Baked Ravioli

Quick and simple recipe!!! I ended up going with jar marinara sauce because I didn't have my homemade one handy. Next time, I will and & I will probably add meat to my sauce as well.

Thanks to Tasty Kitchen for this tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

1 bag (25 oz.) Ravioli

1 jar (26 oz.) Marinara Sauce

2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese, for topping

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400F
• In a baking dish, spray with cooking spray
• Spread 3/4 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of baking dish
• Arrange half of the ravioli in a single layer on top of the sauce
• Top with half of the remaining sauce and then half of the mozzarella cheese
• Repeat layers once more (I had a little bit of ravioli leftover that was not used)
• Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes
• Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10-15 minutes
• Let stand before serving

Banana Bread

Kyle loves Banana bread, but I never make it because we eat the bananas too fast. Well, this time we had some leftover so I decided to make it. There are so many recipes for banana bread and banana nut bread. I don't like nuts so banana nut bread is out of the picture. 

I am sure this recipe is somewhere, but I just took some ingredients from one recipe and mixed it with another to make a simple banana bread.

Only picture b/c my husband ate it too fast

Ingredients:
4 bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1 egg

tsp. vanilla extract

tsp. baking soda

pinch of salt

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Mash bananas in a bowl and then add in the melted butter and mix
• Stir in the egg, vanilla and sugar
• Mix in the baking soda and salt, add the flour in last
• In a buttered or greased loaf pan, pour in banana mixture
• Bake for 45-50 minutes
• Let stand to cool before serving

Crock Pot Sausage & Tortellini

Ice Cream with a Fork put out this delicious recipe. So simple and yet really good. However, I did make a few changes :)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Italian sausage

20 oz. frozen three cheese tortellini

32 oz. low sodium chicken broth

2 cans diced tomatoes w/ seasonings

8 oz. cream cheese

grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

*I used Spinach and Cheese Tortellini instead of just cheese tortellini

*I also threw in some crushed red pepper flakes to add a bit more heat

What To Do:

• Take out your cream cheese to soften while you brown your sausage
• Brown sausage and drain excess grease
• Add the sausage and tortellini to your crock pot
• Pour the tomatoes, liquid and all, and broth over the top
• Add your cream cheese in chunks
• Stir everything together
• Cook on low for 4 1/2 hours with the last 1/2 hour removing the lid so that the sauce can thicken
• Top with Parmesan cheese (optional)

Crock Pot Parmesan Honey Pork Roast

This recipe caught my eye when it said honey & soy sauce in the mixture. I love these 2 ingredients together and have done some previous recipes using them.

I found this recipe through a new site I found called Just a Pinch Recipes.

Ingredients:

1 boneless whole pork tenderloin or roast

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup honey

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. dried basil

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

What To Do:

• Cut roast in half
• Transfer to your crock pot
• In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic, oil and salt
• Pour over pork
• Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 to 6 hours
• Remove meat to a serving platter and keep warm
• Skim fat from the juices and transfer to a small pot
• Bring liquid to a boil
• Combine cornstarch and water 
• Gradually pour the cornstarch/water mixture into the juices
• Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes until thickened, stirring continuously 
• Slice roast and serve with gravy

Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread

As I mentioned in the last post, I love watching Ree and her episodes of Pioneer Woman. I used this recipe, but took out some of the ingredients to make a simple cheesy cornbread. I loved this jalapeno cornbread and will be making it again. 

I am thinking about adding in 1 more small jalapeno to the batch next time I make it.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 whole egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shortening

2 Tbsp. butter
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 onion, diced

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir together.

Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together. Add the baking soda and stir. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir together until combined. Fold in the cheese. Set aside.

In a small bowl, melt the shortening in the microwave. Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the peppers and onions until soft. Pour the batter into the skillet with the veggies. Spread to even out the surface. Batter should sizzle. Cook for 1 minute then transfer to the oven.
**If you don't have a skillet that you can put in the oven, just mix the veggies into the cornbread mixture and pour into a baking dish.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Cheesy Cornbread

I love watching and recording episodes of Pioneer Woman. Ree is just a down to earth cook and has tons of really good recipes. 

My addition to Thanksgiving was making cornbread. I remember watching one of her episodes where she made Cheesy Jalapeno Cornbread so I knew that I had  to make it. I made her original recipe along with taking out some ingredients to make just the cheesy part of the cornbread for those who don't like onions, jalapenos, etc. 

The Cheesy Jalapeno recipe is up next on the blog.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 whole egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shortening

Stick of butter (used for greasing the pan)

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 425F

Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Stir together.

