Pesto Lasagna

If you love pesto, this is the recipe for you! We love pesto in our house, and this lasagna could not be easier!

Prepare sauce by diluting one bottle of pesto sauce (generally pretty small jars) with milk, cream, or half 'n' half (can dilute quite a bit as long as it still tastes like pesto). When I make mine, it looks more creamy than pesto-y (I know, I made that word up). Just taste it with your finger to make sure it doesn't lose its pesto flavor. Layer sauce, mozzarella, & no-boil lasgana noodles. Bake according to lasagna noodle directions.

We're kind of pasta snobs in our home (with Braden serving in Italy and me being Italian) so we only use Barilla. According to their box directions, bake at 375 for 50 minutes (covered with foil). Uncover and continue cooking until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes). This can make a 9x13, but I do smaller lasagnas for us.

As a note, if you keep it fairly saucy it won't dry out at all in the oven. Also, pesto is naturally quite oily - a very oil based sauce. Usually some green oil pools up on top of the lasagna and we dab that off with paper towels. We like to put sun dried tomatoes on top for the perfect addition. Yum!
Goes oh-so-well with parmesan rolls. I use Rhodes and roll them in butter and parmesan cheese and bake them as normal.

Looking for a Christmas morning casserole?

Here's a great one!

I made this for my ward's Christmas party a couple weeks ago, and added it to the mix of 25 or so others on the serving table. But then I had so many people come up to me afterwards and say how good it was, and I've already sent the recipe out to some. So here it is - I hope you give it a try! My mom always makes that "souffle" Christmas casserole with ham and bread and cream of mushroom soup (you know the one - everyone has a slightly different version). That's tradition and all, but honestly, I think I like this one better...

WAKE-UP CASSEROLE

8 frozen hash brown patties (instead I used about half a package of frozen hash browns - the cubed kind)

4 c shredded cheddar cheese (i only used 2 - i don't know how 4 would even fit and 4 is way too much)

1 lb cubed fully cooked ham/bacon/sausage (ham is best in my opinion)

7 eggs (i used 8 just because i bought medium sized eggs instead of large, and i wanted to be sure it was enough)

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

Place hash browns in a single layer in a greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with ham and cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt, and mustard. Pour over ham. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 mins longer or until edges are golden brown and knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

(I actually baked it for 45 minutes at 400, then removed the foil and did that for another 15... but only because I didn't get it in quickly enough to be ready for the party. I actually think I liked it cooked at the higher temp. It was a little crispy on the sides.)

Enjoy!! And Merry Christmas, everyone. :)

My new favorite cookies...

These are amazing. I'm a mint-loving kind of person. Mint-chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite, mint hot chocolate, mint brownies, you get the idea...Dan on the other hand does not love mint and even he loved these cookies. These are really and truly my new favorite cookie.

I got the picture and recipe from http://www.justcookalready.com/

I haven't dipped them in hot chocolate yet, but I definitely plan to! Maybe some MINT hot chocolate!

Creme De Menthe Cream Cheese Cookies

by Sweet Treats and More

1/2 c. cream cheese, soft

1/2 c. butter, soft

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 c. flour
1 pkg Andes Creme De Menthe Baking Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper (I didn't have parchment paper so I just greased the pans and it worked just fine). In a large bowl beat cream cheese and butter together. Gradually beat in sugar, at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and salt. Whisk together baking powder and flour in a small bowl and, mixing by hand add to cream cheese mixture. Stir in 1/2 of the bag of Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips. Let chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes (for some reason mine took closer to 11-12 minutes, but I would check them at 10 minutes), until bottom edges barely turns brown. Don't overcook. Remove cookies and let cool.

In a small bowl, microwave the remaining Creme De Menthe chips until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the cookies and let cool.

Pulled Pork Roast

Ok, so I don't know if you can really call this a recipe - more like a meal idea... But we LOVE this in our house! It couldn't be any easier and it tastes fantastic! We made this on fast Sunday and it was lovely to have it in the crock pot before church and to come home to an amazing smelling house and ready to eat.

2 lb. pork roast

bottle of good BBQ sauce

med. onion

Just throw a pork roast into the crock pot. I use a fork and poke holes all across the top and sprinkle garlic salt for tenderizing/flavoring purposes. Add a med. onion cut into wedges. Pour in an entire bottle of BBQ sauce on top and add a little bit of water (I add mine to the bottle, shake it up, and get all the rest of the good stuff out). Cook on low heat all day or high heat for half the time. Pull apart with a fork.

We like to eat ours with very simple roasted potatoes (oil, salt & pepper, oregano) and rolls.
Yummy!

