Sour Cream Scones

I love breakfast!  I think it's probably my favorite meal of the day!  I'm always looking for new and different recipes.  I stumbled upon this one (yes, on Pinterest) and thought we'd give it a try.  It's so light and tasty.  I love that you can smother the scones in whatever you're craving - butter & honey, jam, you name it!  I think you could definitely add fruit to it too! 

Sour Cream Scones

2 cups  flour

3 TBS sugar

2 TBS baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 TBS butter, cubed

1 cup sour cream

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender.  Add egg yolk and sour cream until just combined.  Turn out dough on lightly floured surface and knead until the dough comes together.  Gently pat dough into a 3/4 inch square shape.  Cut dough into 4 smaller squares, then cut smaller squares into triangles.  Brush the tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Bake in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool slightly.  Eat warm with butter, jam, lemon curd or honey. 

So Tasty!

Recipe taken from StoneGable.

Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

We woke up this morning and it was snowing...yuck!  We needed something warm....   I'm not a huge fan of regular hot chocolate, but I'd seen a recipe on Pinterest that caught my eye - Pumpkin Hot chocolate.  I love pumpkin anything, so why not in hot chocolate?
Thanks to Kara's Party because this hot chocolate is quite simply - the best!!

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
2 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Whipped cream

Instructions:
Heat milk over low heat in a saucepan. Stir in pumpkin puree, sugar and dry goods and beat until smooth. Add chocolate chips and continue to heat about 8 minutes, stirring almost the whole time. Garnish with whipped cream and nutmeg if desired.

Makes about 5 servings.

Enjoy!

Coconut Cake

I think this is one of our favorite cakes!  I'm not sure if it's that it reminds us of tropical places or we just love the flavor, but it ranks high on the list of favorites!

Coconut Cake:
1 white cake mix, plus ingredients to make
1 can cream of coconut
1/4 cup milk, half-and-half, or cream
1 - 8oz. whipped topping
1/4 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

Prepare cake as directed.  After you take it out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes, then using a fork poke holes throughout the cake.  Take cream of coconut and pour over warm cake, then pour milk over cake.  After cake is cool, place in refrigerator.  Frost with whipped topping and sprinkle shredded coconut on top.

Delish!!

Owl Cupcakes

Want to impress your friends, family and little ones...  THIS WILL DO IT!

What you need?
1 cake mix, plus ingredients to make it
1 pkg chocolate sandwich cookies
1 bag candy coated chocolates
Frosting or ganache (1 cup cream, 1-1/4 cup chocolate chips - Heat cream in double boiler, right before it comes to a boil, add chocolate chips and stir until smooth.  Let cool then dip cupcakes.)

You could get pretty creative with this and use colors too!
Enjoy!

Wildtree

I'm sure most of you have heard that I've added to my plate again.  Yes, I know, I have plenty to do, but I LOVE WILDTREE!!!  

For those of you that haven't heard of Wildtree...
it's delicious ORGANIC, ALL NATURAL food that makes cooking a breeze!  Plus, it's less expensive than Whole Foods and even the regular grocery store!  ALL of the products are HEALTHY! No preservatives, chemicals, additives, dyes, GMOs, or artificial anything! Everything is low sodium and low sugar, and yet tastes great!  They also have numerous products that are gluten/dairy/soy free!  Who doesn't love the idea of quick, easy, healthy cooking that's cost effective AND delicious?!

So... what is Wildtree exactly?  Well, the best way to describe Wildtree is "the center of the grocery store".  If you've ever heard the motto "shop the perimeter of the store to save money".... then you know that while that sounds great, the convenient, time-saving, and also unhealthy 'dinner in a box' options are located in "the center of the grocery store".  It's really tempting to just grab that stuff.  Wildtree is all about replacing the "unhealthy" stuff from the middle of the grocery store with something healthy, but without compromising convenience, flavor, or time-savings!  

