#1,883: One-Pot Spaghetti and Sausage

This super simple recipe got super good reviews from my family even though they were appalled that I would put grated carrots in this dish.  Can you even see them?  NO...yeah, neither could I.  But my husband and my middle child both tried picking it out at first.  (Insert eye roll here).  My husband complained that his body would start rejecting the veggies as soon as he started eating it.  Needless to say, we had leftovers, and my husband happily ate those (I thought he was going to have to fight my oldest for it, but she was kind and let him have them).  :)

The only thing I did differently with this recipe was that I did NOT add the canned cherry tomatoes.  Adding grated carrots was a big enough risk for me to take, and I knew they would all just pick out the tomatoes anyways.  This is definitely best served with grated parmesan cheese on top.  I will definitely make this again. 

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 carrot, grated

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon tomato paste (I probably used more like 2 tbsp)

10 ounces spaghetti, broken in half

1 14-ounce can cherry tomatoes (I omitted and added a little bit of jarred spaghetti sauce instead)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Pour off the fat from the meat.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onion to the skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrot, garlic and tomato paste and cook until the garlic softens, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add 4 1/2 cups water, the spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and the sauce thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the parsley; season with salt and pepper and toss.

#1,882: Roasted Broccoli Steaks

I found this recipe in a recent issue from Food Network Magazine, and I seriously fell in love with it!  Oh my goodness it is SO good.  The only thing I don't love about this recipe is the stalks of the broccoli, but I normally cut that part off when I roast my broccoli.  So when I made this a second time, I cut off the florets and just roasted the tops.  For me personally it was better, but that's just personal preferrence.  Also, I LOVE feta cheese so I would love to add it to my dish next time, but I didn't have any on hand (and didn't really want to spend the money on it right now), so I subbed out grated parmesan instead.  This was delicious! 

2 heads of broccoli
¼ c Olive oil
Salt, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2 tbsp blood orange juice (I used regular orange juice)
1 tbsp lemon juice
parsley, to taste (I used dried)
red onion
feta cheese (I used grated parmesan)

Trim 2 heads broccoli; slice from the stem end into thick steaks (some florets will fall off). Toss with olive oil and salt. Roast on a preheated baking sheet at 450 degrees F until browned, 15 minutes. Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons blood orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice; season with salt and red pepper flakes. Drizzle over the broccoli; top with parsley, red onion and feta.

#1,881: Italian Meatball Stuffed Crescent Ring

I totally forgot to take a picture of this once we cut into it!  Grrr I hate when I forget to do that!  Sorry!  Oh well, you'll have to use your imagination for this one, or go to the original website where I found this one.  As you may have read/noticed in my last post, I had several cans of crescent rolls I needed to use up, so I wanted something easy to make with them, but would also be a good (and kid/hubby-friendly) main dish.  Although my family really enjoyed this recipe, it would have been 1000 times better if I had used homemade (cooked) meatballs instead.  I strongly suggest doing that if you have the time!  But I was going for convenience and quick, so I used the frozen ones.  Still good, but not nearly as good as my own homemade meaballs.  :)  Regardless, I would definitely make this again for my family!  

24 (1-inch) frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs, thawed and halved

1 1/2cups marinara sauce

1cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz)

2cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1tablespoon butter, melted

1tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheet). In large bowl, mix meatball halves, 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce and the mozzarella cheese.

(If you are a visual person and want to see how to do this, here is the link with images to the original website) Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 8 rectangles. On ungreased large cookie sheet, arrange rectangles in ring so short sides of rectangles form a 5-inch circle in center. Dough will overlap.

Spoon meatball mixture on the half of each rectangle closest to center of ring (each rectangle should have 6 meatball halves).

Bring each dough rectangle up over filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it. Repeat around ring until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little).

Gently separate dough perforations on top until filling peeks through. Brush tops of dough with melted butter, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices. Just before serving, in small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining 1 cup marinara sauce uncovered on Medium-High (70%) 1 to 2 minutes or until hot.

