Jill Can Cook: Simple Layered Salsa Dip

If you've learned anything about me in the past year (it's weird to think it's already been a year!! Yikes!!), it's that I like easy and simple recipes. And if you haven't realized by now, my family likes to eat really plain food. So, when I offer to bring anything to a family party, I get requests for the usual, extremely easy comfort food of years past.

Recently, we had a family party and my sisters begged me to make a layered salsa dip that I've been making for our family get togethers for about 10 years now. It doesn't get any easier than this, folks!

Simple Layered Salsa Dip

Ingredients:



Everything is fakey brand! That's how cheap I am.

• 1 large bottle of salsa (I prefer medium)
• 1 large container of sour cream (20- 30oz)
• half a head of lettuce, shredded
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 1-2 large bags of tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Spread the sour cream across entirety of bottom of 9x13 pan.
2. Shred the lettuce and spread evenly on top of that.
3. Spread salsa evenly over that.
4. Top with shredded cheese.
5. Serve cold or heat for 10 minutes in a 200 degree oven.

So, easiest recipe ever. The pictures will be pretty lame, but educational if this is the first time you've ever set foot in a kitchen.

Layer 1: Sour cream.

Layer 2: Lettuce.

Layer 3: Salsa.

Layer 4: Cheese.

I go back and forth between using sour cream or using cream cheese for the bottom layer. The cream cheese has a much richer flavor, but the sour cream is a much lighter option.

I also go back and forth between heating it up in the oven or serving it cool. I usually only make this at my mothers house for holidays, so depending on if the oven is already on and if there's space, I may heat it up, like I did on this occasion. But my family likes it either way.

The great thing about this recipe (and most recipes that I try) is that it's pretty versatile so you can easily tweak it to make it your own. You can cut up black olives, green chili's, onions, tomatoes, etc. and throw them on top for additional flavor. You can add any type of meat as a layer to make this a more hearty appetizer (or even a main dish!). You can use any type of salsa, like salsa verde, queso, super chunky, corn salsa, etc. With all the different variations, you could make this 10 times and never end up with the same dip twice!

One thing to keep in mind when making this, though, is that with all those other components, the heat from the salsa is easily diluted. I use medium and with 4 layers, it tends to be only mildly spicy.

Anyway, as always, this dip is a huge hit at my families parties. It's not only quick to put together, but anyone could do it and it's not too expensive. It will always get an A+ in my family!

Jill Can Cook: Macaroni & Cheese; Take 2

Back when I first started this blog, one recipe that I couldn't wait to try for you guys was this recipe for Macaroni & Cheese. If you can believe it, I haven't made mac & cheese from scratch since. Mainly because... I don't know... I don't mind the boxed version and it's a lot easier to make that kind, I guess.

Anyway, I decided this past week to remake it. Well, to make a different recipe since that first go 'round didn't really entice me all that much (cold or not). I settled on the one below and I think I made a good choice. Check it out!

Macaroni & Cheese; Take 2!

Adapted from That Which Nourishes

Ingredients:

I finally started using sea salt!!

 

• 1/2 lb. pasta
• 1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick)
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. milk
• 3 c. sharp or white Cheddar
• 1/2 T. salt
• 1/2 T. pepper
• 2 tsp. onion powder (not pictured)
• 1. T. butter
• 1/4 c. panko bread crumbs

 Directions:

1. Boil pasta in water salted with a teaspoon or so of salt until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Sprinkle in flour and whisk together for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add in salt and pepper.  
4. Slowly pour in milk, whisking as you go, until smooth.  Keep whisking until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens considerably.  Remove from heat.
5. Grease a 9×13″ dish with butter and add the cooked pasta to the dish.
6. Over the top of the pasta sprinkle shredded cheese
7. Pour the cream sauce over the top of the cheese and pasta and let it sit a couple minutes to begin to melt the cheese.
8. Then, stir entire thing together. Set aside.
9. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Add in panko bread crumbs.  Stir constantly until golden brown.  Sprinkle over the pasta and cheese.
10. Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.

