Ashlee's Kitchen

Crack Potatoes

2012-01-28T09:07:00.000-08:00

The name of these alone would tell you that these are addictively good and they really are. They're similar to your typical funeral potatoes, except with the addition of bacon bits and a dry ranch packet..yum! She suggest making a large batch and splitting it into thirds and freezing the other two which would be a great idea I just wanted to make sure we liked them before I made extras, but next time for sure. Again, another great recipe from plainchicken.com!

Recipe from plainchicken.com

1 large bag frozen shredded hash browns, or 8 large baking potatoes boiled

2 (16oz) containers sour cream (I did half sour cream and half cream of chicken soup)

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 (3oz) bags real bacon bits

2 packages Ranch Dip mix

Easy Ramen Stir Fry

2012-01-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

This dish will definitely never be labeled as gourmet, but for a super quick, use what you got kind of night this is your dish. If you don't already have some Mr. Yoshida cooking marinade I totally recommend you get some, there are so many things you can make with it and it's really yummy.

Adapted from foodilovetoeat.com

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces or precooked and shredded (I precooked it)
3 packages Top Ramen without seasoning
vegetables of your choice- I used onion, red pepper, and broccoli
1/2 c. Mr. Yoshida marinade

Cook noodles according to package. Meanwhile, in large skillet cook chicken until no longer pink (unless you precooked it, in which you can just add it after cooking your veggies.) Add veggies and cook until tender crisp. Add sauce and drained noodles and heat until warmed.

Italian Sausage Red Pepper Risotto

2012-01-27T12:15:00.000-08:00

Look at me I'm on a roll, two posts in two days! Actually I figured while I'm in the mood I'd get a few of them typed up. This is from another favorite food blogger of mine called browneyedbaker.com. She has some really good desserts and meals and is always listed as one of the top food blogs. This one in particular was listed as one of her top 10 and it really was super yummy. If you've never done risotto before don't be afraid to try it. It takes a little extra time, but it's actually super easy. The sausage is what really gives this good flavor. She used mushrooms in hers, but I totally forgot to get some at the store so I did mine without and it was still good.

5 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces Italian sausage, casing removed
¾ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
4 ounces white button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups Arborio rice
¾ cup dry white wine or chicken broth
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

1. In a medium saucepan bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep warm over low heat.

2. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sausage and saute, crumbling, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and saute until tender, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Add the rice and stir to coat. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 1 minute.

4. Add ½ cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 25 to 30 minutes total. Remove from the heat.

5. Stir in ¾ of the Parmesan. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the parsley and the remaining Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Ultimate Chicken Strips

2012-01-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

So I have a new obsession called PINTEREST!!! I am obsessed with it, hence I've totally slacked posting anything on this because anytime I'm on the computer I'm on pinterest..ok maybe not all the time but most of it. Ok really the reason for not posting is usually if I have any spare time I'm trying to take a nap to catch up on sleep. Anyway I found my new favorite food blog on there called plainchicken.com. She has so many awesome recipes which is where I got this one (it's also on the back of the Bisquick box.) Most of you if you've been on pinterest at all have seen the post for "crack potatoes" which is how I found her blog. Anyways you'll have to check it out she has a ton of simple great looking recipes including this one. These really are probably the best chicken strips I've ever made and literally only took me a few minutes to put together and best of all the whole family loved them.

Recipe slightly adapted from Bisquick

3 chicken breasts, cut into strips lengthwise
2/3 c. Bisquick
1/2 t. seasoning salt
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 c. shredded parmesan
garlic salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 T. melted butter

Preheat oven to 450.
Combine Bisquick, seasoning salt, paprika, and cheese in a shallow dish or large ziploc bag. Put egg in bowl. Dip chicken in egg, then dredge in Bisquick mixture. Place on cookie sheet and drizzle butter over chicken. Bake for 12-14 minutes

Fiesta Ravioli Bake

2011-10-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Wow so long time no post. I've actually made a ton of different recipes and hopefully I'll get around to sharing all of them, but I just haven't had the time to actually post them yet. This is a super easy, last minute recipe that everyone will love, even Frank who usually hates ravioli really liked it and as long as you use a mild salsa and enchilada sauce it's not at all spicy so even the kids will love it. Hope you enjoy!

I know you love my half cheese picture:)

1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jar of salsa I use Herdez, I tried La Victoria this last time it was no good
1 10 oz can enchilada sauce
1 25 oz. pkg. of frozen beef raviolis
2 c. cheese

Cook Ravioli according to package. Combine everything else in a 9x13 dish. Add ravioli and cook at 350 for 20 minutes.

Honey Mustard Pretzel Chicken Tenders

2011-09-15T12:36:00.001-07:00

Wow so I've been a real slacker with this blog lately. Between getting my house in order for the arrival of a new one, and just the lack of energy to care I haven't really posted much. I've made several good things, but by the time they're done I'm too lazy to take a picture, but this chicken was so good I had to post, that and it was my own creation and I'm pretty proud of it:) Seriously though, like I've mentioned before there aren't many meals I make more than once, but this one will definitely be made again and soon. Anyways hope you get the chance to give it a try!

2 chicken breasts cut into strips, or 6-7 chicken tenders
2 c. crushed pretzels
1/2 T. dried parsley
2/3 c. honey mustard dressing or dipping sauce

In a shallow dish combine pretzels and parsley. Pour your honey mustard into another shallow dish. Pat your chicken dry, and then dip in honey mustard and then coat with pretzel mixture
( I find it easiest to lay the chicken in pretzel mixture and with my hands sprinkle the pretzels on top, if that makes sense.) Place on baking sheet and cook at 400 for 12-20 minutes depending on the size of chicken pieces you use. If you make them too big the pretzels will start to burn so be careful, I was able to cut my chicken breasts into 3-4 pieces and cooked it for about 17-18 minutes. Serve with extra honey mustard to dip, yum!

If you want another recipe to use up your pretzels try this salad, it is probably one of my favorites!

Pineapple Watermelon Slushie

2011-08-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so I originally got the idea for this slushie while browsing other blogs and saw one that used frozen watermelon and banana which I'm sure is delicious and I'll probably try soon, but I just happen to have an open can of pineapple that needed to be used and I had already cut up and froze the left over watermelon I had from a few days ago. To be honest I'm not a huge watermelon fan. I love watermelon flavored candy, but there's something about the watery texture that doesn't do much for me. Anyway for some reason since being pregnant I've enjoyed it a little more and Frank and Parker love it so I thought I'd buy one, and unfortunately it wasn't that great:( so I cut up the remaining half and stuck it in the freezer to try a watermelon slushie, and thank goodness I did because it was delicious!! Anyway if your looking for a cold sweet treat or need something to do with a leftover watermelon you definitely have to try this!

watermelon, cut into chunks and frozen
canned pineapple and juice

I don't really have measurements but for a single serving I put about a cup of frozen watermelon and just added pineapple and juice until I got the texture I wanted. I have some coconuts milk that I need to use up and definitely want to try adding a little because I think it would be delicious. I'm really excited to try some different fruits like banana..mmm

Pineapple Glazed Meatballs

2011-08-18T12:05:00.001-07:00

This is a super easy throw together kind of meal. You can do it in a skillet of throw it in the crock pot for a couple hours, either way it's super easy and super tasty. Hope you enjoy!

Recipe found at Realmomkitchen.com

1 c. barbecue sauce
1 c. crushed pineapple
16 oz. frozen meatballs (or make your own)

Combine everything in a skillet and simmer for about 10 minutes or until warmed through or in the crock pot on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3. Serve over rice.

Grilled Pork Chops

2011-08-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

Typically I don't really care for pork chops, but seeing as we have been given a ton of pork I guess I better find some recipes to use it up. The reason why I liked these pork chops is that they tasted like steak and all considering for a pork chops were really tender. If you don't have Montreal Steak seasoning you can use this one, although I highly suggest just buying it because it's great on hamburgers and steak, we buy it in the big Costco size containers which shows you how much we use it:) Anyway if your looking for a recipe for pork chops, or a cheap fix for steak this is your recipe!

Recipe found at Melskitchencafe.com

4 pork chop tenderloins- I used just regular bone-in pork chops just because that's what we had, but tenderloin would be much more tender, but either way is very good.
1/4 c. olive oil
2 1/2 T. soy sauce
1 t. Montreal Steak Seasoning

Combine everything in a ziploc bag and allow to marinade 6-8 hours up to over night. Grill until no longer pink but be careful as pork chops can dry out.

Grandma Bailey's Zucchini Casserole

2011-08-04T12:08:00.001-07:00

This comes from a new favorite blog of mine called cookingwithkrista.blogspot.com. She's got a lot of fun recipes and so far so good. I don't have a picture for this one as it wasn't the prettiest casserole and I didn't put cheese on mine and therefor looked very different from hers so I just didn't think it benefited to have a picture. Anyway don't let that deter you from trying this because it was really good. Parker gobbled his up, zucchini and all, and Frank even commented that it was good which doesn't happen too often. If you have picky eaters she recommended peeling the zucchini first, but I figured that probably took most of the healthiness out of it and for my family they're going to like or dislike it no matter what color it is, but it probably works better for older kids. Anyway with all that said if you have some extra zucchini this summer this is a great casserole to try as well as this chicken zucchini casserole.

1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
salt, pepper, and garlic to taste (you can tell this is a grandma's recipe as there's not a lot of measuring:)
2 zucchini, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped you can also use a can of tomatoes
16 oz sour cream or I used 2 cans cream of mushroom but a combination of both would probably be great
box of croutons (I used Marie Calendar's butter garlic)
cheddar cheese to top casserole

Cook ground beef and onion until no more pink. Drain grease. Add zucchini and tomatoes and bring to boil (because I used fresh tomatoes there wasn't much liquid to boil so I added just a tiny bit of water, not even a 1/4 c. you may want to cook longer if using canned tomatoes just cook out some of the liquid) Reduce heat and cover and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile spread croutons evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. After 10 minutes stir in sour cream or cream of mushroom and pour over croutons. Top with cheese and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

This makes a good size casserole and doesn't really taste as good the next day, so I suggest if you have a smaller family to either cut it in half or she said she even freezes the other half, just cover with plastic wrap and then tin foil.

Blueberry Struessel Muffins with Lemon Glaze

2011-07-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

These are super yummy, and very little extra effort to turn into something more than just your regular muffin. I usually use frozen blueberries, but since you can find them at the store right now I used fresh and it made a huge difference, so yummy! Parker must have even enjoyed them because he took a bite out of half of them, little stink! I switched out some of the flour for whole wheat flour and did half brown and half regular sugar (long story of why, but I was trying to heatlhy them up a little and keep them still yummy:) Anyway either way you decide to make them, these are delicious!

1 3/4 cups fresh blueberries
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I did 1 c. white and 2 c. wheat)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
--chilled and cut in 1/2" cubes
2 large eggs -- beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
---For The Glaze---
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in middle of oven. Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in large mixing bowl. With pastry cutter or hands mix in butter until it resembles a course meal. Remove 1 c. for struessel topping. At this point I actually added my blueberries into the flour so the blueberries wouldn't dye the whole batter purple, if you don't care then just add the milk and eggs and stir in blueberries and zest. Do not over mix. If you make it like I did, I mixed the milk and eggs in another bowl then added it to the flour along with the zest, again don't over mix. The batter will be slightly lumpy but that's ok. Grease muffin tin and fill each one 2/3 of the way full. Take your reserved flour mixture and add 2 T. melted butter making struessel. Top each muffin with about a teaspoon full. Bake for 20 minutes. In the meantime combine powdered sugar and lemon juice to make glaze. When muffins are done allow to slightly cool and remove from pan and drizzle glaze over muffins.

Sun Dried Tomato and Bacon Chicken

2011-07-28T12:20:00.000-07:00

Finally a new recipe worth posting! Actually I've made a few desserts that have turned out really good I just either forgot to take pictures or have been too lazy to post..sorry. Hopefully this will make up for it. This is a super easy and quick dish that's full of flavor so don't procrastinate like me and try it!

Recipe found at thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

2 slices of bacon
4 chicken breast (I used 2 and cut them in half just to speed the cooking time)
1/4 c. sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 T fresh basil, or 1 t. dried basil (just realized I totally forgot this)
2 T. parmesan cheese

If you can allow chicken to marinade in some of the vinaigrette dressing for 4-6 hours.

Cook bacon until crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Add chicken to pan and brown on each side for about 2 minutes on medium heat. Pour dressing and basil over chicken and allow to cook until done, about 5- 8 minutes (try to keep lid on, it'll cook quicker and keep from spitting grease.) Remove chicken and keep warm. Add tomatoes to remaining dressing and cook until warmed and slightly cooked. Stir in bacon and serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Brooke's Bombshell Brownies

2011-07-07T12:21:00.000-07:00

Apparently it's National Chocolate Day, at least that's what Kathy Lee and Hoda said. Don't ask me why I was watching them, but it just happen to be on and that's about all I heard. Anyway, I really was already planning on posting this recipe, but I just thought I could pretend like it was preplanned to post this brownie recipe. Anyway these brownies really are the bomb. I recently made these Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Frosting which were seriously divine, a little rich on the frosting, but yum, and since then have craved another brownie and these seriously hit the spot. Hopefully I'm not the only one with a hankering for brownies and you'll take the time to make these!

Recipe from allrecipe.com

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly greased 9x13 pan. In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, and vanilla (I did it all by hand, but only because I'm too lazy to pull out my mixer.) Add in eggs one at a time thoroughly mixing in between each egg. In separate bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add flour mixture in a little at a time until completely combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/03/red-velvet-brownies-with-white-chocolate-frosting/

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Chips

2011-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is my newest dessert addiction, I love love love this! You can use whatever fruit combination you want, but I would suggest to keep it colorful. Anyway this is great for a fun get together, or just for you and your family:)

Fruit Salsa
2 apples, peeled and minced
8 oz. strawberries, minced
8 oz. raspberries, halved (don't be afraid to use frozen, it still taste great)
3 peaches, peeled and chopped
2 kiwis
2 T. sugar (You can also replace the sugars with agave nectar or honey for a healthier and less sweet salsa)
1 T. brown sugar
3 T. any flavor fruit preserve (I used raspberry)

Combine everything in a bowl and allow to refrigerate at least 15 minutes. This will make a medium size bowl, so if your doing it just for your family, I would cut it in half.

Cinnamon Sugar Chips

10 burrito size tortillas
1/4-1/2 c. melted butter
cinnamon and sugar- about 1 c. sugar to 1 t. cinnamon

Spread melted butter one side of tortilla and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. With a pizza cutter, cut tortilla into chip size triangles (I found the easiest way to do this is to cut it into 3 equal size strips and then cut into triangles.) Spread chips, butter side up, on a cookie sheet and cook at 350 for 8-10 minutes until crisp.

