Pumpkin Squares

Pumpkin Squares

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dry Ingredients: Sift dry ingredients together and set aside

2 Cups Flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 cups sugar

In a separate bowl beat together the following ingredients

4 eggs

2 cups pumpkin (1 can)

1 cup oil

Once combined, add dry ingredients and mix well.

Grease and flour 11X17 cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes and let cool

Frosting – mix together

3oz Cream Cheese

1 tbs milk

6 tbs butter

1tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar

Creamy Chicken Soup

My friend was telling me about this recipe and it came from HERE. It has become one of my go to recipes. We eat it all the time. But usually I just follow the recipe and use carrots and potatoes but leave out the chicken and noodles. It's fast, and so easy.

3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 C. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes (I only use 3 and I only use 1 if I don't add chicken)
1/2-1 C. shredded chicken
1 stick butter
1/2 C. flour
4 oz. Cheez Whiz
1 C. egg noodles, cooked

Over medium heat in large pan, bring water and bouillon to boil. Add vegetables and partially cook them. In separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and cook for one minute until mixture is bubbly. When butter/flour mixture is smooth, add to vegetables. Turn heat to medium-low. Add Cheez Whiz and chicken. Simmer 30 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked. Add egg noodles and serve.

***CROCK POT WAY***
I've only made this in the crock pot. Just because I like to throw everything in. I just throw everything in the crock pot, except for the noodles and the Cheez Whiz, and cook on low. I add the Cheez Whiz about a half hour before serving. If I add noodles, I just cook them and add them in right before serving. But, I've made this a few times, following the same directions, but have left out the chicken and noodles. Then it's just like a potato soup. I love it either way.

Chicken Enchiladas

I saw this on Pinterest and found it HERE I have several chicken enchilada recipes. I like them all for different reasons. This one is really good.

Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce
10 soft taco shells (I use the tortillas that you have to cook)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan
2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
 4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream.
5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

I love peanut butter bars. I'm not sure why I don't make them more often. I found this recipe on Pinterest and it came from HERE. They were super easy and fast.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars
(from Let’s Dish)

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (use the boxed kind, or grind them in a food processor. Tiny granules.) 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Bisquick Cookies

I saw this recipe on Pinterest. It came from www.plainchicken.blogspot.com. These were so good, and easy. Faster than regular chocolate chip cookies. I loved them. Made them two weeks in a row.

Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Bisquick baking mix
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter chips and 1/2 Cup Chocolate chips. I wanted to try 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips and 1/2 Butterscotch chips too but I was out)
 (6 oz) 1/2 cup nuts, chopped, if desired (optional) I left these out

 Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix butter, sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in Bisquick mix, chocolate chips and nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, d about 2 inches apart; flatten slightly. Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Banana Cookies

I first saw this on Pinterest but the link didn't work, so I just googled it and found THIS recipe. It's from a blog called therecipecritic.com. These were SO yummy. They tasted very similar to my frosted banana bars that I make all the time.

Ingredients:

(Recipe cut in half to make about 3 dozen)
1 cup shortening (I used butter flavored shortening)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (opt)

Cream the shortening, sugar, and eggs.  Stir in the banana.  Add the buttermilk and vanilla.  Measure the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Blend together and then add to the creamed mixture.  Add nuts if desired.  Drop by rounded tablespoon 2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Frost with cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 ounces unsalted butter softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.

Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

I love Zupa's. And every time I go there, I get the exact same thing. A turkey, avocado panini and a bowl of Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup. I crave it all the time. In fact I just met my friend there for lunch a few days ago because I'd been craving it. So I was so excited to come across this recipe on Pinterest, that came from HERE.  I don't know that it actually tasted like Zupa's, but it was yummy so I will make this again. Although I thought the Pepper Jack cheese made it to spicy hot. My husband didn't think so. Maybe next time I will leave it out or just put in less. Either way, this will be a regular meal at my house throughout the winter. It wasn't that hard, but it seemed kind of time consuming. And I may have never bought a head of cauliflower in my life before making this soup. :)

Zupa's Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup
2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped (left out of course)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 spoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese

 In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

Chicken Enchilada Puffs or Taco Puffs

I came across this recipe on Pinterest also, but it came from HERE. They were easy, and yummy. Also similar to my chicken roll up recipe. After I made them I was thinking they would be good using taco meat as well and I think I am going to try that soon.

