Do It All Marinade

I saw this idea over at Real Mom Kitchen and adapted the marinade to our tastes and to what ingredients I had on hand. It was so yummy on our chicken breasts. I also think it would taste fantastic on pork chops. Enjoy.

*my measurements were to marinate 2 chicken breasts, so you may need to double if you are cooking for more than two people

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce (I always use low sodium)
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard (but I bet Dijon would be great too)
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 Tbsp. dry parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. seasoned pepper (or more depending on your tastes)

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients and whisk together. Pour marinade into gallon size ziploc bag. Add your two chicken breasts and make sure they get coated well. Put ziploc bag in a large dish and refrigerate. The dish helps prevents any leaks in the fridge. Marinate for 5 or so hours, turning chicken every so often so that it marinates evenly. Once finished marinating, cook chicken as desired.

Picture updated 06/19/13.

Cheesy Mexican Rice

I have finally found it! The perfect Mexican rice recipe. This is the only recipe I'll use from now on. It was amazing. We had another couple over for dinner last night and everyone had a second helping of rice. I LOVE when that happens! This recipe is adapted from one I saw over at Let's Dish. The rice has a tiny bit of heat to it, but I'm not a big fan or spice and it is mild enough for me. I am seriously so excited for leftovers!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice (I use basmati rice)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 chopped jalapeno (or you could do a 1/2 cup chopped green pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 oz.) can mild Rotel
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/3 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (your preference)

Directions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes. Remove rice from heat, keeping the lid on, let rice stand for 5 or so minutes then fluff and stir in shredded cheese. Serve hot.

Chicken and Vegetable Lo Mein

I really love Chinese food, I could eat it all the time. This recipe was just a few ideas I had to make something healthy and flavorful. Both Nate and I really enjoyed it and the leftovers were good too!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, julienned
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, julienned
2-3 heads of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce (I always use low-sodium)
8 oz. Chinese noodles (or you could substitute spaghetti noodles)
olive oil

Preparation:
Mix water and cornstarch together in a small bowl, add brown sugar, ginger, chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, and soy sauce and set aside. In a large skillet heat 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil and cook chicken. Once finished, remove chicken from the skillet and set aside. Add another 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil and saute vegetables. Cook vegetables until tender but still have some bite to them. Pour some sauce into the skillet, you want enough to cover the bottom of the skillet, but you don't want to drown the vegetables and mix well. Boil noodles and remove them from pot a few minutes before they hit al dente. Saute vegetables in the sauce until the sauce starts to thicken. Add partially cooked noodles and stir well. Continue to saute until noodles are finished cooking and sauce has thickened. Serve hot!



I linked this recipe up to Totally Tasty Tuesdays.

Baked Chicken and Rice

Oh man, talk about good comfort food for a cold night! This recipe is reasonably healthy and so so flavorful. We loved it. I'm so glad we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. This is definitely a new family favorite of ours. I found this idea at Cooking with K.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
6 boneless chicken thighs or 4 boneless skinless breasts, rinsed and pat dry (I used the chicken breasts)
1/2-1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning (optional)
1 15 oz. can chicken broth (I always use fat-free, low sodium broth)
1 15 oz. can vegetable broth
1 pkg. Knorr classic vegetable soup mix

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread rice in the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish that has been lightly greased. Arrange chicken evenly only top of the rice; sprinkle with salt and cajun seasoning. Pour chicken broth over each piece of chicken. Sprinkle vegetable soup mix evenly over the the chicken. Pour chicken broth over each piece of chicken. Using and fork, separate the chicken to let the broths run evenly around the chicken. Cover and seal tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Once finished, let it stand for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy hot!

Hamburger Soup

This recipe is similar to one my mom would make when we were growing up. It was a favorite of my little sister Kelley's. I hadn't thought about this soup in years until a week or so ago. I called my mom for the recipe and she told me she didn't have one. She told me the basic idea and this is what I came up with. Instead of potatoes you could add pasta, but it has to be wagon wheel pasta, that's my mom always used.

Ingredients:
4 cups beef broth
4 cups V8 juice
1 cup water
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 large potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces (or you can add wagon wheel pasta)
2 carrots, sliced into rounds
1 celery stalk, sliced
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 bay leaf
seasoning salt
seasoned pepper

Preparation:
Add beef broth, V8 juice, and water to pot and bring to boil. Add bay leaf, cut potatoes, carrots, and celery, reduce to simmer and cover, stirring occasionally. Brown and cook ground beef with diced onion, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain any grease from beef mixture and add to soup. Continue to simmer until vegetables are fork tender. Then add drained green beans and any additional salt and pepper that the soup requires. Simmer until beans are warm and then serve.




