Chicken Chili Nachos

This recipe is pretty fast to prepare when I find I have extra teenagers in the house and they're really hungry.  I try to always have the ingredients available so I can throw this snack together in no time.

I found this recipe in the January/February 2006 issue of Quick Cooking magazine and it was a hit from the first time I made it, getting nothing but 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  Equal marks are given by the numerous teenagers who've feasted on these tasty nachos.

As I stated above, I like to always have all of the ingredients on hand for this dish, so sometimes I have precooked chicken instead of raw.  The method is the same except that instead of having to cook the chicken, I just cube it and heat it a bit in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.  I heat it because it's cold, having been in the refrigerator, and I find that the seasonings adhere to the meat better when it is warm.  As you can see from the picture above, I used precooked chicken this time.

Once I get the chicken going in the pan, I drain and rinse the kidney beans in a colander.

To the warmed (or cooked according to the recipe below) chicken I add the seasonings, tossing to combine.

Then I add the drained kidney beans, the chili beans with the sauce (I like to use the S&W brand chili beans with zesty sauce), and the tomatoes with green chilies, stirring to combine.

When combined, the juices are pretty thin, so I cook the mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reduces a bit and becomes much thicker.

When ready to serve, it's as easy as arranging some plain tortilla chips on a plate,

adding some of the chicken chili mixture,

and topping that with some shredded Mexican cheese blend.

My guys like the cheese completely melted, so we microwave each plate on high for about a minute to make them happy!  These nachos can be built on a large platter for a crowd.  Depending on the size of the platter, you may have to melt the cheese in the oven.  Just be careful because the platter will be hot, so use a hot mitt and protect the table you put it on!    Also, when and if there are leftovers, the chicken mixture is easily reheated for a quick lunch another day.  Enjoy!

Chicken Chili Nachos

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 can (10 oz.) Rotel tomatoes

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) chili beans in zesty sauce, undrained

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 package (13 ½ oz.) tortilla chips

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray.  Cook chicken in skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  Add tomatoes, beans and seasonings, stirring to combine; cook for 10 minutes or until juices reduce and thicken.  Arrange tortilla chips on individual plates; sprinkle with chicken mixture, top with shredded cheese.  Microwave on high for 25 – 30 seconds to melt cheese.

Liza's Cucumber & Tomato Tea Sandwiches with Pesto Cream Cheese

One of the traditional sandwiches that is served at tea parties is the cucumber and cream cheese.  I'm not a huge fan of cucumber, so I don't go out of my way to choose this particular sandwich, but will eat it if served to me.  At my favorite tea room, Belladonna's, in Lancaster, CA they serve the cucumber sandwich, but with a pesto cream cheese spread.  In my opinion, it is so much better than the original with plain cream cheese, that I decided I needed to try to replicate it.  That's how this open-faced tea sandwich was conceived.

I was hosting a tea in my home and thought this was the perfect time to attempt this savory treat.  My neighbor, Hazel, offered to help me with the food preparation, so I gave her the spreadable cream cheese and some store-bought pesto to combine for the spread.  She insisted on assembling the sandwiches, so I also gave her the bread and cucumber.  When she returned, she had a platter with the sandwiches I had envisioned, but had added a slice of tomato on top.  Needless to say, these new treats were the hit of the tea party!  I knew she had done more than just mix together the cream cheese and pesto, so I asked her what she'd done.  She said she thought the spread needed a little something more, so she added Parmesan cheese and a bit of garlic powder.  She also thought the sandwiches could use a little more color, so she added the tomato slices.  Alas, a new tea sandwich was born!  The next time, I insisted on making the spread myself, so I could take pictures for this blog, plus exact measurements to share here.

In a small bowl, I place the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, prepared pesto, and garlic powder.

Using a spoon, I mixed the ingredients together until completely combined.

Hazel came to help me just prior to this tea party, so I don't have individual pictures of each step.  I did, however, ask her to show the sandwiches in order of assembly on the front of the cutting board, so you can see how easy it is.  I like to use potato bread, so I can say this is a vegetarian sandwich!  After cutting the bread into circles using a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cucumber (I slipped the cucumber through the cookie cutter before peeling it to make sure it was the size I wanted).  On top of that, approximately 1 teaspoon of the pesto cream cheese spread gets added.  Then, after peeling and slicing the cucumber, a slice gets added.  This is followed by a slice of cherry tomato.  I try to use the center slices of the tomatoes, so they are a nice size.  I either discard the ends, or use them in something else.

That's all there is to it!  This has got to be the most simple tea sandwich I make, and yet it is now one of my favorites by flavor alone!  I have used the pesto cream cheese on foccacia bread before assembling a large sandwich for my guys and they loved it too!  I think it would be great if tossed in some hot pasta (I think I'll try that next time!).

Liza's Cucumber & Tomato Tea Sandwiches

with Pesto Cream Cheese

4 oz. spreadable cream cheese (from an 8 oz. container)

3 tablespoons prepared pesto

2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Potato bread

1 cucumber

Cherry tomatoes

In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, pesto and garlic powder.  Using a cookie cutter, cut bread slightly larger than the diameter of the cucumber.  Spread each piece of bread with pesto cream cheese. After peeling and slicing* the cucumber, add one slice to each sandwich.  After washing and slicing* the tomatoes, add one slice to the top of each sandwich.

