mix ground into fine crumbs
1 teaspoon onion salt (or more depending on your tastes)
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons dried onion flake
1/4 cup egg beater or 1 egg
1/2 cup chicken stock or water (chicken stock adds more flavor)

In a large bowl, gently mix ground beef, 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup of the cheese, stuffing bread crumbs, salt and pepper, onion flake, egg, and chicken stock until barely mixed together (do not over mix or meat will become tough). If mixture is too wet, you may add more bread crumbs as needed. Fill each muffin tin a third of the way up with meatloaf mixture. It may be easier to roll them meat into little balls before placing them in the tins and then slightly smash them down. Place your thumb in the middle of each meat loaf to create a slight indent. Place about 1/2 tablespoon of bbq sauce on each meatloaf then add a sprinkle of cheese. Bake mini meatloafs at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and meat is no longer bright pink (cut into one with a knife to test). Serve with a side of homeade fried potato cakes, and salad. Enjoy! This recipe is also perfect for parties

Homeade Spicy, Creamy, Chicken Tamales

2012-01-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

2 cups masa flour
1/4 cup shortening (I use vegetable shortening)
2 cups chicken stock
1 can nacho cheese soup
1 can mild red enchilada sauce
1 tablespoon chipotle marinade
2 cups shredded mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded roasted chicken breast
12 corn husks (you can buy them dried and packaged in the hispanic food section at the grocery store)

fill a large bowl with warm water. Add corn husks and allow to soak for 30 minutes. In the meantime, in a large saucepan combine nacho cheese soup enchilada sauce, chicken stock, and chipotle marinade over medium high heat and bring to a light boil. Wisk in cheese until smooth (may take a minute of wisking). Reduce heat to low and allow to keep warm. In a large bowl, mix masa and shortening (add more shortening as needed to create a more dough-like consistency). Slowly add the soup mixture from the saucepan. The recipe calls for 1/1/2 cups. Add more or less depending on the dough (not too dry but not too wet). Add the shredded roasted chicken to the remaining sauce and add more chicken stock if the sauce is too thick. Remove corn husks from the water and towel dry. Add a heaping spoonful of masa mix to the middle of each husk and gently spread with the spoon around the husk. Place about a tablespoon of the chicken sauce mixture in the middle of the masa filled corn husk. Carefully fold the sides of the husk up and fold ther edges in to make a pocket. Place each tamale in a steamer (I put a small amount of water in a large pot and let it bowl. Then place a colander in the pot making sure it fits and the water is not touching the colander. Continue filling the husks with masa and chicken filling and place them all in the steamer. Cover them with aq damp towel and allow to steam for at least an hour or until once you peal away the corn husk, the masa is firm. Once ready, remove husk, place tamale on a plate and top with the remaining chicken sauce mixture. Enjoy!

As with all of my recipes, if anything seems confusing to you, please feel free to ask me as a comment here or on my facebook page. Thank you

Spicy Chicken Fajitas

2012-01-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow bell pepper sliced
1 red bell pepper sliced
1/2 yellow onion sliced thin
1 packet chipotle marinade
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
6 slices crispy bacon
1 cup mozzarella
sour cream for topping
avocado for topping
6-10 tortillas

Cut chicken into strips. Mix together oil, water, and chipotle seasoning in a small bowl. Add chicken to marinade and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes (you can skip the marinating process if you are in a hurry, just add marinade to chicken and cook as directed). In a large skillet or electric pan, heat oil over medium-high heat (350 degrees in electric pan) for 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir frequently until barely cooked (about 3 minutes). Add the peppers and onionsand stir well. Continue cooking on a slightly lower heat, covered for about 5 minutes. Add bacon and cheese and replace cover for another 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve in warm tortillas topped with avocado and sour cream. Enjoy!
Note: if the marinade becomes too thick during the cooking process, add water to thin it out

This recipe was inspired to me from my old job at Chili's Grill and Bar. I worked there for years and one of my favorite fajitas was very similar to these here. I will add a picture shortly. I have got to dig it up but for now I really wanted to share this great recipe.

