#1,788: Banana Oat Bread

I'm always looking for easy things to give my kids for breakfast that hopefully has some sort of nutritional value to it!  (The Avenger's cereal my son picked out is not cutting it!!).  My kids really like banana bread (without nuts), so when this recipe added some oats, I was excited to try getting these non-oatmeal loving kids to get some oats in them!  They loved this bread...well the girls did.  Matthew liked it but the Avenger's cereal kept winning out.  Don't judge this bread by how brown it is...I MAY have forgotten it in the oven and over-baked it!  Oops!

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1¼ cups)

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I omitted) 

Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisked together flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the vegetable oil, vanilla and mashed banana, beat until combined.Whisk in the flour mixture by hand, about a third at a time, until combined. Stir in nuts.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

#1,787: 3 ingredient stuffing meatloaf

There is no shortage of meatloaf recipes on this blog!  We also absolutely love stuffing muffins at our house, and my non-meat-eating picky 4 year old loves meatloaf stuffing muffins, so when I found this recipe that only uses 3 ingredients, I knew I wanted to try it.  It's always so hard to get dinner on the table during the week.  Although this recipe needs 45-60 minutes to cook, you can get it in the oven very quickly, so you have time to go through backpacks, check homework, or sit down and pretend you can't hear your kids calling you while you watch Real Housewives (that's not me, lol).  

1.5 – 2 lbs of Hamburger (I used ground turkey)

1 box of Kraft Stove-Top Stuffing Mix

1/2 cup of Milk

Add all three ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix until everything evenly distributed.  Place the mixture into a baking dish and cover with foil.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and then place your meatloaf into the oven, and bake for one hour.  (I uncovered mine at about 35 minutes and I added some ketchup to the top the last 10 minutes of baking. Mine did not take a full 60 minutes).  

#1,786: Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders

So I had intended to make a different chicken recipe for dinner and realized I was out of eggs and couldn't make it after all.  So I switched up our dinner menu and quickly threw together this oven baked parmesan chicken instead.  I am not a big fan of baked chicken but not only did I enjoy this chicken, but my kids really did too!  Allison even wanted to take the chicken for lunch the next day.  

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves or tenders

1 cup garlic bread crumbs

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. (I skipped this step) Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. 

Place bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time; close bag and shake to coat. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan.

Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink. 

#1,785: Chicken Meatballs

So my family loves meatballs.  Ok, maybe I love meatballs and want an excuse to make them for dinner. Now if I try to serve meatballs with pasta, my family could care less about them, but I add them on bread and make a sub sandwich, they have a very different opinion!  I got some ciabatta bread from the grocery store bakery and toasted them up before adding the meatballs and some cheese...the girls were fighting over these!  They were SO good.  Ground chicken was super expensive at the store this week so I used some ground turkey instead.  And I was shockingly out of tomato sauce so I added some pizza sauce that was left in the fridge.  :)  This was a very good recipe!  

1 lb ground chicken (I used ground turkey)

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

3 strips bacon, finely diced

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons homemade tomato sauce (I used pizza sauce)

3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Preheat your oven to 400º and place a rack in the upper third of your oven.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the diced bacon and cook until a good amount of fat has been rendered out, about 1 tablespoon or so.  (I didn't cook the onion or garlic before adding it to the meat mixture...I was too lazy).  Add the diced onion and the garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the bacon is crispy.  Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Combine the ground chicken, egg yolk, tomato sauce, parsley and the bacon, onion and garlic in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well.  Form meatballs and roll into little balls, about 1 tablespoon of mixture per ball.  Place the formed meatballs into a large baking dish about one inch apart.

Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through (I flipped mine over once). 

These can be served as an appetizer, alongside your favorite pasta, over zucchini noodles, etc.  As you can see above, I put my cooked meatballs in a bowl and poured spaghetti sauce over it, then added it to toasted ciabatta bread with melted mozzarella.  

#1,784: Easy Wonton Tacos

This is one of those "why didn't I think of that?!" type of recipes.  It's so simple it's almost silly.  As you can see from the photo the sides without the filling are a little crispy and quite brown.  My family didn't mind that at all and enjoyed these just as is.  But next time I might try folding these up a little more like a crab rangoon with the sides folded up as well and see how they taste that way.  We loved these.  Add this one to our family favorite list!

The original recipe was made with shredded chicken but I just used some leftover taco meat that I made, and added some cheese.  My family doesn't like anything "fancy" in their tacos but this would be good with some olives, peppers, and/or jalapenos too.  We dipped these in sour cream (kids) and guacamole (me).  Two thumbs up from this family!

1 package of wonton wrappers (I actually used egg roll wrappers cut into quarters)
Small bowl of water
Leftover taco meat (beef or chicken)
Shredded mexican-blend cheese
Any other desired filling ingredients (olives, peppers, jalapenos, etc.)

Lay out one wonton wrapper and place about 1-2 tbsp in the center of each.  Add a pinch of cheese and any other desired filling ingredients.  Dip your finger in the water and moisten 2 of the corners of the wonton wrapper.  Pull up the two moistened sides and pinch together.  The water will help keep the sides stuck together.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and spray each lightly with some non-stick spray or olive oil spray (so it doesn't dry out too much).  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  

#1,783: Glazed Strawberry Squares

If you've ever made a form of strawberry pretzel jello, this recipe is really closely to it except you don't have to cook the bottom layer first.  This recipe was also supposed to have blueberries in it, but I forgot to buy them. That's ok, because for someone who doesn't like the fruit in her jello very much, it was less fruity for me.  :)  Personally, I think this would have been better if the bottom layer was baked so that it stayed together better, but I also liked that it was quicker to make because I didn't have to cook and cool that bottom layer.  Regardless, this was good, and I made this for a family gathering and it was almost completely gone at the end of the night.  I would definitely make this again. 

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar, divided

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

2 pkgs. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened

8 oz thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I omitted)

1-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin (I used cherry because I had some on hand)

1-1/2 cups ice cubes

Mix graham crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch dish.

Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Whisk in cool whip; spread over crust. Top with berries.

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add ice; stir until melted. Pour over berries. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

#1,782: French toast cinnamon roll pull apart muffins

I know that these muffins probably look over cooked, but when they were done, I took them out of the muffin tins and the bottoms were still soggy.  So I flipped them over and continued cooking so that they were cooked all the way through.  Although these still tasted good, and my kids (and husband) loved them, they were a little dry because I had to cook them for so long.  Would I make these again?  Probably.  But my family would like just cinnamon rolls just as well.  

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package Pillsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls (the regular would work find as well, but wouldn’t make quite as much)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush butter into regular sized muffins cups, coating the bottom and sides of each cup.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla.

Unwrap package of cinnamon rolls and set icing aside. Cut rolls into 8 pieces each and place in the egg mixture, stirring to coat.  Divide mixture into muffin cups. Spoon any remaining egg mixture over the top of each cup.  Drizzle each cup with about half a teaspoon of maple syrup.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown.  Pour icing into a microwaveable container and heat for 7-10 seconds, just until icing is pourable. Spoon over each muffin.

Using a knife gently remove muffins from the pan and serve warm.

#1,781: Latte Overnight Oats

I have been eating overnight oats for about 2 months now almost every day for breakfast because they are so filling and really, just good.  So when I saw this recipe for latte overnight oats I was a little excited.  Sadly, these were disappointing.  I do enjoy drinking coffee, but this was way too much for me.  IF I make this again I'm going to cut way back on the coffee and use more milk (I like unsweetened cashew milk).  

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 teaspoon turbinado sugar or brown sugar

1/2 cup Original Silk Soymilk (I used unsweetened cashew milk)

1/4 cup brewed coffee, hot or cold

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I also added some mini chocolate chips

Add all ingredients to a bowl or jar and stir to mix completely.  Place, covered, in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Add extra soymilk in the morning if you want to thin it out a little bit. Serve cold.

#1,780: Sausage Rolls

I made this recipe a few weeks ago for dinner and am just now getting around to posting it here for you all to see.  I made this and was a little leery that my family wouldn't like either the puff pastry or the Dijon mustard in this, but they devoured this recipe.  Granted, I didn't brush each piece of pastry with the mustard, but instead mixed it right into the cooked sausage so it would be a little less noticeable.  This will end up on another monthly menu soon!

1 pound raw bulk pork breakfast sausage 

1/2 cup finely minced onion

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 (17.3 oz.) package frozen puff pastry, thawed

2 tablespoons plus 2 tsp. smooth Dijon mustard

In a bowl, mix sausage, onion, thyme, sage and crushed red pepper. Set mixture aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Working on a lightly floured work surface, unroll 1 sheet of puff pastry so a long side is near you. Divide dough horizontally into 2 long rectangles. Repeat with remaining sheet of puff pastry.

Brush each rectangle with 2 tsp. mustard. Cut 6 vertical 1 1/2-inch strips from each rectangle and discard any excess pastry. Place 1 Tbsp. sausage mixture in center of each strip and, beginning at one end, roll dough around mixture, pressing seam to seal. Place each roll seam-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining strips and sausage.

Bake rolls until pastry is puffed and golden, 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

#1,779: Asparagus walnut green bean salad

So I made this veggie side dish for Easter, but due to a child getting sick, I was the only one who ended up eating it.  :(  Boo.  Sadly I over cooked the asparagus, so it might have been a good thing that no one else had to eat it.  I personally enjoyed this dish, but it would have been better without the asparagus.  I LIKE asparagus though but it has to be cooked just perfectly for me to eat/enjoy it.  If you are a huge asparagus lover, you might love this dish then.  The walnuts are a wonderful addition as they give a nice crunch/texture to it.

This recipe also is supposed to have baby red potatoes, but I wanted just veggies in mine so I just omitted them.  

1 pound of new potatoes, about 15 (I omitted)

1 pound of green beans

1 bunch of asparagus

2 Tbs minced red onion

2 Tbs minced parsley

1 large handful of walnuts

4 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 large clove of garlic, minced

8 twists of black pepper

(I omitted this step) Slice new potatoes in half or quarters (depending on size) and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a slow boil and cook for 12 to 15 minutes - until fork tender.

Trim green bean ends and cut green beans in half.  Snap off tough ends of asparagus and then slice asparagus into an equal size as the green bean pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once it's boiling add both the green beans and asparagus to the boiling water. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

Prepare and ice bath (large bowl with half ice and half water). When the green beans and asparagus are ready - drain in a colander and then plunge into ice bath. Let them sit in the ice bath until completely cool.

Prepare vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, minced garlic and black pepper.

Drain the potatoes when ready, add to a bowl, add half the vinaigrette to the warm potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes.

Drain the green beans and asparagus from the ice bath. Pat green beans and asparagus with paper towel so they are mostly dry.

Add green beans, asparagus, red onion, parsley and walnuts to potatoes. Toss with the remaining vinaigrette and serve. 

#1,778: Marinate-all-day Parmesan Chicken

This was not the recipe I intended to make for dinner tonight, but when I went to make a different chicken dish, I realized I was out of eggs (we may have gone a little overboard coloring Easter eggs and I used them all up).  So I quickly threw this together just before lunch so it had more time to marinate in the fridge.  Phew, dinner crisis avoided.

My family LOVED this chicken.  Loved, loved, loved it.  The protein/meat is usually the least favored part of our dinner, but my kids went back for seconds.  Even super picky Matthew even at this, once I actually got him to try a piece (bribery to Chuck E Cheese may have been involved....don't judge me, we were going anyways, he just didn't know it).  

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken breast tenders)
2 tsp. crushed garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

I was in a rush so I didn’t heat this up.  I just poured it over the chicken and mixted it together in a ziplock bag.  Combine crushed garlic, olive oil, and poultry seasoning in small pan and heat 1 minute, until just warm.

Put chicken into ziplock bag, pour heated oil over, and marinate all day in refrigerator.

To cook, take chicken out of refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for a few minutes while you preheat oven to 425.

Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan and place cheese/breadcrumb mixture in flat dish and dip each chicken breast into it, pressing on as much of the coating as you can.

Place each chicken piece in casserole dish which has been sprayed with nonstick spray or olive oil. Bake until chicken is firm and cooked through, about 25 minutes, then put under the broiler to brown more if desired. 

#1,777: Blooming Onion Cheesy Pull Apart Loaf

I cannot believe how long it's been since my last post.  Of course, as you can imagine, I have about 10 or more coming soon now.  Life is busy.  Life is crazy.  Life is wonderful...but life is busy.  :)

I made this recipe a few weeks ago when I hosted book club.  I've had this on my pinterest board for over 2 years now, and it was way past due to try it and review it.  Holy cow, this was delicious!!  Like, go back for thirds kind of good.  It was really easy to make too, but you have to cut it very carefully so it all stays together.  Super well worth the effort though!  DELICIOUS!!

