Chicken Ranch Roll Ups

Looking for something simple to make for dinner is often on my mind.  I don't mind more time consuming meals at times, but most days I just don't have the time!  I was delighted when I found this meal over here on this website.   Very simple, easy to make, a light meal and full of flavor!  I did change a few things up to make it my own recipe and my family loved it!

What I used:
1 pkg.  crescent rolls (I used the big and flaky kind that came with 8 in the pkg.)
2 chicken breasts shredded and cooked
1 cup shredded mozz. cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
8oz. cream cheese brought to room temp.
bread crumbs
1/4 cup ranch dressing
dash of paprika
 1/4 cup melted butter

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.  When your chicken is cooked through, (I cubed my chicken before cooking) toss it in your kitchen aid.  Seriously, it will shred your chicken like nobodies business with the other ingredients :)

Toss in your cheeses, cream cheese, ranch dressing, and paprika.

Next take your crescent rolls and roll them out placing scoop fulls of the chicken mixture  onto the large portion of your crescent roll.  Roll up and then fold in all the sides so none of the innards are showing.   Place on your greased baking sheet.  Repeat until all your rolls are used up and top with brushed on melted butter and breadcrumbs.

Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 min.

Photo credit 

Voila!
From my kitchen to yours, ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilada Tostada

I found this recipe over here  and thought it looked SO yummy!  Not sure if it is just the pregnancy hankerin' for a good Mexican dish or what, but whatever the hankerin' was it was a GREAT choice!  Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 pkg taco seasoning

1 tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 can chopped green chiles {I used the 8oz. can}

1 can {10 oz.} red enchilada sauce

1 cup frozen corn

1 can refried beans {I used Gebhardt}

tostada shells OR fried corn tortillas (I used flour tortillas)

Toppings {optional} lettuce, chillies, sour cream etc.

Shred your chicken and cook it up.  Also cook your tortilla shells.  I used a little oil in a skillet (enough to cover the bottom and then some).  

Once your chicken is cooked, coat it in taco seasoning and brown sugar. 

Add your chillies (I left those out... to spicey on the preggo belly!) and 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce.  Once heated through add your corn and cook for another 5-10 min.

Meanwhile you can cook the rest of your enchilada sauce with your refried beans via microwave or stove top.  

Once everything is cooked, take your tortilla and place a generous amount of your refried beans on it and spread it around.  Then top with your chicken mixture and continue adding all the toppings you wish!  The end result is SUPER yummy! 

From my kitchen to yours, ENJOY! 

I had to use her picture because it just looked SO much better than mine :) 

Photo Courtesy

Taco Ranch Casserole

So the summer months are once again upon us.  Let the sweltering heat engulf us I suppose!  This is a great recipe for summer because you can make it without the use of your oven!  Yay!  It is full of wonderful flavors and I'm sure the family will enjoy it!  My two year old, who often attempts to be picky, gobbled it right up!

What I used:
mini penne (you can adjust how much you use based on your family size)
1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup cheese
1 Roma tomato, cut up
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 envelope Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup sour cream
crushed Doritos

Cook your beef up and add the tomato sauce, taco seasoning packet, sour cream, and ranch dressing.  Heat it through.  While that is cooking get your water boiling for your pasta and cook as directed.

Once your pasta is cooked add it to your beef mixture and add cheese. Top with tomatoes and serve over crushed Doritos.  You can finish it off with lettuce and more cheese and tomatoes if you so desire.  The end result is tons of flavor!

From my kitchen to yours, ENJOY!

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

In my venture to provide more healthy meals and snacks I have found a great recipe for homemade granola bars!  I can take no credit for it because I found the recipe here.  This recipe tastes SO wonderful!  I have to admit, I am a sucker for granola bars but spending $3-$4 and up on a box of 8-10 seems a bit of a high price to pay.   So now I'm making these and honestly you can't tell a difference in taste from the homemade ones vs. the store bought....unless the homemade granola bars taste better :)

I'm just going to copy and paste the recipe because other than adding peanut butter to the recipe I followed it closely. 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan {about 12x8x1} and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. {If your pan isn’t small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together.} Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on a countertop to room temperature for two hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.
Recipe Notes: If your granola bars don’t seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have made them too thin or you didn’t pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. {Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they’ll become super hard!} The next time you make them, try reducing the butter to 3 tablespoons and really packing them down.

From My Kitchen to Yours, ENJOY!

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Mmmmmm :)  Doesn't the name just reel you in?  Who doesn't love a snickerdoodle cookie?  When I found out about this recipe I knew I needed to try it!  I pretty much followed the recipe I found here .  So I'm just going to copy and paste it, but please, give this recipe a try!  You won't be sorry you did :)


2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar and 1 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling

1.Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.

2.In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar and nutmeg.

3.Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in the additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.

4. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into muffin tin. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins. Bake them for approx. 20-22 minutes in a 350F oven or until they are golden brown.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

This cookie recipe is perfect for Valentines Day!  I made these with our teen guys at church for a bake sale we were prepping for.  Cherry's and chocolate, mmmmm!!!!  The recipe originally came from here.

What the recipe called for:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened, but still cool
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons maraschino cherry “juice”
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
Granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies


1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
3. Reduce the speed to the lowest setting and slowly add the powdered sugar and salt.
4. Add the cherry juice and the almond extract until combined.
5. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the cherries.
7. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, and place the balls on a baking sheet, approximately 2 inches apart.
8.  Using your thumb, gently press each cookie in its center until the cookie is about 1/2-inch thick.
9.  Sprinkle each cookie with a little granulated sugar.
10.  Bake the cookies until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 14 minutes.
11. Once removed from the oven, immediately press a chocolate kiss into each cookie’s center.
12.  Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!!

Potato Wrap Ups

While on vacation a few weeks back we were able to have dinner with a very sweet family.  The lady of the house is from Mexico so you can imagine we had some really good Mexican food :)  One of the things we had was these potato wrap up things.  Seemed simple enough to me so I gave them a whirl and they were super yummy..... though not super healthy.  However, you can throw on all kinds of fresh veggies to help make it better for you :)  They are kind of like a taco, just with a different filler.

What I used:
Corn Tortillas (about 10 of them)
4 potatoes (cooked and mashed)
veggie oil
tomatoes, diced
cheese, shredded
lettuce, shredded
sour cream
salsa
(get the idea? You can add whatever!)

Get your oil heated up in a skillet.  You'll want enough oil to cover the bottom and then some.  Take 4 or 5 tortillas at a time and cover them with a paper towel and cook in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  Just enough to nuke them.  Then, place about 2 tbsp of your mashed potatoes inside and roll them up.  

Place them in your hot oil, be careful though because the oil will be very hot and will probably pop some.  I use a handy little thing on top of my skillet, kind of like a splash guard.  It comes in very handy!  It keeps the oil from popping onto me!

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.  These babies will be crunchy.  Yum-o!

Once cooked remove from oil and place on paper towel to let the oil drain off a bit.  Serve warm and top with all your favorite ingredients!

From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!