Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches

If your a fan of just regular grilled cheese, prepare yourself for how much more amazing grilled mozzarella is!! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into 4 equal pieces about 3-inches by 4-inches
• 8 1/2-inch thick firm white sandwich bread
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, leaves
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• A grating of nutmeg
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

1. Place the mozzarella on 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the remaining slices to form sandwiches. Trim the crusts off to make perfect 4-inch squares.
2. In a wide shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the cream, thyme leaves, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until well blended.
3. In a 10 to 12-inch nonstick saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook until the sizzling subsides. Dip 2 of the sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to coat, place in the pan, and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side. Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates and repeat the process with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and 2 sandwiches. Cut in half, and serve immediately.

Adapted from:Martha Stewart

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

I love crispy chicken..So I already craved it the second I read the recipe. The picky eater (my daughter) loved it, which is a bonus! I liked it better without the honey garlic sauce but it was still really good!!

Ingredients:

4 large boneless chicken breasts

Sift together:

2 cup flour
4 tsp salt
4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sage
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Make an egg wash by whisking together:

4 eggs
8 tbsp water

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then dip the meat in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the breast into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. Make sure the chicken does not brown too quickly. The thinness of the breast meat practically guarantees that it will be fully cooked by the time the outside is browned. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 5 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked breasts into the Honey Garlic Sauce.

Honey Garlic Sauce

In a medium saucepan add

2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic

Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Add:

1 cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce (low sodium soya sauce is best)
1 tsp ground black pepper

Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Adapted from:

Mexican Dorito Casserole

Another yummy Mexican recipe! I have yet to find one bad recipe on pinterest...or from any of my magazines and cookbooks. 

Ingredients:
2 c. shredded cooked chicken
1 c. shredded cheese (or more if you are a cheese hound)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes (canned tomatoes with jalepenos-mild)
1/2 packet taco seasoning (or more- to taste)
Bag of doritos

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except doritos.

3. In a greased 2 qt baking dish, put a layer of crushed doritos (about 2 cups), then a layer of the chicken mixture. Repeat once more, ending with a layer of chicken mixture. Top with more shredded cheese, cover, and bake for 30-35 minutes, till bubbling hot.

Adapted from:Jam Hands

Weight Watchers Cheddar Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Pasta

Chicken, bacon, and ranch pasta is so delicious. We don't eat pasta that much because I'm not always the biggest fan but my daughter and husband love it so when I found this recipe I knew it would be a winner!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta

4 slc bacon, diced

1/2 Tbsp light butter

1 lg chicken breast, boneless & skinless, cut into bite sized pieces

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 pkg ranch dressing mix ( 1/2 oz)

1 c fat free milk

1/2 c fat free shredded cheddar cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot, and keep warm. 

          

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1/2 tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan. 

          

3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add the chicken to the same skillet. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned. 

          

4. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. 

          

5. Serve each plate of pasta with more bacon sprinkled over the top.

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

Not sure if I mentioned in previous posts buuut our family eats a lot of chicken so I'm all for finding new kinds of chicken recipes! This one was another winner!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Brown Sugar

Directions:

1. Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish. Make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine

** I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories

2. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy. Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

Honey Glazed Bacon-wrapped Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless chicken breasts
20 thin bacon slices
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp coarse mustard
fresh lemon juice

1. Cut the chicken breasts in halve (not too thin) I opted not to cut them.

2. Grab a bowl and combine 3 tbsp honey with 2 tsp coarse mustard.

3. Squeeze in some lemon juice. Not too much, about a tbsp or so. I think orange juice will be great, too.

4. Bacon rights all the wrongs in this world. It brings justice to all the injustices. Or something like that.

5. Wrap the bacon around the chicken (because I decided not to cut the chicken breasts I used 2 slices of bacon

6. Place them in a roasting tray or on a cookie sheet. If you’re afraid of cleaning up, line the tray or sheet with some tin-foil first. I’m hard-core (And own a dish washing machine. It helps).

