Ham and Cheese Calzoncini

Of course when I saw these mini calzones I knew I'd be making them for the husband. He's such a fan of my ham and cheese roll ups that I knew these would be an instant hit. You could fill the calzoncini with virtually anything, pizza ingredients, sloppy joe meat, leftover roast or chicken with onions and green peppers, lots of possibilities. I saw the idea over at Pretty Elements, enjoy! This recipe made 10 calzoncini.

Ingredients:
1 ball pizza dough (I cheated and used Pillsbury instead of homemade)
ham
shredded cheddar jack cheese
pepper (we love Lawry's seasoned pepper)
1 egg

Preparation:
On a prepared surface, roll out the dough to an even 1/4" thickness. Use a glass or circle cookie cutter to cut out circles. I got 20 circles out of my dough which makes 10 calzoncini. Sprinkle some pepper over all the circles. Place some ham and cheese in the center of half the circles. Take a plain dough circle and top a filled circle. Carefully pinch the edges together so none of the filling bubbles out during baking. Repeat with remaining calzoncini. Place the prepared calzoncini on a prepared baking sheet. Whisk egg in a small bowl. Brush a small amount of the egg wash over the top of the calzoncini. Bake at 350 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy.

Football Fries

This is a great way to jazz up boring old french fries. It only takes an extra minute or two, but really makes a difference. I think you'll really enjoy these, and like the name implies, these would be great for watching football. I saw the idea over at Ma What's For Dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 bag Ore Ida steak fries (or whatever kind of french fry you like)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp. steak seasoning
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt (if your steak seasoning doesn't have any salt in it)

Preparation:
Whisk together olive oil, steak seasoning, and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add frozen french fries and toss well to coat evenly. Spread out fries on a tin foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 17-20 minutes or until they've got a nice gold brown crust (or however the bag instructions direct). Serve up with your favorite condiments for dipping.

Easy Crock Pot Chicken in Gravy

This is definitely Nate's kind of comfort food. Chicken, gravy, potatoes, all things he loves. In fact, he's the one that got it started in the crock pot for me. It was perfect to throw in before church and then enjoy for dinner. I saw the idea over at Quick and Easy Recipes. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 packets low-sodium chicken gravy mix
poultry seasoning (we used McCormick's rotisserie chicken seasoning)
salt and pepper

Preparation:
Season chicken with some poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. Add chicken and broth to crock pot. Cook on high 4-6 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot, let stand for 10 minutes and then shred. Prepare gravy using 2 cups of liquid from the crock pot instead of water. Once gravy is ready, add and stir in the shredded chicken. Serve over hot mashed potatoes.

Grilled Chicken Burritos

These are the best! We totally loved them last night and Nate can't wait until lunchtime today to have leftovers! They are ridiculously simple and so so flavorful. I know they'd be a hit with anyone. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 burrito sized flour tortillas
homemade pico de gallo
the best Mexican chicken rub
shredded cheddar jack cheese

Preparation:
Prep your pico de gallo and set aside. Generously season both sides of your chicken pieces with the rub, let stand for 10-15 minutes and then grill until cooked through. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting into bite-sized pieces. Lay out flour tortilla, sprinkle some shredded cheese onto the bottom third of your tortilla. Place a generous helping of chicken on top of cheese and then top that with some pico de gallo. Roll up tortilla like a burrito (fold sides in and then roll). Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Once hot place burritos seam side down and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve hot and enjoy with a nice green salad.



I shared this over at High Heels and Grills.

Grilled Ranch Chicken

This is a perfect summer grilling recipe. We really enjoyed it. The chicken had great flavor and my husband is so good at grilling. This is definitely a recipe we'll make again and again. I never eat salad dressing on salads, I don't like it. However, I love using salad dressings in marinades. I always have several bottles in my food storage. So try this out, and soon! This is a recipe I adapted slightly from one I saw over at Not So Perfect Mom, enjoy!

Ingredients:
2-4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup ranch dressing
1 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine all the ingredients (except chicken) in a gallon size ziploc bag. Make sure they are mixed well. Add the chicken breasts and squish all the air out of ziploc bag and seal. Refrigerate and let marinate for 4-6 hours. I always place the ziploc bag in a mixing bowl in case of leaks. After they're finished marinating grill 'em up until done and juices run clear. Our chicken breasts were on the thicker side so Nate grilled them about 8 minutes per side. Serve with your favorite summer sides.