*Once I have the bread cut, I know how many slices of cucumber and tomato I need.  Any remainder can be saved for another purpose.

Peach-Dijon Pork Chops

I try not to cook beef more than once per week, and we get tired of having chicken a lot, so I try to find really tasty ways of serving other types of meat.  These pork chops are moist and delicious and because they are grilled, they are perfect to serve on a hot summer day.  Also, they are completely ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!

This is another recipe I got from the marinades, rubs, and sauces recipe booklet I found near the checkout stand at the market.  Even though my husband isn't a big pork chop lover, he gives this recipe an 8 and my boys give it 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

I apologize, my picture of making the sauce is missing.  Basically, in a small saucepan, I combined the peach preserves, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and dried marjoram leaves, stirring to combine.  I cooked this mixture over low heat until the preserves were melted, stirring frequently.

When ready to grill, I added salt and pepper to both sides of the pork chops and placed them on a heated grill.  I covered them and cooked them over medium heat for 12 minutes, turning once during cooking.  

I then brushed the sauce on one side of the chops, covered them again and cooked for about 2 minutes.  I turned them over and repeated the process.

After removing them from the grill, I let them sit for about 5 minutes before serving so that the juice wouldn't all run out when they were cut.

What a tasty way to serve "the other white meat!"  Enjoy!

Peach-Dijon Pork Chops

½ cup peach preserves, large pieces cut up

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ teaspoon dried marjoram leaves

4 (6 oz.) pork loin chops (3/4-inch thick)

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Heat grill.  In small saucepan, combine preserves, mustard, soy sauce and marjoram; mix well.  Cook over low heat until preserves are melted, stirring frequently.

When ready to grill, sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.  Place chops on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals; cover grill.  Cook 12 to 15 minutes or until pork is no loner pink in center, turning once and brushing with preserves mixture during last 2 minutes of cooking time.

To serve, bring any remaining preserves mixture to a boil.  Serve with pork chops.

Southwestern Rub

This post is a little different from others in the past, because it is for a rub (mixture of seasonings) which can be added to chicken, pork or beef.  I primarily use it on chicken, but wanted you to know you have options!

I found this rub in a magazine containing recipes for marinades, rubs and sauces which was being sold at the check-out stand in the market.  I always grill the meat I rub it on, so this seasoning combination is perfect to use in hot weather, when I don't want to heat my kitchen by using the oven.  This rub gets mostly 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

In a small bowl, I begin by mixing all of the dry ingredients (chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne pepper).

Then, I add the vegetable oil and diced garlic, mixing until thoroughly combined.

I rub this mixture on both sides of my chicken breasts, cover them with plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  They should not be refrigerated any longer than 24 hours.

I grilled the chicken over medium heat for about 25 minutes, turning the chicken once during the cooking time.  That's all there is to it!  In order to keep the Southwestern flavor theme going with this meal, I made it this time with a Southwestern Caesar Salad and some Mission Baked Beans as side dishes.  Enjoy!

Southwestern Rub

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

Mix all ingredients.

Spread rub evenly on 1 pound boneless meat (chicken, pork, beef) or 2 ½ pounds ½-inch thick pork chops.  Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes but no longer than 24 hours.  Grill meat as desired.

Hawaiian Sausage and Rice Bake

I made this easy dish one evening this summer when it wasn't so hot that I didn't mind turning on the oven.  This dish takes a little bit of prep, but it gets assembled in the casserole dish in which it is baked, which saves me some time on clean up.  What I love most about this dish, though, is the flavor.  

I found this recipe in one of those small magazines sold near the checkout stand in the market.  This particular book contained recipes for casseroles and one-dish meals.  This dish gets all 8's on the Melnarik rating scale.

To a small saucepan, I added the water and butter.

I turned the heat on high and brought the mixture to a boil.

In the meantime, after preheating the oven to 375°F, in a 2 1/2-quart baking dish, I placed the Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice Mix (including the seasoning packet), pineapple preserves, kielbasa, onion, bell peppers, and the boiling water/butter mixture.  I apologize for not including pictures of chopping the vegetables and slicing the kielbasa.  The vegetables are standard chopping.  The kielbasa I cut horizontally, then cut into 1/4-inch slices.

Using a spoon, I stirred these ingredients until completely combined.

I then covered the casserole dish and placed it in the oven and baked it at 375°F for 45 minutes.

I removed the dish from the oven and took it directly to the table where it was ready to serve!

What Hawaiian flavored dish wouldn't be complete without a sweet Hawaiian roll on the side?  The pineapple preserves give this dish and unexpected sweetness.  Enjoy!

Hawaiian Sausage and Rice Bake

1 ¼ cups water

2 tablespoons butter

1 (6.2 oz.) package Rice-A-Roni Fried Rice mix

½ cup pineapple preserves

1 pound cooked kielbasa, halved lengthwise, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped

Heat oven to 375°F.  In small saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.  In ungreased 2 1/2 –quart casserole, combine all ingredients including contents of seasoning packet and boiling water; mix well.  Cover.  Bake at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until rice is tender.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.