Crockpot Thai Coconut Chicken Soup Recipe

Grilled Hawaiian Shrimp and Grits Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

This roasted red pepper stromboli recipe is really easy, scrumptious and filling! Makes a great weeknight dinner or serve as an appetizer. I got the idea to add salami, ham and roasted red peppers to our usual pepperoni stromboli when I had these at a family member's house recently. The variety of meats adds a really rich and delicious flavor, however if you don't have all those meats on hand, using just pepperoni still tastes great. Just substitute with 3oz total of any kind of meat per stromboli.

Ingredients
1 rolls of freezer dough
1oz sliced pepperoni
1oz sliced sliced ham  (optional)
1oz sliced salami  (optional)
3oz roasted red peppers (optional)
3oz smoked provolone cheese
1 tbsp basil, divided
Shredded parmesan cheese

Dip: Heated marinara sauce

Directions
1. Roll out dough to form a rectangle approximately 18" x 12".

2. Layer the center with pepperoni, ham, salami, roasted red peppers and provolone cheese then spinkle with 1/2 tbsp basil. Fold in one edge over the center. Repeat layering of pepperoni, ham, salami,  roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and basil. Fold over remaining edge and sprinkle top with parmesan cheese.

3. Place stromboli on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350˚ for about 20-25 mins. Serve warm.

Serves: 2-4

Crock-Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe

My sister and brother-in-law eat more Mexican food than anyone else I know. My bro-in-law is from Texas so it only makes sense that he'd be a fan and my sister-in-law, she just loves some Mexican food.  So it was not a big surprise when I went over to their house recently for dinner and they served up some Mexican-inspired white chicken chili, complete with cilantro.

My sister-in-law is like my mother-in-law in that they don't generally follow a recipe because they are good like that, so I knew I better ask her right away how she made it. She told me about cilantro paste which I had seen at the store before but hadn't tried. It tasted great in the chili, very fresh tasting and about 1/3 of the price of fresh too. Considering it's winter and all my fresh herbs are outside and frozen right now and will be until about June, I was sold. So I did buy some cilantro paste and recreated her chili so it's now on the books!

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup heavy cream

2 cups white corn
1/2 lime, juiced

2 (14.5oz) cans white beans

2 tsp cilantro paste

1/2 cup sour cream

Try it topped with diced avocado and crumbled tortilla chips! 

Directions

1. Place chicken, garlic, onion, red pepper, green chilies, cumin, lime juice, salt and garlic in a greased slow cooker. Pour chicken stock over top. Cook for 4hrs on low.

2. Remove chicken and shred. Place chicken back in Crock-Pot and stir in cream, lime juice, beans and corn. Heat on high for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Right before serving, stir in cilantro and sour cream. 

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I love chicken cordon bleu. It pretty much has all my favorite things... chicken, rice, ham, onions, cheese... you catch my drift. I've made stuffed chicken cordon bleu before and it's delish but it's a little labor intensive to prepare. So, I'd seen recipes for chicken cordon bleu casserole on Pinterest and got really excited. However, after digging into the recipe, all of them were complicated. The whole point of a casserole is it's supposed to be easy, right? Well, as fate would have it, a friend offhandedly mention he'd made chicken cordon bleu casserole just the other night and he rattled off the recipe. It was easy enough for me to remember so I was sold. I doubled the recipe and made it for a recent family get-together and it was a big hit. The only changes to my friend's recipe I made were the addition of thyme and I used panko breadcrumbs instead of crushed saltines.

Ingredients
4 cups cooked rice
4 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, diced
4 tbsp butter

1 large can cream of chicken soup

1/2 package swiss cheese

1/2 package deli sliced ham

1/4 tsp powdered thyme

1/2 package Italian panko breadcrumbs

Directions
1. Prepare rice and spread an even layer on the bottom of a 9x12 greased baking dish.

2. Cook chicken breasts with onion in butter on stove over medium heat for 15 mins or until cooked thoroughly. Remove and cut chickn into bite-sized chunks. Leave onions and remaining juices in pan.

3. Layer chicken piece evenly over rice.

4. Slice ham into bite-sized chunks. Layer evenly over chicken.

5. Layer cheese over top ham.

6. Mix cream of chicken soup with chicken juices and onions leftover in the pan. Add thyme and mix thoroughly. Spread evenly over entire casserole.

