Just a couple more weeks and summer will officially be here.Well okay, I believe "officially" it's starts in June...but I always see Memorial Day weekend as the kickoff to the summer festivities.

Don't you?

Pull out your bbq grill, sharpen your knives (for all that fresh fruit and veggie chopping of course!) and get ready to enjoy to a summer full of delicious recipes perfect for summer entertaining.

I've got a great one to start out with today - Chicken-Mango Tacos. These tacos are super easy to whip up, taste great, and they're full of good for you vitamins from the fresh mango and avocado.

I shared these tacos in my contributing post to Culinary Covers today, so why don't you head on over there and grab the recipe. Stop and say hi while you're at it!

Do you like barbeque?  How about pulled chicken sandwiches? How about easy slow cooker recipes?

Oh you do?

Well then, pull up a chair, get comfy, and be prepared to drool - because amazing barbeque is about to happen.

Barbeque and pulled chicken are two of my favorite things, and when you put them together you get one awesomely delicious meal. In my humble opinion at least.

I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Peach BBQ Chicken Sandwiches on Tasty Kitchen and knew it was going on my menu plan - STAT. The chicken is slow simmered in a spicy sweet barbecue sauce that has a great kick from peach preserves. I loved the peach flavor and ate copious amounts of the chicken by itself while I was shredding it. I also used my Amazing Barbeque Sauce - I like to call it Awesome Sauce, but you can use any kind that floats your boat.

So we've established the chicken is good. Now add a heaping of your favorite coleslaw, and a few healthy slices of fresh avocado, and you have yourself one really delicious sandwich.


For the recipe head on over the the Tasty Kitchen blog where you can check out my full step-by-step post and grab the printable recipe too!

Remember that Slow Cooker Enchilada Sauce I posted about last week? Well, as promised here are the enchiladas I whipped up using it.  They're so easy and yummy, and you can make the chicken filling in the slow cooker too. Just throw everything together in the morning, then by dinner time all you have to do is assemble your enchiladas, pop them in the oven for 25-30 minuets, and BOOM...delicious Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas.

This recipe uses my homemade Slow Cooker Enchilada Sauce but you can use your own, or...I hate to say it...STORE BOUGHT sauce. :) The next time you need an easy week night meal, try these out!

Cheesy Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas
Yield: 10    Printable Recipe

4 oz of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups Chipotle Enchilada Sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (about2-3 large breasts)
1 cup corn, undrained
4 oz rotel
1 onion, diced (omit if cooking chicken stovetop)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
10 tortillas

Directions:

In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup enchilada sauce. Add 1 cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.

In another bowl mix shredded chicken, corn, rotel, cumin and garlic powder. Add the cheese mixture to the chicken mixture.

Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Place 1/3 cup of chicken filling on each tortilla, roll and place seam side down in baking dish.

Pour remaining 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese over the top. Bake uncovered at 3735 F for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

CROCKPOT DIRECTIONS: Place chicken breasts, corn, rotel, onion, cumin, and garlic powder in your crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. If desired, you can add a little bit of chicken broth to the mixture. When chicken is done, use a fork to shred it and then directions above for assembling and baking the enchiladas.

FREEZER DIRECTIONS: (uncooked enchiladas): Cook your filling, then assemble enchiladas, cover and freeze. Allow to thaw completely then bake at 375 F for 30 minutes or until hot. You can also freeze the chicken filling uncooked. Just place your chicken, corn, rotel, garlic powder and cumin in a freezer bag and freeze. When ready to cook, remove from freezer and allow to thaw completely. Place the thawed meat mixture in your crockpot and cook according to directions above.

Do you like to hoard certain food items? I do. After being bedridden for months and unable to get to the grocery store, I quickly learned the value of having a well stocked pantry.

Previously, my pantry was shamefully lacking in basic staples. I try to cook with whole, fresh foods when I can, but sometimes that's not possible and you need to pull from your pantry reserves for a while.

Like when your head is constantly in the....porcelain throne. O.K. Side note: After racking my brain for a nicer term for what we all know I mean, I came across some very interesting names for it. Comfort Room. Place of Easement. Necessarium. Really? Who thinks these up?

Anyway, I didn't have a very good stockpile, so my husband was constantly running to the store every other day...or picking up fast food. Long story short, I am obsessed with hoarding the basics now.

