Guest Post at The Graceful Rose - King Ranch Chicken

Hello everyone!  Ayelet over at The Graceful Rose has asked me to guest post on her blog (how could I say no to such a sweet, creative woman?)

Here's a little about me:  

My name is Emily Hopkins and I grew up in the south (North Carolina to be exact).  I moved to Texas in 8th grade.  There I stayed for the next 18 years.  I met my husband and started my family.  A couple years ago we made the move to Seattle.  It's been a huge adjustment, but we're making it work.

I was a full time working mom in Texas.  When I moved to Seattle I was able to stay home with my kidlets (one major reason we made the move.)  But I felt I still needed a separate identity from "mom."  So I started my company Taylor & Landon.  I love to sew and have been doing it since I can remember.  I sell accessories, handbags, and custom window treatments.  But I also make all my own costumes and vintage style clothing.

My blog pretty much consists of fashion, food, and sewing.

For you today I'm going to share my recipe for King Ranch Chicken.  I miss Tex-Mex and am always trying to recreate foods I loved to eat.  Here is another tex-mex favorite: creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.

Ingredients:

1-10.5oz Can of cream of chicken soup

1-10.5oz Can of cream of mushroom soup

1-10oz can diced tomatoes with chilis (Rotel)

12 corn tortillas

3 cups cooked/shredded chicken (about 3 breasts)

1 chopped onion

3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 Tbs butter

 

Directions:

To get your shredded chicken, use a crockpot and cook your chicken completely covered with water on high for about 6-8 hours.  Use 2 forks to separate the chicken (it should just fall apart).

Preheat you over to 350F.

Now saute the onion in the butter in a very large pan on medium until it sweats (looks glossy)

Add the shredded chicken and can of tomatoes/chilis to the onions and cook about 3 minutes on medium.

Combine the soups to the chicken mixture.

Tear 4 of the tortillas into bit-sized pieces and layer into a 9"x13" casserole dish.

Now layer 1/3 of the soup mixture on top.

Last portion of the layer is 1 cup of cheese.

Continue with the tortillas, soup, and cheese 2 more times.

Bake the casserole at 350F for 30-40 min. And enjoy!

Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

I might not have grown up in Texas, but I lived there most of my life.  For the past 2 years I've been in the Seattle area and boy do I miss Tex-Mex.  I'm not really a big cook, but I have perfected the Chuy's creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.  I will share my recipe with you in today's blog post.

First off here's a list of ingredients. (I will warn you, I'm southern and exact measurements are not my style...but I'll try my best).  Please note: this is a half batch.

Uncle Dan's Ranch mix - half package which is 3 tsp of mix

Real Mayonnaise - 1 cup

Sour Cream - 1 cup

Handful of cilantro (take off the big steams)

Regular Jalapenos - 2 Tbs, chopped

Pickled Jalapenos - 2 Tbs, sliced

Pickled Jalapeno Juice - 1 Tbs

Add the mayo, sour cream, and ranch mix to a bowl and mix well.

Chop the cilantro as best you can...really just make sure the steams and larger leaves are chopped.

Add ranch mixture, cilantro, and all jalapenos and juice to a good mixer.

Liquify until there are no chunks of jalapenos left (unless you want them).

Pour over your salad, dip your veggies or chips, or simply dip a cracker.  I will warn you, this will not last long!