A Little Bit of Southwest

Bacon Wrapped Cajun Jalapenos

I figured this recipe would be the perfect thing for a Super Bowl party. It was fairly easy to make. I made my own "Cajun" seasoning by mixing salt, pepper, red pepper, and oregano. I added this to the cream cheese and then followed the recipe. The only problem I have is it doesn't specify how much to cook the bacon before wrapping the jalapeno. I'm not sure it was "pre-cooked" long enough because the end product (after being in the over for more than a half hour) was still not 100% done. Not being a fan or  cream  cheese or  jalapenos, I  did  not  eat

one. But from what everyone told me they were good but not amazing. The recipe itself gets a thumbs up because it was really easy to put together - except for the fact that the peppers I purchased were HUGE and I had to use an entire piece of bacon (along with TWO toothpicks) instead of half like the recipe called for. This also could be a reason why the bacon wasn't fully cooked after the 30 minutes. I'll give this recipe a thumbs to the side. 

Southwest - Appetizer

Click here for Taste of Home Recipe
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Arroz con Pollo

So I didn't exactly follow this recipe. I cooked the chicken breast separately in the oven until done. Processed the salsa per the recipe and added to a skillet along with cooked peas. In a separate pot I made the rice and when everything was warm just added it together on the plate. It turned out pretty good. The salsa I think was my favorite part. I put way too many peas, but what was I going to do with the extra half cup of peas? With only three chicken breasts, the salsa and peas really overwhelmed it, but I'm sure I can just  use  what's  leftover  and  make  some  more 

chicken. This will probably be the only time I'm not going to follow the recipe because I'm not too sure how I feel about the outcome. I'm sure it would have been a lot better had I done what the recipe stated. Lesson learned. 

​The recipe is no long available online - so here it goes:
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1 can 14oz diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt (divided)
1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 pepper (divided)
1 broiler/fryer chicken, (3-4 lbs) cut up
3 tbsp canola oil (divided)
1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain rice
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
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1. In a blender, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, chili powder, and 1/4 tsp pepper; cover and process until smooth and set aside. 
2. Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt and pepper. In large skillet, cook the chicken over medium heat in 2 tbsp oil for 10 minutes (or until lightly browned). Remove and keep warm. In same skillet, saute rice for 2 minutes. Stir in broth.
3. In a pan, heat remaining oil and add tomato mixture. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 4 minutes. Stir in rice and bring to boil. 
4. Arrange chicken in the pan and reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 25-30 minutes. Stir in peas; cover and let stand for 4 minutes or until peas are heated through. 

Southwest - Chicken

[Recipes 39-40]