I linked up this recipe over at Totally Tasty Tuesdays at Mandy's Recipe Box.

Shredded Cuban Pork

For Nate and Brandon's birthday dinner I made this shredded pork recipe. I slightly adapted this from my favorite recipe blog, Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I really enjoyed it, tons of flavor, but not hot. You could use this for salads, nachos, tacos, tostadas, etc. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4-pound boneless pork butt or boneless pork top loin roast, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 onion, quartered
juice of 1 lime

Preparation:
Rub the pieces of pork all over with salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until the oil is shimmering and hot. Add the pork and sear each piece on all sides, working in batches, if needed. Once browned, remove the pork to the slow cooker. Into the same pot used to sear the pork, pour in the water and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged spatula or wooden spoon to get up all the delicious brown bits from the bottom. Add pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, jalapenos, onion, and lime juice and bring to a simmer. Pour the mixture over the pork in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, until the pork is very tender.

Remove the bay leaves and onion from the pot and discard. Remove the pork and place in a bowl and set aside. Pour the liquid from the slow cooker into a pot on the stove and over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Let the mixture boil until it reduces and is thickened slightly, about 10 -15 minutes. Add pork and sauce back to crock pot, mixing well, and keep on warm until ready to serve.

Pizza Crust

We really enjoy pizza at our house and I've been on the search for the perfect pizza crust. This recipe turned out really well and made for a fun dinner. I found the recipe over at Oopsey Daisy.

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
1 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 Tbsp. honey
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp. salt

Preparation:
Pour warm water into a bowl. Add honey and salt. Mix until well blended. Add the yeast and mix. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of flour and the olive oil. Mix until well blended. Add the rest of the flour and mix well.
The dough should turn into a ball. If it is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
Once the dough is balled up, place on a floured surfaced and knead for 1 minute. Place in a covered bowl and store in a warm, dry area to rise.
After about 45 minutes, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch it down. Let it rise for another hour. The dough is now ready to be rolled out.
Roll out the dough on a clean, dry surface. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out to about ¼ inch thick. Place on a pizza pan. Take a fork and puncture holes all over the dough to prevent bubbling.
Brush with olive oil and Italian seasoning (I used garlic bread seasoning, and I also added a sprinkle to the top of the pizza toppings, so good!). Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings.
Bake pizza at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for a couple minutes and enjoy!

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

Can you believe I've never made sugar cookies the whole time I've been married? I know! Shame on me. To be honest, I didn't know that Nate liked them. Anyway, on Halloween night we made some sugar cookies. They turned out really well and are indeed super soft. I forgot to roll mine in sugar, but they were great anyway. I found this recipe over at Oopsey Daisy.

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
3 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Chill 1 hour. Roll and cut. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.


The picture is awful, we didn't start baking the cookies until almost 9 pm, so the lighting was non-existant.

Spaghetti and Meatball Eyes with Breadstick Bones

If you know my husband pretty well, you know he loves Halloween. I've seen several festive dishes around blog land and this is a fun and easy dinner. I saw this idea over at one of my favorite recipe blogs, Mel's Kitchen Cafe. Enjoy!

Spaghetti and Meatball Eyes
Simply use some sliced olives on top of your meatballs to make the eyeballs. I just used some frozen meatballs and this dinner was so easy!

Breadstick Bones
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tbsp. instant yeast
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted (for the baking sheet)

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Fold strips in half and tie knots at both ends and place on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I used my most favorite garlic bread seasoning) and parmesan cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Nate loves my sloppy joe recipe and he loves biscuits, so this combination popped in my head one day. When I suggested it to Nate, he was all over it. So try it we did. Nate was really happy with it and definitely wants it made again. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated biscuits
1 lb. ground beef
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced (optional)
1 green pepper, finely diced (optional)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1-2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
seasoning salt
seasoned pepper
shredded cheese

Preparation:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Halfway through cooking, add the diced onion and pepper and finish cooking. Drain any fat/grease. Turn down the heat and add the chili powder, taco seasoning, mustard, and ketchup. Mix well to combine. Keep heat low and simmer beef mixture for 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or temp indicated on biscuit tube). Spread beef mixture evenly into bottom of an 8x8" baking dish. Top with biscuits. Bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are fully cooked. Serve hot with a little shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Copy Cat Cracker Barrel's Grilled Chicken Salad

