Robin says to use bone-in split chicken breasts, which I didn’t have.  So, I used boneless chicken breasts and cooked mine at 375 instead of 400 degrees!  It was SO moist and tender!

I know I’ve been a little behind on my recipes lately.  I promise to do better, but I can’t say they will always show up on Tuesday.  So, just keep your eyes open at the blog and watch for some yummy recipes to come.  AND REMEMBER, I cook nothing that isn’t SUPER EASY!!!

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Smokey Orange Sauce

Cooking spray

8 skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper

1 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Coat a large roasting pan with cooking spray.

Season chicken all over with salt and black pepper. Arrange chicken in prepared pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine orange marmalade, soy sauce and liquid smoke. Mix until blended. Pour mixture over chicken.

Roast 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

This means the absolute last celebration of the holiday season!  Now, some of you may be sad of this, but for our family it means getting back to normal.  AND…for those of you with kids already know, this is a good thing!  We’ve been traveling from one house to the next – from one state to the next…and now we’re back home.  Tonight, the kids and I are spending New Year’s Eve at my mom’s house (Grandma’s house).  Josh is on a pheasant hunting trip to the Northeastern part of our state (which is totally okay).  The poor guy has been working SO hard on building us a new shop and getting things done around our land and "so called" house that he hasn’t gotten to spend hardly a second hunting or otherwise…  So, I sent him off to have a little fun!  Plus, I we’re getting too old to do too much of a New Year’s celebration.  We usually fall asleep long before midnight, unless there’s someone around to bug us and keep us awake, which is why I’m heading to Mom’s party.

So, in honor of the New Year, I thought I’d share a delicious drink recipe and also a cake recipe that is Josh’s absolute favorite!  People either love it or hate it… you decide!

First up, LAVA FLOW…
I first had this drink on a ski trip to Breckenridge, Colorado when we went to dinner at Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co.  My sister and I have loved it ever since.  Now, I’m not a big drinker (at least not since college – I learned my lesson early).  But, you can’t beat a good tropical drink, especially in January, right?!

So, hold on to your hat!  Here’s the delicious recipe for a LAVA FLOW!

1 oz. light rum
1 oz. Malibu coconut rum
2 oz. fresh or frozen strawberries
1 small banana
2 oz. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 oz. coconut cream

Preparation:  blend the 2 rums and the strawberries in a blender to form a smooth paste.  Pour this mixture into a tall (collins or hurricane) glass.  Rinse the blender.  Blend the banana, the coconut cream, and the pineapple juice in a blender with crushed ice until smooth.  Pour this mixture into the glass with the rums very slowly and watch as the strawberry mixture oozes it’s way to the top along the sides of the glass creating the lava flow effect.  Garnish with a pineapple wedge and paper umbrella.

Sounds yummy doesn’t it?  I knew you’d like it!

Next up, DUMP CAKE.

Here’s what you need:
1 20 oz. can sliced apples (not apple pie filling).
1 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice
1 yellow cake mix
1 stick of butter
shredded coconut
chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dump crushed pineapple and sliced apples into a greased/sprayed cake pan and spread out a bit.  Dump yellow cake on top of fruit.  Melt butter and pout over cake mix.  Put into oven and bake at 375 degrees until the top turns a light brown color (took mine about an hour).   Remove from oven and sprinkle with coconut and chopped pecans (optional).  Place back in oven until top becomes a golden brown (about another half hour). 

Food Network just listed their Top 100 recipes for 2007… thought I’d share the link with you…check it out!

Ranch-Style Chicken

6-8 chicken breasts
3tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can Rotel
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 pkg tortilla chips
1 8 ounce pkg mild cheddar shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Boil chicken breasts until tender; separate from bone.
Simmer in skilled with oil, onion, and pepper.
Add Rotel (chili tomatoes), chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper.
Add Cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, and cheese; mix together and heat.
Layer tortilla chips, chicken sauce, and some cheese in greased baking dish.  Repeat and top with remainder of shredded cheese.