My goal is to have a 3 month supply of everything. Should I ever be in that position again, I want the peace of mind knowing my family won't starve...or have to live on junk. So this posts starts my Cooking From Your Pantry series. When you have a cabinet full of ingredients, it's always helpful to have a good collection of recipes to use with it!

This white chicken chili is a recipe I got from my sister-in-law Christel. I love how thick, creamy and cheesy it is, thanks to a generous amount of cream cheese and cheddar cheese added to the mix. It's so hearty and filling, and is a great recipe for cooking from your pantry.




2 cans white northern beans
2 cans corn
2 cans diced tomatoes, or 2 tomatoes, diced
2 cans diced green chillies
1 cup water or chicken broth
2 packages white chicken chili seasoning (I use Mccormack)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, cooked (can also use a rotisserie chicken)
1 (8-oz) package cream cheese
shredded cheddar cheese (about 1-2 cups)

Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the cheddar cheese in a crockpot, and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir occasionally. Towards the end of cooking time, stir in the cheddar cheese and allow to melt.

Recipe Notes: This dish also works really well made on the stove top, and is super fast to make. Just throw everything in a big pot and heat up. To save even more time, use a rotisserie chicken instead of having to cook your chicken.

Warning: This post will be full of raw, honest feelings on the loss of our child. If you don't want to read this type of material today, or are here simply for a recipe, I suggest you skip to the bottom.

This is a hard post for me to write. My last one was filling you in on my pregnancy and the complications I'd been dealing with. Today I have to share that my baby was born into the arms of Jesus last week.

When I went for my 14 week checkup, the doctor wasn't able to find the heartbeat with her doppler, so we went into the next room to check things with an ultrasound. As soon as I saw the monitor and heard the deafening silence, I knew my baby had died, but I still kept praying, "Please God, let her find a heartbeat. Please God." As the doctor turned to me and whispered, "Amber, I'm so sorry." I already knew my baby was gone.

I was scheduled for a D&C the next day, and though having to go through the rest of the day knowing my baby was dead inside of me was hard, waking up from surgery feeling that emptiness was harder.

Miscarriage. It's something that can seem so common, but until you live it, you never know what you've lost. I may not have held my baby in my arms, or created memories together, but I carried the hopes and dreams of what the future was supposed to hold - with this particular baby - in my heart. That is what I have lost.

I've lost the chance to learn this child's personality, to know the contours of their face like the back of my hand, or feel the comfort of their small hand grasping my own. This is more than a setback in the plans for our family. We lost a child. A child that was unique and will never be replaced by another. If I'm being honest, I may not even have the chance to try again. My pregnancies are so difficult on my body and my family, it takes a lot of careful planning and consideration to decide if it's something we can go through again.

I'm hoping, given time, that I'll have the opportunity to give my son a sibling, and know the joy of snuggling a soft, downy head again. Until then, I'm focusing on healing my body from the months of malnutrition, and giving my son all the hugs and attention I wasn't able to give him these past few months.  I'm getting a great start with this delicious soup my sister-in-law made for me while I was recovering, which is a recipe of her friend Victoria Costilla. I was so lucky to have her there helping me, I cannot give her enough praise - thank you Christel!

This soup is full of vitamin C veggies and vitamin E from the brown rice. Did I mention it tastes great? And while it does have jalapenos in it, it's not too spicy at all.

3-4 cups water
2 chicken breasts with bone (or meat from a rotisserie chicken)
3-4 chicken tenderloins (not needed if using rotisserie chicken)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
7-8 cups chicken broth
1 cup brown rice, uncooked
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup water
1-2 fresh jalapenos
1/2 tbsp black pepper
pinch of salt (to taste)
cayenne pepper powder
fresh lemon

Combine 3-4 cups water and the chicken breasts and tenderloins, cook until the meat falls off the bone, about 1-2 hours. Turn down the heat, remove from heat and shred chicken with a fork. Alternatively, you can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken to save time.  Return to stovetop and add the following: garlic, onion, chicken broth and brown rice. Cook until rice is soft and cooked through. Add celery, carrots, cabbage and green beans. Cook until veggies are semi-soft.

While soup is cooking, using a blender, blend one cup of water with the fresh jalapenos. Add the blended sauce to the soup. Cook about 10 minutes longer, adding more water if necessary until you reach desired consistency. The soup will thicken once the rice is cooked.

Before serving, remove any bones, garnish with cayenne pepper, salt and fresh squeezed lemon or lime. This soup freezes really well, and can be frozen in single one cup servings for reheating later.



