Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Backyard Patch Dip Mixes - Recipe theme

Craft Shows have been kicking my butt!  I have not done many in a few years and this year I decided to up my game.  So I have two a month along with all my lectures and I am finding that I have no free time to compose or post blogs.  I have taken great pictures recently, but have not translated them into a blog post. And I am late getting the recipe theme posted.


Here is a great photo I took while in Milwaukee back in September.  Is that not an amazing Rosemary tree?  What until you see what else I photographed while in Milwaukee!

My next craft show is this weekend right here in Villa Park, IL  so if you are free, we would love to see you at the Willowbrook Parent's Organization Craft Show from 9 to 4 Saturday, October 19.  We have a great variety of gifty herb items, from tea cups to DIY Herb Rub kits, to all of our seasonal soup mixes and some holiday tea blends.  And of course all of our dip mixes, wine blends and other items.



Since I am making herb seasoning mixes fast and furious, I thought a crockpot recipe using two of them might be just what everyone one needs and with the weather turning cooler, this warming blend may be just the ticket!


Fiesta Chicken Tacos for Crockpot
This makes the house smell great and you grab a bag of shredded cheese, a bag of lettuce and some of those tomatoes you harvested in a hurry when we had frost and you have a quick salad if you don't have tortillas in the house.

3 to 4 chicken breasts

1 package Fiesta Dip Mix
1 Package Salt-free Ranch Dressing/Dip Mix
2 cups broth/stock

Place chicken in the bottom of crock pot.  Sprinkle with Ranch and Fiesta Dip Mixes.  Cover with broth.  Cook 4 to 6 hours on low.  Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred.  Then serve in taco shells with all the toppings.


RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes (ZucJul)

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes (MustardAug)

September 2019 - Quiche (QuicheSep)

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals (CrockOct)

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Pasta Vegetable Salad - special recipe

Fell down on the job and did not post for over a week, so you get two in a row now.  One today and one tomorrow and one for the weekend!


Today I have a quick vegetable salad with a dressing made from Backyard Patch NEW Salt-free Ranch Dressing


We have made a Ranch Dressing for years, but it contained salt, so I spent a couple years perfecting a salt-free version that is as tasty as my original.  And it is the perfect compliment to veggies and pasta.

Pasta Vegetable Salad

1 1/2 cups uncooked tri-color pasta spirals
1/2 cup fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup carrots, sliced thin or julienned
1/4 cup tomatoes, chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup prepared BYP salt-free Ranch Dressing




Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Place in a large bowl and add vegetables.  Drizzle the salad dressing over the entire bowl and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours before serving. I like to serve it over spring greens, but you can just serve the pasta salad as it's own dish.

RECIPE THEME

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes (VegJun)

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

Fast Recipe for a Busy Weekend - Taco Salad

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 package of BYP Fiesta Dip Herb Mix
• Salt & pepper to taste, optional
• 1/4 cup water
• 10 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1 cup green onions, chopped finely
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup prepared BYP Ranch Dressing or Salt-free Ranch Dressing

Brown ground beef in skillet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Drain fat, return beef to skillet and add Fiesta Dip Mix and water stir until well mixed. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 to 4 minutes or until water is evaporated.  You can add salt & pepper, if desired.

Set up a bed of lettuce on four plates. Divide ground beef among the plates and sprinkle with green onions, tomatoes, and cheese. Drizzle prepared BYP Ranch Dressing on top (see package instructions).  To add less calories you can use BYP Salsa blend prepared with fresh tomatoes instead of Ranch Dressing.

Mustard Pretzel Dip - Weekend Recipe

It is also good with pita chips, crackers and veggies.  It is based on a recipe my father made for years, and is perfect for your Super Bowl party.

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

1 cup prepared mustard

½ cup sugar

¼ cup dried minced onion

2 Tbls BYP Ranch Dressing Dip Mix

1 Tbls BYP Horsey Dip Mix or 1 Tbls prepared horseradish

In a bowl, combine ingredients until well blended, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to meld flavors, then serve with sourdough pretzel nuggets.  Makes 3 ½ cups.

