Crunch Wrap Supremes

When I saw this little bite of heaven on Pinterest, I knew I had to try it out. We weren't disappointed, quite impressed actually, with just how tasty they really were! If you are a fan of Taco Bell's Crunch Wrap Supreme, you won't be disappointed! (Recipe found here!)

You will need:

Large (burrito size) flour tortilla shells

Small tostada shells

Queso (I used the Tostitos brand that is just plain cheese sauce)

Cooked taco meat (I used ground beef with taco seasoning)

Shredded lettuce

Shredded cheese

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped avocados

Sour cream

 

Directions:

**Warm your tortilla in the microwave to make it soft enough to bend

**Put a spoonful of queso sauce in the center of your tortilla, leave a wide edge so you can wrap it later.

**Spoon some taco meat on the cheese--you could also put refried beans here if you wanted to.

**Place the tostada shell, on top of the above layers, spread sour cream over the shell.

**Sprinkle shredded lettuce, shredded cheese and any other ingredients you choose on top of the sour cream.

**Wrap the edges up toward the center until they close around your filling.

**Quickly flip your crunch wrap upside down into a warm non-stick pan, fold side down. Lightly pressed down with your spatula to seal the folds and brown. It goes pretty quick.

**Then carefully flip it over once the edges are sealed and lightly brown the bottom side. This won't take long either because you are just trying to warm up the Queso on the bottom layer.

SOOOO yummy!!!

 

 

 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

"Howe" in the world did I ever forget about these delectable little morsels? Our cute secretary, Linda, brought them to school the other day and I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of them in so long! If you have never tried these, do it.....NOW!!!

(Don't mind my photo skills, I know they are crap!)

Ingredients:

1/2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

1 egg

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C. flour

1 pkg. Miniature Reese's PB Cups

**Mix all ingredients together (except BP cups)

**Roll into 1 inch balls

**Drop into Pammed mini muffin tins

**Bake at 350* for 8-10 minutes.

**Let cool 1-2 minutes, then press PB cups into center and let cool.

**Run a small knife around the edge and they should pop right out of the pan!

Beef-Broccoli Lo Mein

Recipe and photo found here

Hello, hello!!  Wow it's been awhile since I was here!  Have you all missed me??  Yes? Anyone?  Bueller?  (Name it!)  Anywho.  Well this here is a recipe I stumbled across some time ago and have been making it ever since.  It is yummy and easy and yummy....my three fave things!  I even did a cooking demonstration at the Utah State Fair with it last Saturday and it was a hit with the crowd who got to sample it.  And just so ya all know, I am always at the State Fair the last Saturday it runs.  I am involved with the beef cook-off (you should enter next year!!) and then I usually do a demonstration of a dish using beef.  Come see me!  Also if you are interested in seeing some great beef recipes that were demo'ed this year, as well as the entries from the beef cook-off you can go to utahbeef.org.  And noooow onto the recipe!!

Beef-Broccoli Lo Mein

You'll need:

• 4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil (I use olive or whatever I have)
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut across the grain into long, thin strips (I usually use sirloin because it's in my freezer)
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon chile paste with garlic (I use Sriracha cuz I like it!  Be careful with this stuff.  At first it doesn't seem that hot so I always add more and then I regret it.  So please use caution with this stuff!)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Combine pasta and sesame oil, tossing well to coat.
2. While pasta cooks, heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add broccoli and onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add steak, and sauté 5 minutes or until done. Add pasta mixture, soy sauce, and remaining ingredients; cook 1 minute or until lo mein is thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

This is seriously soooo good!  It's not super saucy but seems light and flavorful anyway.  I serve it with some baked, store bought egg rolls and it's good to go.  You're gonna love it!  Give it a try tonight!

epic room makeover

hey, readers! we've been a little m.i.a...we know. we're working on it. in the meantime, this is not a recipe, but i really really need your help! i have entered to win mandi @ vintage revivals's epic room makeover giveaway. will you help me win? pretty please??

head over and vote for my epic fail of a room to win an epic makeover! click on the link, scroll down, and vote for #47. it's super easy and takes 5 seconds. i will love you forever if you do it!

Click here to vote!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Where have those dang Howe girls been? Well, let's see.... We have been

*Camping

*Swimming

*Splash Padding

*Shopping

*Lounging

*Eating

*FaceTiming

*Etc...

