More Food Favorites

So I can't resist sharing some more favorite recipes I've tried recently. Try them out and let me know how you like them. Thank goodness for food blogs!

Besides eating haha we haven't been up too much else. The weather has been really rainy so we've stayed indoors a lot, gone to the library, and redbox of course. I'm super excited for Conference this weekend! The weekend is always so uplifting and I always love all the talks. Elder Holland's my favorite :)

Had this one for dinner tonight and loved it!

Cheesy Taco Pasta
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef {I used 80/20]
1 taco seasoning packet
1 1/2 cups southwest salsa
1/2 cup water
1/2 lb. pasta {I used rotini}
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup cream
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions:
Bring water to boil to cook the pasta. Salt it and cook pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet, cook ground beef, breaking apart as you go. Once thoroughly cooked, drain meat and run under hot water to remove any fat. Wipe out pan with paper towel and place back on heat. Pour cooked beef into hot pan with taco seasoning, salsa and water. Simmer until pasta is finished cooking.
Once pasta is cooked, drain well and pour into skillet. Top with cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Stir until cheese melts and noodles are coated in sauce. Serve immediately.
source: laurenslatest.com

My sister Nikki and I made these awhile ago and we fell in love! I was looking online today for a treat to make to eat during General Conference and came across these babies again and decided it was time to make them again!

Apple Streusel Bars

SWEET PASTRY:

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. real butter, softened (no substitutions!)

1 egg, beaten

APPLE FILLING:

1/2 c. white sugar

1/4 c. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I’ve used Granny Smith in the past, although this time around I used Gala and they were fabulous)

GLAZE:

2 c. powdered sugar

About 3 Tbsp. milk (whole milk is best)

1 tsp. almond extract

To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

To prepare apple filling, combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon and toss with apples.Spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  When finished, allow to cool completely.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Place glaze in a Ziploc bag and cut off a very small portion of one of the corners. (Or just use a fork(Drizzle glaze over cooled pastry and allow to harden (you can place it in the freezer to hurry things along). Cut into bars and serve

source: ourbestbites.com

 

Okay...if you have not had Wingers Sticky Fingers than you have NOT LIVED!! I love these babies and now I can make them at home! I am so happy I found this recipe!

 

Wingers Sticky Fingers

 

For the chicken...

I just buy a package of Tyson’s frozen breaded chicken strips and bake them according to their conventional oven directions.

**If you wish to fry them, go for it! Or if you have your own breaded chicken recipe and you feel up to the challenge, then try it! Tyson’s frozen breaded chicken is already done (just bake according to package's directions)and is way easy for the meal in a crunch.*

 

SPECIAL Wingers Sauce

1 and ½ cups brown sugar

6 Tbsp FRANKS hot sauce (*It has to be FRANKS! I use the buffalo flavor and it is delicious, but the original would taste good too!*)

4 Tbsp water

Heat sauce until sugar is dissolved, then pour over chicken!

Enjoy! Serves about 2 with a little left over….so 2 for the price of 1

source: chef-in-training.com

 

I love love love crock-pot recipes! Here is a yummy and super easy one!

 

Cilantro Lime Chicken

 

In a slow cooker, mix together:
One 24-ounce jar medium or mild salsa
Juice from one lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
One 1.25-oz. package taco seasoning
2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped (optional

Add 4-6 boneless chicken breast halves (completely defrosted) to the slow cooker and coat with the salsa mixture. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. Serve the chicken with the salsa mixture spooned over the top. If you're feeling crazy, throw a dollup of sour cream on top with some crushed tortilla chips.

This is also delicious as a taco filling or in a taco salad.
source: pipandebby.com

okay okay one more and I'm done!

This was voted  the #1 cassarole for the year at Taste of Home. I love cassaroles and I especially love this one! Definitely a favorite!

