Caesar Chicken Tacos

Quick easy meal.  Sorry no picture!

One Head of Lettuce

Casear or Ranch Dressing

BBQ chicken 

4 chicken Breast

4 taco shells

Threw 1 cup BBQ sauce in with frozen chicken in the crockpot.  Cooked for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.  Shred chicken and put on a taco shell.  Mix lettuce with Caesar or ranch dressing and put on the taco shell.  Fold the taco shell and Presto-- Caesar Chicken Taco! EASY!

Threaded Spaghetti Hot Dog Bites

So you've probably seen this on Pinterest like I did. 
But tonight I decided to try it. It was fun and tasted really yummy! It's self explanatory, but I'm posting it anyway :)

Ingredients
Hot Dogs
Spaghetti Noodles
Spaghetti Sauce


Directions
Slice up hot dogs.
Break a bunch of Spaghetti Noodles in half.
Poke 5 noodles through each slice of hot dog.
Boil hot dog/spaghetti on stove for 8 minutes (or how ever long you want depending on how soft you want your spaghetti).
Drain
Pour spaghetti sauce over hot dogs/noodles.


Bon Appétit! 

Homemade Hawaiian Haystacks

We made these for dinner a little while ago with Mike and Jenna and they were delicious. I love Hawaiin Haystacks and i love how easy they are but i forget about them a lot. I usually just use cream of chicken soup for the sauce but i found this recipe for ones with a homemade chicken gravy and it was SO yummy. So i wanted to share it in case you forgot about Hawaiian haystacks too.

Homemade Hawaiian Haystacks
From 
“Picky Palate”

Chicken gravy sauce:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 c all purpose flour

1 t kosher salt

1/2 c sour cream

1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

32 oz. reduced sodium chicken broth

2 t dry Ranch Dressing seasoning packet

1/4 t garlic salt

2 c cooked shredded chicken breast

Steamed rice

Toppings options:

Chow Mein Crispy Noodles

sliced green onions

black olives

pineapple

dried cranberries

almonds

tomatoes

diced bell pepper

shredded cheese

-Place butter into a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring to melt. Slowly whisk in flour, salt and pepper until smooth and thick, for 1-2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Increase heat to high whisking until thick, about 2 minutes. Add sour cream, Ranch seasoning, garlic salt, and cooked chicken breast. Stir and season accordingly. You may prefer additional, salt, pepper and garlic salt. You can make this ahead of time and transfer to the crock pot and kept it on low all day until dinner, or serve it immediately.

-Place rice on serving plates and top with chicken gravy. Have toppings at the table and top with whatever you like! Have fun!







original recipe found here: http://picky-palate.com/2012/04/01/homemade-hawaiian-haystacks/

Brownie cookies

I made these cookies yesterday and they are without a doubt some of THE BEST cookies i have ever made. (which unfortunately is not saying much because i'm not very good at all at making cookies, but then again it is saying a lot because they were really easy and turned out delicious.) I found the recipe online and here it is:

BROWNIE COOKIES

CREAM TOGETHER:

1/2 cup salted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup cocoa powder

ADD IN:

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

STIR IN:

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup walnuts/pecans (optional)

Batter should feel much like cookie dough but look like brownie batter

Spoon onto cookie sheets like cookie dough

Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes

(I just used all regular flour since i didn't have wheat flour and i didn't add the nuts. 8 minutes was the perfect time for my oven.)
Seriously you should go make them right now. 

original recipe website: http://pleasantandplump.blogspot.com/2012/04/jessies-brownie-cookies.html

breakfast = oatmeal

i know you guys are gonna laugh when you see this but i'm posting about breakfast, and therefore i am posting about: OATMEAL! surprise! I love it (everyone knows that). But anyways I wanted to post a list of oatmeal options that i love because it is such a great breakfast thing but it usually needs a little kick to be truly delicious and if you eat it everyday like me, you need options. So i wanted to put together a little list of oatmeal mix-ins for everyone in case you want some ideas for how to make your oatmeal truly delicious. And they are all still really fast and easy. It's also for me because sometimes i forgot the yummy ones.

