Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This was  a big hit at our house. The best part is it was super simple to make! This Parmesan Crusted Chicken is what you should make for dinner tonight. Here is how you make it.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
1 cup Best Foods Mayo
1/2 cup of cheese (Parmesan is the better choice but you can use Mexican blend as well)
Italian Bread crumbs
4 chicken breasts cut down the middle
Green onion to garnish
Bake at 425* for 25-30 mins
First you want to mix the Mayo and cheese together. Spread mixture all over the top of the chicken breasts in a 9x13 pan

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top

Bake at 425* for 25-30 mins

My kids and husband cleaned their plates with this dish. So delicious! I will be adding this to my keep pile in my recipes for sure. Enjoy!

Greek Pasta Salad

Greek pasta salad:

We love this recipe at my house! So healthy and yummy at the same time!
Supplies you need:

• 2 cups penne pasta
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 10 cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 small red onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne pasta, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well in a colander set in the sink.
Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Set aside. Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, green and red peppers, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese in a large bowl. Pour vinaigrette over the pasta and mix together. Cover and chill for 3 hours before serving.
Serve to your family or guest! This is so Delish. We love it at my house. Enjoy

Pull Apart Appetizer

This was a BIG hit at our house super yummy! Very quick to make. Here is what you need:

• 6 thawed dinner rolls cut into 4ths shape into balls set aside and let it double in size
• 8oz refried beans mix 4 tsps of taco seasoning mix
• 4oz of green chilies
• 1/2 cup of Mexican cheese blend
• 3 oz of green enchilada sauce
• 1/2 cup of Queso Fresco
• 3 green onions chopped

Put all of the above ingredients in the center of the rolls in the order listed. Brush all the rolls with olive oil and sprinkle rolls with garlic salt.
Bake at 375* for 20 mins.


Put some diced tomatoes in the middle to garnish and DIG IN!!!

Cajun Sausage and Corn

Cajun Sausage and Corn over rice is so yummy! Super easy to cook and put together (my favorite way to cook) ;) I always like to sprinkle more Cajun seasoning after it is all cooked for more flavor. Add to your liking

Ingredients:  
1-2 Sausage links 
1-2 cans diced tomatoes
1 pkg of frozen peas and carrots
1 pkg of frozen corn
1 pkg of frozen green peppers
1 T garlic
2 T Cajun seasoning PLUS extra after cooked
Salt & Pepper
Serve over Rice
Head over to my Facebook page for a live video of step by step instructions 

Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a VERY quick and easy recipe which I had to put on the menu. This is a keeper at our house, everyone LOVES it! Here is my version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. Here is what you need to do.

Ingredients:
4-6 Chicken breasts cut in half length wise
1 cube of Cream Cheese (put block in microwave for 20 seconds to get it spreadable)
1T Parsley (add some in cream cheese then sprinkle more on top)
Salt to your liking
Ham slices on each Chicken Breast
Provolone Cheese on each Chicken Breast
Sprinkle all over some Bread crumbs, I like to use Garlic herb
13x9 pan sprayed with Pam
Foil to cover while cooking

Spray pan with Pam and cut your chicken breast in half long ways. Here is my FAVORITE knife I like to use CLICK HERE. Spread cream cheese and parsley all over each chicken breast. Top with ham and cheese on each. Top with bread crumbs. Put in oven at 400* for 30-40 mins. Uncover the last 5-10 mins to crisp up the bread crumbs.

Right out of the oven, perfect and tender 

 

Sauce Recipe:

2T butter

1.5 cups of milk

2T flour

2T Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

 

Brazilian Lemonade

Don’t be fooled by the name, it is called Brazilian Lemonade and it is made with limes no lemons.  It is so refreshing, sweet, citrusy, & creamy!  We have a tradition at our house and we make this every 4th of July (and throughout the year as well). You can make this 2 ways. I will tell you how we make it at my house because we don’t like pulp. So here is what you need to make this great refreshing drink the whole family will love.

Ingredients

• 6 cups cold water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 juicy limes (thin, smooth skins are juiciest)
• 6 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Add water, sugar, the juice of 4 limes and sweetened condensed milk into a blender. If you want a nice smooth refreshing drink add all water but if you like a little slush add some ice in place of some of the water. We like it both ways at my house just depends on what we are in the mood for. Blend all the ingredients slightly and serve.