Wildtree offers dressings, marinades, infused grapeseed oils, culinary spice blends, breads, one-pot meals, desserts, the list goes on.... all to go with your meats, veggies, and grains of choice.  Think "rice-a-roni" and "hamburger helper" ---- only HEALTHY and WAY better tasting!  You choose your "rice or protein" and Wildtree provides the seasoning and recipe.  We have a replacement for all of the things you are already buying, like taco seasoning, hearty spaghetti blend, alfredo extraordinaire, fajita seasoning, meatloaf mix.... you get the idea.

One of my favorite things about Wildtree - Freezer Meal Workshops!!  Ten meals in 3 hours or less for about $3/serving!  Healthy, tasty and convenient - can't beat that!! 

Want to know more???  Call me!

Check out my website:

www.mywildtree.com/tammycrow

I promise you won't regret it!!!

Watch for more great recipes!!!

Banana Blueberry Muffins

I'm always in search of a quick/healthy breakfast!  I happened upon this recipe just the other day, modified it just a tad and viola!   The problem - I don't remember what website I found the recipe on???    I changed it up a little any, so here's my version:

Banana Blueberry Muffins

2 bananas, mashed
1 - 6 oz cup vanilla yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup canola oil or applesauce
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup blueberries

Mix all the ingredients but the blueberries together well.  Then fold in the blueberries.  Bake at 375 degrees F. for about 12-15 minutes.

Yield: 12-15 muffins

One-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

We were hungry and needed breakfast!!  Arin wanted Cinnamon Rolls so bad she couldn't see straight!  I said, no way - they'll take forever!  Pinterest saved the day!!!  So, you have Valley Ridge Recipes to thank for this fabulous breakfast!  We decided to make them into Orange-Cinnamon Rolls.  A fabulous decision, I might add!  Please note, I made only a half recipe and it made 12 enormous rolls.


One-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

Mix and let sit for 15 minutes:
3-1/2 cups warm water
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
6 Tablespoons yeast

Then add:
1 Tablespoon salt
3 eggs
10-1/2 cups flour (all-purpose)
**I added the zest of 1 orange.

Mix together for 10 minutes, then sit for 10 minutes.  Oil cupboard, dump out dough. (I doubted this step - you ALWAYS flour the counter, but didn't this time and the oil worked great!!)  Divide in halt.  Roll on half out into rectangle.  Spread with 1/4 cup melted butter and then with cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Roll up tight, but not too tight.  Divide into 12 rolls and place on greased cookie sheet  Repeat with other half of dough.  Let rise. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Cinn-Sugar mix:
1 cup sugar
1 Tbl. cinnamon

Icing:
1 cube butter
2 dashes salt
2 tsp. vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar
milk (use to bring to desired consistency)

**Note:  I made an orange glaze.  Instead of vanilla I added the zest of 1 orange (2nd orange, see note above) and instead of milk I used the juice from the zested orange.  You could also use orange juice concentrate.  Another option would be to add cream cheese to the icing.

Hawaiian Chicken

It's always nice to walk in the door from work and have the wonderful aroma of dinner hit your nose!  It means I don't really have to think about dinner because it's basically ready - I Love IT!!  The greatness of the crock pot! 

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
8 oz. pineapple, crushed
16 oz. favorite BBQ sauce

Place chicken in crock pot.  Mix pineapple and BBQ sauce together and pour over chicken.  Put lid on crock pot and set for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.  Once chicken is cooked, using a fork (or two), shred the chicken and let it soak up all that yummy sauce.  You can serve it over rice, on a bun or all by itself!

Recipe adapted from 101 Things To Do With A Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcraft and Janet Eyring

**HINT:  My one concern when using the crock pot for chicken is drying it out.  Since I am gone over 8 hours to work, what I usually do is put the chicken in frozen.  Once I come home, I check it and it is usually done, so then I'll turn the crock pot to warm.

Sausage Broccoli Pasta

I think we all love those throw together quick recipes!!  This is one of them!  It's not a rocket-science, thought provoking thing...  It's a what do I have on hand kind-of meal.

