April Menu ~ Menu Plan Monthly

Hi everyone!! It seems like I just finished up March's Menu and now April is already here. Boy how the time flies by. I am kind of excited about April because Easter will be here in a couple days. We are celebrating Easter with friends but instead of a traditional Easter dinner we will be grilling out. Were going to have hamburgers and hot dogs or fajita nachos. We still haven't decided yet but at least we have it narrowed down. I will be bringing a Tres Leches Cake, Pasta Crab Salad, Deviled Eggs, and Easter Sugar Cookie Bars.

My friend is also making Shrimp Cocktails. Hers is a bit different from the traditional shrimp cocktail and it's so good. I could just sit and eat it until I pop. I will make sure to take photos so I can post the recipe. Well enough about food and onto my April Menu. I have a few meals that I carried over from last month so if you see a few repeats that's why. I have also included McKLinky at the end of this post. If you plan a monthly menu, then I would love for you to link up. We can all use some new meal ideas. I would also like to say thank you to everyone who does links up every month to Menu Plan Monthly.

April Dinner Menu

Pork & Pinto Bean Enchiladas, Spanish Rice
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Tacos, Bean & Cheese Quesidillas
Pigs in a Blanket & Fries
* Buttermilk Fried Chicken
* Crock pot Beans & Smoked Sausage
Roast Beef W/Carrots & Potatoes
* Gumbo & PW Cornbread
Hamburger Steaks, Gravy & Noodles & Veggie
PW Chicken Strips, Mac & Cheese & Fruit
Hamburgers & Hot dogs (Easter Grill Out)
Stuffed Bell Peppers & Rolls
Cheese Enchiladas, Rice & Beans
Coney Island Hot Dogs
Beef & Broccoli, Egg Rolls & Rice
Pizza Sammies
BFD - Skillet Buttermilk Biscuits, Sausage Gravy & Eggs
Honey Lime Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes. & Veggie Packets
Chicken Pot Pie
Lasagna Soup (W/Left Over Spaghetti Sauce)
Smoked Sausage, Deen's Mac & Cheese & Veggie
Oven Roasted Chicken, Au gratin Potatoes & Green Beans
City Chicken, Mashed Taters, Purple Hull Peas & Hot Water Cornbread
Spaghetti OS Casserole & Texas Toast


Desserts for the Month

Banana Split Cake
Tres Leches Cake (Easter)
Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars (Easter)
Strawberry Cupcakes W/ Strawberry Butter cream
Frosted Brownies
Coconut Pecan Pie
Zucchini Muffins


Linked Recipes are recipes that are already listed on my site or somewhere else. Recipes that are not linked will be shared as I make them. * Represents a meal carried over from last months menu that did not get prepared. No problem, I already have all the main ingredients to make that meal which is always a plus.

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Strawberry No Bake Cheese Cake + More Easter Recipes.

Good morning everyone!!! Easter is right around the corner and sneaked up on me faster than I realized. For some reason I was thinking Easter was at the end of April. I don't know where my mind has been lately. Today I am posting a recipe for a Strawberry No Bake Cheesecake that I served at my Spring Brunch last weekend. This cheesecake was a huge hit and at the end of the morning there was only one slice left. When I was preparing this cheesecake the night before I was thinking, this would be a great dessert for Easter.

It just reminded me so much of spring. I don't know if was the pretty pink color or if it was the strawberries themselves. Since this cheesecake is a no bake recipe it's really a snap to throw together. I also thought that if you played around with the different flavors of jello, I bet you could come up with all different variations of this cheesecake. Maybe peach, lemon, lime or a mixed berry cheesecake. Have you stared planning your Easter menu? If so what are you serving?

I have included some more Easter Menu ideas just in case you are needing a few new ones. I am making the Tres leche cake, crab salad and deviled eggs to take over to our friends house. We are grilling out with lots of goodies to eat and having a egg hunt. The recipe for the no bake cheesecake is at the end of this post.

