Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage and Pine Nuts

Okay, I know this may seem more like a "fallish" type of recipe but I made this for my family just this past Sunday and it was AMAZING!!!! I was instantly taken back with the first bite. This pasta dish has so much flavor and I love how all of the ingredients balance each other out and I love how it's both sweet and savory. The original recipe calls for Parmesan cheese but since I try to eat more vegan like I left it out of the pasta and put it on the side for those who wanted it. Now on Sundays I am usually a little lax and will make my pasta dishes using just regular pasta (trying to appease the hubby who has to put up with my Sunday vegan meals) but I really wish I would have used whole wheat pasta on this one. I think it would have tasted just as good and would have been more filling. But nonetheless, this pasta will not disappoint and this is a recipe I am planning on using the next time we have company over... it's really that good! Oh, and I'm so sorry about this picture! I didn't have great lighting and this is the best that my camera could do at the time.

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

2 onions, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks

3 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic so I always add a bit more)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, minced

1 lb farfalle pasta (can totally use whole wheat penne or any other pasta)

3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Before you cut the butternut squash, place it in the microwave for about 30-40 seconds in order to soften the skin. This will make the squash much easier to cut into. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Then flip each half of the squash over and peel them. Cut the squash into 1 inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and half of the sage leaves. Spread the squash mixture in a large baking dish and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside. Just before the squash is finished heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Drop the rest of the sage leaves in the heated oil and saute for about a minute.

Add the pasta to the pan along with the roasted squash mixture. Then add salt to taste... I love salt so I am pretty liberal when it comes to salting things. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the pasta starts getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute.

Now if you don't have a big enough pan just start with adding half of the pasta, half of the squash mixture and half of the rest of the ingredients. Then just repeat with the rest of the ingredients.

Tacos de Papa (Potato Tacos)

I've been on a little vegan kick for a while and with that I have had the opportunity to experiment with all interesting kinds of recipes. Now I am not doing this whole vegan thing because I am an animal rights activist or extremist in any way. I am more doing it for my own health and wellness. Just trying to get more fruits and veggies in me, that's all!

Anywho, I came across this recipe and I just had to try it. I LOVE both Mexican food and potatoes so I thought this was going to be a perfect combo... and it was! This was my first time EVER making or eating potato tacos and let me tell you I was pleasantly surprised. They exceeded my expectations and I will definitely be making these again. These tacos are really filling and flavorful. The veggie mixture is so delicious that you forget that these tacos are meat free!

Ingredients

5 small-medium size russet potatoes, washed and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped

1-2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon basil

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt (depending on taste, I think I might even usually add more)

Corn topping (recipe below)

Fresh avocado, diced

Corn tortillas

Directions

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss until vegetables are well coated with the oil and seasonings.

Pour the vegetable mixture into a 9x13 baking dish (I always add a little cooking spray to the dish even though the veggies are coated with oil).

Bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on your oven and how coarsely chopped your veggies are, stirring your veggies every 20 minutes.

Using a large skillet or griddle warm up the tortillas (about 15 seconds each side).

To assemble the tacos first place the potato mixture on the tortilla, corn topping and then add the diced avocado on top.

Corn Topping

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

8 oz fresh or frozen white corn

4 oz can diced green chiles

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the rest of the ingredients until heated trough (about 5 minutes).

Lasagna with a Bang!

OK, so I'm the sister that annoys everyone with my vegan ways, but tonight is New Year's and I am quite due for a little cheat! My fam of five loves lasagna but tonight I decided to add a little bang in celebration of 2012 so PESTO CHANGO! And as always, made with hot mama love. OH! And a little bit of sass!