1 lb. pasta, (I prefer penne or rigatoni for this recipe.)
1-2 pkgs. smoked beef sausage (the already cooked kind), sliced
16 oz, approx. broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
1 bell pepper (preferably red or orange), chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Seasoning
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta, steam broccoli and cook sausage in frying pan.  Combine all ingredients (except cheese)in bowl and season.  I use the Parmesan Garlic seasoning from Pampered Chef, but you could use lemon-pepper, Italian Seasoning, Herb Seasoning, etc.  I use a generous amount about 1-2 tablespoons. Top with Parmesan cheese.

The great thing about this dish is it can be served warm, room temperature or even cold.
Be creative!  Add other vegetables or use kielbasa sausage, turkey sausage, ground sausage or diced chicken if you want to shake it up!  Try any kind of vinaigrette dressing??  The possibilities are endless!
Enjoy!

Navajo Tacos

Where do I start?  Who doesn't love Navajo Tacos??  You start out with a lovely fried scone, top it with chili or taco meat and then douse it in all kinds of smothered goodness!

I decided to try a new scone recipe.  Don't let this intimidate you!  If you don't want to make your own scones, just use frozen roll dough.  Obviously it will need to thaw, but it works great!

 

Old Fashioned Utah Scones

1 Tbsp. dry active yeast

3/4 cup luke-warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1 beaten egg

1/4 cup shortening

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 tsp. salt

vegetable oil/shortening for frying

 Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl.  Stir gently, and let sit 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.  Cut in the shortening.  Mix it together with a fork or pastry mixer.

Add the beaten egg to the yeast mixture.  Add the flour mixture.  Mix thoroughly.  Dough should be very smooth and pliable and only slightly sticky. Cover and let rest 1 hour.

Fill a large pan with 1-1/2 to 2 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees. Punch down the dough and divide into 10 balls.  Use your fingers to stretch the balls of dough into 1/4 inch thick squares (depending on how thick you like your scones...we like 'em thick).  Place the dough in the oil and fry until golden brown on each side.  Add more oil if needed.

Place fried scones on a paper towel to soak up excess oil.  Serve HOT with butter, honey, cinnamon or powdered sugar, or use for Navajo tacos.

Recipe from Pennies & Pancakes

**NOTE:  I made my scones larger, so it only made 6, but it's all about preference.

The topping for this particular taco is ground turkey seasoned with salt, onion powder, cumin and taco seasoning.  After I browned the turkey and drained it I then added 1 can Rotel and 1 small can of tomato sauce.  I was going to add a can of kidney beans, but didn't have any.  Remember, you could use chili or your favorite taco meat recipe too!

Cherry Limeade cookies

Taylor and I found this recipe on Pinterest.  The blog it's from is Sweet P's Baking Co.

Cherry Limeade Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pack cherry Kool-aid ( unsweetened )
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

In stand mixer combine butter and sugars.

Beat until light and fluffy.
Add kool-aid, vanilla and eggs.
Mix well then add flour, baking powder and salt
Mix until all combined.
Divide dough into two 8 x 2 inch logs.
Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 F
Line cookie sheet with parchment
Remove cookie logs from refrigerator.
Cut into 1/2 inch slices.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes
Remove from oven and cool on cookie rack.

Limeade Frosting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 pack lime Kool-aid
3-4 tablespoon milk
maraschino cherries with stems

Beat butter, icing sugar, kool-aid and milk

together until frosting is fluffy. Adding more
milk if needed.

Frost cooled cookies using a piping bag or just spread
frosting on top of cookies. Complete with cherries on top
of each cookie.

Pink sprinkles would be good too.

These cookies were so good!  Tangy, flavorful - they'd be great for a summer get-together!!

 

Couscous

How many of you have tried couscous??  It's a small bead like pasta.  It cooks up really quick and makes for a great side dish or possibly meal.  You can buy it in boxes, flavored or plain.  I have found that either is great!  The other night, again we needed a quick meal, so I cooked up 2 boxes of couscous (Pine Nut Flavor), added some baby spinach, halved some grape tomatoes, sliced some cucumber, crumbled some feta cheese.  Mixed.  Added balsamic vinegar and olive oil and voila!!
The combinations on this are limitless...  You can add any kind of protein (chicken, turkey, sausage, etc.), plus some fruits and/or veggies. 