We always have plenty left over. We freeze the rest of the pork and use it another time to have pulled pork sandwiches - just toasting some hard rolls under the broiler (with provalone cheese).

truly I do cook!! Beef Stroganoff

I feel terrible that I havn't posted on my day in like a month...truth is I have been cooking everybody elses recipes on this blog..haha but I am doing my quick beef stroganoff tonight and thought even though it's not my day I better post SOMETHING..

egg noodles
1 lb beef
cream of mushroom soup
cream cheese
sour cream
milk

1 - boil egg noodles while browning beef in a big skillet
2- once meat is cooked add 1 can cream of mushroom 1/2 block cream cheese and like 1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream (it all depends on your taste buds) keep on medium until everything is blended together.
3- once noodles are cooked add to the meat mixture, if really thick then add little bits of milk until you get whatever consistency you are looking for.
4- you'll probably have to add salt, but I rather do it at the end than over salt anything.

I threw this together with some pillsbury crescent rolls and WALAH it's a nummy dish.

Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu

I know Amanda, it took me long enough, right?? :)

This is SO DELICIOUS and we eat it up like crazy every time. ENJOY!


Chicken Cordon Bleu

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I didn't use that many-too much for us)

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper (I just used black pepper)

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

8 thin slices boiled ham

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 (16 oz) bag baby carrots

1 (16 oz) jar Alfredo sauce

1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Rice

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and thyme. Wrap a slice of ham around each breast and secure with toothpicks.

2. Place onion, garlic, and carrots in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Top with wrapped chicken breasts.
(I didn't use the carrots and onions. We had veggies on the side instead. I think it would be fine either way. I did use the garlic and just mixed it into the sauce.)

3. In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice.

Cafe Rio Salads

I mentioned I was making this for dinner tonight and had several requests for the recipe, so I figured it would be easiest to post it all here (even though it's not my day to post, but it's okay because I missed my day this time anyway).

For those of you who are new here, this is just a blog I put together to learn new recipes and exchange recipes between friends. I've decided that I love to cook lately, and I'm always looking for new recipes to change things up! I would love to have you post your recipes! So, if you're interested, just send me your e-mail address and I'll send you an invite to be a publisher or whatever on this blog.

For those of you who aren't new here, I am going to take the posting schedule away (life is busy, I know, and it's not really working out anyway). So please still post! But post to your heart's desire as much as you want!

On to the deliciousness. I don't remember where exactly I got this recipe. I'm thinking it was out of a ward cookbook or something. So glad I finally tried it. It was so yummy. I'm so full right now and yet already looking forward to my leftovers for lunch tomorrow...or maybe a midnight snack? Say no to the tempation Amanda!

Cafe Rio Shredded Pork

- 4 lbs. pork roast - bone in (I think I actually just used some pork tenderloin I had in my freezer)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 sliced onion
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 cup chicken stock (I used broth - anyone know the difference between the two?)
- 1 can of Coke - not diet

Trim the fat off the roast. Rub the brown sugar, red pepper, salt,cumin, and paprika over the roast covering it completely. Place in the crock pot. Add the garlic, onion, chicken stock, and Coke. Cook on low for 5 hours.

- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika

Take the pork out of the crock pot and shred. While the meat is out, add the brown sugar and paprika to the crock pot and let it dissolve. Return the meat to the crock pot and continue to cook another 3 hours on low

(I apparently don't like to follow directions. I just left the pork in the crock pot, added the brown sugar and paprika to the juices around the meat and stirred them in and let them dissolve while I was shredding the pork with 2 forks while still in the crock pot and then just stirred it all together. It's so much easier that way - for me anyway, and less messy).

Also, the original recipe says to cook on low for 8 hours in the first step, then shred and add the brown sugar and paprika and cook for an additional 8 hours on low. That seemed absurd to me so I just did 8 hours total (5 then shred then another 3). It worked perfectly, but I'm sure if you wanted to let it cook for that addional 8 hours it would make the meat that much more tender and flavorful.

I served the meat with tortillas (the uncooked kind is the best), black beans, cilantro lime rice (recipe below), romaine, and cilantro lime dressing (recipe source below). You can use any other toppings you like.

Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Cook rice according to package directions using broth instead of water. When done, fluff with a fork and add the remaining ingredients.

*Again, I don't like to follow directions I guess. I used minute rice so instead of 1 cup, I used 2 cups of rice with the 2 cups of broth and it worked well.

Cilantro Lime Dressing

I got this recipe here. It is one of my favorite recipe websites!

Check out their spa week stuff. Natural facials, hair treatments, and a brown sugar body scrub. All on my list for the next time I need a ME day. Who's in for a girl's spa night?! Not to mention all of their Christmas goodies - YUM. So many recipes - way too many calories. Is it worth it? I think yes! 