#1,880: Lasagna Crescent Roll Ups

Somehow I stumbled across this recipe not too long ago and I figured it would be the perfect (easy!) recipe to use up some crescent rolls I had in my fridge.  In fact, I had everything on hand except the ground turkey, so I used bulk pork sausage instead.  My family LOVED these roll ups and I will definitely make these again.  They enjoyed them so much, I almost had to tell my 10 year old to stop ooh-ing and aah-ing over them!  :)

If you aren't sure how to roll these up based on the directions, just go to the original Pillsbury website where it shows pictures.  :)  It really is so simple!

This recipe makes 16 roll-ups.  

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey (I used bulk pork sausage)

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 ½ tablespoons tomato paste

2 cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

4 sticks string cheese (each string cheese cut into 4 pieces)

In 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook turkey, Italian seasoning, garlic salt and tomato paste in skillet 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

Heat oven to 350° F. Separate each can of dough into 8 triangles. Top each with 2 heaping teaspoons turkey mixture, covering two-thirds of the dough. Leave space on all edges. Place a quarter of a cheese stick on widest end of each triangle. Fold outer corners in over cheese, then roll up, ending at tip.

Bake 15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately; serve. Serve with marinara sauce, if desired.

#1,879: Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

In case you haven't been able to tell by a lot of my posts, I find a lot of recipes from magazine subscriptions.  Oh how I love cooking magazines.  Taste of home is one of my favorite magazines, and I found this recipe in a recent issue.  I saved it to make another time, but when I was cleaning out my freezer I found a bag of bananas, so I knew it was perfect timing to try it!  It was super easy to make, and the batter was delicious.  I may not have asked the kids if they wanted to lick the spoon.  (Shhh, I know....don't eat batter with raw eggs in it.  It so hard not to though!) 

Oh my gosh, these are seriously, so, so good.  The tops are a tiny bit crispy (in a good way), but the muffin itself is so moist.  I need to get bananas on my grocery list so I can let them get over-ripe and make this again!!  The kids are going to LOVE these for breakfast tomorrow.  Next time I'm adding some wheat bran and flax seeds to the mix though.  

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1-1/3 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

1/3 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 cup (6 ounces) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together the first six ingredients. 

In a separate bowl, whisk bananas, oil and egg until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. 

Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Yield: about 1 dozen.

#1,878: Baked Zucchini Fries

As I was flipping through one of my Family Circle magazines, the very last page had a recipe for baked squash fries on that not only looked good, but it looked easy and a little different.  This recipe used hot almond milk instead of eggs (you could use eggs though), and had flax seeds and almond flour.  All of these are ingredients that I have on hand.  The recipe calls for using zucchini and yellow squash, but I am not a big fan of yellow squash so I just used the zucchini.  The breading didn't totally coat every piece, and fell off a little bit, BUT it was delicious.  That could have been partially my laziness though because instead of placing the breading mixtures in shallow bowls as the directions state, I threw them in Ziploc bags and just shook it all together.  I do not have time to bread each piece when it's just me eating it.  I'm OK with imperfections!  :)

 Even Allison (10) thought they looked good and asked to try it.  (She thought it was eggplant which is why she asked, but she enjoyed it even knowing it was zucchini).  These were so good, I'm not only making them again for lunch today, but I'm putting zucchini on my grocery list again.  YUM! 

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil (I used my Misto)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/3 c almond flour

1/4 c Parmesan
1 1/2 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1/4 c hot almond milk (or 2 eggs, whisked)
1 zucchini cut into matchsticks
1 yellow squash, cut into matchsticks

Heat oven to 350.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with 1/2 tbsp olive oil.

Combine sea salt, pepper, almond flour, and Parmesan in a shallow bowl. 

Place flaxseed mixture in a separate shallow bowl.

Dip each squash stick in flaxseed mixture, then lightly shake off excess.  Transfer to flour mixture and turn until lightly coated. 

Place squash fries on prepared cookie sheet and drizzle with remaining olive oil (I sprayed the tops with my Misto).

Bake 10 minutes, then turn over and bake another 10 minutes.  Fries should be golden brown. 