Green Enchiladas

I don't know about you, but around here I would say Mexican food is definitely a favorite!!  I would even bet that if I made tacos, enchiladas, "Cafe Rio" salad, tostadas, burritos every week there would be no complaints here.  I needed something quick one night, but had no red enchiliada sauce, so we opted for the green version.  Enchiladas are super simple...  Here's our basic enchilada process:

10 flour or corn tortillas (we prefer flour)
1 lb.+ Shredded cheese, options are endless:  pepper jack, cheddar, monterey, colby jack, etc.
1 lrg can enchiliada sauce (red or green)

Warm your tortillas (a few at a time in the microwave, wrapped in a wet paper towel).  Fill with shredded cheese and roll.  Place in greased 9x13 pan.  Once the pan is full pour enchilada sauce over the tortillas.  Top with more cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Banana Cake

I had bananas and they needed to be used!!!  Of course, I could have made banana bread or our favorite banana drop cookies, but I decided to try something new, Banana Cake.  I found this recipe through Pinterest, of course, which led me to keyingredient.com.  It was a huge hit at our house!

Banana Cake

3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 cups mashed bananas

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
3-1/2 cups confectioners sugar (powdered)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.  In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice, set aside. 
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time then stir in vanilla.  Add in baking soda and salt.  Alternately mix in flour and buttermilk.  Stir in banana mixture and pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from oven and place directly into freezer for 45 minutes.  This will make the cake very moist.
Frosting:  Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in vanilla then add powdered sugar until combined.  Beat on high until frosting is smooth.  Spread on cooled cake.

Spaghetti Casserole

This is a family favorite!  Definitely a comfort food...a recipe from John's sisters that I've modified just a bit:

Spaghetti Casserole
1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
1 large jar spaghetti sauce
16-24 oz. spaghetti noodles
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown ground beef or sausage then drain.  Add cream of mushroom soup and spaghetti sauce and mix well.  Simmer.  Boil noodles.  Pour cooked noodles into a 9x13 pan, top with meat/sauce mixture then sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Berry Vanilla Pecan Oatmeal

It's been a chilly spring so far... I woke up the other morning and just wanted something warm.  As I was going through my memory banks trying to think of something good for breakfast, it hit me - oatmeal!  It couldn't be just plain oatmeal though, it had to be exciting or I'd get the eye roll from Taylor for sure!  I started to dig through my pantry and fridge...moldy strawberries (bummer), pecans, almonds, dried apricots, craisins, frozen berries.  Hmmm...I've got it!  So here's my version of oatmeal:

Berry Vanilla Pecan Oatmeal
1-3/4 cup water
1-3/4 cup milk
dash of salt
2 cups quick oats
1 cup Kirkland frozen berry mix
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 tsp vanilla
brown sugar

Boil water, milk and salt.  Add berries and bring back to a boil.  Add oats and pecans, cook for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Dish into bowls and top with brown sugar.  This was enough for 4 good size servings.

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes (taken from The Pioneer Woman)

This recipe was taken from The Pioneer Woman.  I made these for breakfast one weekday morning.  I specify weekday because they were so simple and delicious that it wasn't a "chore" to make breakfast.  It made enough that me and each of the girls had 3 pancakes each - it was the perfect amount!  I highly recommend trying these!  One thing I might do next time I make them is add some ground flax seed.  Enjoy!!

Edna Mae’s Sour Cream Pancakes

Prep Time:  10 Minutes

Cook Time:  10 Minutes

Difficulty:  Easy

Servings:  2

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 7 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 whole Large Eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Butter, For Frying And Serving
• Warm Syrup, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sour cream with the dry ingredients until just barely combined (don't overmix.) Whisk in the egg mixture until just combined.
Heat a griddle over medium-low heat and melt some butter in the pan. Drop batter by 1/4 cup servings onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles start to form on the surface and edges are starting to brown. Flip to the other side and cook for another minute. (Pancakes will be a little on the soft side.)
Serve with softened butter and syrup.