This recipe was super easy. In fact, it was probably easier than last time, although I probably had just as many dirty dishes this time around. Oh well, Joe enjoyed washing them for me when we were done eating. Yay for husbands!

The making of the roux.  I didn't feel like using a whisk. A fork works just as well, fortunately.

The noodles relaxing in the baking dish before they become my dinner

I wouldn't quite call this part a mistake, but more a matter of preference. I thought that I'd be cool and opted for these super squiggly noodles (cavatappi or something?). They were awesome as far as everyone besides Mitchell was concerned. The noodles were too big for him to eat in one mouthful so I had to cut all his in half. What a pain. I think I'll go back to regular elbows or maybe wagon wheels or something next time to save the hassle. But all this to say: Get funky with your noodles people! It can really freshen up an old dish!

Back to your regularly programmed blog post:

I threw a good amount of cheese on top. Joe and Quinn stole some out of the bag as they walked by. Sillies.

The sauce part melting the cheese a bit.

Joe had come home in the middle of this and asked if he could help. I asked him to stir this part for me so I could brown the breadcrumbs. The guy must have a lot on his mind because he forgot. He was extremely apologetic over it, but I still feel the need to shame him online for the world (I think there's 4 of you that read this blog now! Woo hoo!!) to see. So there. Bad husband. Do not do again! (-; Hahaha

Ohh, I'm so busy ragging on my husband that I almost forgot something!! When I got to this part, I added in some onion powder. I remembered from last time that I wanted more flavor. So, I probably added in like 2 tsp maybe? I didn't measure. I just shook the bottle over the top and mixed it in.

These took forever to brown but it was so worth it!!!

Quinn kept coming by to steal some more cheese and to inspect what I was making to make sure it was up to her picky standards!

And off in the oven it went.. 

Look at this melty cheese deliciousness!

For once, I actually have magazine quality pictures of my food!

Quinn was really excited to try it out which was surprising. I was amazed that her favorite part was the crunchy topping. She's really branching out in the food eating department.

I've decided other bloggers put up a ton of shots of their food so maybe I should, too.

Joe was quite impressed. He remembered liking my first try at macaroni and cheese and he liked this one as well. He especially liked the browned panko topping. I actually think I like it that way more than the Ritz cracker topping.

Mitchell took a bit of coaxing to get some of this in his tummy (and I had to cut his up), but he ended up liking it, too. He's getting a little fussier as time goes on about food. I'm hoping it's something to do with the "terrible twos" and not a new personality trait.

As for me, I loved it. I am really glad for how it turned out. I'm not planning on making it any time soon considering it's probably super fattening and not very good for your arteries. It might be one of those recipes I take out for special occasions.

Ohh and I had enough leftover for everyone to have leftovers the next day and it reheated beautifully!

A++ The first recipe I haven't royally screwed up on here, I think. Hahah

Jill Can Cook: Honey Garlic Chicken

I'd been eyeing this recipe every time I breezed past it on my Pinterest board. It just looked so delicious and sticky and yummy. So, when the kids were quietly playing one evening and not hanging all over me or screaming, I decided to make this for us for dinner. I'm telling you right now though, whatever I did to this, it did not come out looking like the pictures I'd seen. Luckily, the flavor was all there!

Honey Garlic Chicken

Adapted from Damn Delicious

Ingredients

 

• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 large eggs, beaten
For the honey garlic sauce
• 1/2 cup honey, or more, to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine honey, garlic, and soy sauce. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Stir mixture into the saucepan until thickened, about 1-2 minutes; set aside.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Cut chicken  into strips lengthwise.
4. In a large bowl, combine flour, thyme, oregano, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
5. Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Working one at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture, dip into eggs, then dredge in flour mixture again, pressing to coat.
6. Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet, 2 or 3 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Serve immediately with honey garlic sauce.

 

Part of the reason I picked this recipe to begin with is because I love fried chicken. I followed the recipe as far as the seasoning was concerned, but you could season the chicken differently and it probably wouldn't  make much of a difference as far as flavor. So, if you have an "Old Faithful" way of making fried chicken, go ahead and try it!

