Crockpot Chicken Nachos

These are heavenly, scrumptious, delicious, and amazing. I only have one picture from the entire (simple, but lengthly) process because I was so excited to plop down on the couch and eat them, I forgot that I might want to blog about them.

These are perfect as a meal, an appetizer, or a snack. And don't be scared by "lengthy." The only reason they take a while is because the crockpot is involved. Actual hands-on time is almost nothing.

Ingredients
Two frozen (or thawed) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Two cups of your favorite salsa (I LOVE Margaritaville salsa from BJ's, and Trader Joe's medium salsa as well)
One cup of water
One can of corn, drained
One cup shredded cheddar
A pile of tortilla chips (I used Wegman's organic yellow corn tortilla chips)

Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot, pour salsa, water and corn over chicken, place lid on crockpot, and cook on high for 5 hours. (I'm sure cooking on low for 10 hours would do the same thing).

Place a single layer of tortilla chips on a nonstick foil lined baking sheet, and sprinkle half of the cheese onto the chips. Top with a thin layer of the chicken mixture (shredded), then top with remaining cheese. Bake for about five minutes, or until cheese is melted.

The last step is very important. Add a small pile of tortilla chips on the side, so you have some slightly baked/soft chips, and some crunchy non-baked ones as well. The combo of textures is delightful.

Enjoy with a glass of red wine, while your children sleep, your husband is out of town, and you are catching up on DVR'd Kardsashian episodes. Or, if you don't want to admit to all of that, just enjoy. ;)

Comfort Food Alert!!! Gooey, Crispy, Chunky, Baked Mac 'n' Cheese :)

Ok, so I never thought I would use Velveeta in a recipe, let alone publish a blog entry admitting to it. But, I did, and I am, and it was so worth it!

I have been craving a good baked mac 'n' cheese for a while, and finally gave in and started researching recipe basics. I combined a few ideas, added my own twists, and voila!

My dad, husband, daughter, and I all really enjoyed this dish. Next time I serve it to Audrey, I will have to wait until after she's eaten her meat and veggies (which usually isn't a problem for her; she loves meat and veggies!) But once she had a taste of this, nothing else on her high chair tray existed. :)

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (not because I was trying to be healthy, but because that's all I had, and what I mostly use; I realize the Velveeta and stick of butter negated the healthy aspect right away). :)
4 cups whole milk
16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed
A few dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1 box of macaroni, cooked, and drained
1 cup chopped/cubed/shredded cheddar cheese (I used a brick of sharp cheddar, and my food processor to chop it up into coarse little pieces with the panko bread crumbs)
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Melt the butter in a large pot, then whisk in the flour. Slowly add the milk while whisking out the lumps. Let mixture sit on medium heat for about a minute, then add the Velveeta cubes a few at a time, mixing in between. Once you have a nice creamy, blended mixture, shake in a few dashes of Tabasco Sauce and stir.

Add the cooked macaroni to the pot, and stir until all noodles are coated with the cheese sauce. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish, and set aside.

In a food processor, add a few chopped up chunks of the cheddar (about one cup's worth), along with the panko crumbs, and chop/mix until you have a coarse mixture. Sprinkle half of it over the macaroni and cheese, and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the mac 'n' cheese, sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese/crumb mixture, and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Enjoy the soft, bubbly, slightly crunchy goodness of this delicious mac 'n' cheese! I liked it so much that I replaced my 4am pregnancy snack with a bowl of it the next day. I just won't make it a habit. ;-)