Favorite Recipe Exchange

Coconut Chicken

2014-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have seen multiple recipes for "Skinny Coconut Chicken," but decided to modify and make my own, based on ingredients I had. TOTAL (the cereal) went on sale a while back, and with some trusty coupons, I got a TON of boxes for FREE! So, I just dumped a bunch of cereal into my trusty food processor and made my own "total Crumbs" :-)

Coconut Chicken

• 8 chicken tenders (about 1½ lbs)
• ½ cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs + ½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
OR 1 cup crumbs made from TOTAL cereal
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 egg whites

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine coconut, crumbs, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl.
Dip chicken tenders into the egg and then into the coconut mixture. Cover with the mixture on both sides.
Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. (I like to put a piece of foil and cover it with non-stick spray for easier clean-up) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and coconut is golden brown. Turn the chicken once halfway through the cooking time.

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

2014-04-02T10:42:00.000-07:00

This is Amazing!!! My whole family loved it, and it was pretty easy to make! See the Original Recipe HERE

Heavenly Angel Food Cake:
1 pkg (16 ounces) angel food cake mix
24 large marshmallows
6 milk chocolate candy bars with almonds, chopped (I used without almonds)
2/3 cup milk
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

Prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cool.
For filling, in a small saucepan, combine the marshmallows, candy bars and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until marshmallows are melted. Transfer to a small bowl; cool to room temperature. Fold in 3/4 cup whipped topping.
Cut cake horizontally into three layers. Place bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with a third of the filling. Repeat layers twice. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Frost top and sides of cake with remaining whipped topping.Yield: 12 servings.

BEST. EVER. Baked Potato Soup

2014-04-02T10:36:00.003-07:00

Baked Potato Soup

7 strips bacon, diced plus more for garnish (I use turkey bacon)
1 whole shallot, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 whole green onions chopped, plus more for garnish
3 T all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp Worcestershire
3/4 cup sour cream (or 1/2 cup light sour cream + 1/4 cup nonfat greek yogurt)
1 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 whole medium to large russet potatoes, baked, cubed with skin on
3 whole medium to large red potatoes, baked, cubed with skin on
optional toppings: sour cream, sliced green onion, grated cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles

Directions:
1 Heat a dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat and cook diced bacon until crisp, but not burnt. Remove bacon and drain (on paper towel) all but about 1 tbs of bacon drippings from the pot. Add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and green onions and cook 2 more minutes.
2. Stir in the flour and mix well. Add the bacon, salt, basil, oregano, thyme and pepper. Stir in the milk, chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce and heat through until thickened. Add the sour cream and cheddar cheese and stir to dissolve. Add the cubed potatoes and heat through. Season to taste.

Ragnar

2013-06-21T08:51:00.001-07:00

Grilled sweet potatoes with lime cilantro vinaigrette

2013-06-09T20:18:00.001-07:00

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette
Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette

Ingredients

•

4 lb sweet potatoes (8; preferably long)

•

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

•

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

•

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

•

1/2 cup olive oil

•

1/4 cup chopped fresh

Preparation

Cover potatoes with cold salted water in a large pot,then bring to a boil. Simmer until slightly resistant in center when pierced with a sharp small knife, 25 to 30 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes with a sharp small knife and quarter lengthwise.

Prepare grill for cooking.

Whisk together lime juice, salt, and pepper and add oil in a slow stream, whisking. Whisk in cilantro.

When fire is hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 1 to 2 seconds), grill potatoes in 2 or 3 batches on lightly oiled grill rack (over coals if using a charcoal grill), uncovered, turning, until grill marks appear and potatoes are just tender, 3 to 6 minutes total.

Serve potatoes warm or at room temperature, drizzled with vinaigrette.

Cooks' notes: ·Potatoes can be boiled and peeled 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
·Vinaigrette can be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.
·If you aren't able to grill, potatoes can be cooked in a well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderately high heat, turning, until grill marks appear, 3 to 6 minutes total.