Easter Tea Cakes, Shortcut Coconut Cake, Tres Leche Cake , Strawberry Soda Pop Cake, Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie , Homemade Spring Oreo Cookies (Pink Filling), Easy Deviled Eggs, Easy Fruit Salad , Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole W/Ham, Fluffy Fruit Dip, Fresh Strawberry Salsa , Dinner Rolls , Easter Cake Balls, Macaroni & Cheese, Easy Crab Salad , Strawberry Koolaid Pie



Strawberry No Bake Cheesecake

Crust

6 honey graham crackers (2‑squares each), crushed to fine crumbs
2 Tbsp butter, melted, and mixed with 1 Tbsp honey

Filling
1 box - (3 oz) strawberry flavor gelatin
2⁄3 cup boiling water
1 tub - (16 oz) low fat or regular cottage cheese
2 - bricks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
2 - Tbsp sugar
2 - tsp strawberry extract or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1 pt - (about 12 oz) fresh strawberries
2 - Tbsp strawberry jelly, melted
Garnish: mint leaves

Coat an 8 x 3-in. spring form pan with nonstick spray. Mix crumbs with butter mixture until evenly moistened. Press firmly over bottom and 3⁄4 in. up side of prepared pan. Place in freezer. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water in a 1-cup measure. Puree cottage cheese in food processor until creamy. Add gelatin, cream cheese, sugar and extract; process until smooth. Pour into prepared crust; smooth top. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours, or until set. Wash and dry berries; remove stems. Quarter each lengthwise and place in a bowl; add jelly and gently toss to coat. Remove sides of spring form pan; place cheesecake on serving plate. Spoon on berry mixture; sprinkle with mint leaves. Planning Tip: Can be made, without the strawberry topping, up to 3 days ahead. Refrigerate covered. Prepare Topping just before serving. * This recipe can be easily adapted to a low cal recipe by substituting with all low fat or fat free ingredients.

Recipe adapted from Woman's Day


For more great recipe ideas visit The Grocery Cart Challange & Colleens Recipe Swap.


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Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash Brown Bake "Spring into Brunch"

Hi everyone last weekend I hosted a wonderful "Spring into Brunch" House party at my home. The weather in Texas was definitely not spring like with the unexpected 3 inches of snow we received. So our guest list was limited due to the weather, plus it was also Spring Break. With all of that we still made the best of it and had a great time. Y'all may remember back in January I mentioned that I have partnered up again for 2010 with VELVEETA to serve as one of five Velveeta it Kitchenista's. Every couple months each kitchenista will be sharing vlogs on all sorts of different holidays. All of us will be whipping up a yummy Velveeta inspired recipe and vlogging about our experience.

Today I am sharing with y'all the Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash Brown Bake that I prepared and served at my brunch. It was so good and cheesy that I know I will be making this dish again. Also be on the look out later this week, because I will be sharing the recipe for that beautiful No Bake Strawberry Cheese Cake pictured below. I hope everyone enjoys the video and the recipe. For my email subscribers you will have to click here and it will take you directly to Mommy's Kitchen to view the video.

We had lots of great food at our spring brunch. Everyone demolished the Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash Brown Bake and I was left with an empty pan. That should be proof of it's yumminess.

Don't forget to stop by Velveeta's Face book page. Where you can follow along all this week and see videos from my fellow Kitchenistas and see what yummy cheesy dish they will be preparing. For more great ways to Velveeta It! visit Velveeta.com .

Velveeta Cheesy Bacon Hash brown Bake

8 - slices Oscar Mayer Bacon, chopped
2 - cups frozen shredded hash browns, thawed
1/2 lb. - fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 - each red and green pepper, chopped
1 - onion, chopped
12 - eggs
1/3 cup - Breakstones or Knudsen Sour Cream
3/4 lb. (12 oz.) - Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, thinly sliced

HEAT oven to 350ºF. COOK bacon in large skillet on medium heat 10 min. or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from skillet, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels. Meanwhile, add potatoes, mushrooms, peppers and onions to drippings; cook 10 min. or until peppers and onions are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. SPREAD vegetable mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Whisk eggs and sour cream until well blended; pour over vegetable mixture. Top with bacon and VELVEETA. BAKE 40 min. or until center is set and casserole is heated through.

