One Pot Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Pesto lovers unite with this quick one pot pasta meal!

I love a meal in one pot and I love quick fixes for weeknights. I probably have a few recipes that are similar to this one but I really did enjoy the addition of spinach and sun dried tomatoes. I love pesto anything so this was definitely going to be a keeper!

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Oreo Parfaits

A fun, chocolatey, no-bake dessert served up individually!

I love a good no-bake cheesecake type recipe! This one is pretty easy to whip up and it's served up in individual portions, so it's great for a party or get-together. I personally typically use mason jars for these types of desserts but I thought it might be easier to scoop into a stemless wine glass. It ended up being a little easier to eat out of the wine glass too, so win all around!

Creamy Herb Pasta

A quick, easy pasta dish with creamy herb sauce!

Hello and happy 2023! I'm attempting to see if I can get myself on a posting schedule. My goal is to maybe post once a week and go from there. I think I only posted 3 recipes last year, so I'm already a third of the way there :)

I know everyone is now very anti-words in recipe posts, but I'm going to throw some out there because I've been so MIA. I started my career in mid-2021 as an accountant for tv/film production companies at a local firm. After 14 years as a stay-at-home mom, it was a huge transition. I still struggle with trying to juggle everything but I'm trying to cut myself slack and really work on my time management. There are a lot of times where I forget to thaw meat that I need and I have to say, my 2022 birthday gift was an Instant Pot and holy baloney - that has been a lifesaver.

This recipe is a great recipe for chaotic nights. I really love when things can just be thrown together and it's very simple ingredients. I feel like you could switch up the vegetable if you really wanted to.

Cream Cheese Rippled Pumpkin Bread

This recipe reminds me so much of Starbucks Cheesecake Muffins with its delicious cream cheese layer!

Happy September! Although I've waited until September to post any pumpkin recipes - I've had many pumpkin things and also have plenty of pumpkin things to share. I don't know that I'll get around to sharing them all in the next few months, but I'll try. This is a recipe I've actually made a few times but still don't do a great job getting the cream cheese layer lower down. It still turns out so well and so delicious but isn't as pretty as the original :)

Easy Cheesy Sausage & Pesto Ring

This easy dinner is like a savory monkey bread but less work!

This was one of the first foods I made back when we had moved into our current house. Since it was April 2020, we were still having issues finding some foods especially meats. I got lucky and was able to get sausage to make this recipe. It's very reminiscent of monkey bread but there's no cutting up all the biscuits. It's so much less effort and still turns out incredibly.

Crockpot Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken

A great and versatile recipe for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc.

This is another one of those recipes that just does not photograph well, but it tastes amazing. It's super versatile and you can use it in tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc. We did tacos/burritos and used tomato, lettuce, cheese, and I did avocado ranch dressing too. It makes a good amount so it's great for a crowd or for meal prepping.

Creamy Chicken Lasagna

Who needs red sauce beef lasagna when you can have chicken lasagna with a rich cream cheese based sauce and spinach!

So my family doesn't like lasagna. None of us do. However, we have been trying white sauce recipes or recipes that utilize cottage cheese instead of ricotta and that seems to have served us well. This particular recipe is white sauce AND cottage cheese. It really reminds me of One Pot Chicken Lasagna Soup that I've posted previously and make quite a bit.

Slow Cooker Corn and Jalapeno Dip

This appetizer is quick to throw into the slow cooker and ready in a few hours and it is soooo good!

I don't think I have ever had corn dip before but growing up surrounded by cornfields, I adore sweet corn and love pretty much anything with corn. I thought this recipe would be great because it's kind of a mix of jalapeno popper with corn. Honestly, what's not to love about that? I've actually made this recipe a couple times now but can never get a good picture. So this is as good as it's going to get. Excuse the pictures and just take my word for it, you won't be able to stop eating this dip!

Take 5 Cheesecake

This rich cheesecake has a pretzel crust, a caramel sauce topping (and drizzle), and a chocolate peanut butter ganache topping!

I am so excited to finally get around to sharing this recipe (although I'm a few days late actually getting it up like I was supposed to. Sunday Sarah here backdating to Friday - whoops! This is the cake that I made for my sister-in-law's birthday in February 2020. She asked for a cheesecake and said her favorite candy bars were Take 5s. I had never heard of them or had one before, but I was able to find out that they are chocolate with pretzel, caramel, and peanut butter. I mean what's not to love?! So I adapted a Twix cheesecake recipe and replaced the graham crust for pretzel crust and added peanut butter to the ganache. This is definitely really high up there on favorite cheesecakes of all time list. It was SO good.

Jalapeno Popper Chicken Egg Rolls

The best crunchy appetizer with spicy cheesy, bacon, and chicken filling!

I haven't made egg roll anything in so long, but we wanted egg rolls for NYE 2019 and we thought nothing could beat a jalapeno popper filling. I really thought that having chicken in it would also be great because we usually don't eat dinner on NYE since we're snacking all night. Absolutely loved these little egg rolls. They were so crisp and the filling was perfect!

Slow Cooker Creamy Beef Stroganoff

Slow cooked beef stroganoff is the best stroganoff, especially this creamy version.