#1,877: Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars

I had about a cup of canned pumpkin leftover from the Pumpkin and Oat Cookies I made for my kids, and knew I couldn't let this yummy veggie go to waste.  So I did a quick google search for pumpkin muffins (I wanted to make something healthier for my kids for breakfast) and came across this recipe which I adapted a little (obviously 1 adaption was to make it into bars instead of muffins).  Let's be honest, as much as I love cooking, the less time I have to spend prepping or cleaning up, the happier I am.  These fell apart a little when I tried to cut them before they cooled (only becuase I was too impatient to try them), but held together pretty nicely when I did actually give them time to cool.  My kids LOVED these.  As soon as the pan was gone, my kids asked me to make them again!!  I am more than happy to oblige!  :) 

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons almond butter (I used 3 tbsp melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

2 and 1/4 cup rolled oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F and then grease or line a muffin tin for 12 muffins.  (I used an 8x8 pan)

Starting with the wet ingredients first (pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, etc.) layer everything except the chocolate chips into a blender or a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds, or until smooth.  (I put the pumpkin, syrup, eggs, vanilla, almond milk, and coconut oil in a blender.  Then I put everything in a bowl and mixed it together so that the oatmeal was more chunky).  

Using a spoon, gently stir the chocolate chips into the batter. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, filling each about 3/4th of the way full. Bake in the oven for 22 minutes, until light golden brown.

Allow to to cool for at least 10-15 minutes.  

#1,876: Pumpkin and Oat Cookies

This recipe has been posted on my fridge for weeks now, just waiting for me to make it.  I found it in a recent issue of a magazine that was sent by our local grocery store.  I kept avoiding making this recipe because I figured I would love it.  Then my 10 year old asked if we could make it and I gave in.  I shouldn't have because I could have eaten all of these myself!  We ended up giving some away, and I let the kids eat a few for breakfast, packed up a bunch for their lunch, and kept letting them have one as a snack so I wouldn't eat any more.  The kids loved these as much as I did!  Hey at least the kids are getting in some pumpkin and oatmeal with these cookies!  Maybe that can ofset the sugar a little bit!!  :) 

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/4 c old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

10 tbsp butter, softened

1 c brown sugar

2/3 c granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 c pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chocolate chips 

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl beat the butter until creamy.  Add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Beat in egg, then pumpkin and vanilla.

Add flour mixture; mix until soft dough forms.  Beat in chocolate chips.  Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. 

Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheets (12 to a sheet).  Bake until cookies are puffy and firm to the touch (12-15 minutes).  Cool on sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Cookies will keep tightly covered in container for about 5 days.  

#1,875: Asian Chopped Salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

I love salads....I especially love a salad that I can some how prep ahead of time.  I made this salad in mason jars so it would stay fresh and I LOVED eating it for 2 days for my lunches.  I added a few ingredients to this to make it more to my liking, but as is would be good too (or with whatever your favorite salad toppings are).  This recipe goes well with just about any meat (especially if grilled).  Eh, this recipe goes well as a side to anything in my opinion!  :) 

1 head romaine

1 1/2 cups purple cabbage (I omitted out of laziness)

1 1/2 cups snow peas

3-4 green onions

1 cup shredded carrot

1 red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

About 1/4 c sliced/slivered almonds
I also added edamame, bacon bits, and sunflower seeds.  

{For the dressing}

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Optional: minced garlic or ginger

Chop romaine and cabbage. Place in a large bowl.

Slice snow peas and green onions. Dice bell pepper, slice carrots, and roughly chop cilantro. Add to bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour over salad and toss to combine.

Top with additional sesame seeds if desired.

#1,874: Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies

I was looking for a really easy, quick, and (hopefully) tasty dessert to take to a friend's house, and I had every ingredient on hand for this recipe, so I figured I'd give it a try.  Simple is definitely the word for this recipe!  I whipped this together literally in about 5 minutes (I put the butter in the microwave to soften it).  One of my girls helped me make it too!  This is really good for being such a simple recipe.  I LOVE peanut butter though so rarely can I make something with peanut butter and not like it.  This isn't the best dessert I've ever had, but I certainly enjoyed it.  

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2/3 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup peanut butter and milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and stir until smooth. Add sugars and stir until combined. Add eggs and stir until incorporated. Stir in vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.