7. Layer Panko crumbs over top of casserole and cover with foil.

8. Bake at 400˚ for 35 mins. Uncover and bake an additional 10-15mins.

Six-Cheese Turkey Manicotti Recipe

Here's another amazing recipe from my friend Heather. I had this stuffed manicotti at her house shortly after I met her, almost four years ago now, and I can still remember how melt-in-your-mouth delicious these were. I asked her for the recipe that night, she hand wrote it down for me and then I promptly lost it. So after getting to know her a little better, I decided it would be ok to ask for it a-gain and of course she happily gave it to me a-gain because she's awesome like that. So I finally recreated these last night to post and save this as one of my favorite recipes. I did use turkey instead of beef (which her original recipe calls for) so choose whichever you prefer. Turkey's just a bit healthier and I figured with all that cheese...

Ingredients
2 boxes manicotti noodles
2 cans spaghetti sauce
1 lb turkey (or ground beef)
2 (8oz) pkgs shredded mozzarella
2lb ricotta cheese
24oz cottage cheese
3 (5oz) containers asiago, parmesan and romano cheese blend
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried basil

Directions

1. Prepare manicotti in large stock pot according package. I like al dente.

2. Brown turkey (or beef) in a skillet. Drain if using beef.

3. In a very large bowl, mix together all packages of cheese except one of the mozzarella packages.

4. Fold in cooked turkey (or beef) and garlic to cheese mixture.

5. Put thin layer of spaghetti sauce on bottom of two 9 x 13" baking dishes.

6. Gently stuff manicotti with turkey and cheese mixture using a spoon. Place stuffed manicotti in the baking dish. If a manicotti noodle rips, don't worry, place the noodle rip-side down in the baking dish.

7. Pour spaghetti sauce over the manicotti, then put mozzarella over top.

8. Bake at 350˚ for 30mins. Sprinkle with basil right before serving.

Herb Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

I recently discovered that you can get jarred fresh basil in the herb section at the grocery store. Since my basil plants didn't do that well this year, this has come in handy to supplement my fresh picked basil when a recipe, such as this one, calls for a boatload of basil. This is an adaption of a Pinterest recipe I experimented with. I altered it to simplify the ingredient list and also added a little heat! I also upped the amount of sauce so there's enough to cover the chicken and noodles.

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, pounded flat
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp garlic bell pepper seasoning
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

4 tbsp butter, divided

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 pint half & half

2 chicken bullion cubes

1 (4oz) jar pimentos, drained

1/2 cup Italian cheese mix
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Few dashes of fresh black pepper

1 package egg noodles, cooked

Directions
1. Place bread crumbs mixed with garlic bell pepper seasoning and milk in two separate bowls. Pound out chicken then dip in milk. Move to the bread crumb bowl and toss until thoroughly coated.

2. In a large skillet, cook chicken in 4 tbsp butter over medium-low heat about 10-15 minutes depending on thickness and type of pan you're using. Transfer chicken to a heated toaster oven if you have one or cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. Using the same skillet, sauté garlic in remaining tbsp butter for 1 minute. Add half & half and chicken bullion cubes, cheese mix, pimentos, basil, cayenne and pepper. Bring to a boil and stir until well blended. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Serve chicken over egg noodles topped with sauce.

Serves: 4

If you love basil like I do, then you might also like my Honey Viniagarette Orzo Salad.

Spicy Thai Roasted Red Pepper Soup Recipe

The simple spicy sweetness gives this soup a complex flavor with very few ingredients. This soup is amazing over rice or with some crusty bread — perfect for a crisp fall day.

Ingredients
2 (12oz) jars roasted red peppers
1 large onion, chopped
1 small jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes
1 (13.5oz) can coconut milk


Directions
1. In your Crock-pot, add roasted red peppers (do not drain), onion, garlic, jalapeño, tomatoes (do not drain), coconut milk, sugar, salt, cayenne pepper, coriander, ginger and water. Simmer on low for 4 hours.

2. Strain out solids by pouring soup through a strainer into a bowl. Purée solids in a food processor or blender. Return to Crock-pot then spoon into bowls and serve warm.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

So, I've been trying different brown butter sauces for awhile now and can't say I'm overly impressed with any of them. Are they all kinda blah tasting or is it just me? After some experimentation of combining recipes I've collected, I finally came up with the best brown butter sage sauce recipe I've made to date. I do cheat and use fresh, packaged ravioli but you can of course get ambitious and make your own ravioli, too. I love this recipe because it's got a refreshingly different flavor yet it's easy enough to throw together on a weeknight.

Ingredients
1 package fresh butternut squash ravioli

Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp sage
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toppings

1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano 

1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Begin cooking ravioli as directed. Toast pine nuts until light golden brown.

2. Melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic, salt and onions. Sauté onions until translucent. Keep an eye on the butter and remove from heat when little brown specs appear throughout.