CHEESY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef ( lean)

• 1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion

• 2 1/2 cups salsa

• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing

• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

• 6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)

• 1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn (optional)

• 3/4 cup sour cream  *Note: I used 1/2 cup

• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese

• 1 cup shredded lettuce

• 1 medium tomato, chopped

• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

•  *Note:  I added 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro to the meat mixture instead. I also cut the flour tortillas to fit my pan, since they were the very large size. (That’s why they are square) I fried the cut-off edges and sprinkled them with cinnamon & sugar!

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
• Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
• Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
• Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
• The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
• Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
•  Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings.

source:justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com

 

New Tastes

Each week I get the lovely task of planning our meals, writing the grocery list and shopping for the food. It's kinda a love/hate thing, I get excited about looking for new yummy recipes to try but recently I've started to hate grocery shopping, I don't know why, I used to love it, but maybe that will change. Anyway...this week I tried some new recipes which I enjoyed. Tomorrow I'm trying to re-create Cafe Rio's Sweet Pork Burrito...we'll see how that goes. Here are two of the recipes that I really liked not only for their taste but for their simplicity!

French Dip in the Crockpot

4 pounds of some type of roast meat (rump roast, chuck roast, etc!)

1 can (10.5 oz) beef broth (I used Campbells)

1 can (10.5 oz) french onion soup (Also used Campbells)

Grape Juice (just enough to fill the rest of the crock pot)

french rolls or other crusty rolls

sliced cheese (we love Swiss or Provolone with these!)

Place your roast in the crockpot and pour the broth, french onion soup and grape juice on top. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. About 30 minutes before eating, take out the meat and shred. Place meat back into the juices and stir to flavor all the meat. Split your rolls and top with sliced cheese. Bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes or until rolls are nice and toasty. Top rolls with shredded meat and add a cup of the au jus (yummy meat juices) on the side to dip your sandwich in...SUPER YUM! Perfect for a Sunday meal or any day where it can cook all day long.

Now I love Clif Bars and these didn't taste exactly like the real thing to me but that's ok they had their own flavor and I really like them. The whole pan was gone in a day! I think I will be making these again today. I love granola bars and it's fun to be able to make your own homemade granola or bars because once you have all the ingredients you can make several batches and it's cheaper than buying them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 3 large biscuit style shredded wheat cereal, or 1 cup un-frosted spoon-size shredded wheat
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Spray an 8x8 pan lightly with cooking spray.
3. Place raisins in food processor and pulse until lightly chopped (it will be sticky)
4. Add the shredded wheat, oats, cinnamon and salt in food processor and pulse until mixture is finely chopped and incorporated.
5. In a large bowl whisk together eggs, honey, vanilla and peanut butter.
6. Add the oat mixture and chocolate chips and stir until combined.
7. Spread in prepared pan and bake 15-18 minutes until edges are slightly golden.
8. Let cool completely in the pan before slicing into squares.

P.F. Changs Lettuce Wraps (knock-off)

Keith and I absolutely love P.F. Changs, especially their lettuce wraps. If any of you haven't tasted these delicious babies yet you need to! Therefore, I am posting this recipe so that you can re-create them. You will love them, I promise!

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients

For stir fry sauce:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For Cashew Chicken:
• 2 chicken breasts (about 3/4 lb. total), diced
• 8 leaves of greenleaf or iceburg lettuce
• 3 tablespoons canola oil (or oil of choice)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup cashews, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For stir fry sauce:
1. Mix all ingredients making sure to dissolve brown sugar. Set aside.

For Cashew Chicken:
1. Heat canola oil in pan over medium to medium high heat. Add diced chicken and brown (about 4-5 minutes). Remove chicken from oil. Add onions, garlic and 1 teaspoon soy sauce to pan; brown. When onions and garlic are brown and tender, add stir fry sauce, browned chicken, and cashews. Saute mixture for a few minutes and remove from heat.
2. Spoon chicken mixture into individual lettuce leaves. Add your favorite hot sauce, more cashews or basil.