Pesto Lasagna

Trader Joe's no bake lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground hot Italian sausage or ground beef, browned and ready to go!
2 cans of tomato sauce
1 container of low fat small curd cottage cheese
chopped scallions and garlic to taste
1 tsp. or more crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tb. dried basil
1 TB. dried oregano
1 container of Trader Joe's pesto (in the refrigerator section)
Parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese


In your most beautiful 9x13 pan, spray a little bit of canola oil. In a large bowl, place tomato sauce, cottage cheese, all spices, ground meat, scallions and garlic. Stir well. Spread a portion on bottom of the pan. Lay down three noodles. Spread another heaping portion of sauce mixture over noodles. Top with 1/3 of the cheeses and dollop pesto over. Layer another three noodles and repeat the process until sauce is gone. Top with cheese and generous spoonfuls of pesto. Bake uncovered at 375 for 45-55 minutes. Voila!

xoxoxo-Stephanie

Homemade Pizookies

Mmmmm, pizookies are AMAZING! They are SOO good that they do not even require an intro... A slightly undercooked cookie topped with ice cream and hot fudge. My mouth is watering more than the Bellagio fountains! ENJOY!!!

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate chip cookie dough (I made my own 'recipe to follow soon', but you can easily use your favorite store bought brand...try other flavors too, yum)
Vanilla Bean Ice cream
Hot fudge
Whipped Cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Lightly grease a round pie dish (may have enough dough to make two pie pans)
Press dough in dish and bake for about 10-15 minutes. The trick is to underbake it by a minute or so. I check on mine at 6 minutes and every minute after that.
Take out of oven and top with a large scoop of ice cream and drizzle with hot fudge and whipped cream.
Serve immediately with spoons and eat right out of the dish...WARNING: this may create a feud over the last bite. :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Homemade Salsa

Holy cow! I am shocked that I haven't posted this recipe until now. My family eats this probably once a week, but my husband would gladly eat it EVERDAY! It is amazing! Promise me one thing: do not attempt to make this unless you pinky promise me that you will make the salsa (below) with it. I promise you that it is NOT the same with ANY store bought salsa. Been there once and will NEVER do that again. I came up with the soup recipe. The salsa recipe was graciously given to me by a friend. Enjoy! :)




*just a note: when making the soup, make sure to taste test often. If you need more spice/salsa then add some...

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
INGREDIENTS:

2-4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 cups (or cans) chicken broth
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 TBL lemon juice
1 cup HOMEMADE EASY SALSA...recipe below
(I have tried it with store bought and it is NOT the same)

DIRECTIONS:

Place/mix all in the crockpot and warm until ready to serve.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, green onions, and extra cilantro for garnish.

*Easily be doubled...recommended! Leftovers taste even better the next day.

HOMEMADE EASY SALSA
INGREDIENTS

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes (make sure it has garlic in it. I buy the basil, onion, garlic one)
1/4 of an onion sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, cut off stems
1 capfull of lemon juice
1 jalopeno, diced with seeds or without seeds (depending on personal preference. I do one half seeded.)
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Drain the juice from the tomato can into a serving bowl (do NOT throw away).
In a food processor, pulse the cilantro and jalopeno.
Add the tomatoes (without the juice) and onion and pulse again.
Carefully pour all into the serving bowl with the tomato juice.
Add the lemon juice and salt and mix.
Cover and refrigerate at least a few hours until ready to serve.

*Can also be made in the blender, but wont be a chunky salsa.
*This salsa is a MUST for my Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe...and of course with warmed chips, YUM!!!

Hannah's Stuffed Peppers

These babies were featured on a recent episode of The Biggest Loser. I am a "so-so" fan when it comes to stuffed peppers, so I was a little leary about them. I am HAPPY to say that these were a HUGE hit with ME, MY HUBBY, AND THE KIDS!!! The flavor is amazing and we ate every last bite...including the peppers themselves. The best part? Each serving is only 140 calories! :)

INGREDIENTS

olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 lb extra-lean ground turkey
Salt to taste
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth DIVIDED
1 Tbl chopped cilantro
3 large sweet red peppers, washed
1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lightly coat a large skillet with olive oil; heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and break meat apart. Season with salt, garlic powder, and cumin. Cook for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned, no longer pink, juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken broth to the pan. Reduce heat, simmer over low for 5 minutes. Add chopped cilantro. Set aside.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds and stem. Place in baking dish and add spoonfuls of turkey mixture in each one. Pour the remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth to the bottom of the pan and tightly cover with foil. Bake 35 minutes and when done sprinkle each pepper with some cheese.