3.  Pour brown butter sauce in a large bowl and add lemon juice, sage, and black pepper.

4. Add pasta and Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss to coat.

5. Top with toasted pine nuts and serve.

Serves: 2-4

Greek Veggie Pita Sandwich Recipe

I love eating out but I don't love the hurtin' it puts on my wallet. So, I always try to recreate my favorite restaurant dishes in order to make them at home. This is a recreation of a veggie pita sandwich, served at one of my favorite local lunch spots, that I could probably eat everyday! It's so good and it's actually healthy, too. Woot! It's really pretty simple to make. Best part? No cooking required. Perfect for summer lunchin'. Here's what you need and how to do it:

Ingredients
1 sandwich pita

Hummus

Red onions
Cucumber
Romaine lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Feta cheese
Sliced black olives

Greek dressing 

Directions
1. Thinly slice & dice red onions. Quarter and slice cucumbers. Chop romaine. Dice tomatoes.

2. Spread hummus on the insides of the pita slices.*

3. Top each pita slice with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, feta, black olives and greek dressing.

*I use a sandwich pita which is a pita in the shape of a bun so you have a top and bottom. So with one sandwich pita, I can make two open-faced sandwiches. If you prefer to use a more typical pocket pita, you can simple line the insides with hummus and stuff the ingredients in the pocket vs. making an open-faced sandwich. Either way — delicious. Servings: 1-2

Crock-Pot Pork Roast Au Jus

Have I mentioned how much I love my Crock-Pot? And how awesome it is to have dinner essentially ready when I walk through the door after a long day of work? Ah, yes. So, here's one more recipe to add to your apron pocket. It's good enough to impress dinner guests and easy enough to throw together on a weekday.

Ingredients
4lb pork roast

1 package onion soup mix
2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup water
1/3 cup red wine
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp minced garlic
Fresh pepper to taste

Fresh parsley to taste, chiffonade 

Directions

1. Place pork roast in Crock-Pot. Pour onion soup mix, brown sugar, water, wine and soy sauce over top. Toss to coat.

2. Rub top of roast with garlic and top with fresh pepper.

3. Cook on low for 4 hours.

4. Top with fresh parsley. 

Things you'll need to make this:

Easy Chicken Fajitas Recipe

This is a fantastic and easy chicken fajitas recipe. It's a winner with the whole family so this is one of our new go-to weeknight meals and also one we cook when friends come over (just double the recipe). To keep it healthier and lower in carbs, you can eliminate the tortillas and serve the chicken mixture over top of the rice and beans. It's still so delicious this way! Either way, here's how to make these awesome fajitas:

Ingredients
1 red, 1 yellow pepper sliced
1 red onion
4lbs chicken breasts, sliced
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp cooking oil
4 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
12 flour tortillas

Toppings & Sides
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4oz) can green chilies
Sour cream as desired
3 cups rice, cooked
1 (14oz) can black beans, cooked
Fresh cilantro

Directions
1. In a skillet, heat oil and 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add green peppers and onions and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. In a separate skillet, heat 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt, cumin and chili power, toss and cook thoroughly for around 15-20 minutes. Transfer chicken to skillet with peppers and onions and keep warm on low.

3. Heat tomatoes and green chilies in empty skillet over high heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Serve chicken fajita mix in tortillas, topped with fresh sprigs of cilantro, tomatoes and sour cream. Serve with black beans and rice on the side.

Serves: 4

Things you may need to make this:

  

Crispy Crock-Pot Creamy Italian Chicken Recipe

You may have seen a recipe like this going around Pintest. It's simple. It's delicious. And you can make it in a Crock-Pot. However, there's a secret little ingredient here that makes this dish not like the other ones. Want to know what it is? Wait for it... wait for it... okay, okay, it's Panko crumbs. I'll admit, I got the idea to add fried Panko crumbs from another recipe I made recently (which was not very tasty by the way so I won't be sharing it!). So, here ya go: easy crispy creamy Italian chicken :

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
1 (16oz) large can cream of chicken soup
1 packet Italian dressing mix
1 (8oz) package cream cheese
1/4 cup water
1 bag frozen peas & carrots
1/4 cup Panko crumbs
4 tbsp cooking oil, divided
1 bag no-yolk egg noodles

Directions
1. Grease Crock-Pot with 2 tbsp of oil. Place chicken breasts in the Crock-Pot. Add Italian dressing mix, cream cheese, cream of chicken soup and water. Stir in vegetables if desired; I like to add peas & carrots. Cook on low for 4+ hours or until chicken is throughly cooked. When chicken is cooked, remove and cut it up or shred it. Then place it back in the Crock-Pot, stirring into the sauce to thoroughly coat the chicken.

