Here is another simple and yet delicious idea for a grilled cheese sandwich, pulled chicken grilled cheese. This recipe consists of shredded chicken mixed with your favorite BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, and dill pickle slices. You can experiment with different types of cheese if you want, smoked Gouda may be a good option. If you would prefer, you can also cook the chicken in the slow cooker with the BBQ sauce. If you are feeling adventurous and want to make your own sauce, I have an excellent recipe for BBQ sauce on this blog. This makes for an easy and delicious dinner. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce
8 dill pickle slices
8 slices cheddar cheese
8 slices white bread
butter (for spreading)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Add chicken to a sauce pan or a large deep skillet. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil. Boil until the chicken is fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Drain any excess liquid from the pan and shred the chicken using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the sauce pan and mix with BBQ sauce. Cook on low heat until heated through.
Step 2: Heat a skillet to medium heat. Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place two of the slices into the skillet butter side down. Top each slice of bread in the skillet with 1 slice of cheese, pulled chicken, 2 dill pickle slices, and another slice of cheese. Cover with 2 of remaining bread slices, butter side up.
Step 3: Cook the sandwiches over medium heat until browned on the bottom. Flip them over and cook until browned on the other side and the cheese has melted. Repeat the process with the 2 additional sandwiches.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Fresh Mexican-style salsa recipes are a light and delicious appetizer. This salsa can be served with tortilla chips or it goes great on chicken tacos or on various other dishes. This avocado-cucumber salsa recipe combines avocados, cucumber, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice. You can season the salsa to your liking with a little bit of salt. Make sure to clean the jalapeño peppers well before chopping them or the salsa may be too spicy. You may also want to consider wearing gloves when slicing the jalapeno peppers so you don’t burn your hands. The serving size is for an appetizer and may vary but you can easily double the ingredients if you want to make a bigger batch. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 medium English cucumber (seeded and diced)
2 medium firm-ripe avocados (peeled, pitted, and diced)
½ red onion (diced)
juice of 2 limes (about ¼ cup)
salt (to taste)
¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
3 jalapeno peppers (seeded and finely chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium bowl combine cucumber, avocado, red onion, fresh cilantro, and jalapeño peppers.
Step 2: Add the lime juice and season with salt. Gently toss to combine. Serve within an hour of preparing.
(Makes 4 Servings)

I always enjoy a good Mexican recipe and these beef quesadillas made a simple and delicious dinner.   I actually prefer using ground beef in quesadillas because it is a little easier than using chicken or steak. These quesadillas use a burrito-style filling which consists of taco seasoned ground beef, refried beans, and green chilies.  You can use whatever type of cheese you like but I prefer Mexican cheese blend. These quesadillas go great served with salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. If you are looking for a dinner that is very easy to prepare, this is the one!  Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
½ cup refried beans
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies (drained)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Butter (for spreading)
2 cups Mexican cheese blend

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large skillet, cook ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease. Stir in fried beans, green chilies, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.
Step 2: Heat another skillet to medium-low heat. Brush one side of a tortilla with butter, place butter side down into the pan. Evenly sprinkle cheese over the top of the entire tortilla. On one half on top of the tortilla, add some of the meat mixture. Cook until the bottom has browned and the cheese has melted. With a spatula fold the half of the tortilla without the meat mixture over the half with the meat mixture and press down. Remove from the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Step 3: Cut into wedges and serve.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Baja chicken pizza is a delicious and simple taco style pizza. This pizza is topped with a ranch dressing/salsa sauce, baked chicken, tomatoes, red onion, cheese, lettuce, and avocados. For the sauce you can either use a blender or you can do it all by hand mixing. The chicken is first rubbed with taco seasoning, then baked in the oven and sliced before putting it onto the pizza. I like to use a prepared pizza crust because it saves time, and a whole wheat thin crust would be perfect for this recipe. You can use whatever type of cheese you like but I prefer a Mexican cheese blend. This recipe is very easy and makes a perfect dinner. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
½ cup ranch salad dressing
1/8 cup salsa
½ tablespoon lime juice
1 ½ tablespoons cilantro
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (1.25 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
1 prebaked 12-inch thing pizza crust
½ cup tomato (chopped)
½ cup red onion (chopped)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium ripe avocados (peeled and thinly sliced)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub chicken breasts on both sides with taco seasoning and place onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the chicken breasts are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Remove from the oven, allow the chicken to cool for 10 minutes and slice into strips.  In a blender or food processor add ranch dressing, salsa, lime juice and cilantro. Cover and process until smooth (this can also be done by hand, by whisking in a bowl). Set aside.
Step 2: Turn the oven up to 425 degrees. Place the pre-baked crust onto a 12-inch pizza pan. Spread the ranch dressing mixture evenly over the crust. Sprinkle with the sliced cooked chicken, tomato, onion, and cheese.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Sprinkle with lettuce and top with avocado slices. Serve immediately.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day so I thought it would only be appropriate to share another delicious grilled cheese recipe. There is nothing unique about this recipe, it is pretty much what you would expect from a breakfast grilled cheese sandwich. This recipe puts eggs, bacon and cheese onto a grilled cheese sandwich. You can get creative with this and add additional breakfast items such as cooked breakfast sausage or cooked hash browns. I like to serve this with the hash browns on the side, but I am positive it would be delicious in the actual sandwich itself. If you need a good method for cooking crispy bacon, please read my article on How to Cook Crispy Bacon. This of course makes an amazing breakfast idea but would also go great served for dinner. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)
3 teaspoons butter (divided)
4 slices whole wheat bread
4 slices Colby-jack cheese
4 slices crispy cooked bacon

