Chicken Sliders

 

I am a lover of citrus when it comes to my protein.. I also love when there is a nice amount of cream, different textures...all parts are there. This slider certainly fit the bill! I suggest definitely buying shredded cabbage unless you have the time to do it yourself (every minute is precious, use the bagged) There is a lot of cutting in this recipe otherwise. A combo of citrusy ranch slaw and cumin-rubbed chicken...so yummy! 

Ingredients: 

1-2 limes

1 cup light ranch salad dressing

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 tsp salt

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage (8 oz)

1 1/2 cups packaged shredded carrots

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

3 scallions, tinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs. thin-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 12 (2 1/2" wide) pieces

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

12 slider or dinner rolls, split

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

Directions: 

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking. Grate 2 tsp. zest and squeeze 1 Tbs. juice from lines into medium bowl; stir in ranch dressing and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Transfer 1/4 cup dressing mixture to large bowl; stir in 1/4 tsp salt, then cabbage, carrots, cilantro and scallions until coated. Reserve remaining dressing.

In bowl, gently toss chicken with oil, cumin and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Grill chicken, turning once, until no longer pink in centers, 3-4 min. per side. 

Divide reserved cabbage mixture evenly among roll bottoms. Top with chicke, then remaining dressing mixture, jalapeno pepper slices and roll tops. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Chi-town--Style Hot Dog

I love that different areas have adopted their own hot dog taste. It definitely dresses up that boring dog and bun pair!  I have found some really cool ones along my recipe hunt. What are your fave toppings? Check this one out. It is Chicago's legendary dog! Loaded with tomatoes, onions, hot pepper and a pickle spear, plus a sprinkling of celery salt--it's no wonder the Windy City loves them! Unfortunately, I could not find poppy seed buns and the best dog that was photo worthy was for the child who wanted his bun untoasted (these kids have a lot to learn!) Enjoyed just as much! 

Ingredients:

6 hot dogs

6 hot dog buns, preferably poppy seed, split

6 pickle spears

1 large tomato, cut into 12 wedges

12 pepperoncini or sport peppers (small pickled hot peppers)

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

2 Tbs. yellow mustard

1/8 tsp. celery salt

Directions:

Heat grill to medium. Grill hot dogs, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 6-8 min. Grill buns, split sides down, until light toasted, 1-2 min. Place hot dogs in buns. Add pickle spears, tomato wedges, pepperoncini, onions, relish and yellow mustard. Sprinkle each hot dog with a pinch of celery salt. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Cherry Pie Cookies

 

Well. Let's just say that I didn't have any trouble getting taste testers for this one! They were lined up at the door when I pulled out the cherries and chocolate! The kids wanted to be right there for every bit of preparation. No egg so they were even able to lick the beaters! I just love their little faces watching the oven when a new cookie is baking. The oohs when we pulled them out and the boos when they realized they had to wait for cooling to drizzle the chocolate. The Mmm's though...that was worth the wait! These were amazing! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup margarine, softened

2 cups flour

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 (21 oz) Lucky Leaf Cherry Fruit Filling & Topping

1/2 cup white or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Mix butter and margaine until fluffy. Add flour, powered sugar and vanilla just until combined and a soft dough is formed. 

Roll the dough into two-inch balls. Place on greased baking sheet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press thumb into center of cookie to make a well. Places cherries into each cookie. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool. 

Melt chocolate according to package directions. Drizzle over cookies. Let chocolate et and serve immediately or store in an airtight container. 

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Sauteed Pork Chops with Pineapple and Mint

 

My kids LOVE pork chops....because to them it resembles chicken. Why is that? That kids automatically call any lighter colored meat chicken? Weird, but true. Anything that gets them to eat though...am I right? I love changing up dishes, especially when mixing in something sweet, or in this case...citrus! The littles were kind of iffy with the idea of pineapple in their "chicken" as they were hoping it would have been dessert. Happy to say, they loved this recipe! We served it over a bed of broccoli rice. Here it is! 

Ingredients: 

4-6 oz boneless pork chops, trimmed, pounded to 3/4 inch thickness

Salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks, diced (due to time restraints, we kept ours chunks)

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chops on both sides with salt. Warm oil in a large skillet oer medium-high heat. Add chops and sear on 1 side until well browned, 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, turn chops and continue to cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops reads 140F to 145F, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Add pineapple and 2 Tbsp. water to skillet. Cook, stirring to incorporate browned bits on bottom of skillet, until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in mint and red pepper. Spoon over chops and serve. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Serves: 4

Per Serving:

Cal: 341

Fat: 20g

Sat Fat: 6g

Chol: 87mg

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 32g

Carbs: 9g

Sodim: 927mg

Po'Boy-Style Shrimp Burgers with Cajun Spiced Tots

We were due for a fish dish and needed something a little quicker for a busy day. Totally love shrimp so this recipe is just lovely! I will say that it can be pricey (we budget our meals) but very worth it! What are your favorite shrimp dishes? Do you prefer your shrimp with a fork or just all out sandwich? Check out our Po'Boy! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for the baking sheet

1 lb frozen potato tots or puffs

2 tsp no-salt added Cajun seasoning

1 lb large peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped

1 large egg white

2 scallions, finely chopped

2 Tbsp panko bread crumbs

Black pepper

1 lime, halved

4 challah rolls or buns, split

*Sriracha mayonnaise, lettuce and sliced tomato, for serving

Directions: 

1. Heat oven to 425 F. Rub a rimed baking sheet with oil. Scatter the tots on the sheet, then toss with the Cajun seasoning. Bake until golden brown and crisp, turning halfway through cooking, 20-25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse together the shrimp, egg white, scallions, panko and 1/4 tsp black pepper just to combine (there should be some chunks of shrimp).

