Some Things Old, Some Things New, Mostly Borrowed, None Blue

Wednesday brought us a dish that our whole family loves, Chicken and Cheese Tostadas - a recipe shared by the best Kate in the world.  The picture doesn't do it justice at all.  I'm not a photographer, I'm just a copycat cook.

Kate's Chicken and Cheese Tostadas

6 flour tortillas

cooking spray

1 packet Taco seasoning mix

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

1/2 cup water

2 cups chopped tomatoes (omitted in this house, too offensive)

1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

6 tbsp sour cream

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

A prayer and a pinch o' love

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place tortillas in single layer on large baking sheet.  Spray tortillas with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 1 tsp seasoning mix.  Bake 7-8 minutes until crisp brown.  (I slice them with a pizza cutter because they take up less space that way).

Meanwhile, mix chicken, seasoning mix, and water in large skillet. Bring to a boil on med-high heat. Reduce heat to med-low; simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add 1 1/2 cups tomatoes.  Cook until heated.  Remove from heat, stir in 1/2 cup cheese.

Spoon chicken mix evenly over tortillas.  Top with remaining cheese, remaining tomatoes, sour cream, and cilantro.  

 

There's dessert too!

Cinnamon Crisps

6 flour tortillas

cooking spray

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

A prayer and a pinch o' love 

Blend sugar and cinnamon together. Spray tortillas with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with sugar mix .  Bake 7-8 minutes until crisp brown.

We needed a little evening snack, so here it is.  The one and only recipe I've ever invented all by my own self.

Hurry Curry Popcorn

1 bag microwave popcorn

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp onion salt

A prayer and a pinch o' love

Prepare popcorn as directed.  Melt butter.  Combine with spices and pour over popcorn.  Toss to coat and enjoy!

That wraps up the things OLD.  Old because I've made them before.  Old favorites.

Tonight brought us to something new.  A new recipe to copycat, from my favorite Crockpot cookbook.

Lemon Pork Chops - Rather Altered.

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 boneless pork chops

3 cans, 8 ounces each tomato sauce (I only used one can. It seemed like a lot.)

1 large onion, quartered and sliced (onion salt used as substitute here)

1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips (omitted)

1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning (had none, omitted)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (AHA! I had that!)

1 large lemon, quartered (1/4 cup lemon juice used instead)

A prayer and a pinch o' love

Heat oil in large skillet over med-low heat until hot. Brown pork chops on both sides.  Drain excess fat and discard. Transfer to Crockpot.  Combine tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, lemon pepper seasoning and Worcestershire sauce.  Add to Crockpot.  Squeeze juice from lemon quarters over mixture; drop squeezed peels into Crockpot.  Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours until pork is tender.  (I cut the chops into strips to reduce cooking time).  Remove lemon before serving. 

If I had to rate it on a scale of Hated It to Wanna Eat It Every Day, it would be some place in the middle.  Pretty good, but not my new favorite food.   Like Lorry's French Onion Soup.  That's my new favorite food.

I served it with Katie's Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese from Buns in the Oven.  There was so much sauce, I should have served it with rice.  But ah well, here is our favorite mac and cheese recipe:

Katie's Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese

16 ounces macaroni noodles

5 tbsp butter

5 tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used mostly mozza tonight)

A prayer and a pinch o' love

Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Meanwhile, melt the butter and stir in flour.  Gradually add milk.  When the mixture starts to thicken, stir in the cheese.  Stir constantly until all the cheese is melted.  Mix cheese sauce with cooked macaroni.

Feed it to someone and they will love you forever.