Lime Chicken Tacos

 

When at college, I would frequently make chicken tacos.  They're one of my favorite foods, easy to make, and are great leftovers.  However, I would make the basic tacos by shredding chicken breasts and mixing in store-bought taco mix.  When I came across this recipe, I knew I had to add it to my dinner menu.  After making them, I know I will make these over and over and are definitely a step up from my past college cuisine.  After finishing them, I realized the only thing that would make this meal better is a fresh margarita and am noting it for next time.  

What you'll need:

1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into small pieces)
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
½ - 1 lime (juiced)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper½ onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
10 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Pico de gallo

Lettuce

Mexican blend cheese

Sour cream, guacamole

What to do:1. Add a little oil to the pan and sauté chicken pieces in the pan for 20 minutes over medium-high heat. 2. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onions, garlic and oregano. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. Warm tortillas and add chicken mixture to each one evenly. Top with cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce, and other condiments.

 

Chicken Crescent Squares

I love these.  Pillsbury's crescent rolls are the greatest dinner rolls I have ever eaten and using these to create the most tasty, flaky chicken puffs is perfection.  These are easy to make yet you have to have patience folding the crescent squares- they love to break.  Nonetheless, they are quick and most importantly, absolutely delicious.

Chicken Crescent Squares

What you'll need:
3 oz. cream cheese
2 tbs. melted butter
2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 tbs. milk
1 tsp. dried chives and onion
1/2 cup peas and carrots
1 8 oz. can Pillsbury Crescent rolls
bread crumbs

What to do:
1. Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Add chicken, salt, pepper, milk, chives, onion, peas and carrots.  Mix well.

3. Separate crescent rolls into 4 rectangles and seal so there are no perforations.  Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mix in center. Pull 4 corners together and seal all edges. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle bread crumbs.

4. Bake on ungreased teflon sheet for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

As I've mentioned in my Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork post, I thought I wasn't a pork fan... here's another dish that disproves this past belief.  This pork tenderloin is juicy, tender, and has the best marinade.  It also is super easy to prepare and you can let it marinade in the refrigerator as long as you want-- the longer, the better! Trust me.

Pork Tenderloin

What you'll need:
9 tbs. honey
9 tbs. lemon juice
3 3/4 tbs. soy sauce
2 1/2 tbs. dry sherry
5 cloves garlic, pressed

5-6 lb. pork tenderloin
1 large zip-lock bag to fit the marinade and tenderloin in

What to do:
1. Combine marinade ingredients, mix.
2. Place tenderloins and marinade into zip-lock bag and seal, making sure there's as little air in the bag as possible.  No need to thaw the tenderloin beforehand; you can just put it in the refrigerator and let it thaw and marinate as long as you want!
3. When ready to grill, grill tenderloins for 8 minutes on each side, then place them on their sides and cook each side for 4 minutes each.
4. Tent in foil for 5 minutes.

Shrimp Pasta

I made this tonight and this has been a family favorite for a while now.  The fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic for this dish make a huge difference and would recommend trying to grow your own herbs and such if you have a green thumb.  It'll save you money, which is always great :) Hope you love this dish as much as I do.  Is it too soon for leftovers?


Shrimp Pasta

What you'll need:
1/4 c. virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped small (a garlic press is my best friend, I don't know about you!)
20 large uncooked shrimp
5 large ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes (I use Roma)
1 c. fresh basil chopped
1 c. white wine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes 
1/2 lb. linguini pasta

What to do:
1. In large saucepan on high heat, add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until light golden brown (one of my favorite smells ever!)  2. Add shrimp, tomato, basil, white wine, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; lower flame, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.   3. Cook pasta and drain.  Combine with prepared sauce.     

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sandwiches

 Confession.  I have been known to not be big on pork.  However, the more I try, the more I slowly admit that a lot of pork recipes are delicious.  When I came across this recipe, I was automatically drawn in by the Dr. Pepper ingredient.  It intrigued me and for my family's Fourth of July barbeque, I insisted on trying it out.  Holy moly.  The combination of the juicy, tender, and flavorful pork with the soft pretzel rolls was absolutely perfect.  What made it even more enjoyable was the fact that it was so easy to make! This is one recipe that I will definitely make again and I know my family would deeply appreciate it. :)

Enjoy! I know I did, as well as my family and guests at the BBQ :)

What you’ll need:
5-6 pound Boston butt (I used boneless)
1 onion – minced
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I only had 1.5 tsp and was too lazy to go to the store but it was still amazing)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups Dr. Pepper
bbq sauce
sandwich buns/rolls (I would definitely recommend fresh pretzel rolls but any will do.  More of a contrast in color between the meat and rolls would have been ideal-but who cares when it tastes so delicious?!)

What to do:
1. Turn your slow cooker to 225 degrees. Add onion, place Boston butt on top {fat side down}. Sprinkle cayenne, dry mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire on top.
2. Pour apple cider vinegar and Dr. Pepper over top. Cover and cook approximately 6-8 hours, until meat is tender and pulls apart using two forks. {Check meat every so often and turn about half way through}
3. Remove pork from slow cooker and place into a large bowl {discard liquid}. Using 2 forks pull pork pork apart. Discard any bones and excess fat. Once pork is completely pulled add desired amount of bbq sauce of choice. Mix to combine.
4. Serve over toasted sandwich rolls/buns.

Since there wasn't much contrast in color between the meat and roll, I decided to try and make it "prettier" by putting on some super yummy pickles.  Unfortunately, they did not want to cooperate and lay nicely so it ended up looking a little goofy... but delicious nonetheless!