Make a Famous Salad Dressing

Joe Marzetti introduced Americans to his now-famous dressings (from his native Italy) when he

opened his Columbus, Ohio, restaurant in 1896.

Richard Hellman, who owned a deli in New York City and had won numerous culinary awards, began bottling and selling his mayonnaise in 1912, first in wooden containers, then in glass jars. The

Hellman's Real Mayonnaise that we use today is basically the same recipe Hellman originated.

Caesar Cardini is credited with inventing Caesar salad in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico (although there are

those who believe it was more likely invented by Giancomo Junia, an Italian chef in Chicago, around

1903).

Ranch dressing - arguably the most popular on the market today - can be traced back to the Hidden Valley Guest Ranch near Santa Barbara, California. The owners began serving the dressing in the 1950s. Guests liked it so much that Hidden Valley began producing its instant, dry mix.

Thousand Island dressing, traditionally made from diced green olives, peppers, pickles, onions and hard-boiled eggs in a mayonnaise and chili-sauce base, dates to the early 1900s. Although often credited to a chef at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel, actress May Irwin actually brought the recipe to the chef there from George and Sophia LaLonde's fishing resort in Clayton, New York.

Green Goddess, made from mayonnaise, anchovies, tarragon vinegar, parsley, scallions, garlic and spices, originated at San Francisco's Palace Hotel, where George Arliss stayed while performing the play The Green Goddess.

I always try the “house’ dressing when I go to a restaurant.  I want to know what the local chef or cook has made to dress his or her salads.  Usually a vinaigrette with a special combination of herbs and a certain acid like a flavored vinegar or a local balsamic I have never been disappointed ordering house dressing.  I think it was this virtually endless array of possibilities that first got me interested in making herb mixes. My first two blends were Dill Dip and Italian Dressing – my own version of a house vinaigrette. Since that time I have developed 11 more dressings, including my own RanchBlends and a Lemon Chive Combo that can be made into three different dressings.

Some recipes for dressing cannot be easily made into a mix however, so I thought I would share a couple of those recipes with you today.

The key to blending your own world famous dressing is to use the freshest ingredients possible.  Choose freshly squeezed lemon juice over bottled and try fresh herbs over dried. The spring cuttings from the herb garden are the sweetest and most wonderful for making and herbal dressing. Choose your vinegar based on the kind of dressing you're making: red wine, champagne, rice, white wine and apple cider vinegars all have excellent flavor. Avoid using a plain white vinegar because its flavor is sharp and severe, but if you have a white vinegar infusedwith herbs (LINK) this is a perfect time to use it.  Use a light vegetable oil, like sunflower or a canola blend, or a good-quality olive oil. Typically, dressing recipes call for two to three times the amount of oil as the amount of vinegar. I like less oil, especially if using a flavored vinegar, such as a raspberry or tarragon. Experiment to suit your taste.

Dressing in a Hurry

Fast enough to put together even after dinner guests have arrived, this is great on any combination of greens.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped, stems discarded

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried dill or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped fine (no stems)

1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, honey and mustard in a bowl until blended. Slowly pour in oil, whisking constantly. Blend in the herbs and garlic. Makes 3/4 cup.

Herbed Buttermilk Dressing

2 cups buttermilk (is best, but if you do not have it you can use 2 cups milk less 2 Tbls with either 2 Tbls white vinegar or 3 1/2  teaspoons cream of tartar)

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1 sprig fresh parsley, diced

5 to 10 strands of chives, sliced thin

2 green onions, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in blender and pulse blend for a few pulses. Chill before using. You can toss this with any salad.  Especially good with an abundance of vegetables. Makes 2 cups.

If you want more information on blending herb dressings and making salads they check out the book by Jim Long “The Best Dressed Salad” (Long Creek Herbs, 2006). Jim is an herb grower and lecturer who has been around longer than me and he has much information to share.