 

All the seasonings and flour in my bowl.

 

Quinn was dying to help so I let her mix the eggs. She was in kid heaven!

 

My chicken cutting skills.

 

I ended up with so much chicken that I had 3 batches to cook!

 

And on to the sauce. I know that what ended up happening was my fault, so when you make this, do not do what I did! (I'll tell you what I did after a few pics)

 

At this point, everything is going swimmingly.

 

 

I added in the cornstarch/water mixture

 

Then for whatever reason, I forgot to take the sauce off the heat. In fact, I kept it on so long that it reduced down into a REALLY thick sauce. Like I mentioned before, the flavor was all there, but it was too thick to drizzle over the massive amount of chicken that I made.

 

 

So, I just served it in a little dish as a dipping sauce.

In fact, what's pictured here constitutes half of what I was left with as far as the sauce was concerned.

 

Joe, the kids, and I all liked it. And maybe I'd have the desire to make it again had I not royally screwed it up this time.

 

Although, cost-wise, the sauce ends up being a little more expensive than buying a bottle of sauce, or making other kinds of sauces from scratch. So, it only gets a B from me.

 

 

The Weekly (Or Perhaps, Quarterly) Recap!

Oh wow, there are so many boring things to tell you, where do I begin?!

We got rid of cable a few months ago:

When we moved into our house we got this really amazing deal on cable. But when you read the fine print, you realize that nothing really amazing lasts forever in the world of cable. In fact, in the few years we've lived here, our cable bill doubled. So we stripped down to internet only; the most basic thing that the only company in our area offered. We had already been paying for Netflix so that was nothing new, but we did add Hulu+. And now we pay half as much as we did before.

We love the savings and barely even miss having TV. The only downside is that Joe does love his sports, football mostly. So, last weekend we purchased a TV antenna for $40 and now Joe has access to football which makes him happy.

So, for anyone debating get rid of cable or anyone needing to save money, I would tell you to jump onto the getting rid of cable train. You'll like the ride!

I kill laptops!:

We don't have an office or a desk or anything in the house. Joe has a laptop and I have a laptop. Good thing for Joe that he has his own computer because it seems like I ruin mine in some way every 2-3 years. I broke the screen on my first two laptops. I didn't drop them, I just opened and closed them too often, I think. And I guess I did drop them a couple times, but not really. Not from higher than 3 ft.

Anyway, I was doing so well with my last laptop. I had barely dropped it... I mean.. I had been opening/closing it a lot less. And then.. "the blue screen of death" took it over. Viruses. Tons and tons of viruses just ate it from the inside out. I paid half as much as the laptop was worth to have someone kill the viruses/save the laptop last year... That only lasted a year before it was eaten up with viruses again so Joe ended up just replacing it for me. He felt badly since I didn't actively do anything to kill a laptop for once. (well, besides clicking on links my friends put on facebook that are probably filled with viruses!! Thanks friends!). I love that guy.

He picked it out all on his own and my new laptop is a touch screen. I feel so technologically advanced and generally superior. All this to say: this is why I haven't really been blogging the last month. I have like 30,000 things to let you know about, but haven't had an outlet. Hopefully I can catch up quickly.

My Mom Had Some Yard Sales This Summer:

The title is pretty self explanatory. My mom had two yard sales this summer. I was able to sell some old, unused stuff and clear out a good amount of junk in my basement. I ended up making $130 between the 2 yard sales which I consider a victory. Clean basement + money = happy Jill.