Patriotic Dipped Strawberries

2011-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Could these be any cuter? I found these at realmomkitchen.com and instantly knew I had to make them. They were so easy, and the best part is you don't have to heat your house up with an oven to make them. These are super fun as a gift or for a family get together. I already made one batch and I've got all the ingredients to make them again, hopefully you'll take the time to try them as well!

1 carton of strawberries
1/2 bag white chocolate chips or white dipping chocolate
blue sugar crystals

The easiest way to make this is to start by washing your strawberries and getting them completely dried. Then melt the white chocolate in small amounts (about 1/4 c. at a time) otherwise it starts to thicken up on you before your done. Dip strawberries in 2/3 of the way with white chocolate, then dip the bottom 1/3 in blue sugar. Place on parchment, silpat, or greased tin foil. Place and fridge for a few minutes, and enjoy!

Taco Salad Bowls

2011-06-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Take any deep dish pan such as a cake pan and fill it up with 1/4 in. water. Take a deep medium, oven safe bowl and cover it with tin foil and place in water. Spray with cooking spray. Then either run the tortilla under the faucet or dip in water, just enough to allow it to get wet and pliable, not saturated. Drape over bowl and kind of shape as needed. Cook at 450 for 4-5 minutes.

Orange Chicken

2011-06-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

I almost hesitated to post this one because it uses another random ingredient, but I couldn't resist, it's way too good to not share! I was really impressed with how well this turned out. I just didn't expect it to be so good and it really wasn't as labor intensive as I had thought either. Anyway this was totally a five star meal to me and I will definitely make this one again.

Recipe found at favfamilyrecipes.com

Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 in cubes (I used 2 chicken breasts which was enough for 4 servings.
1 ½ c. flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
1 c. water
2 Tb. FRESH orange juice
¼ c. FRESH lemon juice
1/3 c. rice vinegar
2 ½ Tb. soy sauce
1 Tb. orange zest
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ t. ginger root, minced (I just used a little powder)
½ t. minced garlic
2 Tb. green onion, chopped
¼ t. red pepper flakes (this doesn't make it hot at all, so if you want more spice add more)
3 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Add flour, salt, and pepper and place in shallow dish. In separate bowl add egg. Dip chicken into egg and then roll in flour, repeat until all chicken is coated. Deep fry chicken in fryer or I just used a deep skillet. Cook until no longer pink and golden brown. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile add water, vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, and soy sauce to small saucepan. Heat through for a few minutes then add brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, green onion, and red pepper and cook until boiling. In a separate bowl mix water and cornstarch and slowly pour into orange sauce and cook until thickened. Serve sauce over chicken and ENJOY!

Oreo Pudding Cookies

2011-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

All I can say is yum!! These were so good, and the best part is they've stayed good for several days now, and were actually even better the second day. It's probably a good thing I'm pregnant right now because I can't eat as many as I'd really like to, not because I'm health conscience but I just feel stuffed pretty much all the time. You would think that I would learn and not torture myself by making stuff like this, but I just couldn't resist. Anyways, don't procrastinate make these ASAP!

Recipe found at thegirlwhoateverything.blogspot.com

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (4.2 ounce) package instant Oreo Pudding mix
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bars broken into small pieces (I used the new Cookies and Cream Hershey Drops)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Stir in cookies n' cream pieces and chocolate chips.

Using a cookie dough scooper, place golf ball sized dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Makes two dozen.

Texas BBQ Sloppy Joes

2011-05-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've seen this recipe several times and never was compelled to try it, until now and I'm glad I did. Every once in awhile a sloppy joe just hits the spot and this was one of those times. This is a super easy, quick week night meal that we really enjoyed, even Parker which is always a bonus. Anyway hope you take the chance to make this..also soon to come are Oreo pudding cookies, so yummy!

Recipe found at Cassiecraves.blogspot.com

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 package frozen garlic Texas toast
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and onion until no longer pink. Drain grease, and add tomatoes, bbq, ketchup, bbq sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile cook Texas toast as directed (you could very easily substitute regular french bread or even hoagie buns with butter and garlic salt.) Serve sloppy joe mix over Texas toast and sprinkle with cheese, and enjoy!

Rumbi Rice Bowls

2011-05-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

These turned out so awesome! I've never used Yoshida's Sauce Marinade until now, but I'm pretty sure it's my new favorite product. I have to laugh because my friend literally just made a post on her blog about this stuff, seriously it's that good! You can use it as just a marinade, in your hamburgers, or just as a simple teriyaki chicken bowl. Anyway, if I haven't convinced you enough just to try this stuff, hopefully this recipe will push you over the edge to just go buy some. The other ingredient in this recipe that might not be something you have on hand is the chili garlic sauce, but I have no doubt you'll use it up just making this recipe over and over. It's also used in a lot of Asian dishes such as lettuce wraps. Seriously, considering how many vegetables are in this and the fact that my husband still said it was good, tells you how good this really was. Don't wait..just do it!

Recipe found at whatsonmymenu.blogspot.com and originally from favfamilyrecipes.com

1-2 T. vegetable oil
1 zucchini, cut into small chunks
4 carrots, peeled and grated, or cut into small pieces
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 1/2 c. chopped broccoli
2 c. grilled chicken, cut into bite size pieces (I just used precooked since it's not really grilling weather here)
3 c. cooked rice or Rumbi rice

Saute vegetables until crisp tender (or desired doneness.) I chose to add my chicken and sauce all into the pan and just serve over the rice, but your really suppose to let the sauce cool and just serve over top rice and veggies.

Spicy Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
3/4 c. Yoshida's marinade
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili garlic sauce (this can be found in the Asian section)
1 tsp. fresh ginger (I just sprinkled a little ground ginger)
pinch of salt
pinch of brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cold water

In a small saucepan add Yoshida's marinade through brown sugar and cook until boiling. Meanwhile, in a separate container mix cornstarch and water and slowly add to sauce stirring constantly. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about a minute or until slightly thickened. Allow to cool and serve over veggies and rice (or like me just make it one big stir with sauce, chicken, and veggies.)

Serving Size 347 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 554
Calories from fat 44

Total Fat 5.0g 8%

Saturated Fat 1.2g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 40mg 13%

Sodium 556mg 23%

Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19%

Sugars 19.2g

Protein 23.1g

Vitamin A 152%	•	Vitamin C 49%
Calcium 11%	•	Iron 30%

Nutrition Grade A-

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

2011-05-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have to admit I was a little concerned about the ranch dressing in this, but it turned out so yummy! This is definitely a new favorite chicken recipe of mine and the best part is it's so easy. I love when the weather changes and we can barbecue, no clean up, and better yet my husband cooks it! Anyway here's the slightly altered recipe from Allrecipes.com.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (I used 1 t. dried rosemary)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into large chunks, or pounded out to 1/4 inch thickness

Combine first 9 ingredients and then add in chicken. Allow to marinade at least 6-8 hours. Grill 4-5 minutes on each side or until done.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Ok so to be honest I really don't know much about Cinco de Mayo, but it was a great excuse to get together with friends and family and have some yummy Mexican food, and to use this cute serving dish I got for my wedding that I've never been able to use until now. Anyway, to the important part..food! I made these yummy grilled chicken and chili-lime steak tacos, Mexican sour cream rice (fyi- I used about half the amount of sour cream), pineapple, and my favorite guacamole dip and to drink this super yummy limeade punch and for dessert Tres leche cake with strawberries. I got lots of compliments about the rice which I really liked, but I really loved the punch and was so sad when Frank spilled the last pitcher of it:( Everyone liked the cake as well, but I'm not sure if I'm completely sold, I think I will stick with my usual strawberry shortcake. Anyway this is kind of a lazy post where I'm just going to give you links to all of these yummy recipes, but trust me they were all really good, and all super easy which is always important!

Sweet Potato Foil Packet Taco

2011-04-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ok so I've seen this recipe now several times and always had the same opinion..a little strange. Part of me thought it would be ok and the other part thought it was just a little too strange, but after seeing it pop up on several food blogs I thought it was worth trying, and I'm glad I did! The part I love the most about this recipe is that I felt like I was actually making a really healthy meal with sweet potato and spinach and even the taco meat with black beans..yum! Anyway with that said this is probably not for everyone, although Frank really like it which is saying a lot since it had so many vegetables:) and even Parker really liked it, but if your not a big sweet potato fan this is not for you because it's definitely a strong flavor in this meal. The other part I was worried about was the spinach which can sometimes be a little strong in some dishes, but I honestly didn't even notice it in there. Anyway on to the recipe, and I'm sorry because I totally forgot to take a picture but you can find it over at perrysplate.com.

3/4-1 lb ground beef
3-4 T. taco seasoning
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
4-5 t. butter
1 1/2 c. spinach
1 1/2 c. cheese
favorite taco toppings: salsa, sour cream, or guacamole
5-6 12-inch pieces of tin foil

Preheat oven to 425. Start by browning your hamburger and drain. Add taco seasonings, tomato sauce, and beans and set aside. Assemble your foil packets by adding a large cup of sweet potatoes, place a teaspoon of butter on top and sprinkle with a little salt. Then add a little spinach and about a 1/2 c. of your taco meat ( I made ours a little big and only made about 4, but they were 4 big servings which filled me more than I expected) top with some cheese. Fold the foil packets up by first pulling together the shortest sides and fold down, roll the two lengthwise sides in until sealed (just like making tin foil dinners or however it works for you just so it's completely sealed) Place on a rimmed cookie sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories

253Calories from Fat

140

Total Fat 32.6 50%

Saturated Fat 18g 90%

Cholesterol 130mg 43%

Sodium 1127mg 47%

Total Carbohydrates 108g 36%

Dietary Fiber 18g 72%

Sugars 16g

Protein 60.0g

Vitamin A 806%	•	Vitamin C 76%
Calcium 56%	•	Iron 53%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

FYI- the butter and cheese is what makes this so high in saturated fat if your wanting to cut back.

Steak Dinner

2011-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been a little out of commission lately for several reasons, but mostly because I'm pregnant! I've been going through the usual not feeling good, nothing sounding good, and just flat out too tired to care. So needless to say I haven't been testing out many new recipes and mostly just sticking with the tried and true easy staple recipes. Anyway we had steak last night with a new marinade and a fun change on mashed potatoes with roasted asparagus and broccoli for the sides and it all turned out awesome and was super easy which is most important these days. I loved the marinade, Frank had me a little scared because he said it was burned, but it was really just the basil in the marinade that just darkened, but it was delicious so I hope you enjoy!

Best Steak Marinade
Allrecipes.com

1/3 c. soy
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 lemon juice
1/4 c. worcestershire
1 1/2 T garlic powder (I used fresh minced)
3 T. basil
1 1/2 t. parsley
1 t. pepper
1/4 t hot pepper sauce ( I used just a little shy of this, but it wasn't spicy at all so don't shy away)
1 t. dried minced garlic (honestly I think this was just mistyped and was suppose to be onion, but I just didn't add it)

Combine all ingredients and add steak. Allow to marinade over night or at least 10 hours. Grill steak.

Restaurant Style Smashed Potatoes
thepioneerwoman.com

5 whole Large Red Potatoes
1 stick Butter, Softened And Cut Into Pieces ( I used about half this amount)
5 slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 whole Green Onions, Sliced ( I didn't have any so I made it without these)
¾ cups Sour Cream
Salt To Taste (add Plenty!)
Freshly Ground Black Pepper To Taste
¾ cups French Fried Onions, More For Topping

Nuke or bake potatoes until you can easily poke a fork into it. I chose to nuke them and it turned out great. Add potatoes to a large bowl and mash with potato masher. Stir in remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

For a lower fat option try these Crash Hot Potatoes which also look super yummy! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/06/crash-hot-potatoes/

Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins

2011-02-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

There's nothing worse than putting so much effort into making something only to have it totally flop in the end. Which is exactly how the last few batches of muffins I've made have turned out. Sometimes I like to blame the recipe, or the new weird muffin molds my mom gave me, but reality is I probably just goofed them. Anyway what I'm trying to get at is that after a long string of muffins not turning out, these ones finally did and were great!

1 cup White Sugar
2 whole Eggs
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
4 whole Bananas, Mashed
¾ cups Buttermilk
1 cup Margarine, Melted
3 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1 cup Coconut Sweetened, Shredded
1 cup Chocolate Chips

Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients together then add to wet ingredients. Mix just until moist. Stir in coconut and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

This recipe was found on the Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen

Pioneer Woman Enchiladas

2011-02-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines! Or Single's Awareness Day depending on what side of the fence your on:) Once again I've got another delicious Pioneer Woman Recipe. I have to admit, if it was anyone else I probably would not have ever tried this recipe. First because I've never had a ground beef enchilada I liked, second is I usually always choose flour tortillas over corn, and third I don't love cooked olives. Have I scared you away from this recipe yet? I hope not because all those things a side, I loved these! Even my husband specifically told me he loved them which he doesn't say too often! I have to admit these take a little extra effort to put together, but still they're really not hard. Don't be intimated by the long list of ingredients and instructions I promise it's only a couple extra steps than your usual enchiladas. You gotta try these at least once!!!

FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 can (28 Ounce) Enchilada Or Red Sauce
2 cups Chicken Broth
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro (I left this out, my husband hates cilantro and it's def. a required taste)

FOR THE MEAT:
1 pound Ground Beef
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
2 cans (4 Ounce) Diced Green Chilies
½ teaspoons Season Salt

FOR THE TORTILLAS:
10 whole (to 14) Corn Tortillas
½ cups Canola Oil

TO ASSEMBLE:
3 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Chopped Black Olives
1 cup Chopped Green Onions (my husband didn't love the green onions, but I was on the fence. I think it would be fine without, but I didn't mind them in either so whatever sounds good to you:)
½ cups Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions

Step #1 – The Sauce
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and flour and whisk together to make a paste, cooking for one minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, cilantro, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30-45 minutes.

Step #2 – The Meat
Brown the meat with onions in a skillet. Drain off fat. Stir in 2 cans diced green chilies and seasoned salt. Set aside.

Step #3 – Tortillas
Heat canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. One by one, using tongs, fry tortillas in oil until soft, not crisp – about 30 seconds per side. Remove to a paper—towel lined plate. Repeat until all tortillas have been fried.

Step #4 – Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour ½ cup red sauce in bottom of baking pan. Spread to even out. Dip each tortilla into red sauce, then remove to work surface. Spoon meat, a little grated cheese, a little black olives, and green onions in the center of tortilla. Roll up and place, seam down, in baking pan. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour extra red sauce over enchiladas (the sauce is delicious so don't be afraid to smother them.) Top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake enchiladas uncovered for 20 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

2011-02-12T08:54:00.000-08:00

Nothing beats an easy and tasty recipe made in the crock pot and this is both of those..Enjoy!