The original recipe had mushrooms in it, but as much as I like mushrooms, I really did not want mushrooms in my bread, so I omitted them.  I think it was a good call too, unless you really, really love mushrooms. 

I omitted these:
For the Mushrooms

12 oz sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

For the Bread

1 unsliced loaf sourdough bread

12 ounces Provolone cheese, thinly sliced

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

(I omitted this step:) For the Mushrooms

Heat a medium skillet on medium. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms. Cook 4-5 minutes until they start to sweat. Add the thyme and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.  Set mushrooms aside and allow to cool.

For the Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the bread lengthwise and width-wise without cutting through the bottom crust. This can be a little tricky going the second way but the bread is very forgiving. Place loaf on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Insert cheese slices between cuts. Pour the mushrooms between the cuts. Use your fingers to push the mushrooms down into the loaf.

Combine butter, onion, and poppy seeds. Drizzle over bread. Wrap in foil; place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Unwrap the bread and bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.

#1,776: Grain-Free Paleo Crockpot Peach Crisp

Each summer I add endless activities to our summer bucket list, and try to find different activities to do with my kids and family.  Last summer I added "peach picking" to our list and we went on a hot summer day.  But apparently I don't know how to pick the best peaches because mine were either under-ripe or kept molding before they got to that perfect, juicy and sweet texture. So I chopped them up and threw them in the freezer. 

Of course I'm not going to waste half of my freshly picked peach stash go straight to the freezer or trash as they kept molding, so I did some research on the best ways to keep peaches from molding.  Did you know that you are NEVER supposed to squeeze a peach?!  Well that's certainly one of my problems.  Every time you squeeze a peach it starts to rot in that spot within hours.  I know we squeezed them multiples times from the time we picked them on the trees to the countless times I was checking on them at home to see if they were ripe yet. And you have to store them stem side down on either a linen napkin or paper bag, but never terry cloth fabric as it holds onto the moisture and encourages mold.  (Problem number 2 for me!).  I was ready to give up on peach picking ever again, but I think we might just try it again this summer.  I'm ready for my peaches now!

Back to my under ripe frozen peaches.... Every time I go in my deep freezer these little babies are staring at me, so I figured it was long over due to find a recipe to use them up.  I decided to make this peach crisp in my crockpot to make it simpler and faster.  My house smelled wonderful this morning as it cooked.  My kids weren't big fans of the cobbler part, but the girls both liked the actual peaches.  This recipe calls for coconut and walnuts (although I used almonds) and my kids didn't like the texture.  I think they would have enjoyed it more if it had oatmeal in it.  I enjoyed this recipe though, and am OK with not sharing.

2 lbs fresh (or thawed from frozen) peaches, roughly chopped

¼ cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Crumb topping:

1½ cups walnut halves (I used slivered almonds)

½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon almond extract

If you want to see the original instructions on making this in the oven, click here.  Below is my version which went straight into the crockpot.

Place the frozen peaches in a crockpot (I lined mine with a liner to make clean-up easier), and mix with the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.  Cover and turn on high for about an hour.

Mix all of the ingredients for the crumb topping in a food processor.  Pour over the peaches, cover, and continue cooking for about 3 more hours or until the peaches are softened.  This was good as is, but would have been even better topped with some vanilla bean ice cream.  :) 

#1,775: Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins

Remember when we were younger and we'd pray so hard for a snow day.  Then we'd watch our school name go across the bottom of the TV screen and we'd be so excited to stay home.  Yeah, it's not like that for me anymore.  Now the call comes in before 5 am and I grumble that we can't go to school....especially when school gets cancelled and there isn't any snow on the ground yet!!  Anyway....an unexpected day off of school means I get to pull one of my little ones into the kitchen with me to whip up a quick (semi-healthy) breakfast!.  

I say these Banana Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins are semi-healthy because they have a combo of ground oats (oat flour) and whole wheat flour, but they also have chocolate chips and quite a bit of brown sugar.  But when everything else is healthy the brown sugar calories don't count, right?  Right?!?!

Here's what I learned about these muffins.....
1.  Don't turn around and stop paying attention to your kids because one unnamed child (see below) will eat FOUR of them when you aren't watching.  I guess he enjoyed them. 

2.  Make a double batch and freeze them if necessary.  That would NOT be necessary in this house because they will get eaten super fast.  (Like faster than a teacher leaving a building on the first day of summer...I am NOT talking from experience...ha!).  

3.  You don't need have to wait for a snow day to make these muffins.   

¾ cup brown sugar

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp coconut oil

2 eggs

3 tsp vanilla extract

3 over-ripe bananas

1 cup oat flour (or about 3/4 -1 c ground oatmeal)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar, coconut oil and butter.

Add eggs, vanilla and bananas until thoroughly blended.

Add flours, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.

Add chocolate chips and mix just a couple of rotations.  

Spoon ¼ cup of batter into a muffin tin lined with paper cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until the tops are dark golden brown.  Cool for a few minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.  Store in a sealed container.

100,000+ Visitors....I am truly amazed!

Today I hit over 100,000 visitors to this blog.  I never, ever dreamed it would be any more than me posting a few recipes that I subjected my family to.  Now 5 1/2 years later and 1700+ recipes tried, this took a direction so different than what I thought it would go.  So to anyone who has ever looked, tried, or commented on a recipe, thank you!  Hopefully I can continue to try, rate, and review many more recipes for you to hopefully make for yourself, your family and your loved ones.
~Tracy

#1,774:Greek Gyro Meatballs

If I was told to name one last meal, I'd have a long hard debate with myself if I wanted something mexican (soft corn tacos please!) or gyros.  My 9 year old not only looks like me, but she has my love for gyros as well (it's often her birthday dinner request).  So when I found this recipe for gryo meatballs I was intrigued!  

I made them last week...and I'm enjoying them so much, I made them again this week for my lunches as well.  This would be awesome with homemade tzatziki sauce, but I bought a jarred kind because I was being lazy.  The original recipe says to serve these in lettuce wraps, but I ate this as is and then again chopped on top of my salad.  Both ways were good.  

1 lb. extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 T Greek seasoning (I made my own)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
olive oil, for brushing grill pan

1 large head iceberg lettuce
Tzatziki sauce, about 3/4 cup (homemade or store bought)
3/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

Put the ground beef into a bowl, add the onions and spices.  Mix well.  Form into tablespoon sized meatballs (you should get about 20). 

Brush a stove-top grill pan or frying pan with olive oil, then heat the pan over medium high heat and cook the meatballs, turning often, until they are well browned and completely cooked through (about 10-12 minutes.) 

Cut out the core of the lettuce and cut the lettuce head into two halves, then break the leaves apart, making each lettuce cup out of two leaves.  Put three meatballs into each lettuce cup, top with Tzatziki sauce, and sprinkle over chopped tomatoes.

#1,773: Reese’s Bottom Cheesecake Muffins

I've had this recipe pinned on one of my pinterest boards for 3 years, and since it was so simple, I figured it would be a great recipe to make for book club and get off my boards.  Here's the bad news about this recipe...it tastes artificial.  Now granted, I should not be surprised since I used a box cheesecake mix...but I was following the original recipe and going for speed not quality.  Don't make this unless you have a real cheesecake filling you can make/use.  These did not go over well...even though they were super simple to make.  I was not a fan.  

1 Box of JELLO instant NO-Bake Cheesecake Mix
12 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (one per each Cheesecake)
1 Cup of Mini Chocolate Chips (optional...for sprinkling on top)
Approx. 1 Cup of Graham Cracker Crumbs (use the enclosed bag of crumbs from the boxed No-Bake Cheesecake Mix)
Paper Cupcake Liners

Mix up the no-bake Cheesecake according to the box directions.  Set aside. 

Place a paper muffin liner into each of the muffin tins. 

Unwrap the Reese’s and remember to remove the bottom paper liner!  Drop one Peanut Butter Cup down into each paper liner and pour the Cheesecake Mix onto it.  Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs and chocolate chips.  Place into the fridge and chill for at least one hour.

#1,772: Cupid Floats

This is certainly not a healthy dessert or one that I would serve to my kids often, but it was a Valentine's Day treat for my kids and they all enjoyed this.  Obviously it's super simple to make, and you could easily make this with different types of pop (soda, coke...whatever you call it).. but for Valentine's Day I liked the red color.
 