A Day Downtown

Keith had Friday off work so we spent the day downtown with some of my family. We went out to an Italian Restaurant with my brother, sister (and her daughter), and my mom. Afterwards we took a little walk along the greenbelt that goes right through Boise (it's definitely one of my favorite things about Boise and one of my favorite things to do when the weather is nice) Carson didn't like being in his stroller for long, he wanted out and wanted to walk! He loved exploring and was laughing and giddy the whole time he was walking, it was soo cute! Keith said, "you know who he looks like when he walks, Paul Walker," so we nicknamed him PW. haha It was such and ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS day. Later that night we went over to my mom's for some homemade Chinese, my bro-in-law really knows how to cook some good chinese food!

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous too! We headed over to my sisters house to hang out for the day. We went on a walk to the nearby elementary school and just let the kids play. Afterwards the boys grilled up some mean hamburgers for us while Nikki and I made some very addicting Turtle Cheesecake Bars...probably our favorite thing to do when we get together is to try new recipes from pinterest! Oh they are still sitting in my fridge and I can't resist them!

Here's the link if you wanna give them a whirl....http://www.louanneskitchen.com/2011/09/turtle-cheesecake-bars.html

Current Jam & Breakfast

This is  my current favorite jam. love love love Boyce Avenue's version of last kiss by Taylor Swift. And the other girls aren't that bad either.

On another note....this is what I had for breakfast this morning at it was divine. I've been on this granola/fruit/yougurt kick lately and I love it! Breakfast is my favorite meal so I love making something yummy that I would like because Keith hardly ever eats breakfast. If you have any good breakfast recipes or ideas send them my way.

Super Quick and Yummy Breakfast

I tried this recipe today for breakfast and absolutely loved it! So fast and so delicious! I used the cranberry-almond granola in the bulk from winco, and frozen strawberries since fresh ones are so expensive right now, and instead of putting jam on there (since I didn't have any) I just added the juice from the strawberries after thawing them in the microwave. Oh I just love everything about it. Enjoy....

Peanut Butter Strawberry/Banana Granola Wrap

 

 

 

 

1 Flatout Light Flatbread ( I just used a whole wheat tortillas I had in the fridge)
peanut butter
jam
strawberries, sliced
1/4 banana, cut
 granola

---

Spread peanut butter evenly over entire Flatout. On one rounded end, spread jam. Layer strawberry, banana and granola. Roll, cut and enjoy!

This website also has many other creative and tasty recipes to try....flatoutbread.com

FIVE of my FAVORITE RECIPES!

So I love love love trying new recipes especially when they turn out to be a favorite of mine. I thought I'd share five of my favorite recipes that I have recently tried and fell in love with. All of these five recipes are pretty easy and most of them are so quick! What recipes are your favorites? ENJOY!

ITALIAN CHICKEN WRAPS

So simple but such good flavor!

1 package (16 ounces) frozen stir-fry vegetable blend
2 packages (6 ounces each) ready-to-use grilled chicken breast strips
1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
6 flour tortillas (8 inches), room temperature

Directions:
In a large saucepan, cook vegetables according to package directions; drain. Stir in the chicken, salad dressing and cheese. Simmer, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Spoon about 3/4 cup down the center of each tortilla; roll up tightly. Yield: 6 servings.


GRILLED BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN

THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE NEW FAVORITE RECIPE EVER! LOVE IT! AND SO EASY!

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato dressing, divided (we couldn't find this dressing so we used a roasted red pepper dressing and it was sooo good!!)
2 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil leaves

Place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil over half of grill grate; heatgrill to medium heat. Meanwhile, place chicken in resealable plasticbag. Add 1/4 cup dressing and seal bag. Turn bag over several times toevenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 minutes (I marinate it all day if I remember in time). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

Grill chicken on uncovered side of grill for about 6 minutes.Meanwhile, combine remaining 1/4 dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil.

Turn the chicken over and place cooked-side up, on foil on the grill.Top with tomato mixture. Close lid. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

*Add a splash of balsalmic vinegar to give it a bit more zip.

BAKED CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS

I had never made homemade taquitos before and these turned out so great! Oh my they were so yummy!