This is one where I'm not sure if a picture actually helps..but I promise it taste better than it looks.

1/2 c. barbecue sauce- I used a little more
2 granny smith apples, pealed and grated
1 t. lemon juice
4 chicken breasts
8 pieces of bacon

Combine barbecue sauce, apples, and lemon juice. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast and place in crock pot. Pour barbecue sauce mixture over chicken and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Grilled or Broiled Chicken Salad

2011-02-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is an old favorite of mine that I haven't made in a long long long time!!! My husband is not a fan of salads so I have never made it for us, hence there are no green salad recipes on my blog, until today!! This is a favorite of mine. We (my parents and I) use to make it all the time, so much so that I had the marinade memorized. There are so few ingredients in this and nothing out of the norm, but for some reason when they all come together..yum! Anyway I hope you enjoy!

5 T. lemon juice, you can sub any citrus juice but lemon is my favorite
3 T. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced (just use the preminced)
1/8 t. pepper
1 t. basil
2 chicken breasts
1 red onion, sliced into rings
1 lb. mixed greens

Combine first 5 ingredients and set aside. Tenderize chicken with a mallet (I stick it in a ziploc bag and use the flat side to pound the chicken) Add chicken to marinade and marinade at least 30 minutes if not longer. Grill of broil chicken with red onions on top for 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken and let set for a few minutes. Thinly slice and serve over mixed greens with ranch dressing.

Pineapple Cheesecake Bars

2011-02-09T11:42:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe from thesisterscafe. I loved this dessert, because it seemed so light especially for a cheesecake. It wasn't overwhelmingly sweet and the addition of almond extract made it have a great unique flavor. I typically don't love almond extract but in this it added a delicious flavor. Anyway I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Hopefully your coconut browns up better than mine did, I couldn't figure out why my oven seemed to be taking so long to cook things lately until it dawned on me that I moved the rack down to make the baked beans and never put it back, whoops!

Crust:

3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar and butter. Mix until crumbs. Press into large cookie sheet (12x17x1) and poke holes in the crust with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, prepare the coconut topping and cream cheese filling.

Coconut Topping:

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

3 cups sweetened coconut, grated

In a small bowl, mix together melted butter and coconut. Set aside.

Cream Cheese Filling:

16 ounces cream cheese

2 eggs

4 Tablespoons sugar

4 Tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons almond extract

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 20 oz can crushed pineapple

Combine cream cheese, eggs, sugar, milk, almond extract and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Add crushed pineapple and mix. Pour cream cheese filling over baked crust. Sprinkle coconut topping over cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 minutes or until coconut has browned and middle is set. Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Meatball Sub Sandiwch

2011-02-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

This is a another super quick and easy meal. You can choose to use frozen meatballs or your own. Meatballs really are easy to make, but if you don't love handling raw meat or just taking the extra step go ahead and use your favorite frozen meatballs. Enjoy!

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
salt and pepper
garlic powder
very full 1/2 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs ( if you don't have these just use regular or make your own breadcrumbs and add a little Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic salt, parmesan cheese, or any other seasoning you want)
jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
Mozarella cheese
hoagie buns

In a medium bowl lightly beat your egg , then add your seasonings and bread crumbs. Crumble your ground beef over mixture and mix it all in. With a large cookie scoop, scoop out balls of meat mixture and then slightly mold to form a ball. At this point you can either bake your meatballs or cook on the stove top. I choose to bake them at 400 for about 12 minutes. I find it much easier and I don't have to sit and baby sit them on the stove. Put meatballs in a medium size skillet and pour spaghetti sauce over and heat until simmering. While meatballs are heating through get out the hoagie buns. A trick I use is to cut some of the middle of the bottom bun making a well to stick your meatballs. Butter your buns (lol) and toast in a toaster oven or your hot oven. Fill your well with meatballs and top with mozarella..and yummm!!!

makes about 6 sandwiches if serving little kids just cut the meatballs in half:)

Easy Chicken and Broccoli Pasta

2011-02-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Wow I'm on a roll posting 2 recipes in a row. Yes, I've still been cooking, just nothing really worth posting. This recipe is kind of a stand by, use whatever I got kind of recipe. You can change it for whatever you have, peas instead of broccoli, add bacon, leave out the chicken soup and keep it healthy, whatever you like! Also just as an FYI I've told you before I only use chicken bouillon, but I took a picture of the specific kind I use. I find it at Walmart in the Mexican food section. I think it has the best flavor and it's also the cheapest. You can also use the chicken bouillon granules which are also good, but personally I don't love the chicken broth you buy in a can it just kind of lacks flavor to me and is really expensive and most recipes don't use a full can so your left with a half a can that usually ends up in the trash. Anyway that's just my opinion but use what works for you.

10-15 oz. dry pasta, any kind works
2 T. olive oil-just eye it
2 T. butter-again just eye it you can't ruin this
couple shakes red pepper flakes (this won't make it spicy, Parker ate it and was just fine)
2-3 t. minced garlic (I use preminced from the produce section)
Sea Salt or Kosher salt to your tasting ( I avoided buying this for a long time and subbed it for table salt, but I finally gave in and it was totally worth it, you don't have to use as much and table salt seems to cook out and you can't taste it)
2 c. chopped broccoli
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 1/2-2 c. chicken broth
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

Cook pasta as directed. Meanwhile in a large skillet add your olive oil, butter, garlic, and red pepper. Heat until fragrant, stirring just so it doesn't burn, this only takes a minute or so. Add broccoli and sprinkle with salt. Cook until broccoli is soft, you may have to add 1/4 c. water just to get it soft enough. At this point if you were keeping it healthy you would just add the pasta, but if your not afraid of a little cream of chicken soup, and I am not, add in your soup and chicken broth and stir until completely mixed in. Add in your chicken and heat until simmering, then stir in pasta and enjoy!!!

Best Baked Beans Ever

2011-02-03T12:24:00.001-08:00

So this is another Pioneer Woman recipe. I don't know what took me so long to discover her website, probably because the first time I looked at it it seemed like more of a gourmet cooking blog which is so not my style so I never looked again.. until recently! I would see it all the time on other people's blogs and read a few of her posts, which are really fun to read she's an amazing writer, until finally I decided to look through her recipes again and thank goodness I did. She has some of the best recipes, and this is one of them! Also FYI I tried those individual scalloped potatoes again but in a 9x13 casserole dish and bacon instead of ham and YUMMM! If you like potato skins or anything like that you'll love them, seriously don't wait they are delicious!! Anyways back to the baked beans..these take some time to cook, but they throw together pretty easily. I'm getting ready for barbecue weather..I know we've got awhile, but I'm dreaming of warm weather and vacations:) Anyway I cut the recipe in half which was more than enough for us for dinner and lunch the next day. Enjoy!

8 slices thick bacon, halved

1 medium onion, cut into small dice

1/2 medium green pepper, cut into small dice

3 large cans (28 ounces each) pork and beans

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup distilled or cider vinegar

2 teaspoons dry mustard or 2 tablespoons Dijon

Preheat oven to 325 and lower rack to the lower middle. In a large skillet fry up bacon just long enough to render up the grease, do not brown at all your pretty much heating it just long enough for it to start getting the grease off. Remove bacon and saute your onion and green pepper in bacon grease until tender. Add beans and remaining ingredients and heat until simmering. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and place bacon on top. Place in oven uncovered for about 2 hours until all the juices are soaked up (yes I realize this is a long time and may not be something everyone is willing to try, but like I said maybe for a barbecue where you only have to bring one thing:)

Hot and Sweet Drumsticks...and so much more!!

2011-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

I loved this recipe! At first I thought it was going to be really similar to the Russian Chicken I make, but it was even better. I'm not the most creative person. Only a few years ago I could honestly say I didn't have a creative bone in me, but after years of attempting many different projects I have gotten a little more creative. When it comes to cooking it's kind of the same story. I've tried so many different recipes over the past 6 years I've gotten better about substituting, changing, or combining recipes to fit my family's taste buds. Ok..so to make a long story short even though I loved this recipe, I started thinking of all the different ways I could use this sauce, but the one that stands out the most is stir fry. I think this would be amazing as a stir fry. Red peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, sugar snap peas..mmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Anyway, either way you decide to do it, the only suggestion I give is be careful to not over cook the chicken (although if you were to use this as a stir fry I would just cut the chicken into bite size pieces and cook it in a skillet pouring the sauce over after at the end) The original recipe was for drumsticks with the skin still on, but I'm just not a fan so I used chicken breasts which don't take as long to cook and was a little dry. Anyway this is super easy and quick recipe and you should have most of the ingredients on hand so don't wait to make this one!! Don't shy away because of the use of hot in the title because it totally isn't, I may have cut back on the hot sauce just a little and it wasn't hot at all.

1 cup Apricot Preserves
½ cups Ketchup
¼ cups Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Minced Garlic
2 teaspoons Hot Pepper Sauce
3 pounds Drumsticks (about 12)

In a small sauce pan heat the first 4 ingredients until the preserves are completely melted stirring to combine. Now this is the only part I would change, the recipe said to cook uncovered, but I think since I used only 2 chicken breasts, cut in half, it would have been better if I had covered it. If cooking the full 3 lbs cook in a 9x13 pan, if you cut the recipe in half like me use an 8x8 pan and cook at 350 for 25-30 minutes otherwise cook closer to 45 minutes.

This recipe came from the Tasty Kitchen over at the Pioneerwoman's blog. If you ever get the chance the Pioneer Woman and the Tasty Kitchen have some seriously good recipes!

UPDATE: ok so I tried this again, and again used chicken breast and decided that it get's way tough..so I'm going to assume that drumsticks really are the way to go..but I'm still going to try it as a stir fry.. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cake Mix Cookies

2010-12-30T12:51:00.001-08:00

These are the easiest cookies to make and there are so many different variations. My husband loves the chocolate with Rolos, and my new favorite is the pumpkin chocolate chip. Anyway there are lots of them out there, but these have been my favorite and they turn out perfect every time!

Basic recipe:

Chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. + 1 T. oil
your favorite candy

Combine first 3 ingredients into a thick dough. This is where you can be creative. Add different chocolate chips such as white chocolate, mint, or peanut butter. Or if you want to go all out try wrapping the dough around a Rolo, or any other mini size candy bar, although so far the Rolo has been our favorite by far. You can also turn it into a chocolate crinkle cookie by pressing a Jr. Mint on top right when it comes out of the oven and sprinkling with powdered sugar which is also a favorite of ours. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip

Spice Cake Mix
15 oz. can pumpkin
1 bag chocolate chip cookies

Combine ingredients. These don't really spread out so you can place them pretty close together. I used a medium cookie scoop and cooked them at 350 for 12-13 minutes.

Sorry I never got around to taking a picture, but hopefully it will be coming soon!

Asian Beef Stir Fry

2010-12-28T20:14:00.000-08:00

I don't buy steak too often, but when I can find it for a $1.99 a lb (thank you savvyshopperdeals.com:) then I don't feel so bad buying it, and almost every time I do I usually end up making this with the last 2 steaks. I love that it's a one dish meal and turns out great every time. The original recipe is meant to be made in a wok, but of course I don't have one so I just make do with what I got. Anyway here it is!

1 lb steak, cut into bite size strips
1/2 c. cold water
1 1/2 t. corn starch
2 packages Oriental flavored Top Ramen
3 carrots, peeled and cut into match sticks
1 lb broccoli
2 c. water
oil for stir frying

Combine cornstarch, cold water, and seasoning packets from Ramen. Add steak to hot pan and cook until no longer pink. Add cornstarch water and cook until thick and bubbly. Remove steak from pan and keep warm. Add oil and vegetables and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Add a 1 1/2 c. water and cook until noodles are done adding more water if needed (you don't want it soupy, just enough to cook the noodles) Add the steak back in and enjoy!

Individual Scalloped Potatoes with Ham

2010-12-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

All I can say is wow, these were so good! I know this may sound like nothing really new..potatoes, cheese, ham, but something about doing them in these individual muffin tins and probably the addition of lots of butter and these turn into little bites of heaven, and that's no exaggeration. These would be a great addition to any roast, steak, ribs, or pretty much anything you can think of, or if your like me I actually made them the main dish along with a vegetable or salad. Anyway I found this recipe from thepioneerwoman.com, but I actually changed it a little since I don't eat cheese and I think it made them even better, although I'm sure they're really good her way as well so I'll give you both recipes.

8 whole Medium Potatoes
1 stick Butter
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
½ cups Scallions, Chopped
12 teaspoons Half-and-half
3/4 c. diced ham (make sure it's not the cubed ham, you definitely want the smaller diced ham)
Salt And Pepper

or

4 medium potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. green onion, chopped
12 spoonfuls of cream of mushroom
3/4 c. diced ham
seasoning salt

Start by nuking your potatoes in the microwave for about 7 minutes or until partially soft, then slice them into discs. Slice a thin pat of butter to put into each greased muffin tin. Place a slice of potato on top of each pat of butter. Season potato with season salt, top with some cheese, green onions, and ham (I really didn't measure how much of each, just do what looks good to you, or you can also see pictures on thepioneerwoman's blog) Repeat layers except the ham. Add another thin pat of butter (I actually did about half the amount of butter) and then top off with a spoonful of cream of mushroom or half and half which ever you choose to use. Cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes..and enjoy because they're so good!

Brownie Covered Oreos!!!

2010-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

These are delicious and so fun and easy to make! I'm not going to lie there is a bit of an art that I have yet to master to get them to come out perfectly, but even then they still taste great. So far I've only made them with Mint Oreos, but I'm hoping to try the Golden Oreos tomorrow so we'll see how it goes. I found this recipe at picky-palate.com. She has the most creative recipes, but desserts are by far her forte. Anyway if your looking for a fun and easy treat to make give these a try!

1 box of your favorite brownie mix and ingredients to make it
bag of Oreos
white chocolate (I chose not to drizzle anything on mine since I used mint brownies and I didn't want it to be too rich)

Preheat oven to 350. Make brownies as directed on package. Dip Oreos in brownie batter until completely covered. Place Oreos in generously greased muffin tins. Cook for 12-15 minutes. Immediately after coming out of oven take a plastic knife and run around sides to loosen brownie from pan. Allow to cool 5-8 minutes and then remove from pan. The biggest problem I think I had was the Oreo falling to the bottom and partially falling out and I've yet to figure out why some did and why some didn't. I'm hoping maybe the less time they sit in the pan until you put them in the oven the less time the Oreo has a chance to fall to the bottom??? Maybe after the Golden Oreos tomorrow I'll be an expert:)

Special Delivery Chicken

2010-12-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Better known as Poppy Seed Chicken, this is another easy recipe with very few ingredients. This is great served over noodles, rice, or like we do baked or boiled potatoes. I know not every one has poppy seeds in their seasoning drawer, but trust me once you have them you'll use them more than you would think, and hopefully you'll make this recipe more than once as well.