 

Please note:  Taking pictures of food is NOT as easy as it may seem.

Enchurritos & Spanish Rice

We have some really good friends that invited us over for a Super Bowl party earlier this year.  We enjoyed Enchurritos and rice while watching football.  They were amazing!  We've talked about them ever since, so I decided it was time to make our own.  Taylor keeps referring to them as Bob-urritos, so call them what you like, but they were delicious!!

Enchurritos Bob-urritos
2 lbs ground beef
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp chipotle seasoning
1 tsp onion powder (or 1/2 cup finely chopped onion)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
12 flour tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 large can red enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese (pepper jack would be good too)
sour cream, optional

Place ground beef in skillet and season with garlic salt, chipotle and onion powder.  Brown.  Drain any excess grease off meat.  Add tomato sauce and mix well.  Lay out flour tortillas, top with about 1 tablespoon of refried beans, hamburger meat and shredded cheese. 

Roll tortillas burritos style and place in 9x13 baking pan (sprayed with cooking spray).  Pour enchilada sauce over the top of the burritos and then top with more shredded cheese.

Spanish Rice
2 cups brown rice
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water, warm
1 tsp chicken bouillon
2 tsp cumin

Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat.  Add rice and cook until golden brown.  Add bouillon to water.  When rice is brown, add tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin, cilantro and water to pan.  Stir and cover, simmer for 45-60 minutes.
This recipe was modified from Spanish Rice on Lil' Luna.

Watergate Salad

We recently had this salad at a family gathering.  My family absolutely loved it!  So, I got on Pinterest, searched and found it:

Watergate Salad

 

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding

1/2 cup JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows

1-1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for 1 hour.

This was on Kraft Foods web site.  They also had a "light" version.  We didn't add the pecans, but I think it would be good with them.

 

 

Banana, Coconut and Chocolate Chip Muffins

We love, Love, LOVE muffins for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack at our house!  This is a recipe I found through Pinterest originally, but I have modified it just a bit from the original:

Banana, Coconut and Chocolate Chip Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes, divided
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin pay with cooking spray or line.  In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy.  Add the eggs, bananas and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.  Add baking soda and salt to egg mixture, then add flours until just combined.  Add 3/4 cup of coconut and most of the chocolate chips, mix gently.  Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups.  Sprinkle remaining coconut and chocolate chips on the tops of each muffin. This recipe usually makes 18 muffins.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

**My picture is very blurry, but it'll give you an idea at least.

Quick 'n Easy Ravioli

Don't let the name deceive you...  I didn't make ravioli from scratch, although I would like to try that some day.  There are always those night when you need a quick and easy meal ... something that will reheat well when your family is eating in shifts ... that will make a fast lunch.  One of my favorite go-to-items is the fresh ravioli at Costco!  They always have a wide variety of "flavors", from cheese to butternut squash to chicken and mozzarella to spinach.  Choose one of your favorite sauces, be it alfredo, marinara or pesto; add some mix-ins, toasted nuts, cheese, sauteed vegi's, olives, etc. and voila - dinner is served! 
So, here's our quick mix up with a quick salad and garlic toast on the side:
Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli
Pesto Sauce
Toasted Pecans
Sauteed Mushrooms
Parmesan Cheese

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I love the lettuce wraps at PF Changs, but I wanted a lettuce wrap that took a lot less work.  I had some leftover chicken that I really needed to use, so I decided to let the creative side in me take over.  We'll call these, Citrus Chicken Lettuce Wraps:

2-3 citrus chicken breasts, cubed (small bite-size pieces)
1 avocado, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 yellow/orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced (I used a handful of grape tomatoes that I quartered.)
1/4 cup feta chees, crumbled
3-4 Tbl. olive oil
1 head butter lettuce

Combine all ingredients except for lettuce, if possible refrigerate 1 hr to let flavors blend. Serve chicken mixture in lettuce, wrap and eat!

