Paprika Chicken

This simple little recipe comes from my good friend Melissa, who also happened to be my roommate my freshman year of college. I'm pretty sure I stole this recipe from her sometime in the duration of that year. :) Melissa probably doesn't know this, but her little Paprika Chicken recipe has become a family favorite in the 5-plus years my husband and I have been married. There was a time when we found excuses to make this almost every week. It probably wouldn't come as a surprise that we also got a little sick of it after making it so many times and needed a break.

However, I broke out the recipe again the other day and rediscovered my love. This recipe will forever remind me of being a newlywed (with a teeny tiny budget - this baby is very inexpensive), cooking together with my new hubby in our miniscule little first apartment. Ah, good times. :)

Paprika Chicken

4 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. butter

1/8 onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. paprika (I usually just sprinkle it generously over the top without measuring)

8 oz. sour cream

2 Tbsp. flour

Spaghetti noodles or rice

Melt butter. Add onion and saute until golden brown. Pour in broth, then add chicken and paprika. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, turning chicken occasionally until cooked through.

In separate bowl, mix sour cream and flour together. Add to chicken mixture; stir and cook until thick.

Serve over cooked noodles or rice.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This probably lands a spot as my #1 favorite soup recipe right now. I couldn't say it tastes exactly like an enchilada, but it's still amazing in its own creamy, mexican-styled soup way. It's also another easy, throw-it-in-the-Crock-Pot recipe - always nice on those Sundays when I need to let something cook while we're at church for three hours.

My mom recommended the recipe to me (I think she may have gotten it from Studio 5?), and I'm pretty sure Real Mom Kitchen has a version close to, if not exactly like it.


Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes (better with the "petite diced" version, in my opinion)
1 pkg. frozen corn OR 1 can corn, drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped (I think red tastes better, but green is prettier :))
2 chicken breasts
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
Shredded Pepper jack cheese

In a slow cooker, combine beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and pepper. Place the two chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce, soup, and milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in slow cooker.

Cover; cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup and stir.

Serve and sprinkle individual servings with Pepper jack cheese. Also good with avocado, sour cream, and/or crushed tortilla chips.

Fruit Dip

I'm pretty sure everyone has a favorite fruit dip recipe. This one is definitely mine. I've never met another recipe like it anywhere. I often describe it as tasting like frosting, it's that sweet. Basically, it's a little slice of sweet, fluffy heaven.

I also personally like it best on strawberries, but it works great on other fruit, too. It does, however, go better with fruits that are a bit more "tart." I tried it with really sweet grapes once and it was a little too rich. Did I mention this stuff is really sweet?  ;)

Fruit Dip

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 oz. vanilla pudding mix (They don't sell pudding mix in 4 oz., so I buy a 5 oz. box and just pour most of it in)

1/2 cup cold water

1 8-oz. tub Cool Whip

Whisk milk, pudding mix, and water together in medium bowl until well blended. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to let pudding set up a bit. Stir in Cool Whip. Serve!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
3/4-1 cup barbeque sauce
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 French bread baguette,  16 to 20-inches long (I usually just buy hard rolls)
4 slices of cheese

Cook chicken and onions in skillet on medium-high heat 8 min., stirring occasionally. Add barbeque sauce, water, and sugar; stir. Reduce heat to medium; cover. Cook an additional 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from skillet. Shred chicken with fork or chop into small pieces. Return to skillet; stir until evenly coated with sauce. Cut baguette crosswise into four pieces. Cut each piece lengthwise in half. Fill with chicken mixture and cheese.

Ham Fried Rice

This recipe comes from my good friend, Melinda. She's an awesome cook and I asked her permission to steal this off of her family recipe blog. (Thanks Melinda!) It's another one of my very favorite recipes. We make it all the time. It's easy and so, so tasty. My favorite part about it is that it's just a little bit sweet, giving it kind of a teriyaki flavor or something. You'll love it!

And I have a confession to make. Melinda's original recipe says specifically to NOT use Minute - or instant - rice. And....errrrr....I do. I'm a complete spaz when it comes to cooking the real stuff (it comes out crunchy every time), so I cheat. And since I don't know what it tastes like with "real" rice, I can't really compare, but I still think it tastes pretty amazing. :) So do whatever you're comfortable with.


Ham Fried Rice

4-5 cups cooked long grain white rice (I actually use half brown and half white rice... a little more healthy :))
4 eggs
6 green onions
1 cup diced, cooked ham
3 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar

Place oil in preheated frying pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; add eggs. Break yolks and cook until firm, then cut into shreds. Add ham, rice, and green onions. Season with soy sauce and sugar (may adjust amounts to taste). Stir and cook over moderate heat for about 5 minutes, turning carefully.

Smoky Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Another recipe from Our Best Bites. It probably won't be the last, either. There are tons of recipes on there that I want to try! This one was way easy. I'm kind of loving pork chops lately (they're a lot cheaper than I had in my head, plus I think they're yummy) and this recipe caught my eye.

I didn't have liquid smoke, though, so I substituted some steak seasoning we had in the cupboard. I think it's called "Spade L Ranch" seasoning. Anyways, I think any kind of meat seasoning would work fine. Of course, maybe the liquid smoke is simply amazing and I'm totally missing out. You're welcome to try it, of course. :)

Smoky Honey Mustard Pork Chops

4 4-6 oz. pork loin or sirloin chops

Salt and pepper

Liquid Smoke (or meat seasoning)

3 Tbsp. Dijon or whole grain mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

2 cloves minced garlic

Sprinkle pork chops with salt and freshly ground pepper. Give them a liberal dousing of liquid smoke (you can usually find this either near the seasonings or the BBQ sauce/condiments in the grocery store). Set aside.

Heat oven broiler to high or preheat grill. Combine honey, garlic, and mustard. Place pork chops on broiler pan/grill and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook another 4-5 minutes. You want the internal temperature to be at least 165 (that's a little pink inside), but you also don't want to overcook them because they'll become tough. So you may need to adjust your cooking times a little, bearing in mind that they have two minutes to cook after the initial 8-10 minutes.

Baste with honey mustard mixture and cook an additional minute. Turn and baste other side; cook for one additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes to seal in the juices.