Mini Chicken Parmesan Cupcakes

Thank you Pinterest and pictures! I saw this one and could not resist making it right away. So simple yet so delicious!!

I made these using a regular size cupcake tin instead of using the mini. Just seemed easier to me. The recipe made 6 big chicken parmesan cupcakes :)

Yes, I should have taken the pictures on a nicer plate, but with a baby, husband, etc. paper plates are just easier right now! I also should have taken pictures of the steps, but the whole thing is pretty straight forward.

Ready to bake!

Ingredients:

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. EVOO

1 Egg

1 lb. ground Chicken breast

1/2 cup diced Red Bell pepper

1/2 cup diced Onion

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. dried Oregano

6 fresh Basil leaves, torn

1 pinch Salt and Pepper

Mozzarella cubes (I used string cheese)

2 cups Marinara sauce

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• In a small bowl, combine the Panko, half the Parmesan cheese and the olive oil. Combine mixture until evenly coated
• In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the chicken, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, remaining Parmesan cheese, basil, and pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands
• Lightly coat a muffin tin with cooking spray
• Place a couple of tablespoons of the chicken mixture in each (I made sure I had some extra mixture leftover)
• Nestle a cube of mozzarella in the center of the mixture
• Pat the chicken over the cheese to completely cover it (This is where I used the extra mixture I set aside to cover the cheese)
• Sprinkle the Panko mixture on top of each chicken mound, lightly pressing it into the meat
• Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the Panko is golden brown
• Let rest 5 minutes before loosening each cupcake from the muffin tin
• In the meantime, warm up your marinara sauce to serve with the chicken cupcakes

Crock Pot Balsamic Shredded Beef

I apologize for not posting in awhile. I have been trying to stick with simple recipes that my husband can help me out on. He does not like to look at recipes and follow directions, which I don't always follow the exact directions. 

There is nothing really more simple than cooking in a crock pot so this recipe is easy and definitely has a different taste to it. I was unsure at first of the taste, but it grew on me. It was a bonus that Kyle really liked it. Another one to add to the keeper section! :) 

Sorry, there is no picture this time. 

I halved the recipe since I am on Herbalife for breakfast and lunch. It still made plenty and I gave the leftovers to my in-laws to try. I also added in carrots...I love soft, caramelized carrots.

Ingredients: (Original recipe)

4-5 lb. beef chuck roast

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I added in more)

1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. soy sauce 

1 tsp. kosher salt (I added in more)

My additions:

I also added a pinch or two of Cayenne pepper for more heat

more kosher salt

more crushed red pepper flakes

half a bag of small carrots

What To Do:

• Whisk together all the ingredients and add to the bottom of the crock pot
• Add roast
• Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours

Italian Wonderpot

Gotta love pinterest. I saw the picture and it looked really good so I definitely put it on my list of recipes to make. It is another cheap meal that you can make for under $7. Doesn't get much better than that. Next time I will half the recipe because it yields 6 servings.

**It was just a pasta dish so I added ground sausage because Kyle and I like meat in our pasta most of the time.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground sausage (optional)

4 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

12 oz. fettuccine

8 oz. frozen chopped spinach (I used fresh baby spinach)

1 (28 oz.)  can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion

4 cloves garlic 

1/2 Tbsp. dried basil

1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 oz. feta cheese (we didn't use cheese)

What To Do:

• Add 4 cups of vegetable broth to a large pot
• Break fettuccine in half and add to pot
• Add canned tomatoes undrained, olive oil, spinach, onion (thinly sliced), garlic (I minced mine instead of slicing it), basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes
• Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid
• Place lid on top and turn the heat to high
• Allow pot to come up to a full boil and then remove the lid and turn heat down to medium
• Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes
• Most of the liquid will be absorbed
• After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top (If you choose to use cheese)

**If you decide to use meat in this pasta, cook it in a separate skillet and then drain the excess grease. Add it to the pot when there is about 5 minutes left 

Muffin Pan Meatloaf

Thanks to a girl from our "Dinner Recipes" group for posting this simple and easy recipe. It worked out perfect especially since Kyle and I wanted a down to earth meal with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

Excuse the pictures and one is upside down and I can't get it to rotate.