Ingredients
1 package jumbo crescent rolls
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup Mexican blend shredded cheese
3/4 cup cooked chicken (diced or shredded)
1/3 cup enchilada or taco sauce
2 teaspoons enchilada or taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese for sprinkling

Instructions Preheat oven to 375° and line cookie sheet with foil and spray with no-stick spray Place cream cheese and 1/2 cup Mexican cheese in small bowl and microwave for about 30-40 seconds, to soften. Add seasoning mix, sauce and chicken to cheese mixture and stir until combined. Unroll crescent rolls on prepared pan. Scoop 1 large heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture into the center of the two short ends of the crescent roll. Pull outer corners of the crescent roll over the chicken mixture, and then pull the long end over, completely enclosing filling. Sprinkle tops of puffs with additional shredded Mexican cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I enjoy food blogs with pictures so much more than without but I never remember to take them. Someday I am going to have to add them. This is a recipe I found on Pinterest, but that came from HERE. It was SO yummy. I'm not a huge lover of left overs but I ate it the night after I made it and then couldn't wait to eat it the next night but when I got home from work it was gone. So I'll be making it again soon. 

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, trimmed
15 oz can sweet whole corn kernels, drained
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
5 C chicken stock
3/4 C onion, chopped (left out)
3/4 C green pepper, chopped (left out)
1 serrano pepper, minced (left out)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp ground pepper,
divided Monterey Jack cheese, shredded Seasoned tortilla strips I also added sliced avocado

To your slow cooker add first 9 ingredients plus 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp ground pepper. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Prior to serving, remove chicken breasts. Transfer chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for easy shredding. Alternately you may shred chicken by hand. Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Return shredded seasoned chicken to slow cooker bowl. Stir gently. If serving immediately, divide among bowls. Top off with a generous helping of shredded cheese and seasoned tortilla strips. Soup may be stored in the fridge for up to several days. If freezing, label containers well with soup name and date.

Slacking....

I have so many recipes I need to post. I hope someday I find some time. I hope I can remember those I want to share...I have been making a ton of recipes that I've found on Pinterest. I'm in the process of moving the ones I've tried from my Food board to my 'Recipes I've Tried Board.' If you follow me on Pinterest, you can click on the Recipes I've tried. I will only post the ones I will make again. And maybe someday transfer them here. I've been making at least one new recipe a week so I have tried a lot of new things lately. 

Avocado Egg Salad Sandwich

I'm not sure why I never thought of this before. I love avocados and hard boiled eggs. I saw this on Pinterest and the recipe came from HERE (neverhomemaker.com) We ate them on toasted flat bread, but they would be yummy as a wrap too. I loved these so much.

Ingredients
4 hard-boiled eggs (I place the eggs in the water immediately  Once it starts to boil I remove heat and cover for 12 minutes. Then I place in a strainer and run cold water over them and peel immediately.)
1 large avocado cubed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I don't measure, I just use what it looks like it needs)
1 teaspoon curry or fenugreek powder (I left this out because I didn't have it)
Pinch of salt and pepper

I mixed the eggs with the mayo before adding the avocado. Then I just lightly mixed in the avocado.  After I toasted the flat bread I spread a little more mayo on it before adding the egg/avocado salad.

Cheesy Chicken Ranch Pasta

I saw this on Pinterest and it came from HERE (mommyimhungry.blogspot.com) It was really yummy. I posted the entire recipe, the same as she has it, but I used bow tie pasta instead of lasagna noodles.

Cheesy Chicken Ranch Lasagna
Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen
2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
1 (1 oz) pkg. Hidden Valley dry Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix (not the dip blend)
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked (I used 9 noodles)
1 1/2 to 2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to 2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

 Combine evaporated milk and Ranch dressing and pepper in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken slightly. Layer half of lasagna noodles, chicken, sauce, and cheese in well-greased 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. This sauce may curdle on you when heating it, it's OK. Mine did not, because I kept it at a low heat after I let it come to just a boil, and stirred, stirred, stirred. You may not need the full 25 minutes, so when you can tell it's starting to thicken, it's OK to add to the dish. It may curdle after it's baked, but again, it's OK.