Measure the buttermilk and milk in a measuring cup and add the egg. Stir together. Add the baking soda and stir. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir together until combined. Fold in the cheese. Set aside.

In a small bowl, melt the shortening in the microwave. Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined.

In a baking dish, use the stick of butter to grease the bottom and sides of the pan.

Pour the cornbread mixture into the baking dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Peanut Butter Oreo Brownies

This was the perfect treat to make for me to take for Thanksgiving and then to a friends house for them to try. I could have eaten so many of these because they were amazing (yup, im addicted). Thanks to Pinterest for this recipe.

  

Ingredients:

24 Oreos (I stuck with just the original ones)

Peanut Butter

Brownie Mix

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Prepare brownies according to box directions and set aside
• Place a spoonful of peanut butter on top of each oreo
• Then stack an oreo on top of another oreo to make an oreo sandwich (you should have a layer of peanut butter in between the 2 oreos and then peanut butter on top of the top oreo)
• Place sandwich oreo in a muffin liner in your cupcake pan
• Spoon brownie batter over the oreos until they are covered (you will have brownie mix leftover)
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until brownies are cooked through

*Mine weren't completely done at 20 minutes so I baked mine for 24 minutes and they were perfect.

Beef Tips (Crock Pot)

Yup, it has been one of those weeks. I completely forgot to take a picture so I was going to with the leftovers, but that didn't happen either. Oh well...no biggie. 

I wanted to make beef tips using this one recipe, but realized I didn't have everything I needed for it so I just stuck with this really simple one. It had good flavor and was perfect served over rice.

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef stew meat

1 can cream of mushroom

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packed Lipton dry onion soup

1 cup water

1 small can of mushrooms (I didn't add in since I don't like mushrooms)

Next time I will add in some chopped up onions and then serve over mashed potatoes

What To Do:

• Mix everything together in the crock pot
• Cook on low for 8-9 hours depending on how you like your meat cooked

Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake

If you like cheese (and lots of it) then you will definitely like this recipe. Kyle loved it, but for me, there was just a little something missing. I haven't quiet figured it out yet, but once I do, then I will be making it again. Hmm..maybe it is because I am not a huge fan of jar pasta sauce. I will make my own Alfredo sauce next time.

Thanks to Life as a Lofthouse for this cheesy goodness.

This would be perfect to serve with garlic bread and a salad if you are having friends over. Too much for Kyle and I unless we wanted it for dinner and lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

1 (16 oz.) box Penne pasta noodles

2 (10 oz) containers Alfredo sauce

1 cup Sour Cream

1 (15 oz) container Ricotta cheese

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 cups cooked, diced Chicken

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. dried Parsley

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Cook chicken if you didn't cook ahead of time
• Boil the pasta in a large pot of water
• Drain pasta and then return it back to pot
• Add all the remaining ingredients, except for the mozzarella cheese
• Stir together to combine
• Pour mixture into a greased baking dish
• Sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella cheese
• Bake for 30 mintues

Glazed Pork Chops

Yum...once I saw a picture of these glazed pork chops, my mouth was watering. They had really good flavor and were extremely simple to make. 

Thanks to Budget Bytes.

 Ingredients:

4 thick cut pork chops

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper to taste

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl combine the brown sugar and all the spices.

Remove the pork chops and season them by rubbing all the spices to fully cover each chop.

Heat 2 Tbsp. of olive oil in the skillet. When nice and hot, add the chops and cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until brown.

If your skillet is oven safe, place in the oven for an additional 5 minutes to finish cooking through. If your skillet is not oven safe, remove chops and place in a baking dish lined with foil.

After cooking for 5 minutes in the oven, remove the chops. Drag each side around in the glaze and serve.

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Thanks to Plain Chicken for this simple recipe. I love spaghetti so this was definitely a good recipe to keep that throws just a little spin on regular spaghetti. I usually make my own sauce from scratch, but with this one, I just stuck to the original recipe.

Step by step pictures are below!

Ready to bake!!

Ingredients:

12 oz. spaghetti

1 (28 oz) jars prepared spaghetti sauce

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. Italian seasoning (I used more)

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Fill your pot up with water and start boiling your pasta
• In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Once cooked, drain the fat, stir in the spaghetti sauce and set aside
• When your pasta is ready, drain it and then stir in the cream cheese, garlic, & seasonings to make sure the spaghetti is coated
• Lightly grease a 9x13 pan
• Spread a small amount of the meat sauce in the bottom of your dish
• Put spaghetti on top of the sauce (I also added more seasonings on top) and then top with the remaining meat sauce
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top
• Bake for 30 minutes

Chicken Taco Bowls

I was looking for a simple recipe since I hadn't gone to the store yet b/c we had tons going on this past week. Thanks to Budget Bytes, I was able to throw all together.