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

Wow, I just noticed that nobody has posted for awhile! I'm late myself, but here is one my husband and I ate tonight and we were both LOVING it. Plus, it's extremely simple and filling. This will make you squash-haters change your minds. :)

1 spaghetti squash

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (or homemade would be great)

italian style cheese for the top (mozzarella, parmesan, etc)

1 to 2 TB oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Cut your squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle 1 TB (or a little less is fine) over each half, then sprinkle salt and pepper. Turn them cut-side-down on a cookie sheet, and roast in oven for 45-60 minutes.

Take a fork and rake it along the inside of each half so the little spaghetti strings come up from the sides. Pour some of the sauce directly into each half and top with cheese so it melts. Serve it just like that!

Soooo yummy!

Cranberry Salsa Appetizer

This is such a festive recipe. The colors are beautiful for this time of year, and the flavors are addictive. So here it is: The trickiest thing in this recipe is the fresh Ginger. It's in the produce section... it's a root. Peel it like a potato and grate it up. I highly suggest making it the day of, (it's less mushy and more fresh) but at least 4 hours before so the flavors can mix.
Cranberry Salsa Dip with Cream Cheese 
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained (6 oz.)
1/8 cup minced green onions
1 small jalapeno chile pepper, cored, seeded and minced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 tablespoons finely-grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
Cranberries and/or cilantro sprigs for garnish

1. Rinse, drain, and pick over cranberries, (discarding all that are soft or bruised). Place them in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not mushy.
2. Place crushed cranberries in a bowl; mix together with minced green onions, jalapeno peppers, sugar, cilantro leaves, ginger, and lemon juice.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours so flavors develop (salsa will be too sharp and tart to begin with).
4. On a serving plate, place cream cheese; cover with the dip. Garnish, if desired, and served with crackers.

Quick and Easy Stovetop Stuffing Chicken Bake

I wanted to post a quick variation to this recipe that I posted a while back. I made this for dinner tonight and tweaked it a little bit to make it work better. Sorry if any of you tried to make it before and it didn't work out well, that's my fault  because of the way I posted it. This time, I cooked and shredded the chicken beforehand. Then I only had to bake it long enough to warm it through. It's such a quick and easy meal and tasty!

Easy Stovetop Stuffing Chicken Bake

1 box Stovetop Stuffing - chicken flavored
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded (I just boiled them)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2/3 cup sour cream

Prepare stuffing as directed on box, set aside. Mix together chicken, soup, and sour cream and spread in a 9 X 13 pan. Spread stuffing over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until warmed through.

Chicken Fingers

These are sooooo easy! I got the recipe from my cousin who said her kids just love them.

chicken breasts (cut into slices)

Honey Bunches of Oats cereal (crushed)

2 eggs, beaten

After slicing the chicken breasts, dip them thoroughly in the egg, and then into the crushed cereal. The less you touch them at that point, the better the coating will stay on the chicken. Place them on a cookie sheet... or the better way is to put it on a cooling rack set on top of a cookie sheet (see picture). That keeps the chicken from being soggy on one side. Bake in the oven at 375 for 25 minutes. Dip in honey mustard, BBQ sauce, ranch, or whatever you like.

*** For some reason I didn't think about the fact that Honey Bunches of Oats (which is my all time favorite cereal) is really sweet. So when I tried the chicken fingers for the first time I was surprised that they still had that sweet quality to them. They're very satisfying though! Try it!

Crockpot Shredded Lime Chicken w/Cilantro Lime Rice

SHREDDED LIME CHICKEN

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup sprite
1/2-1 t. cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 limes

Cook in a crockpot on medium heat for 6-8 hours or until chicken falls apart with a fork. Stir in the juice of two limes before serving.

CILANTRO LIME RICE

1 c. white rice
2 c. chicken broth
1 T. lime juice
1 garlic clove
1 pinch salt
1/2 c. fresh cilantro

Cook rice according to package directions using broth instead of water. When done, fluff with a fork and add other ingredients.

Recipe courtesy of Karly http://recipestopasson.blogspot.com/

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ok, so this is a Jessica Seinfeld recipe. I saw it on TV the other day and wanted to give it a shot. I've only made it once and it was pretty yummy. It makes a HUGE thing of lasagna, however.