 FOR A GLUTEN FREE CASSEROLE STYLE: (for non GF, use regular pasta)
 2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
 1 (1 oz) pkg. Any Gluten Free Dry Ranch Salad Dressing (not the dip blend)
 3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken (about 2 large chicken breasts)
1/8 tsp pepper
2-3 C. uncooked gluten free penne pasta
1 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 C mozzarella cheese, grated

 Spray a 9x13 baking dish. Cook pasta until about 2 minutes under regular cook time (probably about 5-6 minutes). Drain, add to prepared dish. Combine evaporated milk and Ranch dressing and pepper in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat just to a boil then lower heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken slightly. Layer pasta, chicken, sauce, and cheese into dish. Bake uncovered at 350' for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Enchiladas With Green Chili & Sour Cream Sauce

I really do make a lot of recipes I find on Pinterest. Hopefully I will find time to start posting some of my favorite ones. This one was really good. It came from HERE (joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com)

Chicken enchiladas with green chili sour cream sauce
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies 1.

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan 2. Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan. 3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly. 4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not bring to boil, you don't want curdled sour cream. 5. Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. 6. Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Zucchini Crescent Pie

Now that zucchini season is over, I might actually post all my new recipes. I've been way to busy to blog. But, we had so much zucchini this year. My sweet neighbor brought me hers, and I grew my own. For the first time ever I grew a garden. I was pretty proud of myself. I never thought I'd get sick of zucchini, but I did. I hated to see it go to waste so I would cook it in some form every single day. I tried a ton of new recipes, but still have some of my old favorites. This was one that I made multiple times. I loved it. It came from Taste of Home.

Ingredients
1 package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise and quartered (my zucchini were HUGE, so I just guessed on this one. I don't really know how much I used. And I cut the pieces very small.)
1/2 cup chopped onion (I left this out)
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup cubed fully cooked ham
1 medium Roma tomato, thinly sliced

Directions Separate crescent dough into eight triangles; place in a greased 9-in. pie plate with points toward the center. Press onto the bottom and up the sides to form a crust; seal seams and perforations. Bake at 375° for 5-8 minutes or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender; stir in seasonings. Spoon into crust. Combine the eggs, cheese and ham; pour over zucchini mixture. Top with tomato slices. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I made these a long time ago, but they were delicious. I've seen this recipe on several blogs and on Pinterest, but the recipe I am posting came from HERE. (life-as-a-lofthouse.blogspot.com)

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
 3 Tablespoons honey
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded 10 flour tortillas (soft taco size)
16 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 cans (10 oz each) green enchilada sauce
1/4 cup heavy cream

 Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together and then mix with the shredded chicken. Let marinate for 30 minutes. Spray a 9x13 pan and a 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Pour a little bit of the green enchilada sauce on the bottom of each pan. Take one tortilla and fill with chicken and a few tablespoons of cheese. (Make sure to save atleast 1-1/2 cups cheese to sprinkle over top of enchiladas) Roll up tortillas and place in prepared pans. Repeat with all tortillas, chicken and cheese. Mix together the remaining enchilada sauce and cream. Pour sauce over the tops of enchiladas (depending on how saucey you like your enchiladas, you may not need to use all of the sauce. Eyeball it) Sprinkle the reserved cheese evenly over the tops. Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole or any toppings you love. Enjoy! Recipe adapted from: The Sisters Cafe

Crock Pot Mac N Cheese

I am not sure how I came across this blog. It could have been Pinterest or another blog. But, I found it HERE. (tipgarden.blogspot.com) I loved it because it was super easy. 

Cooking oil spray

2 cups skim milk

1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk

1 egg

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I didn't have sharp cheddar so I just used mild)

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

Spray the pot of the slow cooker.  In a mixing bowl whisk together milk, evaporated milk, egg, salt and pepper. Pour milk mixture into the crockpot.  Add cheese and uncooked macaroni. Stir gently to mix.  

Turn slow cooker on low and cook 3-4 hours, or until the custard is set and the macaroni is tender.  (Do not cook more than 4 hours, or the sides will begin to dry out).  Serve at once.  I think this was completely done after cooking on low for 3 hours. The edges were crispy. 

Peanut Butter Bars

I've seen this recipe all over Pinterest, but the one I followed came from HERE (mybakerlady.com)

 Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars
(from Let’s Dish)

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (use the boxed kind)
 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup + 4 tablespoons peanut butter (4 tablespoons is for the frosting)
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 inch pan. In a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

My friend at work gave me this recipe. It was yummy!

Ingredients:
1/2 C softened butter
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
2 C grated zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
4 Tbsp cocoa
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

1/2 C sour milk (add 1-2 tsp vinegar to make milk sour)

Topping:
1 C brown sugar (I used about 3/4 C)
1 C chopped nuts (I used almonds)
1 C chocolate chips
Combine and sprinkle over top before baking

Cream butter, oil, sugar & eggs. Then mix in zucchini and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Last add sour milk. Pour in greased cake pan. Sprinkle with topping and bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes. (Baking time varies - just check with toothpick and it's done when it comes out clean.)