*This can be made ahead. When ready to serve, bake in the oven. :)

**original recipe found on nbc.com under The Biggest Loser

Everything But The... Brownies

Okay, so I must say that these are the most RIDICULOUS brownies I have ever made and tasted!!!! I take back ever saying that brownies from a box were disappointing, especially after making theses babies. I was searching around for some yummy brownies and when I came across these I couldn't resist. These brownies incorporate EVERYTHING in the recipe that I want in a dessert- brownies, chocolate, ice cream, hot fudge and, yes there's more, Oreos! Hence the reason why I like to call them Everything But The... Brownies.

I had my son help me make these and he thought I was the coolest mom because I let him add the chocolate chips, hot fudge and, this part made him REALLY excited, ice cream to the batter. Once we whipped up the batter I layered the first half of the mixture in the pan and had him layer on the Oreo cookies. Then we took the rest of the brownie mixture, covered the Oreos and popped them into the oven. We had them for dessert that night and topped them off with a scoop of ice cream (as if they needed more!). Seriously, can it get any better than this? I just look at it this way, I'm doing my gym a favor for making and eating these because I, and my behind, are just giving them more business:)! So not looking forward to my workout...

Ingredients:

1 pkg brownie mix (I used the family size)

2 eggs

1/2 c oil

1 1/2 c chocolate chips

1 heaping 1/2 c ice cream (whatever flavor you have on hand)

1/4 c hot fudge topping

Oreo cookies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a 9x13 foil lined baking dish with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs and oil in a bowl. Then add chocolate chips, ice cream and hot fudge to the batter and mix. Pour half of the brownie mixture into the pan, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Glorious Mashed Potatoes

The title and picture says it all! By far, this is my absolute favorite mashed potato recipe TO DATE (and I eat A LOT of potatoes)! The best part is that there is no need for gravy...they are THAT good! Mmmmm! I served this glorious side dish during our Sunday dinner of roasted garlic chicken, green garden salad, french bread, and warm peanut butter jumbo cookies with milk for dessert. Yumm-o!!!

INGREDIENTS

8-10 potatoes, peeled (Idaho spuds are my fav)
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 white onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth/stalk

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter
1/2 cup milk (may need up to 1 cup)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (I used 1/2 cup)
parsley
salt
pepper
garlic powder or garlic salt

DIRECTIONS

Place potatoes, carrot, celery, onion, and chicken broth in a large pot. Fill the pot with enough water to barely cover all the potatoes. Boil for about 30 minutes (I have also done it where I boil just the potatoes for 20 minutes and then the last 10 minutes I add the vegetables....this gives it more texture).
Drain the water leaving just a little bit in the pot.
Mash it all with a potato masher.
Add the butter, milk, soup, cheese. Mix and add more milk (a little at a time) until desired consititency. Spinkle in parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking. Serve! :)

Caramel Brownies

It's been a HECK of a long time since I have been able to post some recipes. Having a baby really throws things off a bit, especially when they are a preemie and have to be in the hospital for 4 months, but I am hoping I will be able to post more often now that our sweet little baby is home and things are starting to settle down a bit.

Now before I begin, can I just say how AMAZING these brownies are!?! A couple of weekends ago I tried making the old brownies from a box and I was TOTALLY disappointed!!!! Is it me, or are they really not as good as they used to be? Anyways, even though you still have to use boxed cake mix for these brownies they are SUPER good. They are currently one of my new favorite desserts to make lately. They are so chocolaty, rich and I just love the whole chocolate and caramel combo. If you are in need of a chocolate fix.... these will do the trick!

Ingredients:

1 (12oz) pkg chocolate chips

1 German chocolate cake mix

1/2 c butter, softened

2/3 c evaporated milk, divided

50 caramels, unwrapped and ready to go

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cake mix, butter and 1/3 c evaporated milk. Press 1/2 of the cake mixture into a 9x13 dish. Bake 6 minutes (make sure you do not over bake).

Meanwhile, melt caramels with 1/3 c evaporated milk in a saucepan over low heat. Remove dough from oven and sprinkle the partially baked dough with 1/2 of the chocolate chips. Then pour melted caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Press the remaining dough on top of the caramel layer and bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with the remaining chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, until melted, then spread evenly over the brownies. Cool completely before cutting.

Side Note: (I really like my brownies soft and on the gooier side. If you are like me, depending on the way your oven cooks, you make want to reduce the baking time from anywhere between 20-23 minutes or so.)

Orange Glazed Pork

There is something about the Las Vegas summers that makes me crave the cooler fall weather! Maybe its the scorching heat or being quarantined indoors in fear of melting outside...ugh, I'm sweating just thinking about it! :) So when I came across this DELICIOUS fall pork dish I knew I HAD to make it pronto! Oh boy, it didn't disappoint! The aroma from the glaze was AMAZING!!! It literally took everything I had not to run to the garage and pull down my many footlockers of autumn decorations! Not only did it smell and look SOO GOOD, it tasted ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I thought I made enough for leftovers, but it disappeared in what seemed like an instant! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Glaze:
3 Tbl orange marmalade
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup carrot purée
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 tsp Ginger
2 tsp apple cider or white vinegar (I used lemon juice)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or ground cayenne

2 lbs pork tenderloin (I sliced my large loin in half to make two)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400.
In saucepan, wisk all glaze ingredients until smooth. Heat until almost bubbles. Cook 10-15 min more until liquid reduces by 1/4 and glaze thickens.

Meanwhile, sprinkle pork with salt pepper (I added a little more and added parsley).
Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Carefully add pork and cook 10 minutes, turning once until both sides are browned.

Off heat, add the glaze. Turn pork once to coat in glaze. Slide skillet in oven and bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes.
Remove skillet, add water, and return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes until pork is cooked through and water has somewhat evaporated. Remove pork to cutting board and stir the glaze from the skillet until smooth. Slice pork and serve with the glaze! Enjoy!

Whole Grain Chicken Enchiladas with a Secret

These babies are "Oh So Good" (as my 4 year old exclaimed) and quite HEALTHY! The secret? CARROT/SWEET POTATO puree and SPINACH have been sneakily added! This is a recipe inspired by Jessica Seinfeld (the master at adding fruits, veggies, and whole grains to every meal)! Thank you Jessica! Not only was I pleasantly suprised that this dish tasted amazing, but even more impressive was the fact that I had it whipped up and in the oven in a jiffy! :) Plus the ENTIRE dish is only 302 calories (with carrot puree) and 310 (with sweet potato puree)! Eat up!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbl olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cubed (about 3/4 lb)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup carrot puree OR sweet potato puree
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 cup shredded, reduced fat (2%) cheddar cheese or part-skim mozarella, divided
6 whole grain or whole wheat flour tortillas
1/2 cup spinach puree (I used fresh spinach...it wilts down in the oven anyway)
1/2 cup mild tomato salsa

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350
Coat 9 by 13 inch pan in nonstick cooking spray
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
Sprinkle the chicken pieces with garlic powder and pepper
Cook the chicken in the pan 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle
Take the pan off the heat and mix in the carrot OR sweet potato puree, sour cream, and HALF the cheese in the skillet
Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture and roll up
Place seam side down in baking dish
Dot the tops of each enchilada with the spinach puree (or sprinkle the middle with fresh spinach like I did)
Spoon the salsa over the spinach and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese
Cover with foil and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the cheese melts and the filling is hot

I made a few slight adaptations to this:
-I baked my chicken early in the morning with garlic powder, parsley, and pepper
-I added about 1/4 cup more of the carrot puree and decreased the cheese in the filling by 1/4 cup: 3/4 cup carrot puree, 1/4 cup cheddar/mozarella mix
-I used fresh spinach instead of the spinach puree...frankly I forgot to steam and blend the spinach earlier...the spinach wilts up anyways as it is cooked

*This meal can EASILY be prepared in advance too! :)

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Last year, Sarah mailed me a cookbook and I have been having so much fun trying the recipes! This one quickly became one of my family's ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!!! Not only does it SMELL SO GOOD cooking on the stove, it is quite easy to whip up and tastes AMAZING! I made the mistake of not making enough and my husband and I jokingly fought over who would get the leftovers the next day...he won when he found the hidden tupperware in the fridge, haha! Hope you all enjoy this meal as much as we do! It is definitely a keeper! :)

Ingredients:

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
2 tsp butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4-6 large mushrooms sliced
1-2 cups heavy whipping cream (generic walmart brand is the best)
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp basil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
4 oz linguini pasta cooked and drained
grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

Mix chicken with Cajun seasoning and saute over medium heat with butter until chicken is browned and cooked through. Add peppers, onion, and mushrooms and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat. Add cream* and seasonings (add more cajun seasoning if you prefer spicier). Heat thoroughly...I crank up the heat and boil it for a bit until the sauce thickens a bit. During this time (while sauce is heating), I cook the pasta in another pan. When cooked to my liking, I add the pasta to the chicken sauce pan and mix it all together. Top with parmesan cheese!

*for a healthier option, add 1 cup of apple juice and 1 cup cream instead of the 1-2 cups cream called for in the original ingredients

My Favorite No Bake Cookies

This is my FAVORITE no bake cookie recipe! It has the perfect amount of peanut butter and I LOVE the fact that the recipe calls for ingredients that most everybody has on hand. My family and I ENJOY these most when they are frozen! These are super YUMMY, super EASY and I love the fact that there is no baking required.... especially on those HOT summer days that are just around the corner!

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter

2 C sugar

1/2 C milk

3 t cocoa powder

1/2 C peanut butter

3 C oats

1 t vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in saucepan over medium heat.

2. Bring to a boil and turn off heat.

3. Add peanut butter, oats and vanilla; mix well.

4. Line cookie sheet with wax paper and drop by spoonfuls on baking sheet.

5. Refrigerate for 1 hour and ENJOY!

Chicken Tamale Casserole

Oh my goodness!!!! I can't believe it has been so LONG since our last recipe. Let's just say "Life happens":). This recipe has been one that I have been DYING to post since forever ago. I LOVE it because I am able to use up any leftover chicken that I have cooked up already. It's DEFINITELY a nice change up from the usual chicken casseroles. The cornbread bottom adds a nice SWEETNESS to the casserole.... which I LOVE!

Ingredients:

1 C shredded Mexican cheese, divided (or I just use cheddar when I don't have it on hand)

1/3 C milk

1 box corn bread muffin mix

1 egg

1 can chopped green chile's, drained

1 t cumin

1 can/jar red enchilada sauce

1/8 t red pepper

2 C cooked chicken breast, shredded

sour cream, tomatoes and avocados

Directions:

1. Combine 1/4 C cheese, milk, muffin mix, egg, green chile's, and cumin in a large bowl; stirring just until moist.

2. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until set.

5. Pierce entire surface liberally with fork; pour enchilada sauce over top.

6. Top with chicken, sprinkle with remaining 3/4 C cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the cornbread mixture is set.

7. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.

8. Cut into squares and top each serving with sour cream, tomatoes and avocados.

Quick and Easy French Baguettes

What's better than warm, crispy french bread? Being able to make it yourself! This is a recipe I have used for a long time. It is pretty amazing. Simple. Easy. And Quick! It only needs to rise once! The last few months I have made it almost weekly. It makes two baguettes and sometimes I just freeze one for another meal. We LOVE to dip this bread in this Alfredo Sauce as a dinner meal appetizer, use it to make sub sandwiches, crispen up for garlic bread, and use it in the morning for french toast! Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbl (2 pkts) active dry yeast
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
melted butter (to brush bread while baking)

