Montreal Chicken Marinade

So good! We first tried this marinade on some drumsticks we grilled and we knew we had a winner recipe. This is the third time we've made it and it's been great every time. I saw this idea over at The Diary of Dave's Wife, and the only change I made was to reduce the brown sugar. We love it and I hope you do too!

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. parsley flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning
1 1/2 lbs. chicken (we like boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can use whatever you like)

Preparation:
Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Add marinade and chicken to a gallon sized ziploc bag. Squish out all the air and seal up. Place bag in a tupperware dish in case of leaks and then place into the fridge. Let marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours. Cook as desired, but we totally recommend grilling.



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Rio Grande Quesadillas

We love Mexican food at our house. It makes an appearance at least weekly on our dinner table. Nate would have it multiple times a week if I let him! I have had this little recipe saved forever and we finally tried it last night. It's a cinch to make, and they are super yummy and filling. I saw the idea over at Taste and Tell. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with our favorite Mexican rub*, cooked and shredded
6 flour tortillas
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
green onions
shredded cheese
chopped cilantro, optional

Preparation:
In a medium sauce pot heat the refried beans over medium heat. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of taco seasoning. Once heated through, add the shredded chicken and cook until nice and hot. Spread the chicken/bean mixture over half of a tortilla, sprinkle cheese over the top, then top that with green onions and cilantro if you want. Fold the tortilla in half. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To cook, place a quesadilla in a skillet prepared with non-stick spray over medium heat. Cook until golden brown and then flip and repeat on the remaining side. Quesadilla is done when golden brown and the cheese is nice and gooey. Serve immediately with sour cream and salsa.

*Rub Recipe:
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of those really well. Store in an airtight container.

Copy Cat Costa Vida Nachos

Nate is a big fan of the nachos from a local restaurant Costa Vida. It's what he orders every time we go there. Since he enjoys them so much, I figured I could make our own version at home. They turned out really really well. We both loved them and they taste just like the restaurant version, but I think even better. Costa Vida serves them in metal tins and I did the same. I just used disposable round cake tins and it worked perfectly. Make these soon, I know you'll like them.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
our favorite Mexican rub*
olive oil
tortilla chips
pico de gallo
shredded cheese
black beans (optional)
sour cream (optional)
guacamole (optional)

Preparation:
Rub a little olive oil over the chicken breasts and then season with the Mexican rub. Bake chicken at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes and then shred. To assemble the nachos put a layer of tortilla chips in the bottom of a disposable round cake tin, then spread a layer of chicken (and black beans if you want) on top of the chips and finally some cheese. Repeat chips, chicken, and cheese. Place nachos in a 400 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted. Immediately top with pico de gallo and any other desired toppings and serve hot. Enjoy!


*Rub Recipe:
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of those really well. Store in an airtight container.

Taco Salad Pizza

This was so yummy! I made it yesterday for my mom's Mother's Day lunch. We all really enjoyed it. It's this great Mexican style pizza that's baked then topped with lettuce and your favorite taco salad toppings. We made the taco salad pizza with chicken but it would be great with seasoned ground beef or shredded pork too. Nate and I decided it's a great light Mexican meal that we will be making again and again! I hope you enjoy it too. I saw the idea over at Lauren's Latest.

Ingredients:
1 tube Pillsbury pizza crust*
2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded**
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
pico de gallo
sliced olives
crunched up tortilla chips
any other of your favorite taco salad toppings

Preparation:
Line a baking sheet with tin foil and then spray with non-stick spray. Spread out the pizza dough to fit the pan. Par-bake the crust at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Then top with salsa, black beans, chicken, and cheese. Return to oven and bake another 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown on bottom. Remove from oven. Slice into 8 pieces. Top your slice with shredded lettuce and your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Here's what the pizza looks like before topping.



*We used a store bought dough for convenience. You could absolutely use homemade dough. The instructions I included are for the Pillsbury dough. I do recommend par-baking the crust though.

**This is our all time favorite rub to use on chicken for a great Mexican flavor. I just put a little olive oil on the chicken then season with the rub. I bake my chicken breasts, let them cool for 15 minutes then shred them.

Rub Recipe:
2 tsp. chile powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of those really well. Store in an airtight container.

Pull Apart Pizza

We love pizza in our house. My favorite pizza dough is this one, it's so tasty and so versatile. I usually keep a batch or two in the freezer. This recipe is a great alternative for when you don't have pre-made dough on hand. The pull apart pizza crust is made up of bite size pieces of French bread, so good! This would also be a fun appetizer, you can just imagine the toppings possibilities. I saw this idea over at Plain Chicken. Enjoy!

