Cream Cheese and Green Chile Chicken

CREAM CHEESE and GREEN CHILE CHICKEN

This is a recipe that I took from the Lion House cookbook and modified it a little. We like it more runny so we can eat it over rice. Honestly we made this a while ago so hopefully I remember everything I did differently. This is another one of my favorite dishes that has very few ingredients. It's easy to throw together last minute and my family loves it!

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1 (7oz) can diced green chilies

1/8-1/4 C milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Cornflake crumbs (optional)

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place cubed chicken breast in prepared dish. In a medium bowl combine cream cheese, chilies, milk and a little salt and pepper. We like ours a little more runny, but it depends on how you like it. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is done and cream cheese mixture is bubbling. As an option the last 5-10 minutes you can add some cornflake crumbs on top of the dish to give it a little crunch.

Creamy Corn

CREAMY CORN

Not to be confused with creamed corn, this tasty little side dish is so easy. I love corn by itself, but this is one way to get your kids to eat it if they don't like it. I usually use this as a side dish to my Cream Cheese and Green Chile Chicken (recipe coming soon). Believe it or not, this recipe actually came from a walmart cookbook and I just changed it a little.

 

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/2 C milk

2 TBSP butter

2 (15.25oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained

salt and pepper to taste

 

*Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly.

 

Easy, huh?

Brownie Bites

BROWNIE BITES

These are one of my favorite things to make. They're pretty easy too.

1 box of brownie mix
oil, egg and water called for on box
1 (8oz) pkg Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 to 1 C Powdered Sugar

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Make the brownie mix as directed on the box. Scoop brownie batter into prepared pan. Only fill each spot about half way. If your brownies over flow, they will be much harder to get out and will most likely break. Bake them about 12-15 minutes. They bake pretty fast since they're so small.

Just out of the oven

While they are still warm, take the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon and press an indentation into the brownies. Let them cool a few minutes before removing from pan. I usually use toothpicks to get them out of the pan. If they're fresh out of the oven, they may still be a little gooey, so let them sit a few minutes. Move to cooling rack and let them cool completely.

While they are cooling make the frosting. Whip together cream cheese, vanilla and powdered sugar. I don't know exactly how much powdered sugar I use I just mix it until it's a good thick consistency.
After you have whipped the frosting put it in a piping bag. If you don't have a piping bag you can you a plastic baggie and cut one of the corners. Just be sure the other end is tight so the frosting doesn't just come out when you squeeze the bag. Keep refrigerated. They are really good chilled.

These are great for special occasions because they are bite sized. I make these for baby showers all the time. Just tint the frosting pink or blue, depending on the gender of the baby of course. They are also easy to make ahead of time and can stay refrigerated for a few days.

Pumpkin Angel Food Cake

PUMPKIN ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

I had to make a dessert for our family dinner on Sunday and decided to try a new recipe. New recipes are always a little risky but this one seemed easy enough. The original recipe called for a ginger cream frosting, but when I think of pumpkin I automatically think it needs cream cheese frosting. I followed the cake recipe.

CAKE
1 (1 lb) box white angel food cake mix
1 TBSP all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3/4 C canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 C cold water

*Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, mix all ingredients together with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan. Bake 35-45 minutes or until crust is dark golden brown and cracks are dry (I baked it for 37). Immediately turn pan upside down on glass jar and let cool completely (about 2 hours). Loosen cake from side and bottom of pan by running a knife between cake and pan. Turn cake upside down on serving plate. Cut in half with serrated knife.

When the cake came out I was surprised that it rise as much as an angel food cake normally does. I should have figured it wouldn't since the pumpkin is dense. Here's the cake just out of the oven.

The cake flipped upside down and cut in half.

Now it's time for the icing. I would totally change this next time. But this is how I made it.

ICING
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP shortening
4 1/2 C powdered sugar
3 TBSP milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
*Beat everything together with an electric mixer until it is smooth and creamy.

All mixed up

Then I iced the cake

After I iced the cake I just sprinkled a little pumpkin pie spice to make it look a little more finished. The cake was tasty. It tasted like pumpkin. It tasted like angel food cake. But I have to say the cake was good, but not great. When I taste pumpkin treats I think I just expect them to be more dense and this was really light.

WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT

First, I would have added a little more pumpkin pie spice to the cake to give it more of a pumpkin flavor. As far as the icing, I was way off. I was trying to make a lot because I was afraid I was going to run out. I would have done less powdered sugar. Like maybe 2 1/2 to 3 cups. Less milk to match the powdered sugar of course. If I wanted to give it a more pumpkin flavor I might have even added some pumpkin pie spice to it. I also think it didn't need that much icing. The icing was really sweet so I probably wouldn't cut it in half and ice the middle. Just ice the outside.

I'd probably make it again, just make it a little different. It just wasn't a must have dessert.