Mexican Sour Cream Rice

When I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it because I love sour cream in things. This is a dish you can really play around with. It is a perfect side dish for almost any Mexican meal. You can add diced tomatoes, jalapenos, black beans and various other ingredients. I decided to turn this into a full meal and add chicken to it...great decision! Also after reading some of the reviews about the rice being a little dry I added in some cream cheese.

Adapted from Allrecipes. Also seen on ...and a cookie for dessert

INGREDIENTS

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
12.5 ounces chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X9 baking dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, green chilies, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and parsely . Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Transfer to the prepared dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Oreo Fudge Bars

These were freaking fabulous! I had this recipe saved for a while and I talked my Mom into making them for Labor Day. If you are an Oreo fan you must make these soon!

From Bakingblonde's Weblog

INGREDIENTS

1 16oz. package of Oreo cookies
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 tsp salt
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.

Set aside 6 Oreo cookies for the toppings.

In a small food processor grind the rest of the cookies. If you don’t have a food processor, just pound with a rolling pin until the cookies are fine crumbs. Add the salt to the crumbs and stir to combine.

Melt butter and gently stir together with the cookie crumb mixture. Press firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Coarsely chop the remaining cookies into chunks and set aside.

Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt 3/4 cup semi-sweet and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips together with the condensed milk and vanilla. Stir frequently until smooth. Spread evenly over the prepared cookie crust.

Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips and the Oreo cookies chunks over the top of the filling. Press down gently into the chocolate topping.

Bake for 20-22 minutes oven.

Allow to cool on counter for 1 hour. Chill in fridge until completely cold and set before cutting into bars or it will make a big mess.

Broccoli Salad

This is one of my all time favorites. As you can probably tell by now I am a picky eater...this is supposed to have other ingredients that I opted to leave out. I think it is prefect with just broccoli, bacon, cheese and dressing. Everyone else seems to like it as well, but they don't know what is supposed to be in there...ha ha!

Adapted from Allrecipes

INGREDIENTS

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 large head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS

Combine bacon, broccoli and cheese in one bowl.

In another bowl whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar. Pour dressing over broccoli mixture and mix until well coated.

Taco Pasta Salad

This pasta was such nice change from the usual Italian dressing or mayo based ones. Everyone who tried it loved it. The original recipe calls for cilantro and avocado, but I opted not to add them in because the people I was serving it to were not fans of either.

Adapted from Cara's Cravings

INGREDIENTS

1 lb tri-color spiral pasta
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10oz package frozen corn
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
1 1/2 cups salsa
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, salsa, and cheese. Add the cooled pasta and mix well.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Pour over the pasta salad, add the cilantro, and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Pizza Dip

Another ugly (hence the small photo), yet tasty dish. This dip was pretty much gone before it was time to eat the main food. I've also submitted this to the What's Cooking Ingredient Challenge.

Adapted from Kraft Foods

INGREDIENTS

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

3/4 cup pizza sauce
1/2 cup chopped pepperoni

Frito Scoops

DIRECTIONS

In a 8X8 dish smoothly layer cream cheese with a spatula. Layer on pizza sauce, then chopped pepperoni and top with shredded cheese.

Microwave until hot and bubbly...about 4 minutes.

Serve with Frito Scoops.

Pizza Pasta

This is a dish I like to throw together using what I have on hand. You could certainly add other pizza like toppings such as onions, peppers and mushrooms...but I don't like all that stuff. I also made this recipe for the What's Cooking Ingredient Challenge.

INGREDIENTS

1 16 ounce box of pasta, cooked and drained

2 jars spaghetti sauce (or make your own)
1.25 pounds of ground turkey
2 cups chopped pepperoni

2 cups Italian mix shredded cheese, divided
1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

salt

pepper

garlic powder

Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook ground turkey with salt, pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Drain fat if necessary. Add in spaghetti sauce and pepperoni. Simmer if you have the time.

Add sauce and meat mixture to cooked pasta and mix well.

In a 9x13 baking dish layer half of you pasta mixture. Layer 1 1/4 cup Italian mix shredded cheese. Layer the rest of your pasta mixture and top with 3/4 cup Italian mix shredded cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes until cheese is nice and melted.