Black Bean & Zucchini Quesadillas

I found this recipe on health.com and I love it. We have an abundance of Zucchini, which I am grateful for, but I was tired of making the same stuff over and over so I was looking for something different. This was so easy and so good. I'll post the actual recipe, but I changed the measurements (or didn't measure)

Ingredients

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp salsa

1/2 cup finely chopped zucchini

corn tortillas

4 tbsp shredded cheese

Directions

1. Combine beans and salsa in small bowl, mash with a fork. Stir in zucchini

2. Layer 1 tortilla with half the bean mixture, sprinkle with 2 tbsp cheese, top with another tortilla

3. Repeat with remaining tortillas

4. In broiler or toaster oven, cook quesadillas 1 minute on each side until cheese is melted and bubbly.

***I used a whole can of black beans and approx 4 tbsp salsa. I probably used about 1 cup or more of zucchini and I didn't measure the cheese. I was also lazy and didn't mash the ingredients. I used flour tortillas instead of corn.*** 

Taco Melts

I saw a recipe for cheeseburger melts on Life as a Lofthouse and I decided to change them to taco melts. They were SO yummy! I forgot to take a picture but my kids and their friend loved them and so did we. I don't really need to put a recipe down but I need to post this so I remember it when looking for a dinner idea.

Hamburger

Taco seasoning

Pillsbury pizza crust

cheese

sour cream

tomatoes

lettuce

Brown hamburger, drain, add taco seasoning. While the hamburger is cooking roll out the pizza crust and cut it into eight squares (or however many you want) This was the hardest part. I tried to shape them into the best circles that I could. It wasn't easy so they didn't look great. Fry them in a frying pan until browned on each side. Once they are all cooked put the meat and cheese in the center and cook them on warm in the oven for just a few minutes to melt the cheese. Add additional toppings and fold like a taco.  

Chicken Roll Ups

As if cooking blogs weren't enough. I'm now addicted to Pinterest, but I'm sure my family doesn't mind all the new things they get to eat. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it comes from the blog 'plainchicken.com' It's very similar to my other chicken crescent roll ups recipe that I used to make on a weekly basis until I got so sick of them but these looked good so I thought I'd give them a try. They were seriously SO good! Of course I only post recipes on here that I think are worth trying, but you should try these!

Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole
adapted from Recipezaar.com
2 (8 ounce) cans Reduced Fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls (I only used one)
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese or swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
1/2 cup milk

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
2 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion flakes (I left this out)
2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use a rotissori chicken my personal favorite)
1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. milk
1-2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)

 Set oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Mix together milk, 3/4 cup cheese and chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired). Place most of the mixture on the bottom of the pan, leaving out just a little bit to spread over the top. For the filling  (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder. Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined. Add in 2 tablespoons milk; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry). Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste. Unroll the crescent rolls. Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end. Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole. Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don't have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Potato Soup

I have another easy potato soup recipe that I make all the time, but I saw this on Pinterest. It came from the blog 'pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com. I decided to try it and love it!

Ingredients:
1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns (I use cubed not shredded and used the brand Ore Ida)
2 14oz. cans of chicken broth (her recipe called for 3 but I only used 2)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup onion, chopped (I left this out)
 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 pkg. cream cheese
cheese

Directions: In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat. About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and keep heated until thoroughly melted. Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, or whatever else.

S'mores Pie

I saw this on Life as a Lofthouse. This is my new favorite dessert. I have been making chocolate chip pie a few times a month because I love that recipe, but this was so good too so now I will alternate. This one is a MUST try!

S'mores Pie
slightly adapted from: Cookies and Cups

1/2 cup salted butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 (7 ounce) jar Marshmallow Creme (don't use regular marshmallows)
4 Regular sized Hersheys Bars, broken into pieces
wax or parchment paper

 DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a *9 inch glass pie pan with baking spray. Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy and combined. Add egg and vanilla until incorporated. On low speed add in flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder. Divide the dough in half. Press half of the dough in the bottom and sides of the prepared pie pan. Evenly spread the Marshmallow Creme over the bottom of crust. Spread the broken chocolate pieces on top of the Marshmallow Creme. Form the remaining dough into a ball and place it on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Top with another piece of wax or parchment paper and flatten into a 9 inch circle with a rolling pin. Carefully peel off the top piece of wax paper. Flip the crust onto the top of pie and peel off the other piece of paper. Pinch the dough together to form the crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely and then slice and serve.

*The first time I made this I used a pie tin, the second time I made it I put it in an 8X11 inch pan.

Pepperoni String Chese Roll Ups

I saw these on The Girl Who Ate Everything, then I also saw them on Life as a Lofthouse. I thought about making them for the Super Bowl but I wanted to try them out first. They were really good.

Pepperoni String Cheese Roll Ups Source:
adapted from Dinner With The Donnells
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
4 cheese sticks, halved
1 (3.5 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
optional - marinara or ranch sauce for dipping

Garlic Butter Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take each triangle of crescent roll dough and place about 4 pepperoni on the bottom of the triangle. Place half of a cheese stick on top and roll up. Place seam side down on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown. While rolls are cooking, combine the melted butter, Italian seasonings, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. When rolls are done remove from the oven and brush with the garlic butter glaze. Serve with marinara or ranch for dipping.

Oven Baked Frito Pie

I saw this on Sweet Treats and More. It was really good. When I warmed it up the next day I had to take the Fritos off the top because they were soggy.  I probably would just leave those off and add them before serving.

Oven-Baked Frito Pie
source: What's For Dinner?
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 can (16 oz) chili beans (I just used a can of chili because I didn't have just chili beans)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 1/2 cups corn chips (Frito's)
1 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions: Cook ground beef until meat is browned; drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, taco seasoning mix and 1/4 c. of cheese. Sprinkle 1 cup corn chips in bottom of 8x8 baking dish or 9x13 dish. Cover with chili. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread sour cream over chili. Top with remaining corn chips and cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Warm Bean Dip

I saw this on Life as a Lofthouse and it looked so good. I made it for the super bowl party we went to and I loved it! I didn't have the monterey jack cheese so I used cheddar and mozzarella.

Warm Bean Dip Recipe
adapted from: allrecipes.com 

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 cans (16 ounces, each) refried beans
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl. Mix in refried beans until combined. Stir in taco seasoning. Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with both cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese in melted and slightly browned. Serve with tortilla chips.

Toffee Dip

My friend gave me this recipe that came from allrecipes.com. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg toffee bits (found by the chocolate chips)

Beat together the cream cheese, sugars and vanilla in a bowl until smooth. Stir in toffee bits. Serve with sliced apples. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Another recipe from Life as a Lofthouse blog....

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups salsa
(15 oz) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Cheese Whiz
3/4 cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
6 soft taco size Flour Tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, cook the ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain fat. Stir in salsa, beans, cheese whiz, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin. Stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Spray a 9x9 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon a 1/3 of meat mixture in the bottom. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of cheese. Layer 3 flour tortillas over the top. ( you will have to cut one of the tortillas so they fit ) Spoon another 1/3 of meat mixture on top of the tortillas, then sprinkle another 1/2 cup of cheese. Do one more tortilla layer, the last of the meat mixture and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese has melted and it's hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes or so before slicing. Makes 9 servings.

Chicken & Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

I got this recipe from the sweet treats and more blog.

Ingredients:
2 cups diced or shredded chicken
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) Sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 11x7 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Saute chicken, cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom pan. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or foil. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove cover and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tator Tot Casserole

I've made this a few times but each time have to find where I wrote down the recipe so here it is finally. I think of the Duggars when I make this. But it's actually really good. I wanted to make it and thought I had a friend who made it for her son. Well I must have been dreaming because when I asked her for her recipe she told me she'd never made tator tot casserole in her life. So I decided to google the recipe and I also found out that another friend makes it so I think I just combined the recipes. One didn't have cheese I think. Anyway, this is how I make it.

1 lb Hamburger

1 bag frozen Tater Tots
1 can Evaporated Milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Brown hamburger and drain. Pour into the bottom of the baking dish. Pour tator tots over the hamburger.

Mix both soups and evaporated milk together. Pour mixture over the tater tots. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Add cheese and cook about 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Baked French Toast

My friend was telling me about THIS recipe so I decided to try it the morning after Christmas. It was sweet and rich so you couldn't eat much but it was so good.
12-14 slices of soft white bread
4 oz whipped cream cheese
1 stick butter, sliced
1/4 C syrup
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 C milk

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large casserole pan add sliced butter, syrup, brown sugar. Place in oven, melt together for 5-7 minutes until caramelized, stirring once. Spread cream cheese on half of the bread slices, place additional slice on top sandwich style. Set aside. In small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. In a mixing bowl scramble eggs, add milk, add vanilla. When butter mixture is caramelized, remove from oven, put sandwiches in pan, sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Pour egg mixture over sandwiches, cover, refrigerate over night. In the morning preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Serve caramel side up. Top with Berries, syrup, and sour cream. We had whipped cream on top and that was good.