Place peanut butter batter in prepared pan and spread evenly. (Batter will be thick) Sprinkle peanut butter and milk chocolate chips on top of batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until brownies are set.

Cool and cut into squares to serve.

#1,873: Puff Pastry Pizza Twists

If you are on facebook at all, you are seeing so many how-to videos on making different recipes.  This is a recipe I saw on one of those facebook pages.  The video uses puff pastry and says to cut it into a circle.  I saw that as wasting puff pastry so I did it as a rectangle and it just wasn't as pretty.  So I only took a picture of a piece of it.  :)  My family LOVED this dinner.  It didn't matter to them if it was pretty or not.  It was so super simple to make too.  I did have to bake it a little longer though because the center wasn't cooked all the way through, but I think that's my oven!

2 sheets of puff pastry
Pizza sauce
shredded cheese
egg wash

Place the 2 pieces of puff pastry on a parchment lined baking tray.

I skipped this step: Cut out equal size circles.  

Remove the top sheet.  On the bottom sheet, spread pizza sauce on it, and top with shredded cheese.  Place the other sheet of puff pastry on top.  Take a glass and place it in the center of the circle.  Using a knife or scissors, cut strips away from the edge of the glass.  Take each strip and twist.  Brush egg wash over the top of the puff pastry.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  

#1,872: Cheesy Cauliflower Muffins

I am seriously obsessed with cauliflower.  I eat it at least several times a week.  So when I found this recipe I was super excited to try it!  Since making it the first time, I’ve made it now with both broccoli and cauliflower and enjoy it with both veggies.  So this is super adaptable! 

3 cups finely pulsed raw cauliflower florets (cauliflower should be pulsed until they resemble coarse/large crumbs; 3 cups will be about 1/2 of a large head of cauliflower but please measure it out)

2 large eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup almond flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp dry Italian seasoning herb blend

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake liners. (I just sprayed my pan with cooking spray really well and it slid right out). 

Combine cauliflower, eggs, cheddar cheese, almond flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Mix with a large spoon or spatula until smooth.

Scoop batter into muffin cups, about 2/3 full. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are completely cooked and no longer wet to the touch. 

#1,871: Meatball Bombs

I am becoming the queen of easy meals.  Maybe it's because I'm getting lazier as I get older, or maybe it's because I'm choosing to have time to myself and/or with my family rather than spending tons of time in the kitchen.  Regardless of the reason, I'm looking for ways to get dinner on the table as fast as possible.  I found this super easy recipe for these meatball bombs, and resorted to frozen meatballs...my family didn't notice and/or didn't care.  So take the shortcut and just use frozen, pre-cooked meatballs!

1 can (12 oz) Pillsbury Homestyle refrigerated biscuits
8 cooked Italian-style meatballs (if using frozen, let thaw completely)
1 cup marinara/pasta sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella or Italian blend)

I omitted these ingredients to make it easier on me (this would have been super good, but my family was ok without it)

4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Using your hands, flatten each biscuit into a 4 inch round.

This step was super messy so I gave up on the sauce and just filled eat dough with meat and cheese.  I served the marinara sauce on the side for my family to dip their meatball bombs in.  Place 1 meatball and 2 tablespoons marinara in center of each dough round. Top with 2 tablespoons of cheese.

Wrap dough around meatball and cheese, pressing edges to seal. Place seam side down, leaving room for spreading on prepared baking sheet. Continue until all biscuits have been completed.

I skipped this step: In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt. Evenly spoon on top of each biscuit.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm!

#1,870: Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake

I keep waiting to make this recipe with my kids because
1.  I think it will be the perfect recipe to make for them for breakfast 
2.  It will give my kids an easy recipe for them to try and make with minimal help from me
3.  AND it gives me another reason to use my new half-sheet pans!  (If you do not have one of these you really need to get one.  It is perfect for our family to make things like chicken patties, smaller amounts of tater tots, roasted veggies, etc.  I love that it is a smaller size than my gigantic cookie sheets. 

