Crack Potatoes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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