Pie Dough Cookies

Who loves Pie Dough Cookies?

I do...I do!

This is a throwback from my childhood.  Whenever mom made a pie (and she made a lot of pies, cause she's the queen of pies!) she would use the leftover pie dough and bake cookies for me.  Nothing fancy, just simple little strips with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top.


Man oh man, I would wait in anticipation for those cookies!  Finally they would come out of the oven and I would get my first bite...ah...the tender flaky crust, with just a hint of cinnamon and sugar!  Fabulous!  I still love them.


So in keeping with mom's tradition, whenever I make a pie I make pie dough cookies too.  


Take a look at these pies....

and here are the pie dough cookies....so tasty!

So use your left over pie dough (if you're not making fancy leaves to decorate with... of course) to make your kids...or yourself...hehe! some simple cookies.

Chicken Verde Tacos

Ready for some Game Day food?

These have to be the best tasting chicken tacos...ever!  They are also some of the easiest to make.  


Perfect for feeding a crowd, and who doesn't love tacos?  They are a satisfying dish that your kids, husbands, friends, and neighbors are sure to love!


To add to the convenience I use a crock pot for easy, hands-off cooking so you can enjoy the game as well!


The best part?  The flavor.


These Chicken Verde Tacos, have a mild sweet and spicy flavor from the cooking liquid.  It's loaded with vegetables and spices, and they are so moist.  Now don't be put off by the celery...it lends the best mild "green" flavor and texture to the cooking liquid.  


I tell you now...be prepared...they will be coming back for more!


Here are some pics to help you along.


 - Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker
 - In a food processor, or a blender, mix ingredients to make the cooking liquid.  This is actually thick like a paste to begin with.  Blend all ingredients until smooth.

 - Cook for 6-7 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
 - Remove chicken and discard the bay leaf.  Shred chicken and return to the pot, stirring with the remaining cooking liquid.

Serve with corn tortillas and your favorite toppings.  I made homemade taco shells. (Tutorial coming soon!) and used shredded cabbage, cheese and some salsa verde for toppings.

Believe me...these are the BEST chicken tacos ever!  Try them.

Chicken Verde Tacos

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2  ½ lb Boneless skinless chicken breasts

½  onion, peeled and quartered 

2 stalks celery, cut in thirds         

1 Jalapeno, seeded and cut into quarters         

¼  cup water

½ tsp salt

½ tsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

¼ tsp oregano                              

¼ tsp black pepper

1 ½ cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf                                       

Corn Tortillas

Salsa verde, shredded Cabbage, shredded cheese, and lime wedges (optional)

                                                       

                                                       

Directions:

Place meat in a 5 quart slow cooker.  In a food processor or blender combine onion, celery, jalapeno pepper, water, salt, chili powder, cumin, crushed red pepper, oregano, black pepper, and garlic. Process until almost smooth.

Pour over meat in cooker. Add bay leaves.  Cover and cook on low for 6 - 7 hours or on high for 4 hours.  Remove meat from cooker; discard bay leaf.  Shred pork by pulling two forks through the meat.  Return meat to the cooker; and stir in with the cooking liquid. 

Serve with taco shells, and desired toppings.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

I'm back on the Mexican food again.

Sorry...I can't help myself!

This time I'm taking a favorite dish, taquitos, and lightening it up!  How do you do that, you say?  Well, taquitos are usually fried....so why not BAKE them?  

Baking doesn't give you that extra fat (that we all don't need) that frying does.  But, you still end up with some tasty, crispy taquitos!

These are Baked Chicken Taquitos, but you could certainly swap out the chicken for some lean shredded beef.  They would be equally delicious.

These are accomplished in a matter of minutes.  They are kid and adult friendly.  Great for lunch or dinner (add some rice or beans and a salad).  They would even be excellent as an appetizer if you cut them in half.

Come on, you gotta try these...pretty please?

Simple to make:

In a medium bowl add shredded chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, and cheese.  Mix together.

Take two damp paper towels and place the tortillas in between.  Place them in a microwave for 1 minutes to soften them up and make them easy to handle.

Place about 2 tablespoons of filing at the bottom of the tortilla.  Roll up and place seam side down in a baking dish.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until crispy.

Allow to cool and then serve with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream for dipping.

So easy...so very tasty!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Serves: 2

1 c of shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/4 c salsa

1/4 c Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 teaspoon taco seasoning

4 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas

Sour cream, salsa, or guacamole, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and salsa, taco seasoning, cheese and taco seasoning.  Mix to combine.

Dampen 2 paper towels, and place tortillas between them. Microwave 1 minute, until tortillas are warm and soft.

Place one tortilla flat on a clean dry surface and spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling onto the bottom portion of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly.  Place in pan seam side down.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. 

Bake 15 minutes or until crispy. 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Serve with desired topping for dipping.