7. Brush the chicken bites with half the marinade.

8. Bake them in a preheated oven at 425F (225C) for 10 to 13 minutes. Until the bacon is crispy.

As soon as one side is done, take the tray out of the oven. Does this look good or what? I could never be a vegetarian simply because I cannot forsake bacon. I absolutely love it, in an artery clogging kind of way!

9. Flip them over and brush them with the remaining marinade. Put them back in the oven for another 10 to 13 minutes, until the other side is crispy as well. Keep an eye on them.

Frosty S'more Cups

Made these as a dessert for a cookout and they absolutely AMAZING!!!! My only advice is to let them thaw out just a little bit before hand!

INGREDIENTS:

• 18 graham cracker squares (9 sheets or about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/3 c. butter
• 1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 c. whipping cream
• 2 c. mini marshmallows
• 1 1/2 c. cold milk
• 1 box (4 servings, 3.9 oz)instant chocolate pudding
• 1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip (thawed in fridge)
• 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips (as topping)

DIRECTIONS
1. Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs.
2. Melt butter and add to graham crackers, mixing until well combined to make crust.
3. Prepare pan by placing disks into the bottom of each cup.
4. Evenly divide crust mixture into all 12 cups, saving about 1/4 cup to use as topping later.

5. Place milk chocolate chips and whipping cream into a small bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
6. Spoon chocolate into a zip top bag, cut a tip off and evenly pipe chocolate into the center of each cup, on top of the crust.

                                                     
7. Divide Marshmallows among cups.
8. Mix cold milk with pudding on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip container (the rest will be used as topping).
9. Spoon filling into a large zip top bag (and ZIP it or you might have a mess!) Clip a corner off and pipe pudding into each cup evenly. Try to pipe it in between the marshmallows so that the whole cup is filled. I did have a little left over (which was really tasty straight out of the bag!)
10. Use a knife to smooth the tops level with the top of the pan.
11. Freeze for at least a couple of hours.
12. Allow the pan to warm just a bit before popping each dessert cup out. Poke a finger up through the hole in the bottom of the pan and grab that s’mores cup by its crust. Remove the disk from the bottom and you are ready to add topping.
13. For topping, I just piped a little bit of the left over Cool Whip on each dessert using a decorating tip. Then I sprinkled the remaining crust and mini chocolate chips on top.

                                             
14.Serve cold right away– or put them in a sealed container and freeze until you are ready to serve.

Adapted from: Easy Baked

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

I'm not a big fan of making breakfast..I mean seriously, your kids wake you up at the crack of dawn so you're still half asleep and you have to make breakfast which sometimes involves a dangerous appliance...the stove or oven. I already have problems burning myself when I'm wide awake, I would rather not take that chance when I just wake up. But when I'm in the mood to go all out (and by all out I mean not throw an eggo waffle or toast in the toaster and call it a day) I like to try something new. This morning I was in the mood for eggs so I jumped online to Pinterest and found this awesome recipe! I mean three of my favorite breakfast foods mixed into one bite, You can't go wrong! hmmm I wonder how much more amazing it would be with sausage!?!?! :-D

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

8 slices bread (I use whole wheat)

6 slices bacon

6 large eggs

salt and pepper if desired

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
2. Cook bacon in skillet or microwave, until almost crisp(it will continue to cook in oven), Lay 1 bacon slice (I cut in half and put side by side) in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

*Note: 20 minutes would be good if you like the yolk runny. 25 minutes the yolk was almost cooked through but not fully.

Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Loaded Baked Potato Grilled Cheese

Aubrey started dance class tonight and I needed something quick and easy to make when we got home. Who doesn't love a big ol' baked potato with the works and grilled cheese? Whoever thought of combining the 2 is pure genius!!! So amazing I can still taste it and crave more!!! Score! Another recipe my hubby loves!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Strips of Bacon
• 1 Potato
• 2 tbsp of Sour Cream
• Cheddar Cheese
• Green Onions/Chives
• 2 Slices of Bread
• Butter
• Canola Oil (I used Olive Oil)
• Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Get a pan on medium heat with enough Olive oil to lightly cover the bottom. Cut your potato into even slices, you will need 4-5 slices for the sandwich, then place them in your pan, cooking each side until browned and crispy.

