Stuffed Mexican Chicken Shells

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
3 (8 oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened (not melted)
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained 
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups salsa
40 large pasta shells

Cook pasta shells in well salted, boiling water until al dente (still have a little bite to them- if you cook them too long, they will be difficult to stuff). Drain the pasta and set aside while you make the filling.

For the filling, add diced chicken, drained black beans, green onions, diced peppers, and cumin into a  large mixing bowl. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese, chicken broth and undrained tomatoes with chiles. When thoroughly combined, pour it over the chicken mixture and mix well (if you have trouble incorporating the cream cheese and tomatoes, you can heat it slightly in the microwave).

You will need either 2 9x13" baking pans OR one large baking sheet. Spread 3/4 cup salsa in the bottom of each 9x13" baking pan.

Using a spoon, fill each of your cooked pasta shells with chicken mixture, setting them into the salsa-covered pan. Continue until all shells are filled and arranged in the pans.

When the pans are full, drizzle the shells with the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa (1/4 cup per pan) and then sprinkle with the shredded cheddar cheese.

Cover the baking pan tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Teriyaki Meatball

MEATBALLS

• 1 lb. ground pork 
• 1 large egg 
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 2 inches fresh ginger 
• ½ tsp soy sauce 
• 2 whole green onions 
• 10-15 cranks freshly cracked black pepper 

TERIYAKI GLAZE

• ½ cup soy sauce 
• ½ cup brown sugar 
• ½ cup water 
• ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil 
• 1 Tbsp rice vinegar 
• 2 inches fresh ginger 
• 2 Tbsp corn starch 
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the ground pork in a large bowl. Peel the ginger and then grate it using a small holed cheese grater into the bowl. Mince the garlic, slice the green onions, and add them to the bowl. Also add the egg, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, and black pepper. Mix these ingredients really well until it is all evenly combined (clean hands work best).
2. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Roll the meatball mixture into small balls, about one tablespoon each. You should yield about 30 meatballs. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet as you roll them. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown (about 35-40 minutes).
3. While the meatballs are in the oven, also prepare the teriyaki glaze. In a medium pot combine the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Peel and grate the ginger into the pot. Heat over a low flame until the brown sugar is dissolved (just a few minutes).
4. Dissolve the cornstarch in just enough water to make it pourable. Pour it into the pot with the glaze ingredients. Turn the heat up to medium high, stir and cook until thickened. It should thicken as soon as it begins to simmer. Once thickened, add the sesame seeds.
5. When the meatballs come out of the oven, transfer them from the baking sheet into the pot with the glaze. Stir to coat. 
6. Serve over rice

Chicken & Lime Soup (Spicy)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion 
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium jalapeno 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• ¾ lb. chicken breast 
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles 
• 1 tsp oregano 
• ½ Tbsp cumin 
• 1 medium lime 
• ½ bunch cilantro 
• 1 medium avocado 

1. Dice the onion, celery, and jalapeno (scrape the seeds out of the jalapeno before dicing). Mince the garlic. Cook the onion, celery, jalapeno, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.
2. Add the chicken breast, chicken broth, canned tomatoes with chiles, oregano, and cumin to the pot. Bring the whole pot up to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low, place a lid on top, and let simmer for one hour.
3. After simmering for an hour with a lid on, carefully remove the chicken breast from the pot and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the meat to the pot. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the soup. Get as much juice as possible from the lime by using a spoon to scrape the inside of the lime.
4. Rinse the cilantro and then roughly chop the leaves. Add to the pot, give it a quick stir, and serve. Dice the avocado and add a few chunks to each bowl.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened 3/4 cup white sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 cups rolled oats 1 2/3 cups butterscotch chips Preheat oven to 375 degrees  In a large bowl beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well. Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the oats and the butterscotch chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges begin to brown. We love these cookies, however I wasn't impressed with my frozen batch :(

South Western Meatloaf (Pampered Chef)

1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper 
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup very finely crushed authentic restaurant-style tortilla chips 
1 cup ketchup 
2-3 tbsp chopped canned chipotle peppers 
1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef 
1 egg 
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional) 

Finely chop green pepper and onion. Place chips into large resealable plastic bag; very finely crush to crumbs. Combine ketchup and chopped chipotle pepper. In separate bowl combine pepper, onion, tortilla chip crumbs, 3/4 cup of the ketchup mixture, beef, egg and 1 cup of the cheese; mix well.

(freeze in ziploc bag to bake later)

Place meat mixture in loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 65-70 minutes. brush with remaining sauce for the last 15 minutes. 

Sprinkle remaining cheese over meat loaf; cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle cilantro over meat loaf, if desired.

Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian pork sausage
garlic to taste (I use garlic powder)
2 large cans tomato puree
2 small cans tomato paste
2 Tbs dried Oregano
1 Tb. fennel (Chop seeds with blender)
coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 Tb. sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Red wine to thin sauce to desired consistency. I use the cheapest wine on the shelf or buy the little bottles of four and use one small bottle. I have used apple juice instead of wine and it works but gives it a sweater taste. 

Brown the meats. Add remaining ingredients except for the red wine, mix well. Add wine to the desired consistency. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 1/2 hour. Remove from heat and if possible allow the sauce to rest in refrigerator for several hours or over night, to meld flavors. I have used same day just sitting less than two hours. The flavor is fine but I have tasted more flavor the next day.

Cook your favorite pasta and serve sauce over it topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
I have made this sauce and had leftover enough to make a lasagna with this sauce.
This is a great sauce to freezer because it taste better after it has chilled and been reheated.