Pizza Monkey Bread

This recipe is great for both adult and kid. Any food that is stuffed is fancy right? RIGHT! And anything pizza is just plain yummy! It's a fairly easy recipe to put together and you can add any of your fav pizza toppings to it!

You'll need:

2 can refrigerated home style biscuits

1 pkg turkey-roni (you can use plain pepperoni)

2 c shredded mozzarella

your fav. pizza toppings (I use finely chopped green bell peppers and onions)
1 stick butter melted
1 tea italian seasoning
1/2 tea garlic powder
marinara sauce

Heat the oven to 375 F.
Mix the melted butter, italian seasoning and garlic powder together in a bowl.
Open the biscuits up and slice a pocket in the biscuit stuff it with a few pepperonis, about 1 tabl cheese and your toppings. Pinch the pocket closed and completely dip it into the butter mixture and place standing on its edge in a bunt pan. Repeat with the rest, and place into the oven to bake for 35 min.
Allow to cook 5-10 min, then invert pan on a plate, if needed tap around the pan until it falls out.
Dip in warmed marinara sauce and enjoy!

Greek Marinaded Chicken

I wasn't sure about this recipe when I saw the ingredients, but went a head and tried it anyways...it was delish! It really has a great flavor, one I didn't expect! I'm planing on making this again soon! 

1 c. plain greek yogurt

2 tabl olive oil

4 minced garlic cloves

1/2 tabl dried oregano

1/2 tea salt

1/2 tea dried parsley

6-8 chicken drum sticks skin/fat removed

In a mixing bowl, whisk the yogurt, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and parsley together. Place chicken in the marinade and turn to coat evenly. Cover wih foil and place in the frig for an hour. 

Pre-heat grill and cook 10-15 min until juices run clear. Goes great with some garlic bread and a side salad!

Mustardy Chicken

I've been making a similar chicken recipe like this one for a while, and when I tried this recipe it totally blew mine out of the water! This is soooo good!!! 

You can easily roast some veggies at the same time (different pan) so they'll be done at the same time. Slice up some french bread and smear it with some yummy garlic butter and you have a tasty dinner!

1 1/2-2 lbs chicken thighs trimmed of all fat

1/2 c Dijon mustard

1/4 c pure maple syrup

1 tea. Rice vinegar

1/4 tea salt

1/4 tea pepper

1 tea corn starch

2 tabl fresh chopped rosemary 

Pre heat the oven to 450. In a 8x8" glass baking dish, arrange chicken. Whisk together the mustard, syrup, vinegar, sant and pepper and 1 tabl rosemary. Pour over the chicken and bake uncovered for 40 min. 

Remove from over after backing and immediately transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Quickly sprinkle the corn starch over the sauce in the baking dish and whisk until thickened. Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle the remaining rosemary over the chicken!

*You have to whisk in the corn starch immediately to thicken or else if wont work.

Chile Rellenos

These are really tasty! And whats really nice is that you can make them quick, or you can put more time into them using fresh poblano chilies. We served them with home made corn bread-yum!

4 Poblano chilies 

olive oil

6 eggs

11/2 c milk

1/2 tea paprika

1/4 tea cayenne pepper

1 1/2 c. monterrey jack shredded

corn tortillas

Heat your oven to broil on high & butter a 9"x13" glass baking dish.

Wash and dry your poblano chilies, and rub them with olive oil. Place them directly on oven rack, and allow to roast until they form bubbles (blisters) on the skin. Depending on your oven and how awesome it is, it could take 5+ minutes. My oven is begging me to put it out of its misery and buy a new pretty model, so it takes 10+ minutes to roast the chilies. Turn the chilies and roast each side until the skin is bubbly all over. Remove from oven, and place them in a large mixing bowl and cover with foil for 5 minutes (this allows the skin of the chilie to "sweat" off making it easier to remove.)

While the chilies are roasting, whisk together your eggs,  milk, paprika and cayenne pepper, then set aside.

Remove the peppers one at a time. on a cutting board carefully peel the skin off. Then cut the chili in half and remove the seeds.

Once the chilies are all skinned and halved...and seeded, lay a single layer of chilies in your baking dish, sprinkle 1/2 of your cheese over the chilies, then pour your egg mixture over cheese, and then top off with the remaining cheese. Bake for 40 min. Then serve on warmed corn tortillas.