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken (for extra yumminess, use grilled taco chicken!)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese
small corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you
find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges
Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on
the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.
Dip em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or the rest of your green salsa

HAM AND BROCCOLI CASSAROLE

LOVE THIS ONE TOO- GREAT WAY TO GET THAT BROCCOLI IN!

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups diced fully cooked ham
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 slices bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring 1 in. water, broccoli and onion to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender; drain.

In a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish, layer the rice, ham and broccoli mixture. Combine the soup, cheese and milk; spoon over broccoli. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, coarsely crumble bread. In a small skillet, cook crumbs in butter over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 15 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 4 servings.

BAKED CHEESY CHICKEN PENNE

OH THE SAUCE IN THIS RECIPE IS DIVINE!

6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes
kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound penne rigate
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
6 cups whole milk
10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone* (6 ounces) you could also make that 1/2 mozzarella
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)
Preheat oven to 400. Butter baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot (I just use the pot I cooked my pasta in), melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more.

Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste.sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese on top.

Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If You Love HOSTESS!

Hostess Cake Balls. Don't they look DANGEROUS? Well I'm going to make them anyway. If you want to try em too go to sugarderby.com

We're Back in Boise and got lots to do before our next trip. Got a few fun things planned for the week including the fair, sisters night, biking the greenbelt, maybe float the river and starting on my craft projects that I'm way excited about! 

We just got our family pics taken this past weekend. I love em. I'll post them when I get them back. Hope everyone's weekend was amazing!

ThE FoUrTh!

 So everyone knows the 4th of July is coming up and I am so excited to celebrate! I feel so blessed to live in America and have the freedoms that we do. We truly live in such a great country and I'm so glad we have a holiday to celebrate it. Growing up we would always and still do have a BBQ and fireworks at my Uncle Marv's down the street. Some years my siblings and I  would take a huge bag of popcorn and climb our hill in the back of our yard to watch the fireworks. Ann Morrison Park in Boise has a nice fireworks display every year and that's where we'll be celebrating the fourth along with the parade downtown. I do have to say that I will miss the Idaho Falls fireworks though, every year they put on quite a show. Those fireworks are amazing especially if you are lucky enough to get a good view up close. I hope everyone has a wonderful fourth of July celebrating the amazing country we live in. Here is a recipe I found on skinnytaste.com it looked so yummy I had to share.


Red White and Blueberry Trifle

ingredients:

• 10 oz angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes*
• 2 pints strawberries, sliced
• 2 pints blueberries

For the cream filling:

• 6 tbsp fat-free sweetened condensed milk (I used Borden Eagle)
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 package sugar-free white chocolate instant pudding mix
• 12 oz fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:

Whisk the condensed milk and water in a bowl. Whisk in the pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in the whipped topping.

Arrange half of the cake in the bottom of a 14-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Spread half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread (I piped it using a plastic bag and cut the corner off). Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then add more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a pretty pattern. Cover and refrigerate at least one 1 hour.

*I only used 10 oz of a 16 oz cake. 

A Little Treat

So my sister Nikki and I love to try recipes out of my new cookbook that I got from my sister-in-law Catherine for mothers day. We made these yumminesses the other day and fell in love. They are perfect for a baby or bridal shower or just a little treat! It's a great way to add a little flavor to chocolate covered strawberries.

Cream Cheese Filled Strawberries

2 pints strawberries
1 package of cream cheese
3/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 c semi sweet choc chips
1/2 tsp shortening

Rinse and dry strawberries- set aside
Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer on high.  Using a sharp knife cut a strawberry from tip almost to the stem in the middle of the strawberry. Make another cut crosswise, making an "X" Be careful not to cut all the way trhough the strawberry. If the strawberry is stitting on the stem it should flare open, repeat this step with the remaining strawberries.
Using a filled decorating bag (or ziploc bag) gently pipe the cream cheese filling into each strawberry.
Place choc chips and shortening in small ziploc bag and microwave for 20-30 seconds or until the choc is melted. Make sure top is sealed and mash choclate with the melted shortening. Cut a small corner of the bag off and drizzle chocolate over the filled strawberries. Refridgerate and serve once chocolate has hardened.