Kyle really liked the flavor and said if I had added more tomato juice or broth, it would make for a really good soup.

I took the finished product before it was actually finished. I didn't get the picture with all the fresh cilantro and shredded cheese all on top.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts (I threw mine in frozen)

1 (16 oz) jar salsa

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained

8 oz. frozen corn (I used canned corn)

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

2 cups dry rice

8 oz. shredded cheese

1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

What To Do:

• Add everything except the rice, cheese and cilantro into your crock pot along with 1/4 cup of water
• Stir everything and make sure the chicken is covered
• Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours
• Before you get ready to eat, cook your rice according to the directions
• Remove the lid from the crock pot and stir with a fork to shred. Yes, it will shred with just a fork. No need to take the chicken out to shred and then put back in the crock pot.
• Build your taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, chicken mixture on top, and then top with cheese and cilantro (Again, sorry I forgot to take a picture with my cheese and cilantro on top)

Dr. Pepper & Brown Sugar BBQ Ribs

I think my MIL took a picture of the ribs for me since I was feeding my son at the time so I need to get it from her, but if not, we all know what ribs look like. Plus, the look is based on how you cook them.

Ever since we got home from visiting my sister and her family, I have been craving ribs. At the tailgate, our friend said to definitely add brown sugar to ribs to enhance any flavors. He was right...I could have eaten those all day long.

When we got home, my husband marinated the ribs all day/night with brown sugar and added in Dr. Pepper as well. These are definitely a keeper for us.

Ingredients:

1 rack of ribs

2 liter Dr. Pepper

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar

BBQ sauce

1 Tbsp. butter, melted

What To Do:

• Rub the ribs with brown sugar and then put in a bag 
• Pour the Dr. Pepper into the bag and close it up
• Let the ribs marinate overnight and throughout the day of cooking
• Using foil, make a boat for the ribs
• Put ribs on the foil and then pour just a little bit of the marinade on them
• Start cooking them on low on the grill
• Add the bbq sauce as you start to flip the ribs
• Right before the ribs are done and you take them off the grill, pour the melted butter all over the ribs and continue to cook for another couple of minutes

Roasted Broccoli

Sorry, I have been bad about taking pictures of the food lately. I make our plates and we sit down to eat. Next thing you know my plate doesn't look too appetizing to capture a picture of.

I haven't cooked broccoli in who knows when. I am not a huge fan b/c it gets cold so fast and then I felt like it only had good flavor when soaked in butter. Since I was experimenting with my honey & herb chicken, I decided to go ahead and just add a few things to the broccoli and roast in the oven to get it a little crunchy. 

I don't ever really measure ingredients when I cook. I just go based off of the look of the amount so below is about my estimation. 

Ingredients:

1 bunch of broccoli cut into pieces

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4-1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (depending on how much broccoli you use and how spicy you want it)

salt and pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced (unless you like thicker pieces)

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400F
• In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and olive oil
• Once mixed, toss in your broccoli and mix to coat all of it
• Spread the broccoli out on a foil covered cookie sheet
• Cook for about 15 minutes (this makes the broccoli soft with a little bit of crunch to it. Cook longer if you want it more soft or cook less for more of a crunch.

Honey & Herb Chicken

I was going through my seasoning cabinet to see what I could just add with some honey to make a glazed chicken. 

As I grabbed some, I also decided to throw it in the crock pot since it makes the chicken so tender. Here is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chipotle seasoning

kosher salt

black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

*Next time I am going to add in 2 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice

What To Do:

• Spray crock pot with cooking spray
• In a small bowl, combine all the seasonings (not the honey or vinegar)
• Rub all on the chicken and then place chicken in bottom of crock pot
• Mix the honey and apple cider vinegar  together and then pour on top of the chicken
• Cook on low for 4 hours (if chicken is frozen, cook for 5-6 hours)

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Thank you to Artsy Fartsy Mama for this recipe. Yup, when I saw her picture, I knew that I couldn't pass up this one. It worked out perfectly because I also had all the ingredients. When I got home to prepare it, I was a little sad, because I thought that I had more bacon than what I did so I had to make do. The cheese came out a little and I had to use toothpicks to keep it together. If you use 6-7 pieces of bacon per chicken then you won't have the issue I had and you will be able to full wrap the chicken up.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts; pounded out

12-14 pieces of bacon

cream cheese

shredded cheese

brown sugar

*I added some chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, salt and pepper

