Southwest Chicken and Rice Casserole
A simple chicken and rice casserole that’s ideal for any night of the week features rotisserie chicken, black beans, corn, and Cheddar cheese along with Southwest flavors.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Spray a 4-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Add chicken uncooked rice black beans and corn and stir until combined.

Set aside.

Mix tomato sauce 2 cups chicken broth sour cream chili powder salt cumin ancho chile pepper and white pepper together in a large bowl.

Pour into the casserole dish and mix well; contents should be fairly soupy.

Cover with foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven uncover and stir.

Add the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth if the casserole is too dry or beginning to stick.

Cover again and return to the oven until rice is soft about 40 more minutes.

Eggplant Napoleon
Crispy rounds of breaded eggplant are layered like Napoleons with basil leaves, mozzarella cheese, and Roma tomatoes in this flavorful bake.

Whisk eggs together in a deep container.

Pour bread crumbs in another deep container.

Dip each slice of eggplant into the eggs covering both sides and press into the bread crumbs until evenly coated.

Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.

Arrange a layer of eggplant slices in the skillet; cook until crispy 2 to 4 minutes.

Spray tops with cooking spray and flip; continue cooking until second side is browned and eggplant is tender 2 to 4 minutes more.

Transfer to a plate.

Repeat with remaining slices.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

Pumpkin Pie Bars
These bars are very simple to make and have a streusel topping that makes them taste like pumpkin pie. If desired, garnish with whipped cream.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Grease the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.

Pour one cup of yellow cake mix into a medium size mixing bowl; set aside.

Combine remaining cake mix 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 egg; mix well.

Press into the baking pan.

Combine pumpkin pie filling 2 eggs and milk in a medium size mixing bowl; mix until smooth.

Pour evenly over the crust in the 9×13 inch pan.

Pour the sugar and cinnamon into the mixing bowl containing the 1 cup of yellow cake mix.

Cut in the butter until the mixture looks crumbly.

Sprinkle this mixture over the pumpkin filling.

Tropical Snack Mix
a sweet and salty snack made up of a crunchy, chewy mixture of tropical fruit and nuts that takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

Blend cashews.

pineapple pretzels with mango In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, macadamia nuts, coconut flakes, and salt.

Over medium heat, combine honey and butter in a small saucepan.

For about a minute, cook and stir until butter is melted.

This could also be done in a microwave.

Salt and honey-butter should be drizzled over the snack mix.

Make sure everything is thoroughly coated by stirring well.

Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes are rolled up inside chicken thighs to form little bundles, which are then served with a sage and brown butter sauce.

Set the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees C).

In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

In a separate tiny bowl, stir the flour with the salt and pepper, and set it aside.

On a cutting board, arrange the chicken thighs and cover with plastic wrap.

To flatten, lightly pound the thighs with a meat mallet.

Spread the goat cheese mixture evenly down the middle of each of the chicken thighs that have been flattened.

Roll the chicken thighs up starting at the short end, then fasten with toothpicks or kitchen twine.

Chicken rolls should be dredged in the flour mixture, shaken off any extra flour, and then placed on a plate.

Continue until all of the rolls are flour-coated.

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles
This flavorful Asian noodle dish quickly combines chicken, rice noodles, and spicy Thai flavors with a creamy peanut butter sauce.

Whisk together peanut butter soy sauce rice vinegar brown sugar sesame oil Thai chiles chile-garlic sauce ginger fish sauce and pepper in a bowl until smooth.

Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large wok or non-stick pan over high heat.

Add chicken and stir constantly until almost cooked about 3 minutes.

Pour in 1/4 cup sauce mixture to chicken.

Cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear 1 to 2 minutes more.

Transfer chicken with its juices to a bowl.

Small-Batch Basil and Cherry Tomato Freezer Jam
This jam is a sweet and savory way to use up any extra cherry tomatoes you might have on hand. It goes well with goat cheese or cream cheese on crackers.

Inspect 2 pint jars for cracks and rings for rust discarding any defective ones.

Immerse in simmering water until jam is ready.

Wash new unused lids and rings in warm soapy water.

Combine tomatoes sugar basil onion lemon juice vinegar salt pepper coriander and cumin in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a boil stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and simmer stirring occasionally until thickened and reduced by half 2 to 3 hours.

Remove from heat.

Divide jam between jars.

Allow to cool slightly before covering with lids.

Refrigerate jam for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 4 months.

Red and Green Velvet Cake!
Red and green batters are alternately poured into a sheet pan to give the traditional red velvet cake a new twist. The same wonderful light cocoa flavor permeates both hues. The traditional method of leavening this cake with baking soda, vinegar, and buttermilk is used.

Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).

Butter a 9×13-inch baking sheet.

Eggs are added after the vegetable shortening and sugar have been thoroughly blended and creamy in a large bowl.

Once the liquid components are uniform in color and texture, stir in the buttermilk, cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla extract.

Mix the flour with the liquid ingredients by sifting.

Place half of the batter in a different bowl.

Green food coloring should be lightly incorporated into one bowl of batter and red food coloring into the other.

Smoked Sausage Pot Pie
Frozen puff pastry and mixed vegetables help save you time when assembling this smoked sausage pot pie.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Spray a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Roll out puff pastry to the dimensions of the casserole dish adding 1 inch on all sides.

Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion; cook stirring occasionally until onion is soft and translucent 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in garlic herbes de Provence salt and pepper; cook for 1 more minute stirring occasionally.

Add flour and whisk to combine.

Cook for 1 minute.

Curried Broccoli Cranberry Salad
Broccoli and cranberry salad gets a new spicy twist thanks to curry powder and cayenne pepper added to the creamy dressing.

In a big bowl, combine broccoli, red bell pepper, cranberries, walnuts, and scallions.

To coat the broccoli mixture, add the mayonnaise, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, curry powder, and cayenne pepper to a bowl and whisk until smooth.

Salad should be chilled for two to eight hours to allow flavours to meld.

Well toss before serving.