2 cans cream of chicken
1 c. sour cream
2 t. poppy seed
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. melted butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl combine crackers and butter, sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over noodles, rice, or potato.

Apricot Glazed Ham

2010-11-23T12:28:00.000-08:00

Another easy and delicious meal, and for the leftovers try these tasty little ham and cheese sliders from the girlwhoateeverything http://thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com/2010/04/ham-and-cheese-sliders.html

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. apricot jam
1 t. dry mustard
7-10 lb. precooked, sliced ham

Place ham sliced side down on a tin foiled jelly roll pan or any pan with a lip. Combine sugar, jam, mustard and cover ham leaving a little to add later. Cover ham with tin foil and cook at 275 for 14 minutes per pound. Add left over glaze last 20 minutes of cooking.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2010-11-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

I am in love with these sweet potato fries! They're super easy, and the part I love the most is they're really healthy and Parker loves them! He loves getting to dip them in ketchup, and I love that he's eating a vegetable and doesn't even know it. Actually I can't complain, for the most part Parker eats really well. He's stubborn at times, but his mother is more stubborn:) Anyway it's always nice when they're excited to eat something that's actually good for them. This recipe comes from ourbestbites.com where they also give a tutorial about cutting the potatoes to get them the perfect fry size and they also have a recipe for dipping sauce that I have yet to try, so if you get the chance to try it let me know. Find this recipe at http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/01/baked-sweet-potato-fries.html

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander (I didn't have any of this and they still tasted great)

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 425. In a large ziploc bag combine olive oil and seasonings. Add sweet potatoes and squish until all fries are coated with olive oil. Place fries on baking sheet in a single layer allowing all fries to touch pan. Cook for 15 minutes, flip and then cook for another 15-20 minutes until browned.

Sausage and Vegetable Skillet

2010-11-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is another super easy, yet really flavorful, quick all in one skillet meal. I've been all about easy lately. I'm not really sure what I do all day, but life has felt so busy lately. Between the holidays, birthdays, weddings, church callings, anniversaries, and a little one who's got more energy than any of us know what to do with, the last thing I want to do is come home and whip up a whole big meal. So hopefully I can find lots of easy recipes because that's all I have patience for over the next couple of months.

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used half regular and half spicy)
1 medium onion, minced
1 t. minced garlic
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 t. basil
12 oz. penne pasta
2 c. chopped spinach

Cook sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, and pasta and cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. Stir in spinach and cook for another minute until spinach is wilted and enjoy!!

Easy Taco Soup

2010-11-09T11:33:00.001-08:00

So I know most everyone probably has a recipe for taco soup, but I had never even tried it until a few years ago when a friend of mine brought it to work, and this is her recipe. I have since tried different ones, but still come back to this one. This recipe is so quick and easy, but if you have a better one or just have a suggestion let me know!

1 lb ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning
2 14.5 oz can tomatoes with green chilis
1 15 oz can corn, including juice
2 15 oz can light red kidney beans, drained
Fritos, cheese, sour cream, or any other toppings you like

Brown hamburger and drain grease. Stir in taco seasoning. Add remaining ingredients (except toppings, obviously:) Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes. This is no spicier then tacos, but if your sensitive you can stir in a tablespoon of sugar before your covering. Serve with Fritos, cheese, and sour cream if you like.

Oreo Truffle Eyeballs

2010-10-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Not only do these taste great, but they looked awesome for Halloween as eyeballs. I know it may be a little late this year for Halloween, but these are perfect for a family party or any party really, so if you don't get the chance to make them for Halloween try them for Christmas and drizzle colored candy melts or sprinkle with Christmas colored sprinkles, or be even more creative than me which wouldn't be too hard as that's about the extent of my creativity. Anyway if you want more ideas check out Bakerella, she has a lot of cute ideas for cakeballs, but I think these actually work better because they stay firmer. These can also be made with Nutter Butters, but I have yet to try so if you try them before I do let me know!

1 pkg Oreos, or Nutter Butters
8 oz. cream cheese
about a bag of white chocolate chips, or chocolate if your using Nutter Butters

The easiest way to make these is in a food processor where you can crush the cookies and then drop chunks of the cream cheese in and mix together until it forms a sticky dough. If you don't have a food processor just crush the cookies in a ziploc bag until fine crumbs, then transfer to a bowl and mix in the cream cheese with a mixer. Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and place on a greased cookie sheet. Place in freezer for at least an hour if not a couple of hours. In a microwave safe bowl melt half your chocolate in microwave for intervals of 45 seconds stirring in between until melted. Drop Oreo balls into chocolate and completely cover with chocolate. Place back on pan (this is probably the hardest part and it takes a second to kind of get a rhythm so that they come out looking good, even if they're not pretty they still taste great) Put back in fridge for another couple hours. These are best served cold.

S'mores Bars

2010-10-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

These are so good, and by so good I mean we ate them too quickly to take a picture good, sorry! I found these on thegirlwhoateeverything so if you want a picture you can find one there, until I make them again. I made these for a group of friends, and they were loved by all. They taste just like s'mores, especially the first day when they were still warm and the chocolate and marshmallow were still gooey, yum! So when you get a craving for a s'more and don't have access to a campfire, (hopefully I'm not the only one) these little bad boys will fix your craving!

Sorry I'm always in too big of a hurry to get this in my mouth rather than take a picture after it's cut so this was the best I could do.

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (7 1/2 oz jar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. 2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick. Spread chocolate with marshmallow creme or fluff. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. I just kind of smooshed the dough out onto a plastic cutting board and then flipped it over the marshmallow and peeled it off. You can also cut it into sections and put it on one section at a time. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars (mine were still slightly warm and gooey, but still delicious!)

Russian Chicken

2010-10-22T11:56:00.001-07:00

So I know I already gave you the recipe to this one, but it's one of those recipes that sounds too strange, and too easy to be good, but I promise it is! I saw this recipe in I don't know how many ward cook books before I finally decided I would give it a try, I figured if that many people submitted it, it must be good. So this is my extra nudge for you to give this one a try, if you haven't already:)

1 8 oz Russian dressing
1 c. apricot preserves (I've used peach, apricot-pineapple, all of which are good)
1 envelope onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Roasted Ranch Potatoes

2010-10-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

So even though I try to make a weekly menu every week for some reason I always seem to forget to grab things at the grocery store, or because of changes in schedule I still seem to have days where I'm scrambling to decide what to make. Maybe one day I'll be good and keep freezer meals on hand for those crazy days, but until then it's nice to have quick and easy meals, or in this case a side for my chicken strips I decided to make. These roasted potatoes are super easy and super yummy. If you don't have a Ranch dressing pack on hand, a dry onion soup mix, or even an Italian dressing mix which I have yet to try would also work. I also added broccoli in as well, so try mixing up your vegetables as well. Sorry I have no picture for this one, but hopefully it'll be something I make again soon so that I can take one. Enjoy!

1/4 c. vegetable or olive oil
1 pkg. dry Ranch dressing- I accidentally grabbed a Ranch dip mix instead but still turned out yummy!
2 lbs. cubed potatoes, or any other vegetables you wish just adjust cooking time according, such as adding broccoli in after maybe 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450. In a Ziploc bag combine oil and dressing packet. Add in potatoes and mix to coat. Spread on cooking sheet and cook for 30-35 minutes.

Porcupine Meatballs

2010-10-12T11:06:00.001-07:00

I'm not really sure why I love this recipe so much, I think it reminds me of how my mom use to make pork chops. She would brown them with onions and then pour tomato sauce over them and serve them with rice. I know this sounds strange but they were really good. I'm not a huge pork chop fan so this is kind of my way to get that saucy flavor with rice and I love it! These are super easy to make and you probably have all of the ingredients already so if you get the chance give them a try.

Sorry I missed lunch, and was in a hurry to get this in my belly, so not the prettiest pic!

1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 c. uncooked, long grain rice
1/2 T. dried parsley
1 t. salt
dash of pepper
2 T. minced onion (I used dried minced onion)
2 cans tomato soup, divided
1 c. water
2 t. Worcestershire Sauce

Combine egg, rice, parsley, salt and pepper, onion, and 1/4 c. tomato soup. Crumble ground beef in and mix well. I use an ice cream scoop to scoop out balls and then using my hands help shape into balls. Place meatballs in 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Combine remaining tomato soup, water, and Worcestershire and pour over meatballs. Bring to boil, then lower heat and cover with lid for 40 minutes, turning meatballs once or twice. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2010-10-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

So I'm not going to lie this one has kind of a lot of steps, but would probably have been much easier if I didn't realize part way through that I was out of vanilla, and if I had a child who wasn't teething and didn't demand so much of my attention and gosh my life is so rough! Jk I love my son, we're kind of trying to transition to 1 nap a day and let's just say it hasn't been pleasant for either of us:) Anyway that said I definitely suggest making this for a crowd because it's super rich and I'm not sure that you could keep it all to yourself (although I'm going to try:), not to mention for all the effort you got to share it with someone who will really appreciate your hard work! Anyway this it a definite must try because it's so good, I found it at thegirlwhoateeverything, but was originally a Paula Dean recipe (and if you know Paula Dean, you know it's got to be good!)

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
In a small bowl, combine all streusel ingredients, clean hands work best:)

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

pictures to come, if impatient check out the girlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com

Fresh Peach Dessert

2010-10-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry another dessert, but I guess it's just kind of that time of year and I just haven't made anything lately that's been worth posting. I've seen lots of peaches in the stores lately, but I actually got mine from Frank's grandmas and they were delicious! This dessert is super easy so if you have some peaches and you want something different from the usual cobbler, try this! Also, sorry for no picture, it just kind of looked like cool whip in a 9x13 pan so you didn't miss much, but it makes up for it in taste!

1 pkg. graham crackers, crushed
1 stick of butter, melted
8-10 fresh peaches, peeled, and chopped
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 lemon juice
8 oz. cool whip, or whipped cream

Combine graham crackers, and butter and press into a 9x13 pan to form a crust. Combine sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice, then stir in peaches. Pour peaches over crust, then top cool whip. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. Enjoy!

Rainbow Chip Cookies

2010-09-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

These cookies are a simple cake mix cookie, just one you may never have thought to use, Rainbow Chip! If I were to choose a box cake/cupcake as my favorite it would be Betty Crocker's Rainbow Chip cake mix, and don't forget the best part, frosting! So if you want a fun, easy, and yummy cookie give this one a try!

1 box Betty Crocker's Rainbow Chip cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 c. oil
Betty Crocker's Rainbow Chip frosting

Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil until fully incorporated. Roll into about 1 inch balls, then flatten with a a drinking glass, or if your lazy like me I just used my hands. Cook at 375 for 7-8 minutes. Allow to cool completely and frost.

Chicken Rolls

2010-09-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

Ok so I know a lot of people have had these or something similar, but I've tried a few different recipes and this one still holds my heart as the best. My mom made these all the time growing up, and now my nephew frequently requests them whenever he's over. These are always a crowd pleaser, young or old they're loved by all! They take a little time to throw together so they're maybe best for a Sunday meal, but like anything else the more you do them the quicker you get. I can usually have them ready to cook in 20 minutes or so, but they are well worth the time. Sorry this is another a little of this a little of that recipe, but it's one that you really can't ruin so don't over think it.

8 oz. block cream cheese
3-4 T. milk
1/4 t. poultry seasoning (don't worry if you don't have this, really just kind of season to taste)
salt and pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded ( I throw them in the crock pot season with a little s&p, dried onion flake, and pretty much whatever I'm feeling like:)
about a 1/2 16 oz. bag of frozen petite peas (even if you don't love peas you really don't notice them and it's a great way to sneak in a vegetable, and I use the rest of the bag to serve on the side)
2 pkgs. pillsbury crescent rolls- I usually end up making about 10 rolls
1-2 c. crushed corn flakes (great way to include the kids, throw them into a ziploc bag and squish away, I always keep some left over for another time, or to top of casseroles, also you really can't substitute the cornflakes they really work the best)
4 T. melted butter

In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and milk with a mixer, add just enough milk to make it creamy, don't worry you can't mess it up as long as it's not runny your good. Add chicken and peas and mix together with a spoon. Put your crushed corn flakes in a bowl and your melted butter in another. On a greased cookie sheet start by taking one crescent roll and slightly stretching it out. Put a large spoonful of chicken mixture in the middle. Pull up corners of crescent and pinch all edges together. Dip roll in butter and then roll in corn flakes. Repeat until all of chicken is used. Cook in oven at 375 for 20 minutes.

Heaping spoonful, you want enough that you kind of have to stretch the roll to pinch all the sides together :)

Fold up all sides

And voila!

A-Mazing Coconut Bread

2010-08-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

So again I didn't get a chance to take a picture of this before it was all gone:( I brought this to my cooking group this month, the theme was favorite recipe and this recipe quickly came to mind. I'm not sure if you can even consider this "bread" it's closer to a cake because it's super sweet. This is no different than making a banana bread, except you pour a sugar glaze over the top and allow to sit for 3 hours (trust me it's worth the wait I promise!!) Just be careful this stuff is super addicting and can be eaten too quickly to admit:) Enjoy!

4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 t. coconut extract
3 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 c. buttermilk-gotta go for the real stuff..I tried to substitute it yesterday and it didn't work nearly as well
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts - optional (we prefer it without and I actually like nuts, but it's just a preference)

Glaze
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. water
3 Tb. butter
1 t. coconut extract

Beat eggs in large bowl. Add sugar, oil, and coconut flavoring until mixed thoroughly. In separate bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add half of flour mixture to sugar and mix well. Add half your buttermilk to sugar mixture and mix. Repeat process until no more flour or buttermilk. Stir in coconut and nuts. Pour into 2 well greased bread pans. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes ( I had to cook mine closer to an hour, I'm not sure if that is based on my mom's oven or just the recipe so check it after 40 minutes if it's still really doughy cook another 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean) In a small saucepan bring the water, sugar, and butter to a boil stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and add coconut flavoring. Slowly pour over hot bread and allow to sit for 3-4 hours. Don't panic if it takes a minute to come out of the pan it's awfully sticky with all that sugary glaze:P

Sausage and Rice Casserole

2010-08-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

So don't write this recipe off until you hear me out. This recipe comes from my recipe group that my friend Ryanne Walker does once a month. This was probably the most popular dish that night. It sounds totally strange with the almonds, chicken noodle soup, and rice, but trust me it's really good and relatively easy, but you do have to plan ahead because it takes an hour and a half to cook. Anyway I hope you enjoy it as much as we did:)

Ok so this looks kind of like a Rice-a-Roni, but I promise it's much better and worth the extra time:)

1 lb bulk pork sausage (I used Jimmy Dean's Regular pork sausage, the kind that comes in a tube)
1 onion, minced
4 c. water
2 pkgs. dry chicken noodle soup mix (such as Lipton or you can use store brand)
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1/2 c. slivered almonds-I've made it without and it's still good, but it does add a fun extra texture

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil and add soup mixes and allow to cook for a couple minutes. In a greased 9x13 pan add sausage, rice, soup, and almonds. Cover and allow to cook at 350 for an hour and a half.

