Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 C (3 oz.) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepper jack cheese

14-16 small corn or 10-12 flour tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top. Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.  Freezer Instructions: Prepare the taquitos through rolling them out and placing them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 and place the taquitos on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Dipped in this:

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Ranch Dressing
1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
(ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend ‘er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.
*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat. One of the most commonly seen brands is Herdez. Herdez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I’ve tried. Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking. There’s no way I could put the whole 1/4 C in my dressing like the recipe calls. I like to buy La Costena because their medium is actually really mild. That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce. If you’re not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you’re getting into!

Sausage & Rice Casserole

1 lb. Sausage

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

2 1/2 cups rice

1 packet Onion Soup Mix

1 packet dry chicken noodle soup mix

5 cups water

Brown the onion, celery and sausage in a large pan. Add water, rice, and soup mixes. Cover pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and all the water is absorbed.

Dark Chocolate Mango Cookies

1 c butter

1 c white sugar

1 ¼ c packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

10 drops orange oil

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. hot water

½ tsp. salt

4 c all-purpose flour

1 (11.5 oz.) pkg Dark Chocolate Chips (or use less if the chips are a larger size). *I am using semi-sweet for the dinner exchange because I know some people don’t like dark chocolate*

10 dried mango pieces soaked and sliced into small strips (Soak in warm water for 20 mins to get the sugar off the outside and to make them pliable)

Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in eggs on at a time. Add vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Spoon flour into measuring cup and level off with a knife. Stir flour, chocolate chips and mangos into batter until just blended. Chill dough for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a scoop and drop dough onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Do not press down. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden (centers will appear somewhat soft but dull not glossy looking). Allow cookies to sit on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 cu ketchup
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
3/4 c milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 c finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear.

Roasted Potatoes

1 envelope onion soup mix
2 Tbs. Red Potatoes - cut into cubes
1/3 c oil (vegetable or olive)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 9x13 pan, combine all the ingredients. Bake, Stirring occasionally, 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender golden brown.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

2-3 lbs raw chicken, cut into cubes

Sauce

¾ cu sugar

½ c vinegar

1 Tbs soy sauce

½ c water

1 chicken bouillon cube

3 ½ Tbs ketchup

1 Tbs cornstarch (for sauce, you will need extra see below)

2 eggs, beaten with a little water

• Dip chicken pieces in cornstarch and then in egg. Then brown chicken pieces in non-stick frying pan (outside will brown slightly and inside will be raw).
• Put chicken pieces in 9 X 13 baking dish.
• Boil sauce ingredients (mix in cornstarch first) for 1 minute and then pour over chicken.

To cook
• Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Spoon sauce over chicken once during baking time. (If you are baking this after it has been in the freezer - plan on longer for baking time.)

Serve over rice. The sauce is really good – I always double the sauce recipe so you can spoon it over your rice.