Ingredints:
2 (11 oz.) packages of Pillsbury refrigerated French bread dough
pizza sauce (we used this homemade sauce)
shredded mozzarella cheese
pizza toppings of your choice

Preparation:
Open one package of dough onto a cutting board. Slice the dough in half lengthwise so you have two long strips. Then slice the dough strips widthwise into 16 pieces each (so you end up with 32 dough bits). Repeat with the other package of dough. You should end up with 64 dough pieces. On a lightly greased pizza pan or pizza stone, arrange the dough pieces into a circle. Top with pizza sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 16 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cooked through.

Meximelts

This dish is very similar to our Grilled Chicken Burritos which is one of my favorite dinners ever. When I saw this idea over at Fanastical Sharing of Recipes, I knew it would be one we would enjoy. Sure enough, both Nate and I agreed this would be a dinner we will have over and over again. I love the pico de gallo and the freshness it adds to the dish. We paired these meximelts with a simple green salad and it was a great dinner. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
taco seasoning packet plus the water it requires (or 3 Tbsp. of your homemade taco seasoning)
pico de gallo
6 taco sized flour tortillas
shredded cheese

Preparation:
Brown and crumble ground beef. Add taco seasoning plus water it requires and finish cooking according to package directions. Warm tortillas in the microwave for 10-15 seconds so they are pliable and easier to work with. Layer ground beef, some pico de gallo, and some shredded cheese on the tortilla. Roll up like a burrito. In a lightly greased pan over medium heat, place the burritos seam side down. Cook until golden brown and crisp and then flip and do the same on the other side. Serve hot!

Copy Cat 5 Layer Burritos

It's been forever since I've posted, nearly a month! We've just been so busy with end of summer fun and my in-laws moved back into town. There have been some new recipes that I've tried but nothing that I felt worth posting. Now we're back in the groove of a schedule and hopefully that means regular posting! This is the dinner I made last night. I saw the idea over at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes and I knew it would be something Nate would really enjoy. The recipe is a copy cat of a Taco Bell burrito, I've never had it before so I can't say how close it is, but we liked it. It's such a simple dinner and we just had it with a green salad.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning plus the water it requires (or 3 Tbsp. homemade taco seasoning)
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (16 oz.) can refried beans
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
shredded cheddar cheese
queso
sour cream (we didn't use sour cream)
flour tortillas

Preparation:
Brown and crumble the ground beef. Halfway through cooking add the diced onion and green pepper. Once cooked add the envelope of taco seasoning plus the water it requires and finish cooking per package instructions. Meanwhile in a saucepan heat the refried beans with 1 Tbsp. of taco seasoning. Heat queso cheese. Once the ground beef mixture and refried beans are completed it's time to assemble the burritos. On half the tortilla spread a spoonful of queso cheese. Top that with a scoop of refried beans, follow that with some ground beef, next add some sour cream if you're using it, and then finally top that with some shredded cheese. Fold in the sides and then roll up the burrito. Serve immediately. We thought that they'd be good put in the oven for a few minutes to get a nice crisp texture to the tortilla. Enjoy!

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Had these for dinner tonight and we really enjoyed them. We'll definitely be having these again and again. It's not really a recipe, per se, more of an idea for you. Just take your favorite taco fillings and toppings and instead of using a shell or tortilla use a piece of lettuce. Then wrap them up and enjoy!

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.

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.

Bean and Cheese Burrito Bites

These were so much fun! We really enjoyed these for dinner last night. We never get tired of trying new Mexican dishes and we'll definitely be making these again and again. These totally work for a vegetarian meal or for a fun appetizer. Nate told me he'd even enjoy this dish as a full size burrito. I saw this idea over at Sweet Treats and More. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz.) can of refried beans (we used fat free)
1 1/2 Tbsp. of taco seasoning
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese (you could do cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack etc.)
4 uncooked flour tortillas
toppings/dips of choice - salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, etc.

Preparation:
In a small pot combine and heat refried beans and taco seasoning over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once hot, stir in salsa and shredded cheese. Continue to cook and stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat. Cut each tortilla into four triangles. Place a heaping tablespoon (I used a cookie scooper) of the bean mixture on the tortilla triangle near the point. Roll the tip up, then fold in the sides, and finish rolling (like you would a burrito). Place the burrito bite seam side down on a tin foil lined baking sheet that's been lightly sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat with remaining tortilla triangles, you may have a little bit of leftover bean mixture, I did. Bake the burrito bites at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until a light golden brown, flipping burrito bites halfway through. They may ooze a bit, but you've lined your baking sheet, so it's all good! Serve hot with your favorite dipping stuff/toppings. Have fun!