3 (14.4 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (I wouldn't be opposed to it being saucier)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 containers (15 ounces each) fresh ricotta

2 cups grated mozzarella

1/4 c. parmesan

12 lasagna noodles (not the no boil ones, but DON'T boil them - put them in dry)

5 ounces baby spinach

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. In a separate bowl mix the ricotta, 1 c. of the mozzarella, and parmesan. In the bottom of a 5-6 qt. slow cooker, spread a thin layer of the sauce. Top with 3 of the noodles (breaking to fit as necessary). Spread about 1 c. of the sauce over the noodles and layer with 2 cups of the spinach and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. Repeat twice more with the noodles, sauce, spinach, and cheese. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, sauce, and 1 c. mozzarella. Cook on low, covered, until the noodles are tender - especially in the center of the lasagna - about 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

We generally like sauces to be a little spicier, so I upped the quantities of all of the spices for the sauce. I never would have even thought to make a lasagna in the crock pot, and it's not necessarily super authentic, but it was good nonetheless.

Homemade Pizza Dough (BBQ chicken pizza)

This week I made my first ever pizza dough from scratch. I don't know what I was afraid of all this time! I can't believe I used to drive all the way to Trader Joe's or Fresh n Easy to get their $1.25 pre-mixed dough instead of just making it myself. Duh. Honestly you can't mess this up!

Combine and let sit for 5 minutes:

3/4 cup warm water

1 1/2 t yeast

1 T sugar

Add:

1 t salt

1 1/2-2 cups flour

Let rise for 30 minutes. Roll out with a little extra flour out, if necessary. Let sit 5 minutes. Roll out again. Top with whatever you like! This makes one 15 inch pizza. For thicker crust, double the recipe. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

***I used both cups of flour because my dough still seemed really sticky.

***I did double it, thinking we'd have a nice thick crust, but it ended up being way too much for one pizza. I ended up pulling off about a quarter of the dough and making it into breadsticks.

***When our pizza came out after 20 minutes it was a little overcooked. I would suggest a shorter amount of time... maybe 15 minutes? Just make sure your toppings and cheese are hot and melty.

BBQ PIZZA RECIPE (pictured above):

1) Simply cook a chicken breast and shred/chop it up, or use leftover rotisserie chicken. Toss it with your favorite BBQ sauce. I actually cooked a couple of breasts in the crockpot with some BBQ sauce, shredded them and used that. (I had leftover shredded chicken for dinner the next night too)

2) Chop up some red onion and saute it with a little oil until they are cooked and golden.

3) Spread BBQ sauce on the pizza dough, put the red onion all over, then the chicken, then lots of cheese. We like the Italian blend pre-shredded kind, for ease, and some parmesan on top.

Easy Stroganoff

This is one of my favorite quick recipes. It's probably not the healthiest...but it's oh so yummy!

- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- dilute with milk
- 2 cups elbow noodles

Brown ground beef. (You can also add an onion in with the beef for more flavor, I just usually make this meal when I'm in a rush and I don't bother, and it still tastes fine.) Cook noodles according to package. Drain. Mix soups, sour cream, and milk. Add ground beef. *You can either mix it all together with the noodles or serve the soup mixture as a sort of gravy over the noodles. I just always mix it together. Simmer until it's all warmed through. 

Apple Cider Gravy Pork Chops

So there's not much of a recipe to this one, but we sure love it in our house! I just kind of made stuff up for this meal one time and it has turned into a classic in our house.

(I know there's no color variation on this plate...Braden doesn't like vegetables, and right now, neither do I!)

Prepare pork chops by poking holes in them with a fork and season them with garlic salt & pepper. Saute in olive oil or butter until done. Top with caramelized onions (sliced onions sauteed with some salt & sugar until transparent and the color of caramel) and serve with mashed potatoes (I use yukon gold for this meal) and apple cider gravy.

Gravy:

3-4 tbsp. butter

3-4 tbsp. flour

2 c. chicken broth

3/4 c. apple cider (the good stuff makes a difference!)

salt/pepper to taste

Create a roux using the butter & flour. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes, or until light brown (I do this in the pork chop pan so I have the yummy drippings from the meat). Whisk in the broth & cider on med-high heat. Allow to simmer & thicken for about 3 minutes, or until desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

Tortellini Soup

I am so in the mood to make warm stuff!!! Lovin that I finally can. This was a favorite of ours last winter and I am excited to make it again soon!

Tortellini Soup

1 pound mild Italian sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup water

4 cups beef broth or 2 cans

1/2 cup apple juice

3 carrots, sliced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 cup sliced zucchini

1 cup sliced yellow squash

4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

8 ounces cheese tortellini (you can add more if you want. And I buy the fresh stuff out of the refrigerated pasta section)

fresh grated Parmesan cheese

In large soup pan, brown sausage. Drain fat and add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add water, broth, apple juice, carrots, tomatoes, basil, oregano, zucchini, squash and parsley. Simmer for 30 minutes or longer. Add tortellini 5 to 10 minutes before serving (time depends on if you are using fresh or frozen) and cook until tender, but not soggy. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over each serving.