Have you ever eaten at Cracker Barrel? I've only ever ordered one thing, their grilled chicken salad. It is so good! I love the taste of their grilled chicken, so much flavor you don't feel like you're missing out on anything by ordering a salad. I saw a recipe for their chicken on Mommy's Kitchen. She braises and cooks her chicken stove top, but I didn't want to take that long so I baked mine. But definitely check out her method too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
6 chicken tenderloins (I used two breasts)
1/2 cup italian dressing (I used fat free)
1 tsp. lime juice
2 tsp. honey

Preparation:
Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well. Add chicken and marinate for an hour or so. Cook chicken until internal temp reaches at least 165. Like I said, I baked mine, but it would be great grilled or stove top.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I always love a good crock pot dish. I've made tacos a hundred times, but never with chicken so I figured it was high time. We really enjoyed these. Nate's little sister Stephanie came over for dinner and she said they were excellent too! I saw the recipe at Family.com.

Ingredients:
1 can Green chiles, diced
1 (12 oz.) jar salsa (I used my homemade salsa)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 whole onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)

Preparation:
Place chicken in the slow cooker. Top with salsa, diced green chiles, cumin, onion and garlic. Cover and set on low. Cook for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken from pot, shred, and return to juices. Spoon chicken into taco shells, with whatever toppings your family likes. Or use the meat to make burritos, tostadas or as a filling for enchiladas.

Garlic Steak

Have you ever been to the Brazilian restaurant Tucano's? It is Nate's favorite. His favorite dish is their garlic steak, and I have to admit, it's my favorite too. Nate found a garlic steak recipe online and we modified it and came up with this. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 lbs. sirloin steaks
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt

Preparation:
Mix the oil, garlic, and salt and combine well. Add steaks and make sure they are well coated. Marinate for 6-8 hours. Grill to desired doneness.

Korean Barbecue Beef Kabobs

These were so good! We really really enjoyed them. I am going to be making these again soon, they were that good! I got this recipe from Our Best Bites and just adapted it ever so slightly. I have to confess, Nate made this whole dinner. Since I am now in a big ugly ankle boot while I heal, he has really tried to make life easy for me. Love that man!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. sirloin steak, cut against the grain into thin (about 1/4″) slices, (I only used a pound and it was perfect)
1/2 cup pear juice (a 4 oz. bottle of pear juice from the baby food aisle is perfect and cheap)
1/2 c. low-sodium soy sauce (regular soy sauce makes it taste vaguely like beef jerky)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

Preparation:
Combine pear juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, chili sauce, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Add sliced steak. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 8 hours in the refrigerator (we marinated ours for 5 1/2 hours and I loved the amount of flavoring it gave). Thirty minutes before cooking, soak your bamboo skewers in water. Preheat the grill. While the grill is heating, thread the steak pieces onto bamboo skewers. Cook over medium-high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side, being careful not to let the meat get too cooked. Serve immediately; serves 4-6.

Chicken and Veggie Taquitos

Nate is crazy for taquitos. He seriously could eat them once a week and not get tired of them. We tried this variation last night. I still think these taquitos are my all time favorite, but these were really good too. It's a super easy idea and leftover chicken would work great in this dish.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 small flour tortillas
1/2 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preparation:
In a large skillet heat a Tbsp. or two of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot add the veggies and a little salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Once the vegetables are done, add the shredded chicken, mix well to combine, and cook until chicken is heated through. Warm up the tortillas slightly so they are more pliable and easier to work with. Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto the tortilla and then top with some cheese (if you keep it on the bottom third of the tortilla, they are easier to roll) and roll up. Place filled tortillas on a tin foil lined baking sheet. Cook at 375 for about 15 minutes or until the tortillas crisp up a bit. Serve warm with whatever toppings you'd like, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, etc. Enjoy!

