Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Layered Enchilada Bake

Lazy enchiladas are my kind of enchiladas - this recipe has simple ingredients and is easy to throw together.

Layered Enchilada Bake // Lazy enchiladas are my kind of enchiladas - this recipe has simple ingredients and is easy to throw together. #recipe #beef #maindish

I love trying new recipes for Taco Tuesday that are similar to the flavors of tacos, but not tacos. This enchilada bake is not at all what enchiladas are about. Honestly, it's more a taco bake than anything, but I will call it what the recipe maker called it. I have only just recently learned that enchiladas are supposed to be a corn tortilla dish. I hate corn tortillas. Just point blank. Not a fan. So I was pretty excited to see a flour tortilla recipe for "enchiladas". The original never called for anything on top, but I added lettuce and tomato. Cilantro is also a fabulous topping.

In the original recipe, the amount of sour cream is split in half and then spread in the actual layers. However, half of the family doesn't like sour cream, so I just omitted the large quantity and topped mine and my daughter's squares with a dollop. I can't complain about the lack of enchilada sauce in this as well. The salsa is way better than enchilada sauce!

Layered Enchilada Bake // Lazy enchiladas are my kind of enchiladas - this recipe has simple ingredients and is easy to throw together. #recipe #beef #maindish

Monday, February 27, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - February 27, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Feb 27, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

February has flown by and last week I didn't end up making all the foods I was supposed to, so I am repeating some recipes! What's on YOUR menu this week?

Monday - Mocha Chocolate Donuts // Turkey Bacon Chili Mac
Tuesday - Copycat Taco Bell Chicken Quesadillas
Wednesday - Beef Stroganoff Soup
Thursday - Snickerdoodle Crumble Donuts // Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken
Friday - Junkyard Special
Saturday - Homemade Entenmann's Coffee Cake // Dirt Pudding
Sunday - One Pan Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Vegetables

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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Savory chicken pot pie in soup form - all the comfort of pot pie without the crust!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup // Savory chicken pot pie in soup form - all the comfort of pot pie without the crust! #recipe #chicken #potpie #soup

I do not like pot pie. Really, I don't like the pie crust of any pie...sweet or savory. Pie crust is gross. However, everybody else in the family likes pot pie and I don't want to be the one person who dictates what food we do and don't have based on what I like and dislike. I was raised to eat what was on the dinner table and not complain about it. In fact, for years my mom-in-law had no idea I hated chicken and dumplings because I always ate it when she fixed it and thanked her for dinner. Anyone else do that? Am I a weirdo? LOL

I have been very open to trying different recipes because I actually have come to like lots of new foods this way. For example, I never ate alfredo (or rather liked it) before I made it homemade. I hated Philly Cheesesteaks as a kid...now I love them so much! I thought that this soup sounded delicious because it took away the nasty pie crust part of pot pie...and I was so right! It is a delicious soup. It's definitely perfect for a busy day's dinner and it's still got all the comforting goodness of a pot pie! Nick and the kids also really loved it because it does still have that pot pie taste to it.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup // Savory chicken pot pie in soup form - all the comfort of pot pie without the crust! #recipe #chicken #potpie #soup

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Pork Schnitzel with Cheesy Potatoes

The crust on this pork schnitzel is crispy, crunchy, and salty and is served up with cheesy herby potatoes topped with peas!

Pork Schnitzel with Cheesy Potatoes // The crust on this pork schnitzel is crispy, crunchy, and salty and is served up with cheesy herby potatoes topped with peas! #recipe #pork #German

We love schnitzel and have been testing out different variations to see which we like best. This particular recipe does not use breadcrumbs, but saltine cracker crumbs. I feel like it is lighter and crunchier. It makes for a very fabulous crust. This particular recipe was served up with a side of cheesy potatoes. The FN Magazine recipe had a cheese spread of some sort, I subbed it for a cream cheese spread and cheddar cheese. It's so awesome to have a whole meal in "one" recipe and it can all be made in under 30 minutes.

Monday, February 20, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - February 20, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Feb 20, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

The kids are home today and we are having a pancake breakfast and then I'm taking it easy for dinner with a crockpot meal. I am looking forward to pretty much everything on the dinner - I am equally excited about it all!