First of all: i just buy the generic brand "quick cooking" plain oats in the cylinder from the store. I usually make about 1/3 c in a bowl then just cover it with water. (of course you can do more, but this was the amount they told me to make when i was on my diet after having Caitlin and it's a good amount for me). Then i stick it in the microwave for 1:45. That's y tried and true time. Then i add my mix ins and enjoy. You can also add milk to it but i stopped adding milk also when i was on my diet, because they told me to. At first it will seem kind of dry but now im totally used to it and i dont mind it.

So here is a list of all my favorite mix-ins that are fast and easy:
-chocolate chips! Melissa actually just told me the other day that she was watching a morning show and they said one of the best breakfasts you can have is oatmeal with DARK chocolate! I knew i had the right idea. They said on the show that people who were having chocolate in their oatmeal lost up to 40 lbs. more than people who weren't. I've just been putting in regular milk chocolate chips but now im on the lookout for dark chocolate so i can feel completely justified!
-butterscotch chips
-fresh fruit (strawberries and bananas are my favorite)
-baked apples (cut up an apple into bitesize pieces then stick them in the microwave for about 25 minutes to get soft)
-cinnamon (yummy with just about anything and good for weight loss)
-peanut butter, nutella-- these are pretty good but they kind of give the oatmeal a weird texture
-brown sugar (i usually don't do this one but it is yummy)
-frozen berries (i get the 3 berry mix from costco and it's my favorite. Just scoop them in and by the time you mix it all around they are thawed enough)
-apple cider mix (like the packet.. use about half and you can get the non sugar kind t make it more healthy)
-Greek yogurt & honey (This is my newest one: I'm super into greek yogurt right now. It's really god for you. Just mix in a spoonful then add some honey to sweeten it up. The texture might look a little scary but it's actually really creamy and delicious.)

Good combo ideas from the above:
-chocolate chips + fresh fruit OR frozen berries
-baked apples + apple cider mix + cinnamon
-bananas + butterscotch chips OR peanut butter

K so there is all you've ever wanted to know about my oatmeal breakfast habits! Hopefully it gave you guys some ideas for if you want to try having oatmeal more often. Let me know if you guys have any other combos that you like!

WOW Chicken

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looked easy so i decided to make it last night and Paul loved it. (I liked it but too but i haven't been able to eat chicken breasts as easily while i'm pregnant so it wasn't a super home run for me) But, based on his reaction i decided to share.

It's just a standard chicken breast that you bake with some stuff on top but it makes it moist and gives it some extra flavor. It goes great with any sides too so if you just need something simple and fast but with flavor, try this!

 Ingredients:
 4 chicken breasts
1/2 C sour cream and/or greek yogurt and/or mayonnaise
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
Italian (or just regular) bread crumbs

-Preheat oven to 425
-Line a cookie sheet with foil (makes for super easy cleanup)
-Put your chicken breasts down on the pan. (Mine were thawed already but you could maybe experiment with frozen ones.) 
-Mix Sour Cream and/or Yogurt and/or mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese in a bowl. 
*I'm really into Greek Yogurt right now because it's so healthy so i used mostly plain greek yogurt with a little sour cream to equal a 1/2 C 
-Spread mixture over top of chicken breasts, then sprinkle Italian bread crumbs on top 
-Bake for 20-30 minutes until chicken is cooked.