It was a quick and light meal that everyone really seemed to enjoy!

Chocolate Lasagna

This recipe was found on Pinterest (yes, the vortex that sucks you in and you lose hours of your life):

Chocolate Lasagna favorite desserts of all time

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
• 6 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cold milk
• 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
• 2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
• 3 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.
2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.
3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the crust.
4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.
5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving

Taken from http://www.pincookie.com/chocolate-lasagna-each-layer-perfectly/

Breakfast Tacos

Who doesn't like breakfast tacos??  They come in all mixes, makes and models... You can use sausage, bacon, brisket, hashbrown, eggs - you name it!  The simplest process, warm a tortilla, add some eggs, bacon and/or sausage, hashbrown, some salsa and/or guacamole and voila!  They are definitely one of our family favorites!!  John decided to make some for breakfast and we had no eggs (yes, we've been out of eggs for a week, I guess it's time to go to the store).  He used sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms and hashbrown, topped with cheese, salsa and some impromptu guacamole!  It was a superb breakfast!

 

 

The only problem we had with the tacos this morning...John fills them a little too full, but whether the filling was in the tortilla or on the plate it was very tasty!

Citrus Chicken Salad with Strawberries

This is one of my favorite salads!!  I haven't made it in such a long time...

Citrus Chicken Salad with Strawberries

Citrus Chicken, directions below
Strawberry Dressing, directions below
1 lb. spring mix
1 head Iceberg lettuce, washed and torn into small pieces
1 cucumber, washed and sliced thin
2 stalks celery, washed and diced
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, sliced then cut into julienne strips (or try smoked gouda)
1 lb. strawberries, sliced
mandarin oranges, optional
1 cup roasted pecan, directions below

Toss all ingredients together and serve.

Citrus Chicken
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 chicken breasts

Put all ingredients in a gallon ziplock bag and marinade for 6 hours to overnight.  Turn bag occasionally.  Grill.  Chill.  Slice on a diagonal.

Strawberry Dressing
1 cup strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 tespoons grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup olive oil

Clean berries and cut into quarters.  Put all ingredients into a blender and puree.  Refrigerate in a pint jar until ready to make salad.  This will last up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Roasted Pecans
1 lb. pecan halves
2 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces

Spread pecans on cookie sheet and place pan on center rack of oven.  Roast at 250 degrees, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and become aromatic, about 35 to 45 minutes.  Stir in butter until pecans are coated and all butter is melted.  Return to oven for 5 additional minutes.  Let cool.  Store in air-tight container.

This was originally taken from www.thetablerunner.blogspot.com.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

My mom makes the most amazing chicken cordon bleu...  That's what we are eating for Easter this year.  I hope it turns out as well as when she makes it!  (Side note:  It did turn out very good!  I got Mom's stamp of approval!)

Chicken Cordon Bleu
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 thin ham slices
4 slices Swiss cheese (about 1.5 x 0.5" thick)
Lemon Pepper
Salt
1/2 cup Cornflake crumbs
1/4 cup Butter, melted

Pound chicken to 1/8-inch thickness.  Season each chicken breast with lemon pepper and salt.  Roll ham and cheese jelly-roll style, then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside.  Tuck in ends and seal well (with toothpicks).  Dip each roll into melted butter, then roll in cornflake crumbs, turning to thoroughly coat each roll.  Place in 9x13 pam.  Bake, uncovered in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sauce.

Sauce:
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. lemon juice

Blend ingredients and heat.

Fruit Pizza

Taylor requested Fruit Pizza for her birthday this year.  I figured it was a great change from the normal birthday cake or cupcakes!  We used the recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which you can find here.

Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl

It never seems to fail, whenever I make this dish there is always someone that just can't get enough of it! 