Korean Beef

2013-03-26T12:46:00.001-07:00

Thank you Six Sisters Stuff! This recipe is soooo good and suuuuper easy! I love that it is for ground beef because I don't have very many besides the staples that everyone knows. I really liked the ground beef but my husband says it would be better with steak. You could decide whatever you like best :)

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar (I like it sweet so I usually do closer to 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (I used ground ginger from my spice cabinet)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness, I used 1/2 tsp and it was plenty spicy!)
salt and pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

2013-02-06T11:06:00.002-08:00

I have said it before, and I will say it again that I LOVE the blog (and cookbooks) Our Best Bites. Any cookbook, recipe blog, website, or other place to collect recipes will have recipes that you like, others you love, and others that you feel are just so-so (and let's be honest, sometimes you may even try a recipe that doesn't suit your taste buds AT ALL). All that being said, I have yet to make a recipe from Our Best Bites that I don't like....and most of them fit into my "LOVE" category. This recipe is no exception. It's delicious!

(ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND INSTRUCTIONS ARE FROM OURBESTBITES.COM! My additional comments are in blue)
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
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 cheesesmall corn tortillas (and actually, flour ones are really good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray

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

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 (I usually do around 8 and microwave them for 1 minute).

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 this dressing. Makes 12-16

Freezer Instructions: Prepare the taquitos through rolling them out and placing them on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer and freeze until solid, then transfer to a large freezer bag. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 425 and place the taquitos on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. (*I do this every time. They freeze very well, and it's an easy way to make a couple here or there for lunch!)

I like to serve these with Black Beans, Cilantro Lime Rice, and/or corn. We also love to serve it with the Cafe Rio-style dressing.

They also make a BEEF version that is delicious as well. Looking for the beef version? It's right here!

Bruschetta Chicken

2012-10-23T18:56:00.003-07:00

Bruschetta Chicken

Recipe and Photo Source

what you need

small boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4

cup KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing, divided

tomato, finely chopped

1/2

cup KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese (I use 1/4 cup Mozz and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

1/4

cup chopped fresh basil

HEAT grill to medium heat (I chose to broil mine in the oven, which works great too).

make it

PLACE chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Add 2 Tbsp. dressing; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with dressing. Refrigerate 10 min (or longer). Remove chicken from bag; discard bag and dressing.

COVER half the grill grate with sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place chicken on uncovered side of grill grate; grill 6 min. Meanwhile, combine remaining dressing, tomatoes, cheese and basil. (Or cover a cookie sheet or other pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place chicken on baking sheet. Broil for 5-7 minutes; turn and broil another 5-7 minutes. Top with tomato/Cheese mixture and broil 1 minute until melted.)

TURN chicken over; place on foil. Top with tomato mixture. Grill 8 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

kraft kitchens tips

VARIATION

Marinate chicken in shallow glass dish instead of in the plastic bag.

SERVING SUGGESTION

Serve with hot buttered egg noodles, and grilled or steamed vegetables. (I served with steamed broccoli and rice)

SUBSTITUTE

If you don't have fresh basil, you can use 1 tsp. dried basil leaves instead.

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

2012-09-24T07:00:00.002-07:00

Ingredients:

1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup water

Glaze

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Recipe from: http://www.letsdishrecipes.com

This was another easy and yummy crock pot recipe that I found through pinterest.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

2012-09-24T06:54:00.001-07:00

I found this yummy recipe on Pinterest and it was really good! http://rita-may-recipes.blogspot.com

2 chicken breasts, still frozen
1 can Rotel tomatoes (I didn't have so I used 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 small can of green chilies)
1 can corn kernels, do not drain
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 T cumin
1 t chili powder
1 t onion powder
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese
_________
Put the chicken in the crock pot.
Top with the tomatoes, corn, drained and rinsed beans,
ranch dressing, cumin, onion and chili powders,
stir to combine then top with the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring one or twice
to blend in the cheese.
Shred the chicken into large pieces
and serve over rice.
I added some toppings: avocado, green onion and cilantro.
Serves 4

Pumpkin Waffles

2012-09-20T13:57:00.003-07:00

I Love fall. I LOVE anything with Pumpkin...and I especially love these Pumpkin Waffles!!

