Creative Chicken Leftovers

On May 25, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes8 Comments

Since it is just the two of us, when we cook a whole chicken, we always have a lot of leftovers. Making open-face buffalo chicken sandwiches on English muffins or biscuits is a tasty option for using some of the chicken we have sitting in the refrigerator. It can make for an easy dinner, quick lunch, or even an afternoon snack.

Ingredients

12 oz Cooked Chicken (breast or thigh meat works equally well)
8 oz Hot Sauce (Buffalo or Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (or blended cheese of your choice)
4 oz Ranch Dressing
2 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper – optional
2 English Muffins or Large Biscuits

Instructions

Cut the chicken into small, bite-size, chunks. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper, thoroughly coating the chicken. Let sit at room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes to allow the chicken to absorb the flavor. Heat an oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Cut the muffins or biscuits in half and place one-quarter of the chicken mixture on each half. Place the open-face sandwiches directly on the rack and heat for 15 minutes. Place the cheese on top of the chicken mixture and continue to heat for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted. Remove the sandwiches from the oven, pour the ranch dressing over the top and enjoy. Serves two.

Guacamole – A Taste of South of the Border

On May 4, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes7 Comments

One of things that we love about travelling to Mexico is that when you order guacamole, you get a lot of guacamole. Here in the United States, you would think that avocados were a precious commodity by the way they charge you for a couple of tablespoons of guacamole. There are a lot of good uses for avocados, but guacamole is probably our favorite. It can be used with chips as a dip or it can be used as a spread on a sandwich. We leave the seeds in the jalapenos, but if you don’t like it as spicy, the seeds can be removed. This recipe is for a small batch, but obviously it can be increased if you are serving it for a larger crowd.

Ingredients

2 Avocados – diced
1 Medium Tomato – finely diced
1 Jalapeno – finely diced (seeds removed if you don’t want it spicy)
1 Garlic Clove – minced
1 tbsp Red or Yellow Onion – finely diced
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the avocados in half, using your knife to carve around the large seed. Twist the avocado to separate the two halves, the seed will remain in one of the halves. Using a knife, carefully chop into the seed so that the knife is slightly embedded. Twist the knife to remove the seed and carefully remove the seed from the knife blade. Use a spoon to separate the flesh of the avocado from the skin by tracing the spoon along the inside of the skin and place the flesh into a medium bowl. You can dice the avocado prior to removing it from the skin or after it is in the bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and mix thoroughly. If you prefer a creamy guacamole, you can mash the avocado dices as you stir, or leave some of the dices whole if you prefer a chunkier guacamole. Serve with chips.

Baked Manicotti – Simple and Delicious

On April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes9 Comments

Manicotti is one of those meals that is perfect for any occasion and, best of all, it is even better the next day. When we’re looking for a meal that can satisfy our tastes as well as offer multiple dinner options, manicotti is an excellent choice. The spaghetti or marinara sauce can pull double duty and be frozen or put over pasta later in the week and the leftovers make a wonderful lunch as well. Baked manicotti can be made for a large party or for just the two of us, which works out perfect with our busy lives.

Ingredients

1 box Manicotti Shells (10 shells) – If you can’t find manicotti shells, you can substitute cannelloni shells.
2 cups Spaghetti or Marinara Sauce – we used our own semi-homemade sauce, but you can use your favorite sauce.
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
8 oz Mozzarella Cheese – shredded
1 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 egg
Parmesan Cheese – shredded as desired
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the shells according to the box instructions leaving them slightly al dente since they will be baked afterward. Mix the ricotta cheese, three-quarters of the mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl. In a casserole dish, spread about a half a cup of the sauce into the bottom of the dish. When the shells are cool, stuff them with the cheese mixture and place into the casserole dish. Cover the shells with remaining sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese, if using. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.