Mexican Casserole

So, I failed. I meant to take a photo of our meal tonight and show you how amazingly yummy this casserole is... but I forgot. And taking a picture of the leftovers in my fridge might turn you off, because cold leftovers never look as appetizing. Oh well. You'll have to picture it and make it yourself! Super yummy, people!

3 cooked, shredded chicken breasts (I just boil mine)

1 diced green pepper (I did about 3/4 of green and 1/4 of red)

1/4 c diced red onion

1 can corn (drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can tomato sauce

1 c salsa (or you could add a little more salsa or tomato sauce to make it more moist when cooked - ours was a little dry tonight for some reason)

1/4 c chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. Spray a 9x13 pan with pam and put a layer of crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Layer half the mixture, then some cheddar & monterey jack cheese, then the rest of the mixture, and then top with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

p.s. This is a great drop-off meal if you are making someone dinner. It's super easy to do, but I admit it's a little time-consuming chopping things up, cooking the chicken, and rinsing beans. Anyway, we did that tonight and it made enough for one of those throw-away 8x8 pans to drop off to our friends and then another whole pan to keep for our dinner.

Pumpkin Dip

I can't get enough of the pumpkin flavor this fall! My sister raves about this recipe she gave me, and now I do too! Try it out!!

Stir together:

15 oz can of pumpkin

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Cream the above ingredients with:

4 oz. cream cheese

1 small package vanilla instant pudding

Fold in:

8 oz. cool whip

I'm serving this with soups, salads and rolls at a ward lunch bunch tomorrow. Gingersnaps, pirouettes, and graham cracker sticks are delicious with it! Enjoy!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

I had my doubts...but this was amazing!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Another delicious recipe from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/!

6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn’t add spiciness – just the right amount of flavor)
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Banana Muffins

So I know it's WAY past my day to post (okay only 3 days) but I figured since I am thinking of it now I will follow the motto "better late then never".

These muffins are super yummy! I just made them last week and am glad I was able to leave them for my husband to devour while I am gone.

Is it just me or is Fall  the perfect time of year to bake!? I love it!!

I hope you enjoy!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, melted(I added 1 tsp. of cinnamon and 1 tsp. of vanilla in my mixture)!
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped. (My muffins were done at about 20 minutes and I checked them at 15. )

Apple Toffee Dip

This is a simple, super-yummy dip to use for apples (or any other fruit, I suppose!).

1 pkg. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 pkg. Heath toffee chips

vanilla

Mix softened (very important!) cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, & vanilla together. Stir in Heath toffee chips. Enjoy!

There are 2 kinds of Heath toffee chips - sometimes one is hard to find. There's one without any chocolate covering it (which is what the recipe technically calls for, and is the tricky one to find), and there are toffee bits covered in milk chocolate. Either works, but the one without chocolate creates a cleaner looking dip because the chocolate kind of melts off into the dip. Either way...

Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

(picture borrowed from here)

Alright girls...you MUST try these! Not only do they taste AMAZINGLY good, but the smell that fills your house when they are baking...oh...there is nothing better :) The cream cheese frosting is SOOO good with the added pumpkin pie spice. I promise you will not be disappointed! These are my most favorite pumpkin cookies ever!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Stir in the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture by hand until just combined. Drop on prepared baking sheets by heaping tablespoonfuls; Butter the bottom of a drinking glass and then dip the bottom of the glass in a bowl of sugar. Flatten the dough balls with the bottom of the glass until they are about ¾ inch thick, dipping the glass in sugar as necessary to prevent sticking.
Bake in preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on wire rack. Once cookies have cooled completely, frost or drizzle with cream cheese frosting.
While the cookies are cooling make frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and pumpkin pie spice and beat until smooth and creamy.

This recipe is from www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

Baked Chicken Parmesan

So I found this recipe the other day. Made it for dinner last night. Oh.My.Deliciousness. I LOVED IT!! My husband loved it. And my toddler ate it up (which is always a triple plus for a meal in my book). Hope you guys like it as much as we did!

Baked Chicken Parmesan

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp mustard
2-3 lb chicken breasts
1 T dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup parmesan
2 T parsley
3/4 cup bread crumbs

Melt butter in a 9x13 pan in oven at 350 degrees. Add salt, Worchestershire sauce, and mustard to the butter. Cut up chicken (I did it in strips) and soak in butter mixture. Mix dry ingredients. Dip chicken in dry mixture. Place back in pan. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Chocolate Revel Bars

It seems like everybody's family has their favorite "B.T.S." (aka "better than s--") recipe. This one is mine. :) It's dangerous to make this recipe though because they're INCREDIBLY addicting and it makes a ton... so plan on sharing or freezing plenty of extras. Anyway, trust me when I say you'll never make a regular old cookie bar after this.