2. Prepare noodles as directed on the package.

3. For the crispy topping, heat remaining 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat and fry panko crumbs until they are golden brown (about 2-3 mins). Serve creamy chicken over prepared noodles and sprinkle Panko crumbs on top.

Serves: 4-6

Things you'll need to make this:
  

Creamy Tomato Spinach Ravioli Recipe

I tasted this dish for the first time a few weeks ago and it's already a family favorite. I went to a Pampered Chef party my friend was hosting and they cooked a sample meal to demonstrate the products and this is what they cooked. This dish is incredibly easy to make and it tastes like something you'd pay $20-25 for at a fancy Italian restaurant. I recreated this recipe for friends and they said it was awesome (even the kiddos liked it!)

Ingredients
1 (32oz) bag frozen cheese ravioli
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 (14.5oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste (get the kind in a tube)
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp oregano
1 (8oz) bag fresh spinach leaves
1 cup mozzarella, parmesan cheese blend

Directions
1. In a large skillet, saute garlic and onion in oil ove medium/low heat. Add frozen ravioli, stir to coat in oil so it doesn't stick to pan. Cook ravioli for about 15 mins, stirring frequently.

2. Add diced tomatoes, whipping cream and oregano. Cook over medium heat for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add spinach and cover. Cook about 8 mins or until spinach is wilted.

4. Add cheese and stir to thoroughly mix. Serve with homemade garlic bread.

Serves: 4

By the way, here's what I ordered at the Pampered Chef party. The medium-sized spatula which is awesome, it's like a scraper, stirring stick and spatula all in one! I also got a new pizza stone with handles (per my husband's request). It's great to use for making homemade garlic bread, too. (To make garlic bread, I usually just use whatever bread I have laying around, butter, minced garlic, basil and oregano and put it the oven for about 7 mins.) Last thing I ordered was a bamboo dry erase board that I'm planing to mount and use as my honey-do list. Pretty excited about that one, not sure how excited hubby is though!
 

Authentic Indian Butter Chicken Recipe

Otherwise know as Chicken Makhani, Indian butter chicken is probably my all-time favorite way to prepare chicken. I grew up eating authentic Indian food because my sister is half Indian. We ate at a lot of excellent Indian restaurants like the Bombay Palace in Washington D.C. and I got to experience meals cooked by relatives visiting from India.

I find it shocking that Indian food is not more popular in the U.S. because the flavors are so rich and delicious. With a few unique spices, you can create this very authentic Indian butter chicken recipe yourself... If you like this, I'll have a few more Indian recipes coming your way. By the way, contrary to popular belief, curry is not used in this recipe or even used that often in other Indian dishes.

Marinade
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 lemon
4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

Sauce

Here's my sis and me being silly!

1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced

2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste

1 large ziplock bag

Directions
1. In a large ziplock bag, marinate chicken in lemon juice, chili power and salt. Refrigerate for 30 mins - 1 hour. DO NOT MARINATE OVERNIGHT or the acid in the lemon will toughen the chicken.

2. Saute onion and garlic in butter and oil until onions are translucent. Stir in garam masala. When masala begins to crackle, mix in ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, fennel seed and fenugreek leaves.

3. Add marinated chicken to saucepan. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally.

4. Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, stir in heavy cream. Simmer for about 5 minutes then serve over rice.

When I make this, I serve the butter chicken over rice with sides of naan, lemon cucumbers, samosas w/ mint chutney and aloo gobi. I'll try to post those recipes soon!

Serves: 4

Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

This is an excellent, easy recipe for creamy Crock-Pot chicken and dumplings that's made up of ingredients you'll likely already have on hand.

Ingredients
1 whole fryer chicken (or 4 large chicken breasts)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 onion, minced

1 bay leaf

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 bag crinkle cut carrots

About 6 cups water

2 cups chicken stock (created from cooking chicken)
1 (26oz) large can cream of chicken soup

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp celery seed

1 lrg package Pillsbury flakey buttery biscuits (dumplings)

Directions
1. Place chicken, onions, garlic, celery, carrots and bay leaf into crock pot and fill with water until chicken is covered or mostly covered.

2. Cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is falling off the bone. Remove the whole chicken and let cool in a bowl.

3. Using a strainer placed over a large bowl, pour remaining Crock-Pot contents into the bowl using the strainer to separate out the solid ingredient from the chicken stock. Measure and return 2 cups of chicken stock to Crock-Pot. Stir in cream of chicken soup, pepper, garlic salt and celery seed. Turn Crock-Pot to high heat and cover.