Taco Cups

Such a great variation of tacos! We love Mexican food at our house (especially the man of the house) and so I always love a good Mexican recipe. I saw this idea over at my favorite food blog, Mel's Kitchen Cafe and knew we had to try it. We weren't disappointed, we loved this dinner. I served these with a green salad and some corn, yum!

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet plus the water it requires (or your favorite homemade mix)
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 small onion, diced
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
12 small fajita sized flour tortillas
toppings- shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, olives, salsa etc.

Preparation:
First lightly grease a muffin tin. Cut out about 4" circles out of each of your tortillas, I just used one of those hospital mugs. I flipped it upside down and then cut around it with a paring knife. Place a tortilla into each muffin well and set aside. In a skillet start to brown ground beef over medium-high heat. Halfway through cooking add the diced pepper and onion. Once finished cooking add taco seasoning packet and water and cook according to packet instructions. Once that's done add the tomato sauce and cook over medium-low heat for a couple minutes. After the meat is done cooking, spoon some into each of the tortillas. Nate topped his with some queso and sriracha before baking. You can add your shredded cheese now or after baking. Bake at 375 degree F for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the tortilla cups are a nice light golden brown. Serve and top with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

Calzones

You really need to make this dough. It is honestly the best homemade pizza dough I've ever had. Everyone I make it for loves it too and wants the recipe. I always make a double batch of dough, which yields 4 balls of dough, and have some in my freezer. It's perfect for busy days, especially during this holiday season! The frozen, thawed dough tastes as good as fresh too. I've used the dough for pizza, breadsticks, pizza bread, ham and cheese roll ups, and calzones. The options are really endless!

Ingredients:
1 ball amazing pizza dough (makes 4 good sized calzones)
pizza sauce
freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic bread seasoning
pizza toppings of choice, we love Hormel's turkey pepperoni, green peppers, onions etc.

Preparation:
Cut your pizza dough into 4 even sized pieces. Roll and stretch each piece of dough out into a thin circle. Spoon some pizza sauce into the middle of the circle, being sure to leave a nice perimeter of plain dough. Add pizza toppings of your choice and some cheese on top of the sauce. Don't go too overboard, you want your cheese to melt nicely. Fold the dough in half and seal tightly, make sure the entire thing is pinched tightly together so your filling doesn't ooze out. Make a couple small slits in the top of your dough to allow the steam to escape while baking. Sprinkle some garlic bread seasoning on top of each calzone and some mozzarella if you like. Bake in a 500 degree oven for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown and the dough is cooked through. I recommend using a pizza stone or a metal pizza pan that has the holes in it. I also like sprinkling a tiny bit of cornmeal on your stone or pan so the calzones don't stick. Enjoy!

Homemade Crunchwraps

Don't even be surprised that it's another Mexican dish! They are always a hit at our house. Poor Nate had gone a week or so without Mexican food due to the holiday, he was overdue! This recipe is a copy cat idea from a dish they serve at Taco Bell. I don't know how close this is to the actual crunchwrap, but we both liked this version and will definitely be making these again. I really liked that you can individualize these crunchwraps, that way Nate can make his as spicy as he wants and I can have mine the way I like. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can refried beans (I used fat free)
1 packet + 1 Tbsp. taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
shredded lettuce
salsa
hot sauce (Nate's favorites are Tapatio and Sriracha)
queso (we like Tostito's brand salsa con queso)
tostada shells or broken up tortilla chips
large flour tortillas (the largest ones I could find were burrito sized and they worked well)
shredded cheddar cheese
vegetable oil