Monday - Blueberry Pancakes // 3-Envelope Chicken
Tuesday - Steaky Hitas
Wednesday - Crockpot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Wild Rice Soup
Thursday - Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Muffins // Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken
Friday - Junk Yard Special
Saturday - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cinnamon Rolls // Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies
Sunday - One Pan Crispy Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Vegetables

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Friday, February 17, 2017

Fantastical Friday: 9 Fabulous Chocolate Mint Recipes


Chocolate is such a versatile ingredient that can be paired with many other things to make a winning comb. Of those combos, one of my all-time favorites is chocolate and mint. I gathered up 9 recipes to share with y'all today in preparation for National Chocolate Mint Day on February 19th :) Which recipe would you try first?

9 Fabulous Chocolate Mint Recipes for National Chocolate Mint Day on February 19th #mint #chocolate #dessert #sweettooth
  1. Chocolate Mint Brownie Bites from The Pioneer Woman - Recipe | Pin 
  2. Chocolate Mint Cookies from Inside BruCrew Life - Recipe | Pin 
  3. Chocolate Mint Seven Layer Bars from The Domestic Rebel - Recipe | Pin
  4. Chocolate Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches from Mel's Kitchen Cafe - Recipe | Pin 
  5. Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes from My Baking Addiction - Recipe | Pin 
  6. Andes Mint Fudge from Shugary Sweets - Recipe | Pin 
  7. Mint Chocolate Chip Layer Cake from Life, Love, and Sugar - Recipe | Pin 
  8. Andes Mint Cupcakes from Fantastical Sharing of Recipes - Recipe | Pin 
  9. Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies from Sally's Baking Addiction - Recipe | Pin 
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Thursday, February 16, 2017

Green Chile Chicken

Roasted poblanos, cheese, and pico de gallo are simply fabulous paired with the smokey marinated chicken!

Green Chile Chicken // Roasted poblanos, cheese, and pico de gallo are simply fabulous paired with the smokey marinated chicken #recipe #chicken #poblano

I love green chile peppers and poblanos are a favorite of mine, but I don't get to have them very often. It's hard to pinpoint when the grocery store will actually have poblanos in stock, so I don't plan a lot of recipes that use poblanos on my meal plan. I noticed that the grocery store had some in stock towards the end of the month and planned this Green Chile Chicken for "Taco Tuesday" the following week. Luckily, the poblanos were still in stock and we were able to enjoy this recipe.

The pictures do it no justice, which I despise. Sometimes I can get great pictures of our meals and other times, not so much. I am hoping to get better at food photography and styling, but at the moment, I am more realistic with my food photography. Most pictures are taken of the food on my island on plates we will eat off of moments after the picture is taken.

Green Chile Chicken // Roasted poblanos, cheese, and pico de gallo are simply fabulous paired with the smokey marinated chicken #recipe #chicken #poblano

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Toffee Chocolate Cookies #FantasticalFoodFight

Welcome to another Food Fight! Fantastical Food Fight is a group of food bloggers who will get a theme or ingredient each month and make some sort of variation for it. It could be traditional or nontraditional and can be found in a cookbook, on a blog, or be a blogger's own creation! For more details, check out this page.

The month of February has a ton of foodie holidays. It is national cherry month, potato lover's month, canned food month, and most importantly celebration of chocolate month. To celebrate chocolate with our monthly food fight, our February Food Fight theme is CHOCOLATE COVERED TREATS. I love treats dunked and covered in chocolate and thought that even though it is now past Valentine's Day, it would still be a great theme with lots of variety!

Toffee Chocolate Cookies // This sugar cookie recipe is fantastic and the little touch of chocolate and toffee is impeccable #recipe #FantasticalFoodFight #cookies #chocolate

For my treat, I decided to share these chocolate-dipped sugar cookies that are also topped with more chocolate and some toffee bits too! Because chocolate-covered cookies just sound like the best cookies, right?! While I do love chocolate chip cookies a ton, you can't beat a good sugar cookie. The sugar cookie recipe is fantastic and the little touch of chocolate and toffee is impeccable. I am so excited to see what other chocolate covered treats are linked below from my fellow Food Fighters!