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Disclosure: I have partnered with VELVEETA to serve as one of five VELVEETA it! Kitchenistas. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program, which includes vlogging about my cooking experiences with VELVEETA and developing one original VELVEETA-based recipe. I have also been compensated for the food purchased for my VELVEETA vlogs. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Cause that's just wrong.

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Homemade Coconut Pound Cake ~ Potluck Sunday

Good Morning everyone today is Potluck Sunday, I hope you prepared a wonderful dish to bring. I am really hungry and cant wait to see what everyone has contributed. I am a girl with a weakness for sweets, so today I am bringing a Homemade Coconut Pound Cake to the potluck. I adapted this recipe from the Homemade Vanilla Pound Cake that I made a couple months back.

While I was preparing the original pound cake recipe all sorts of different versions were popping into my head Lemon, Chocolate and Coconut. I thought maybe if i played around a bit with the ingredients I could come up with a few different pound cake recipes. Coconut was the first one I wanted to try. I was a little nervous messing with the original recipe because it was so good just as it was.

Well, I am happy to say the Coconut Pound Cake turned out fabulous. I am so glad I gave it a try now I have another great pound cake recipe. In my opinion pound cakes are so much better the second day. I guess it is because the flavors have time to sit and marry. Personally I can never wait till then to whack off a slice. That's because I have absolutely no will power LOL. I hope you enjoy the reicpe.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a recipe you'd like to bring to the potluck? If so then please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen. It's as easy as that. If you want to grab my Potluck Sunday button it is on the right side of my sidebar. I cant wait to see all the yummy dishes you will be bringing. I have provided MckLinky at the end of this post so you can link up.

Coconut Pound Cake

1 - cup butter, softened
2 1/2 -cups granulated sugar
6 - large eggs, room temp
3 - cups sifted cake flour (a must here)
1 - cup coconut milk
1 - teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - teaspoon coconut extract
2/3 - 3/4 - flaked, sweetened coconut

Beat butter until creamy, gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Add vanilla and coconut extract and blend. Add flour and coconut milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Add shredded coconut. Pour into a greased and floured Bundt cake and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool in pan about 5minutes then remove and cool completely on a cooling rack.



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Strawberry Banana Smoothie

I know it just recently snowed here in Texas, but I am so in the smoothie mood. Maybe it is the site of all the ripened fruit that needs to be used up. What better way to use all that fruit then to make smoothies. I am not sure in your house but in mine bananas and strawberries ripen faster than we can munch them down. Next time your fruit looks like its on it's last leg just toss them in a freezer bag and freeze them. That way you will have them on hand whenever you are in the smoothie mood.

If you are not sure how to freeze bananas just click on the link for step by step directions on how to freeze bananas. Strawberries can be frozen in the same manner, just remove the stems first. I like to flash freezer bananas & strawberries first before adding them to a freezer bag. That way they don't stick together and they are already in pieces to toss in the blender for a quick smoothie.

I love using frozen fruit to make smoothies, they come out so much more thicker and creamier. Keep in mind If using frozen fruit you will need to scale back on the amount of ice in the recipe or it will be way to thick. Also if you don't like almond milk or you are allergic to nuts then you can substitute with regular milk or vanilla soy milk.

The almond milk is so good though so I recommend trying it first. I use honey to sweeten this smoothie so there is no extra sugar added just the amount in the the yogurt. If you want an easy and tasty Strawberry Banana Smoothie then this is it. To make it even more healthy you can add some ground flax seed to the mix.

This is Gracie aka my smoothie buddy. We love to have smoothies in the morning together. There isn't a smoothie that I have made that Gracie has turned down ♥.




Strawberry Banana Smoothie

1 - cup vanilla almond milk
1 1/2 - cups ice
2 - ripe bananas fresh or frozen
1/2 - 1 - cup whole strawberries fresh or frozen
1 - cup strawberry or vanilla yogurt
1 - 2 tablespoon honey

Blend everything in the blender on ice breaker then smoothie setting and serve. If you smoothie is to thick add a bit more milk. If its to thin add more ice.

yields 2-3 servings.