Pumpkin Waffles (Source)

2 1/3: cups Original Bisquick® mix

1 1/2: cups milk

1/2: cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)

1/4: cup vegetable oil (I like to use 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt instead)

2: tablespoons packed brown sugar

1: teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2: eggs

1/4: cup chopped pecans

: Powdered sugar, if desire

Heat waffle iron; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening. In large bowl, beat all waffle ingredients except pecans and powdered sugar with wire whisk or hand beater until blended. Pour batter onto center of hot waffle iron. Close lid of waffle iron.
Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops and waffle is golden brown. Carefully remove waffle. Sprinkle with pecans and powdered sugar. Serve with syrup.

You can serve with Maple-Apple Syrup found Here. But I prefer to just top them with some powdered sugar or cool-whip/whipping cream. YUM!!!!

Caramel Apples

2012-09-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

I've had a few requests for this, so rather than type this out a dozen times, I'm just going to post it here where all can see it. :)

CARAMEL APPLES

Ingredients:

8-10 apples (any kind - but I like green or Fuji the best) washed and dried

1 C. butter (salted)

2 1/4 C. brown sugar

dash salt

1 C. light corn syrup

1 - 15 oz. can sweet cream condensed milk

1 t. vanilla

Directions:

1. Wash and dry apples. Pull the stems out entirely (I use pliers and pull as close to the base as possible). Hammer the sticks into the apples and get it as straight up as possible (We're not playing around here, people. :) Put the apples into the freezer while you make the caramel. (THIS IS THE SECRET KEY! THIS MAKES THE CARAMEL NOT RUN OFF THE APPLE. SORRY I'M YELLING ABOUT IT, THOUGH!! :)

2. Melt the butter. Add the sugar and salt. Stir.

3. Add corn syrup and mix in completely.

4. Gradually add the sweet cream condensed milk - stirring constantly.

5. Cook on medium heat for 12-15min. (245 degrees on a candy thermometer.)

*Plug: get a candy thermometer. If you use a 40% off Michael's coupon, they're about $7. They are so worth it. I ruined many a batch of caramel apples before I got mine and they've been good since.

6. Remove. Add vanilla.

7. Here comes the tricky party. Quickly remove the apples from the freezer and dip the apple into the caramel holding it by the stick. You may need to tip the pan a little bit to get the caramel to go all the way to the top of the apple. Once it is covered, twist it as fast as you can with the stick between both hands (picture the way you would do it like you're warming your hands over a fire). The excess caramel will fly off it (so be careful!).

8. Set them on parchment paper (NOT wax paper - unless you like the taste of wax paper, because they will stick).

9. Let them cool for at least 30 min. (Don't worry your pretty little head if there are bubbles/lumps in the caramel. It won't show.)

10. Melt your chocolate. I use white almond bark (it tastes the best). Follow the directions on the package and melt it till it's runny. (If you over-cook it, it will become lumpy and thick. Thin it out with olive oil. If it still won't cooperate, start over. I know it hurts dumping the whole pathetic chunk into the garbage can. But it is dead. Let it go and start over.)

11. Once it is properly melted, get a spoon and start drizzling. The best way to do it is to turn the apple at an angle and then use the spoon like you would use a marker and just quickly draw lines from the top to the bottom of the apple while you rotate it by the stick. Go all the way around.

12. Drop your toppings on it (the possibilities are endless. Favorites include: Reese's, Butterfinger, Oreo, M&M's, Reese's Pieces, Snickers, and cinnamon sugar.)

If your toppings run off the chocolate, stick the chocolate in the fridge/freezer for a minute till it's a little more solid. Then go at it.

13. Try not to eat all 8 of them in one night. I know; I've tried. :)

Enjoy!

Roasted Corn Salsa

2012-09-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

My family LOVES this stuff. Seriously, it's amazing. My husband could eat an entire bowl himself. Once upon a time I took a beautiful picture of this so-named Roasted Corn Salsa. I've searched and searched for the picture, but cannot find it. So I made a decision to post the recipe without the picture. Make it. You'll thank me, I promise.

Roasted Corn Salsa
16 oz package Frozen Corn
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 small red onion, chopped
1 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Avocados, diced
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 1 lime, optional
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Place corn on baking sheet and broil until lightly brown. Mix together with remaining ingredients in large bow and let sit for a few hours for flavors to "marry." Serve with corn chips.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

2012-09-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tbs bottled chili sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs honey

Turn oven on to broil. Mix chili sauce, soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl. Place a piece of foil on a pan, spray with a little cooking spray. Put diced pork chops onto pan and dump sauce over top. Broil for 7-10 minutes. Serve with rice and veggies.