Butter Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick real butter
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot. I stir until the butter is melted then I add the baking soda.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.

When it's done, it should be golden brown. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas

I saw this recipe in a coupon add and thought they were pretty good.

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded
2 Tblsp Olive oil
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tblsp chili powder
16 Ounce salsa
1/2 Tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon (probably less they tasted very much like cinnamon)
pinch of salt
6-10 flour tortillas
1 cup refried beans
Olive oil
Sour Cream
Guacamole

Directions:
In large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in chili powder, salsa, cumin and cinnamon.Stir in shredded chicken. Let cool. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease rimmed 15x10x1 baking pan. working with one tortilla at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of beans down center of each tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Fold up the bottom, top and sides of the tortilla; secure with wooden toothpicks if necessary. Place chimichangas in greased baking pan, seam side down. Brush all sides with the oil. Bake 20-25 minutes.

German Pancakes

I've never made German Pancakes before but I've heard they were good. I wanted to make Breakfast Christmas Eve morning so I found a recipe on All Recipes. They were yummy and easy so I have a feeling we'll be eating them often.

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions

Place the eggs, milk, flour and salt in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour the butter into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; add the batter. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

I also made my buttermilk syrup recipe to go with them. But they would be good with fruit and cream also.

Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients

 3/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 stick real butter

2 Tbsp corn syrup

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot. I stir until the butter is melted then I add the baking soda.

Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.

When it's done, it should be golden brown. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Taco Pasta

I made this the other night and it was so yummy! I got it from the Life as a Lofthouse blog. It's super easy and so good.

Taco Pasta Recipe
from: Fake Ginger
1 pound Lean Ground Beef
8-12 ounces small Pasta shells ( I used Elbow)
1 small Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 (14 oz) can Diced Tomatoes, drained
4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
3 ounces Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Salt and Pepper
DIRECTIONS: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef and chopped onion over medium-high heat. Cook until beef is no longer pink. (Drain any grease) Then add minced garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in can of diced tomatoes and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream and 1/2 cup pasta water. Cook and stir until cream cheese has melted and sauce is well blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes, or until sauce has reduced a bit.

Chicken Taco Soup

I got this recipe from Life As A Lofthouse. I made it a few weeks ago and it was so good. I forgot to take a picture.

Chicken Taco Soup
1/2 cup chopped
Onion (I left this out)
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced (I actually left this out too only because I didn't have one)
1 (16 oz) jar of Salsa
32 oz Chicken Stock
1 (1.25 oz) package of Taco Seasoning
1 (12 oz) bag of frozen Corn
1 (6 oz) can Tomato Paste
2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
4 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
Avocado (Optional)

In a large crockpot, combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT the cream cheese and sour cream. Cook on Low heat for 6-8 hours. A half hour before serving, remove chicken breasts and shred. Return shredded chicken to crockpot and also add in the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir and let them both melt into the soup. Serve in individual bowls with shredded cheese, more sour cream, avocado and tortilla strips or chips!

Penne Pasta Bake

I have a lot more recipes in draft than I thought so here is another one. This came in the newspaper add for a local grocery store. Thought it sounded good and it was.

1 pound hamburger

2 medium yellow onion (left these out!)

1 bulb garlic (I used granulated garlic exact measurements unknown)

(1) 16 oz penne pasta (I used macaroni only because I have so much in my pantry)

(2) 26 oz marinara sauce (I only used 1 jar, I don't love marinara sauce)

(1) 6 oz Provolone Cheese

(1) 8 oz shredded Mozzarella Cheese

(1) 16 oz Sour Cream 

(1) 5 oz shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1 - Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

2 - Add penne pasta and cook until done; drain

3 - In a large skillet, brown onion, garlic and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and warm through.

4 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil or spray a 9 X 13 baking dish

5 - Layer as follows: 1/2 of the pasta, 16 oz sour cream, 6 oz slices provolone cheese, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining pasta, 6 oz shredded mozzarella cheese, remaining sauce mixture then top with parmesan cheese.