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Weekend Company Breakfast Casserole ~ Potluck Sunday

Today is Potluck Sunday at Mommy's Kitchen. Our Spring Break is just about over and I don't know where the time has went. We did manage to go to the park a and make a trip to the zoo since the weather was so beautiful. So we did get to do a few things together. Today I have a house party planned and the weather stinks we are expected to get some snow, really!! On Friday we had a sun shiny 72 degrees and now we dropped 38 degrees overnight to a rainy 34 and possible snow.

You know what they say about the weather in Texas if you don't like it just stick around because it will always change. I had a different recipe planned for this weeks Potluck Sunday. Some of you follow me on Face book so you might remember me talking about a new overnight breakfast casserole yesterday. Well I got so many responses and requests that I decided to make this today's recipe post.

Today I am bringing a Weekend Company Breakfast Casserole to today's potluck. This is what we had for breakfast on the day of our zoo trip. I wanted a quick and easy breakfast so we could get a early start. You assemble this casserole the night before so there is really nothing to it in the morning. I found this recipe in The Deen Brothers new magazine Get Cooking. When I glanced through the magazine this recipe just popped out at me. I am so glad I made it because it was a big hit in our house.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a recipe you'd like to bring to the potluck? If so then please link directly to your post, not your homepage, and please include a link back to Mommy's Kitchen. It's as easy as that. I cant wait to see all the yummy dishes you will be bringing. I have provided MckLinky at the end of this post so you can link up. Here is the recipe for The Deen Brothers wonderful breakfast casserole.

assemble the casserole the night before. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. In the morning uncover casserole and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole 45-50 or until casserole is set. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. If necessary.

Let casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving. Always check egg and cheese bakes 15 minutes before they are done and cover them to prevent over browning.


I am also including a photo of what I woke up to this morning. I guess the weather man was right. SNOW!! I covered up the garden so hopefully everything will survive. Next year I might wait till the end of March to start planting. This never happens in Texas LOL.



Weekend Company
Breakfast Casserole

3 - tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 - lbs smoked sausage sliced
1/2 - cup chopped green, white or yellow onion
1/2 - cup chopped red or green bell pepper
1 - 14oz pkg English Muffins torn into 1 - inch pieces
2 - cups shredded monterey jack cheese w/peppers or regular
(you can also use 1 cup monterey jack and 1 cup cheddar cheese)
1 - cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 - large eggs
2 - cups half and half
1/2 cup whole milk
1 - tsp dried minced garlic (did not use)

In large skillet heat oil over medium heat-high heat. Add sausage cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add green onions and bell pepper cook for 4 minutes or until vegt are tender. In a 3 quart baking dish arrange English muffin pieces in a single layer. Top with sausage mixture and top with cheeses. In a LG bowl whisk together eggs, half and half and milk and garlic together.

Slowly pour egg mixture over over cheeses in baking dish. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. In the morning uncover casserole and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake casserole 45-50 or until casserole is set. Cover with aluminum foil to prevent over browning. If necessary. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Always check egg and cheese bakes 15 minutes before they are done and cover them to prevent over browning.

~ Note ~ The recipe above is for a full 3 quart baking dish. I cut the recipe in half and used a 9 x 13 in baking pan. I used 6 whole English muffins. and cut the rest of the ingredients in half. Also if using a glass baking dish lower the temperature to 325 degrees.

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Crafty Kitchen ~ Garden Markers ~

It's been a while since I have done a "Crafty Kitchen" post here at Mommy's Kitchen. Last weekend we finally had a chance to get outside and get our garden started. We usually have our seeds planted around the end of February, but we got a freak snow storm last month. So I thought it would be best to wait it out in case we got another cold snap. It finally looks like the cold is behind us so hopefully Spring is right around the corner.

I would love to spend more time outside instead of being cooped up in the house. The kids helped us get all the dirt and compost spread out. Then while DH and I planted everything in the garden, I kept the kids busy with a little project. Keeping the kiddos busy gave us more time in the garden and also let them help and be apart of the whole gardening process. Their project was to make Homemade Garden Markers.