My husband wrote a letter to our baby that he posted on his facebook page last week. He's a typical man, and rarely expresses himself verbally, but his heartfelt words struck a chord in me, and I wanted to share it with you since we're entering the month of giving thanks. You can read his letter below.



"To my child, 

I want to take a moment to tell you about your family. You have a brother Cade. He is awesome, he has the biggest heart of any person I know, and loves harder than any brother you will ever have! He is your protector and he will take great pride in that job. You have a Mom and Dad that love you to no end. We will never forget you and look forward to the day we see you and hold you. 

A part of me says I am glad you did not have to experience this world as it can be a cruel place. That being said, I would die this very second if it meant you could experience the love that you have with this family. I would die this instance, if it meant Cade could hold you in his arms and kiss your forehead. I LOVE YOU! and will celebrate you everyday of my life. 

I question why you were taken from us. This I may never know. I do know that this emotional storm will pass, the scars will heal, and ours days will go on. 

To those reading this, I encourage you the next time you feel like you are having a bad day, stop and think about the things you do have in your life. Don't think about the things that you want, you can't lose those. However, you can lose the things you have, so be thankful and protect the things you hold close to your heart."

I think this is good advice for us all this Thanksgiving. :)

I've got a recipe to share today, one that will make your mouth get all drooly and your taste buds all tingly.

I’ve been on a sugar cleanse lately, trying to cut back on the baked goodies for a while. So the recipe today is a savory dish that will be sure to please anybody.  I’ve had some fresh herbs growing on my windowsill for a while now, and I’ve been so proud of myself for not killing them – yet.  

If you don’t know by now, I was not blessed with a green thumb, and most of my potted endeavors end in failure. 

However, my dainty green herbs are still going strong, so I wanted to incorporate them into something. I had a bright idea – or what I thought was one – until I discovered it had already been done. Lemon Basil Chicken salad. A quick Google search led me to numerous recipes, and I decided to try one from Paula Deen. I adapted the original recipe a tad to suit my tastes, by adding chopped apple and substituting walnuts for the almonds. The key here is definitely using fresh basil, which adds a lot of flavor.  You could even use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream and mayo if you wanted to.

Lemon Basil Chicken Salad 
(adapted from Paula Deen)

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 rib minced celery
• 1 cup chopped apple (I used gala)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sc)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, celery, apple, basil and nuts. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to chicken mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. Serve on a bed of baby spinach for a light salad, or spread on some delicious homemade bread for a yummy sandwich.

I have a soft spot for baked goods.  I think this fact is a little obvious by the majority of what I bake and post about here.  Give me some sugar and flour and I'm a happy camper.  However, I can enjoy a good salad or a perfectly roast chicken too, and I'd like to bring a little balance to my recipe box.  A quick look at my recipe box shows my main course selection as a tiny blip, compared to the ever increasing list of cakes, pies and cookies.

I must admit that I find my enthusiasm for making dinner dwindling, when I have to work around a husband who is just a tad picky.  There's only so many times a girl can make tacos or spaghetti before getting bored.  I refuse to give in though, and continually present my family with new dishes, hoping with fingers crossed that I have found an acceptable variable to throw into the weekly mix.  Sometimes my efforts are met with a thumbs down, but sometimes I'm given an astonishing thumps up.

This was the case when I came across a recipe I wanted to try.  I was looking for something healthy but flavorful, something that would fit in with our healthy eating attempts.  This dish is a hodgepodge of flavors that happens to work very well.  I adapted it a little to suit our tastes, and the result was a new favorite dish for my husband. I call that a success!  This Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili can be served over rice, tortilla chips, or you could even use it as a filling for a burrito. I bet it would make killer nachos too!


Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili 
(adapted from skinnytaste)
Prep: 5 min; Cook: 8 hr; Servings (1 cup): 8

1 onion, diced (optional)
1 8-oz can pinto beans
1 8-oz can kidney beans
1 8-oz can black beans
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 8-oz can corn
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes w/chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder (can reduce this amount for less spiciness)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package shredded cheddar cheese

Combine beans, onion, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, taco seasoning in crockpot. Place the chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6-8 hours. Before serving, use a fork to shred the chicken, and stir to mix.