(picture borrowed from here)

CHOCOLATE REVEL BARS / B.T.S. BARS

Combine:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t salt

2 cups brown sugar

2 t vanilla

1 t soda

3 cups oats

Press 2/3 of mixture into bottom of a 17x11 cookie sheet. Over low heat, melt together:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 12 oz package of chocolate chips

2 T butter/margarine

1/2 tsp salt

Remove from heat and stir in another 2 tsp vanilla.

Spread chocolate mixture over dough. Dot with remaining oat mixture. Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins. Cool completely and cut into bars. Makes roughly 75 small bars.

Mmmm, just thinking about these babies is making my mouth water...

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Can I just tell you how much I love all your recipes? I've made butternut squash soup, sweet and sour meatballs,  and pizza this past week from all your yummy recipes! Thanks everyone!

These cookies are yummy, the perfect blend of spices in them makes them very flavorful.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (12-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips, not semisweet


Directions: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper. Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Banana Bars

Tomorrow is going to be busy, so I'll post my recipe tonight while I'm sitting here doing nothing...

Truthfully, I've been dying to share this recipe since I made them earlier this week. I had seriously like 12 ripe bananas that I had frozen and needed to make banana bread with. (I have A LOT of banana bread in my freezer if anyone wants some!) But then I came across this recipe on this website.

And I made banana bars.

And they are heavenly. I'm not exaggerating.

I've been completely obsessed with her recipes ever since. I have tried out a few others and there are many more I'm going to try this week.

The frosting isn't completely necessary in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, it's incredible. Simply amazing. But, they tasted really really good without frosting as well...and you can save a few...ahem...hundred....calories that way! Enjoy!

Frosted Banana Bars

- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (I used three ripe bananas)
- Frosting (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 in. pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in the mashed banana. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream (I didn't have whipping cream, but I did have whipped cream which I used and it tasted good to me!)

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Set aside. In another medium bowl, beat whipped cream until stiff peaks form - it helps to use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters - (I skipped that part and just folded in my whipped cream). Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture. Frost to your heart’s delight!

(I borrowed this picture from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/) 

Comfort Chicken

Is it seriously my turn to post again?!? Now that the cat's out of the bag that I'm pregnant, I can honestly say that I really haven't cooked more than a handful of times in months. Very sad and pathetic. I love to cook and experiment with my own recipes and all that stuff, but with the extreme nausea and food aversion, it just hasn't happened. So I just flipped through my recipes and found one that we like (definitely not a low fat meal so it's not eaten too frequently in our house!)

1 lb. chicken, baked & cut

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 c. butter

4 med. potatoes, bite-size pieces

20 baby carrots, bite-size pieces

1 c. cream

1 tbsp.parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large skillet, saute onion in butter (I actually reduce the amount of butter in this recipe). Add chicken and brown on all sides. Add potatoes & carrots (partially steamed in microwave first). Cover and cook on medium-low until veggies are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer uncovered for 8 minutes. Enjoy!

I adjust my seasonings to make sure it doesn't turn out bland. Simple seasonings, but with the right adjustment it's perfect!

Not your Average Parmesan Chicken

Apologies for not posting yesterday. At least I remembered today right?

This is one of my ABSOLUTE favorite recipes!! Just make sure to only add 2 tsp. and not 2 TBS. of garlic salt or else it won't turn out so great. (Oh the journeys of trying to cook in a hurry and reading the recipe too quickly...and I had even made it a million times before)!!

As the recipe says "This is a winner you can count on". I AGREE! :)

Parmesan Chicken

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons garlic salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt (I've also made this with sour cream and it was DELICIOUS)! 
1/4 cup butter, melted

1 recipe Sour Cream Chicken Sauce (optional) I've actually only ever made the recipe with this sauce once and it is yummy either way.

Combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then cover breast in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9X13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Top with Sour Cream Chicken Sauce, if desired. Serves 8.


Sour Cream Chicken Sauce

2 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream

In a small saucepan heat soup and sour cream together over low heat. stirring frequently.

I most often serve this with mashed potatoes and fresh steamed veggies. It is also delicious with rice.

Apple Pork Chops

Okay, I always seem to remember that I was supposed to post the morning after. At least I remember, right? I'll make up for it today by posting one of our family's most favorite dinners ever! And it is easily in my top five "Easiest Dinners to Make."

