Poblano Pepper Soup

Holy crap this was good. Hands down new favorite soup. It's rich & creamy & just the perfect amount of spice. It's got a great kick! We served it with fried tortilla strips, shredded cheddar & sour cream. The tortillas gave the soup a great crunch & the sour cream added a nice cool touch. Make this soup!!! It's freaking amazing!!!!

4 medium poblano peppers
4T butter
1 small red onion - finely minced
2 cloves garlic - minced
4T flour
3C chicken broth
2C diced chicken
1 can corn - drained
1T dried cilantro
1 pint half & half

Roast the poblano peppers. In a blender, purée the peeled peppers, adding a little broth if needed. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Sauté the onions & garlic for 2-5 minutes. Blend in the flour. Add the purred peppers, cilantro & broth. Boil for 10-15 minutes. Add the chicken & corn. Simmer for one hour. Stir in the half & half. Simmer for 30 minutes.

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Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine

Or as I called it last night - Roasted Fart Fettuccine. Roasted cauliflower kind of stinks when cooking :-) BUT this was GOOD!! And it looks fancy, so make it when you want to feel fancy!


Roasted Cauliflower Fettuccine

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2c chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 1/2 ounces chopped bacon
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2tsp dried thyme
1T dried parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 400*
Drizzle the cauliflower with teaspoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Toss. Arrange mixture on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and golden, stirring twice. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon to pan, and cook for 5 minutes or until crisp, stirring frequently. Remove bacon; set aside. Add remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons oil to drippings in pan. Add chicken stock & reserved cooking liquid to drippings in pan; bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 30 seconds or until emulsified, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add rind, juice, thyme, and garlic to pan. Add pasta; toss. Remove from heat. Add cauliflower and bacon, toss. Top with cheese. Serve immediately.

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Pigs in a Poncho

These were awesome!!! This is no plain Jane Pig in a Blanket (my husband calls them Wiener Winks. Weird). Spicy peppers, crisp tortilla, gooey cheese & a nice smoke flavor from the grill! We loved them! I added jalapeños too & used a sweet raspberry chipotle salsa. This is a Rachael Ray recipe!

Pigs in a Poncho

8 good-quality hot dogs
1 can (16 oz.) refried beans
1 large poblano chile pepper
16 flour tortillas (8-inch), heated to soften slightly
1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought salsa verde
Yellow mustard, jalapeno mustard or honey mustard
2 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
Cooking spray

Preheat an outdoor grill, indoor griddle or grill pan to medium-high heat. Parboil the hot dogs for a few minutes to heat through. In a medium saucepan, heat the beans over medium heat (or cover and heat in the microwave on high for 3 minutes).
Meanwhile, grill the poblano (or cook over an open flame on the stovetop or under the broiler) until evenly charred. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool, then peel and slice.
Make the ponchos: Top each of 4 tortillas with a thin layer of salsa verde, a swirl of mustard, a few slices of poblano and lots of cheese, then cover each with another tortilla. Spread the top tortilla with some beans and set a dog at one end. Wrap and roll up the tortilla stack around the dog; repeat with the remaining ingredients. Spray the ponchos with cooking spray and grill for a few minutes to brown and crisp the tortillas.

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Cream Cheese Chicken

Ok, I won't lie, this wasn't my favorite. However I am having one of those days where my wine tastes better than food. Dustin really liked it though! And I'm sure you could throw everything in the crockpot & cook on low all day for an even easier meal!

4 lbs skinless chicken thighs
2t butter
1 package Italian dressing mix
1 can cream of chicken
8oz cream cheese - cubed
1/2c chicken broth
2 cloves garlic - minced

Sprinkle the chicken with the dressing mix. In a large skillet melt the butter. Brown the chicken in the butter. Put the chicken in a baking dish. In the skillet, add the remaining ingredients. Stir and cook over medium heat until combined. Pour sauce over the chicken. Cover and bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes. Serve over noodles or rice.

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Taco Dip

Yummmmm!!! Gooey, cheesy taco goodness!! This is a quick, throw together dip too. Perfect for during the football game!!


Taco Dip

1lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
8oz sour cream
2c shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet brown the ground beef. Stir in the taco seasoning & refried beans. Stir until combined. Spread into the bottom of a baking dish. Spread the sour cream on top of the meat mixture. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Creamy Ranch Crockpot Chicken

A Pinterest find - www.persnicketyplates.com

It was great!! But I love ranch. And noodles. And chicken. So easy to make! It'd be good over mashed potatoes too!


Creamy Ranch Crockpot Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery
8oz cream cheese - cubed
1 packet ranch dressing mix

Throw everything in the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken, shred & return to the crockpot. Serve over noodles.