2. While cooking, salt and pepper the potatoes to taste (they don’t need a lot of salt as the bacon will help with the saltiness as well) and sprinkle a light pinch of garlic powder. In another pan cook your bacon on medium heat to desired tenderness..or microwave like me. (I tend to burn my bacon when I use a stove)

3. While everything is cooking, slice your bread (use some crusty bread like french or sourdough if you have it), and generously butter the outside of each piece. On the inside, put about 1 tablespoon of sour cream on each slice as well as slices of cheddar cheese on each side. Once your potatoes and bacon are finished frying, dab them on paper towel to remove some grease, then fan the potatoes out on your bottom slice of bread, put a little more sour cream on top of the potatoes if you desire (I did to help the bacon and chives stick in the sandwich). Slice up one green onion stalk and spread it on top of the potatoes along with the bacon. Place your other slice of cheese on top of all of this and top with your bread!

4. Grill the sandwich in a pan on medium heat until each side becomes golden brown.

5. DIG IN and ENJOY!

photo credit: BS in the Kitchen

I'm still craving for more!!!

Pizza Muffins

Talk about perfect portion size mini pizzas! And PERFECT for the kids. These were awesome!! annnd again my husband loved the leftovers the next day!

Ingredients:

Pillsbury Refrigerated Pizza Dough
Pizza Sauce
Shredded Cheese
Pepperoni
Cupcake Tin (I used a muffin tin so the pizzas were bigger)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (as the package directed) and grease the cupcake pan.

I was able to get 1 tube of dough to fit 12 cupcake molds. Push the dough into the molds; try to make the dough cover the sides.

Cover dough with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni.

Bake for 10-15 minutes. Since mine were in larger molds they didn't cook through all the way, but other than that they were amazing!

Adapted from: Really from Pinterest

Braided Spaghetti Bread

I'm not sure if I've said this before but spaghetti is not my favorite so it's very rare that I make it. So when I found this recipe on pinterest I figured I would give it a shot because I LOVE garlic bread and my husband loves spaghetti..Win Win, right!? So good! I will be making this again!!!

Ingredients:

1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature

6 oz spaghetti, cooked

1 cup thick spaghetti sauce

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes

1 egg white

Parmesan cheese

Parsley flakes

Directions:

1. Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray (or use parchment paper).

2. Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

3. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly.

4. Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough. Tip with sauce and cheese cubes. (I mixed my spaghetti and sauce together and added a ½ pound of cooked Italian Sausage)

5. Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling.

6. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.

7. Lift braid with both hands and place on large sprayed baking sheet. (or transfer parchment paper to baking sheet). Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley (I added garlic powder).

8. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Lasagna Mini's

Ever just crave lasagna but never make it because the process is just sooo long!? Yeah that's this household.... UNTIL the wonderful world of pinterest!!!! I have yet to find one recipe on pinterest that wasn't amazing!

Ingredients:

Marinara sauce

 Ricotta cheese

 Mozzarella cheese
 Parmesan cheese
Won Ton wraps
 Italian seasoning
 Ground beef/sausage if desired

 Simply spray the cupcake pan with Pam & place one won ton wrap in each cup. Next layer sauce & cheeses, then repeat.

 Sprinkle with Italian seasonings & bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes & pop out with a knife.

Pizza Bubble Rolls

I've been on this kick of finding super easy and fast recipes of foods that usually take longer to make but some genius has found ways to cut that time in half or in portion size Here is one of them! And my goodness it's gooood! My husband even loved it for lunch the next day. (Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't eat cold pizza)

Ingredients:

3 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits (10 biscuits per can)
56 pepperoni slices
Block of cheese (Colby & Monterey Jack or Cheese Stick)
1 beaten egg
Parmesan
Italian seasoning
Garlic powder
1 jar pizza sauce

Cut the block of cheese into at least 28 squares.

Flatten a biscuit out and stack pepperoni and cheese on top.

Gather up the edges of the biscuit.
Line the rolls up in a greased 9x13 in. pan. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with parmesan, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bake at 425°F for 18-20 minutes.

 Serve the rolls with warm pizza sauce for dipping.



Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Wow, it's been a busy summer so I haven't had much time to update this. But here I am, husband and kids fed, puppy chow made, kitchen cleaned, and I have some time to sit, relax, watch the Olympics (diving, swimming, and gymnastics!), and update the blog! :-) GO USA!!!!!!

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese {I used mexican & monterrey jack}

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

Directions:

1. Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}. Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies. The most time consuming part of this recipe is the time spent chopping the veggies…it took like, 5 minutes :-)

2. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil! Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle. Gross. Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

5.  Drain pasta & return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta and mix well. Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream. ( I opted out of the good stuff because my picky husband doesn't like it )

 

Seriously, hands down the best pasta I've ever had! And if you've been keeping up the blog you know how much I love anything mexican!!! Now get off the computer and make yourself some! ;-)



Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Another successful meal! Score! I think this would make some type of delicious chicken salad as well! I needed to make a dinner where I had most of the ingredients already in my kitchen so there were actually a couple that weren't added. But still very good!!

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts (I used Chicken Breasts)

1/2 to 1 cup of your favorite Caesar dressing

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 teaspoons of dried parsley (did no use)

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce (did not use)

12 slider buns or 4-6 regular sized hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker with 1-2 cups of water, cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours.
2. Remove chicken from cooker using a slotted spoon and drain the water from the slow cooker.
3. Place chicken on a cutting board and pull chicken into shreds, discarding any fat.
4. Place chicken back in the cooker and pour dressing, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper over the top. Stir until mixed evenly. Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes or until mixture is hot.
5. Spoon 1/4 cup mixture onto each slider bun if you are making sliders or more for regular sized buns. Top with extra shredded Parmesan cheese and lettuce to serve.

Brown Sugar and Oil Chicken

This was so good! And added to my recipe keep list (made by my husband ;-) )
My one and only complaint...The brown sugar was burning on the pan so bad my entire house (upper and lower) were FILLED with smoke. Luckily the chicken was unharmed and perfectly fine! I'm not to sure how to fix this problem? If you have suggestions please leave them in the comment section!!!!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

3 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.

In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender

Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-garlic-chicken-5478#ixzz1wq1FMNcE

Sarasota Lemonade

Incredibly delicious and so simple!!!

Ingredients:

2 bottles Moscato
1 pink lemonade concentrate
3 C of Sprite (more or less, depending on your taste)
Fresh raspberries

Empty all of the liquid ingredients into a pitcher and stir.  Mash about half the raspberries and put them in. Place the rest of the raspberries in the glasses and serve!

Buffalo Chicken Egg Roll Wraps

Ingredients:

Egg roll wrappers

 Chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 4 chicken breasts) 

1/2- 2/3 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)

^(I opted out of this because neither my husband nor I like it)

1 cup broccoli slaw or cole slaw (dry)

Small bowl of water

Nonstick cooking spray

Blue cheese dressing, for serving (We used Ranch instead!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.
                                                    

Begin by placing one tablespoon of the broccoli slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.

To fold: Fold the bottom right corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.

Repeat with remaining rolls.

Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls crisp and turn a light golden brown.

*Note: To make the chicken, place 1/2 lb of uncooked chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover it. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat.

Taco Salad

I know we all know how to make a taco salad. I'm only posting this because for the first time I made them at home with the Aztec Taco Salad shells that you find by the cheeses. You know when you out for Mexican and order a Taco Salad but you can never finish it because it's so darn big. And you can't take you home as leftovers because the shell will just get all soggy. Nope, not these one. These are the perfect size! For once I actually finished the entire meal! That NEVER happens!!!!

Basically, they just lay out on this card board box and you let cook in the oven until they are crispy and brown..I don't have the directions because this was from earlier this week but I think it's for about 6 minutes. (Yes, I'm not perfect and my pans aren't either! :-O but hey, that makes it all the more "real" doesn't it?)

And they turn out like this!!! :-D

Apple Sandwich

I'm always looking for healthy snacks for my daughter. I found this one online awhile ago and today I gave it a shot since we love every ingredient it calls for! This is the simplest snack to make and super delicious!

Ingredients:

Apples

Peanut Butter

Granola

Chocolate Chips