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Shape the shrimp mixture into four 3/4-in. thick patties and cook until golden brown and opaque throughout, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat and squeeze the lime juice all over the burgers.

4. If desired, spread the buns with Sriracha mayonnaise, then top with the lettuce, burgers and tomato. Serve with the Cajun tots.

Serves 4. Per Serving:

Cal: 473

Fat: 17.5 g

Sat Fat: 3 g

Mg Chol: 143

Mg Sod: 1,432

Protein: 24 g

Car: 53 g

Fiber: 4 g

Baked Stuffed French Toast

We are a family of breakfast-for-dinner lovers! Instead of craving savory this time however, we wanted something for our sweet tooth! This new recipe took some time, but was very calming and well worth it! Hmm....raspberry and lemon zest, stuff it into toast..can you think of anything more lovely? 

Check it out! 

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread

1/2 cup softened cream cheese

1/4 cup strawberry preserves

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp melted butter

Strawberries

Directions:

1. Coat a 13 x 9 baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Slice bread into 12 pieces. Make a slit in side of each slide, large enough to accommodate filling without tearing bread. 

2. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, preserves and lemon rind until well blended. Spread a little cheese mixture inside slit of each slice of bread. Transfer to baking pan.

3. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and salt. Pour over bread, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour and no longer than 24 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle melted butter over bread. Bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a dusting of powered sugar, drizzle of maple syrup and strawberry slices. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Banana Muffins

In our family, we love our bananas at so many different stages. My husband and most of the kids love them straight from the market looking nothing, but yellow. A few other kids like them a few days older. I love them freckled. So, what if none of us gets to them even after that stage? Banana bakes it is! This time around is Banana Muffins. My husband absolutely loves the way I make these. Due to the way I stir, they are a biscuit quality when they come out of the oven. The littles love how much banana flows through these baked beauties! 

Ingredients: 1 egg

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/3 c. milk

2 c. flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 c. bananas, mashed (2-3)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Stir in bananas with milk. Beat eggs. Stir in milk mixture and oil. Stir in remaining ingredients all at once just until flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake until golden brown (about 20 min). Makes approximately 1 dozen muffins. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Southwestern Pasta Casserole

I have been snippin' away at my recipes. I love recipes...you just don't understand. Yes, we have our regular faves, but if I could make a new recipe each day for the rest of my life, I would. I just love finding new tastes that tops the last! I think I definitely found a new fave! Now, I just had my wisdom teeth out so it was tough for me to eat this without cutting it into tiny baby size pieces, but I just did not want to miss out on this new dish! The added sour cream definitely helped! We made 2 separate pans, one with chopped green chiles and one without as we knew some of the younger kiddos would prefer without. 

Here it is! 

Ingredients:

12 oz ziti pasta

1 can (15 oz) chili

1 can (10 oz) mild enchilada sauce

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, 5 oz

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 1/4-qt baking dish with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to directions; drain. Meanwhile, in large bowl, mix chili, enchilada sauce, chiles, cilantro and 1/2 cup cheese; stir in pasta. Transfer to baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes or until hot in center. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish with sour cream, cilantro sprig and hot peppers. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Servings: 6                                        Trans Fat: 0 g.                                    Sugar: 5 g.

Calories: 431                                     Chol: 25 mg                                       Kitchen time: 20 minutes

Protein: 20 g.                                     Carbs: 52 g                                        Total time: 1 hour, 20 min

Fat: 16 g.                                           Sodium: 815 mg

(8 g. sat.)                                           Fiber: 4 g.

Chicken Quesadillas

Who isn't lovin' them some quesadillas? We have our quesadilla machine that gets broken out every now and then, but last week I came across this awesome recipe in 3, 4, 5 Ingredient Cookbook and was foaming at the mouth! No quesadilla maker needed and my kids loved it!

Who doesn't love to find "something different" when it comes to all things Mexican? It's like the first day of a new $ menu item at Taco Bell...that Woo-Hoo moment! This one has a perfect texture to liquid ratio....just enough crunch with some great ooze... Have a gander at this quick and easy recipe!

Chicken Quesadillas

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 (10 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
2/3 cup chunky salsa
10 flour tortillas

Directions:

Cook chicken in skillet until juices evaporate; stir often. Add soup and salsa and heat thoroughly. Spread about 1/3 cup soup mixture on half tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Moisten edge with water, fold over and seal. Place on 2 baking sheets. Bake at 400F for 5 to 6 minutes.