Basically, we have been doing nearly everything we can before 3 of the 4 of us head back to school aka work and the other one sends her cutie off to 1st grade! We have, however, also borrowed a few recipes off good ol' Pinterest! Now it's time to share a recent one that we really liked! This little beauty came from Six Sisters Stuff. I'm pretty sure we've used their recipes before. All the credit goes to those ladies, but in case you are unfamiliar with their blog we are sharing their recipe over here.

You will need:

1 box of chicken flavored stuffing

1 small can  of Cream of Chicken Soup (Campbell's will always rank #1 in my book!)

1 Tbs. Dijon Mustard
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

3 C. fresh broccoli florets
2 C. cooked, chopped ham (I actually used lunch meat that I chopped up)
6 slices of Swiss cheese

**Preheat oven to 375ºF.  

**Prepare stuffing as directed on package.  

**Mix soup and mustard in medium bowl then stir in the chicken, the broccoli, and the ham. 

**Pour/spread into 2-qt. (square) casserole dish sprayed with Pam top with cheese slices and stuffing.  **Cover with tinfoil and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.

Toffee Cookie Bars

I ran upon this tasty little recipe yesterday from here and knew I had to try it out. It was so quick and simple and didn't disappoint. If you like the taste of English Toffee, you'll love these little cookie bars that have a similar taste!

(image also from here)

You will need:

1 C. butter, softened

1 C. brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 C. flour

1 C. chocolate chips

1/2 C. chopped nuts (optional in my opinion. :D)

**Cream butter and sugar together, add egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in flour and then spread in a greased 9x13 pan (she suggested patting it with wet fingers and it worked great). Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (mine took 17) until cookie looks set and edges are starting to brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Wait about 5 minutes and then spread the chocolate and sprinkle the nuts (if you used them). Quickly cut into bars, let chocolate set (I stuck them in the fridge) and enjoy!

Gooey Baked S'mores

(Picture from here)

During the whole month of June we work cows and get them sent to the summer range.  My awesome sis-in-laws and all their kiddos come out and spend the entire month helping us get this huge job done.  Besides working super hard, we EAT really yummy food.  One of the last days they were all here my sis-in-law made this deee-licious treat for us.  If you love s'mores like I do, but hate smelling like camp-fire (like I do!) then this recipe is for you.  It makes an 8x8 size pan so I double it for my crew.  (Oh. And this is where I found the recipe when I was needing a second dose.)

Baked S'mores

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla 
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 5 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
2 or 3 super-sized (5 oz.) chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (or mini marshmallows if you must!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of  8x8 pan.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. 

Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer.

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer. Pace remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in either a gallon size freezer bag, between two sheets of parchment, or sheets of wax paper.  Then use your palms or rolling pin to flatten it out.  (If using the ziploc use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style.) Lay the dough down over the marshmallow and then peel off the bag or paper and carefully spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely or almost completely for the melty factor before cutting into bars. 

 

These are super rich but so dang good!!  You must try them today!!

 

Enjoy!!





Creamy Pesto Chicken & Bow Ties

Is anyone out there still checking this poor, poor, neglected blog? We have been slacking big time, but I am here to give you a simple, delicious dinner recipe. Lucky for me I actually looked at the back of the Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup can when I was making dinner and decided to tear off this recipe for future reference. We tried it out at my mom's house when both Candice and Mindy were there and we were all fans and definitely thought it was worth sharing with you--just in case you had never tried it before! So, here goes!

(source)

You will need:

2 Tbs. butter

4 chicken breasts (cut into cubes)

1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 C. pesto sauce (I just bought a small jar by the pasta sauces)

1/2 C. milk

3 C. bow tie pasta, cooked & drained

**Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until well browned.

**Stir soup, pesto sauce, and milk in skillet and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

**Stir in pasta and cook until mixture is hot and bubbling.

There ya have it! Quick, easy, and delicious!!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

  

Image found here

When I saw this recipe on Pinterest I knew I had to try it. I love homemade chicken noodle soup but love thick creamy soups even more. So I knew the comination of both was just too good to be true. Oh no! Let me just tell you, this soup is A-mazing. Even my husband, who is not a fan of soup, said it was one of the best soups he'd ever had. Its definetly a new family fave that I will making regularly.

 Here is what you need:

5-7 C. chicken broth

2 chicken breasts
1 C. chopped carrots
1 C. chopped celery

 (I used peas instead because my kids eat them better)

1 C. diced potatos

½ C. chopped onion

(I just used minced)
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/4 C. evaporated milk or ½ C. whole milk
8-12 oz uncooked homestyle egg noodles

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken in the broth and then remove and shred.  Then add carrots, celery/peas, potatoes, onions, and noodles. I started out with 5 C. of broth because that is what the origonal recipe called for. But after I added my veggies it had boiled down and there was barely enought left to cover them, so I added two more cups. Simmer until veggies and noodles are tender. Add cream of chicken soup, milk, salt, pepper and shredded chicken. Simmer until heated through and ready to serve. I only added one can of soup and I thought it was plenty thick and really rich. You can add a second one depending on your taste. Also, as a side note. I boiled my noodles separate and added them in at the end. Enjoy!

browned-butter chocolate chip cookies

okay. this recipe is going to change your life. i am not kidding. my cutest friend, chloe, posted these on her blog a while ago, and i finally got around to making them. oh. my. i seriously cannot get over how good they are. these are my new go-to cookies. my picture isn't 100% awesome, but the flavor? totally was. you have to try these!

i'm basically copying and pasting her instructions. i hope she doesn't mind! the process is a little different than the traditional route, but you have to follow it exactly. also, i didn't have parchment paper, so i used pam. i would recommend buying the parchment paper. mine went pretty flat and i think it's because of grease from the pam made them spread out more than they should have.

anyway, no matter what they look like, they are amaaaaahzing ("happy endings," anyone??). also, i was shoving them in fresh out of the oven, and they were good. but the next day, when they were completely cooled, they were blow-your-mind amazing. seriously i love these cookies!

one last thing: don't use your hand mixer. only a whisk!

okay, on with it. here's the recipe:

ingredients:

1 ¾ cups unbleachedall-purpose flour 

 ½ teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks)
½ cup granulated sugar 

 ¾ cups packed dark brown sugar 

 1 teaspoon table salt (chloe said sea salt makes them taste awesome)

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

 1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 ¼ cups chocolate chips or chunks

instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
2. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons butter into hot butter until completely melted.
3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.
4. Put 12 cookies on each sheet (1-2 tbsp. per cookie)
5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 8-9 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack; cool cookies completely before serving.

creamy tomato basil soup

we are just slightly in love with the harry's organic creamy tomato basil soup you buy at costco. yesterday, because of all the rain, i was craving some. but we didn't have any, and i didn't want to go to costco. so my next step was google. obviously. i found a recipe on the taste of homes website, and oh my. it was amazing! my husband reheated some late last night and decided that it is just as good as the kind we buy at costco. success! this coupled with a grilled cheese was perfect.

i modified the recipe so that i could use what i had on hand, and it worked great!

 

image

2 garlic cloves, minced OR 1 teaspoon crushed garlic (i buy it in a jar)
1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cans petite diced tomatoes
1.5 teaspoon chicken boulion granules*
2-1/3 cups water*
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk*
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar

in a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until hot. add the tomatoes, chicken boullion, water and pepper. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

stir in the milk, basil, and sugar. cook for 1 minute or until heated through.
 
*you could reduce the water by 1 cup, eliminate the boullion, and use canned chicken broth. 
*the recipe called for heavy whipping cream, but i used milk. it was a little runny, so i think using cream would thicken it up

Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes

When I googled Garlic Mashed Red Potatoes for a side to our Sunday dinner, I had no idea the heaven I would be in for when I whipped up these creamy, dreamy little things. They were the perfect addition to our BBQ Lime Chicken. Oh. My. Goodness! I was pretty sure Matt had died and gone to heaven between these two things of beauty on his plate. I couldn't wait to share the recipe with you!! I found them here and you can bet I'll be heading back there to see what else I can make from her website!

 (picture also found here)

You will need:
2 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into cubes

1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 14 ounce container chicken stock

**Pour 3/4 container of chicken stock into a large stove top pan.  Place cubed potatoes in pan and turn on high heat.  Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

(I actually used all of it and ended up adding a bit of water before the potatoes were all the way done because the broth had boiled off and I didn't need additional stock, the sour cream made them creamy enough!)
**Drain potatoes.  Add reduced-fat sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper to potatoes.  

**Using a stand-up mixer or potato masher, mix potatoes.  Slowly add remaining chicken stock to potatoes and continuing mashing until desired consistency. 

BBQ Lime Chicken

you. guys.

i found this recipe last week, and i couldn't wait to try it. it came from this blog and oh my gosh. it was to die for.

to. die. for.

you know you've done it when your husband (who is very mellow about ev-e-ry food and describes everything as 'okay.') says, "babe. baaaaaaaabe" between every single bite. 

trust me. try it tonight!

another bonus is that the ingredients are things you probably already have in your pantry. the sweetness of the honey, the salty of the soy sauce, and the zestiness of the lime are the perfect, mouth-watering combination.

you need:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can do whole breasts or kabobs. we did whole) (also, i had plenty of marinade. you could easily do 4 breasts)

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

juice of 1 lime

1 tsp. minced garlic

mix together, and marinate chicken for 3+ hours. bbq on medium-high until white throughout. salivate, eat, die, repeat.

ready...go!

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

I had to make a dessert for a church function, and after hearing about this deliciousness a while back, I decided this would be my cake of choice! If you are a Snickerdoodle cookie fan, you will be in heaven with this scrumptious little cake!  It takes a lot of mixing so if you have a Kitchenaid stand mixer, I highly recommend using it!!

I got this little recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up and if you haven't visited her blog, you totally should. She has tons of delicious recipes that are very family friendly!

 (We all know I am not the best food photographer, especially when my phone is my camera of choice! :D)

You will need:

2 t ground cinnamon

1 C white sugar

**Mix together and set aside--you'll need this two different times. 

Next you will need:

2 1/2 C. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. butter, softened

1 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar

3 eggs at room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla

1 C sour cream at room temperature 

Directions:

**Grease the inside of your bundt pan with shortening, or spray heavily with Pam Cooking Spray With Added Flour and dust the entire inside of your pan with the cinnamon sugar mixture. You will probably use about 1/3 C. of the mixture. Set aside the leftovers to use in the middle of the cake.

**In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Set this mixture aside for later.

**In a Kitchen Aid mixer or using hand held beaters beat the softened butter on medium speed for 1 minute.

**Add the white sugar and mix for 3 minutes.

**Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and add the brown sugar. Mix for 2 minutes.

**Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for a full minute after each one.

**Stir in the vanilla.

**Grab your dry mixture and add it alternately with the sour cream. When both sour cream and all of the dry mixture are added continue to mix for 2 minutes.

**Spread 1/2 the batter into your pan. Pour the leftover cinnamon and sugar over the top. Spread the rest of your batter over the top.

**Bake at 325 degrees for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

**Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake

A big thanks to my friend Amy and Pinterest for this little bit of heaven! I had to make a cake for refreshments at school on the day we were meeting our new principal. Lucky, Ame had just told me about this little beauty so I was just looking for a reason to make it. Of course, it didn't disappoint. I'm pretty darn sure you'll love it too!

 (picture from here)

You will need for the cake:

1 box of Devil's Food Cake Mix

1 box of instant chocolate pudding (4 oz.)

3/4 C. hot water

3/4 C. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

For the Filling you will need:

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese (softened

1/2 C. sugar
1 egg

 1 C. chocolate chips

For the frosting:

Your favorite chocolate frosting

(I happen to LOVE Betty Crocker's chocolate frosting so I used that. :D)

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with baking spray with flour.
2. In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.
3. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and 1 egg with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly over top of batter. Using table knife, swirl filling through batter. Sprinkle with nuts.
4. Bake 47 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Spread frosting over cake. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 15 servings

sweet & sour chicken

recently, a reader emailed us to ask if we had a sweet and sour recipe. i couldn't believe that i hadn't posted this one yet! i found this in our hometown community cookbook, and i'd actually forgotten about it until i saw that email. this is super quick and easy, and when i made it the other night we were reminded why we used to love it so much. it's delish!

ingredients:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 can pineapple tidbits

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts--cubed and cooked

in a medium sauce pan, whisk together brown sugar and corn starch. when blended, add pineapple (with the juice), soy sauce, and vinegar. boil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. add chicken and serve. 

i served it over some homemade fried rice and with a bowl of egg drop soup. who needs a chinese restaurant when you can create your own?? ;)

Muddy Buddies

Pin It

Um... Why have I never HAD these before, let alone never made them for myself? I got this recipe to use on the 101st day of school (using the 101 Dalmations of course!) and it was called "Puppy Chow," but since that sounds pretty nasty to anyone who is over the age of 7, I decided we'd call them what they really are: Muddy Buddies. These come together SO quick and are nearly impossible to stop munching once you start. So, get making and get eating ASAP!!