You'll note in the recipe that Mel says she likes a higher noodle ratio.  I like more dressing, so I do one-and-a-half to double of the dressing ingredients depending on my mood.  Also, we love bell peppers, so I do 2 pepper and then of course, extra feta cheese.  This is a great recipe on a busy night because you can have everything ready to go, cook your noodles and then just assemble.  It's perfect at room temperature (it doesn't have to be "hot"), so it's great when you have people in and out (granted don't leave it out too long).  Usually when I take the leftovers for lunch I don't even heat it up!   Thanks to Mel's Kitchen Cafe...she always has great recipes!!

Chocolate Chip Berry Shortcakes

My sister made this amazing dessert recently, so I had to share!  The shortcakes were light and delicious! 

Chocolate Chip Berry Shortcakes

 

Berries:

Assorted Berries (strawberry, blueberry, black berry, raspberry, etc.)

1/4 cup sugar

 

Biscuits:

2 cups flour

3 Tablespoons sugar, divided

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, melted, divided

whipped cream, optional

 

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine berries and sugar; cover and refrigerate until serving.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine cream and 1/2 cup butter; stir into dry ingredients until a thick batter forms. Gently stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop by 1/3 cupfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Brush with remaining butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• Cut biscuits in half horizontally. Spoon fruit onto bottom halves. Top with whipped cream if desired; replace biscuit tops. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe from Taste of Home

Another week gone

As you can see, I'm off track.  I did well keeping up the first couple of weeks and I'm just not sure where this past week has gone. 
We started out the week with Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork.  It was a hit, especially if you got one of the peppers, then it was a HOT hit! 
Monday night we had Tuna melts.  How many of you are fans of tuna?  Well, several years ago, John and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in Maui.  One of my favorite meals was a tuna melt.  The tuna was flaked, mixed with mayo and seasonings, topped with swiss cheese and then grilled on multi-grain bread.  It was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had!  Now, some of you may say it was because of the location in which I ate the sandwich.  This may have had something to do with it, but we've been making them at home the same way since.  This week we chose to serve it on sourdough bread, nevertheless, it was fabulous!! 
For the next few days, we all had leftovers or whatever we could find in the fridge.  Last night, we decided to use the grill!  It had been a beautiful day out, so it was definitely a night for fresh grilled burgers, tots on the side!  You just can go wrong with anything on the grill!  I'm so glad that warmer weather is around the corner! 
As life will be getting a bit crazier with the kids schedules now (warmer weather = volleyball, dance, track, more volleyball and horseback) you'll notice only a few scheduled dinners a week.  We usually fill in the other nights with leftovers, sandwiches, cereal, etc. 
Here's this weeks plan:
Pizza
Balsamic Chicken Noodle Bowl
Huevos Rancheros
I'll fill you in as the week goes...  Happy Cooking!

Peach Pie

We get some amazingly delicious peaches each year and depending on my schedule and motivation, I do several things with those peaches:  eat, freeze, can, eat, frozen pie filling, eat and cook with said peaches.  Yes, it is likely that someone in the house will end up with a belly ache from too many fresh peaches, but for the most part we control it pretty good!  I decided to cook a pie, using the pie filling and thought I'd share:

Frozen Peach Pie Filling
  Courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food Network

9 lbs fresh peaches
2 tsps Fruit Fresh
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt

Directions:
To peel peaches, first bring a pot of water to a boil.  Using a paring knife, score the peaches with an X into the skins only.  Gently drop the peaches in the boiling water for approx. 30 sec-1min.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the peaches and place them in iced water for a minute.  The skins should slip off easily.  If not, place them back into the boiling water for another 30 seconds.
Slice the peaches and put them in a bowl.  Sprinkle Fruit Fresh and sugar, and stir into peaches.  Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well.
Line 4 pie pans with heavy foil or freezer paper, placing a piece of plastic wrap over foil.  Put 4-5 cups filling in each pan.  Loosely fold wrapping around pie and freeze until firm.  When filling is frozen solid, remove from pans and wrap tightly.  Return to freezer until ready to use.
On pie baking day, for each pie, simply place frozen pie filling in pie shell, add 1/2 stock of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmet.  Top pie with crust, seal well and bake for 50-60 minutes in preheated 375 degree oven.