Summer Zucchini and Chicken Casserole

2010-08-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

I just made this last night and it was so good I couldn't wait to share it. I actually have a couple recipes to share but this definitely tops the list as far as main dishes. Although if you completely hate Stove Top Stuffing you probably won't like this. Don't get me wrong I would never eat Stove Top by itself, but in this I thought it was really good. So if you got zucchini growing in your garden and are looking for recipes to use it in, here's one that everyone will love!

Sorry leftovers just don't look as appetizing, but still good none the less

2 cooked chicken breast, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 c. minced carrot-these need to be cut fairly small in order to cook thoroughly
1 onion, chopped
1 can cream of chicken
1/2 c. sour cream
6 oz. pkg. Stove Top stuffing - I used the cornbread kind
1/2 c. plus 2 T. butter

Combine stuffing and butter in small bowl. Pour half stuffing into a greased 9x13 pan and reserve the other half. Saute zucchini, carrots, and onion in 2 T. butter, just until starting to get tender about 5-7 minutes. Add to 9x13 pan along with chicken, soup, and sour cream. Mix until everything is combined. Sprinkle remaining half of stuffing on top and bake uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes. Sorry I wasn't home when this got done to take a picture so hopefully I can take one this afternoon.

Cranberry Marinated Chicken

2010-07-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

Finally a new meal idea! I've posted several desserts lately but have had no new meals that I've really liked lately until this one. This one comes from one of those 5 Ingredients or less cook books. This is similar to the Russian chicken that a lot of people do (If you don't know what that is I'll post the recipe to that one as well and you can try both of them.) I wasn't totally sure if I'd like this one or not, too be honest I've never really tried cranberry sauce before it's just never appealed to me, but I love this and I hope you will too!

1 8 oz. Russian Dressing (I saw another one that used Catalina which is probably good as well)
1 16 oz. can whole berry cranberry sauce (definitely go for the whole berry, I was tempted not to but it was definitely necessary)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Mix dressing, cranberry sauce, and soup mix together. Pour over chicken and marinate at least 1 hour. Cover and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, uncover and cook another 20-25 minutes (I just realized I forgot that step but it still turned out great, serve over rice and enjoy!

Russian Chicken

1 8 oz Russian dressing
1 c. apricot preserves (I've used peach, apricot-pineapple, all of which are good)
1 envelope onion soup mix
4-5 chicken breasts

Combine dressing, preserves, soup mix, and pour over chicken. Cover and cook at 350 for about 40-45 minutes.

FYI- I cut my chicken breasts in half you can also use chicken tenders just adjust cooking time for maybe 25-30 minutes.

Reese's Bars

2010-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

If you love chocolate and peanut butter, you'll love these! The best part about these is that they require no cooking which is great in these hot months! I originally saw these on allrecipes.com, but when I saw that thegirlwhoateverything had posted them I knew they must be good, and they were every bit as good as I had hoped. Plus these are like no fail bars, I completely forgot to measure my graham crackers after crushing them and was just shy of 2 cups chocolate chips and they still turned out great! Sorry again I have no picture I made them for primary and was in a hurry so they were gone too quickly.

2 1/2 cups graham cracker, crushed into fine crumbs
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

Combine graham crackers, peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar (you can use a mixer or if your lazy like me they stir up really quickly as well.) Press into a 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and spread over top. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes or until chocolate it set, if kept in the refrigerator too long they become a little on the crunchy side, I prefer them room temperature.

Sugar Cookie Fruit Tart

2010-07-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

So this is probably not a new recipe for most, but I had this a couple of weeks back at a barbecue and thought it was so good I'd make one myself. This recipe is super easy and this is the perfect time of year to make one because of all the fresh fruit and berries available. So if you want a quick and easy treat, one that you could almost say is healthy with all that good fruit, give this one a try!

1 tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
fresh fruit of your choice such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, kiwis..

On a lightly greased cookie sheet, pizza pan, or tart pan if you have one, roll out cookie dough to form large cookie to about an 1/8 of an inch. Cook at 350 for 15-18 minutes until slightly browned. Allow cookie to fully cool. In the mean time mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla and until fully incorporated. Frost cooled cookie leaving about a half and inch around the edge. Top frosted cookie with fresh fruit.

Spanish Rice Wraps

2010-07-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

So I found this one from a ward cook book, gotta love the ward cook books. The original recipe had no meat so if your husband isn't as picky as mine and it sounds good to you without by all means give it a try. I think next time I would add 2 cans of tomatoes because I really like them and on the meat I'll put a little taco seasoning for a little extra layer of flavor. The best part of this dish is it's so quick and has few ingredients, and if you do it without ground beef it's a one dish meal, and most of all it's delicious! Sorry no picture I hurried and packed it up and hauled it to my husband at work for dinner. Maybe I'll remember and take on at lunch tomorrow:)

1 lb. ground beef-optional
1 box Spanish Rice A Roni
2 T. butter
1 c. salsa
2 c. water
1 or 2 15 oz. can tomatoes with green onions
1 can black beans or kidney beans, rinsed- I used black beans
1 can corn, drained

Cook ground beef until no longer pink, drain and set aside. In separate pan melt butter and add rice. Cook until golden brown add tomatoes, salsa, and 2 c. water. Bring to boil and reduce heat cover and allow to simmer for 15. Add hamburger, corn, and beans. Serve in tortillas (I used sun dried tomato wraps) with cheese and sour cream.

4th of July

2010-06-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

So I just thought I'd give some suggestions of 4th of July dishes and I'm also hoping someone has suggestions for me. When I was in St. George a lady told me she was going to take big marshmallows and dip them in chocolate and roll them in red, white, and blue sprinkles for smores which I thought was a cute idea. I've also seen several trifles using strawberries and blueberries and cream for the red white and blue. I was also thinking it would be cute to make lemonade and make either a big ice cube in a bundt cake pan with strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries or just use a regular ice cube tray. I also saw a recipe making red white and blue popsicles. All they did was use yogurt and food coloring and layered it according. I think it would be fun to use different flavored yogurts and food coloring. If your needing a dish to take to a barbecue the raspberry pretzel salad, or macaroni salad are both good choices or my new favorite lately has been bringing a fruit tray with fruit dip. I've tried a couple now, but my favorite has been from realmomkitchen.com I think it was called orange cream dip, next time I want to try it using banana cream yogurt. Anyway those are my ideas if anyone has some other ideas let me know:)

MY Hawaiian Haystack

2010-06-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

So this is just my version of Hawaiian haystacks, nothing fancy but I like it for a quick last minute meal. The only change really from the typical Hawaiian haystacks is that I've added carrots and celery just for a little added flavor and veggies. We don't really add any of the extras that you usually do with haystacks other then occasionally tomato, but you definitely can go for the chow mein noodles, pineapple, green onion, or whatever other things your family likes on their haystacks. Hopefully if anything this is just another idea of something to make for dinner.

2 cooked chicken breasts (I throw mine in the crock pot usually, but I've even just cut it up and cooked it in the pan before and that works just as well)
2 T. butter
1 c. minced carrot- I just use my chop chop for all the veggies
1 c. celery minced
1 onion minced
1-1 1/2 c. chicken broth (I use the chicken bouillon granules)
1 t. chicken bouillon granules
2 cans cream of chicken or 1 can cream of chicken and 1 can cream of celery
4 c. cooked rice

In a 10-in. skillet saute vegetables in butter on medium high until almost tender 7-8 minutes (you can also cook your chicken with your vegetables.) Add broth and continue cooking until vegetables are cooked to your liking- personally I keep mine slightly crisp otherwise it takes forever to cook the carrot. Add extra bouillon, cream soups, and cooked chicken. Cook until completely heated through.

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

2010-06-14T14:31:00.001-07:00

Ok so I know a lot of you probably already have this recipe, but if there are some out there who don't have it, here it is. And if you have no idea what I'm even talking about, it's probably because you don't live in utah:) If that's the case let me just tell you that this salad is awesome! If you love sweet and salty, this is for you. I'm sorry I don't have a picture, I hunted for my camera and couldn't for the life of me find it until just this afternoon. My husband has a habit of moving things on me and usually not in a place I would ever look, so when I found it on the refrigerator I knew it wasn't me who put it up there. Anyway needless to say, I have no picture and we licked the dish clean so there's no leftovers to take a picture of either, but take my word on it this is really good.

First Layer:
2 c. crushed pretzels
2 T. sugar
1/2 c. chopped nuts (you cann't even taste the nuts, so unless someone has an allergy I wouldn't worry about someone not liking nuts)
3/4 c. melted butter

Second Layer:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sugar
2 c. cool whip

Third Layer:
6 oz. pkg strawberry or raspberry Jell-O
2 c. boiling water
1 16 oz pkg. of frozen strawberries or raspberries, depending on what you want

First layer: combing all ingredients and press in 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool.
Second layer: Beat cream cheese and sugar. Stir in Cool Whip and spread on top of cooled pretzel layer.
Third layer: Mix jello and boiling water until Jello is completely dissolved. Add Frozen fruit and stir until thawed. Let Jello set up slightly (you may need to put into the fridge for a minute or 2, but if you have enough frozen fruit it shouldn't take too long) Spoon over second layer and refrigerate until completely set up, at least a couple hours.

Tex Mex Chicken and Rice Casserole

2010-06-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

This recipe was simple and good, but beware because it makes a lot! I think if I were to make it again I would only use the rice vermicelli and keep out the extra rice or at least cut it in half. Also when I make it again I will use a can of tomatoes with green chilies instead of fresh tomatoes and canned green chillies I wasn't a fan of the fresh tomatoes in this, maybe because they were store bought tomatoes with not much flavor but it just wasn't my favorite, and if your family is sensitive to spicy food just cut back on the chili powder to maybe 1/2-3/4 Tablespoon. Other then that this is a super easy delicious casserole. Sorry I forgot to take a picture, we were so hungry and it looked so good we just kind of dove in, hopefully if I'm good I'll take a picture of the leftovers.

1 medium onion chopped
2 T. butter
1 pkg. chicken vermicelli
1 c. long grain white rice
28 oz. chicken broth
2 1/2 c. water
4 c. cooked chicken
4 medium tomatoes chopped, or 1 can tomatoes with green chilis
4 oz. can green chilies
2 t. basil
1 T. chili powder- or according to your family's taste
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. cheese- We didn't put this on, I think in order for this to be good it would have to be mixed into the casserole, but the recipe says to melt it on top at the end, so whatever sounds good to you

Saute onion in butter. Add rice and chicken vermicelli and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add broth and water (if your not adding extra rice I would cut out the 2 1/2 c. water.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover with lid. Allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Mix in remaining ingredients. Bake covered at 425 for 20 minutes. Depending on when you add cheese the recipe says to remove the tin foil and add cheese and cook another 5 minutes, but again I think it would be better to mix in with the rest of the casserole.

Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

2010-06-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

As I write this me and Parker sit here eating these yummy little muffins. I found this recipe on Bakerella.com which is the same site to find those cakeballs. Anyway these are super yummy, like little bite size chocolate chip pancakes, so if you want something new and fun for breakfast try these little muffins!

1 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 T. sugar
2/3 c. buttermilk- If you don't already know you can make your own buttermilk by adding 1 t. of lemon juice or vinegar for every cup of milk so for this you would use 2/3 t. vinegar or lemon juice and just let it set for a few minutes
1 egg
2 T. pure maple syrup- I didn't have this so I just used regular syrup and it worked fine
2 T. melted butter
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Then in the same bowl add all the remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. Mix just until moist, don't over mix. Stir in chocolate chips. So the only bummer with these muffins is that it requires a mini muffin tin otherwise I think in a regular sized muffin tin the chocolate chips would cook too long and melt. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 the way full. Cook at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Serve with syrup! Makes about 24 mini muffins.

Panko and Chili Encrusted Chicken Fingers

2010-06-04T08:27:00.000-07:00

So I found this recipe on thehungrymouse.com. Most of her recipes are a bit fancy for me, I'm not big into gourmet cooking mostly because I can't afford to buy so many new ingredients and most of the time I use it once and then throw the rest away. This recipe on the other hand is super easy and uses things that most of us keep on hand, except for maybe the Panko bread crumbs. I have to admit this is the first time ever using them, not because of not wanting to but I've never been able to find them at Walmart until yesterday I was at Kohler's and just happen to see them there so I grabbed a box. You can find them in the Oriental section and I've heard sometimes with the other bread crumbs, but I've never seen them at Walmart. These bread crumbs worked just as good as I had hoped, part of which I think was because of the recipe. There's a couple of steps with this recipe, but still really easy and where you cook them at 425 you can easily roast your favorite vegetables at the same time. Anyway without further babbling here's the recipe.

Chicken
2 lbs chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into thick strips
1 T. chili powder
1 t. kosher salt or sea salt or I'm sure regular salt works well too
1/4 c. flour

Batter
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs

Bread Crumbs
8 oz Panko bread crumbs
1 t. chili powder
1 T. parsley

First thing I have to say is I only used 2 chicken breasts and cut everything else in half and this was plenty for us with even a little left overs, after cutting my chicken I was worried it wouldn't be enough, but after they're battered and breaded they're very filling.
Preheat oven to 425. Mix together bread crumb ingredients in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl whisk eggs and whisk in sour cream. Add chicken to a large ziploc bag. Sprinkle chili powder and salt over chicken. Close bag and squish bag to cover chicken in seasonings. Add flour and shake bag until chicken is completely covered. Remove chicken shaking off excess flour. Dip chicken into batter and then roll in bread crumbs until completely covered, lay chicken on greased cookie sheet. Repeat until all chicken is coated. Cook chicken for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of chicken.
On thehungrymouse.com she had a bluecheese dipping sauce which I didn't make, these had plenty of flavor to eat plain, but if you need a dipper they would probably be good in ranch or try her blue cheese dip. If you want to roast vegetables with the chicken, toss the vegetables of your choice in olive oil and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and any other seasonings you like, I chose chili powder since that's what the chicken was in but season salt works good as well in place of kosher salt. Spread on another cookie sheet and cook according to vegetables. I did potatoes and I threw them in 15 minutes before the chicken, when I put the chicken in I added broccoli to the potatoes and put them on the rack below and cooked another 15-20 minutes.