You can make this meal quicker by using canned roasted whole green chilies instead of roasting your own.

I like to top mine off with hot sauce (cholula) the kids like theirs with sour cream, minced cilantro and mild salsa. 

4 Cheese Tomato Basil Pizza & Pepperoni Pizza

I went on a home made pizza kick a few years ago, trying out several different recipes, and trying different flavors. From grilled, to oven baked, seasoned crust to plain. THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE BY FAR! 

Its hard to please each family member when it come to food. Everyone has different likes/dislikes...but this pizza won over everyone's taste buds!

I also usually like having my kids cook with me, but I've found that most pizza dough's are "tricky" to work with, and its difficult for the kiddos to help. This dough is SUPER kid friendly once it has risen! I let the kids work with it for a while, rolling it out over and over. (with VERY cleans hand I should add) and the toppings were fun for them to spread and sprinkle around!

I found it on food network, one of the Pioneer Woman's fabulous recipes! I made a few "tweaks" (not many) that I thought would make it yummier for MY family.

1 pkt active dry yeast

1 12 c. warm water

4 c flour

1 tea salt

1/3 c olive oil + more for drizzling

12 oz fresh mozzarella thinly sliced

1 c. pepperoni 

Pizza sauce (I used store bought, it made it quicker)

4 Cheese Tomato Basil Pizza:

salt and pepper

2-3 large table spoonfuls of basil pesto (y.u.m!)

1 c. fresh mozzarella shredded 

1/2 c. fontina shredded

1/2 c. pecorino ramano shredded

1/2 c goat cheese crumbled

1/4 c. olive oil

4 minced garlic cloves

1 pint yellow cherry tomatoes halved

1 pint red cherry tomatoes halved

16 basil leaves thinly sliced

1-2 tabl. balsamic vinegar

Mix together your warm water and yeast. Set a side for a few while you get the dough ready...In a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix your flour and salt together. Drizzle in the olive oil, making sure its mixed well. Next slowly add in your yeast mixture until its well combined. Remove the dough and form it into a ball, drizzle the mixing bowl with olive oil and spread it all over the bowl with your hand. Then rub your hands all over the dough making sure its well coated with oil. set inside the mixing bowl, and cover with foil and let sit for 1 hour.

*This is a great dough for little kiddos to help out with once it has risen!

After dough has risen, remove it from the bowl, divide it in half, and roll it out to fit your pan (I used a large rectangle cookie sheet)

Transfer onto the cookie sheet, spread some pizza sauce over the top, place the sliced mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Bake at 500 for 13-15 min.

Next for the 4 cheese tomato basil, take the other half of the dough, and the same way roll it out to fit your pizza pan of choice. Spread the basil pesto all over the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the pesto.

Heat a small pan with the 1/4 c olive oil, add the minced garlic, and quickly stir around. You don't want it browning, just slightly golden. Pour it into a mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper & basil. Mix it up well and spread that over the cheese. Bake it in the oven at 500, for 13-15 min. Slice 'em up and serve!

Creamy Penne Pasta

I made this yummy dish for my family who stayed and watched my kiddos while the hubs and I were out. 

I stayed up late like I always do, and found a little left over to snack on...heaven!

All the kiddos ate their fair share, and more, even the little dude who doesn't like red sauce-talk about a miracle!

3 c. penne pasta

1 lb. sweet italian sausage (sprouts has an amazing sweet chicken italian sausage-to.die.for!)

1 green bell pepper finely chopped

8 oz.container onion and chive cream cheese

11/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Classico-yay Costco!)

Cook the pasta according to the package, then drain. In a large pan, cook your sausage, and bell pepper until the sausage is done, then drain fat. Turn down the heat to low, and stir in pasta, cream cheese, mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Make sure you stir it well-you want the cream cheese to be well mixed in. Once its all heated well, serve it up!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Funny how the one day I make one of THE MOST AMAZING DINNERS EVER, the hubs is out of town working lol! Poor guy! I sent him pictures, and ranted on and on about how great this tasted. 

I pulled this meal together in about 25ish minuted minus the baking time. The first time I made it, I followed the directions exactly, it turned out so so, then tonight I made it again, (wanted to give it a second try) I tweaked the ingredients and with held some...I cant believe how great this turned out. The hubs comes back in 2 days, and I'm planing on making this again!