4. Shred the cooled chicken, discarding the carcass, and return chicken to Crock-Pot. Add solid ingredients from the strainer back into the Crock-Pot. Stir gently.

5. Open biscuit dough and slice each biscuit in sixths. Place in crockpot pointy-side down. Cook on high 55-60 minutes or until all dumplings are firm to touch.

Serves: 6-8

California Melt Recipe

A recreation of my all-time favorite sandwich from the local Whole Foods Co-op, this California Melt is bursting with flavor. Most veggie sandwiches I have tried are so bland. I still order them when I'm out to lunch because I love the health factor but I am usually disappointed. The California Melt made by the co-op, however, is awesome. So, I decided to save some expense and make the sandwich at home when I get the craving for one of these (usually after indulging in a little too much fatty food.) They are a bit laborious to make, so you might as well invite a friend over to join you and make several at once.

Ingredients
1/2 of cucumber, sliced long-ways
1/2 of a sandwich tomato, sliced
1/2 of an avocado, sliced
4 tbsp of pesto sauce
6 jarred artichoke hearts, sliced
4 slices parmesan cheese
1/4 red onion, sliced
4 slices whole wheat bread

Directions
Top two pieces of bread with two slices of parmesan cheese each and toast all 4 slices in toaster oven. Once toasted, spread pesto sauce on the slices without cheese. Layer on cucumber, avocado, artichoke, tomatoes and onion slices. Top with the melted cheese toast.

Yield: 2 sandwiches

Things you might need to make this:
  

Kathi Lipp's December 26th Chili Recipe

I asked Kathi Lipp (author of The "What's for Dinner?" Solution and The Christmas Project) for one of her family's favorite holiday recipes and she sent me this great idea for turning Christmas leftovers into a delicious post-Christmas chili. Throw it in bread bowl and it's a no-fuss dinner you can serve your holiday house guests (who may or may not have decided to overstay their welcome).

This recipe can be doubled or tripled, depending on how many people will be stopping by (or lingering).

Ingredients


3/4 lb. leftover chicken or turkey, shredded
1 cup onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1-16 oz. can stewed tomatoes
1-16 oz. can kidney beans
1-16 oz. can tomato sauce
3 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
Salt & pepper to taste
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream

Directions
Kathi says "It's truly this easy": In a large saucepan, sauté onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Drain. Place in your Crock-Pot, along with the leftover chicken or turkey, un-drained tomatoes, drained kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil, salt and pepper. Cook on low for at least four hours. Serve in a warm, toasted bread bowl topped with cheddar cheese and sour cream.


Serves: 4

Savory Tortellini and Sausage Soup Recipe

This is a great recipe that has spread like wildfire throughout my family. It's so flavorful and hearty, everyone always raves about it whenever it's made. I just made this yesterday when my aunt and cousin were in town for a visit and it came out better than I've ever had it. So figured it was a good time to post this one among the favorite family recipes. Here's how to make it yourself (it's easy):

What you need:
5 large carrots, sliced
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 packages Bob Evan's Italian Sausage
2-16oz bags frozen cheese tortellini
7oz fresh spinach leaves
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf

How to cook it:
1. Bring water to a boil and add chicken bouillon and bay leaf.

2. Brown sausage in a pan.

3. In a separate pan, sauté carrots in butter over medium heat. As the carrots soften, add celery then onions then garlic until each is softened.

4. Once cooked, add sausage; carrots; onions; and garlic to the broth. Add the tortellini and fresh spinach. Cook on low boil for 5 minutes.

5. Serve with fresh baked biscuits.

Serves 8-10

To serve in style, check out this set:
  

Crock-Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

This is so delicious and so easy it literally cooks itself! I've taken this to tailgates and also serve it for dinner regularly at our house. Everyone loves it and you can make it as spicy or as bland as your taste buds desire. Don't let the long list of ingredient intimiate you; it's all stuff you'll likely already have on hand.

Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts
8 cups water
1 small onion, sliced
1 (8oz) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 (8oz) can black or navy beans
1 package Bear Creek tortilla soup base

1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

For extra flavor:
1 lime (optional)
1 (4oz) can green chilies (optional)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes to taste (optional)

Tortilla strips (salted)

Directions
Put all ingredients minus the sour cream and cheese into your Crock-Pot  After the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove and shred it. Put the chicken back in the Crock-Pot; stir in the sour cream and cheese and then it's ready to serve. Flavor with fresh-squeezed lime juice to taste and top with tortilla strips.

Serves: 8

Things you'll need: