Come Back Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Mayo

1 Tbl Sriracha Chili Sauce 

1/4 tsp Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/8 tsp Onion Powder

This was amazing. Josh and I LOVED this! We dipped our Tyson Chicken Tenders in it and had a side of salad. (Our Salad was lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, celery and cumcumber). I wish I had made some fries to go with it just so we had something else to dip into this awesome sauce:) 

I halfed the recipe from the link since there is only the two of us. And I did not have reg chili sauce on hand so we used the Sriracha Chili Sauce that we already had but it is really spicy.. so we only used a Tablespoon of chili sauce instead of 1/4 cup which is called for in the reg recipe. But I LOVED how ours turned out. We will be doing this again next week.. :) 

http://addapinch.com/cooking/comeback-sauce-recipe/

Crummy Chicken and Cheese!

Chicken
Ritz Cracker Crumbs
Cheese
Milk

Preheat oven to 375

Roll chicken in Milk, then cheese then, cracker crumbs.. The cheese does not stay very well.. But once you have your chicken in your greased baking dish you can put your cheese on your chicken. Put some parsley on your chicken and let it bake for about 30-45 minutes

We love our crummy chicken with Ranch Dressing:)

Cresent Chicken Wraps

3 Chicken Thighs
Package of Cresent Pillsburry Rolls
Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to whatever the Package of Rolls says

Cook chicken on stove. I seasoned mine with Salt, Pepper, and Mrs Dash.

Cut chicken into smaller pieces and put chicken on cresent roll. Add cheese on top of chicken and then use roll to wrap the chicken and cheese. Wrap all your chicken pieces with cheese and place them in a caserole dish. You could add more cheese on top on your wraps.

Bake your wraps..

Then eat! :) We did ours with a side of salad

The recipe below has you do it a little different.. but with this pregnancy I do not like the taste of cream of chicken soup.. So I changed it up a little bit and it was good! Something different for your chicken meals..  :)

http://butdotheyhaveranch.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/cooking-adventure-6-chicken-cheese-crescent-wraps/

One Good Tastin Omelet

3 Eggs (beaten)
Smokies(or lunch meat, pepperoni.. whatever you have)
Cilantro
Green Onions
Olives
Tomato
Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Mrs Dash

Sometimes you need a good hearty Omelet.. Here is one for you :)

Nachos

Chips
Salsa
Cheese
Olives
Chicken

We made good ole Nachos the other night for dinner. Easy dinner. Check. Pile chips, salsa, cheese and olives and microwave it! :) We cooked up some meat and put that on them as well as lettuce, peppers and whatever was in the fridge.

Sweet Potato Fries

3 Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Salt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Then peel and slice your sweet potato. The thinner the fries the better.

Pour Olive Oil on a cookie sheet enough to coat the bottom. Then line up your fries side by side making sure that the fries do not touch each other. Pour some more olive oil on top of your fries.(this is where a cooking brush would be awesome) and sprinkle lots of salt over top of your fries.

Now place your fries in the oven. Depending on how thin your fries are, they could cook fast or slow. So check your fries after 10 minutes and see how they look. You probably could wait until you see just a couple of them that have blackened edges. The goal would be to get no black edges.. but to make sure they are chewy and ready to eat..

We are still perfecting our own techniques.. so maybe when we get better I can post pictures and better instructions. For now, keep trying to make them and they get better with each try. At least that has how it has been for me!

Another idea is to sprinkle parm. cheese on them and or chipotle powder to make them a little spicy... we usually stick to just plain old salt and we love them.

OH and dip them in French Fry Sauce:

Mayo and Ketchup.

It is heaven.

Chicken Sanwiches

2 Chicken Breasts
Ranch
Teriyaki Sauce
Bread
Lettuce
Tomato
cheese
Mayo
Pickles

One of our favorite dinners is to make Chicken Sandwiches. You marinate the chicken in BBQ sauce or Ranch and Teriyaki Sauce for at least 30 minutes. Then we use our George Foreman and grill our chicken, put the cheese on right afterwards and make and eat your sandwich quick because the bread gets soggy fast. lol.

If you do BBQ Sauce marinade, try to put (canned) pineapple slices on your sandwich. We cooked some up on the stove and then put it on our sandwich and it was great!

We eat these sandwiches with a side of sweet potato fries and or a green salad

Lemon Chicken

3 Chicken Thighs
Juice of 3 Lemons
Zest of 3 Lemons
1/2 head of garlic, minced
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1/2 stick of Butter, melted

I Marinated our chicken in all the ingredients for about 30 minutes and then grilled in on the George Foreman. I served it with Rice and a green salad. 


http://haideekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/04/lemon-garlic-chicken.html

Honey-Garlic Chicken

4 Skinless-Boneless Chicken thighs

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Ketchup

1/3 Cup Honey

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 tsp Dried Basil

So in the link below you can get how they did their chicken.. but all I did was marinate the chicken in the ingredients above for like 30 minutes and then grilled them on the George Foreman Grill. We had rice pilaf on the side and a salad. 

Josh really liked this recipe. Right now being pregnant, I do not like the taste of Soy Sauce.. so this was not my favorite. But Josh really liked it. So there you go :) 

(This is supposed to be a slow cooker meal)

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/236609/honey-garlic-slow-cooker-chicken-thighs

Garlic Spread

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter

8 oz package cream cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t basil

1/8 t each dill, marjoram, thyme, and pepper OR 1/2 t poultry seasoning

Let butter and cream cheese come to room temperature, then stir all to combine.

Our Neighbor brought us homemade french bread and garlic spread to go with it the other day. It was HEAVEN!

For Father's day tomorrow, I am making homemade rolls and this garlic spread to go with it. I am super excited.

Burrito Pie

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used 93% lean)
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 packet taco seasoning
1 2-ounce can sliced black olives (or grab a handful of medium black olives and chop them)
1 4-ounce can roasted green chilies, undrained
1 15.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 cups corn (either frozen or a 15.5 ounce can of corn, drained)
1 cup enchilada sauce
1 15.5 ounce can refried beans (or two cups of these beans)
6 large (burrito-size) tortillas, 3 of them cut in half (I used Mission Carb Balance tortillas)
12 ounces (3 cups) shredded cheddar, colby jack, or pepperjack cheese (or a combination)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the beef is about halfway cooked, add the onion and garlic and cook until the beef is cooked through and the onions and garlic are tender and fragrant. Add the taco seasoning and stir to coat completely, then add the black olives, chilies, tomatoes, corn, enchilada sauce, and refried beans. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat.

Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of a 9×13″ pan. Top with one whole tortilla and one half. Spread 1 1/2 cups of the mixture on top of the tortillas, sprinkle with cheese, then top with another 1 1/2 tortillas. Repeat until you run out of tortillas, topping with a small amount of the meat mixture and another sprinkling of cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serves 12.

Our Best Bites

Broccoli, Ham and Alfredo Pasta

Broccoli, Ham and Alfredo Pasta (With Sneaky Cauliflower)

Ingredients

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small head cauliflwer, cored and chopped (about 3 cups)

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

4 medium shallots, roughly chopped (or sub about 1/2-3/4 cup diced onion)

Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

4 teaspoons all-purpose flour

4 cups skim milk

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I did just under that, between 1/8-1/4)

6 ounces Pecorino cheese, grated (about 2 cups- could sub fresh grated Parmesan) I just did a Cheese Mix with Parmesan in it.

1/2 pound medium multigrain pasta shells or bowties

1/4 pound sliced smoked ham, chopped (about 1 cups)

1 medium bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets (3-5 cups)

optional: 1/2 cup toasted whole-wheat panko (Japanese bread crumbs) for serving.

Instructions

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add cauliflower, garlic, shallots, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until softened but not brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with flour; stir to coat well.

Gradually stir in milk; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; gently simmer until cauliflower is very soft, about 15 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes.  Transfer all to a blender, and puree with nutmeg and half the pecorino until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook pasta until slightly tender but not fully cooked, about 5 minutes.  (Note:  If you like your broccoli pretty tender, add it to boiling pasta water for a couple of minutes before draining)  Drain well; return to pot.  Add ham, broccoli, and cauliflower sauce; toss to combine.  Transfer to an ovenproof 3 1/2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with remaining pecorino, and bake until bubbling in center, about 30 minutes.  Heat broiler, and broil until golden brown on top, 1-2 minutes.  Divide among dishes, top with breadcrumbs (if using), and serve immediately.

From OUR BEST BITES

Worlds Best Dinner Rolls

Ingredients:

2 c. whole milk (if you’re in a pinch, you can use 2%, but whole is best. Don’t use 1% or skim)

½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) butter

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 packages active dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp.), preferably bread machine yeast

2/3 cup warm (105-115-degree) water

8-9 cups all-purpose flour

3 beaten eggs

Instructions:

Combine milk, 1/2 c. sugar, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until butter melts. Remove from heat. Allow to cool to lukewarm. I usually rub some ice cubes along the sides of the pan or pop the entire pan in a sink full of ice cubes to cool the mixture down because this step can take forever. This step is really important because if the mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

While the milk mixture is cooling, dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes. If the yeast hasn’t bubbled, you’ll need to repeat this step–moving on with yeast that hasn’t been activated properly will only end in heartache for you and hate mail for us.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 3 c. flour and milk mixture. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.

Add beaten eggs. Why should you beat your eggs first? Same reason you should combine your dry ingredients before adding them to moist ingredients when making cookies and cakes–it ensures everything is well-mixed and can be evenly-distributed through your dough or batter. If you add the whole eggs, your dough may not be as consistent.

Stir in as much remaining flour as needed to make a soft dough. This dough should be very soft–it will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it. Don’t worry, it will firm up during the rising process. Part of what makes these rolls so good is that they’re so soft and light; if you add too much flour, they will be heavy and dense. Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel; allow to rise 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Lightly flour your work surface and turn dough out onto surface. Divide in half.

Spray 2 9×13 glass pans with cooking spray. Roll first portion of dough into a rectangle and then cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces. I like to use a pizza cutter because it has a blade on each side, so it cuts right through dough without sticking to the blade. This dough should be very easy to work with, almost like playdough. Shape each piece into a ball and place in prepared pan. Repeat with remaining dough in the second pan.