Simple, cheap, and yummy.

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

2012-08-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

These are delicious and easy low calorie cookies. They have 61 calories per cookie and satisfy your sweet tooth. They are fast and easy to make as well. Find Almond Paste on the baking aisle at the grocery store in a can. It is a kind of expensive but you can bake a couple of batches with one can of the paste. You can also make your own almond paste. There are a bunch of recipes on the web on how to do it. Use homemade raspberry freezer jam to make these cookies extra tastey!! Enjoy!

Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 c Grated Almond Paste

2/3 c Sugar

5 T Butter,Softened

1/4 t Vanilla

1 lg Egg White

1 1/4 c Flour

1/4 t Salt

6 T Raspberry Jam

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Line large cookie sheet with parchment of use silpat on bottom of

pan.

3. Place first 3 ingredients in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium

speed for 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg

white; beat well.

4. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Add flour and salt to almond paste mixture; beat at low speed until

well blended. Use a cookie scoop and shape dough into 34-36 1 inch

balls. Place balls on cookie sheet and press thumb or back of cookie

scoop into center of each cookie, leaving an indentation. Bake for 10

minutes until set.

4. Remove cookies from pans; cool on wire racks. Spoon about 1/2

teaspoon raspberry jam into center of each cookie.

Molasses Cookies

2012-08-30T18:51:00.001-07:00

This recipe I got from my mother-in-law. These are my hubby's absolute FAVORITE cookies! Super easy to make and absolutely delicious! (similar to a gingerbread cookie)

Molasses Cookies

3/4 Cup Butter/Margarine
4 Tbs. Molasses
1 Egg
1 Cup Sugar
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Tsp Cloves (can reduce if desired)
1 Tsp Ginger
2 Tsp Cinnamon

Cream molasses, egg, butter/margarine, and sugar. Sift flour, cloves, ginger,and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture. Depending on dough consistency, add more flour (1-2 Tbs at a time), until you get dough so it doesn't stick to your fingers. Roll into balls, and then roll into cinnamon/sugar. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes (depending on oven, may need 400)

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2012-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet Cupcakes

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 1-oz bottles red rood coloring
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp white vinegar

preheat oven to 350. (This makes 2 9-inch round cakes) In large bow, whisk together dry ingredients. Add oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar to the flour mixture. Using an electric mixer on medium=low speed, beat for 1 minute until well blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Spread batter evenly into prepared pans, dividing equally. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cook in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

McCormick Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
4 tbs butter, softened
2 tbs sour cream
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix first 4 ingredients and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk and Cinnamon Butter

2012-08-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

I LOVE sweetened condensed milk. Anything with it is delicious, honestly. It does get a little pricey....so how about making it yourself? It's EASY!

This can be used just like the kind you buy in the store.

Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 cup warm water
1 Cup + 2 T Instant Nonfat Dry Milk
3/4 cup Sugar

Place warm water in bowl. Add dry milk and mix well. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Store in refrigerator in container with a lid.

My 2 favorite recipes that contain sweetened condensed milk?

Fudge Bars

and
Cinnamon Butter..you know the stuff you get at Texas Roadhouse? Yeah, kind of like that! :)

Cinnamon Butter
1 cup Butter, softened
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 tsp Cinnamon (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp corn syrup

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

2012-08-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

These are a favorite at our house:
You can buy the spices pre-packaged by McCormick in their Recipe Inspirations. I did that once, but now just follow the recipe at home. It's simple, healthy, and delicious

Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Minced Onions, dried
3/4 tsp ground cumin (I just do a heaping 1/2 tsp)
3/4 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp cilantro leaves (you can omit this if you don't have any)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt (I usually omit this)
1 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 medium bell pepper, cut into thin strips (I like to do 1/2 yellow and 1/2 red pepper)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Tortillas

Directions:
Mix juices, oil, and all of the spiced in small bowl. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade (if you forget, it's OK!). Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add remaining marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 30 minutes of longer for even more flavor (overnight is SUPERB).
Cook the chicken in large heated skillet on medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove from skillet. Add peppers, onion, and reserved marinade (if you forgot to reserve some marinade, just put a few more dashes lime juice on the pepper/onion mixture while it cooks); cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender. Return chicken to skillet. Cook 2-3 mintues or until heated through.
Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas. Serve with assorted toppings, if desired.