Toffee Chocolate Cookies // This sugar cookie recipe is fantastic and the little touch of chocolate and toffee is impeccable #recipe #FantasticalFoodFight #cookies #chocolate

Monday, February 13, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - February 13, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Feb 13, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

Can I just talk about how excited I am for Friday's dinner? I love that pizza so much. I love pesto so much. Pesto is life. What are y'all having to eat this week?

Monday - Blueberry Pie Yogurt Parfaits // Spaghetti with Kale and Sausage
Tuesday - Hunter's Schnitzel
Wednesday - 30-Minute Cheesy Taco Soup
Thursday - Old Fashioned Cake Donuts // Korean BBQ Steak Bowls
Friday - Bacon, Pesto, and Chicken Pizza
Saturday - Maple Bars // Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
Sunday - Baked Ziti
 
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Friday, February 10, 2017

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo

A fantastically simple, yet delicious alfredo pasta recipe that can be made in a pinch (with a splash of wine)!

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo // A fantastically simple, yet delicious alfredo pasta recipe that can be made in a pinch (with a splash of wine)! #recipe #wine #pasta #alfredo

I love pasta recipes so much because they always seem to be the easiest recipes to throw together when you need to make something quickly. For this reason, we usually reserve pasta night for Monday nights which happen to be our busiest nights. My oldest (who will be 10 soon - noooooo) is starting soccer soon though and I think that will make Tues or Thurs another busy night, so we may have to up our pasta dinners to two times a week.

This recipe comes from none other than Ree Drummond. She is like my go-to for good recipes. When I first started really obsessively hoarding recipes, I had just discovered the world of food blogging and her blog was one of my absolute favorites. I don't think I have ever had a recipe from The Pioneer Woman turn south, so she is definitely a trustworthy source for me to find something that I know I will like and know I won't mess up. I love this dish because I tend to go for more red sauce pasta dishes because I am a spaghetti-aholic, but ever since I tried homemade alfredo, I have definitely been a huge fan of it. I have been way more willing to use wine instead of broth when a recipe calls for it now that Tennessee has wine in the grocery store. I honestly hate having to make more stops than I need to and going to a liquor store with three kids is definitely not something I want to do because you get some judgey looks...let me tell you what. But I don't typically drink very much alcohol, I use it in recipes LOL. Anyways, I highly recommend using white wine instead of chicken broth in this recipe because it definitely adds a little something something to the flavor.

Bowtie Chicken Alfredo // A fantastically simple, yet delicious alfredo pasta recipe that can be made in a pinch (with a splash of wine)! #recipe #wine #pasta #alfredo

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

Sumbitches

Lily and "The Mother" enjoyed these cookies on a train, but they are a delicious cookie any "How I Met Your Mother" fan can make at home!

Sumbitches // Lily and "The Mother" enjoyed these cookies on a train, but they are a delicious cookie any "How I Met Your Mother" fan can make at home! #recipe #HIMYM #cookies

Such a strange name, but if you're a fan of "How I Met Your Mother", you may already be familiar with what these Sumbitches are. Basically, the name came about because all you can utter is "sumbitch" because your mouth is full of these amazing cookies. If you prefer a more PG name, these cookies are peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel cookies. Basically, they are Rolo-stuffed peanut butter cookies. They are not really chewy peanut butter cookies, but I feel having the Rolo in the center makes up for them not being chewy - which is my preferred kind of cookie.

I actually cannot remember if I actively was searching for the recipe or if it was something that popped up in my Facebook feed or what, but now that I am rewatching HIMYM, I am definitely going to make a batch of these to enjoy when I rewatch those later episodes!