1 lb boneless chicken thighs trimmed of fat
1/2 lb sliced ham (lunch meat) chopped
8 slices swiss cheese
4 tabl butter
4 table flour
3 c milk
1 heaping tabl dijon mustard
1 1/2 tea salt
1/4 tea paprika
1/4 tea pepper
6 tabl butter
1 1/2 c panko
3/4 tea Lawry's seasoning salt
1 tea dried parsley

Heat your grill to medium heat. Grill the chicken on both sides until juices run clear and there are some awesome grill marks. butter the bottom of a 9"x13" glass baking dish.
Heat your oven to 350.
While the chicken is cooking, begin making your sauce by melting the 4 tabl butter in a med sauce pan. Once melted add flour, whisk and cook for 1-2 min. Slowly whisk in your milk, add the mustard salt, paprika and pepper. Bring to a simmer and turn off once its thickened.
Chop up the chicken into smallish cubes. and sprinkle on the bottom of the baking dish. Next evenly sprinkle the ham over, and layer with the sliced cheese. Pour the sauce over the cheese, making sure everything is completely covered (don't want anything getting jealous).
Next melt you butter in a dish in the microwave, add the Panko and stir well. Mix in the seasoning salt and parsley. Sprinkle evenly over the casserole and make for 40 min. (top should be nice and golden)

I found the recipe on Tasty Kitchen. Again, I modified the recipe according to what my family and I likes. The recipe above is my version of the recipe.

Chicken Parm & Spaghetti

My friend sent me this recipe, and it's the easiest chicken parm I've ever made, and so far the best tasting! Chicken parm isn't one if my fav's, but the hubs loves the stuff. After trying this recipe, I can see why! FYI it'll make your house smell yummy...be patient it will be done before you know it!

2 tabl olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
2 chicken breasts cut up into bit sized pieces
1 jar of your fav spaghetti sauce  (I used Costco's organic Classico brand)
1 pkg italian croutons (approx 2 cups)
3 c. shredded mozzarella divided
1 1/2 c shredded parmesan divided
12 oz spaghetti noodles

Pre heat your oven to 350, drizzle olive oil in the bottom of a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. Sprinkle in the garlic, and spread around evenly. Place chicken evenly on top, pour the spaghetti sauce over the chicken, making sure its completely covered. Next take half the mozzarella & parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the chicken/sauce. Sprinkle the croutons over that, and finish off by sprinkling the remaining cheese over that. Bake for 35 min.
When the chicken is half way through cooking, start cooking your spaghetti noodles. Serve the parm chicken over the noodles, and enjoy!

This is a quick recipe, and its quite "forgiving" meaning the ingredient amounts don't have to be exact. You can alter it to your family's size/liking. If you really like garlic, toss in another minced clove, if you need more chicken, add another chicken breast.
We usually have a little left over from my family of 6...however all my kids are 6 and under, so its like the equivalent of feeding 4 adults. 

Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Sandwichs

Tuesday is a busy day in our house, which means I have NO time to make dinner, unless we want to eat really late...say 8:30? Been there done that, NOT fun! We're running kids around from 4-7:30. So I decided to make Tuesdays-weekly "Crock pot day"!

I stumbled across this quick recipe over at Food Family Finds, and gave it a try last night. Not too shabby! My kids aren't big bell pepper eaters (funny since its in over half my meals) and they don't like "stringy" onions, but when I plopped this down on their plates, they couldn't make it through a quick dinner prayer before scarfing down a few bites. They CLEANED their plates! 

I always feel like a super hero when I make something that my children really like for dinner. 

I would check out her recipe like above if you want to follow it exactly. I made, or plan to make a few tweaks to it to better suit my family...

2 tabl. butter

1 lg onion halved, and thinly sliced

2 lg green bell peppers thinly sliced

2 chicken breast, thinly sliced (you can also use a lean 1 lb. steak and thinly slice it)

2 tabl. smoked salt/or steak seasoning

Mayo

Sliced mozzarella (provolone would work too)

Hoagie buns 

FYI-I used sesame buns, since we didn't have hoagie buns. Also we had the buns left over from a previous meal, and I didn't want them to go to waste...didn't work out all that well because they became soggy quickly-the hubs really doesn't like soggy buns.