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Lay out your chicken and cover with some plastic wrap
• Pound out your chicken with your meat tenderizer & then season with some kosher salt & pepper
• Lay out 4 pieces of bacon vertically and then 2-3 pieces horizontally
•  Lay your chicken in the center of the bacon
• **My addition, In a small bowl mix cream cheese with chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic, salt and pepper
• Spread cream cheese (plain or seasoned) on top of the chicken
• Then add a little bit of shredded cheese
• Roll the chicken up a little and fold up the horizontal pieces of bacon to cover the chicken
• Next fold up the vertical pieces and secure with a toothpick if needed
• On a baking pan covered with foil, lay your chicken seam side down
• Sprinkle a little bit of brown sugar on top and then bake for 50-55 minutes

**We will be eating this again, but next time I am thinking about using Pepper jack cheese and then mixing in some jalapenos or green chilies into the cream cheese as well. 

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

I think that my sweet tooth lately has been cinnamon rolls.(No, I am not pregnant again haha) Plus they are easy to just throw in the oven and make. 

Well once I saw this idea on Pinterest and then made them for breakfast this past weekend, this is by far the way to go on making cinnamon rolls!!! And hey, we get to use our flip waffle maker. (Best gift we registered for for our wedding) The only thing you have to be careful of, is how fast they go. I usually eat 2 cinnamon rolls. Well after this, I can easily eat 3 :/ ...I'm in trouble.

Kyle and I like our waffles a little on the crispy side so the pictures of ours are a little dark.

Easy peasy...Spray waffle maker with nonstick cooking spray, place 3 rolls (or however many you would like) onto the center, close your waffle maker and flip. It will beep when it's ready :)

This definitely beats having to wait for the oven to preheat and then cooking them for like 10 minutes.

Baked Bean Casserole

As I was looking for some new side ideas, I came across this baked bean casserole that seemed perfect...and it was :)

I ended up making this as a side for our hamburgers when the neighbors came over this past weekend since it takes awhile in the oven. With all the ingredients, you actually could use this for sloppy joes or even throw it on top of your hot dogs. 

Not knowing until I started making it that it was going to be a lot, we now have leftovers for our next meal.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 (15 oz.) cans pork and beans

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 F and spray your baking dish with nonstick cooking spray
• Brown ground beef, onion and bell pepper
• Add pork and beans along with everything else, but the bacon
• Stir well and cook for a couple of minutes
• Pour into your baking dish
• Top with the crumbled bacon and cover with foil
• Bake for 45 minutes
• Remove foil and then bake for another 10 minutes
• Let beans stand for 5 minutes before serving

Cinnamon & Sugar Crescent Rolls (Cinnamon Rolls)

Looking for a quick and easy breakfast or dessert....these are just a simple version of cinnamon rolls.

My mom and I cooked these this past weekend for breakfast and they were so good. We just kept eating them because they were addicting. There was just something different about them that made them so good. I love crescent rolls and the flakiness of them :)

Of course we doubled the icing mix so that we had more 

Ingredients:

1 can of flaky crescent rolls

butter

cinnamon sugar

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp. milk

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• Spray cooking spray onto cookie sheet
• Lay out crescent rolls
• Spread some butter on each one
• Sprinkle with as much cinnamon sugar as you would like
• Roll the crescent rolls up
• Bake for 11-13 minutes
• While they are baking, mix the powdered sugar and milk together to make the icing
• Once the rolls are ready, pull out of oven and pour icing over them
• ENJOY!!

Tortilla Chip & Pepper Jack Crusted Chicken w/ Avocado & Jalapeno Ranch

The picture for this recipe has been floating around all over Pinterest and Facebook. Once I read the name of it, I was hooked and had to try this!! Of course, please don't compare my picture to the original picture :)...mine is awful looking

If you do not like Mayo, please try it. I absolutely dislike Mayo, but decided to try it anyways. I didn't add as much as it said to.

