Emeril's Shredded Chicken Nachos

***Wow...these nachos were awesome! I don't watch Emeril on a regular basis, but I caught this as he was making it. I had to change the recipe a good bit, because I didn't have all the needed ingredients on-hand (and I didn't want to wait until I did...hah!). However, you can find the original recipe HERE. I also had no idea that tortilla chips were so easy to make at home. They were delicious.***

With cheese sauce added:

For the Chicken Mixture:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast diced into 3-inch strips
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning

Directions:
Set a wide-mouthed 3-quart saucepan with lid over medium-high heat and add the oil to the pan. Season the chicken pieces with salt & pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and sear for 3 minutes per side. Add the onions to the pan and saute for another 3 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes (with juices) and taco seasoning, stir well.

Pour the chicken stock over the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and cover. Continue to cook the chicken until very tender (30 min. - 1 hour), stir the chicken to shred it and continue to cook, covered, for another 30 minutes. Set aside as you prepare the nachos.

For the Nachos:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Dried parsley, to taste
3/4 cup sour cream, for garnishing (I left this off)
1/2 cup sliced pickled jalapenos, for garnishing (I left these off also)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnishing

Tortilla Chips:
To make the tortilla chips, heat a saucepan of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Cut each corn tortilla into 4 wedges. Place wedges in hot oil and cook until desired crispness. Remove chips from oil and place on a paper towel to drain. Season with salt.

Homemade tortilla chips....YUM!

Cheese Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not allow the flour to color. While whisking constantly, add the milk in a steady stream.

Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and bubbly. Add the cheddar and monterey cheeses, salt, parsley and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Cover and remove from the heat.

To Finish:
Place tortilla chips on a large platter. Cover chips with chicken mixture, and top the chicken with the cheesy sauce. Garnish with the sour cream, pickled jalapenos and cilantro.

Source: Emeril Live - http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Oven Roasted Balsamic Chicken

***Here's yet another simple and quick recipe. I added some dried rosemary and a sprinkling of sesame seeds to jazz it up a little bit.***

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drizzle E.V.O.O. all over top of chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Arrange in an oven-safe baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, mustard, and rosemary. Brush mixture all over chicken. Sprinkle top of chicken with sesame seeds.

Bake for approximately 40 - 45 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through.

Source: Robin Miller - http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Dorie's Perfect Party Cake!

I had SO much fun with this month's Daring Baker's Challenge! This month's challenge was hosted by Morven at Food Art and Random Thoughts, and you can find the recipe HERE . The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours.

I was thrilled when I found out this month's challenge was a cake. That's without a doubt one of my favorite things to make. It is a wonderful cake with raspberry preserves and whipped cream between each yummy layer....plus a fresh lemony taste! To top it all off, it includes a divine buttercream icing (made from scratch, of course!).

I got creative with it by dying the shredded coconut green and placing candy eggs on the top. I ended up with an Easter Egg Hunt cake, which I took to our Easter celebration. The thing that made my cake extra special was the golden, candy egg hidden inside the cake. We gave a prize to the person that got the piece with the golden egg...fun, huh?? It was such a big hit, that I think it will become an Easter tradition.

Here are some pics!

Ingredients!

I used "Bonne Maman" fresh raspberry preserves...they were so good!

Here's the golden egg...hidden inside!

Look at those layers!

Close-up of one of the candy eggs...they looked really pretty on the cake.

I added a flag to the top to announce the "egg hunt."

I made two cakes!

A slice of yummy-ness!

This is also my entry for the Easter Cake Bake...check out the blog event HERE!

Honey Mustard Chicken with Almonds

***This was another one of those nights where I had to take stock of what was in the pantry and get creative. This dish turned out to be a new favorite! The flavors all blended wonderfully. I simply whipped up some homemade honey mustard sauce and sprinkled the chicken with sliced almonds.***

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp. E.V.O.O.

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp. honey

4 tbsp. dijon mustard

Sliced almonds (I used Italian Parmesan flavored almonds)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with E.V.O.O. and season with salt & pepper. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, mix together honey, dijon mustard, and a dash more of salt & pepper.

Drizzle cooked chicken with honey mustard mixture. Top with sliced almonds. Serve immediately!

Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil Rice

***This has to be one of the simplest side dishes ever. All I did was cook a batch of white, long-grain rice. Once it was ready, I added a few tablespoons of Amore brand Sun-Dried Tomato paste and stirred it together. I seasoned it with salt & pepper and then topped it off with dried basil...simple as that! It's such a great way to jazz up plain ol' white rice. My mom makes it by adding stewed tomatoes to white rice...another variation that's also very good.***