Place your butter on the bottom of you slow cooker, add in the onions and peppers. Toss your chicken/steak with the seasoning and place on top of your veggies. cook on low for 5 hours. 

On the bottom bun, spread a layer of mayo/ With a slotted spoon, scoop out a helping of the meat and peppers onto the may sided bun. Top it off with a slice of cheese, and the top bun. let sit for a minute or two so the cheese will get nice and mealty! 

Delicious and super easy!

Crock Pot Broccoli and Beef

So I mentioned how green beans are "candy veggies", I'll have to add broccoli to that! Just so many ways to make them great!
Tonight I made Broccoli and beef, we really like it, and usually will have it once a month-that's saying a lot since I usually like trying new recipes...so it was good enough to make the repeat list in our house.
I promise you wont be disappointed!

Start out with:
1 1/2-2 lbs beef sirloin steak thinly sliced
1-15oz can beef broth
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
2 lg minced garlic cloves
3 heads fresh broccoli florets (4c approx.)
3 tabl. corn starch
1/4 c. cold water
1 1/2 c Jasmine Rice
2 c. chicken broth
1 tabl butter
1/2 tea salt

Start by pouring in your beef broth in the bottom of your slow cooker, add soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic-whisk well. Pop in your thinly sliced beef, and slow cook 6ish hours on low.
30 min before the timer is done, add your broccoli and mix well.
Meanwhile, begin cooking your rice. Place chicken broth, butter, salt and rice in a med sauce pan over medium heat, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer cover and let cook 15 min. Check rice to make sure its done, you may add 1/4 c more chicken broth, cover and let simmer another 5 min if needed.
Extract about 1-2 c of the sauce from the slow cooker, and pour into a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil. Stir your corn starch and 1/4 c water together and pour into your boiling sauce. Stir until it thickens and pour back into the crock pot.
Serve the broc and beef over rice!

Italian Tortellini

I had a package of tortellini in the frig that I needed to use up, and I didn't have time to throw something time consuming together. So I started rummaging through my frig and found more ingredients I could quickly toss together to form a tasty quick meal.

20 oz Cheese tortellini

1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage

1 Jar spaghetti sauce ( I used Classico)

1/2 c. Heavy cream

2 tabl. minced fresh basil

Parmesan

Cook your tortellini according to the package. In a large pot cook your sausage. Pour in your spaghetti sauce and heavy cream and simmer covered 10 min. Remove from heat and stir in the tortellini and basil.

Serve with parm cheese and a crusty bread.

Sweet Mustard Chicken

Ever heard of "Man Pleasing chicken"? Its another recipe I got from Pinterest...I didn't quite follow the recipe, and went my own way since I didn't have all the ingredients, so here's what I did, and it turned out so sooooo good!

1/3 c. syrup (any breakfast syrup you have on hand, I used Log cabin)
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
2 chicken breasts halved

Mix the syrup and mustard in a mixing bowl, place chicken in the sauce making sure its nice and covered and allow to marinade on the counter for 30 min (or until you're done prepping the rest of your dinner-took me about 20-30 min) Pre-heat the grill to med heat, this chicken belongs on the grill! Cook chicken 10min each side until its done. Keep a watchful eye that the chicken doesn't over cook. (I'm AWFUL at cooking on the grill, normally the hubs does it, but this time I took over since he was busy.)

I served ours with the "pretty veggies" and rice, to be more specific the rice is called "seeds of change" quinoa and brown rice (a super quick and healthy side when your in a pinch)

Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Don't you just LOVE the Olive Garden's Fettuccine Alfredo??? The sauce is one of my favorite Alfredo sauces, and I figured out how to make a sauce that I LOVE just as much as theirs...I added portobello mushrooms, and garlic, you can easily skip those if that's not how you roll.

2 tabl. Butter
2 Portobello Caps thinly sliced
8 oz. Cream cheese
4 tabl. Butter
1 c. milk
6oz. Parmesan
1 garlic Clove crushed
1 tabl. minced fresh basil
White pepper to taste

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mushrooms; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Set aside.Meanwhile, melt the cream cheese and 1/4 cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the milk and Parmesan cheese, mixing until smooth. Add in the garlic, basil, and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the garlic. Stir in the cooked mushrooms before serving.
Toss with your favorite noodles.

I had this recipe published on Allrecipes ---> Fettuccine Alfredo Check it out, rate it, and enjoy!!!