Thanks to Bacon, Butter, Cheese & Garlic for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

One 12 oz. bag tortilla chips

4 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp. cumin

1/2 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. lime juice

Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

1 packet ranch dip mix

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1-3 Tbsp. diced jalapeno slices from a jar

1 tsp. lime juice

2 avocados

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Put about half the bag of chips into the food processor and blend
• Mix the shredded cheese and crushed chips together
• In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and lime juice
• Dredge the chicken into the mixture and then into the chip mixture
• When all the chicken is coated, put in the oven for about 30-35 minutes
• While chicken is cooking, start on the sauce
• Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a food processor and serve over the chicken

Tomato Basil Chicken

Although we are trying to eat healthier around our household, we still need some carbs from pasta :). It is hard to turn down Italian dishes because there are so many. Thanks to Menu Musings for this great and easy recipe. (And fattening one if you decide to use all the butter)

There is nothing better than FRESH ingredients especially during the summertime and when you can find a farmer's market anywhere now days.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

kosher salt and black pepper

2 Tbsp. EVOO (olive oil)

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

2 tsp. minced fresh garlic

4 Tbsp. cold butter

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese

Any type of pasta that you want to serve with it (I choose bowtie bc I had a lot leftover in the pantry)

What To Do:

• Season your chicken breasts with kosher salt and black pepper
• Add a couple of Tbsp. of EVOO into skillet and let the oil heat up pretty hot
• In the meantime, start boiling your water for your pasta &  then cook 
• When oil is hot and the chicken sizzles when it touches it then add your chicken
• Cook about 5-6 minutes per side
• After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, add in the tomatoes
• Next add in the fresh basil, cold butter and then the minced garlic last
• To help season the sauce, add in some more salt and pepper
• Stir all the ingredients and let the sauce start to mix together
• If pasta is still cooking, you can remove the chicken and cut into slices
• Divide the pasta into bowls, top with chicken, pour the sauce over it and then add some fresh grated cheese

Saucy Italian Chicken

Like I have said plenty of times...nothing better than a crock pot recipe when things get busy (plus having a little one). I don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen when I don't get all day with him and my husband.

Of course the chicken was tender and the recipe had good flavor. I ended up making the full recipe, but only did 2 chicken breasts instead of 4.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup tomato sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp. Splenda

1 tsp. dried onion flakes

*I added in some extra garlic and a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes. I also coated the chicken with Kosher salt before I put it in the crock pot.

What To Do:

• Spray crock pot with cooking spray
• Place chicken in the bottom (you can even do frozen chicken if needed)
• Mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl and the pour over the chicken
• Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours (7 hours was definitely long enough)

Monterrey Chicken

The picture of this recipe on Pinterest looks amazing. I had been wanting to make these for awhile and decided to throw it in our meals for the week. Ours does not look anything like the picture because we cut out the tomatoes (rotel) and the green onions. Kyle is not a huge fan of chunks of tomatoes on a slice of chicken so I just made it simple.

I bet that it is really good with the tomatoes, green chilies and the green onions. I might have to make this one night and he can just eat chicken the regular way.

Picture is from mybakerlady.com

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless breasts

1/4 cup BBQ sauce

1/4 cup real bacon bits

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes; drained

1 5 oz. can fire roasted green chilies (I would have just used the original rotel)

sliced green onions

salt & pepper

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Season chicken with salt and pepper
• Grill chicken breasts until no longer pink inside
• Place chicken on a foil covered baking sheet
• Combine tomatoes and chilies in a bowl (or just use rotel)
• Top each chicken with a tablespoon of BBQ sauce, cheese, tomato/chili mixture, green onions and bacon bits
• Place in oven and bake just until the cheese has melted

Caramelized Baked Chicken

This recipe originated from Food.com. It called for Chicken Legs/Wings, but I always use Chicken breast. With the amount of time that it cooks for, it is tender, but I am going to try it in the crock pot next time so that the chicken is falling apart.

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 Tbsp. olive oil (to help it from sticking to the pan)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp. ketchup

1/4 cup honey

2 garlic cloves; minced

salt and pepper

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Place chicken in a baking dish (I used foil to make sure that the chicken didn't stick to the pan)
• Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper
• Pour over the chicken
• Bake for 1 hour or until sauce is caramelized

Red Potato Side Dish

I am always looking for nice ideas for side dishes. I feel like I always cook the same thing over and over. One of my addictions is potatoes. There are so many different ways to cook them and season them with. I found this one off of Pinterest and decided to try it.

While in the middle of cooking, I decided to not add the Parmesan cheese. I will try it another time. Below is the original recipe. Even though I did not add the cheese, the potatoes still had a really good flavor to them.

Ingredients:

Red potatoes

EVOO (olive oil)

Zesty Italian Dressing Mix

Minced Onion

*I also added a pinch of salt and a dash of garlic powder and pepper

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. With the skin left on, cube the potatoes
3. Add them to a clear baking dish that is lightly sprayed with cooking spray
4. Drizzle the EVOO on top and mix so that it evenly coats the potatoes
5. Add the dressing mix, minced onion and any additional seasonings to the potatoes
6. Mix so that the seasonings coat the potatoes
7. Cook for 45 minutes 
8. Top with grated Parmesan cheese and return to oven for cheese to melt