You will need:

1/2 C. peanut butter

1/4 c. butter

1 c. chocolate chips 

1/2 tsp. vanilla

9 c. Crispix cereal

2 C. powdered sugar

**Place Crispix cereal in a large bowl.

**Combine peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips in a microwave save bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and stir to blend ingredients then add vanilla.

**Pour peanut butter/chocolate mix over cereal and stir until well coated.

**Put powdered sugar in a large Zip-Loc bag, add cereal mixture, zip, and shake until coated. 

**DEVOUR!

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Hello! Hello! I am here to amaze and wow you by sharing a wonderful new recipe! If  you like pasta and you like chicken enchiladas, well my friends, this recipe is for you! All credit goes to my fabulous, amazing,  neighbor Krista and her delicious blog Budget Gourmet Mom this was one of those recipes I knew I had to try as soon as it showed up in my RSS feed! I was NOT disappointed! Matt kept saying after every bite how good it was and as soon as he was done told me he couldn't wait until lunch the next day, so he could eat it again! Mmmm mmmm this was too GOOD not to share!!!

Stop over and check out Krista's blog and leave her some love if you try this one out!

 (picture from here)

 You will need:

1 lb bow tie pasta

2 chicken breasts, cubed and cooked

1 - 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken of soup

1 - 4oz can diced green chilies

2 cups sour cream

1 small onion, diced

1 small can black olives, sliced

3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Enchilada Sauce:

1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/3 cup water

1 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cumin

1 clove garlic, minced

I got my enchilada sauce cooking first--it's SO delicious!! First of all I didn't know you could make your own so easily, second of all I had no idea it would be so YUMMY!!

**In a small saucepan mix all of the ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook for a few minutes for the ingredients to blend. Pour over the enchilada pasta or store in the refrigerator for later.

**Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the pasta. 

**While the pasta cooks in a large bowl mix the soup, green chilies, sour cream, onions, olives and 1 cup of shredded cheese.

 **Once the pasta is al dente fold it into the soup mixture along with the cooked chicken.

**Pour into one 9x13 baking dish or two smaller rectangular dishes (she uses the disposable ones for freezing).

**Pour over enchilada sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

**Bake at 350° until cheese is melted and it's heated through, mine took about 20-25 minutes!

Pin It

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Once upon a Christmas party I had this delicious, amazing, outstanding, wonderful dessert! The moment I saw it, I knew I HAD to have a bite! It was indeed as delicious as it looked and I have just been waiting for an excuse to whip it up--the Super Bowl just happened to come along (Isn't it all about the food--and commercials--anyway?!) So here is the perfect recipe or all you peanut butter lovers out there!

(recipe found here and yes, their picture is MUCH better than mine taken with the ol' iPhone!)

 

You will need:

• 1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
• 1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips
• 2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups
• 4 cups cold 2% milk
• 2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions

• Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not over bake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.
• Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.
• Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled.

Pin It

chimichangas

 image

so i posted this on my blog a few years ago. i just had an apostrophe (i think you mean an epiphany); lightning has just struck my brain. i realized that these babies have yet to grace howe to cook with their presence. these things are a jewel. growing up, we all always requested these for our birthday dinners. my mom hated to make them, but i don't know why because they are suuuuper easy. and so good. and almost restaurantish if you turn on some mexican tunage and put on a sombrero.

you need:

-meat (i use round steak. it's yummy and super cheap. my sister uses chicken. do what you want. just put it in the crocker all day so it shreds easily)
-tortillas (the thinner the tortilla, the better. the super thin lynn wilson ones work well. plus, they're cheap!)
-refried beans (mine are straight out of a can. I know some people make them themselves. and i'm classy, but i'm not that classy.)
-shredded cheddar cheese
-oil (this is for frying, so you'll need a lot)

so once your meat is cooked and shredded, heat up a tortilla in the micro for 10 seconds or so. then, layer it down the middle with refried beans (smear them around), meat, and plenty of cheese. like so:
next, fold it up like a little burrito (or chimichanga. ha!). fold the short sides in so they're on the meat, then fold up the other sides. looks something like:
finally, after you get over how classy i am with my half-painted black nails, pinch your chimi between your tongs and place in oil. your oil needs to be really hot. it will look something like:

hold it in there until it's golden brown (10ish seconds).

voila! serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. yuuum.