YUM! These are the hubby's favorite!

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Chicken Farfalle

2012-07-16T19:56:00.004-07:00

So Kraft has out their new "Anything Dressings," and I was really intrigued by the Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette. I got some thinking SURELY I could find LOTS of recipes online...no such luck. I found ONE. So, I had to come up with my own, and it was an enthusiastic WIN at our house!! This one will be sticking around. So, I thought I'd better write it down for the next time!

(I made this for 4 people, and these are my estimated amounts, so add or subtract to your liking.)

Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Chicken Farfalle
1/2 box bowtie or other small pasta, cooked and drained (toss in a little olive oil until you're ready to add other ingredients); I used Barilla: Piccolini's Tomato and Carrot mini bow-tie pasta (1 serving of vegetables! Hooray!)
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tbs garlic, minced
1-2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
About1 cup (divided) Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette "Anything dressing"
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked, diced
2 tbs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbles
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Cook pasta, drain water, toss in a little olive oil and set aside (I let the pasta cook while I was preparing the next step). Place chopped onion, garlic, and olive oil into a skillet and cook onion and garlic until fragrant. Scoop onion/garlic into pasta. Using your same skillet (or a new one...I just prefer to do less dishes), cook diced chicken breast with 1/2 cup dressing until cooked. Combine Pasta, Onion/garlic, chicken, parsley, and pine nuts. Add remaining 1/2 cup of dressing (I left the pasta in a pan, and just added ingredients to it as they were ready). Allow to simmer (or just microwave) for a few minutes until all ingredients are warm. Just prior to serving add Feta and Parmesan Cheese. YUM!!!

Lon's Chicken

2012-06-15T06:24:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe we got from our friend Lon. It is a family favorite and is nice for the summer because you don't have to turn on your oven to make it. I had to recalculate the measurements from a larger recipe that is why some of the measurements are a little strange. 2-3 pkg. Chicken Tenders or Chicken Breast cut into strips
1 onion diced
1/2 cup plus 1/8 cup brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 T. water
2 1/4 cups catsup
1/4 t. tabasco sauce
1/4 cup cornstarch
Mix cornstarch in water until softened. Mix remaining ingredients together except for chicken. Place sauce in crockpot and add chicken. Cook in crockpot on high for about 3 hours or low about 5 hours until chicken is cooked through. Serve with baked potatoes.

Fudge Nut Bars

2012-05-12T19:50:00.002-07:00

These are seriously AMAZING! But what isn't amazing that contains sweetened condensed milk? Practically nothing...that stuff is delicious!

Fudge Nut Bars

Dough:
1/2 cup (1 cube) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling
1/2 pkg chocolate chips (I did handful of milk, and a handful of white)
1/2 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all dough ingredients together in large bowl. Press 3/4 of dough into bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Cook filling ingredients over a double boiler until everything is melted (Option: you can also put all filling ingredients into a saucepan on your stove on LOW, stirring occassionally, until everything is melted. LOW is important...not 2 or 3, but LOW). Pour Filling over dough. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 of dough over the filling, and sprinkle chopped nuts if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Key West Grilled Chicken(marinade)

2012-04-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I've had some good luck with recipes I pinned and bad luck.. This my friends was definately AWESOME luck! My husband raved about this and said that we should use this marinade pretty much all the time. I made it on skewers with Green and Red peppers,onion and mushrooms. So without further ado, here it is!

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tbs. honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Juice of 1 Lime
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a bowl with a lid. Add chicken. Put lid on and shake shake shake! Let Marinade for 30 min.

If you prefer kebabs,cut the chicken into large chunks, skewer onto bamboo sticks that have been soaked in water for 5 minutes, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
For a slightly zestier version, add a teaspoon of Freshly Chopped cilantro to the marinade.( I didn't add cilantro)

Grill on medium high heat for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear. Serve with fresh salad, steamed veggies, baked potato or any of your favorite sides. For variation, try marinating shrimp, (which will take 2-4 minutes to grill in all!)

