Pioneer woman.....sort of

Ben and I like to eat...alot.  We were both raised in the South and well meals are the focal point of any social gathering, therefore, we are lovers of all foods.  And since we love food so much, we also love to cook.  It is a great way for us to spend time together, from planning the trip to the grocery store to preparing the meal.  We have our list of favorite dishes that we can always turn to, but we are always looking for new recipes to try.  With the star\t of the new year, we have a list of new recipes to concoct.  I thought I would share our 2 favorite recipes from last week.  Now remember, we are not fancy chefs and tend to stick with ingredients that can be found in the middle of nowhere South MS.

E-Z Chicken Tortilla Bake

1 can Tomato soup

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup milk

2 cups cubed cooked chicken (we like ours grilled)

8 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup shredded Fiesta blend cheese (cheddar is yummy too)

Preheat oven to 400.  Stir the soup, salsa, milk, chicken, tortillas, and half of the cheese in a 2 qt. shallow baking dish.  Cover with foil and bake for about 30 mins.  Remove foil and top with remaining cheese.  Place back in oven to melt cheese.  

We added a bag of frozen mexi-corn and a can of drained black beans to add some very healthyveggies :)  The corn tortillas are the key. They are what gives this dish a very authentic Mexican taste.  Ben and I both agreed that this dish tasted way better the following night.  

We LOVE anything buffalo, Buffalo wings, buffalo tenders, buffalo shrimp, you get the idea. When I came across the following recipe I new we had to give it a try.  This dish will definitely become a regular.

Sloppy Buffalo Joes

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey or ground chicken

1 carrot, peeled and grated

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt & pepper to taste

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup hot sauce (our favorite is Frank's)

3 oz. tomato sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

Heat a large non-stick skillet with olive oil over med. high heat.  Add meat and break it up with a spoon.  Cook 5-6 mins.  Add carrots, celery, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, cooking 7-8 minutes more.  In a bowl, combine vinegar, sugar, worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce, and stock.  Pour into the pan and stir to combine.  Simmer for 10-15 mins. to let liquids reduce.

We serve ours on onion rolls.  We diced up a dill pickle spear to put on top of our sloppy joe and drizzled it with ranch dressing.  For those who like blue cheese, a few crumbles might be good in place of the ranch dressing.  Get out your napkins for this dish!  

Bon Appetite!