Directions:
Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large mixing bowl
Let it sit for 5 minutes
When yeast has started to activate, gradually add the flour, and salt
With a mixer dough hook (Kitchen Aid), or a wooden spoon by hand, mix until the dough becomes nice and smooth
Knead for 5-8 minutes
Cut the dough in half and shape into 2 baguettes
Easiest way to do this is to roll out each half into a large rectangle and roll up lengthwise
Pinch the edges to seal and place on lightly greased baking sheet (or baking pad/Silpat) with the seam side down
Cover with a cotton towel and let rise for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Gently make a slash down the length of each baguette with a sharp knife
Bake bread for 15 minutes
Halfway through baking (7.5 minutes), brush with some melted butter

The Peanut Butter Chick Magnet Cookie

This is a BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF COOKIE! About eight years ago, I started a cookie business: THE COOKIE CHICKS. We named all our cookies "something" chick. We had one called The Chick Magnet. It was the favorite. I recently came up with this new one that I now call the ''Peanut Butter Chick Magnet''. It's like eating a candy bar. In the middle of a moist peanut butter cookie is a peanut butter cup. It is dipped in chocolate, doused with chopped PB cups and mini chocolate chips, then drizzled with white chocolate. AMAZING. You will think you have died and gone to heaven. It is a beautiful cookie! ENJOY!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Crisco
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cups brown sugar
3/4 cups white sugar
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup flour
3 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
miniature peanut butter cups
mini chocolate chips
white chocolate

Directions:

Mix all but the last three ingredients together. Unwrap about 4 dozen mini peanut butter cups. Scoop about 2 T of dough, flatten, and place a PB cup in the center. Wrap dough around and shape into a ball. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool. Melt dipping chocolate. (I use Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate. It is the best!) Dip tops of cookies in chocolate and lay on wax paper. Chop up remaining PB cups. Sprinkle tops of cookies with the cups and mini chocolate chips. Allow to set. Drizzle with white chocolate. YUM!

Amazing Cracker Toffee

Okay, this is my FAVORITE thing to make right now! I started making this SWEET-SALTY treat every Sunday and it never disappoints. I LOVE it because it takes a few ingredients and a snap just to whip up and tastes like you actually had to put some time and effort into it. It is supper YUMMY and ADDICTIVE. You can't just have one piece... I DARE you!

Ingredients:

1 sleeve of Saltine crackers

1 C butter

1 C brown sugar

1 C chocolate chips

Handful of chopped nuts (anything that you have on hand will do)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with foil.

2. Lay crackers on cookie sheet in 6x6 rows.

3. In saucepan melt butter and brown sugar together over medium heat. Bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over crackers.

4. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.

5. Pour chocolate chips over crackers and allow to sit for 2 minutes before spreading. Spread chocolate chips to cover crackers completely.

6. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and refrigerate at least 2 hours before breaking into pieces and serving.

The Best Alfredo Sauce

I am lucky to have a wonderful father-in-law, Garen, who has such a passion for cooking! I secretly want to submit him to compete in next seasons' Master Chef...he could definitely give Gordon Ramsey a run for his money! :)
He was gracious enough to share this recipe with me months ago and Im not going to lie, I have been scared to make it myself ever since...There is just something about Alfredo Sauce that is intimidating to me. (Maybe it has something to do from when I was in my teens and spent two hours scraping scortched butter from the bottom of my mothers cookware while trying to make my first go at alfredo...yeah, not too fun!)

So when my husband requested me to add it to this weeks menu, I remembered how EASY and DELICIOUS it really is! I quickly ran to my recipe folders, pulled it out, and saw that my father in law mentioned the SECRET to making this PERFECT Alfredo...it read, "DO NOT BOIL, OR IT WILL SCORCH"! How I wish I had that advice years ago, lol!

We ate it for our Sunday dinner (I served it chicken fettuccine alfredo style, with warm homemade french bread and a green salad). I have never heard more OOOOO's and AAAAAAHHHH's in my life! My husband said it was one of the top best meals he has ever had and my little guys had Alfredo sauce covering their mouths for days! The leftovers tasted just as great! Definitely a hit and will be made more often...now that I know the secret!
This is one of those meals that is GOOD on the lips, but not too good on the hips...don't worry, you can work it off later! It is SOOOO worth it!!!