Serve over cooked rice and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Tip: This is also great topped with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and jalapenos.  It keeps very well in the refrigerator and tastes even better the next day.  For additional flavor, squeeze a little fresh lime juice (to taste) into the meat and stir. Note: I buy chicken breasts that are naturally raised, so they tend to be on the small size. If your chicken breasts are large, you may only want to use 2-3 chicken breasts. Enjoy!

                   Amber

In a large skillet cook the bacon until crispy.  Let drain on some paper towels, chop up and set aside.  You can either use the bacon grease, or pour it out like I did and melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for about a minute, being careful not to let it burn. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in the chicken broth and milk, decrease heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often.  Add the thyme, sherry, salt, pepper and chicken.  Stir to mix together and remove from heat.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
8 Tbsp chilled and cubed unsalted butter
4 Tbsp chilled and cubed vegetable shortening ( I use Spectrum non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening)
4 Tbsp ice water

In a large bowl combine the flour and salt, add the chilled butter and using a pastry cutter or fork, cut in a few times.  Add the shortening and continue to cut in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Now slowly pour in the ice water, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough sticks together.  You may need less than the 4 Tbsp, or you may need to use it all, use your eye to gauge after each tablespoon. Remove the dough and mold into a ball.

Roll out dough and cut 6 circles to fit inside your ramekins.  Place the dough circles into the ramekins and fill each dish with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle the chopped up bacon on top of the chicken. You can cut the circles a bit larger than the dishes, and just fold the dough over the top of your mixture, or you can cut the tops separately and seal the edges with a fork. Brush with an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water.)

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 min or until the pies are golden and the filling is bubbling. Cool for 5 min before serving.







                              

I love the word roast. For me, it conjures up images of deeply golden brown, caramelized food. Juicy. Succulent, with a hint of sweetness. It is universal throughout the changing seasons, where in the summer it can be paired with words like marshmallows and corn, or in the fall with sweet potatoes and apples. This simple, rustic chicken recipe has few ingredients but it turns out so well.

Roast Chicken with Thyme, Lemon & Garlic

1 Chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds)
Salt
4 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
10 sprigs of thyme
3 bay leaves (fresh is best)
6 potatoes cut into chunks (peeled or unpeeled)
2 lemons, juiced
4 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Put breast side down in a roasting pan.  Put a little salt, 1 garlic clove, 3 of the thyme sprigs, and 1 of the bay leaves in the cavity of the chicken.  Place the potatoes and the rest of the garlic around the chicken.  Pour the lemon juice over the top of the chicken.

Rub some butter over the skin of the chicken, then dot the rest over the potatoes.  Place the rest of the thyme over the chicken and under the potatoes. Sprinkle some salt over the potatoes and chicken.

Pour the cup of water around the edge of the pan.  Roast for about 1 hour or until the chicken is nicely browned.  Turn it over and spoon the pan juices over the chicken and potatoes.  Roast for about another hour, or until it is deep golden and the juices run clear.  My chicken didn't turn out as pretty as I'd hoped, but it sure was juicy and tasty.

(adapted from Apples for Jam)

Since I had leftover chicken from the mammoth size split chicken breasts I grilled last night, I wanted to be thrifty and use them for my lunch today. I opened the fridge door and perused the shelves to see what I could put together. There was a pint of blueberries that were nearing their shelf life, and an almost empty tub of sour cream. 

I decided to do some experimenting and came up with this blueberry chicken salad.  I was pleasantly surprised that all of the flavors went well together, and other than almost choking on a piece of bone that got mixed in with the chicken...it was a yummy lunch.  Some of the measurements are approximations, since I did a lot of throwing in a little of this and that, but it's pretty close.  You can adjust things to suit your own tastes.  Next time I'll add some toasted pecans or walnuts and a little celery for added crunch, but I was short on ingredients today so I had to work with what I had.

Blueberry Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup chopped apples (I used about 1/4 - 1/3 cup; gala or braeburn are my favorite)
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)
1/8 tsp dill
salt & pepper to taste

Place chicken, blueberries, and apples in a medium sized bowl.  In a separate bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, rosemary, dill, salt and pepper.  Add some of the sour cream mixture to your chicken, until you reach your desired consistency. Gently toss together.  I don't like too much mayonnaise in my chicken salad, so I only used about half of the sour cream/mayonnaise mixture.  Alternately, you could use another cup of chicken to use up the rest of the sauce.  Serve on a bed of spinach or make into a tasty sandwich.  Enjoy!