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Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

This was soooo good!! The WHOLE family loved it! It truly tastes like you're eating a bacon cheeseburger!

The ingredient list seems a little long and a bit odd (lettuce & pickles?!) but it comes together so quick! It's perfect for a cold fall day!!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

1lb ground beef
8 slices bacon - chopped
1c onion - chopped
1/2c carrot - chopped
1/2c celery - chopped
1 jalapeño - chopped
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/4c flour
2c beef broth
1c beer
1 potato - peeled & chopped
2T ketchup
1T mustard
1T Worcestershire sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes
2c shredded lettuce
1c milk
1/2c mayo
1T ranch dressing
1c shredded cheddar
1c shredded mozzarella
2 hamburger buns - cubed
2 dill pickles - diced

Cook the ground beef in a large saucepan, set aside. In the same pan cook the bacon until crisp, reserving a tablespoon of the grease in the pan. Add the onions, carrots, celery & jalapeño. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Mix in the flour. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth, beer, bacon (save some to sprinkle on top!) beef, potato, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire & crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat & simmer for 35-40 minutes. Add the lettuce, mayo, ranch, milk & cheese. Simmer until cheese is melted. While the soup is cooking toss the bun pieces with some oil. Toast in a saucepan until golden brown. Garnish soup with toasted buns & pickles.

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Jalapeño Peach Wings

We love wingy!! These turned out awesome! A nice char from the grill & a nice kick of heat!!


Jalapeño Peach Wings

16 wing pieces
1 8oz bottle Italian dressing
1/4c Cookies seasoning
1/4c cayenne pepper (more/less for YOUR heat level)
1/2c jalapeño jelly
1/2c peach preserves
2T butter

Marinate the wings in the Italian dressing for at least 4 hours. Drain the excess dressing from the wings. In a large bowl toss the wings with the Cookies seasoning & cayenne pepper. In a small bowl add the pepper jelly, peach preserves & butter. Microwave until butter is melted, about 30 seconds. Mix well. Place wings on a medium high grill. Baste with the jelly mixture several times until the wings are cooked through.

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Spinach Queso Dip

Ok the picture sucks. Well as do most of my food pictures but lets pretend it looks as good as it tastes!!

This dip was great!! 3 ingredients, throw them in the crockpot and its ready to go in no time! Perfect for a potluck or football munchie!! We did tortilla chips but I bet bagel cubes would be really good.

Spinach Queso Dip

1 jar Tostino's spinach dip
1lb Velveeta - cubed
1 can Rotel

Mix all ingredients together in a small crockpot. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.

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Sticky Lemon Chicken & Rice-a-Roni

Great meal!! The chicken had good flavor, although I think next time I will marinate it about an hour before cooking to deepen the flavor. The rice is a recipe from my Aunt Deb & is a favorite comfort food of mine! Nothing fancy but yummy & filling - like all carbs are!

Sticky Lemon Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3T lemon juice
2T honey
1T olive oil
1tsp garlic salt
1tsp Italian seasoning

Heat oven to 375*. Grease a 9x13 baking dish and add the chicken. Mix together the remaining ingredients & pour over the chicken. Roast the chicken, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting after 25 minutes.

Rice-a-roni

1/2 stick butter
8oz spaghetti
2c rice
6 chicken bullion cubes

In a large pot melt the butter. Break up the spaghetti into small pieces. Fry in the butter until browned. Add the rice, chicken bullion & 2 cups of water. Cover & bring to a boil. Return to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Taco Lasagna

I saw this recipe on the ever so wonderful Pinterest & doctored it up a bit! The girls loved it & Dustin said it was different...what ever that means! He took leftovers to work today so it must not be bad!


Taco Lasagna

1lb hamburger
1 package taco seasoning
4c shredded cheddar
1 1/2c taco sauce
1 1/2c mayo
9 lasagna noodles

While boiling the lasagna noodles, brown the hamburger in a large skillet. Add the taco seasoning. Mix together the taco sauce & mayo. In a baking dish make several layers of the noodles, meat, sauce, cheese, ending with cheese on top. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until brown & bubbly. Top with crumbled tortilla chips.

We also served it with sour cream & lettuce!

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Hot Chicken Dip

We recently moved to the Kansas City area. I'm a HUGE Bears fan. You do the math. Bears are on Monday Night Football so I FINALLY get to watch them play!!!! I had to make football munchie food to go with! This dip is great! A bit spicy but not bad and you could cut out the jalapeño to make it milder.


Hot Chicken Dip

2 boneless skinless chicken breast - cooked & shredded
8oz cream cheese - cubed
8oz Velveeta - cubed
8oz pepper jack - cubed
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 green pepper - finely chopped
1/4c pickled jalapeño - finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot & cook on low until heated through & melted.

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