We’ve tried many new recipes lately here are two worth sharing:

Chicken Taco Cups
from Taste of Home

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 small onion, chopped
1 jar (16 ounces) salsa, divided
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese, divided
36 wonton wrappers
Sour cream, chopped green onions and chopped ripe olives, optional

Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning. In a large skillet coated with nonstick
cooking spray, cook and stir the chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes or
until juices run clear. Transfer chicken to a food processor; cover and process
until chopped. In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, half of the salsa and 1
cup cheese. Press wonton wrappers into miniature muffin cups coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 5 minutes or until lightly
browned. Spoon rounded tablespoonfuls of chicken mixture into cups; top
with remaining salsa and cheese. Bake 15 minutes longer or until heated
through. Serve warm. Garnish with sour cream, green onions and olives if
desired.

Yield: 3 dozen.

These rated about a 7 on a scale from 1-10. Joshua loved them, Kurt and Charleigh said they were “ok” and Kaleb didn’t like them at all. I think we can tweak this a bit. It looks promising. 

Bacon Quiche Tarts
from Quick Cooking


6oz cream cheese, softened
5 teaspoons milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Colby cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk until smooth. Add the eggs,
cheese, green pepper and onion; mix well. Separate dough into eight
triangles; press onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups.
Sprinkle half of the bacon into cups. Pour egg mixture over bacon; top with
remaining bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 18-22 minutes or until a
knife comes out clean. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings.

Simple, quick and easily modified. I made these in little heart muffin tins and the kids felt extra special. It’s not necessarily the recipe I liked but the technique and the ideas it gave us. The first time we made this I replaced the bacon with smoked ham and exchanged fresh chives for the onion and left out the bell pepper. That combination received a thumbs up from Kurt and I but the kids said it needed less cheese and more egg. The second time I used cooked ground sausage in place of the bacon, Cheddar in place of the Colby, I used red onion and red pepper. Reduced the cream cheese and added an egg. The kids loved this one but I had to increase the bake time for it to get done. The third time I actually had bacon, I used chives, left out the peppers but added 2 TB of chopped fresh mixed herbs. I think it we used a bit of rosemary, flat leaf parsely and maybe some thyme. I used the original amount of cream cheese and egg but doubled the recipe. Everyone was happy.  

Tonight I’m trying out Rachael Ray’s Smoky Sweet Potato Chicken Stoup and Roasted Poblano Quesadilla

Oh, and while we’re at it here’s a recipe that didn’t rate so well:

Amaretto Dream Cupcakes

Photos from the Taste of Home website/magazine