I use this lime squeezer to get the most of the lime juice out CLICK HERE

You can add half the water and wash the limes and pulse them in the blender and strain the peels out just make sure you wash the limes before hand. This will give it more flavor. Play around with both ways and see what you like best 

Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment with some of your favorite summer drinks.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Let me just say this Chocolate Zucchini Cake is AMAZING! It has a vegetable in it so it counts to say it is “healthy” LOL (wink, wink)

Have you ever had a chocolate sheet cake or Texas sheet cake?  This zucchini cake is just like that, but with the addition of zucchini.  It’s dense, moist, rich and very chocolaty.  You can’t even tell there is zucchini in it.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. shredded zucchini, peeled or unpeeled

Chocolate Frosting
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 17-18 mins

For the Cake: In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth and combined.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat and add to the dry ingredients along with the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and shredded zucchini.  Mix until well combined.  Pour into a greased baking sheet and spread out evenly. When it comes out of the oven pour he frosting right on

For the Chocolate Frosting:  Add powdered sugar to a large bowl; set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; add the cocoa powder and buttermilk and stir until smooth and combined.  Bring to a boil, remove from heat and pour over the powdered sugar.  Add the vanilla and whisk together until smooth and creamy.  Pour over hot cake and spread out evenly.  Allow to cool, slice and serve.

***NOTE:***I peel half of my zucchini and pulse it all in my blender a few times, but make sure you have it all measured after you grate it before you pulse it.  In my oven it is perfectly done at 17 mins just stick a tooth pick in the middle it can take 17-20 mins to cook every oven is different.

Now go make you some of this YUMMY cake and enjoy!

Chicken Poppy Seed Casserole

This is one of our top 5 dinners that we have at our house. WE ALL LOVE this one. If you want an easy dinner choice that tastes super yummy then make this tonight! You wont be sorry :)


What you need:
4-6 cooked chicken breasts (I cut my chicken into bite size pieces)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup of sour cream
desired amount of poppy seeds
1 to 1 1/2 packages of Ritz crackers
1 cup melted butter


Cook chicken in skillet. Then mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and poppy seeds in a bowl. When chicken is cooked mix it into the mixture. Spread it all in a 9x13 pan. Melt the butter and crumble the Ritz crackers into it, spread on top. Bake in oven at 400* for 25-30 mins. Serve it over rice. That's it, super simple which is my kind of dinner. Enjoy!!

4 Ingredient Cookie Bar Dessert

This is a very versatile dessert but yet supper yummy! There are only 4 ingredients. If you are pressed for time this is a great go to recipe I use.

You will need:

*1 box of yellow cake mix

*1 egg

*1 cube of better (melted)

Mix those ingredients all together, then add any type of baking chips you would like. This one I used Reese's chips but you could use just plain chocolate chips, mint chips etc. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 25 mins

Now you have a yummy yet simple dessert to save the day with a busy schedule :) Hope you enjoy

The BEST Sugar Cookies!!

A few years ago my kids and I were invited to a cookie decorating party for Valentines Day at one of my friends house. To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of sugar cookies, until that party. These are so luscious and soft they can almost melt in your mouth. We have made them every year since. We will even make this recipe for other holidays (Halloween, Christmas etc.). My kids LOVE them!!

Here is the recipe:

1 cup of butter (soften)
1 cup of sour cream
2 eggs
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. baking powder
5 cups of flour
Chill the dough before baking at 375 for 8 mins. (no longer)
My favorite frosting I like to put on them is the Pillsbury Strawberry....YUMMY!!

What are some of your favorite Valentines goodies???

Blueberry, Lemon & Mascarpone Turnovers

This is something different that I made for dessert. They are VERY YUMMY! I have never used Mascarpone cheese before this and, it is quite tasty. These are one of the easiest pastries I have made. Go get your supplies and give it a try. I am telling you this is a simple recipe. By now if you are following my blog you know I am all about simple but yet still tasty recipes. Enjoy and tell me what you all think.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice ( I put a little more, just taste to see how you like it)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen and thawed blueberries
• 2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 egg, beaten ( to brush on pastry crust to act like a glue)
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions
Special equipment: a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth. Stir in the blueberries.
Using a 3 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, cut the pie dough into 12 circles. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg. Place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling and pinch the edges to seal. Using the tines of a fork, gently crimp the sealed edges. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
While the pastry is chilling: In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Fry the turnovers for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with powdered sugar while still hot. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
(Recipe from Giada de Laurentiis)   

Watermelon Otai Drink

Where has this drink been all my life??? I think this might turn into one of my favorite summer drinks, why? Because it has tropical written all over it and it is very refreshing. This is a recipe my husband got from one of his Tongan companions while he was serving a mission for our church. He has always talked about "making" me some for years and never got around to it until tonight! He is in trouble for keeping this recipe from me for so long....just kidding, I love him no matter what!

This is how he makes it: (the simple way, I will tell you the authentic way he was taught down below).

* 1 Pineapple

* 1/4 medium seedless Watermelon
* 1 can of Coconut milk
* 2 TBS sugar, (more to taste, if needed)

* 1 cup of water

 Put everything in the blender and blend it all together, chill for a couple of hours, pour and enjoy! 

The only thing you do different with the "authentic" way is use a fresh Coconut for Coconut cream, we just used a can of Coconut milk. My husband says it tastes the same either way. So whatever you prefer. Also you could use canned Pineapple if you didn't have a fresh Pineapple. This is so simple and refreshing. Please don't forget to follow my blog :)

Best Ham Fried Rice EVER!