Lasagna Soup

I've had this recipe bookmarked since Spring, just waiting for the weather to cool down. Now that we are well into October, bring on soup season! I tweaked Paula Deen's recipe to suit our tastes. FYI- if you are planning on eating leftover soup just know that the noodles absorb a most of the broth over night, but it is still so delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (32 oz.) box chicken broth (I used fat-free, low sodium broth)
2 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
2 cups broken lasagna noodles (I used garden rotini)
1 (5 oz.) package grated parmesan cheese (I forgot to buy parmesan, so I omitted it)
shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
In a large pot, combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.
Stir in garlic bread seasoning, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in armesan cheese.
I just sprinkled a little mozzarella on top of my soup to save on calories. Paula covers her soup with the mozzarella and then pops it under the broiler for a couple minutes. Serve hot!

Again, sorry about the picture, it was really late when we had dinner.

Twisty Breadsticks

I love love love breadsticks, I could eat them several times a week no problem. However so many carbs is definitely not good for my diabetes, so I don't bake bread products too ofter. I just had to have breadsticks with my soup tonight. This recipe is loosely based on one I found over at Six Sister's Stuff.

Ingredients:
1½ cups warm water
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
3½ cups flour (give or take a little)
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
garlic bread seasoning
powdered parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar in your mixer (I always use my Bosch) and let sit for five minutes. Then add salt and flour. You want the dough to be smooth and pull away cleanly from the sides of your mixing bowl, so adjust flour accordingly. 3 1/2 cups ended up being perfect for me. Mix dough until smooth, then cover and let raise for 10 minutes. Next roll out your dough into a large square on a floured surface (or you can spray your counter with pam). Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter and add 1 Tbsp. of garlic bread seasoning. Brush that mixture all over the dough. Fold dough in half and use a pizza cutter to cut into 1 inch strips. Twist each strip and place on a prepared baking sheet. Let the breadsticks raise for 20 minutes. Then bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Right after baking brush tops of breadsticks with the remaining 2 Tbsp. melted butter and sprinkle on a bit of parmesan cheese. Enjoy warm!

Sorry about the photo, it was already dark outside when we ate dinner.

Sizzling Chicken and Cheese

I've seen this recipe on multiple blogs. It's a copy cat recipe of a TGI Friday's dish. To be honest, I don't even know how many years it's been since I've been to a TGI Fridays. I used a recipe from The Daily Smash as a guide, but I adapted it to our tastes. I also used instant mashed potatoes and it was a super easy meal. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced (I forgot to buy a red one so it was left out)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
seasoning salt
olive oil
shredded cheese
mashed potatoes (we used instant, Nate actually prefers instant to homemade)

Preparation:
Prepare marinade with the following ingredients: minced garlic, parsley flakes, red pepper flakes, pepper, 1/4 tsp. seasoning salt, and 4 Tbsp. olive oil. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
Once the chicken is marinated, cook it. Bake, grill, pan fry, your choice. I baked my chicken at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and it was perfect. While chicken is cooking saute your sliced peppers and onions in a little bit of olive oil and season with a bit of seasoning salt. Cook until tender, but not limp and mushy.
To serve take the hot mashed potatoes, top with peppers and onions, then place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with shredded cheese.



I ate mine without any cheese and it was still delicious!

Pancakes

We had Nate's parents and four of his siblings staying at our place for a couple days over General Conference. Sunday morning I made pancakes as part of our breakfast and I got rave reviews. My brother-in-law Aaron said these were the best pancakes he's ever had. I saw this recipe over at Allrecipes.

This recipe yields about 6 pancakes. I quintupled this recipe for eight hungry people.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil


Preparation:
Combine all your dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl beat together your wet ingredients and then add that mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
Heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, pour batter using a 1/4 cup measuring cup for each pancake. Once the pancake starts to bubble on the edges it is ready to flip and then brown the second side. Serve hot!

Sorry, no pictures, my guests were hungry!

Fluffy Dinner Rolls

We had these rolls last night with my potato soup and it was so good! These rolls are so easy and they are nice and quick too. I'll be making these again and again! This recipe is from Jamie Cooks It Up.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter
3/4 cup hot water
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 - 4 1/2 cups flour
1 heaping Tbsp. yeast