It makes a big batch... I would definitely divide it out and freeze (or plan on eating it over the next few days).
****Makes a great sauce for a chicken alfredo pizza, and tastes amazing dipped with warm french bread! Enjoy! And thanks again Pappi Staley for letting me share your recipe on this blog! :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 quart heavy whipping cream (Wal-mart's generic brand works the best)
2 cubes real butter
4 Tbl Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1 SMALL jar of minced garlic
3 triangle blocks of parmesan cheese (Frigo brand)-freshly grated
1/4 cup flour mixed with 2 cups of water

DIRECTIONS:

Remember EVERYTHING must be done on medium heat or it will scorch!
Melt 2 cubes butter with olive oil and salt in a large pot
Once melted dump in as much garlic as you like to taste (usually about 1/2-3/4 of the small jar)
Blanche the garlic in the melted butter mixture
Pour in the 1 quart heavy whipping cream and heat to just short of boiling
Grate the parmesan cheese (if you haven't already) and dump in the pot
Stir with a wisk until completely melted
Add the water/flour mixture and stir until it is as thick as you want
*when you take it off the heat it will set some more
**you can make it as thick or as thin as you want by how much flour/water mixture you add

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

WOW! These babies are absolutely DELICIOUS! Plus they are so easy to whip together and smell so good baking in the oven. It does have a little kick (thanks to the chili powder), so if you are a "heat baby", you may want to reduce the amount of powder to your liking. I made them last night with sides of bean dip/chips, and Spanish rice. Lets just say we were all full after devouring this meal and will definitely be making these quite often! You can search for different variations of this recipe like I did, but in my opinion, these made the best!



Ingredients:
1 lb cooked, shredded chicken
Sauce:
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice (fresh if possible)
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves minced garlic)
20 oz can green enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (half and half of mozzarella/cheddar, or Monterrey jack, whatever you have on hand)
flour tortillas (I used 16 and it made two pans)
fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:
Mix sauce ingredients in bowl and add the chicken. Toss chicken in sauce and cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
Lightly spray a large baking dish (or 9 by 13 and 8 by 8, like I did) and pour some green enchilada sauce to just cover the bottoms. Fill tortillas with desired amount of meat mixture and cheese. Roll up and place seam down in dish.
Pour remainder of sauce over all the enchiladas and sprinkle with more cheese.
Baked UNCOVERED at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted. If desired, broil a couple minutes longer to make cheese crisp and brown. Top with cilantro if wanted. Enjoy!

Yummy Pizza Rolls

I am a complete lover of pizza! We had it all the time growing up (probably because my dad was co-owner of Pistol Pete's Pizza and my mom was busy with 8 kids). So if there is a new spin-off of the favorite, I rush to try it out. This meal definitely did not dissapoint! It also was a dilemma-solver because the hubs and I weren't trying to prove our point of the perfect pizza toppings. We each could have our own! Plus it was a lot of fun to PREPARE and EAT. We gave it a definite "TWO THUMBS UP"...even the kiddos! :)

original receipe found here

Ingredients:

Homemade Pizza Dough (click on title for the recipe or use your own)
toppings: such as shredded mozarella cheese, diced vegetables, pepperoni, canadian bacon/pineapple, meatballs, etc.
Olive Oil or melted butter
Galric powder
Italian Seasonings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make pizza dough and roll out into a large rectangle. Cut into 12 pieces with a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Place a couple Tablespoons of the desired toppings into the center of each piece and stretch the dough around the toppings and seal the edges. After the edges are sealed completely, shape each piece the best you can to resemble a roll. Place seam down onto lightly greased baking dish. Brush each roll with butter or oil and sprinkle with garlic powder and italian seasonings. Bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly brown and serve with your favorite marinara or spaghetti sauce! Enjoy!!!