Cucumber Sandwiches III

 

I had a craving for cucumbers one day. Don't ask me why....I am not even a fan of them! We had gotten some loaves of bread on sale and I was digging through recipes to try to find something different to use them for. I came up across a recipe on the allrecipes website and they turned out amazing! Now granted, this would be a perfect spring/summer dish and not at all normal for winter, but hey, after the 2020 we had, is anything really normal anymore? 

Here is the recipe! 

Cucumber Sandwiches III

Prep: 20 mins

Total: 20 mins

Servings: 35

Yield: 35 servings

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 (.7 oz) package dry Italian salad dressing mix

2 loaves French bread, cut into 1 inch slices

2 medium cucumbers, sliced

1 pinch dried dill weed

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream, cheese, mayo and Italian dressing mix. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight. 

Spread the cream cheese blend onto slices of French bread. Top with a cucumber slice, and sprinkle with dill. 

Final Photo Taken by Me ;)

Per Serving:

Calories: 123

Protein: 3.6g

Carbs: 15.6g

Cholestrol: 8.2mg

Sodium: 296.6mg

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 ;)