6 - Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

I loved this bread! I wanted a recipe for zucchini bread with chocolate chips and found several, but this one came from Paula Deen from the food network website.

Ingredients
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup choped pecans (I didn't add these)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tablespoon orange zest (I didn't have an orange so this was left out as well)
whipped cream for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease (2) 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and baking soda.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar, and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove loaves from pans and cool. Chill before slicing. Serve with whipped cream.

Zucchini Pizza Casserole

I just realized I have had this in draft mode for a few months, along with several others. The bad thing about that is, I forgot where I got this recipe from to link back to them to give them credit. At least it wasn't their original recipe, but it still makes me feel bad. I tried looking for it but I couldn't find it, so I apologize for not giving credit to the appropriate person for this recipe. I didn't grow Zucchini in my garden this year, but thankfully had neighbors who did and were nice enough to bring them to me all the time. This was actually better than I thought it would be.  (I know I took a picture so when I find it I'll update this.)

Zucchini Pizza Casserole
source: Taste of Home

Yield: 6-8 servings.

4 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (left this out)
1 can (15 ounces) Italian tomato sauce
1 medium green pepper, chopped

1. Place zucchini in strainer; sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze out moisture.

2. Combine zucchini with the eggs, Parmesan and half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Press into greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

3. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomato sauce; spoon over zucchini mixture.

4. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; add green pepper. Bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through.

Missing....

I guess there are people who actually read this blog and have asked when I will post again. Summer has just consumed all of my time. I do have a whole bunch I need to add so stay tuned...Now that it's getting cold and we won't be spending every hour of day light outside I might be able to get some recipes posted. I have a few that were super yummy so I'm excited to share with those of you that think I can cook. :)

Hamburger Zucchini

My friend Anne was telling me about something she makes with Zucchini. I decided to make it, without really having a recipe, and it was so yummy! And it was so fast and easy. Used fresh garden tomatos and zucchini. Yum yum.

Ingredients

Hamburger

taco seasoning (I only used 1/2 a packet)

zucchini

tomatoe

cheese

Directions

Brown and drain hamburger. Add taco seasoning. Add zucchini and cover. Cook for about five minutes. Add tomatoes and cheese and cook until cheese is melted.

Baked Zucchini Fries

My friend gave me some zucchini and so I searched for some recipes. I have a few I'll post, but these turned out so good.

I got this recipe from here

Baked Zucchini Fries
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Aggie’s Kitchen

About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs (If you don’t have or can’t find any Italian-style panko bread crumbs, just add 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp. onion powder to 1/2 c. plain panko bread crumbs and you’ll be good to go. Either way, mix the bread crumbs with the parmesan cheese and set them aside.
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you’ll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield “meatier” fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don’t want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they’ll soak up moisture from the egg and won’t stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated.

Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately with Pizza Sauce or Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Dutch Oven Apple Dumplings

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe blog. If you click her link you will see a whole bunch of pictures.I made one batch in the dutch oven and one in the oven. Both were delightful, however, the dutch oven batch turned out much better. I can't wait to make these again. They were so good! And seriously take a few minutes to put together. My friend made them and told me about them probably over a year ago and raved about how good they were. I finally decided to try them and I'm glad I did.

Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda
Preparation Instructions
Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top. We probably cooked it for about 40 minutes in the dutch oven also.

Milky Way Cake

Another recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. I saw this and wanted to make it so bad! It turned out amazing! Loved it. You can't eat very much because it's so rich but it was very yummy.

Ingredients11 whole Milky Way Bars (regular Size), Divided Use
3 sticks Margarine, Divided Use
2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Baking Soda
½ cups Buttermilk
3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, Divided
2 cups Sugar
4 whole Eggs
2 cups Powdered Sugar
1 dash Salt
½ cups Milk (more If Needed)
1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation InstructionsPreheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat, melt 8 Milky Way bars together with 1 stick margarine, stirring to combine. Once melted, remove from heat and set aside.

Sift flour and salt together and set aside.

Mix baking soda with buttermilk, then add 2 teaspoons vanilla and set aside.

Cream 1 stick of margarine with the 2 cups of granulated sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to the creamed mixture, mixing after each addition. Add melted candy bar mixture and mix to combine.

Pour into a greased jelly roll pan or 9 x 13 baking pan and bake for 1 hour or until cake is done in the center. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make the icing, melt the remaining 3 Milky Way bars with remaining 1 stick margarine (in a double boiler or in a saucepan over very low heat). Add powdered sugar, dash of salt, milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and chopped pecans and stir over low heat. Add more milk if needed.