White Chicken Chili AND Queso Blanco Nachos

2012-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

White Chicken Chili:

2 cartons of chicken stock in a box (swanson is a good brand)
1/2 packet chicken taco seasoning
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons onion salt to taste
2 cups shredded chicken breast
3 cans white cannelini beans
1/2 cup sliced white onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
Shredded cheese tortillas chips
Sliced green onion

Mix chicken stock, all seasonings, taco seasoning, beans, and chicken in a crockpot. Set heat to low for 4-5 hours. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for one minute or until oil is hot. Add smoked paprika, sliced onion, and minced garlic. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat until onions are soft. Pour entire skillet of oil, onions, and garlic into crockpot and mix in well. 30 minutes before serving, add sour cream to crockpot and wisk well. Serve with cheese, sliced green onion, and chips. Enjoy

This is one of my longest recipes but it is so so good. I have a super great left over idea with this as well. I turn it into queso blanco nachos:

1 can campbells nacho cheese soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar
Salt to taste
Left over white chicken chili
1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
1 cup shredded white cheddar
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 avocado sliced thin
dallop of sour cream

In a large skillet, wisk together nacho cheese soup and milk. Over medium high heat, allow this mixture to come to a boil. Wisk in both cheese and continue wisking until cheese is melted and mixture is thick and creamy. Add left over white chicken chili and wisk until everything is well blended. Pour bag on chips into a casserole dish or on a baking sheet. Pour the white chicken chili nacho sauce over the chips. Sprinkle the top with the remaining shredded white cheddar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream, green onions, and avocado. Enjoy!

One Easy Omelette

2012-01-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

3/4 cups of egg beaters (Or 3 eggs beaten)
1/4 teaspoon onion salt or table salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
your favorite omellete toppings (shredded cheese, onions, peppers, tomatoes, avocado)

Spray a small skillet with non stick spray. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute and add the egg. Reduce heat slightly to between medium-high and medium heat. Once edges start to firm up, take a small spatula and lift up the sides to allow the runny egg to drip down the sides. This will alow the entire egg to cook. Once most of the runny egg is cooked, gently flip the egg with a large spatula. Once egg is flipped, at the salt, pepper, and your favorite toppings. After about a minute, fold the egg in half to create the omelete "look". You may add more topping to the top for presentation. Enjoy!

Strawberry Marscapone Pancakes

2012-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

1/4 cup marscapone cheese
Krusteez pancake mix or your favorite pancake mix
strawberry syrup
fresh strawberries
powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Prepare however many pancakes you need according to the pancake mix directions. Lightly wisk in the marscapone (add a little more water as needed). Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter is barely completely melted, add 1/3 cup of pancake batter to the skillet (I can usually fit about 3-4 pancakes in skillet at a time) and slightly reduce the heat to avoid burning the butter. Once the tops are bubbly, gently flip the pancakes and cook for 1 minute. Remove pancakes from skillet. Drizzle pancakes with strawberry sauce, fresh cut strawberries, and dusted powedered sugar. For each set of pancakes you make, add more butter to the skillet as needed (often I will wipe the browned butter from the previous batch to prevent a burning taste on the next batch) Enjoy!

Ridiculously Easy Berry Preserve Tart

2012-01-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

1 premade Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
1/4 cup seedles strawberry jam
1/4 cup seedles raspberry jam
whipped topping

Pour half of the jam onto the pie crust. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until crust turns golden brown. Immediately pour remaining jam on top of the hot tart and spread evenly with a knife. Cut into pie slices or squares and top with whipped topping. Enjoy!

Honey Mustard Salmon and Herb salmon

2012-01-12T11:08:00.000-08:00

Honey Mustard Salmon:

6 oz salmon fillets (get as many as you need for the amount of people you are feeding. 6 oz is one serving)
bottle of plain honey mustard salad dressing (I prefer "Ken's" brand)
1 tablespoon honey

Place salmon fillets in a baking dish sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Mix honey with salad dressing and poor over salmon fillets. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until salmon is barely flaky and light pink in color. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. Enjoy!