Vanilla Ice Cream

Strawberry Soda

Heavy cream and sugar to make homemade whipped cream (or you can use store-bought whipped cream)

Maraschino Cherries (optional)

Place 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a glass.  Slowly add strawberry soda (it will foam up quite a bit!).  Top with whipped cream and a cherry (optional).  Serve with long spoon and straw.

#1,771: Bacon-Potato Corn Chowder

This is a terrible photo, but I really enjoyed this soup!  It was really simple to throw together and I loved the flavors of this.  Although I haven't had a corn and potato soup in a really long time.  This would be even better served in a hollowed out bread bowl.... :) 

1/2 pound bacon strips, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1-1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cubed

1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk (I used skim milk)
I also added some diced green onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1-1/2 teaspoons in pan. Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup potato water.

Add corn, milk, salt, pepper and reserved potato water to saucepan; heat through. Stir in bacon and onion. Yield: 6 servings.

#1,770 Garlic Sauce Chicken

This chicken dish was what I made for and served my family on Valentine's Day.  I served this with crash hot potatoes and knock-off Red Lobster cheddar biscuits...and my family devoured this.  :)  I was afraid this was going to be too garlicky for my crew but they did not seem to mind.  

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 chicken thighs (about 2-pounds) (I used chicken tenders and cut into pieces)

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 whole bulb of garlic, peeled, cloves separated

1 cup white wine (use a wine that you like)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 sprig fresh rosemary

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Cooking over medium heat, brown the chicken on both sides; about 4 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.

Add garlic cloves to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden; about 3 minutes. Carefully add wine to the skillet.  Stir in parsley and add rosemary.  Transfer chicken back to skillet.

Cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, turning the chicken over half way through cooking. Add ¼-cup more wine if it looks too dry when you go to turn over the chicken.

Remove from heat.  Transfer chicken to serving dish and spoon the garlic sauce over the chicken.  Serve.

PS...my hubby surprised me with a secret dancing date...in our basement.  He showed up at the door all dressed up (after coming downstairs and sneaking outside).  It was totally unexpected and sweet.  Happy Valentine's Day y'all.  :) 

#1,769: St. Louis Slinger

This actually tastes better than it looks...although I made quite a few shortcuts, and I think it definitely changed the overall flavor of the dish.  It wasn't a bad meal, but not something we all went ga-ga over.  Would eat this again, yes.  Would I make this again, probably not.

Chili Recipe:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 28-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Crushed red pepper to taste

5 cups diced russet potatoes (1/2-inch; about 1 1/2 pounds) (I used frozen potato cubes)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

4 slices bacon (I used real bacon bits only because I had a lot on hand)

4 large eggs (I omitted)

To prepare chili: Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add turkey and cook, stirring often and breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Stir in onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes and their juice, water, chili powder, cocoa, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat while assembling the slingers.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.  Rinse potatoes in cold water and thoroughly pat dry with a clean towel. Toss on a large baking sheet with oil, salt and pepper, then spread into a single layer. Roast until well-browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Stir and turn the potatoes; roast until brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crispy; drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the pan.

When the potatoes are done, coat the skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Crack eggs into the skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5 to 7 minutes for a soft-set yolk. Divide the potatoes among 4 plates; top each portion with bacon, a fried egg and 1/2 cup of the chili.

Grey Dinosaur Play Dough

I made some home made play dough for my students this week to go with our dinosaur unit.  I make play dough for them most weeks, but I generally make a kool-aid scented play dough or a soft play dough with some cornstarch added.  This time I wanted it to be more dinosaur like so I added some grey liquid water colors and coffee grounds.  Matthew (my 3 year old) is really enjoying playing with this with his own toy dinosaurs.  I really wanted to use brown liquid water colors, but didn't have any on hand.  I could have made my own from old markers, but I just wanted to get this crossed off my to-do list!

PS...my students are loving this play dough!  

3 cups water
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 c salt
3-4 tbsp coffee grounds (mine were unused grounds)
2-3 tbsp of grey liquid water colors (or more to desired color)

In a large sauce pan combine the water and vegetable oil and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.  Turn off heat and add liquid water colors.  Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the flour, salt, cream of tartar and coffee grounds.

Add the water mixture to the flour mixture and mix/knead until smooth.