Preparation:
In a large skillet brown and crumble ground beef. Halfway through cooking, add the diced onion and green pepper. Once browned, add the taco seasoning packet and water and mix thoroughly, reduce heat and finish cooking according to packet directions. Once complete, set aside. Heat the refried beans with 1 Tbsp. of taco seasoning added. I just do it in a small pot over medium heat. Also heat up your queso. The crunchwraps just get grilled for a few minutes, so you want your fillings to go in hot. Now you'll need to assemble your crunchwraps, you can do it in any order you like, this is just how Nate and I made them last night. I microwave my flour tortillas for just 10-15 seconds so they are pliable and easier to work with. Place a tortilla down, then spread a bit of queso in a circle in the center of the tortilla. Remember you're going to be folding up the sides, so don't make too huge of a circle. Then spread some refried beans on top of the queso. Place a tostada shell on next, you can also just break up some tortilla chips instead. You don't want the chips to be powder fine, just broke into large pieces so you still get a good crunch. Next top the chips with some ground beef. Then add some hot sauce or taco sauce or salsa on top of the beef. Sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on next if you like and finally top with some shredded lettuce. Now you'll gently fold up the sides of the flour tortilla. Be careful not to pull too tight or you'll break the tortilla. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. I brushed a tiny bit of vegetable oil over the bottom of the pan. Once hot, place the crunchwrap folded side down into the skillet. Grill for a few minutes or until you get that nice golden brown color. Then flip the crunchwrap over and grill the other side until golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!

I shared this over at High Heels and Grills.

Copy Cat Chick-Fil-A Nuggets

Hey- this is our 300th post! Woot woo! We hardly ever fry anything in our house. Maybe 4-5 times a year. I'm not a big fan of the mess, the lingering grease smell, or how unhealthy the food is. This recipe is definitely worth the hassle though. Nate is a huge fan of Chick-Fil-A. He has even requested it for his birthday dinner one year. I came across this recipe from My Name Is Snickerdoodle a while ago and it got good reviews and so I figured it was worth a shot. We just tweaked the seasoning a bit for our tastes and both Nate and I enjoyed the final product. They don't taste exactly like the restaurant, but they are pretty close. This definitely makes for a fun dinner and would be a treat for the kids or an at-home date night. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups milk
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 1/2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
3 tsp. salt (we used Lawry's seasoning salt)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I used McCormick's GrillMates chicken rub)
1 1/2 tsp. pepper
peanut oil (is best) or canola oil

Preparation:
In a medium bowl whisk the egg and stir in the milk. Trim any fat away from chicken. Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Place chicken in milk mixture,and cover. Let it soak for 2-4 hours in the fridge. This will make the chicken very nice and tender. In a gallon size resealable baggie combine flour, powdered sugar, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Seal and shake to combine. Place about 2 inches of oil in a medium deep pot. I used my big blue dutch oven. Over medium high heat (more towards the high side) heat oil until hot. Using a thermometer, heat the oil to 375°. Adjust your heat if necessary. Using tongs remove cut chicken from milk mixture and place in the flour mixture. Seal and shake until nuggets are completely coated. Place about a 6-8 nuggets into hot oil and let them cook until golden brown, turning half way through once the edge of your chicken starts to turn white. About 1 minute each side. Always double check to see if any chicken you make is cooked through. Also keep an eye on your oil temperature and make adjustments as needed. Repeat until all nuggets are cooked. Serve with your favorite sauce!





I shared this recipe over at Mandy's Recipe Box,Chef In Training, and High Heels and Grills.

Sloppy Joe Jack O'Lanterns

Halloween is so close! Nate is a big fan of Halloween and I love getting to decorate and make festive food. Last night's dinner was no exception. It's a simple idea that makes dinner much more fun, and they tasted great too! I saw the idea over at Plain Chicken but I changed up the filling for our preferences. These would also be fun with a taco meat filling or some simple pizza ingredients (sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni). Try this for a fun dinner before trick-or-treating!

Ingredients:
sloppy joe meat (I used this recipe and we used about 2/3 of it)
8 count tube of refrigerated biscuits, the layered kind (I used Pillsbury)
shredded cheddar cheese, optional

Preparation:
Separate each biscuit into two layers. Flatten each layer into a circle. Lay out half the circle onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Spoon sloppy joe filling in the center of the circles on the baking sheet. Also add some shredded cheese if you like. Use a sharp paring knife and cut out jack o'lantern faces on the remaining circles. Using the scraps from the face cut outs make stems for your pumpkins. Place a stem on each sloppy joe circle then top with a jack o'lantern face. Carefully pinch and seal up all the sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with a nice green salad and enjoy!

Taco Roll Ups

Okay, I've got another simple and fun variation on taco night for you. I've been meaning to make these forever! I wish I hadn't taken so long to make these. Nate was super excited to have these, so he totally volunteered to cook the whole recipe with me. I love cooking together, I love cooking and it makes me feel so valued and loved when Nate wants to share in that hobby with me. Nate is a really good cook too, he pretends he can't cook, but he knows more than he lets on! So back to the recipe, I saw this idea over at Kaitlin in the Kitchen. It's so easy and I love the nice crispness the outside of the tortillas get and the warm gooey inside. Try this next time it's taco night.