Preparation:
Pour your milk into a microwave safe container. Add your butter to the milk and put it in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. While the milk is getting nice and toasty, turn on the tap to get your hot water. Temperature is important to making these rolls rise quickly.
Put your milk/butter and hot water in the bottom of your Kitchen Aid Mixer. Add the sugar and salt. Then add 2 C of the flour...let it mix for 1 minute.
Add the yeast. Turn the mixer on and add the rest of the flour 1 C at a time.
You have enough flour when the dough scrapes the side of the bowl clean. Mix on medium speed for 5 minutes.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. You need the plastic wrap to trap the heat.
Coat the inside of a 9x13 pan with some butter.
Spray your counter, or a cutting board with cooking spray. Lay your dough on top of it.
Take a sharp knife, spray it with cooking spray and cut your dough into 12 pieces. Make them as equal as you can.
Gently round them into balls, and put them in your buttered 9x13 pan.
Put the pan into your warm 170 degree oven. Let them rise for about 20 minutes or until they have risen about 1 inch above the rim of the pan.
Leave your pan in the oven and turn the heat up to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. This time includes the time it takes the oven to increase in temperature. If your oven takes a long old time....you will of course need to increase the time baking. Bake until golden brown.
Brush with a little softened butter and serve warm. Yah- I don't do this, I don't feel a need for the extra butter.

Tuscan Pasta

I had seen this pasta on a couple different blogs and really wanted to make it. When I went to make it for dinner tonight I noticed that it called for 1/2 cup olive oil! How is it a light pasta dish when there is 1/2 cup oil? So I decided to come up with my own version. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes
1 lb. penne pasta
1 (14.5 oz.) can of petite diced tomatoes
1/2 small onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. garlic bread seasoning
2 Tbsp. olive oil
grated mozzarella cheese for garnish

Preparation:
Cook pasta until al dente, rinse, drain, and set aside. In a large skillet heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat, once hot add onion and cook until translucent. Add diced tomatoes, garlic bread seasoning, and chicken. Bring everything to a simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add penne pasta and stir to combine everything. Cook everything for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until everything is hot. Top with mozzarella cheese if desired and serve immediately.

Butterfinger Cookie Bars

I usually make a treat once a week for Nate. This was our treat this week. I saw the idea over at Kaitlin in the Kitchen.

Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
about 8-10 fun size butterfinger candy bars, chopped (or any candy bar of your liking)

Preparation:
Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Add baking soda and salt, then mix. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Add flour and mix until well blended. Pour batter into an even layer in a greased 13 x 9 baking pan. Bake in at pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (they should be a dark golden brown). As soon as they come out of the oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over top and let set for about a minute or two. The chocolate chips should be melted and easily spreadable. Spread them in a even layer over the bars, then quickly before the chocolate sets, sprinkle on your chopped candy bars. Let cool before cutting into bars.

Savory Chicken Wings

This was the other appetizer I served during the football game tonight. Nate loves the hot wings I make and so I knew wings would be on the menu. The other night I found this idea on a recipe blog, Kaitlin in the Kitchen, and knew I wanted to try these. I don't like spicy things, so I figured these wings I would actually try. They were really good! Both Nate and I really enjoyed them and they will be a definite game day food at our house.


Ingredients:
1 bag frozen chicken wings (they are usually about 2.5 lbs.)
1 cup bottled Italian dressing (I used fat free)
1/2 cup soy sauce

Preparation:
Lay your chicken wings evenly in a pan with high sides and bake in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes without any sauce on them. Whisk together soy and Italian dressing. After the 20 minutes, remove them from the oven, and pour half of the sauce on them and return to the oven for another 15 minutes, then remove, flip them with a pair of tongs and pour the rest of the sauce on and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes or until they are brown and cooked all the way through.

Pizza Bites

It's game day! While Nate is busy cheering on BYU he will be snacking on chicken wings and these pizza bites. I've had these bookmarked for so long and I thought today was the perfect day for them. The recipe is from Our Best Bites.

Ingredients:
1 roll refrigerated pizza dough (or you can use homemade dough)
pizza sauce
melted butter
garlic bread seasoning
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza toppings of your choice (I used turkey pepperoni, green peppers, and onions)

Preparation:
Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees.
Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares.
Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.
When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).
Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and then sprinkle with the garlic bread seasoning.
Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.
Serve warm with warmed pizza sauce on the side for dipping.


These were so fun and they are perfect football food!

Cajun Pork Roast

Such an easy and yummy recipe! Seriously, so easy. The original calls for the roast to cook on low for 12-15 hours. I didn't have that kind of time, so I just cooked it on high for 4 hours and then on low for another 2 and it still turned out really well! This recipe comes from Lovely Little Snippets.

Ingredients:
3 lb. pork roast
6 cups water
4 chicken bullion cubes
4 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

Preparation:
Dump all of the ingredients on the slow cooker, and set on low for 12-15 hours. Shred and serve.