Chicken Fajita Melt

2010-05-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is another super easy and super quick recipe ready in minutes. I found this recipe awhile ago on recipezaar, my favorite website for finding recipes. I have to admit I've tried a lot of recipes lately from several different recipe blogs and have only liked a few, so I'm always quick to go back to recipezaar since they're all rated. Anyway I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

2-3 T. oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion cut into slices
1 red bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 c. tomato juice, or v8
2 T. taco seasoning
1 c. salsa- I used Herdez
1 c. cheese
1 loaf Ciabotta bread

Heat oil in pan on medium high heat. Add Chicken and cook until completely done (my chicken was still slightly frozen and therefore let off a lot of juice, if this is the case drain leftover juice) Add onion and bell pepper and cook until starting to get tender. Stir in tomato juice and taco seasoning and cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes. While that is cooking turn your oven on to broil, if your oven is like mine is has a high and low, put it on high. On a cookie sheet slice your ciabotta bread down the middle lengthwise. It's probably easier if you cut in half and then cut each half through the middle (does that even make sense? hopefully my picture will help) Otherwise your likely to get one thin side and one really thick side, like me:). Spread your salsa on your bread (I know this sounds strange but trust me it works.) Once your chicken is done cooking scoop it up and spread evenly over your bread. Sprinkle with cheese and throw into your oven for about 3-4 minutes just until cheese is melted.

Easy Meatballs and Rice Skillet

2010-05-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

So this is another super easy skillet dish that also comes from my Pillsbury cook books. You can choose to make the meatballs, or buy your favorite frozen meatballs if you want it even quicker. Honestly I've never tried premade meatballs, but I've heard Costco has some pretty good ones, personally I choose to make my own. I know sometimes making meatballs can seem like kind of a pain, but really they're super easy. I have to admit that I get kind of squeamish about meatballs ever since I was pregnant, just because the thought of any meat when your pregnant can just make sick, but one day especially I chose to make meatballs which was just a bad choice, and ever since then I have a hard time bringing myself to making them, but I'm never disappointed when I have the finished product. Anyways after that lovely introduction, I promise this meal is actually very good and again quick and easy.

1 T. butter
1 pkg. beef-flavored vermicelli mix- I just used Walmart brand, but anything works really
2 1/3 c. water if using frozen broccoli if using fresh I add another about 1/2 c.
16 frozen or home made meatballs
2 c. frozen broccoli, thawed, and cut- or I use fresh
1 red bell pepper cut into strips

In a 10-inch skillet melt butter of medium heat. Add rice and cook until golden brown. Add water and seasoning packet, meatballs, and if using fresh broccoli add in as well. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the bell pepper and if using fresh broccoli add as well, increase heat to medium, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. If peppers are still not tender enough for you just remove from heat and allow to stay covered for another couple minutes.

Meatballs
Let me make a disclaimer before I even give you my recipe. First of all I don't use exact measurements its one of those a little of this a little of that, and second of all this is just a basic simple recipe, nothing fancy I don't think it really needs to be for this recipe.

1 egg, lightly beaten
seasoned bread or cracker crumbs- really fine crumbs work best
salt and pepper
dried minced onion
beef bouillon granules
worcestershire

Mix all of these together, it should be kind of a runny paste. Add 1 lb ground beef and mix until fully incorporated. I use a small ice cream scoop just to get even sized balls and then I give it a quick roll between hands to make balls. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 for 10 minutes.

Bacon and Bowties AND Easy Italian Pasta

2010-05-12T06:54:00.001-07:00

Today is going to be a two for one, two recipes in one day. Both recipes are super easy and flavorful pasta dishes. I like both of these because they have very few ingredients but are still full of flavor and cook up really quick. Both of these recipes are from my Pillsbury Cook Off cook books which are full of fun recipes like these two. I only have pictures for the Bacon and Bowties because it's the only one I've made recently, to be honest its been a long time since I've made the Easy Italian Pasta because it has whipping cream and I try not to use milk products as much as possible because of my allergies. Well I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

Bacon and Bowties
5-6 strips of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion minced
2 14.5 cans of diced Italian style tomatoes or tomatoes with onion and garlic
2 1/2 chicken broth-I just use bouillon
1/8 t. pepper
about 8-10 oz. bowtie pasta- I'm awful about measuring, but I used a little more than 1/2 of a 14 oz. pkg, also I tried using enriched pasta as I couldn't find whole wheat bow ties, but next time I'll def. use regular bowties because the texture of the enriched ones was kind of weird and not tender.

this is how the bacon should look before adding onions

Cook bacon on medium high heat until browned well, I like it fairly browned because after cooking in the pasta it doesn't stay crisp. Lower heat to medium and add onions and cook until tender, 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and return heat to high until boiling, once boiling turn back to medium heat and allow to simmer about 15 minutes, I like my pasta pretty tender so just cook until the pasta is cooked to your liking.

And

Easy Italian Pasta
8 oz. cooked cavatappi -tubular, corkscrew looking pasta, or any favorite pasta
1/2 lb. bulk spicy Italian pasta-I use Jimmy Dean, I use to think I was not a sausage person because I didn't like breakfast sausage or like link sausage, but this is much better, so give it a try if you haven't already.
6-7 Roma tomatoes- Romas work best because they hold their shape and you don't get as much as the runny seedy part, but regular tomatoes would work ok if that's all you have
1 c. whipping cream
2 oz. shredded fresh parmesan

Brown sausage over medium heat until completely browned. Drain off grease. Add tomatoes, cream, and cooked cavatappi. Cook until completely heated through, without bringing to a boil. Sprinkle with cheese!

Chicken Suiza Sammies

2010-05-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

So I've been a little bit of a slacker lately mostly because a lot of the things I've made lately haven't been real winners, but partly I've been a little more busy and haven't taken the time to post some of the recipes I've tried, so hopefully soon I will post all the recipes I have tried that have turned out good, like this one. This recipe was another winner from thegirlwhoateeverything. I changed it a little to fit my taste and budget so I'll list it both ways and you can choose to make it either way. So without further babbling, here it is.

1 rotisserie chicken shredded-I chose to use 2 cooked chicken breasts
1 minced red onion
2 minced cloves of garlic-I use the preminced in a can
juice of 1 lime- unless yours are like the ones I bought with little juice in which case I used 2
1 T. honey
1 1/2 c. chili verde I used Herdez
1/2 c. sour cream- I used cream of mushroom and I used the whole can rather than waste the rest of it, but if you like sour cream by all means this is probably really good
hamburger buns, or keiser rolls
cheese

Turn broiler on. Meanwhile saute onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft. Add lime juice and honey, and stir in salsa. Cook until warmed through. Add sour cream OR cream of mushroom and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in chicken to coat. Set bottoms of the buns on broiler pan. Spoon chicken mixture on buns and top with cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

2010-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read that right, orange creamsicle cookies. I don't think it gets much better than that. These turned out every bit as good as I had hoped. I found these on a new blog I found called thegirlwhoateeverything. She has an awesome blog filled with tons of yummy looking food. This is the first thing I've tried from it and if the rest of the recipes are as good as this one I just may have a new favorite food blog. I hope you enjoy these as much as we have!

2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 t. vanilla
2 Tb. orange zest (about 2 oranges, just use a small cheese grater if you don't have a zester)
2 c. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In another bowl cream together the butter and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla until smooth (at this point mine looked awfully dry and I added a little more vanilla, but I think the orange zest probably adds enough moisture I didn't need to worry, but if you get to the end and it's still looks crumbly add a little vanilla) Gradually blend in the flour mixture with the sugar. Fold in the chocolate chips and orange zest. It is kind of a thick cookie dough but if it's crumbly go ahead and add a little more vanilla, I did about a 1/2 teaspoon. Drop teaspoon size spoonfuls of cookie dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Try not to over handle and shape your dough. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, but do not over cook. These are the kind of cookies that almost look uncooked when you pull them out of oven, but you can see a little golden on the edges of some of the cookies and they'll puff up. Allow to cool on pan for a few minutes before you remove. I don't have a picture yet but I will hopefully soon, if you can't wait check out thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

2010-04-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

So this one is definitely not rocket science, and it's probably not new to most of you, but if anything it's an idea of something to try. I've tried this a few different ways and so far this has been my favorite combination, so give it a try!

Not the prettiest, but it taste better then it looks

1 can refrigerated pizza dough-such as Pillsbury
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 medium onion chopped
3-4 pieces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces (the best way to cook this is in the crock pot, or brown in oil on your stove-anyway really that will keep it moist because after you put it on the pizza and cook it more it tends to dry a little)
1 c. barbecue sauce- I use Sweet Baby Ray's
1 1/2-2 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 400. I chose to use Pillsbury's pizza crust which had me precook the crust for 5 minutes, but follow whatever directions your pizza dough says. Meanwhile, fry bacon until it starts to brown. Add green pepper and onion and cook for another couple minutes until tender. Drain any excess grease, then add chicken and about 1/2 c. barbecue sauce. Mix until fully covered in barbecue sauce. Pour remaining barbecue sauce on crust and evenly spread over crust. Add chicken mixture and top with cheese. Cook for another 6-8 minutes, again following whatever your crust instructions say.

Grilled Chicken Tostadas.. or Tacos

2010-04-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

So I've been kind of slacking lately on the posts. Not that I haven't been cooking, just nothing worth posting sadly. I'm kind of in a funk lately with recipes. Every so often I get where nothing sounds good and I feel like I've tried just about every recipe possible. I don't know if it's a Spring thing, or just I'm just stuck in a rut. Either way this recipe is a tried and true recipe that I've used many times since I discovered it a couple summers back. It's great for a quick and easy dinner. I usually serve it taco style, but I actually prefer it as a tostada it can be a little messier to eat, plus I choose to make the tostadas using corn tortillas which is an extra step I usually choose to skip. As much as I enjoy cooking if I can cut corners and get the same results I'm all about it. Either way you choose to serve these they are super delicious so I hope you enjoy!

2-4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. lime juice (I ran out and tried to use lemon juice and it just wasn't the same, if you don't have any lime juice and don't want to buy a whole bottle, limes are in season and are super cheap)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 T. honey
2 t. minced garlic
1 1/2 t. chili powder

Combine all ingredients and marinate for 4-5 hours. Grill chicken on medium to high heat until completely cooked through, abound 6-7 minutes on each side. Slice chicken and serve either as taco or tostada.

Food For Thought..

2010-04-22T10:08:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted any dinner ideas for a few days, not because of lack of trying new recipes, but for the lack of anything worth posting. I'm really starting to realize how different people's taste buds are. The last few recipes I've tried have come from really popular food blogs and have been kind of big flops in our house. I tried a ham and macaroni skillet dish that was just kind of bland and just overall not very good, I did a honey glazed chicken which I expected to be sticky sweet and yummy and ended up being kind of a funky tangy, just didn't work for me, and there's been a couple others, these are just the ones that come to mind. Anyway needless to say it makes me wonder what everyone thinks of the recipes I've posted. I've gotten some positive feedback on a few of the recipes like the Chicken Broccoli Braid, Chili Lime Tostadas, and the Crock Pot Chicken Marinara. Anyway I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions in types of recipes or recipes containing certain ingredients. I hate the recipes where it uses things you never have or would never use again and I know there's maybe a few on here that have things that not everyone keeps on hand. So once again I'm just looking for feedback, which recipes sound good, or what kind of ingredients you keep on hand and would like to see in recipes. Anyway any feedback would be great.

Strawberry Shortcake

2010-04-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't go through strawberry season without posting this one. This is the best cake for strawberries and whipped cream! Me and Frank can devour it in days..I know it's kind of sad. One year we literally made this week after week, yes it's that good! I haven't made it yet this year, but I have extra strawberries so this might be the week. If I do I will post a picture, but don't expect too much, the cake itself isn't overly pretty, but it makes up for it in taste. The best part of this cake is it is super easy. In fact usually when it is made in our house Frank is the one making it. So if Frank can make it anyone can:) Oh and by the way this is Frank's grandma's recipe, another one of her famous dishes!

Before- like I said not the prettiest cake

After-Yum!

1 yellow cake mix that has pudding in it (I think most of them do now and sometimes it's hard to find on the box, it's been awhile since I've bought one, but I'm pretty sure they all do now)
1 stick of butter
4 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350. Cut butter into chunks and place in cake pan, stick pan in oven until butter is melted. While butter is melting mix the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 2 eggs until smooth. This next step sounds really strange but trust me it works. Pull out cake pan and sprinkle cake mix over melted butter and add 2 eggs. Give a quick mix until completely moiste (don't over think this just give it a quick mix not worrying about every little lump.) Pour cream cheese mixture over cake mix and butter mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream..yum!

Easy Chicken Taqiotos

2010-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

These are really quite easy the only thing that takes a second is just heating the tortillas in oil and putting them together but even then 15-20 minutes to put together and they cook for 15 so pretty quick to make, and they're really good! Hope you enjoy!

Sorry not the best picture I was in a hurry, but you get the point:)

2 c. cooked and shredded chicken (you can use canned chicken as well)
1/2 c. minced onion
1 4 oz. can green chilies
1 10 can enchilada sauce
3/4 t. garlic salt
1 c. Mexican blend cheese- I always just use Colby and Monterey
24 corn tortillas (depends on what size you use, I had half small and some larger ones and made about 17 or 18)
3/4 c. cooking oil such as veg. oil

Combine first 6 ingredients. Heat oil on medium high heat (I only pour in a little at a time just enough to kind of cover the bottom of the pan.) Add one tortilla at a time heating about 5 seconds on each side, your only wanting them to be pliable not cooked crispy like a tostada. Remove from pan and lay on paper towel to drain off excess oil. I get a couple tortillas ready at a time and then put them together by adding 2 T. of chicken mixture down the side and roll up like an enchilada seem side down. Cook on a greased cookie sheet at 400 for 15 minutes.

Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze

2010-04-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

So I just barely got done making this and yum! This is another recipe from ourbestbites.com so delicious so check it out http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/04/coconut-banana-bread-with-lime-glaze.html

Lazy Day Mexican Casserole

2010-04-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

The title says it all on this one. If you want something quick and easy but different from the usual tacos this is it. I'm not sure if this can even be called a recipe or just a made up concoction, either way it works!
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1/2 c. water
1 c. enchilada sauce-about half of a 10 oz can
1 can refried beans
1/2 large bag of corn tortilla chips, lightly crushed
taco toppings-lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, salsa, or guacamole

Cook ground beef and onion until completely cooked through. Add taco seasoning and water and cook for for another minute until seasoning is thoroughly mixed in. Add enchilada sauce and refried beans and mix until completely incorporated. Meanwhile pour 3/4 of your chips into greased 9x13 pan (this is where I just take my hands and lightly crunch the chips.) Top with ground beef mixture and top with remaining chips. Cook at 375 for 20 minutes topping with cheese in the last 5 minutes. Serve with taco toppings.

Best Macaroni Salad

2010-04-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

So you know how everyone kind of has their designated dishes they bring to every family get together? Like my husband's grandma is always expected to do a potato salad or baked beans, rain or shine, barbecue or banquet, it's always there. And my mother-in-law is like queen of anything fruit and pudding salad. And now I am officially in charge of bringing this macaroni salad. Honestly macaroni salad is macaroni salad, but if you want the best macaroni salad this is it!

1 lb cooked elbow noodles
1 red pepper minced
1/4 c. onion minced-you won't even notice the onions if your not a fan
1/2 c. celery minced
1 c. coleslaw dressing
1/2 c. mayo
2 t. mustard
1 t. cider vinegar
1/4 c. sweet relish
2. t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. celery seed (I've made it without and it still turns out good)
1/2 lb cooked bacon, chopped (I used precooked and just quickly do it in the microwave)

In a medium size bowl combine pasta, red pepper, onion, and celery. In a separate bowl combine
the next 9 ingredients- ending with celery seed. Pour over pasta and mix. Fold in bacon and voila!

Tangy Chicken Fajitas

2010-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips
1 bell pepper of your choice juliened
1 red onion cut into strips
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. vinegar
1 pkg. Good Seasonings dry Italian Dressing

Combine olive oil, lime juice,vinegar, and dressing. Add chicken and cut vegetables to marinade and marinade at least 3-4 hours (I put my chicken out in the morning to thaw and then add it to marinade around lunch time) Cook chicken and vegetables until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables tender.

Meat Loaf

2010-03-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

So I totally hesitate to post this only for the reason that most people already have their own meat loaf recipe, or they just flat out don't like meat loaf all together. Also I don't have a specific recipe, it's one of those that's a little of this and a little of that, but I'll try to get it down to a little more specific. Again I really hesitate with this only because I feel everyone has kind of a different idea of meatloaf, but if you are willing to try I think this is a pretty good recipe compared to other ones I've tried. If your use to a more plain and somewhat dry meatloaf, this is completely opposite. The original recipe that my mom made used fresh onion, but my husband's not a big onion person and it tended to be a little oniony, but just like all these recipes do what works for your family.

1 egg
2 T. dried minced onion
1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers crushed- or if you don't have those you can use your kids snack, gold fish:) that's what I used yesterday.
1 1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 c. Heinz 57
ketchup
honey
3 slices of bacon

In a medium bowl mix egg with onion, and crackers. Add in ground beef and Heinz 57 and mix together. The best way to do this is with your hands but a fork works as well. Put meat loaf into a loaf pan and drizzle ketchup and honey on top. Top meatloaf with bacon slices and cook at 375 for 45 minutes. I'm not going to lie this turns out really greasy, but what do you expect with ground beef and bacon? Just drain the grease and let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2010-03-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

I love this recipe for sweet potato fries. They're super easy to make and it makes me feel like I'm eating healthier than just a regular fry. I'm not a big fan of frying, not for the reasons that I probably should be, but just because I feel it is time consuming and messy. I made these along with chili cheese dogs in a bundle which was another Rachael Ray recipe from her Yum-O cook book. They were good but I think they could have been better. It was pretty much a glorified pig in a blanket with chili and cheese using refrigerated pizza crust. Anyway if I ever get around to making it better I'll post the recipe if not you can kinda guess and try it yourself.
I found the recipe for these sweet potato fries on Ourbestbites.com. There's also a recipe for coconut chicken on there as well which is really good with these fries. Anyway here's the link for Baked Sweet Potato Fries http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/01/baked-sweet-potato-fries.html

Sausage Stroganoff

2010-03-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well it's all in the name, this is just a spin on the regular stroganoff. If your not a fan of sausage this is probably not for you. I think the sausage gave a little more flavor than just using hamburger and if you made or plan on making Pepperoni Pizzazz you can use your left over mushrooms in this recipe. Again this is another recipe I switched cream of mushroom for sour cream, but use whatever your family likes..and enjoy!

1 lb. pork sausage (I just used the Jimmy Dean regular bulk sausage)
small onion chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms sliced
1 1/4 c. chicken broth
1 T worcestershire
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 c. flour
1 can cream of mushroom or 1 c. sour cream
12 oz cooked egg noodles ( you could actually probably do more noodles, that's just how big the bag was that I had)

Cook sausage and onion until sausage is cooked thoroughly. Add mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes. Add 1 c. of broth, worcestershire, and pepper and let simmer for a few minutes. Mix remaining broth with flour and pour into sausage mixture. Lower heat and add cream of mushroom or sour cream and heat through. Serve over noodles:)

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna

2010-03-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

I've kind of slacked with posting, but to be honest I haven't made anything worth posting. I made another Rachael Ray roll over meal which was jerk chicken that didn't turn out that great for us, but fortunately the rollover meal a pasta dish using the leftover chicken was really good, but I figured most probably wouldn't want to make the first meal just to get the second, right? This recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Lasagna is not a new one in our house, to be honest it really wasn't even planned. I had no clue what I was going to make and this is what Frank suggested so..voila here it is! This can be a little spicy so if you have kids you can cut back on the taco seasoning and use a mild enchilada sauce. The original recipe calls for sour cream and since we're not big sour cream fans I switched it for cream of mushroom. If you do like sour cream just switch it out with an 8 oz. container or even half of each if you want. It also calls for 2 9 oz. packages of frozen southwestern-seasoned chicken strips, thawed and diced but I choose to just cook about 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot instead. Anyway use whatever works for you or what fits your family's taste.

This would probably look much better to most of you with more cheese, but I'm just funny like that sorry:)

1 10 oz Old El Paso enchilada sauce
3 cooked chicken breasts shredded
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 c. sliced green onions
1 T. taco seasoning
8 corn tortillas torn in half
2 c. Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. tortilla chips
1 large tomato diced
2 T sliced olives-optional

Spread 1/4 c. enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining enchilada sauce with cream of mushroom, taco seasoning, 1/2 of green onions, and chicken. Arrange half of your corn tortillas on top of enchilada sauce. Then top with half of chicken mixture, and 2/3 c. cheese. Repeat layers ending with chicken and cheese on top. Cover with foil and and cook at 375 for 30 minutes. Uncover and layer chips, tomatoes, olives, remaining onions, and remaining cheese. Bake another 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Pepperoni Pizzazz

2010-03-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

So I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated after going into my husband's work and finding out so many people actually read my blog. They have all been giving my husband grief about me making and packing his lunch and dinner, little do they know what my house looks like:) I know I kind of spoil him in that respect, but he works his butt off especially lately by going back to work every night for another 5 hours of work, but most of all I truly enjoy cooking and trying new recipes so don't think I cook all this food JUST for my husband:) Anyway this recipe is super easy and if you love pepperoni pizza you'll love this!

Obviously picture with cheese:)

8 Oz cooked penne, or rotini
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 package (8 ounces) sliced pepperoni
1/2 8 oz. pkg mushrooms sliced
1 green pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. oregano
1 can 8 0z tomato sauce
2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Combine 2 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce, pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, parmesan, garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, oregano, and cooked pasta. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Mix remaining spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce and pour over pasta mixture. Cover and cook at 350 for 40-45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella and cook another 5 minutes until melted.

Brown Rice

2010-03-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ok don't think I'm just slacking, I still have been cooking just nothing worth posting about, except for my new found love of brown rice. I mentioned awhile ago I wanted to switch over to whole grains and so far so good. Most things have tasted rather similar such as pasta and even hamburger buns, but brown rice is a totally different case. If you don't use rice often, which I think is the case for a lot of people, you really have to give this a try. Brown rice is actually very good for you and gives food a lot of flavor when you cook it in broth. Rice is a perfect addition to tacos, enchiladas, meatballs, sweet and sour chicken, and many other dishes. I made tacos last night and cooked the rice in beef broth (just used beef boulion granules) and it added so much extra flavor! Brown rice takes a little extra time to cook and some will say extra effort. Honestly I didn't really have a problem. I used 2 1/2 c. water to 1 c. rice and cooked it the same way I cook white rice except cooking for 45 minutes. If you prefer a little firmer rice use 1/4 c. less water. Anyway food for thought, next time you make tacos try a little brown rice with them!

Enchil-lasagna Day 2 rollover meal

2010-03-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Ok so I'm officially a Rachael Ray fan. I've always loved her show, but I'm officially a fan of her recipes too! This turned out really good, so good that I couldn't get enough to Parker fast enough. He was going nuts over this, which officially makes this a new favorite for me. This dinner worked great for a Sunday dinner and then rolled over perfectly for a quick weekday meal. I loved loved loved this recipe. The other part that I really liked about this was that it was so different from any other meal I've made. I would have never thought to use a meat loaf this way. So if you had any second thoughts of making the turkey stuffin' meatloaf hopefully I've convinced you to try it now so that you can try this meal as well!

3 c. reserved gravy (I have no clue where these measurements came from when you only make the gravy using 2 c. of stock the night before, so how that happens I'm not sure so I just quickly made some more)
1 16 oz. can of green chili salsa (this has become a new favorite ing. of mine ever since the chicken ole)
8 whole wheat flour tortillas (don't use mission tortillas they're horrible)
10 oz bag frozen corn ( I bought a much bigger bag and just kind of guessed)
1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
4-5 green onions chopped
1 turkey meatloaf from night before, thinly sliced
2 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack or pepper Jack

In a medium bowl combine gravy and salsa. Spread a thin layer in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer 2 tortillas, 1/3 corn, 1/3 black beans, 1/3 green onion, 1/3 meat loaf, 1/4 green salsa mix, and 1/4 cheese. Repeat layers until all gone ending with a layer of tortillas, gravy, and remaining cheese. Cook at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Sorry I forgot to take a picture but will hopefully get one soon:)

Turkey Stuffin' Meatloaf

2010-03-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in Rachael Ray's Yum-O recipe book. If you know Rachael Ray, then you'll know that the Yum-O recipes are meals specially made for kids. Besides being kid approved they're suppose to be healthy as well which is always a bonus in my book. I've really been pleasantly surprised with the recipes in this book. Her food always looks really good and simple, but sometimes almost so simple that I wonder if it has much flavor, if that makes sense. That and the fact that she tends to use ingredients that I just never would buy. Although most of these recipes included things that I don't usually use, I thought I would still give it a try. This specific recipe uses ground turkey which I've only used two times prior. The first time turned out great, the second time on the other hand was a complete failure, so much so that I had to throw the whole meal out because I couldn't even gag it down. I'm not really sure why the difference all I knew was that I didn't feel like trying it ever again..until now, and thank goodness this turned out really good. The best part of this recipe is that it is one of her rollover meals, meaning that you cook enough for leftovers to make another meal the following day. So if all works out tomorrows dinner will be as good as tonight's:)

2 T EVOO- extra virgin olive oil-or just regular veg. oil
6 T. butter
1 large onion
5-6 celery ribs from the heart, leaves included (I always buy just the celery hearts, it's the best part of the celery, and the leaves have the most flavor)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
1 16 oz stuffing cubes such as Pepperidge Farm (I couldn't find these so used corn bread stove top, but use whichever you can find or like best)
2 T. poultry seasoning- I didn't use this since I used stove top, so don't feel like you can't make it without using this
6 c. chicken stock (I just use chicken bouillon granules and water to make stock)
3 lbs. ground turkey-I think I used Tyson's Honeysuckle
2 eggs

Melt butter with oil and saute onions, celery, and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add stuffing cubes and 4 c. stock (if using stove top I would cut this down to 2 1/2-3 c. stock.) Discard bay leaf. Place in bowl and let cool. Add turkey and eggs. Mix until incorporated with stuffing. Cook in two well greased meat loaf pans. Drizzle with EVOO or if your like me and ran out I just put a little butter on top just so it doesn't try out. Cook at 400 for 45 minutes or until done. For gravy melt 4 T. butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in 1/4 c. of flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 c. chicken stock and cook another 6-7 minutes until thickened. The second meatloaf and half the gravy will be used for tomorrows dinner, otherwise I guess you get meat loaf for 2 days.

Tangy Barbecue Chicken

2010-03-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

This is another quick and easy crock pot recipe. This recipe was actually suggested to go over a baked potato, but I chose to make it a sandwich and I'm sure there's plenty of other ways to eat it as well. I hope you enjoy this super easy twist on barbecue chicken.