Long story short, I was making this on a monday. Kyle reminded me that he was going to have a Pizza party at school. So this marinade, with the chicken or turkey already in it starting the 30 min marinade, was in the fridge. We ended up having it on Wed. So it was a 3 day marinade. Still delish! Hope you all are adventurous and try it!

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls (Pao de Queijo)

2012-04-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Quick background, my husband served an LDS Mission in the southern most part of Brazil. While he was there he fell in love with the people and the regional cuisine. Shortly after his return home a new restaurant opened in Salt Lake City called Rodizio Grill and it quickly became one of our most favorite places to eat on special occasions. One of the things that they serve at the restaurant as part of the appetizer/bread portion is called cheese rolls. It only took me 12 years to realize I could make those delicious suckers at home.

So of course where do I go when I want to find a recipe, google.com of course. Now I've started searching and then looking at the image search and whatever picture looks the most appetizing I usually choose that recipe. So I searched for brazilian cheese bread and was so elated to see that the recipe I chose was from a favorite blogging duo on Our Best Bites. If you've never had a chance to check this blog or cookbook I highly recommend it - easy recipes and great food.

Here is the easy version of the recipe

Quick Brazilian Cheese Rolls {Pao de Queijo} – Gluten Free!

1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup tapioca flour (sometimes labeled tapioca starch) no substitutions
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese* (preferably medium or sharp)
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
*you can play around with the cheese. I’ve used Monterey Jack, low-moisture mozarella, swiss, and even gruyere in place of the cheddar. All great!

Optional: extra cheese to sprinkle on top and any herbs/flavorings you’d like to add. Try rosemary and or garlic powder, my favorites!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place egg, milk, oil, tapioca flour, and salt in blender and blend until smooth. Add cheeses and pulse 2 times. Immediately pour batter into a mini muffin tin (if your muffin tin isn’t non-stick, spray lightly with non-stick spray first), filling each well about 3/4 full, or just slightly less. If desired (and I recommend), sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and/or a tiny sprinkle of kosher salt.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before removing rolls from pan. Serve warm. {Que Gostoso!} These actually don’t re-heat well so I recommend making and eating fresh.

Yield: anywhere from 16-24 rolls, depending on how full you fill your muffin pan. I fill mine pretty full (a good 3/4 full) and I generally get about 16-18.

And of course if you'd like pretty pictures to follow along you can visit the site HERE for more details and pretty shots. This is a delicious little roll, I make mine in a mini muffin pan. The only trick is YOU HAVE to have tapioca flour. I find mine in my local grocery store down the gluten free aisle or I have heard some of the big chains like Winco are selling it in bulk. It's what makes the rolls. And here are my beauties. And last but not least MY KIDS WILL EAT THESE...

Crusty Bread

2012-04-12T12:37:00.001-07:00

I'm totally borrowing this from another website - Simply So Good - which is pretty much where any of my good/great ideas come from - but for my first post I wanted to make sure it was something SUPREME so here you go...

Here is the simplified version, including ingredients and directions.

Crusty Bread

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon yeast

1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great. Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.

For those of you who enjoy photos with your directions HERE is the link on the blog which shows step by step instructions including how to ADD IN flavors and tastes.

This is one of the easiest things I have every made. It takes a few minutes to mix dry ingredients, stir in wet ingredient and then you MUST let it rise for at least 12 hours. I make my dough at night after I put kids to bed - around 9 pm - and I bake my bread in the morning. You MUST have a cast iron pot! I bought a cheap lodge dutch oven at my local Walmart for $35. Any kind of cast iron pot will do.

Since I found this recipe via our favorite new site Pinterest I have probably made a dozen loafs of bread, not exaggerating one iota. I made two this morning. One I will freeze to go along with freezer crock pot meals I am preparing. The other we will consume this week and when I say we I mean me and when I say this week I mean probably in two days. This is to die for and it really is that easy. Enjoy and don't blame me if your carb count quadruples in a week!!

Here are my two loaves from this morning, the one to the left has cheese in it that's why it looks a little different. It's my first attempt at an add-in and I know it will be delicious.