Last year I saw the cutest garden markers at 3girls,me,andarecipe. I thought they would be the perfect project for the kids. We headed to Lowe's and purchased all the materials. It really didn't cost to much to make the markers. We already had several bottles of acrylic paint and a can of clear coat. So all we needed was wood pieces, stakes and twine. We purchased a bundle pack of garden stakes for $4.98 and cut them down to about a little over a foot. The thin wood markers were only a couple dollars. The sponge brushes were .54 the paint pen was around $3 and some twine for $1.40.

I would say the whole project cost a little over $12. Not bad for homemade markers. And the kids had a blast painting them all by themselves. Once the paint was dry I labeled each marker and the kids spelled out the vegetables. DH nailed the wood markers to the stakes and I added the clear coat. As soon as they were dry I let the kids place all the markers in the garden where we planted everything. I think they turned out so cute and the twine was a nice touch. If you would like to see what we planted you can click here to visit my garden post.

Do you let your kids help when you plant your garden?

Supplies needed:
Acrylic paints, wood glue or nails, sponge brushes, wooden dowels or garden stakes, paint pen or sharpie, small flat wood pieces, clear coat spray and old t-shirts so they don't get paint on their clothes.

Cover your work table with newspaper and let the kids get started painting all the markers. I let them paint the markers whatever color they wanted. They had such a good time painting. If I want to keep my kids busy just give them paint.

Mackenzie chose red for the strawberries. Nice touch Kenzie.

Once all the markers are painted let them dry completely. Using a paint pen or a sharpie label your garden markers. Now its time to attach the marker to a stake. We used wooden stakes that my husband cut down for us. I also chose to use small nails to attach our markers to the wooden stakes. We thought the nails would hold better than the glue since Texas can get pretty toasty in the summer. After nailing or gluing the markers to the stakes.

Finish off your markers by spraying a layer of clear coat spray on all sides to seal the paint. Let dry completely.

And then let the kids place all the garden markers in their new spot. You can paint them one color or use a variety of colors like we did. I think all of the markers turned out so pretty.

Here is our new strawberry patch addition. Hopefully they will start to grow like crazy. We might not get to much this year but they will multiply and we will get a lot more as they grow.

We added all our garden markers to the vegetable garden and then rabbit fencing went up. Or as we call it Freeway Fencing.

This is Mr. Guilty as charged. I know what you are thinking how could something that looks that sweet cause so much damage. Well he can!!!! Hopefully he wont get a hold our new strawberry patch this year. (fingers crossed)

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White Bean Chili Verde W/Sonoma Pesto

When I blogged about my trip to Napa Valley I mentioned how me and three other bloggers had the opportunity to cook at the Culinary Institute of America. Our task was to cook up some Bush's Bean Chili recipes and then have a chili tasting. It was such an amazing and fun experience all rolled up in one. First off I was introduced to a few new chili dishes that are far from the traditional Texas Chili. These recipes were more on the Southwestern Side. I have to say I really loved all the recipes that we prepared that day. But I think my favorite was the one my partner Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen and I got to prepare.

The recipe I am talking about is Bush's White Bean Chili Verde with Sonoma Pesto (pictured above). One of my favorite beans is the cannellini beans so it was no surprise that I rated this recipe so high. Plus I am a lover of Salsa Verde, so this was perfect. Well, today I am finally posting the recipe that we prepared while at the CIA. I cant wait to make this dish for my family and friends. It's all I have been talking about since I returned home.

Our day started with Chef Andy and Connie telling us a little bit about the Culinary Institute of America Kitchen and all the benefits and versatility of beans. One thing I learned was most people don’t think of beans as a vegetable, but they are! And they aren't just any vegetable - beans are a nutrient-rich powerhouse. Beans have more fiber and protein than any other vegetable.

Chef Andy, Connie and the folks from Bush's really got me syked about beans. I was so excited to come home and try out so many different recipes on my family. Before we got started in the kitchen we were fitted with aprons. After that we received our recipes to prepare along with all of the ingredients and then the fun began!!!!!!

Chef Andy and Connie showed us several different ways to roast the peppers, onions and tomatillos. When you roast the peppers and onions they take on a whole different yummy flavor.

Then the beans came into the picture. The White Bean Chili Verde utilized white cannellini beans. But from the photo above you can see Bush's has a wide variety of beans to choose from so the possibilities are endless.