Pour over the cooled cake and allow to set. Cake will be very sticky! Don’t expect neat, perfect slices.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

I made this the other night and not only was it so easy, it was so yummy! I halved the recipe but this is the full recipe. (It would make a ton) I also added cheese on top before putting on the Ritz crackers. Delicious. This will be a regular at my house because of how easy it was.

Recipe from: Mandys Recipe Box

3-4 chicken breasts, chopped and cooked or 1 (14 oz.) can chicken

16 oz. egg noodles, cooked

24 oz. sour cream

2 cans cream of chicken soup

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

1/4 c. margarine, melted

2 Tbsp. Poppy seeds (optional)

Combine chicken, sour cream, soup; cheeses in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add the noodles and gently stir till coated. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Mix crackers and margarine; sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle with Poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or till crackers are crispy and golden brown and cheese is melted

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I made these the other night and they were so good. I did forget to take a picture so you'll have to go to ourbestbites.com if you want to see what they look like. They were a little to spicy for my kids so I think next time I make them I will use less cumin and less chili powder. Also, I could only find medium green salsa, no mild, so that may be why they were so spicy. But, still so good. We just dipped them in sour cream, but there is a recipe for a ranch sauce that I'll make next time.

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by: Our Best Bites
1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken (my chicken was not shredded. I cut it into small pieces)
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or the dressing below.

Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing
Recipe by Ourbestbites.com

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

No Bake Cookie Bars

I am so far behind on my receipes. I have probably 15 -20 recipes in draft, just no time. These were incredibly rich, but so yummy. They were easy, but a little time consuming. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookie Bars by Sweet Treats and More

For the cookie bar:
1/2 cup milk
1/2 stick margarine (approx 56 grammes)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBS cocoa
2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a medium saucepan, melt butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and cocoa. Bring to a boil and let boil for about 90 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, then oats one cup at a time. Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 in. glass pan. If you want a thinner bar you can use a 9 x 13 in. glass pan. Place in the fridge and let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Filling:
1/2 cup peanut butter
Once cooled completely spread 1/2 cup peanut butter over the top of the bars. Next make your chocolate frosting.

Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
4 tbs cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
6 tbs milk
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Stir in cocoa, vanilla, and milk. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Immediately stir in powdered sugar, mixing in one cup at a time until smooth.

Spread the frosting over the bars, cut into squares and serve.

S'mores Cookies

I saw these on The Girl Who Ate Everything's blog and had to try them. I made them for my 2 year old's birthday party and everyone said they were great. I made them again yesterday because I've been craving them for a few weeks now. They are so good. The chocolate on top stays melted for hours.

S'mores Cookies

Source: Ice Cream Before Dinner

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 ½ cups flour

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup mini marshmallows

3 regular sized Hershey’s bars, broken into pieces

1-2 packages graham crackers, broken into squares

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line baking pans with parchment paper. 

Lay out graham crackers side by side on the pans as close as possible (they should be touching). You may have to add or remove graham crackers according to how much dough you have. If you want your cookies thicker you will use more dough and less graham crackers.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, sea salt and cinnamon to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter with white and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixer and combine on low speed.

Fold in the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour to overnight (The recipe says to chill the dough. I did no do this either time I made these)

Place tablespoons of dough on graham crackers about 1 – 1 ½ inches apart. I averaged about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per graham cracker square as seen in the picture above. Press down slightly with fingertips.

Bake for 5 minutes then remove from oven to press Hershey’s bar pieces on to the top. You can place as many pieces or as little as you want depending how much chocolate flavor you want.

Bake for 5 – 7 more minutes or until dough is beginning to turn golden brown at the edges. Remove to a wire rack to cool

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

Oh my goodness, this is soooo yummy! I'm not sure why I've never made this before. I've had it before, so I have people I could get the recipe from, but I just never did. Until I had to buy buttermilk for something else and my friend gave me this recipe. It was so good. We had it with our french toast, but then we ate it on chocolate chip cookie pie as the caramel topping. That was so good too.  I will be making this much more often!

Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients

3/4 c. buttermilk

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 stick real butter

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot (My friend said she puts the baking soda in after it starts to boil but then I read online that you can still taste it if you wait so I put it in with everything else.)
Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring very frequently, for 8-9 minutes.
When it's done, it should be golden brown. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Enjoy!