**I also think it would be really yummy to add some Italian Dressing seasoning from a pouch to the mix on top. I'll probably try that next time.

original recipe adapted from:http://theenchantedcook.blogspot.com/2011/10/parmesan-crusted-chicken-hellmanns-mayo.html

Popcorn

• Parmesan Garlic Popcorn
• 
  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter $
• 2 cloves garlic, minced $
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil $
• 1 cup unpopped popcorn $
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan $
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt $

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring, then remove saucepan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Warm vegetable oil in a large, deep pot with a tight-fitting lid over high heat. When oil is hot, add unpopped popcorn, cover pot, and cook 1 minute. Vigorously slide pot back and forth over burner until popcorn begins to pop. Continue cooking and shaking pot until popping subsides, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat and transfer popcorn to large serving bowl.
3. Pour butter-garlic mixture over popcorn, sprinkle with Parmesan and cayenne and toss to coat. Season with salt and serve.
4. (from Myrecipes.com)

Marshmallow Popcorn Cake

2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn

1 10.5 ounce bag marshmallows

3 tablespoons butter

assorted Halloween mix-ins – I used M&Ms, candy corn and peanuts

Melt butter and marshmallows together.  Add popcorn and mix slightly.  Add in mix-ins and mix until the melted marshmallow mixture has coated all the popcorn.

Pour mixture into a bundt pan that has either been sprayed with cooking spray or buttered.  Turn out onto a serving dish and enjoy!

(from zupas.com)

Jello Popcorn

• 12 cups popped popcorn
• 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 (3 oz.) package cherry or other flavored gelatin

Instructions

• HEAT oven to 300ºF. Line large shallow roasting pan with heavy foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.
• REMOVE all unpopped popcorn. Pour popcorn into prepared pan. Keep warm in oven.
• COMBINE sweetened condensed milk and dry gelatin in medium saucepan. Heat and stir over low heat until mixture is slightly thickened and bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes.
• POUR mixture over popcorn. Stir gently to coat using a long-handled wooden spoon. Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Carefully turn out onto large piece of lightly buttered foil. Cool. Break into pieces or clusters.

(from eaglebrand.com)

8 Minute Mini Cinnamon Rolls

Yep, I saw this on Pinterest and just had to try it :)
They turned out pretty good! Although I didn't have a mini-cupcake pan, so I just used my regular one (and cut the dough rolls into 6 pieces, instead of the suggested 8).
Anyways, enjoy!

Ingredients:

1-8oz tube crescent roll dough

2 Tablespoons butter

cinnamon

brown sugar

For the maple icing:

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 Tablespoon skim milk

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.

2. Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.

3. Place mini cinnamon rolls into a non-stick sprayed mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.

4. Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.

Easy Mexican Casserole

2 C Tortillas Chips (crushed)
2 C uncooked rice
1 can diced green chilies
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can green enchiladas sauce
1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In a 13x9 greased pan layer 1 cup of crushed tortillas chips.

Over stove top prepare rice as directed on back of bag.  Once cooked mix in diced green chilies.  In a pan brown hamburger meat. Once cooked at salt and pepper.

In 13x9 pan layer 1 Cup crushed tortillas chips, rice with green chilies, black beans, corn, ground beef, green enchiladas sauce and rest of tortillas chips.

Cover and bake for 20 mins in oven.  Bring out and remove cover and layer with cheese.  Turn oven to broil and put back in oven until cheese is cooked (about 3-5 mins)

*I also have made this in the crock pot and it taste delicious, but is just not quite as crunchy.

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Yay for my first post.  Sorry I have been out of it.  I made this tonight and it was sooo yummy.  We ate all but one piece.  It is also supposed to be verily healthy (I guess as far as pizza goes).

• 2 1/4 T quick-rise yeast
• 1 cup warm water 
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 2-1/2 all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (Or 1 T Garlic Powder)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. (dough will be sticky).
• Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle flour over two 12-in. pizza pans coated with cooking spray. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pans. Build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork; brush with oil. Bake at 425° for 5 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
• In a small saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the parsley, pepper and remaining salt. Combine flour and milk until smooth. Stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
• Spread over crusts; top with chicken, tomatoes, spinach, cheeses and Italian seasoning. Bake 10-12 minutes longer or until crusts are lightly browned and cheeses are melted. Yield: 2 pizzas (6 slices each).