Cover with a clean cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. When dough has about 15-20 minutes to go (depending on your oven), preheat oven to 375.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden-brown.

When done, remove from oven. Rub a stick of cold butter over the tops of the rolls. You must now eat one. Now. While it’s hot.

Then pop the rest into a bowl and no one will ever know that you cheated. Makes 2 dozen rolls.

From OUR BEST BITES

Macaroni and Cheese with Hidden Veggie Puree

Kids Homemade Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 T butter
• 1 T flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 c milk
• 1/4-1/2 c cheddar cheese
• 2 T Parmesan cheese
• 2-4 T carrot, sweet potato, or squash puree, opt
• 1 c dry whole wheat elbow macaroni

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Melt butter in a small pot.  Stir in flour and salt.  Slowly add milk, whisking as you go.  Just before pasta is ready, add optional vegetable puree and cheese and stir to melt.
3. Mix cheese mixture into pasta.

http://saacookbook.blogspot.com/2014/02/macaroni-and-cheese.html

Tilapia with Fresh Herb Butter

4 6-oz lean white fish (can use tilapia, halibut, or grouper, rinsed and pat dry),
paprika to taste,
1/4 cup smart balance butter blend softened,
2 tsp thyme,
1/2 tsp rosemary,
1 medium lemon,
2 TBS parsley.
All spices finely chopped. Preheat oven to 400°. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Coat foil with cooking spray. Arrange fish in a single layer on sheet, lightly sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper, lightly coat with cooking spray and bake, uncovered, 12 minutes or until flakes easily with a fork. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the smart balance butter, thyme, rosemary , and 1/4 tsp salt. Grate 1/2 tsp of the lemon rind and add to the butter mixture. Cut the lemon into 4 wedges.
Squeeze lemon juice over each fillet, sprinkle evenly with the parsley and spoon equal amounts of the butter mixture on top.

http://saacookbook.blogspot.com/2014/02/tilapia-with-fresh-herb-butter.html

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder

Ingredients

2 cups fresh corn kernels (shaved from 2 ears of corn)--I just did Frozen Corn 

10-12 small baby gold potatoes, halved, then cut into quarters--Used whatever potatoes I had

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp sea salt--Reg Salt

1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper-Reg Pepper

1 medium yellow onion, diced--White Onion

2 strips of thick cut bacon, sliced into small pieces--I did not add Bacon

4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

4 oz can diced green chilies

2 Tbsp cornmeal

1 Tbsp flour

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2.Add the corn kernels, diced potato, oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl and toss to coat. 3.Spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring half way, until corn and potatoes are lightly charred.

4.In a large pot over medium high heat, add the bacon pieces and cook for two minutes or until bacon grease is rendered, but bacon is still soft. Add the diced onion, and saute for 5 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Add the roasted corn and potato to the pot and stir to combine.

5.Pour in the chicken broth, heavy cream, and green chilies. Stir and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

6.In a small bowl combine the 2 tbsp corn meal, 1 tbsp flour, and 1/4 cup of water. Stir it into the soup, and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

7.Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy!

Made enough where we had it for dinner and then left overs the next night

http://www.iwashyoudry.com/2013/10/28/roasted-corn-potato-chowder/

Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Tbl Olive Oil 

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 Cloves Garlic

Lemon or Lime juice. The equivalent of 1/2 of lemon or lime

Blend all together in Blender. Add water if needed. Best if you had a food processor.. but if you are patient.. Blender works fine. I usually have to blend a little bit and then push everything back down with a rubber spatula and do it several times. 

The Hummus ends up being a little chunkier than the kind you buy in the store.

It is a great little light meal with cheese tortillas:) 

Waffles

Ingredients

 2 eggs

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 1 3/4 cups milk

 1/2 cup vegetable oil

 1 tablespoon white sugar

 4 teaspoons baking powder

 1/4 teaspoon salt

 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.

Then cook:) 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/waffles-i/

We made a pear syrup that turned out really good. It was pretty simple too. We used two cans of sliced pears. Pour all the pears and juice into a pot. Let it boil, I put it probably about 2/4 cup butter and a big spoonful of sugar. Then add Cinnamon to taste. I used a potato masher to just mash the pears a little bit. But I still like to have chunks of pear.

Coleslaw Dressing

Coleslaw Dressing

I bought a coleslaw salad mix from the store (cabbage, carrots, etc.) and then made this dressing for it! Awesome. It would have tasted even better had I had celery seed, but was still great without it. For a store bought bag (where you find salad bags in the produce section), I only made 1/3 this recipe. It was more than enough. I used this slaw to top our pulled pork sandwiches. If you haven't had coleslaw on pulled pork you are seriously missing out! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 jar of mayo
2 tbsps yellow mustard
2 tbsps celery seed
2 tbsps salt

Directions:

1. Whisk sugar with cider vinegar in a large bowl until sugar has dissolved. 
2. Mix in mayonnaise, yellow mustard, celery seed, and salt until thoroughly combined.