Chicken Tortilla Soup

Adapted from a make-a-mix recipe

2 medium chicken thighs
1 can Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 can green chiles
~2/3 c black or pinto beans (or 1/3 dry beans, cooked)
1/3 c long grain rice
1/4 c chopped onion
1 tsp chicken bullion
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp garlic powder


Place chicken in soup pot with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer. When chicken is partially cooked, add tomatoes, chiles, onion, and beans. When chicken is cooked through, remove chicken from pot and stir in the spices and rice. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer about 20 minutes. While rice is cooking, shred chicken. When rice is tender, stir in chicken and remove from heat. Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, chopped olives, sour cream, etc.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Modified from Emeril's recipe

1.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 lemon (2 tsp lemon zest and 1/4 cup lemon juice)
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds and set aside. Zest lemon, then juice lemon. Add bottled lemon juice if necessary to make 1/4 cup. Set both aside.

In a large bowl, mix together egg and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in buttermilk, vanilla,  lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined. Add butter and mix until combined, but don't overmix. Fold in dry ingredients until just moistened.

Divide batter into a 12-muffin tin lined with baking cups. Bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Tops will look set but not browned. Cool for 10  minutes in tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Burrito Bake

Adapted from Rosarita.

4 burrito-size flour tortillas
1 can red enchilada sauce (or green, if you prefer, we like red)
1 can refried beans
shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 lb hamburger
chopped onion

Brown hamburger and onions together and set aside. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and spoon in enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Generously spread one tortilla with a thick layer of refried beans and place in pan (beans side up). Top with 1/3 of the hamburger-onion mixture, about 1/4 of the remaining enchilada sauce, and a layer of cheese. Repeat twice more, making 3 layers and using all of the meat. Spread remaining tortilla with beans and place on top, beans side down. Cover top of tortilla with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly. Let cool for 15 minutes, then slice and serve with sour cream, lettuce, guacamole, and other cool garnishes.

Easy Peppermint Bark

Here's the link: http://www.simplyscratch.com/2011/11/salted-chocolate-peppermint-bark.html

Here's what I did:

Melt 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double boiler. Spread onto foil-lined cookie sheet (spread thin; will cover most of the foil). Put in fridge for 15-20 minutes or until hard. Meanwhile, crush 15-20 starlight mints and set aside. When chocolate has hardened, melt 1 bag white chocolate chips in double boiler. Cool for a few minutes until just warm, then spread over semi-sweet layer. Scatter mints on top and press into chocolate. Refrigerate until set, then break into pieces.