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Pizza Casserole

OK, so I have yet again found a recipe with the word "Pizza" in it which means what? It is #1 in my kids' book! I am an absolute LOVER of ground beef. I love to smell it while cooking, all full of herbs and then eventually what the end result will be. I am in constant search of recipes with ground beef that are new and different instead of you know, the same ol, same ol. I found this most recent recipe in my "Dump Recipe" Book which is lovely because they are just so simple...toss everything in and go! Keep in mind that if you use a not so lean ground beef, it will shrink down and there won't be as much...we realized after, sadly. We would have loved to have had seconds, but it gave just a piece. Very filling though! You can always serve alongside some sliced bread if you want to add something and not break your budget. This had such a great taste! Enjoy!

Pizza Casserole

Serves: 4-6
Working time: 45 minutes

1 lb ground beef
1 can tomatoes (16 oz, drained)
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded)
2 Tbsp. dried onions
1 Tbsp. parsley (fresh and chopped)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil

Mixed dried onions, salt, pepper & uncooked ground beef. Press ground beef into 9" pie pan. Spread tomatoes over meat. Sprinkle with basil, oregano & parsley. Top with cheese. Bake at 375F for 50 minutes.

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Broccoli Chowder

We are having a few warm days here in PA, but who doesn't want to just relax on a Friday night with some warm soup in the winter? This recipe was so simple that it didn't even take any time! My second son currently has the flu and was so upset that he didn't have the stomach to eat one of his favorite soups, but because of the simplicity, I will just throw it together another day! My 3 year old even loved it! We doubled the recipe to be sure we had enough for the ones whom we figured would enjoy, but may need to triple the next time (I never expected my 3 year old to like it).


It has a creaminess that goes perfectly with a slice of fresh baked bread and so, we made some! Add this one to your winter line up. Not a bread baker? Be sure to grab up a load of crusty bread to serve with it. You will love it!!!

Broccoli Chowder

1 (10 oz) pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
1 Tbsp. dried minced onion
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 c. milk
1 (4 oz) pkg. (1 c.) shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper

In medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to boil. Add broccoli and onion. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Do not drain. Add the can of soup, milk, cheese and pepper. Cook and stir about 4-5 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.

Final Photo Taken by Me ;) 

Stuffed Pizza Bites

I like to change things up as much as I can with recipes. My kids love, love (did I say love) pizza. So, what can you do besides ordering out, frozen or even a fresh pizza pie? Changing the whole dynamic of the pizza can do wonders! I came across this recipe in a magazine and knew it would be a good one!

As Seen on TV! David Venable did a recipe on Stuffed Pizza Bites. Now, in a family of our size, who sticks to a budget, we could not possibly go name brand on the prepared pizza dough and they had no generic available. So, we ended up changing our dough. *We bought the frozen dough balls which means there was some thawing involved and then rolled them each out, sliced into 2 down the center and followed the recipe from there (Be sure to spray the pie pans if you use the frozen dough as the result is different). We also substituted the grated Parmesan cheese for the sprinkle in a can (always saving where we can) They LOVED them! Some of the kids wanted them dipped into the marinara sauce and some simply liked them plain. We now have a new winter dish as it is stuffed into a pie pan and comes out like fresh bread...and who doesn't love fresh bread taste in the winter?


Here is the recipe as written in the magazine (my version is simply substituting the frozen dough rolls for the refrigerated prepared pizza dough, see *note above...a good option if you stick to a daily food budget)

David Venable's Stuffed Pizza Bites

2 Cans (13 7/8 oz each) refrigerated prepared pizza dough
8 oz. block mozzarella cheese, cut into 48 cubes
48 slices pepperoni
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups pizza (or marinara) sauce, heated.

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 3 (9") pie pans with cooking spray. On lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pizza crust and pat into 12" x 8" rectangle. Cut into 24 squares. Place 1 pepperoni slice and 1 cube of cheese on each dough square. Wrap dough around, pressing to seal. Place filled squares into pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining dough, pepperoni and cheese. Mix together oil, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Drizzle or brush over rolls and top with grated Parmesan. Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza or marinara sauce. Makes 12 servings.

Final Photo Taken by Me ;) 

Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops

With the new year here, you always have that resolution to get everything completely back on track. That includes sitting down more at the dinner table AND....getting those new recipes onto the blog so here we are!

I don't know about you, but I have 1 out of 8 children who are the very pickiest you will ever see. My 11 year old hates side dishes and most vegetables. Seriously, who doesn't like a good mashed potato? We have tried them all; plain, butter, sour cream & chives, 4 cheese, garlic...nada! I really loved this recipe because the gravy that cooks in the pot is an amazing topping for potatoes. We bought garlic potatoes to use for these and wow! This is a quick, 3 ingredient meal for the main dish...just dump it into the crock pot and go!

Crock pot Ranch Pork Chops

Package of pork chops
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
1 packet of dry Ranch Dressing Mix

In crock pot, layer pork chops, add the cream of chicken soup, then sprinkle dry Ranch dressing all over. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Brown the pork chops first. The pork chops come out very tender with an amazing taste with a yummy gravy for potatoes!

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)