Pin It

Homemade Twix

How is it that I have NOT posted these heavenly little morsels? I got this recipe several years ago from my cute friend Stephanie! Wow! These are one of my favorite treats, they are really easy just require multiple steps. Don't let that deter you, the rave reviews you get will be worth it! I made these little beauties to take Visiting Teaching and I hope they enjoyed them as much as I did! Of course they are not EXACTLY like a Twix, but you get the idea. :)

(image from here)

 

Step 1)      Cookie Bottom:

1 C. butter

2 C. flour

     ½ C. Sugar

 **Cut together.  Press into a Pammed 9 X 13 pan.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes

Step 2)      Caramel Center:

1 C. butter

1 C. brown sugar

4 T. corn syrup

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

**Put ingredients in sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, stir constantly with a whisk.  Boil exactly 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, wait 5 minutes, pour on crust.

3)      Chocolate Top:

1-2 bags Milk Chocolate Chips

1 tsp. vegetable oil

**Melt together in a saucepan and pour over top.

Cool completely (I stick them in the fridge) before cutting.

Buttermilk Syrup

This is the perfect addition to the Pancake and Waffle recipe I posted.  My kids would practically drink it!  Give it a try tomorrow morning.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 1/2 C. sugar

3/4 C. buttermilk

1/2 C. butter

2 T. corn syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 In a saucepan combine sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and soda.  Bring to a boil and cook 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour over warm waffles, pancakes, french toast, or even vanilla ice cream!!  Yum!  *NOTE* Be sure and use a large pan as this bubbles and foams A LOT!! 

Pancakes or Waffles from Scratch

I have a spoiled Mr., who's Mom always made pancakes and waffles from scratch.  So we got married and guess what?!  I went from a Bisquick girl to a made from scratch girl.  :)  I have made this recipe so many times I have it memorized!  Give it a try and see if you like them better.

Pancakes and Waffles

2 C. flour

2 C. milk

2 eggs, seperated

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 T. oil

Combine dry ingredients then add milk, egg yolks, and oil.  Whip egg whites until soft peaks form, fold into batter.  Pour onto hot griddle and cook until golden brown.  Eat with butter and warm syrup.  Enjoy!

Beefy One Pot Dinner

This is the slacker sister here! I have been doing some good cooking and am ready to share some new recipes with you so I hope you're excited! You are? Great! This is one that I dug out of a magazine I had been saving since 2007. Wow! I really do save way too much junk. Anywho. It's quick. It's easy. It's quick and easy! My favorite kind of dinner. And it's good to boot. So here we go.

(Photo found here)

Beefy One-Pot Dinner

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 Yukon gold potato (about 6 oz.), finely chopped

1 cup water

1 can (14 oz.) baked beans

1/2 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Brown meat in large nonstick skillet; drain. Add next 3 ingredients; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in water; cover. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add beans and barbecue sauce; mix well. Cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Top with cheese.

That's it! We had a garden salad and called it a meal. You really should try it when you need something fast. I promise you'll like it.

ham & cheese sliders

oh man. the holidays brought some good food. i found this recipe on pinterest, and an appetizer party at my in-laws' was the perfect place to take them. yu-um. even the next day, after a little re-heating in the oven, they were delish. we ate them as an appetizer, but eat a few with some salad and you'd have a meal. i will probably be making these for dinner soon. my husband was a serious fan!

the recipe came from this blog 

ingredients:

12 dinner rolls (i used the costco ones from the bakery)

12 slices ham

12 slices provolone cheese

sauce:

i cube butter-melted

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

1.5 tbsp. mustard

1 tbsp. minced onion

make sandwiches and place in a baking dish. mix together sauce ingredients, pour over sandwiches, and bake at 350* for 15ish minutes. serve warm.

Genius!

Don't even try to tell me this isn't the most genius idea for a BLTA (aka blita) you've ever seen! Once again, thank you Pinterest! 

(Idea and picture from here)

Take 3 strips of bacon and cut them in half. Lay 3 half strips on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and weave the other 3 through them. Bake on 415 for 20-25 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your bacon). Pile on bread with lettuce, tomato, and avocado and enjoy!!