Taken from http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Chicken-Alfredo-Pizzas 

Pasta Chicken Ceasar Salad

A lady in my ward made this recipe up and told it to me last week at our Relief Society Activity. We made it tonight and it was really yummy!

Ingredients:
1 bag bow tie pasta 
1 rotisserie chicken
2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow)
1 bag romaine lettuce
Creamy Caesar Dressing

Directions:
Cook bow tie pasta.
Shred the rotisserie chicken.
Cut up the bell peppers (strips, chopped, whatever) 
Combine pasta, chicken, peppers, and lettuce in large bowl.
Serve with Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing.

The portions of each ingredient just depend how much salad you want. 

Chinese Honey Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Mike & I made it tonight for Chinese New Year and it was delicious!!!
xin nian kuai le

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1 inch chunks)
Oil(for deep frying)
Batter - 
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
Sauce - 
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons ginger (minced)
3 tablespoons garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Cooking Instructions:
Step 1 - In a large bowl mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and allow the batter to sit for at least 30 minutes. Add the chicken to the batter tossing to coat.
Step 2 - Heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees (since we don't have a deep fryer, I just did this part stovetop). Fry chicken bits in patches for 2 minutes or until batter becomes firm. Drain on paper towels.
Step 3 - To make the sauce. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in your wok. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. Combine 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and Simmer for 2 minutes.
Step 4 - Coat chicken with the sauce and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with white rice. 
(makes 4 servings)

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients:
2-3 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 Stick of Butter
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 container of Sour Cream
1 bag of Frozen Peas
1 Box of Stove Top Chicken Stuffing
1 cup Chicken Broth


Directions:
Preheat oven to 380 degrees
Boil chicken until cooked and cut into cubes
Mix softened butter, soup, and sour cream in a 9x13 inch dish
Mix chicken and peas in pan then pour stuffing mix on top. 
Pour 1 cup of broth over stuffing. 
Bake for 30 minutes.

Butterscotch Rolls

18-20 frozen Rhodes Rolls

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 sm. pkg. cook & serve butterscotch pudding

Cinnamon

Grease 9x13 pan or bundt pan with crisco. Put in frozen rolls. Pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on butterscotch pudding mix (dry).

Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap greased with crisco. Leave out over night.

In the morning bake at 350 for 20 min.

Immediately (within 15 min.) invert onto serving plate.

If it looks like the top is getting brown, but the inside is still doughy, then put foil over the top and continue cooking.

Crepes

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

3 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1/2 t salt

3 T butter, melted

Combine all ingredients except butter in blender. Blend, scrape sides of blender, blend. Add butter and blend. Refrigerate for 1 hour if you have time, if not then proceed with cooking.

Heat pan on med. until hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Spray lightly with cooking spray, if your pan needs it. Pour in just enough batter to cover bottom of pan. Tip pan to cover bottom of pan. Cook until the top of the crepe is dry (not sticky) to the touch. Remove from pan.

Crepes can be stacked on top of each other and they won't stick.

You can make them the day before and store them in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.

When you double the recipe, don't double the salt.

I serve them with berries, bananas, powdered sugar, whip cream, freezer strawberry jam, and chocolate sauce.

Makes 6 large or 12 small, all depending on the size of your pan.

Stromboli

Mike and I were really excited to use the ground deer meat from the hunt over Christmas break. We tried it with this recipe and it was really yummy!

