Bananas Foster French Toast

Just popping in to share what I made for the kiddos this morning. I usually type up a recipe to share with you all but this one is a bit time consuming. I have been making french toast since the age of 10 and I never measure anything whenever I make this dish... I could seriously make this with my eyes closed. So, I looked on line and found a similar recipe for you all in case you are interested in giving this a try. Here's a pic of my dish and the recipe will follow. Enjoy!

http://www.pinottopampers.com/2012/06/02/going-bananas-trying-to-make-french-toast/

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili w/ Homemade Cheesy Mexican Cornbread... YUM!

So it's a cold, rainy 68 degree weather day here in the Carolinas. I wanted to come up with a nice, savory-comforting type of meal for my family and this is what I came up with... My Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili :-). I looked in my freezer and grabbed 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, frozen corn and other ingredients and created this finger licking recipe! Give it a try!

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Taco Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 16-oz can black beans
• 1 16-oz can of chili beans
• ½ to 3/4 cup of Green/ Red/ Yellow Peppers, chopped
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 ½ cups of frozen corn kernels
• 1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (depending on the size of the can)
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• Dash of salt, black pepper or cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup of water

Directions:

Combine beans, onion, green/red/yellow peppers, corn, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, water and taco seasoning in a crockpot and stir. Slice chicken breasts in half, season with salt & pepper and brown them with olive oil in a skillet. Place chicken on top of mixture in the crock pot and cover. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. One hour before serving, remove chicken and shred with a fork. Place the shredded chicken back into the crockpot, stir and allow it to cook for the final hour. Serve it plain or over rice, topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro or crunchy tortilla chips. ENJOY! 

You can find a similar recipe on Skinny Taste (click on the word skinny taste to find that recipe)... I assure you, mine will taste much better :-)

Cheesy Mexican Cornbread
This recipe can be as simple or as complex as you'd like it to be... If you'd like to make the quick & simple version, use the recipe below:

• 1 package of corn muffin mix (Jiffy or whatever you'd like)
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of milk or Mexican Crema
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chili's
• 1/2 cup of Mexican cheese blend
• Jalapeno Peppers for some "kick"(optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, grease/butter your dish (I use a glass pie dish), blend all of your ingredients, poor into pan, top it with a little more Mexican cheese blend, bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

For the more time consuming version, I use the made from scratch recipe that can be found on the outside of your yellow cornmeal packaging. Prepare it per the directions and add in your tomatoes, chili's, jalapeno's and cheese.... ENJOY!