new recipes, part 2.

These are recipes 6-12 of 25.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

Good, easy. Definitely making it again.

Crockpot Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

When Mom and Dad were visiting, and Dad and I were building the closet shelves, I wanted something I could easily make for dinner that wouldn't require a lot of prep time. This definitely fits in that category, but it needed to cook a lot longer than the recipe stated, even on high - the meat was done, but the peppers and onion needed more time. I ended up turning the crockpot down to low and letting it cook for several more hours, then reheated it for dinner the next day. Still really good, either on a roll like a traditional cheese steak, or on top of rice - I'll probably make this again.

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

I've had this recipe saved for a few months, but re-discovered it when I was cleaning out my to-make list one night. Perfect, because I was just about to make something simple for dinner, like pasta with jarred spaghetti sauce. I cooked the chicken in the microwave (which I hate doing, but I was hungry) and when I browned it on the stove with the sauce, I added some herbed spinach blend to it. I'd definitely recommend it!

Lemon Feta Chicken with Oregano

This is another really easy recipe - I made it for company, and they loved it! The prep for the recipe is really simple - juice a lemon, mix it with a few herbs, slather them on the chicken, and throw it in the oven. Love recipes like that!

Chicken Ropa Vieja

Writing a review of this recipe is really hard, because I didn't like it, but I think its probably because of how I tweaked it. As much as I love using my crockpot, especially during the week, I've found that anything that needs to cook only a short time (meaning less than a full workday), or that requires much work after I get home, just isn't a good fit for me.

The first part of this recipe calls for cooking the chicken in the crockpot, then shredding it and reserving some of the broth for use later. I did this the night before, then just let the crockpot cool and put the whole thing in my refrigerator. What I probably should have done instead is take the chicken out, shred it, then save the broth I needed separately. Instead, I did this the next evening, and the chicken ended up somewhat slimy and with a very odd consistency, especially when cooked with the reserved broth and tomato sauce later (I also substituted chicken broth for the dry white wine called for in the recipe).

Southwestern Bean Salad

I made this the same night as I made chicken ropa vieja (see above), and since I didn't end up eating that dish, I didn't eat much of this easier. What little I had was good, but the next day, I threw the rest in the crockpot with some frozen chicken breasts, salsa, and taco seasoning to make filling for chicken soft tacos.

Chicken, Broccoli, and Cashew Stir-Fry

This recipe was good, and was pretty easy because I did a lot of the prep work ahead of time (mostly chopping the carrots, garlic, and scallions). I'd never tried soba noodles before, and while they were good, I think I prefer to eat stir-fry with rice.