Herb Salmon:

6 oz salmon fillets
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Place salmon fillets in a greased baking sheet Mix all herbs together. Top each fillet with a heaping spoonful of the herbs. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until flaky and light pink in color. Serve with a side of whole wheat cous cous and roasted asparagus with parmesan. Enjoy

Easy Homeade Cheesy Chicken Taquitos

2012-01-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 packet chipotle marinade unprepared
10 flour or corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
cooking spray
1/4 cup chicken stock or chicken base

Heat olive oil, chicken stock, and chipotle marinade in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add chicken and saute each side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove chicken and shred with two forks in a large bowl (the chicken may still be a little undercooked). Return shredded chicken to skillet and stir in pan drippings. Continue cooking on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Heat tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shredded chicken 1/3 of the way in on each tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of the shredded cheese and roll up the tortilla. Place the rolled up taquitos in a baking sheet covered with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until edges begin to crisp up. Serve with a side of seasoned rice, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!

Delicious Giveaway!

2012-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

My giveaways before were my cookie dough truffles and cookies. This time I am going a bit bolder. At 100 "likes" I will give away a $10 gift card to Target (my favorite place on earth!).
To pay homage to my main career before I had a family, the giveaway for 200 "likes" will be a $25 gift card to Chili's grill and bar. Please do what you can to spread the word!! This is a really good giveaway. Mention my page on your fb page and then let me know once you have and you will be entered into the drawing for these prizes. Thank you all!! Please "like" my facebook page Julie's Flavor Book

Fast, Easy, Healthy

2012-01-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

For the most part, this is my motto. When I was a senior in high school, my last trimester, I was able to take most of the day off. Most teenagers would probably use that time to sleep or be lazy. For me, it was my time to cook and copy the recipes from the food network. I had such a blast. I learned how to make baked fried chicken strips, pizza, pasta, and desserts. My mom and younger brother came home from school and work everyday to my new creations. They loved it. Of course the only way to learn how to be a good cook, is to fail a lot and learn from those failures. When I first got married, I was still teaching myself how to cook. I had some recipes perfected but many not so much. Oddly enough, it was my husband who taught me that a little salt never hurt anybody. I was always too afraid to season my food afraid it would be too salty. I remember the first week of being married, my manager at Chili's told me of a super impressing meal that would blow my husband's socks off. He was right! Only problem was, I had to live up to that standard with every meal which I didnt. I now have confidence in the kitchen. I have come up with all of my own recipes. I very seldom use a cookbook unless I am learning to cook something new or a friend has a really good recipe. My husband is still my food critic but for the most part, he truly enjoys my cooking. I try to make my recipes very simple. You will see very few recipes of mine longer than a page. There is nothing more confusing to me than a recipe with so many ingredients and super confusing directions. I also use a lot of healthier ingredients. I never use real eggs unless I have to. The consistency of egg beaters is so much better and it makes a major difference on the outcome of my food. I use fat free creams such as half and half, cottage cheese, and sour cream. I have also ventured into the world of whole grains and wheats. Believe it or not, the taste is very much the same yet includes so many healthy nutrients. After all, what is the point of eating a meal unless it is full of nutrients that will strengthen and fulfill your body? I also love to cook with veggiew proteins such as veggie burgers, bacon, sausage, and sirloin. The flavor is so amazing and the texture is wonderful. It is not what one would think when they hear vegetarian. I will still use lean ground beef and lean chicken from time to time but I also like to switch it up. Please enjoy the recipes I will post and feel free to comment with your own recipes and I will gladly post them for you with your name.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

2/1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or you can divide half all purpose flour and whole wheat)
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup egg beaters or 2 large eggs
3 packets high fiber brown sugar oatmeal
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cups white cane sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 package peanut butter chips
1 package milk chocolate chips

Combine salt, baking soda, flour, and oatmeal in a large bowl and set aside. In a large mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter. Once fluffy, slowly incorporate egg beaters or eggs. Once well mixed, slowly mix in flour mixture. Gently mix in peanut butter and milk chocolate chips. Drop by a large tablespoon on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes or until barely lightly golden brown. Place inside a cookie jar with a lid to keep them soft and

Lets Share!

2012-01-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

I will be adding my recipes to this blog. I would love to hear your recipes as well. I will be fixing up this blog until I have it just right and figure a way to let you add your favorite recipes. For now, you can interact on facebook at The Recipe Pot.