Gourmet Grilled Chz

I am quite the sandwich lover!  Yum Yum!!

I just love the endless ideas and creations that you can put together.  

In my personal opinion what really makes a sandwich is the bread and sauce.  

My personal favorite is sourdough!!! My favorite sour dough bread that I think is by far the best I have ever had is from Trader Joes.  Sadly, there isn't one near us. Ho hum....  We just have Sprouts and Whole foods. :(  SO I guess I need to spread my wings and see if I can find anything comparable.

Anyway, this scrumptious sandwich that I am going to be telling you about today has become a household favorite.  Why may you ask??? Because of the sourdough and homemade guacamole!!!

This little beauty is....a 

Grilled Cheese with Bacon and Guacamole

4 slices of Sourdough

4 slices of cooked bacon

1 avacado

1/2 tsp of Tony Chachere's Creole

3 T Butter

4 slices Cheddar or Pepper jack Chz

* Guacamole: mash avacado and stir in Tony Chachere's 

(THE BEST SEASONING!!! We literally put it on everything!  We will have to talk more about this later.  

So amazing on Corn-on-the-Cob!)

To prepare:

Using a griddle or frying pan, butter one side of each slice of bread.

Place the slices, butter side down, on pan or griddle.

 On one slice layer bacon, then cheese.

2nd slice spread on guacamole mixure.

Let them lightly brown and then put the slices together and flip between both slices cooking both sides and making sure cheese is melted.

If the brad gets too brown and cheese is not melted, remove from pan or griddle and put in microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese.

Then take a big bit and be prepared to love it!

You can put as much or as little of the ingredients that you want!  That is the beauty of sandwiches!  

Also preparing the sandwiches and then placing them in the oven on broil works too!  The bread just doesn't get as "crispy."

Slow Cooker Jumbalaya

I really love foods that have a little "kick" to it.  This was so incredibly yummy!  Plus cooking it in the crock pot is sure to be a winner.

It was simmering all day and when my husband walked in the door the look on his face was priceless.

Let's be honest.  It makes us feel good when we are slaving away in the kitchen and our husbands come and they walk in the door and close their eyes and take a big whiff!  Then with their droopy eyes that have been hit with the scent of yumminess they exclaim, "What is that amazing aroma? or "That smells so good!" The look on their face just makes our day because you know he is hungry and now he is happy.  

Well if your mouth isn't already salivating, maybe the picture will help!  

This one is definitely a winner!  Try it out!

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chicken broth

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp without tails

1. In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, green bell pepper, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
2. Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Stir in the shrimp during the last 30 minutes of cook time.

A healthier alternative to a fried favorite!

Oh this is a tasty one!!! 

We tried it last week with chicken.  

(It wasn't ground chicken I just cut it into small chunks.)

Try it and let me know what you think and if you change it up!!

Oven Baked Chimichangas

Ingredients

• 1-½ pound Ground Turkey ( Or Chicken)
• 1 package Taco Seasoning (1.25 Oz)
• 1-¼ cup Water
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 2 teaspoons Chopped Fresh Oregano
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 can Fire-roasted Green Chiles (7 Oz.)
• ½ cups Diced Fresh Tomatoes
• 2 Chopped Green Onions
• ½ cups Low Fat Sour Cream
• ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 4 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 6 Flour Tortillas (burrito Sized / Large)
• ½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese (to Melt On Top)
• GARNISH: Tomatoes, Lettuce, Cheese, Guacamole, Salsa, Sour Cream

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saute turkey or Chicken until cooked through and starting to brown. Add taco seasoning and stir. Add water and stir. Over med – low heat cook until liquid has reduced 2/3.

Add cumin, oregano, cilantro, chiles, tomatoes and green onions. Simmer until the rest of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese.

Lay tortillas on wax paper and brush both sides with the melted butter. Spoon 1/6 th of filling into center of tortilla and fold like and envelope.

Put tortillas, seam-side down on a non-stick sheet pan. Spaced so they DO NOT touch. Bake 20 -25 minutes or until golden and crisp. Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven to melt. Serve with the garnishes.

Guest Recipe - Honey Lime Enchiladas

This recipe is courtesy of my best friend Jessica Price.  This is fabulous and you all need to try it!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

6 tbs. honey
5 tbs. lime juice (1 large lime)
1/2 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 lb. chicken (3 small breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pd. monetary jack cheese (shredded)
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Pour 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of 9×13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Mix remaining sauce with cream and left over marinade. Pour sauce on top of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 min until brown and crispy on top. Enjoy!

TIPS & Suggestions:

I change it slightly by adding a can of beans, whatever I have- black, pinto, or white beans. I like white beans the best with it. Also I usually do slices of pepper jack cheese on top. I highly recommend the pepper jack cheese.  It gives it a little extra kick.  Also I 1 1/2 -ed the marinade because the chicken soaked up so much I didn't have much left over to mix with the cream. 

Spinach Quiche (crustless)

Quiche is a favorite in our home.  My personal favorite rendition would have to be my mothers Mexican Style Quiche!  I will have to post that one soon!  But we are not fans of quiche's with a crust.  It is too dry for our liking.  So since we like quiche we decided to try out a new one.  This is oh so yummy and with the dark leafy greens it is good for you too!

What kind of quiche do you like?? If you have a favorite please let me know and I will post it so we can all try it out!

Spinach Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Burritos!

I love sweet potatoes!!! So I thought I would try this out!!

 Got this recipe from my favorite recipe site, allrecipes.com, but of course I made some changes.

First major change, I cut the recipe in half and it made 5 big burritto's.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups canned kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet, and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in beans, and mash. Gradually stir in water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
3. Divide bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese. Fold up tortillas burrito style, and place on a baking sheet.
4. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

* I didn't have: cumin, chili powder or soy sauce. So I put in more cayenne and taco seasoning.  Also I didn't use all the water (1C) and the consistency was perfect because I didn't drain the beans.  

This was a very yummy recipe and we decided it was a keeper!

Try it out and let me know!