This Blog Had A One Year Anniversary:

 And I completely missed it! Boo hoo. I really had the chance to make a big deal of it, but if you read the above part of this post, you'd know my old computer was working against me around that time. Oh well. Let me tell you a few things I learned about myself while blogging this past year:

1. I enjoy writing. I know I'm not the best by any means, but I enjoy putting together little quips and semi-humorous things out into the world.
2. I really stretched my palette. I don't think I would've kept up on trying new foods or new recipes as much if I didn't have you guys to answer to. I might've just stayed in my comfort zone forever otherwise.
3. I know I have potential. Whether it's refashioning, cooking, or any other mundane project, I realize now that I have some imagination, I have some drive, I have oodles of time to devote to doing random stuff and I don't feel like a new undertaking is scads of work!
4. Joe doesn't read the blog. Or maybe he does. I don't know. It doesn't matter. He will sit and listen to me talk about how well or how awful my projects are going. He encourages me to keep trying and offers up help when he can. He looks forward to eating all the food I make. He sometimes gives me ideas on what I can do in the future. He boasts about all the stuff I've done to his family and mine. I know he's proud and I'm thankful for the support.
5. I want to know what you guys think! Please comment here or let me know through other mediums that I did something wrong, or that you did it better! I welcome the criticism and want to grow from my mistakes. And, of course, let me know if I'm doing something to inspire you, too. I would love to hear about all of your projects, too!

So, that's it for now, I guess.  Stay tuned for some more refashions, recipes, and pictures!

Jill Can Cook: White Chicken Chili

A couple of months ago, Joe and I attended my friend Shannon's birthday party where she served White Chicken Chili. I'd never had it before. No one I know had ever made it, so it wasn't even on my radar.

While she was serving it, Shannon raved about her friends recipe for White Chicken Chili and how she begged that friend to make it for her party. So, of course, I had to have some! I was surprised that I ended up liking it. It was filled with beans and onions and chili's; food I don't eat too often. Well, at all really, because I'm Mrs. Pickypants.

Joe was glad I went for it and liked it.

He was even more glad this week when I said I was going to take a stab at making it for him. I think he likes any time he comes home from work and dinner is waiting for him. Bonus points if it's something new!

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from Add A Pinch

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, with liquids from beans
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilis, with liquids from chilis
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions 

1. Add all ingredients to a crockpot.
2. Stir until well-combined.
3. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
4. Remove chicken. Shred with two forks and then add back to the liquid.
5. Pour over rice (optional) and serve.

 

The original recipe called for this to be cooked on the stove, but since I was home all day and haven't used my crockpot in a couple of months, I figured I'd make it that way.

 

And since crockpot cooking is mostly just dumping ingredients in, this post will be low on pictures!

So, I did step #1 and ended up with this:

I ended up cutting the chicken in half so they'd cook a little faster.

I had the crockpot on high, so I left it alone for the obligatory 3-4 hours. I opened up the cover, fished out the chicken, and pulled them apart with a fork and a knife.



This part was super easy. I was done in no time!

Then I threw all the chicken back into the crockpot and set it to warm.

Yeah, this is a boring picture, but I just wanted to prove I put the chicken back in! Lol

I planned to serve this on rice, since I need some kind of carb. So, I measured that out and cooked that up while the chicken reintegrated in the crockpot.

And that's it! Joe came home and said he could smell it from outside! We all dug in and it was so delicious.

 

If you read the comments from the original recipe, lots of people said they loved it but would use more beans. I am not much of a bean person, so the amount of beans I ended up with was perfect as far as I was concerned.

It went really well with the rice. It added just enough substance to be really filling. I can't wait until the kids are older so I can add more chili powder, instead of pepper, in order to get a little extra spice. (And by the way, the kids didn't really like it. Boo hoo. Maybe I'll try again in a few months!)

We ended up with enough servings for the 4 of us to eat that evening, plus another 2 portions for Joe and I to have leftovers the next day. Both of us were really impressed with how well it reheated.

 

I think that maybe next time I make this, it should be in the winter instead of the super-mega hot summer! I think it would be the perfect dish for a snowy/wintry evening.

This was the first chili I've ever made and one of the only homemade chili's I've ever eaten, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I loved it and Joe really loved it. Was it better than Shannon's friends' chili? Hmm.. Probably not, but it ranked right up there with it!  I give this one an A+, without needing to tweak it at all! I think Joe would agree. (And the kids would give it an F, but they're so wishy washy, it barely counts. Lol)