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning plus the water it requires
(okay, the above ingredients are how I always make my taco meat, you don't have to do it this way, you just need a pound of your favorite taco meat)
soft taco sized flour tortillas (I believe we used 9 or 10)
shredded cheese (there's no set amount, just make it however cheesy you want)
butter or vegetable oil

Preparation:
Prepare your taco meat. I start browning and crumbling my ground beef, and halfway through cooking I toss in the diced green pepper and onion. Just as it finishes browning add the taco seasoning packet and the water it requires (I usually add a little less water than the packet says). Now it's time to assemble the roll ups. I made mine on a giant cutting board so I had room for all my roll ups and so that the mess was easy to clean up, or you could throw a sheet of tinfoil or parchment paper down. First, lay a tortilla down and then sprinkle some cheese right down the middle of the tortilla. Then scoop some of the taco meat on top of the cheese. Next sprinkle some more cheese on top of the meat. You need cheese on top and bottom so that the meat has something to stick to and won't fall out when you're done. Fold up the tortilla, fold one side in and then the other, then place seam side down so it stays together. Repeat this with all your tortillas and filling. Warm a large saute pan or griddle pan (I cooked at a heat just a bit warmer than medium) with a small amount of butter or vegetable oil so your roll ups brown nicely and don't stick. Once the pan is warm, place roll ups in the pan seam side down (as many as will fit) and grill for a few minutes or until the tortillas get to be a nice golden brown color. Then flip and do the same thing for the other side. I wish I had a nice big electric pancake griddle, then I could have cooked them all at once! Serve hot with your favorite taco toppings! Enjoy!

Pizza Bread

Sooo amazing! This was absolutely divine. I'm so glad I have another batch of pizza dough in the freezer. I'm definitely going to have to make this again soon. It's so easy to make too. I'll probably have this be one of the meals Nate makes for me after my foot surgery next week. You can use whatever fillings you'd like, and the dough get's this nice crust on the outside and is soft on the inside, so good! I tried grating my own whole milk mozzarella, and it was so good, I don't know if I can use the pre-shredded stuff again. Make this asap, you'll love it!

Ingredients:
1 ball amazing pizza dough
melted butter
garlic bread seasoning
freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella
pizza toppings of your choice (I added green pepper, onion, Hormel's turkey pepperoni our favorite!, and Canadian bacon)

Preparation:
Roll pizza dough out into a rectangle. You don't want it to be too thick or you'll have trouble getting the middle cooked. Brush a really light coat of melted butter over the dough and then sprinkle garlic bread seasoning over the top. Add your mozzarella cheese, then your pizza toppings. Carefully roll up the dough lengthwise, making sure your toppings stay inside. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick spray. Transfer your pizza bread onto the middle of the cookie sheet. I find it's easiest to make the pizza bread on a cutting board and then I can easily roll it onto the cookie sheet. Brush a small amount of butter over the top of the bread and sprinkle with some garlic bread seasoning. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a nice golden brown. Slice and serve hot with our favorite pizza sauce for dipping!

Hot Ham Dips

Nate says this is one of his new favorite sandwiches. I'd say it's a keeper recipe then! They were warm and comforting, and enjoyed while he watched the Green Bay vs. Bears game. I do think these make good football food. I saw this idea over at Plain Chicken, and I served them on homemade pretzel buns. You could easily serve these on some nice rolls or slider buns. Try these for your next football party. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
melted butter
pretzel buns, split (or you could use rolls)
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced ham
1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Preparation:
Place rolls on a baking sheet and brush cut sides with butter. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 3-4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is thoroughly melted.
In a large saucepan, combine beef broth and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Place ham into broth. Heat ham for 30-60 seconds, until warm. Using tongs, place ham on rolls. Serve immediately with remaining broth for dipping.

Very Veggie Chicken Salad

I'm sure there are hundreds of variations on chicken salad. I'm not a fan of any of them, there is usually way too much mayo and weird ingredients like nuts that I don't like. I had some leftover chicken from last night's dinner and I knew Nate wouldn't want it for lunch two days in a row, so I came up with this. It made for a good lunch and I'll definitely make it again.

So no real recipe here, just the basic idea.
Ingredients:
cooked chicken, either shredded or chopped
diced celery
diced green pepper
diced carrot
diced scallion (optional)
miracle whip or mayo (I like miracle whip better)

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients to fit your tastes and serve in a tortilla, on a sandwich, etc. I think it's best with a little bit of cheese in a wrap. Enjoy.