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium bowl beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper until blended. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture. As the eggs begin to set, gently pull them across the pan with a spatula, forming large curds. Continue cooking while pulling and folding the eggs until thickened no and visible liquid egg remains. Remove from the pan, set aside. Clean out the skillet.
Step 2: Heat the skillet to medium heat. Spread the remaining 2 teaspoons of butter evenly on one side of each slice of bread. Place 2 slices in the skillet butter side down. Top each with 1 slice of cheese, scrambled eggs, bacon, and an additional slice of cheese. Cover with the remaining bread slices, butter side up.
Step 3: Cook sandwiches over medium heat, until browned on the bottom. Once they are browned on the bottom flip them over and cook until browned on the other side and the cheese has melted.
(Makes 2 Servings)

I have discovered pretty much any Mexican ingredients go great in stuffed shells. The results of stuffing large pasta shells with fajita ingredients are amazing. The pasta shells are stuffed with grilled steak, onions, peppers, cilantro, cheese and sour cream. The steak gets its flavor from a delicious marinade that consists of lime juice, garlic, oregano, and cumin. If you would prefer, you could use chicken instead of steak. You can also top the shells with cheese during the last few minutes of baking. I like to serve this recipe with a side dish of Mexican flavored rice. This recipe makes a prefect dinner for any night of the week. Enjoy.

ingredients:
¼ cup lime juice
1 garlic clove (minced)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
6 ounces boneless beef flank steak
1 green bell pepper (halved and seeded)
1 medium onion (cut in half)
12 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
½ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (divided)
1 tablespoon cilantro (minced)
2/3 cup chunky salsa
2 cups shredded lettuce

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a shallow dish combine lime juice, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Add steak, cover and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
Step 2: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water, set aside. Heat and lightly grease an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Grill steak, onions, and peppers for 6-8 minutes (or until the steak has reached desired doneness), turning once. Remove the steak and vegetables and cool slightly. Cut the steak into thin slices and chop the green pepper and onion. Place steak, green pepper, and onion into a medium bowl. Stir in sour cream, 2 tablespoons of Mexican cheese blend and cilantro.

Step 3: Stuff the cooked pasta shells with the meat mixture. Arrange shells on a lightly greased 8-inch baking dish. Pour salsa over the shells. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes or until heated through. During the last few minutes or cooking remove the foil and top the shells with left over Mexican cheese blend. Remove from the oven and serve over a bed of shredded lettuce.
(Makes 4 Servings)

I love seafood pasta dishes and when you add more than one type of seafood into the dish, the result is even more amazing. This seafood pasta recipe consists of both imitation crab and cooked shrimp. The seafood is cooked in a white alfredo style sauce and then served over your favorite pasta. If you want you can use real crab meat in place of imitation crab. The recipe calls for small salad shrimp but I used medium shrimp. This is a very easy recipe to prepare and it does not take very long to cook at all. It goes great served with garlic bread. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package linguini pasta (or your favorite pasta)
¼ cup butter
1 garlic clove (chopped)
1 cup heavy cream
½ pound imitation crab meat
½ pound cooked salad shrimp
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Cook pasta according to package directions. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté until tender. Stir in cream and cook while stirring until thickened (about 5 minutes). Add imitation crab, shrimp, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes, until heated through.
Step 2: Drain the pasta and transfer it to a serving platter, and top with the seafood sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
(Makes 4 Servings)

If you enjoy both pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches this recipe is perfect for you. Your favorite pizza ingredients such as pepperoni, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese are combined in this amazing sandwich. The bread slices are like garlic bread; the butter is mixed with garlic powder and Italian seasoning before spreading it onto the bread. You can use fresh garlic as well if you choose. You can also add additional pizza ingredients to this recipe such a Canadian bacon, black olives, green pepper, and more. A cup of your favorite pizza sauce is served on the side for dipping. This makes a great dinner or lunch for any night of the week. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
8 slices of bread
¼ cup butter (softened)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 package sliced pepperoni
8 slices mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
pizza sauce (for dipping)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small bowl mix together softened butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Warm the sliced pepperoni’s for a few seconds in the microwave or on the stove top over medium heat.

Step 2: Pre-heat a skillet to medium heat. Spread the garlic butter over one side of a slice of bread. Place butter side down in the skillet. Top with a slice of mozzarella cheese, as many pepperonis as you want, a little parmesan cheese, and an additional slice of mozzarella cheese. Butter an additional slice of bread with the garlic butter and place butter side up on top the sandwich.
Step 3: Cook in the skillet until lightly browned on the bottom and flip over. Continue cooking until the other side has browned and the cheese has melted. Repeat with remaining sandwiches. Cut in half and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
(Makes 4 Servings)