Creamy Chicken and Vegetables with Noodles

10 oz uncooked egg noodles
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
6 green onions, sliced
8 oz garden vegetable cream cheese spread
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/2 cups chopped deli rotisserie chicken
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp canned french fried onions

Cook and drain noodles as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat.  Add mixed vegetables and green onions; cook about 4 minutes, stirring frequently until vegetables are crisp-tender.  Stir in cream cheese and milk until blended.  Stir in chicken, garlic salt and pepper; cook until hot.  Stir noodles into cheese sauce mixture; cook until hot.  Sprinkle with french fried onions.

Serves 4

Chocolate Butterscotch Cookies

1 roll (16.5 oz) refrigerated sugar cookies 
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
2 Hershy milk chocolate bars (1.55 oz each), unwrapped and finely chopped

Heat oven to 350.  Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Break up cookie dough into large bowl.  Add brown sugar and vanilla; mix well.  Stir in oats, butterscotch chips and chocolate.  Drop dough by rounded 2 tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.  Flatten each with fingers to 1/2 inch thickness.  Bake 13-18 minutes or until cookies are slightly puffed and edges are golden brown.  Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet.  

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

 Chicken & Marinade
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp water
2 chipotle peppers in adobo
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Tacos:
1/2 head butter lettuce (you could use this as a wrap instead of tortilla), washed
6 flour tortillas
1 mango, cut into thin strips
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp pickled jalapenos, finely chopped  (more or less to taste)
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2-1 tsp dried cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Coat teh chicken thighs in marinade and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.  After marinating, bake chicken at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until internal temp of chicken reaches 170-180 degrees.  Let chicken rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine mango, red onion, bell pepper, avocado, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  After chicken has rested, shred chicken with 2 forks.  Assemble tacos with chicken, lettuce and fruit mix.

Serves 3

Taco Soup

1 pound ground beef or turkey

2 Tbsp taco seasoning, more or less per your taste

1 sweet onion, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 oz) corn

1 can (14 oz) rotel

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1/4 cup salsa

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Optional toppings:  avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, lime, green onions, cilantro

Brown ground meat in large pot.  Add in onions, bell peppers, and saute for a few minutes.  If large amount of grease present, drain and return meat mixture back to pan.  Add in remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Let simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add water if soup is too thick.  

Serves 6

Thai Basil Chicken Lettuce Cups

 1 cup packed thai basil leaves (sweet basil is ok if unable to find thai basil)
1 pound ground chicken breast
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 thai chiles, thinly sliced (use less for less spicy)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 head of butter lettuce

Heat 2 Tbsp EVOO in large skillet.  Add diced shallot and diced red bell pepper, saute for 2 minutes.  Add garlic, saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.  Add ground chicken to skillet and using the back of a spoon, break up the meat and cook meat until it is just cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Turn heat down to low.  Add your sliced chiles and green onions.  Roughly chop basil and add to skillet.  Add fish sauce and lime juice.  Stir in and cook 1-2 minutes.  Serve in lettuce cups.

Serves 3

Blueberry Crumb Cake with Walnut Streusel

Blueberry Crumb Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
8 Tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Walnut Streusel:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
8 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray 9x9 pan with nonstick cooking spray.  In small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.  In a large mixer, combine butter and sugar until pale yellow, add zest, egg, egg yolk and vanilla.  Beat well for an additional 3 minutes.  Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk until all is combined.  Fold in blueberries.  Set the batter aside.  

Make walnut streusel by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.  Using your fingers, mix it around until its crumbly and set aside.  

Fold half of the streusel mixture into the batter and stir to combine.  Pour batter into prepared pan and top with remaining streusel mixture.  Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Sticky Asian Chicken Thighs

 1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup EVOO
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
4 bone in skin chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
Thinly sliced green onions (for garnish)
Toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, EVOO, honey, chili garlic sauce, lime juice, garlic, and ginger.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade.  Add chicken thighs to bowl with remaining marinade and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.  (Don't marinate longer than 1 hour as it will start to become too salty.) Remove 2 thighs from marinade and place in air fryer.  Cook at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until thighs are cooked through to an internal temperature of 165.  Cooking until temp is 180 will render more of the fat, if that is your preference.  Transfer to a plate, tent with foil and repeat with remaining thighs.  Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, bring reserved marinade to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Brush sauce over cooked thighs and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds before serving.

**Cooking in air fryer the entire time can sometimes give the skin a burnt look.  To minimize that, bake at 375 in oven for 15 minutes first and then transfer to air fryer for remainder of time to finish cooking and crisping the skin. 

Serves 4

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 2 tsp EVOO
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp adobo sauce 
1 (14 oz) diced tomatoes and green chiles
4 cups chicken stock
1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 oz) corn, drained
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
Possible toppings:  shredded cheese, quartered limes, cubed avocado, cilantro, sliced green onions, sliced jalapenos, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips

Heat large pan over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic, and poblano.  Saute until the onion and pepper is softened.  Season with salt and pepper, dried oregano, cumin.  Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes until the spices toast.  Add chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, diced tomatoes and green chiles, and chicken stock.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  With an immersion blender, blend the soup ingredients until smooth.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.  Add beans, corn and chicken.  Top with desired toppings in individual bowls.  

Serves 4

Creole Shrimp and Rice

 3 Tbsp EVOO
1 pound large shrimp, shelled , deveined and tail off
4 tsp creole seasoning
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 poblano pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1 tsp tomato paste
4 1/2 cups cooked white rice

Heat 2 Tbsp oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add shrimp and season with 2 tsp creole seasoning.  Saute for 2 minutes per side.  Remove to a plate.  Add remaining EVOO, peppers, onion, celery and garlic.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add tomatoes and remaining creole seasoning. Break up tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.  Add water and tomato paste.  Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.  Stir in shrimp and heat through.  Serve over cooked rice.  

Serves 4

Creamy Sesame Baked Egg Rolls

 4 Tbsp EVOO
1 pound ground turkey
12 oz coleslaw mix
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup creamy sesame dressing
2 Tbsp sriracha
12 egg roll wrappers

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.  In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp EVOO over medium high heat.  Add turkey and cook, breaking up the meat until the turkey is just cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Add coleslaw mix and the salt and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt, about 3 minutes.  Stir in creamy sesame dressing and sriracha until well combined.  Remove from the heat.  

Place one egg roll wrapper on a cutting board and add 2 Tbsp of filling diagonally on the wrap. Fold bottom corner over filling then roll snugly halfway to cover filling.  Next, fold in both sides snugly against filling.  Finally, moisten the edges of the last flap then wrap up and seal the top corner.  Lay seam side down on the prepared baking sheet and continue until all are complete.  Brush the tops of each rolls evenly with the remaining 2 Tbsp EVOO.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the egg rolls are golden brown and crispy.  Serve with additional creamy sesame dressing.