Here is Aggie preparing the chard. This was the first time that both of us had ever used it. What is Chard you ask? Well it is relative to beets. Swiss chard has brilliant green leaves and bright white or colored stalks. Chard is also related to spinach and has a slightly bitter, salty flavor. Since my day in the CIA kitchen I recently found some Chard at Lowe's. I was so excited when I found it that I purchased some to plant in our vegetable garden along with Poblano Peppers and Tomatillos. I cant wait until it all grows in.

Connie showed us so many things when we were preparing the white bean chili verde.


The tip I remember the most is how Connie showed us how to fry the sauce for the chili verde. What she meant by frying the sauce was to cook down the roasted pepper and tomatillo puree until the sauce pulls away from the sides of the pan. You can hear the sauce sizzling as it cooks. Cooking the sauce in this manner enhances the flavor and helps thicken up the mixture, see above.

Chef Andy doesn't waste anything, he showed us how to use the stems of the chard for a wonderful garnish. I don't remember exactly what was in it, but I will be asking Chef Andy for the recipe. I am sure it was a little of this and a little of that.


This recipe is really easy to prepare and a different spin on the traditional Texas Chili. Because of this recipe I am now a Pesto lover and cant seem to get enough of it. If you're looking for a great chili recipe that isn't spicy then this is the one. Plus it's kid rated so maybe your picky eaters might even give it a chance.

This recipe was created for BUSH’S® Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of “The Sonoma Diet.” Also pictured is Connie's children. They got to visit the CIA Kitchen and cook with all of us. Connie is a mom just like us and has some of the same challenges as most moms on getting kids to eat their vegetables. Connie said her kids loved this recipe. I cant wait to try it out on my kids.

To help moms serve their kids more great-tasting vegetable dishes that the entire family will enjoy, Bush's Beans invited thousands of families across the country to prepare and rate new bean recipes. Moms scored recipes on taste, ease to make and uniqueness. And kids told us which recipes were “super good!” Visit Bean's the Vegetable with More to find out how each recipe was rated. The best part is that the kids rated all the recipes.

I am a firm believer that if you let children help out and be a part of the preparation and cooking process. They are that much more likely to eat what they helped prepare. This is the same concept with rating process. Click here and join the Bush's Beans Mom and Kids Panel. I just signed my family up. Enjoy today's recipe.

White Bean Chili Verde
with Sonoma Pesto

1 - pound tomatillos
½ - pound poblano chiles
2 - teaspoons olive oil
1 ½ - cups finely chopped yellow onion
1 - tablespoon minced garlic
1 - teaspoon mexican oregano
(if you cant find mexican use regular oregeno)
3 - cups chicken stock
2 - cans (15.5 ounces)BUSH’S Cannellini Beans, with liquid
2 - tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 - cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 - cups chard, stemmed, cut 1-inch wide strips or
(Baby spinach may be substituted for chard)
salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F. Place tomatillos, poblano chiles and (serrano chili if making the pesto) on sheet pan. Roast in oven until peppers have blistered and tomatillos are soft. Remove from oven. Place tomatillos in blender. Once poblanos are cool enough to handle, remove seeds and skins. Add to blender, blend until smooth. . Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add onions, cook until caramelized, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and oregano, cook until aromatic. Add tomatillo mixture, cook for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Add stock, beans and their liquid. Bring to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes. Add cilantro, chicken and chard. Bring to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with the Sonoma Pestso, Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt and purchased Salsa Verde.



SONOMA PESTO:

1 - bunch fresh cilantro
1 - serrano chile - roasted
1 - tablespoon pine nuts or peanuts
1 - clove garlic
2 - ounces extra virgin olive oil
1 - each lime juiced with zest
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 - tablespoons salsa verde (purchased)

Combine all pesto ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle the pesto on top of the chile verde and finish with salsa verde, as desired.

Serves: 6 to 8 ~ Preparation time: 15 minutes ~ Cooking time: 40 minutes





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Disclosure: Bush's Beans covered all my costs on my trip to Napa Valley. I am under no obligation to write this post. The opinions stated are entirely my own and I have not been compensated to publish positive comments. I'm just a big fan of Bush's Beans.




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