Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet

I found this meal on Pinterest (it’s a Kraft sponsored recipe from their website), though I didn’t make it until a few weeks later when I had family over. Then I totally forgot to blog about it. Sorry.

I started off with a green bell pepper.

Then I sliced it up.

Then I panicked, thinking, “That’s never going to be enough for four of us.”

My sense of proportion when it comes to food has always been terrible, but I swear it’s exacerbated by only making dinner for two of us most of the time. Any time there’s going to be any company, I think I will need to double the recipe. So I did.

Next, cut some boneless chicken breasts into bite-size pieces.

Begin by sautéing it for just a few minutes, just to get it started.

Before it gets too far along, add in a whole bunch of chunky salsa.

And some corn

And the peppers. Oh my. Why did I double this silly recipe?

What I’ve failed to mention is that I have had a pot of penne pasta boiling.

It’s done now. I drained the pasta, put it in a big bowl, and poured the chicken/ salsa/ veggie mixture over it. Then I added copious amounts of Mexican-blend cheese.

It was very, very cheesy. See that cheese strand?

[Nobody puts Baby in a corner. Except my brother]

It’s been about 4 months since I did this. My memory of the meal is faded. I think it was pretty good, though I think I also got sick of eating it for the next week. I think I liked the melted cheese and salsa flavor and the crunch of the veggies mixed in there.

Maybe I should make it again soon.

Adrienne’s Famous Bean Salsa

I’m not sure how long my sister-in-law, Adrienne, has been making this bean salsa for my family. I’ve been out of state for a while so I haven’t been savvy to who brings what side dishes to gatherings. But everyone in our family knows about it so it’s probably been a while.

All I know is that when hubby and I moved back to NY this summer, she invited us to join her and my brother at her parents’ cottage on the lake for an afternoon. We were sitting on the patio in the shade, watching boats go by and sipping cold beer. Hubby and I had just eaten lunch so we weren’t particularly hungry, and we pretty much ignored the bean salsa that was sitting on the table. For a little whole.

Then, during a lull in the conversation, I picked up a tortilla chip and scooped some out.

Then I couldn’t stop, even though I was full. So nummy. Scoop after scoop.

Afterwards, I wanted it again, but didn’t want to make it just for hubby and I because I knew that it makes a lot. And it’s one of those recipes that’s very difficult to halve because you’re using a can of beans here, a can of corn there, an envelope of seasoning there, etc.

But then Adrienne invited some people over. Now was my chance! It’s a little silly to bring over someone’s own recipe, but I did it anyway.

Here are my ingredients:

Start with the green bell pepper.

Dice it up, and then do the same with a sweet onion.

And then a couple tomatoes.

Next, open up cans of black beans, black eyed peas, and corn. Drain and rinse, then add to the diced veggies.

Then take a tablespoon of minced garlic. This took me forever to prepare, peeling and mincing a ton of small cloves. Better than the stuff from a jar, though.

Plop it on top of everything else.

Oh, and then cut open a lime

And squeeze it over the whole thing.

Now for some seasonings… Oregano…

Basil (from the tube in my fridge)…

And cilantro (also from a tube).

Finally, in a little bowl, combine some olive oil…

and vinegar (I wasn’t sure what kind, so I used white wine vinegar)…

and a packet of Italian dressing mix.

Mix it up, and pour on top of the salsa!

And with that, you’re done!

Chill it for a few hours, then serve with tortilla chips.

It’s so addicting. Seriously. The dressing mix tenderizes the veggies and makes such a delicious flavor. You’re supposed to drain before serving, but I happen to love the Italian dressing/ veggie juice mixture sitting at the bottom of the bowl, so I didn’t.

So when can I have this again?

Jimmy’s Mexican Pizza

I’m not a big fast food person, but apparently Taco Bell has something they call “Mexican Pizza.” Apparently it’s pretty good. I knew when a recipe for something similar popped up on allrecipes.com, it would be well-received in my house. Anyway, I was getting sick of our usual collection of Tex-Mex recipes, so it was nice to try something different.

Start off by putting a half pound of ground beef in a skillet with some minced garlic. I skipped the onion that was called for because I didn’t have any.

Cook it up until browned, and then drain the grease out. At this point, add your seasonings: chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper. It seemed like a lot to add to just a little bit of beef, but I’d rather have a lot of flavor than just a touch.

Here it is all mixed together.

Now, the recipe said to spread some refried beans from a can on a flour tortilla. It did not say whether it was necessary to heat them first. I thought that cold beans seemed gross, even though it would be baked in the oven, so I went ahead and warmed them in a pan before spreading on my tortillas.

I think this is brilliant: tortillas in pie plates. Keeps everything from spilling out!

And here they are with the beans.

And then topped by the seasoned beef.

Next, I put another tortilla on top of each one and put them both in the oven for about 10 minutes..

Meanwhile, I snipped up some green onions.

And prepared the rest of my ingredients. Jalapeno slices, salsa, and canned tomatoes (ideally fresh, but I didn’t have any).

When the pies came back out, I smeared the little bit of salsa that I had on them.

Then some cheese…

And then tomatoes, green onions, and jalapeno slices.

I put them back in the oven for about 10 more minutes, and here you go!

I served them cut in slices with a little dollop of sour cream on top, along with a side of Mexican rice.

Very yummy! Here’s the recipe, if you’d like to give it a try.

It made for good leftovers, as well.