OK, I should have gone with my intuition on this and NOT used the half sheet pan.  I don't know if mine is smaller than it should be, but when filled, this went pretty close to the top of the pan.  I knew if I put this in the oven as is, I would have a huge bubbled over mess.  So I decided to dump this into a 9x13 pan instead at the last minute.  The cinnamon-sugar mixture got pretty much combined into the cake mix in this process, but I figure it shouldn't change the flavor (just the presentation) of the cake that much.

My family LOVED this.  It is also so incredibly moist.  Next time I'll probably add even more cinnamon to make it more pronounced in the flavor of the cake.  I also will make it in a 9x13 glass pan again and forgo the sheet pan altogether.  

White cake mix

ingredients to complete cake mix: eggs, oil and water

1/3 cup melted butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line half sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Make cake mix according to package directions and spread evenly into sheet pan.

Mix melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together and drizzle across cake batter. Using a butter knife, swirl butter mixture through cake batter.

Bake about 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted into the cake.

While cake bakes, stir powdered sugar, vanilla and just enough milk to create icing the consistency of white glue.

Remove from oven and cool 5-10 minutes before drizzling with icing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Revisited: French Dip Crescents

Thin roast beef was on sale last week at the grocery store, so I decided to throw some in my cart and figured I'd decide what to make with it later.  The kids are off school today, so this seemed like a very easy, quick lunch to REmake for them and my hubby.  I am not a huge fan of roast beef, but since this is sliced so thin, it almost tastes more like salami (which some of us prefer anyways LOL). 

2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (I used reduced fat)

4-6 slices cheese of your choice, cut into quarters (I used ultra thin provolone)

7 oz thinly sliced roast beef (I used 1 to 1 1/4 slices per roll up)

packet of au jus mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay out the individual crescent triangles on a work surface. Add a piece of roast beef and a quarter slice of cheese at the larger end of the triangle, then roll the crescent over the mixture until the crescent roll is formed. Repeat with remaining crescent triangles, roast beef and cheese.

Once completed, lay each crescent roll on a baking sheet that has been prepared with cooking spray. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until the crescent rolls are slightly golden and the cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, prepare au jus sauce according to packet directions.
Remove from heat and pour into serving bowls.  

Serve the crescent rolls with the au jus for dipping. 

#1,869: Eggplant Fries

When I was at the grocery store the other day looking for vegetables to fill my cart with, I noticed that the medium-sized eggplant were 99 cents each!  You can't beat that price, so I threw one in my cart.  I love eggplant when it's breaded and/or fried.  When it's baked or grilled, I like it, but don't necessarily love it.  So when I found this super easy, quick recipe, I decided to give it a try for my lunch.  Although this is a tad bitter (but eggplant generally is), I LOVED these faux fries.  I think they are too mushy to be considered an actual french fry substitute, but I mixed this in a bowl with some paleo taco meat, and I was a huge fan.  It was SO good.  I have eggplant on my grocery list again for later this week now! 

One medium to large eggplant

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. (I started these on 400 degrees, but then bumped up to 450 after 15 minutes or so.  Next time, I'll probably start at 450). 

Cut eggplant into medallions (circles), then stack medallions and cut into French fry-like strips.

Place eggplant strips onto a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season lightly with a bit of salt and pepper.

Pop them in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the majority of them are browned and crispy. Let cool slightly before removing from pan.

#1,868: Fiesta Ranch Dip

I had a big container of cottage cheese that needed to get used up and a recipe to use it in.  I found a recipe that not only helped me use up my cottage cheese, but also use that random fiesta ranch packet I had in my pantry as well.  Plus I happened to also have just the right amount of sour cream, so this seemed like a no-brainer!

I didn't love this when I first made/tried it.  But it definitely does taste better as it sits longer.  It's still not my favorite dip I've ever had, but I certainly would eat this.  Let's be honest though, I'll eat most everything.  LOL! 

12 oz Cottage Cheese (I used more like 16 oz)
8 oz Sour Cream
4 oz Mayo (I added about 6 oz)
1 Fiesta Ranch Mix Packet

In a blender or food processor, mix all 4 ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  The longer you let the dip set the more flavor it has. Serve with chips, crackers, or veggies.

