Colorado-bound

This week was sort of a rushed mash of dinners, hence the late blog post. My sister is currently visiting us, and we found out recently that we will be moving to Colorado sometime in the next 2 months, so between company and attempting to put together everything for the move and get the house ready we've been a bit busy and preoccupied. Whenever we have company though, I always try to make new recipes and try new meals, so I was still able to fit in a few meals, and both were a hit! The first one was the baked chicken taquitos, the recipe I had for it was originally an appetizer, but paired with some spanish rice it made a great meal and everyone loved it. The second was Chicken Taco Chili, which turned out a bit more soupy than I normally like, but when you serve it over rice the rice soaks all the liquid up and it's really good. The recipe makes a ton though, we've had it for 2 dinners so far and have enough to have it for another dinner, but I love recipes that end up surprising me with how many it will feed. I didn't intend for this post to have a tex-mex sort of feel to it, but it ended up happening anyways! Hope you enjoy the recipes, and I apologize for the lack of photos. :)

Baked Chicken Taquitos

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup salsa (green or red)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 12 (6 inch) flour tortillas
• kosher salt
• cooking spray


Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat matte or foil lightly coated with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (except the tortillas.) Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds). Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone, making sure the taquitos are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt (don’t skip the salt!) Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden. Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 16-oz can black beans 
• 1 16-oz can kidney beans 
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 10 oz package frozen corn kernels 
• 2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies 
• 1 packet taco seasoning 
• 1 tbsp cumin 
• 1 tbsp chili powder 
• 24 0z. (3) boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• chopped fresh cilantro 

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro. Also try it with low fat cheese and sour cream (extra points).