Kickin' Chicken Marinade

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs of chicken (breast, thighs, drumsticks, wings ~ bone-in or boneless) (I used tenders for quicker cooking time.)
• 1 cup Frank's RedHot Original
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice (fresh is best, but bottle will work)
• 2 cloves of garlic, miced or pressed 
• Lime - cut into slices

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, mix RedHot, olive oil, lime juice, and garlic.  Place chicken in a pan, bowl, or ziploc bag and pour marinade over top, making sure the chicken is submerged in the marinade.  Marinade for four hours in the fridge.  Remove chicken from marinade and grill according to the type of chicken you select.  The chicken is great with fresh lime juice squeezed on top!  (We dipped ours in ranch dressing!)  Enjoy!  

*www.sweetlittlebluebird.com

Loaded Broccoli Cheese and Bacon Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth (Just buy a 32 oz. box to add more if needed.)
• 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots, diced small
• 1 cup chopped celery, diced small
• 3 cups peeled and chopped potatoes, diced small
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 4-5 cups broccoli crowns, diced small (about 2 heads of broccoli)
• 4-6 slices bacon, chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 16 ounces) (I used half sharp and half colby mix.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried mustard

DIRECTIONS: 

1. In a large saucepan, combine the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, and onion. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to get tender.
2. Add the chopped broccoli. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. The pan is going to be very full of vegetables and it might seem like it isn't "soupy" enough since the vegetables overpower the broth but I promise it will all work out when you add the cheese mixture.
3. In a separate large skillet, saute the bacon until golden and crisp. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the grease and wipe out the skillet.
4. Melt the butter (in the same saucepan you cooked the bacon in) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture is bubbling and is slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.
5. Stir in the cheddar cheese one handful at a time, adding another handful after the cheese that has been added has melted. Stir in the salt, pepper, and dry mustard.
6. Slowly stir the cheese sauce into the hot broth and vegetables, whisking to combine well. Stir in the reserved bacon and add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. If you want the soup a bit thinner, stir in a little extra broth or milk a bit at a time until you get your desired consistency.

*www.melskitchencafe.com

Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

Ingredients:

2 lbs. flank steak

1 yellow onion, chopped (I thinly sliced mine into half moons.)

1 green bell pepper, chopped (I thinly sliced.)

1 red bell pepper, chopped (I thinly sliced.)

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
for spice rub—
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
for serving—
corn tortillas
avocado slices
cilantro
your favorite salsa
limes

Directions:

Mix all spices together in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over your flank steak—be generous here! Then, place your steak at the bottom of your crock pot.

Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers, and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours. *Don't worry, it will produce its own liquid; I promise!

After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot and shred with a fork. It should be incredibly easy to shred. You can either stick the shredded meat back in the pot for another hour or serve as is.

To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

*www.eatliverun.com

Honey Beer Bread

I'm sooooooo mad at you, Amy's Family Favorites!  

Needless to say, this was very yummy and took less than five minutes to make!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer (I used Blue Moon.)
• 4 Tbsp. (half stick) butter, melted
• Shredded cheese, optional 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir the beer and honey into the dry ingredients until just mixed. (If your honey is pretty thick, just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds beforehand to make it easier to stir in!) (Mix a heaping handful of shredded cheese into the dough if you're a cheese lover like me.  It was worth it!)

Pour half the melted butter into the loaf pan.  Next, spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter.  (Use a pastry brush to spread it around if you'd like.)

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, (I baked mine for 50) until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve immediately.

*www.gimmesomeoven.com

Chipotle Chicken Chowder

It's soup season!  Yummy!!

Ingredients:

1 large onion, minced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
2 colored bell peppers, chopped (I used one red and one orange.)
1 chipotle chili, chopped and seeded (These are the canned chilis found in the adobo sauce.  Only use ONE chili!)
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 heaping cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth (1 can)
5 cups low-fat milk (*Make sure it's low-fat or soup will be too thick.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2-3 small red potatoes, chopped
1 small can corn, drained (I used 11 oz. frozen corn.)
1 can black beans, drained
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I used rotisserie.)
Adobo sauce from chipotle chilies to taste (I used about 1.5 teaspoons.)
Shredded cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in a large pot. Saute the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and chipotle chili until the veggies are tender. Add the flour and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the broth and cook until the flour is smooth and the broth is starting to thicken, about 1-2 minutes. Add the milk and bring to a low simmer. Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring quite frequently to make sure the milk isn’t burning. Add the chicken, corn, black beans, and a small amount of adobo sauce (from the canned chilis) at a time, and any additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded cheese. Serves 8-10.

*www.ourbestbites.com