ENJOY!

So, on to the yummy soup recipe!

Homemade Tomato Soup

1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream, optional

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Strain the chopped canned tomatoes, reserving the juices, and spread
onto a baking sheet, season with salt and pepper, to taste, drizzle
with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and roast until caramelized, about 15
minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat remaining olive oil over
medium-low heat. Add the celery, carrot, onion and garlic, cook until
softened, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted chopped canned tomatoes,
reserved tomato juices, chicken broth, bay leaf and butter. Simmer
until vegetables are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add basil and
cream, if using. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth.

Green Bean Casserole

1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup
sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced green beans
3 cups chicken broth

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8-ounce) can
French-fried onion rings
Pinch House Seasoning, recipe follows
1 cup
grated Cheddar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the
butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the
green beans, mushroom soup, onion rings, and House Seasoning, to taste, to the
onion mixture. Stir well. Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for
20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes
longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black
pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6
months.

Cheesy Mexican Chicken Breasts

6-8 boneless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 can of cheesy soup.  We used Cheddar Cheese Soup.
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
garlic, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
lots of shredded cheddar cheese

Saute onions, peppers, and garlic in butter.  Pour in all other ingredients, except shredded cheese. Heat through, but not to a boil.  Spray a 13×9 baking pan with cooking spray.  Place chicken breasts in the pan.  Poor mixture over the top of the chicken.  Top with shredded cheese.  It’s not technical folks.  If you like cheese, add a bunch.  If you don’t, then don’t add any.  Got it?  Okay, moving on. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. 

After removing the foil, I dabbed up some of the oil that had pooled on top (from the cheese) using paper towels.  This is not a low-fat recipe guys.  My hubby said I should add more Rotel.  He likes his food spicey.  My tummy doesn’t deal well with spicey.  So, you make the call.

By the way, tonight, I’m making this for dinner (for the boys) before I head out the door to BUNKO!!

Happy Friday!

Acapulco Chicken (courtesy of my friend Mischa)

2-3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 8oz container of sour cream
1 4 oz can of diced green chilis
Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese – shredded
8 large or 10 medium tortillas

Sauce
1/4 cup milk
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
8 oz. container of sour cream
oregano, salt, and pepper to taste

Dice chicken and cook in medium sized pot.  Drain.  Add 1 can of soup, 1 container of sour cream, diced green chilis, and a handful of cheese.  Stir.  Bring to a boil then simmer 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour mixture into tortillas, roll, and place in greased pan.  Mix ingredients for sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Pour over tortillas.  Sprinkle with cheese until covered.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

BONUS RECIPE: 
Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno Honey Dip

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken thigh meat, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend (recommended: Kraft or Sargento)

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 package egg roll wrappers

1 cup honey

3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, cheese, green chiles, cilantro, and cumin. Mix well to combine.

Arrange egg roll wrappers on a flat surface. Place a small
amount of filling in the lower third (towards 1 corner) of each
wrapper. Fold over the bottom corner of the wrapper, tightly roll up 1
turn and then fold in the sides. Dip your finger in water and run it
along the corner and edge. Tightly roll up the rest of the way, sealing
the edges and seam shut. Place "straws" on prepared baking sheet and
spray with cooking spray. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine honey, pickled jalapenos and vinegar. Mix well and serve alongside straws. 

This recipe came courtesy of Robin Miller over at Food Network.  Go check em’ out!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

5 Boneless Cooked
Chicken Breasts – shredded
4 Cups Water
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Can Rotel
1 Can Corn
12 oz. Velveeta
Light
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
¼ Cup Sautéed
Onions
1 tsp. Garlic
Powder
1 tsp. Chili
Powder
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper 

Cook on stove-top
for 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla
strips or chips.

As you can see, I really like soups this time of year.  They are fast and easy!