Sumbitches // Lily and "The Mother" enjoyed these cookies on a train, but they are a delicious cookie any "How I Met Your Mother" fan can make at home! #recipe #HIMYM #cookies

Monday, February 06, 2017

Menu Plan Monday - February 6, 2017

Menu Plan Monday for Feb 6, 2017 // What I'm making this week #menuplanmonday #mealplan

This week begins the first of the February birthdays with my daughter turning 9. Lord help me. She's getting closer and closer to the teenage years and I am not ready for that. Per her request, we are having dill pickle grilled cheese and Andes Mint cake on her birthday :)

Monday  - Mocha Cookies and Cream Muffins // Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese
Tuesday - Nachos Bell Grande
Wednesday - Crockpot Ham and Bean Soup
Thursday - Fave Chocolate Donuts // Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Stuffed Chicken
Friday - Italian Pizza Burgers
Saturday - Andes Mint Cake // Dill Pickle Bacon Grilled Cheese
Sunday - Braided Breakfast Danish // Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken

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Friday, February 03, 2017

Fantastical Friday: 15 Carrot Cake Recipes for National Carrot Cake Day


Did you know today is National Carrot Cake Day? I love wacky holidays and food holidays and I'm always looking for ways to celebrate these silly, but awesome days. Today I have 15 carrot cake recipes to share with you all. It's not just carrot cake, but other carrot cake-esque things! I have been known to make carrot cake for my birthday in September...even though carrot cake is definitely a spring thing. Because I freaking LOVE carrot cake!

15 Carrot Cake Recipes for National Carrot Cake Day // These fifteen recipes are just amazing and the perfect way to celebrate the day! #carrotcake #dessert #roundup
  1. Carrot Cake Monkey Bread from Something Swanky - Recipe | Pin
  2. Carrot Cake Supreme from Our Best Bites - Recipe | Pin
  3. Carrot Cake Donuts from Fantastical Sharing - Recipe | Pin
  4. Carrot Cake Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from A Kitchen Addiction - Recipe | Pin 
  5. Carrot Cake Truffles from The Baker Chick - Recipe | Pin 
  6. Frosted Carrot Cake Cookies from Deliciously Sprinkled - Recipe | Pin
  7. Cheesecake Factory Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Sifting Focus - Recipe | Pin
  8. Carrot Cake Blossom Cookies from Love Bakes Good Cakes - Recipe | Pin
  9. Best Ever Carrot Cake from Fantastical Sharing - Recipe | Pin
  10. Carrot Cake Roll from Crazy For Crust - Recipe | Pin
  11. Carrot Cake Waffles with Caramel Cinnamon Frosting - Recipe | Pin
  12. Surprise Inside Carrot Bundt Cakes from Making Miracles - Recipe | Pin
  13. Carrot Cake Cheesecake from Cooking Classy - Recipe | Pin
  14. Carrot Cake Magic Bars from Inside BruCrew Life - Recipe | Pin
  15. Better Than Easter...Carrot Cake Poke Cake from Something Swanky - Recipe | Pin
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Thursday, February 02, 2017

Rotisserie Seasoning

This homemade rotisserie seasoning mix is something I always keep on hand!
Rotisserie Seasoning // This homemade rotisserie seasoning mix is something I always keep on hand! #recipe #copycat #seasoning #spicemix

I don't mind buying rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli, but sometimes I need it toward the end of the week and I really don't want to run out to get a hot fresh rotisserie chicken. I decided to try and look up a recipe for the rotisserie rub seasoning. I was so excited to find this recipe (I feel like I always say I am excited, but I am haha) and I was very impressed with the amount of flavor this added to plain chicken breasts. It goes on all of my chicken nowadays. If I am making chicken that needs shredded up into something, the seasoning goes on it. It's so delicious and I can't imagine not having it on hand now.

Rotisserie Seasoning // This homemade rotisserie seasoning mix is something I always keep on hand! #recipe #copycat #seasoning #spicemix

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

Cheesecake Fruit Dip

This homemade cheesecake fruit dip is heavenly! It has a little bit of coffee to give the flavors a boost!
Cheesecake Fruit Dip // This homemade cheesecake fruit dip is heavenly! It has a little bit of coffee to give the flavors a boost! #recipe #appetizer #dip

I don't make fruit dips often enough. I don't eat fruit often enough. And it's really quite a shame because I do enjoy fruit. I love appetizers like these where I can become a bottomless pit with just about any fruit you serve with it. What is really incredible about this particular recipe is the coffee element. In the original recipe, there is coffee liqueur but I wanted my kids to be able to eat it too, so I subbed it for coffee. It did not disappoint and it also did not last long...at all.

Cheesecake Fruit Dip // This homemade cheesecake fruit dip is heavenly! It has a little bit of coffee to give the flavors a boost! #recipe #appetizer #dip