I absolutely hate when I cannot get a good picture of a recipe. This is actually the second attempt for this one and I give up. It is not an appetizing picture, but it's a really great recipe. I remember seeing the picture and thinking the pasta cooked with the beef, that isn't the case though. The beef and sauce part cook on its own first and then you stir in the pasta later. You can do mushrooms in this, as per the normal way to make it, but we don't really do mushrooms.

Asparagus, Bacon, & Herbed Cheese Pizza

The perfect springtime pizza with asparagus, bacon, and dollops of rich herbed cream cheese!

I have found many recipes lately with a little cream cheese in them and I don't know what it is but I'm obsessed with it. I have always been a light on the sauce for pizza person, and I find that I really love pizzas that don't have red sauce (and I use pasta sauce for pizza sauce and I love pasta sauce). This pizza has olive oil and I love that the toppings are so simple but so delicious. I love the asparagus and bacon. Plus those little dollops of cream cheese - yum! That bit of super rich savory flavor is fantastic.

Hot Bean & Cheese Dip

Reminiscent of 7-Layer Dip, this dip is so quick to throw together and is perfect for a get-together!

This is a recipe I made for New Year's Eve 2019. I typically try to make at least one dip of some sort. This recipe immediately reminded me of 7 Layer Dip and I really wanted it for NYE. The thing that sets this apart a little bit is that there is no sour cream which is something my husband would not eat if he could see. It's really quick to put together and doesn't bake for too long. It's like eating a taco but in dip form and it's so fantastic!

Jalapeno Popper Tuna Melts

Tuna melts with a kick of roasted jalapeno plus extra cheese and a bit of bacon too.

I have never had a more delicious tuna melt in my life. I love roasted jalapenos and they are super easy to do and are a genius addition to tuna salad. I loved the tuna salad part of this recipe too. I think I'm going to be adding a little lemon juice to every tuna salad I make for the rest of my life. That zing of lemon is perfect. We also got to try muenster cheese for the first time and we all liked it. It's always fun to try something new and everyone likes it :)

Swirled Nutella Cheesecake Muffins

When you want a little sweet treat for breakfast, look no further than these yummy Nutella cheesecake muffins!

I tend to keep breakfast recipes on my meal plan and recycle them for months before I finally make them. I'm not sure why I do this when breakfast recipes rarely take long to make and I typically love them. This one was no different. The cheesecake swirl is so good and I loved the sugary topping too. They were such a nice sweet treat for breakfast!

BLT Wraps

These wraps have all the best elements of BLTs and a delicious cream cheese-based sauce to boot.

I kept putting off these wraps over and over again and then finally made them. They are a really good lunch recipe in particular because they are fairly quick. I love that they aren't just bacon, lettuce, tomato. They have this delicious cream cheese sauce that has a tang of mayo and dijon mustard in it. It really compliments the wrap as a whole. To be honest, I can see myself making the sauce with regular BLT sandwiches from here on out!

Oreo Peppermint Crunch Cookies

Soft and chewy cake mix cookies with bits of Oreos and candy canes inside

These were Santa's cookies last year and survived a road trip to Florida and a few days in a really small, cramped airbnb. They almost didn't survive due to the fact that they are insanely good. They are cake mix cookies with Oreos and candy canes in them and they are the absolute best. They are chewy and crunchy and so good.

Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

Sweet, spicy, and tart - this dip has it all and it's the absolute best!

You'll have to excuse these pictures, but they were taken in Christmas 2019 when my family was in Florida in a small airbnb (which we thought was supposed to sleep 11 - which was a stretch - it was so small. We thought the kitchen would have all the tools we would need, but it was really sparse (also a stretch in the description). I wanted to use a food processor and have a chunky salsa, but ended up having to puree it in a blender. Regardless of the method and how I had to adapt, this salsa was absolutely the best. I loved it so much. The family did too. You get sweet and tart from the cranberries, heat from the jalapenos, and cream cheese to offset the heat just a little and add a bit of savory to the whole thing. We used pretzel crisps because they are our favorite dippers!

Creamy Spinach & Red Pepper Chicken

A creamy, rich  sauce with spinach, red pepper, and tomato stuffed in chicken breast topped with more sauce, tomatoes, and basil.

I love roasted red pepper recipes and jump at saving all the ones I find. This one is from Ree Drummond which means I knew I would enjoy it and the family would too. It reminds me a lot of Tuscan Garlic Chicken because of the sauce and spinach and bell pepper. I love the touch of tomatoes and basil too. A great recipe that really doesn't take too long to make. I think it's actually quicker and less hassle than Tuscan Garlic Chicken. I served mine up with loads of veggies and it was a good ole time.

Jalapeno Popper Macaroni & Cheese

Add some spice to the holiday feast with this over-the-top incredible macaroni and cheese or add chicken for a full meal!

I had kept putting off making this recipe and I cannot really tell you why because my family loves anything jalapeno popper. I have made this for dinner and I have made this for a holiday side. When I make it for dinner, I like to add chicken to it (usually seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic) to make it extra hardy. This is just a seriously wonderful recipe with the perfect amount of heat and a nice crunch from the topping. No one will want any other macaroni and cheese ever again. This one is perfect.