Ingredients:
1 loaf thawed frozen bread dough (Rhodes white bread)
1 lb. Premium Pork Sage Sausage (this is where we substituted the deer meat + we added 1 packet taco seasoning to it)
Spicy Brown Mustard
Provolone Cheese slices
Ham or turkey deli meat
Progresso Bread Crumbs Italian Style


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Brown the meat (we added taco seasoning to the deer meat.)
Roll the dough into a rectangle. 
Spread a thin layer of spicy brown mustard on dough.
Layer the cheese, deli meat, and browned meat down the center of the dough. 
Bring the dough together and pinch the seam closed. 
Pinch edges closed too.
Place seam side down on greased baking sheet.
Soften some butter, but don't melt it, and spread on top of the roll.
Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  

Quick Enchiladas

Tonight my mom and I needed to make a quick dinner. We made it up as we went along and it was DELICIOUS and really EASY!

Ingredients:
2 cans roast beef (12oz)
1/2 sweet onion
olive oil or veg oil
1 can medium enchilada sauce (red)
8 flour tortillas
graded cheese
optional: guacamole, salsa, sour cream

Directions:
-Start by pre heating the oven to 375
-Then cut the onion into small pieces. Add a little olive oil to a pan and start to saute the onions on medium heat.
-In a separate pan (on medium heat) place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle cheese on top. Allow the cheese to to start to melt and then flip the tortilla over so the cheese gets crunchy on the tortilla. As soon as you flip the tortilla add cheese to the other side. When cheese starts to melt flip it over again. This side doesn't take as long to cook. It might look a little burnt, but its not. (The key is to make sure the cheese is cooked until it is crispy, so it will stick to the tortilla, other wise it will stick to the pan.) Put the tortilla with cheese on both sides on a separate plate.
-Continue this step with all 8 tortillas, while still watching the onions : )
-When the onions are clear, add the two cans of roast beef to the pan along with half the can of enchilada sauce.
-Add the beef mix to the tortillas in the center, like enchiladas.
-Roll the tortillas and to keep closed add a toothpick (since the cheese is crunchy, they don't roll easily)
-Place the rolled up tortillas in a 9 by 13 pan and place them in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Serve with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. (I just ate it with guacamole and it was really good.)
* you can also change the meal and use chicken instead of beef and use green chili enchilada sauce instead of the red.

Freezable Breakfast Burritos

Christine asked me to post this one, so here it is! These are so delicious and although the prep takes a little while they are completely worth it not only for the taste but for the time they save in the morning. Paul loves them.. definitely earned me a gold star for wife duties and some extra sleep time in bed for me! Enjoy!


Freezable Breakfast Burritos
**makes about 16 medium-sized burritos

1 lb. breakfast sausage, or bacon (or both)
1 c chopped ham
2 lbs. red potatoes, cubed into bite size pieces
16 oz cheese (any kind you like)
24 soft tortillas
12 eggs
1/2 c milk
1/3 c olive oil
1 t  Seasoning Salt
salt and pepper

-Cook bacon and/or brown the sausage. Fry up the ham.
-To make Roasted Red Potatoes: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dry cubed potatoes with a towel to eliminate any extra water. Toss the potatoes with 1/3 c olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper.  Use additional seasoning if desired. Roast for 30 minutes until golden brown.  Start checking at 20 minutes.  
-Make the scrambled eggs using all 12 eggs and season with salt and pepper.
-Place 5-10 tortillas on a plate. Cover with a wet paper towel. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power. Heat the tortillas in batches.
-Set up an assembly line with all the ingredients. Build your burritos: cheese/eggs/potatoes/meat
-Fold in the sides of the tortilla. Roll burrito up tightly. Pat firmly on top of the burrito making sure the seam is on the bottom.
-To freeze these burritos: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place burritos on the sheet, seam side down. Press down on the burritos again lightly making sure that the edges are tucked in. Place baking sheet in the freezer for an hour to flash freeze the burritos. Remove from freezer and wrap burritos in plastic wrap individually. Place in a ziploc bag.
-To heat the burritos: Remove plastic wrap. Wrap burrito in wet paper towel. Heat for 3 minutes on 50% power.
-Serve with fresh salsa




(originally found the recipe here: http://www.momontimeout.com/2011/08/breakfast-burrito-bonanza.html)