Today I would like to share with you my families FAVORITE Ham Fried Rice recipe. I guess I can't say it is the BEST EVER because I haven't tried all of them out there but, this is my families favorite. We like it better than any take out we have had. Here is what you need to make it:

* 3 cups of cooked white rice (I cook mine in my rice cooker)

* 3 TBS of Sesame Oil

* 1/4 cups of Soy Sauce

* Frozen Peas and Carrots

* 2 eggs scrambled

* 1 small onion sautéed

* 2 tsp of minced garlic

* Diced ham (I get mine at the store already chopped by the lunch meats)

 

I like to add everything in this order: Sauté Onions and Garlic in a skillet, than add eggs, frozen peas and carrots, last add the diced ham and mix all together until the veggies are tender. In another skillet have all the cooked rice and mix in the Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce and add all the other ingredients together with the rice. You now have made MY families favorite Ham Fried Rice. I will also be posting our favorite Avocado Egg Rolls soon that go perfect with this dish. ENJOY!

BBQ Black Bean Salsa

I am all about simply things and let me tell you this is so simple and so delicious. I get the Kraft Foods magazines and this was in one a few years ago that I love to make.

Here is what you need:
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 to 1.5 cans of corn
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Pace chunky Salsa
That is it!! Told ya it was simple :-)

Mix it all together

Dive in with a chip and give it a try...I couldn't help myself, so yummy. You do want to chill it in your fridge for about an hour before you serve it. Enjoy!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Whatever you are planning on making for dinner tonight change it and make this simple dinner!!! This will make your tummy so happy! I got the inspiration to this recipe from this site. I did a couple things different.

Here is what you need:

4-6 large chicken breasts (cut all the yucky white parts off)

2 sleeves Ritz crackers crushed into small pieces

1/2 C milk

3 C Mexican blend cheese, grated

2 pinches of Dill

1 handful Panko Italian blend bread crumbs

First dip the chicken into the milk, then into the cheese, then into the crushed crackers with the dill and Panko bread crumbs. (make sure you press it all into the chicken so it will stick.

Put into a 9x13 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 mins. Cover with foil.

Once it is done I like to broil it for a few minutes to get a nice golden crust. Just like that!!

To top it all off you NEED this sauce. SOOO YUMMY. I double the recipe because it is so good! Warm it all together on the stove.

2  10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

4 T sour cream

2 T butter

Sprinkle in some Dill

Awe yes....I can eat the whole dish all by myself. This is a must make for dinner. You can serve it with rice and use some of this yummy sauce in the rice too. Enjoy!!!

Whole Wheat Bread

When it comes to homemade bread I have only made it about a five times or so. I am not an expert at all when it comes to baking bread. That is why I loved this recipe I came across from one of my cookbooks that I have around the house. It is super easy and moist. If I can make it, I promise you can too.
Here is what you need:

1 TBL yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2-1/2 cups hot tap water
6-7 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 TBL salt

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, make sure the water is REALLY warm. Then I sprinkled 1tsp. of sugar over it to help it dissolve quicker.

If you have a KitchenAid start adding the hot tap water (again make sure it is really hot). Then add and mix in 3 cups of whole wheat flour, salt, oil, applesauce, sugar, and the yeast mixture. (If you don't have a KitchenAid just use a big bowl to mix it all together)

Than you need to Mix in 2 more cups of whole wheat flour. Let it kneed for about 3 mins on a low speed. Add in 1-2 more cups of flour. I use 1 1/2 cups. Don't over flour your dough!! Kneed for 8 or so mins on low. If you don't have a KitchenAid then flour your counter and kneed it by hand.

Form the dough into a ball shape and place in a large bowl coated with cooking spray and place a dish towel over the dough to let rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.

Spray a large area on your counter top with cooking spray. Dump the dough ball onto the counter and divide into sections for bread pans. (This will make 2 loafs) Punch out any air bubbles and divide and shape for the bread pans.

Cover the bread pans with the dish towel and let rise for another 45 mins.

Bake at 350 for 25 mins. Once it is done brush it with a little oil or melted butter and sprinkle a little salt on top! Nothing better than homemade bread! It has such a higher fresher quality taste to it. Something that goes PERFECT with homemade bread is my homemade freezer jam CLICK HERE for the recipe. Enjoy!!

My Top 10 Snacks under 100 Calories

Summer is just around the corner and if you are like me I want to look good in my swimsuit :-) These are my top 10 foods/snacks that are under 100 calories. Yummy in my tummy....

1) 2 cups of Watermelon

2) 1/2 a baked potato

3) 1 Large Egg

4) 1 Apple with the peel

5) 1 slice of whole grain bread

6) 2 cups of Popcorn with a little butter

7) 1 sweet potato

8) 1 handful of almonds

9) 2 1/2 oz of baked salmon

10) 20 unsalted Pistachios