Chicken Chipotle Tacos, And a Short Hiatus

Hello there everyone!  I hope you all survived the holidays and are ready to start the new year!!  Our holidays were very relaxed and that was a good thing given all of the excitement that the next few months are going to bring.

Shortly, we will be wedding planning our butts off, and I have recently set a goal of completing 2 more exams towards my architectural license before wedding planning gets too crazy.  That leaves little time for my beloved blog, so please forgive the extended silence that will no doubt be happening on here.  I will try to get on as much as I can, but as you are already starting to see, it's not as often as I have been on in the past.  Hopefully the distance makes your love grow stronger, right??  Maybe?  My true hope is that by the time I start blogging regularly again, I will have gained some new lighting equipment that makes indoor shooting in the winter (with minimal daylight!) look so much better!



Before I go, I wanted to leave you with a recipe that I made for a monthly supper club that I recently started with friends (so fun!).  This chicken chipotle taco/burrito recipe is something that I have held onto since having it at one of my friend's houses long ago (Stacy, I'm talkin' about you if you are out there!)  It has remained a hit with anyone I have shared it with since…anyone who can handle the heat, that is.  This dish is crazy hot the way I make it, but you can adapt it to your spice level by using fewer chipotle peppers, and still get that great smoky flavor.  (Or, you can just smother it with sour cream and cheese to help with the heat, like I do!  Sour cream is your friend with this dish.  Just let it happen.)

In this variation, I threw all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and let it cook away.  Usually I sauté it all in a pan and get great results too.  You really can't go wrong with this one.

Chipotle Chicken Tacos/Burritos

2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (chopped into 1/2" chunks if cooking on stove top, can leave whole for the slow cooker)

1 7oz Can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

1 4oz Can of diced green chiles

1 Yellow or red onion, diced

1 Package of corn tortillas for tacos (or flour tortillas for burritos)

Sour cream and cheddar cheese to taste

Cooked white rice (optional)

This is all you need if you are making this on the stove top.  But I also added about 1/2c of chipotle salsa for the slow cooker version.

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker and let heat on low for 5-6 hours.  For the last hour or so I take the lid off and turn the cooker on high if there is a lot of liquid that needs to thicken up.

For the stove top version, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and sauté onions until translucent.  Add diced chicken and cook through.  Lastly add chopped chipotle peppers and green chiles, combine and heat through.  Remove from heat and serve immediately

Spoon chicken mixture into tortillas, or on top of a bed of rice, and top with sour cream and cheese!

I hope you all miss me while I am gone, I will miss you!

Frozen Breakfast Burritos

I think I told you way back here that there is indeed a solution to boring weekday breakfasts.  Frozen breakfast burritos are the answer, and they are addicting!  This is something that I have done for the past couple of years and they have saved the day on more than one occasion, including getting home from a late night out and wanting to eat everything in sight!

I like to make them on the smaller side so that you don't start your day off feeling too stuffed.  That is the responsible, healthy side of me talking because otherwise I would have a Chipotle sized breakfast burrito every.single.day.  Apparently it's not okay to do that, so I stick to the smaller ones :)  I make anywhere from 20-24 at a time.



2 packages of 10" whole wheat flour tortillas (smaller burrito tortillas).
2 packages of frozen o'brien potatoes or hash browns.
1/2 diced yellow or red onion (needed if the potatoes don't already have onion in it)
1 diced green or red bell pepper (needed if the potatoes don't already have pepper in it)
10-12 eggs
1 large jar of green chile (I like the 505 hot chile)
1 package of shredded cheddar cheese with taco seasoning (2 cups)
1 can of diced green chiles
Seasoned pepper & garlic salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp butter
3 tbsp water
Foil

You don't need me to tell you that you could also add meat to these (mmm bacon). I'm sure you already figured that out!

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add frozen potatoes and onion.  Season to taste with seasoned pepper and garlic salt.  Cook until potatoes are thoroughly cooked and almost approaching "dry", stirring frequently.  Set aside.  (The key to these burritos is to have as little liquid as possible.  For this reason, green chile is chosen instead of a tomatoey salsa that will release water when re-heated, making a soggy burrito).

While the potatoes are cooking, tear 20-24 sheets of foil into 12" sheets (one for each burrito).  Set aside.

In a separate pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Whisk eggs together, adding water, continue whisking until incorporated (this is optional, I like adding water because it makes the eggs more light and fluffy).  Add eggs, canned green chiles and salt & pepper to the pan.  Scramble until done.  Set aside.

Set up all of your ingredients in a burrito-making "station" and start assembling.  Before you start, it sometimes helps to wrap the tortillas in a paper towel and heat in the microwave for about 1 minute to keep them from tearing.

Place a tortilla on a sheet of foil, add a scoop of eggs, equal amounts of potatoes, a sprinkle of cheese, about 1 tbsp of green chile and wrap the tortilla, folding in both sides.  Wrap the burrito in foil and stick in the freezer.

When you are ready to eat, remove foil and pop in the microwave for about 2 minutes!