Tortilla Lasagna

I was feeling like making a lasagna, but with a different twist. This is pretty simple to make really, no lasagna noodles to cook. And it was quite tasty!

6 tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken breast (I used turkey)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozza, whatever you prefer)

In a greased 2 1/2 qt casserole (or adjust quantities slightly if making in a 9x13 baking dish), arrange two tortillas. Top with a third of each of the above ingredients, chicken, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream, green onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat tortilla and topping two more times, ending with the cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Lemon Cookies

This was a new recipe that I tried. I love lemon, and they sounded delicious. I was right! So good!

3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp coconut extract (or almond)
2 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
lemon spread/jam (kind I used was kind of like a pie filling)

Beat butter and sugars with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, lemon zest and juice and coconut (or almond) extract. Beat until combined. Mix in baking powder and flour.

Cover and chill dough in fridge for about 45 minutes.

Shape dough into balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Make an indent in each cookie and fill with lemon spread.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 17 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool on rack and sprinkle with icing sugar.

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Sugar Cookies

Christmas is almost upon us again and I spent some time the last few days doing Christmas baking. Yum! I've made three kinds of cookies. Here are my delicious Sugar Cookies!

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, baking power and salt. Mix well.

Cream butter & sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs.

Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture. Mix well. Form dough into 3 balls. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill about 2 hours for easy handling.

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (makes for easy cleanup!).

Roll out dough, one ball at a time, on a floured surface to 1/4" thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Place on baking sheets.

Bake 7-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Ice and decorate when cookies have cooled.

Pesto Turkey Burgers

Its almost the middle of December and I was craving a burger, so I made these delicious turkey burgers. I just fried them up in a frying pan on my stove, but these would be great on the BBQ in summer too. My picture doesn't really do them justice, but these burgers were full of flavour. I will definitely be making these again!

1 1/4 lbs lean ground turkey
2 tbsps basil pesto
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsps sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Mix together ground turkey, pesto, garlic, feta cheese, salt, bread crumbs and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl until evenly blended. Form into 4 patties.

Fry or grill over medium heat until cooked through.

Salsa Chicken

This is a very quick and easy meal to make, but people will think you spent a lot of time to make this delicious dish. Some corn and Spanish rice make this a meal!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tsps taco seasoning mix (or your own mix of spices)
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat each chicken breast in taco seasoning and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour salsa over chicken. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and juices run clear. Sprinkle chicken with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve.

Spaghetti Squash with Tomato Zucchini Sauce

If you've never tried spaghetti squash, I highly recommend it. Its a great alternative to pasta. With a great sauce, you'll hardly notice the difference!

1 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup pasta sauce
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 tsp basil
salt & pepper to taste
parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in quarters and remove seeds. Place cut side down in pan. Add some water to the pan. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for awhile. Then, using a fork scrape the inside of the squash to remove the "spaghetti". See picture below.

While spaghetti squash is baking heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute until onion is soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, pasta sauce, zucchini, basil and salt & pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes, then let simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve sauce over the "spaghetti" and top with parmesan cheese. Feel free to adjust the amounts for the sauce. I didn't measure when I made it and am guessing at the amounts now. ;-) Enjoy!

Shanghai Noodles (Filipino Style)

Thanks so much to Angie for giving me her recipe! Love it!

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup snow peas
1 cup cabbage, shredded or sliced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 pkg of fresh miki noodles (rinse)
Ground black pepper

Heat oil in wide skillet or wok. Saute the garlic until a little brown, then add the onion and chicken. Stir for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, saute until tender. Add the snow peas and cabbage, then set aside.

In a large pot, combine the broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the noodles to the broth mixture for a few minutes. Stir to coat noodles. Add the noodles and broth mixture to the veggie mixture in the skillet. Stir to combine and heat through over low heat for a few minutes until broth is absorbed by the noodles and veggies. Season with black pepper.

Feel free to add more veggies or seafood in addition to the chicken. Angie often makes this with shrimp, but I'm not a fan of the shrimp!