Tortilla Casserole, Bacon Vinaigrette over Greens, & Blueberry Coffee Cake

"You know you are good in the kitchen when you can cook seafood & collard greens." - Monique Coleman

Justin is helping again today since all his friends are busy and his girlfriend is working. HAHA Walker left today to go to NC for a week and my in-laws will be leaving on Monday so I will only have 3 people to feed! Our massive household is slowly dwindling. Which has its positives ... like I will be able to start making some of the shrimp recipes! :o) (In the picture: Justin (Assistant Chef enjoying the dessert!)Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Warm Bacon Vinaigrette ove collards & Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake

Okay, deep breath... I am about to embark on making greens. The Chicken Tortilla Casserole doesn't worry me too much because I already have a recipe that is very similar, so I know that it will turn out fine. The greens on the other hand, I'm not so sure.... Once I had the casserole in the oven I started the greens, they smelled so good that I figured I was doing something right! The recipe stated that you could pour this vinaigrette over the raw greens but when Justin and I did a taste test, we liked the cooked greens better so I simply folded them into the warm skillet and served them with the casserole. Present for dinner was James, Jim, Sharran, Justin and me! We enjoyed dinner and compared the chicken casserole to the other recipe I have. James like the new one better only because it does not have chunks of tomato in it! The two dishes complimented each other very well. When dinner was on the table, the oven temp was the same from the casserole to the blueberry dish so I popped that in to bake while we ate. After dinner we cleaned up dishes and finished up in time for the dessert to come out of the oven ... nice and oooey gooooey warm. Everyone had seconds of the dessert! It took regular 'ol butter biscuits and turned them into a comforting warm dessert that was the STAR of the night! Everyone now is in the living room relaxin, Justin headed to the tractor pulls and I plan on enjoying an iced tea right after I publish this blog! THANK YOU PAULA for givin me the motivation to cook and taste AND enjoy my first collard greens ever! ;o)

Warm Bacon Vinaigrette over Greens

1/4 lb bacon (6 slices)
1 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper
Mixed Greens

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble.

2. Add the onion to the skillet with the bacon grease and cook, stirring, over medium heat for about 1 minute, until softened.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard. Add the mixture to a skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the greens and serve.

Jamie's Mexican Chicken and Tortilla Casserole

1 16oz. jar salsa (2 cups)
1 cup chicken broth
1 6oz. bag tortilla chips
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 small yellow onion
3 cup jack/pepperjack cheese
I also added 1 can of mild green chilis and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the salsa and broth in a blender and process until smooth. In a large bowl, toss the tortilla chips with 2 1/2 cups of the salsa mixture. In a separate bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining 1/2 cup salsa mixture.

2. In a greased 13x 9 baking dish, layer on third of the chips, followed by half of the chicken, half of sliced onion, & one third of the cheese. Cover with foil and back on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Easy Blueberry Skillet Coffee Cake

Streusel Topping
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Coffee Cake
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 12 oz tube buttermilk biscuits
1 cup blueberries

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To make the streusel, combine the almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and cinnamon in a food processor anad pulse till large crumb form.

2. In a 9 inch cast iron skillet or other oven proof skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Arrange the biscuits in a single layer in the pan, scatter the blueberries over the biscuits and the streusel topping over the berries. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a tester inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Allow to cool slightly and serve warm.