APPLE PORK CHOPS

4 pork chops
1 can apple pie filling
1 box pork stuffing

Brown pork chops in skillet, then place in the crock pot. Prepare stuffing according to box directions, then pour stuffing and pie filling over pork chops. Let cook about 6 hours on low (or until pork chops are cooked through-most of the time they start falling apart). Enjoy!

Who wants Easy Pizza!

PIZZA!!!


So this is a great mini pizza that you can throw together really easy.


Corn Tortillas you can also use flour tortillas
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzerella Cheese
(any pizza condements you would like pepperoni, sausage, olives, and pineapples)
ragu sauce


heat the oven to 375 degrees

put about 6 corn tortillas on a cookie sheet
spread ricotta cheese on each shell
then spoon sauce over the cheese
you then add any of the condiments you want
make sure you add the shredded cheese at the end cover it really well!

put it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, you want it to be incredibly done to over done.

then eat and enjoy!!! There also great as leftovers.

Italian roast beef over egg noodles

I like a good pot roast every so often, but sometimes I get tired of doing the whole "meat and potatoes with gravy" thing every time. My mom described this dish to me last week and I tried it out the other day. There's no set recipe, so this is just me sort of making it up based on what my mom tried and liked. It ended up being a perfect combination of flavors when serving it italian-style over noodles: garlic, tomatoes, and onion. Ryan and I both liked it a lot, and he said I could make it again which is always a good sign. :)

pot roast

1 can of italian tomatoes, stewed or diced

3-5 garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic, but more is better for this dish)

white onion (as large or small as you want, depending on how much onion you like)

salt and pepper and/or any kind of italian seasonings

Cut your garlic cloves in half (ish) so they have a point to each piece. Then make holes in your roast with a sharp knife so that you can insert the pieces of garlic into the holes all over the meat. Do this as much as you want - it really added an awesome flavor to the meat!

Spray your crockpot with Pam. Cut the onion into wedges or slices (whatever you like), and put them on the bottom. Put your meat in and season it with salt and pepper or other seasonings. Pour your can of italian-style tomatoes over the top and around the sides. Cook on low for 7 hours.

We pulled the roast apart into smaller pieces once it was done cooking, and served it over whole wheat egg noodles with a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. It was yummy!

**One can of tomatoes was plenty, but the stewed tomatoes didn't have enough pieces of tomato once you serve it over noodles, in my opinion. Next time I'll try diced and see if that works better. I also added a tiny bit of water, but it was totally unnecessary since it ended up plenty liquidy. Or maybe you could try 2 cans of stewed tomatoes but drain one, so you get more tomato but not all the liquid.

Winter Squash Soup

Sorry to post another squash recipe but this is what we ate for dinner tonight. It's delicious.

Winter Squash Soup- Ina Garten (Straight from the cookbook-Barefoot in Paris)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 small or one large)

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut in chunks

3 cups Homemade chicken stock or canned broth

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup half and half

Creme fraiche, grated Gruyere, or croutons for serving (optional)

Heat the butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the pumpkin puree, butternut squash, chicken stock, salt and pepper. cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, until the butternut squash is very tenter. Process the mixture through the medium blade of a food mill. Return to the pot, ad the half-and-half, and heat slowly. If the soup needs more flavor, add another teaspoon of salt. Serve hot with garnishes, if desired.

Here's the way I do it:

- I never have unsalted butter- so I just taste as I go to make sure that it doesn't get too salty.

- I always used the Swanson's low sodium chicken broth- She has a recipe for homemade chicken stock in the book. If you want it- let me know and I'll post it.

- I didn't have half-and-half on hand tonight when I made this so I subbed whole milk. I couldn't tell the difference and I felt better about eating a second, okay, third bowl.

- Creme Fraiche is just a fancy way of saying sour cream in my book and the soup is so good with the optional garnishes.

- Instead of croutons I just serve it with a good piece of warm bread.

- I don't have a food mill. You could easily put it in your blender, in small batches and blend until smooth. I have a hand blender that I just stick in the pot and go to town until it's smooth.

That's it! It's a super easy one pot meal.

Mac & Cheese (with a hidden surprise)

...made with winter squash?!


I've been trying really hard to get Amelia to eat vegetables. She doesn't like them. Or rather, she just plain refuses to eat them whether or not she's even tasted it. She'll only eat green beans, and that's only if she's in the mood. It's not surprising because I'm pretty picky myself and will only eat a few different kinds of veggies, depending on if and how they're cooked. There are quite a few that I don't like at all. I found this recipe on food network in my search to "sneak" some veggies into Amelia's diet. She loves mac & cheese so I figured she'd eat it (she didn't). I made it for her today at lunch (although it's a little more effort than I want to spend on lunch) and I thought it turned out pretty good. I struggle and tend to make stupid mistakes when I'm cooking sometimes so it probably could have been even better...but such is my life.