4-5 chicken breasts

12 oz bottle barbecue sauce (I use Famous Dave's)

1/2 c. Italian dressing or anything similar I used a sundried tomato dressing and it turned out great

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 T. worcestershire sauce

Combine barbecue sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and worcestershire and pour over chicken in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours of high for 3-4. I threw my chicken in frozen and cooked on low for about 8 hours. I cut this recipe in half and had enough for about 6 sandwiches.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole #2

2010-03-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

Just like crock pot meals, you can always use a new casserole recipe. This is another recipe I found on Recipe Zaar. The original recipe called for mayo, but the thought of mayo in a casserole grosses me out, and I can actually say that because I've tried it once. I'm sorry if I offend anyone with this comment, but mayo in a casserole is just wrong. Dips, dressings, and sandwiches yes, casseroles no; but that's just my opinion. Anyway for those of you who like mayo in casseroles please don't let it stop you from trying this recipe. I have to admit, my husband didn't love this one the first time I made it, I think the water chestnuts were a little different for him and like a lot of men he wants only meat and potatoes. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with meat and potatoes, but I like a little more variety than that. Anyway if your willing to take the risk, this is a really good casserole if your like water chestnuts:)

2 c. chicken, cooked, and cut into bite size pieces (I prefer to cook my chicken in a crock pot, but I've also heard of people baking all the chicken they're going to use for the week and then freezing it, either way works great)
1 c. sliced celery
1/2 onion chopped
2-3 Tb. butter
2 c. cooked rice
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom ( I've even used cream of celery which is really good as well)
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1 can sliced water chestnuts, chopped so less noticeable for those who are not fans:)
3/4 c. crushed corn flakes

Saute onions and celery in 1 Tb. butter. In greased 9x13 pan combine soups, rice, almonds, water chestnuts, and sauted onions and celery. Melt remaining 2 Tb. butter and mix in corn flakes. Sprinkle corn flakes over top and cook uncovered for 30 minutes at 350.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

2010-02-25T18:52:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on recipe zaar along with many of the recipes I do. Most of you have probably heard of this website, if not I highly recommend it. I can't say the ratings are fool proof, because I have tried many that are 5 star that aren't really 5 star in my book, and visa versa. I guess it's just a difference in taste buds. Speaking of which I have had no feed back on any of these recipes and I know some of you have tried them!:) I really want your opinions good or bad. So if you have tried any of them please write back and let me know what you thought!...Awkward... I am also trying to be better about taking pictures because I know it helps in deciding to make it or not. Anyway.. these meatballs turned out really yummy..even Parker enjoyed them, so they are definitely kid friendly:D. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Meatballs
1 lb ground beef
1 t. worcestershire
3 T bread crumbs
oregano
1 egg lightly beaten
salt and pepper
garlic powder

Sauce
1 T veg. oil
small onion minced
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. white vinegar
1 t. lemon juice
1 c. ketchup
2 T. soy sauce

Mix egg with seasonings and bread crumbs (don't worry about it being perfect, honestly there was a couple things I didn't have enough of and they still turned out great.) Add ground beef and mix thoroughly, just like meat loaf. If your grossed out with hamburger, or just don't feel like getting it all over you like me, I used a fork to mix it and it turned out fine. Shape into 1 inch balls. Again if your grossed out with the hamburger an ice cream scoop helps, but you still have to round them a little bit. The next part I changed from the original, I chose to bake the meatballs instead of frying them. I feel it's much easier and they cook more evenly. So bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.
Then for the sauce, start with sauteing the onions in veg oil until translucent. Then add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes. Then for my convenience I chose to stick the meatballs and sauce in the crock pot and cooked them on low for 4-5 hours. Otherwise you can combine the meatballs with the sauce and let them simmer for 1 hour. Serve over rice or noodles..soo yummy!

Braided Chicken Crescent

2010-02-24T18:38:00.000-08:00

Before you look at all the pictures and assume this is a hard recipe let me tell you it's actually super easy and turns out looking and tasting really good. The original of this recipe had a lot of crazy things in it that didn't seem appealing to me at all; like mayo, craisins, dill, and almonds. The combination of these just didn't appeal to me and my family's taste buds so I came up with this recipe. I hope you enjoy the changes!

2 c. chicken, cooked and diced
1 c. finely chopped broccoli
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/4 c. minced onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 1/2-2 cans cream of chicken
2 pkgs. refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white beaten

Unroll crescent rolls on a greased baking sheet into a large rectangle, pinching seems to form single sheet of dough. Combine first 6 ingredients. Add only enough cream of chicken to make moist, not soupy. Spread chicken down the center of crescents length wise. On longest sides cut one inch strips towards the middle and chicken mixture. Fold strips over chicken mixture alternating strips from each side. Brush with egg white. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes of until browned on top. Ok so I know that probably sounded like jibberish so I hope these pictures help the confusion.

Crescent rolls in one long sheet

Chicken mixture poured down the center-I went a little crazy on the broccoli so it's kind of piled on there

Sides cut in 1 inch strips and braided over chicken mixture

Voila! Yes I realize half of it is gone my husband had to go to work, but you get the point.

Fried Rice

2010-02-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

So some people consider fried rice as just a side, but for me I make it for a main dish fairly regularly, usually to use up left over ham. The recipe I did last night was not my usual recipe, it called for sausage instead and few other things I don't typically cook with. Honestly I liked the change, but Frank thought it tasted funny. It had bean sprouts in it which I think gave off kind of a different flavor. I think next time I might use my usual recipe and just try sausage instead of ham for a change. So instead of giving the recipe I did last night I'll give you my usual Ham Fried Rice recipe.

1 c. minced carrots
2-3 T. cooking oil
2-3 eggs scrambled
3 c. rice, cooked and cold- I have used warm rice it just tends to want to clump together a little but it's really not a big deal
1 c. ham, cubed
1 small can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 c. frozen petite peas
3-4 T. soy sauce

Saute carrots until cooked to your liking (I leave them a little crunchy.) Add ham, eggs, and then cook on medium high heat until eggs are completely cooked. Add remaining ingredients and cook until completely cooked through. This is kind of a no fail recipe. I think I kind of do it a little different every time so really just do whatever works for you, add whatever you have or like. If you check out ourbestbites.com she has a good fried rice recipe but with some different chicken recipes you can do with it instead of ham.

Chicken Ole

2010-02-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. I took a short vacation on cooking after having my wisdom teeth removed last Thursday. It really wasn't too bad, I lucked out only having two upper wisdom teeth which are the easiest to recover from, so here I am back to posting new recipes. I actually kind of made up what I made tonight. I combined two different recipes and decided I like the original better..shocker, but you don't know until you try it right? Mostly it's called I have a sick kid who I didn't feel like dragging to the store so you make do with what you got on days like that. Anyway so I'll give you the original recipe that I liked better and once again it's a crock pot recipe. I didn't realize I had so many crock pot recipes until I started this blog. I kind of went through a faze of all crock pot cooking when Parker was younger because it was all I could manage to do. Anyway without further babbling here's the recipe for Chicken Ole.

3-4 chicken breast, cooked and cubed (to be honest I only use 2 because I'm a tight wad like that but if you want lot's of chicken I would go with 3 or 4)
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
1 T grated onion
1 c cheese
1/2 jar Green Chili Salsa-just kind of eye it, it gives a little spice so if you want less spice use less
10-12 corn tortillas

Mix soups, onion, cheese and salsa. Spray bottom of crock pot. Start by layering using 3-4 tortillas torn into fourths, sprinkle half of chicken, then half of soup mixture. Repeat layers. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. If you don't half corn tortillas you can go for the more casserole option I did last night just using egg noodles instead of tortillas, I think it was just missing a little substance which probably would help if I used cheese. I thought about adding frozen corn but forgot or if your really daring maybe some black beans which I had none of. Also if you like sour cream try swapping out the cream of mushroom for sour cream instead. I also threw on buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, 5 minutes uncovered.

Chicken Verde

2010-02-17T18:55:00.000-08:00

This was kind of a fun recipe I just made. It was super easy to make and the thing I liked most is that you could serve it a few different ways. It's a spin on chile verde but with chicken so you can use it any way you would with the chile verde; tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, or just served over rice . It's a bit on the spicy side so if you don't handle heat or you have little kids it's probably not for you. For the rest of us who like our Mexican food this is a must try!

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded ( just throw in crock pot frozen season if like low 5 hrs or boil with onion, red pepper, and 1 qt water and use left over water instead of chicken broth)
1 onion minced
1 red pepper minced
3-4 minced garlic cloves (I just buy the jar of already minced usually found in produce section)
1 T cumin
1 can green chilies
1 cup green salsa
2 cups chicken broth (I just make broth using chicken bouillon granules)

Saute onion and red pepper in a little butter or oil ( this is not necessary if you boiled with chicken) Add remaining ingredients and simmer on medium low heat for 1 hour with lid off. And it's as easy as that!

Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Muffins

2010-02-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to save money buy making more of my food rather then just buy everything. One of the things I've been doing is making muffins for breakfast instead of buying cereal. I have been totally surprised at how much this has saved me. Cereal can be so expensive $3-4 a box, even though I know you can get some really good deals with coupons I always seem to like the expensive stuff that never goes on sale. Not to mention I just get bored of cereal every morning, and let's be honest, it gives me something to do that I enjoy. So if your like me and sick of cereal try these Carrot Cake Muffins that I found on Studio 5 from I Can't Believe It's Food Storage by Crystal Godfrey.

2 c. brown sugar
1 c. oil
3 eggs ( you can you powdered eggs here by just adding these in with the dry ingredients)
3 c. carrots finely grated (can also use food storage carrots just finely chopped)
1 c. crushed pineapple
2 t. vanilla
3 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt
1 T. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 c. raisins soaked in water- optional
1 c. walnuts-optional

Mix oil and su gar. Add eggs, carrots, pineapple and vanilla. Mix well. In separate bowl mix flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add raisins and walnuts. Combine with wet ingredients, do not over mix. To be honest this recipe was posted without a baking temperature and I guessed 375, but that seemed to be too hot as mine got slightly over cooked too fast, so I would assume it should be 350 15-20 minutes.

Grape Salad

2010-02-16T07:31:00.000-08:00

Since you all hopefully know how to make spaghetti, I won't waste a post in saying that's what I had for dinner last night. I did on the other hand make this grape salad last Sunday, and to be honest I've only ever had a small bite of this salad last Summer, again the whole dairy thing for me:( It must have been good though because the whole bowl was gone in minutes and nobody could stop talking about how good it was.
This is one of those so called salads that are more like a dessert than a salad. These are a staple to a Sunday dinner at my in-laws. My mother-in-law is kind of like the queen of all jello, pudding, fruit salads. My family on the other hand would only see something like this if I happen to bring it over, and would then proceed to tell me "this is more like a dessert." Kind of funny the differences you notice in each others families after you get married. Sometimes I think I'm kind of the odd ball in my husbands family. I think they always worry what I'm going to come up with to bring to family get togethers, my husband included. I've always tried to be respectful of their differences so I think they've finally started to trust me to bring more than just a bag of chips:) My family on the other hand is where I try out all my new and sometimes different recipes. The only bad thing about this is that my family has no censor in telling me how they felt about it. They have no problem telling me how something didn't turn out or that I should have done it a different way. So whether your more like my in-laws who live on these salads, or your more like my family who thinks of this as a dessert, I say give it a try!

2 lbs red seedless grapes (I just used a bag from Walmart)
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

Topping
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. pecans

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in grapes. Transfer to medium serving bowl. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over salad.

Berry Orange Rolls

2010-02-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Whether you want a sweet treat for breakfast of just a yummy dessert, you have to try these Berry Orange Rolls. I saw these on Studio 5 and had to try them out for a Valentine's treat for Frank to take to work. I changed it just a little, but I'm sure either way is really good. The recipe calls for a can of raspberry pie filling and I thought I would take it a step further and make my own raspberry sauce. Needless to say the pan is empty, so I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

One bag of Rhodes Orange Rolls
One pkg of orange cream frosting (comes with orange rolls)
1 cup raspberry pie filling or one batch raspberry sauce

Place orange rolls on bottom of 9x13 greased pan. Top with raspberry pie filling. If using raspberry sauce just use one large spoonful on each roll, there will be some sauce left over (use left over on ice cream for another sweet treat:). Bake at 350 for 15-20 for pie filling or 30-40 minutes for raspberry sauce.

Raspberry Sauce

1 pt raspberries
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. orange juice
3 T. corn starch
1 C. cold water

In small sauce pan combine raspberries, sugar, and orange juice. Combine cornstarch and water and stir until cornstarch is dissolved and add to berry mixture. Bring to boil and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until mixture is a thick consistency, stirring continuously.

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

2010-02-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe at my little recipe exchange group. It was one of my favorite casseroles there and it's super easy so I hope you like it!

3 c. cooked chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I cooked 2 chicken breasts)
3 c. chow mein noodles ( you can find these with all the Chinese food)
3 c. diced celery
1 small onion chopped
3/4 c. salted cashews
3/4 c. chicken broth
2 cans cream of mushroom
1 can cream of chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients reserving 3/4 c. of the chow mein noodles. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake covered at 325 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle reserved 3/4 c. noodles on top and cook another 10 minutes.

Crock Pot Marinara Chicken

2010-02-10T07:14:00.001-08:00

I actually made something totally different last night. It was a Mexican dish made in the crock pot, but I wasn't thoroughly impressed with it so I'm giving you this one instead. I love love love this recipe, unfortunately I'll probably never make it again because I'm allergic to milk and it calls for whipping cream and I try really hard to stay away from dairy products. I usually will just substitute with other things, but it doesn't work for everything and whipping cream is one of those things. This recipe is from an old ward cook book of mine. Sometimes these can be some of the best places to find recipes. Anyways, I hope you like this one as much as I did, and it's another crock pot one which everyone seems to like, so give it a try!

4-5 chicken breasts
1 Tb. melted butter
1 pkg. dry Italian dressing
1 bottle Marinara Sauce ( I used Paul Newman, also suggested in original recipe)
1 t. crushed red pepper- don't be scared this really doesn't make it real spicy, but it is optional
1/2 c. whipping cream

Put 1/2 inch of water in bottom of crock pot. Cut all fat off chicken, cut into thick pieces and put in water (or you could probably just use chicken tenders just don't cook as long) Drizzle butter over chicken. Sprinkle Italian dressing over chicken and let cook on high for 2-3 hours. Pour marinara sauce over chicken and let cook on low for another 1-2 hours. One half hour before eating add crushed red pepper and whipping cream. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Leftover Ham Casserole

2010-02-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

I always have a hard time with using up left over ham. I usually choose between ham fried rice, breakfast burrito, or the heavenly ham casserole I shared with you earlier. This time I thought I'd venture out and make up my own concoction. It came out pretty good, but I still think I will change it up a little if I make it again. So once again, I'll tell you what I did make it with and how I'd change it if I were to make it again, because if you remember I don't make a lot of the same recipes more than once.

1 c frozen petite peas
1 can cream of celery
2-2 1/2 c. cooked macaroni
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c. chopped ham
1/2 c. milk
1-2 c. cheese- on my husband's half of course:)
pepper to taste

Combine everything in a greased 9x13. Cover and cook on 400 for 30 minutes.
If I were to do this again I would use broccoli instead of peas just to add more flavor and substance, and I would add a can of cream of chicken so it would be a little more creamy. And if you really wanted to go crazy (life on the edge I know:) Add buttered bread crumbs on top.

Easy Apple Turn Overs

2010-02-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

Once again I didn't make dinner last night because my mom invited us over for dinner. Kind of funny once you have a kid people like to invite you over...j/k, we've been blessed to be able to live close to both our families so between the two we get invited fairly often. Anyway I was prompted to make a dessert, something apple and these apple turn overs came to mind. I just barely got the recipe from a friend of mine, I won't mention her name because she would probably be embaressed, but she knows who she is:) Anyway, they turned out really good so I had to share!

1 c butter, melted
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 cans pillsbury crescents
2 apples peeled and cut into 8 slices each
1 can mountain dew (I didn't have MD so I used sprite)

Mix butter with sugar. Add vanilla. Wrap each apple slice in a crescent roll covering entire apple. Place in greased 9x13 pan. Pour butter mixture over. Pour can of Mountain Dew around the outer edges of pan. Bake uncovered at 375 for 40 minutes. Serve over ice cream. Yum!