Almost done, but not all the way

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 slice of bread torn into pieces

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup ketchup plus extra to spead over meatloaf

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. Worcester sauce

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 lb. ground beef

What To Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Mix all ingredients together just until combined, don't over mix
3. Spray muffin pan with non stick spray
4. Form meat mixture into individual 12 medium sized balls and drop into each muffin tin
5. Bake 30 minutes
6. Spread each mini loaf with ketchup and bake an additional 10 minutes or until they're brown 

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

This one is really simple, but Kyle and I are unsure about the sauce. It was missing something when we first tasted it before I served it. I ended up adding some more ingredients for a little bit of flavor. 

The whole dish still cost me under $7 to make it. You can't beat that, plus with just the 2 of us, I have leftover for lunch the next day and still some.

Before I added the cheese and green onions

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. chicken breast, uncooked

1 cup enchilada sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

12 oz. uncooked pasta

1 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese

2-3 whole green onions

*I added:

crushed red pepper flakes

salt

Tony's creole 

What To Do:

• Dice the onion and mince the garlic
• In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil and then add the onion and garlic
• Cook until soft and transparent
• Meanwhile, slice the chicken into thin strips
• Add chicken to skillet and cook until no longer pink
• *When chicken is almost done, add the crushed red pepper flakes, salt and creole
• While chicken is cooking, warm up the enchilada sauce and then whisk in the sour cream
• Set aside and then slice the green onions
• Cook pasta and then drain
• Combine the pasta, sauce, and chicken mixture 
• Sprinkle with shredded cheese and sliced green onions

Italian Crescent Casserole

It has been awhile since I last posted any recipes, but I have been pretty busy being a new Mom and getting things straight between being a wife, mother and now back to a working woman.

This is a recipe that Kyle and I have had before when we had friends over to our house. I love crescent rolls and so this was the perfect recipe to make again, especially since Kyle says that we never have the same meal twice in our house. (That will be changing though with a new little one. I will try to make 2 new recipes a week instead of aiming for 4 times.)

This time, I decided to just use a square casserole dish instead of a circle one. The picture isn't as neat as the first time I made it (wish I had a picture of it) bc I just threw it together really quickly.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 cup garlic tomato pasta sauce

1 can (8 oz.) Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend

1/4 tsp. dried basil leaves

I added:

1/2 Tbsp. garlic

1/4 tsp. parsley

dash of oregano

What To Do:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• In a skillet, cook ground beef and drain grease
• Put back in skillet and add pasta sauce (garlic if you choose to) and cook until warm
• Separate crescent dough into the 8 triangles
• Place dough in an ungreased 9 inch glass pie plate with the narrow tips overlapping the rim of the plate about 3 inches (This is where mine looks different this time because I used a square dish)
• Press dough in side and bottom of pan to form crust and cover the pan
• Sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese over dough
• Spoon meat mixture over cheese
• Bring tips of dough over filling to meet in the center
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the dish followed by the basil (parsley and oregano)
• Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes (we did 20 so that the edge of the crust was brown and crunchy 

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole

Let's first say that I am not a huge fan of Chicken and Dumplings. It is just something about the chunks of biscuits and how they are soggy. I know, it's just me because a lot of people love them.

My mother in law saw a post with this recipe and invited us for dinner. When she explained what it was, I was definitely willing to try it.

The recipe definitely worked for me and kind of somewhat tasted like pot pie, but without the veggies. You should definitely give this recipe a try!!!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

2 cups chicken stock

1 stick of butter

2 cups bisquick

2 cups milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

2-3 chicken bouillon cubes

1/2 t. dried sage

salt and pepper as desired

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350F

Place chicken breasts in a pan with enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil then turn off heat. Place a lid on your pot and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. Remove chicken from stock and set stock aside. Let chicken cool then shred chicken. 

*When layering the casserole, DO NOT mix the layers.

In a 9 x 13 casserole dish, melt 1 stick of butter. Spread shredded chicken over butter. Sprinkle with black pepper, salt, and dried sage.

In a small bowl, mix milk and Bisquick. Slowly pour over chicken.

In another bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the chicken stock that you set aside (strain if you need to), chicken bouillon cubes, and soup. Once blended, slowly pour over the dish.

Bake for around 50-60 minutes until the top is golden brown.