Chicken Taco Casserole

Tonight was a "Pinterest" meal night. One night a week my mom tries out a new recipe and this one is a keeper! This casserole is so yummy and easy! Everyone in the family loved it and the best part is...leftovers for tomorrow! We found this recipe on Pinterest and its from Six Sisters. This recipe is great for a family.

Ingredients:
1 (10 oz) bag tortilla chips
2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chilis (Ro-tel)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (1 oz) packet taco seasoning
3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cups cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350* degrees. Lightly grease 9x13-inch pan. In a large bowl, combine the chicken soup, sour cream, Ro-tel, black beans, taco seasoning and chicken. Set aside.
Crush chips with hands (don't crush too small though) and spread half of them on the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas. Top with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is starting to brown.

I topped my casserole with salsa, green sauce and tapatio.
**When we made this, we made homemade chips instead. So good!**

The Greek Sandwich

Here is another panini sandwich, I just love them! However, this Greek one is my absolute favorite! This is the best sandwich on this earth! Definitely my favorite lunch or dinner to have! There is no other restaurant that makes a panini this good. It's down right amazing and mouth watering! No joke... Must try!

Ingredients:
2 slices of Sourdough Bread
1 1/2 tablespoons Brianas Asiago Caesar Dressing (Must have)
2-3 slices of Ham, Turkey or 2.5 ounces of Chicken (whatever is on hand)
2 Artichoke Hearts sliced
8-9 Pieces of Sun-dried Tomatoes
Spinach
Red Onion
1 tablespoon or more of Feta cheese
Pepperoncinis
1 slice of Pepper-Jack Cheese (if desired)
Italian Seasoning sprinkles

Directions:
Spread dressing evenly on the bread. The next part is simple...add all the ingredients above to the sandwich,  then place it in the panini grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. I never really measure out all the ingredients, I just put what looks right to me on the sandwich. These measurements are just guidelines :)


*Notes*
-If you don't have sourdough bread, that's totally fine! You can use french bread, white bread, brown bread, or anything you have on hand. I've just found that sourdough is the best!
-For the meat, I usually do whatever my mom has in the fridge, sometimes it's just ham and sometimes chicken. Any meat is good in this!
-Toppings. You don't have to have all these toppings just to make the sandwich. If you don't have one ingredient, that's totally fine, still make it! You can also add black olives or any topping you think would be good on it :)

Turkey Bacon Ranch Panini

I love Paninis and this is a good one I made for my dad today, he LOVED it! It's loaded with yummy meats and has tons of flavor!

Ingredients:
2 slices of sourdough bread or French Bread
1 1/2 tablespoons ranch
2 slices of ham
2 slices of Turkey
2 Tablespoons Bacon Crumbles
1 slice of Swiss Cheese
Feta Cheese
Italian Seasoning

Directions:
Spread the ranch dressing on the 2 slices of bread. Place all the meat of the bread. Sprinkle as much feta as desired (I like about 1-1 1/2 TBLS) over meat. Then place Swiss cheese over feta and sprinkle Italian seasoning on top. Place in a panini grill for about 2 mins or until bread is golden brown and cheese has melted. Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Hamburger Buns

Homemade Hamburger Buns-Super Easy!

These buns make that fresh burger that much better! These will seriously add so much flavor to your good ol' American Hamburger. My aunt said she makes these all the time, so we decide to add this to our recipe book of amazing breads! It's definitely a keeper. You won't be disappointed in these homemade buns! Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup water

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt       

5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1. Combine the milk, 1 cup of water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from the heat and let stand until lukewarm. If the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and yeast. Pour in wet ingredients and stir until the dough starts to pull together. If you have a stand mixer, use the dough hook to mix for about 8 minutes. If not, knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let stand until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

2. Punch down the dough and divide into 12 portions They should be a little larger than a golf ball. Make tight balls out of the dough by pulling the dough tightly around and pinching it at the bottom. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. After the rolls sit for a minute and relax, flatten each ball with the palm of your hand until it is 3 to 4 inches wide. You may want to oil your hand first. Set rolls aside until they double in size, about 20 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Mix together the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a cup or small bowl. Brush onto the tops of the rolls. Position 2 oven racks so they are not too close to the top or bottom of the oven.

4. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove the rolls from the oven and return them to different shelves so each one spends a little time on the top. Continue to bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until nicely browned on the top and bottom.

This recipe is from All Recipes Here

Then use that wonderful bun to make a delicious burger like this!

By the way...We have discovered the secret to making the best burger ever!!!! Instead of doing it on the BBQ,  we pull out the griddle and cook it on there. But here's the secret...place a saucepan lid over the top of the burger while cooking and right before the burger is almost done, put the cheese on the burger and keep the lid on (We also put bacon or ham on before the cheese sometimes and let the cheese melt over the extra meat). The cheese will melt into a ooey-gooey yummy amazingness! Yes that's right ooey & gooey! It's the best ever. 

Love on a Pita!

Presenting the BEST EVER Pita!
This is probably one of my favorite lunches/dinner EVER! Its soooooo delicious…it’s actually mouth watering! I love to make this on a flat bread or on sourdough bread as a panini! Here’s the secret to this amazing sandwich…it’s the dressing! It’s to die for. Go make this pita right away! Enjoy  

Here's what you need to make this: 

-Flat bread (I like the Greek Pita Flat Bread)

-Brianas Asiago Caesar Dressing (This is a MUST)

-Spinach

-Artichoke hearts

-Pepperoncinis 

-Sun dried tomatoes

-Black olives

-Chicken

-Feta cheese

-Red onion

-Pepper jack cheese

-Italian seasoning

Instructions:

Set oven on Broil at 450*. Place flat bread on a cooking sheet. Put about 1-2 TBL (depending on how much you like) of Caesar dressing on flat bread and add all the toppings! After toppings are added, sprinkle some Italian Seasoning on top. (FYI I always put spinach on after the dressing, then pile everything on top.) My flat bread is always different depending on the ingredients we have, but any variation of these ingredients is AMAZING! Broil for about 2 mins. or until cheese has melted and fold it up and enjoy!