While I'm on the subject...do any of you have any suggestions on how to get your little ones (or yourself for that matter) to eat vegetables? Or even any other recipes with veggies snuck in? She's too young to understand the "you'll eat what's in front of you" concept. Maybe she would eat carrot and celery sticks if she had enough teeth. We're just in an awkward age right now and I don't know what to do. I try to make sure we always have some kind of vegetable for dinner (usually a side salad - which Amelia won't eat - or green beans), but I myself don't even eat them throughout the day, I know I'm not getting as much as I should be, and if I'm not eating them Amelia's not going to eat them right? I'm not a salad person.  I like it okay as a side, but I have to really be in the mood for a salad to eat it for a meal. I ate a chicken wrap with lots of veggies on it for lunch today - I guess if I have to do that every day I can....

Sorry about the novel, here's the recipe:

Macaroni & 4 Cheeses

- Cooking spray
- 1 pound elbow macaroni
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen pureed winter squash
- 2 cups 1% lowfat milk
- 4 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 2/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 X 13 in. baking pan with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until tender but firm, about 5-8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk into a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until deforsted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until the mixture is almost simmering, sitrring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the cheddar, jack cheese, rocotta cheese, salt, mustard and cayenne pepper. Pour cheese mixture over the macaroni and stir to combine. Transfer the macaroni and cheese to the baking dish. Combine bread crumbs, parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Chicken Chili

Yes, another soup recipe from me - this time, with pictures! We love this chicken chili and it is the perfect meal for fall. I do, however, have to make beanless chili in our house (I substitute an extra bell pepper for the beans). Also, I make this in the crock pot, but I think it was actually written for the stove top - I do the first part on the stove, and instead of adding the remaining ingredients to the pot, I add them all into my crock pot.

Anyone else love these little crock pot liners? Saves so much clean-up time, and they're not too expensive at Walmart. Love them!

Yum! I apologize for the lack of presentation, however. Yes, those are styrofoam bowls, but we're leaving town for the weekend and didn't want to add more dishes!

3 chopped chicken breasts

1 chopped green pepper

1 chopped onion

2 cloves garlic

Brown ingredients in olive oil on the stove top.

Add:

2 cans diced tomatoes (I like using fire roasted)

2 cans (drained) pinto beans (like I said, I have to go beanless, but you could also use other varieties of beans)

3/4 c. Pace picante sauce

1 can tomato sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

Simmer all day. I usually taste test after it's been simmering a while and see if I need to adjust the spices - I'm usually a little generous with them. I like to add a generous dollop of sour cream near the end to make it nice and smooth and creamy. Garnish with shredded cheese. My house has smelled wonderful today!

Easy Mango Chicken

• 4-5 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless, I use 3 large breasts)
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups mango salsa 
• Cumin to taste
• Lemon Pepper to taste

1. Put chicken breasts in crock pot. Add cumin and lemon pepper. Cover and cook chicken until tender. Shred chicken on a plate and return to crock pot. Save juices in separate bowl.
2. Add corn, beans and salsa. More salsa can be added to taste. If mixture seems dry, add some of reserved juices.
3. Serve over coconut jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro or parsely, if desired.

Coconut Rice (rice cooker version)

• 2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice (note that other types of rice, such as brown rice, do not work for this recipe)
• 1 1/2 cups good-quality coconut milk (not “lite”)
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp brown sugar

1. Place rice in rice cooker. Add the water, coconut milk, sugar and salt. Stir well (use a plastic or wooden utensil to avoid scraping off the non-stick surface).
2. Cover and set to cook.
3. Once your rice cooker switches to “warm” mode, allow another 8-10 minutes for rice to finish “steaming”. This will ensure your coconut rice is fully cooked and pleasantly sticky.
4. Gently fluff with chopsticks before serving. Serves 4

Coconut Rice (stovetop version)

• 2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice*
• 2 cups good-quality coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil, OR other vegetable oil
• 1 tsp brown sugar

1. Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.
2. Place rice, coconut milk, water, sugar and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat.
3. Stir until liquid comes to a gentle boil (stirring will keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning).
4. Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice (to check, pull rice aside with a fork to see down to the bottom of the pot).
5. When the liquid is gone, turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat. Tip: Your Coconut Rice will stay warm this way for up to 1 hour or more, great for when you’re expecting company!
6. When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork or chopsticks. Taste-test the rice for salt, adding a little more if needed. Serve right out of the pot, or place in another serving bowl.

YUM!!!