Creamy Fruit Dessert

It's the summer time around these parts and honestly, it's just plain hot!  Where we live the temps stay in the 100's for the summer months and turning on the oven is not something I take pleasure in!  When I found this recipe I decided to tweak it up a notch to make it my own and let me tell ya, it is SUPER yummy, is pretty good for you, and doesn't involve the oven!  A win-win all around!

What I used:
1 large carton lowfat strawberry flavored yogurt
2 pkgs. (the smaller boxes) fat free/sugar free cheesecake pudding mix
1 large carton of fat free cool whip
11 oz. blueberries
a few banana's sliced up
a few strawberries sliced up

Mix up your pudding first and get that chilled.  Next, mix all the other ingredients together and chill for one hour before serving.

Seriously, it doesn't get much more simple than that!!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!!













Photo Credit and original recipe can be found here. 

Soft Pretzels

The first time I tried to make soft pretzels they turned out ginormous!

No kidding!

I've been kind of scared to try them again simply because the last time they seemed to want to eat me instead of the other way around because they were so big!!

However, I found this recipe and thought, "hmmmm if someone else made 'em and pinned it to pinterest it MUST be good, right?"  Well, the truth is YES!  They did turn out (normal size) and super yummy!!  I can take no credit for this recipe but I am thankful someone out there knew how to make these :)  I found the recipe over here: Homemade Pretzels.

What the recipe called for:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

3 ounces unsalted butter, melted

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil

3 quarts water

3/4 cup baking soda

1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

Coarse sea salt

Directions: 

Combine the water, sugar, yeast, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the dough hook until combined. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and flour and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue kneading until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl, about 3 to 4 minutes. If the dough appears too wet, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a flat surface and knead into a ball with your hands.

Oil a bowl with vegetable oil, add the dough and turn to coat with the oil.

Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Bring the water to a boil in a small roasting pan over high heat and add the baking soda.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a flat surface. 

Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 4 1/4 to 4 1/2 ounces each. 

Roll each piece into a long rope and shape into the lengths or shapes that you want (sticks are easy and tasty).  

Boil the pretzels in the water solution in batches. Boil for about 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon. 

Place pretzels on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching. 

Brush the tops with the egg wash and season liberally with the salt. 

Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.

Add additional toppings immediately after they come out of the oven.

From My kitchen to yours, ENJOY!

Photo credit: Homemade pretzels

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.