#1,867: Baked Balsamic Chicken

I am not the biggest chicken fan, but my husband is and when I ask him what he wants me to add to our menu, chicken is often requested.  I also want/need to serve it so my kids learn to love it more than I do AND because it's a healthy protein option for us all.  So I found this recipe for a super easy baked balsamic chicken recipe that you can make ahead of time (or at the last minute like me if you forget to put the marinade together!)

This was super moist chicken and my family really enjoyed this.  I was afraid they were not going to like this because of the chunks of onion, so I had to scrape it off their chicken pieces.  Next tim I will probably leave the onion in much bigger slices so it still flavors the dish, but I can pick it out for the kiddos...and my husband. 

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken breast tenders) 

1/2 small onion, diced

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

2 tsp. coarse whole grain mustard (optional) (I DID add this)

Salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients into a Ziploc bag and give it a good massage with your hands to coat the chicken. Let the chicken marinate several hours up to overnight if you have time.  If not, you don't have to let this sit. 

Preheat oven to 400F. Place the chicken into a glass dish in a single layer and pour any excess marinade on top. Season with extra salt and pepper if desired. Place into oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes.

Boneless Chicken Breasts

Start checking your internal temperature chicken at 20 minutes. They may need only 5-10 minutes more (depending on thickness of meat.).  Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature reaches 160F.

#1,866: Puffy Tacos (Puff Pastry Tacos)

It is no surprise that we eat a lot of taco meat in this family.  We all enjoy it, it's easy to make, and I can have it on hand and in the freezer for quick meals.  Plus we can use the taco meat in so many different ways.  So when I came across this recipe to use it with puff pastry I was all too eager to try it.  Only 1 kid on my family didn't enjoy these (she's the weird one LOL), but everyone else not only gobbled these up, they wanted to eat the leftovers for dinner the next day.  (I don't have to cook one night...uh, ok!).  

1 lb ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1 package taco seasoning
1 (10oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained (I omitted for my family)
2/3 cup water
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (17.3-oz) package puff pastry, thawed

Preheat oven to 400. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain. Add taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and green chiles and water. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Unfold pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 9 squares.

Arrange taco meat down diagonal center of the pastry squares. Sprinkle with some of the shredded cheddar cheese. Fold two opposite corners of each square over the filling and press edges to seal.  (Mine would not stay sealed so I dipped my finger in water and moistened one edge.  Then I pressed that edge into the opposite side of the pastry sheet and it sealed better…some still opened but stayed together much better than the ones I did not use water on).  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15-18 minutes, until golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

#1,865: Oriental Cauliflower Rice

I have very, very low expectations for this recipe (isn't that sad!? I really need to have more faith in recipes and if I will like them or not).  But I have been excited and nervous to try making this dish.  So I decided to whip this up for breakfast this morning (weird breakfast meal I know!).  Shockingly and wonderfully, I loved it!  I cut WAY down on the amount of eggs to add to it because I figured that would be the one ingredient that was going to make or break this dish for me.  For me personally, that was probably a good idea.  If you love eggs though, I'd suggest adding more.  Also, it suggests adding bacon and at the time I didn't have any made, so I just added bacon bits.  Real bacon would obviously be better, but in my time crunch, the bacon bits were just fine for me.  I enjoyed this so much in fact, I'm debating eating/making it again for lunch! 

This would be a great, healthy breakfast to make in the morning as long as you prep your veggies the night before.  I'm adding cauliflower to my grocery list for next week for sure. 

I found this recipe on a post from Mommy Trainer on facebook, although the post shows a link to instagram.  I'm glad I came across her page and this recipe.  

Riced cauliflower (I riced about 7 medium sized florets or so).
Your choice of veggies: carrots, peas, peppers, onion, broccoli, etc.
3-4 eggs (I did one)
salt and pepper
coconut aminos or soy sauce
ham or bacon, diced (optional)

Saute your veggies (I did red bell pepper, peas, and red onion).  When they are almost done, add the egg(s) and scramble with the veggies.  When the eggs are just about scrambled add the riced cauliflower to heat through.   Season with salt and pepper.  Add coconut aminos (or soy sauce) to taste.  Add chopped bacon or ham if desired.