Crock Pot Fajitas

3-4 boneless roast, coated with chili powder
1 chopped onion
2 1/2 c uncooked dry pinto beans
2 cans rotel
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 4 oz can chopped green chiles
1/2 t oregano
salt to taste
1 c water

Layer in the order in the crock pot. Cook on low for 12-18 hours. Stir when done and just before serving. Serve in tortillas with all the desired fajita fixings!

** This can also be done with chicken breast

Toffee Dip

Some of you have asked me for the toffee dip that I brought to Whitney's Shower... so here it is :)

6 oz of toffee bits (make sure it is the plain bits- they also sell them covered in chocolate)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
8 oz cream cheese

Mix the above ingredients in a Pryex dish; heat in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir and repeat the process until the dip is thoroughly mixed. Heat again immediately before serving. Serve with apples that have been soaked in pineapple juice. (keeps them from turning- and adds a different taste)

Outpost Mushroom Chicken

I normally like to use a recipe when I cook anything, but this one is so easy I've never had a recipe card for it. This was one of my favorite things to order when I ate at the Outpost and it's now one of my favorite things to fix--especially when we have company over. It looks fancy, but doesn't take a ton of prep.

Ingredients:
boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use about 4 of them)
sliced mushrooms (fresh, not canned)
colby jack shredded cheese
teriyaki sauce
Wild Rice (Rice-a-Roni or whatever you prefer)

Steps:
1. Marinate the chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce for about 2-3 hours; I do this in a ziploc bag, making sure they're fully covered in the sauce.
2. Prepare the wild rice--keep warm
3. Saute the mushrooms in butter, garlic salt, & salt/pepper to taste
4. Grill the marinated chicken breasts
5. Place the grilled chicken on a cookie sheet, layer the mushrooms over the top of them and then sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on top of the mushrooms.
6. After you've done this place the cookie sheet in the oven on broil for just a minute or two to let the cheese melt down over the mushrooms & chicken.
7. Serve it up with the wild rice (green beans is another good side to go with this).
8. The Outpost also had these amazing honey butter rolls that complemented this meal very nicely--I've tried to recreate my own in the past when I fix this--I buy rolls and then make up a honey/butter mix to brush over the tops.

Enjoy!

Baked French Toast

Of all the things I have ever made, this is the most requested recipe I have. I am not kidding when I say that this is CRAZY good!! It will become your new favorite breakfast splurge!

This recipe is great to make up Christmas Eve and bake Christmas morning while you are opening gifts! The aromas make the whole house smell so good!!

Baked French Toast

1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
10 (1 3/4-inch-thick) slices French bread (avoid bread with hard crust)
(or about 16 slices of the smaller diameter loaf)
4 eggs, beaten
2 ½ cups milk or half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Combine first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is bubbly. Pour syrup evenly into a lightly greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.

Arrange bread slices over syrup.

Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt; stir well. Gradually pour mixture over bread slices. Cover and chill at least 8 hours or overnight. Right before baking, combine 3 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; stir well and sprinkle evenly over soaked bread. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over bread. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Yield 10 large/16 small servings.

Blue Cheese Bacon Dip

My friend gave me this recipe, and now it is possibly my most favorite dip!

7 bacon slices, chopped
2 garlic loves, minced
2-8 oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup half and half
4-6 ozs blue cheese
2 T chopped fresh chives
3 T chopped walnuts
crackers

Cook chopped bacon in a skillet until done. Drain bacon, and set aside. Add minced garlic to skillet and sauté 1 minute.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add half and half, beating until combined. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives.

Spoon into individual baking dishes or one baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle evenly with chopped walnuts and put back in oven to toast for a minute or so. Serve with crackers.

Broccoli, Bacon & Raisin Salad

This salad is so easy to make and everyone always loves it. It makes for a great substitute to your typical cole slaw or potatoe salad side item.

1 lb. broccoli florets (about 7 cups)
6 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
½ cup raisins
¼ cup finely chopped red onion (or less)
¼ cup sunflower kernals
1 cup Kraft Coleslaw Dressing

Toss broccoli, bacon, raisins, onion and sunflower kernels in large bowl.
Add dressing; mix lightly. Cover.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Mix lightly just before serving.

Grilled Chicken w/ Mushrooms & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts
Zesty Italian salad dressing
Garlic pepper seasoning
2 Tbsp butter, divided
1 Tbsp EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/3 cup white wine
4-5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
½ cup mozzarella cheese, grated

Put chicken in a dish with sides just big enough to fit. Pour just enough salad dressing over chicken to coat both sides. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasoning (or just use garlic powder, salt, & cracked pepper to taste). Let marinate for at least 30 minutes in fridge. Grill chicken (or bake at 350°F) until done.

While chicken is cooking, heat a medium skillet on medium low heat and add 1 Tbsp of butter and EVOO. Add minced garlic to oil and sauté for 30 seconds or so. Add mushrooms and sauté until they begin to sweat. Add sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Add wine and stir; cook until wine is mostly cooked down. Add remaining 1 Tbsp of butter (cut into 4 pieces) and basil. Stir mixture to fully incorporate. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

Reduce heat to low and place cooked chicken in skillet and top each breast with a spoonful of the mushroom mixture and top with cheese. Cover skillet (I use a cookie sheet) and let it sit until the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately.

Sides:
Caesar Salad
Grilled veggies

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
(this is one of our summer grilling favorites)

Ingredients:
Sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing, divided
Chicken breasts -- about 4 small boneless, skinless
1 tomato, finely chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tsp. dried basil (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil)

Directions:
Marinate chicken in dressing at least 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from marinade, and discard marinade.

Place large sheet of heavy duty foil on half of your grill, heat grill to low/medium setting.

Grill chicken on UNcovered (no foil) side of grill for 10+ minutes or until chicken is almost cooked through.

Meanwhile combine tomatoes, cheese, basil, and 2 Tbsp of dressing.

Move chicken over to the foil side of the grill. Top evenly with tomato mixture. Close lid and grill until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.

This is good with cooked pasta and grilled veggies!

Chicken Asparagus

I haven't made this one in a while, but found it in my recipe book and think I'll make it next week. It's a recipe from the Outpost restaurant that used to be in Abilene--have any of you eaten there before? It was a sad, sad day for me when they closed! My friend used to work there and I have a couple of their great recipes--my other favorite is mushroom chicken, I'll post it later.

Ingredients:
Rice-a-Roni Wild Rice Pilaf (prepare according to box--keep warm)
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 C Red Wine Vinegar
2 chicken breasts cut into chunks (marinate these in Italian dressing for 2 hrs)
Salt, pepper
8 oz pkg mushrooms, chopped
1/2 C pecans
few cherry tomatoes
1/4 C Parmesan-grated

Steps:
*Saute chicken in red wine vinegar--cook until brown and done
*Season with salt & pepper
*Add asparagus & mushrooms & cook on medium until they are soft
*Add pecans to rice
*Serve chicken mixture on rice & top with tomatoes & Parmesan cheese

Posting Tips along with Recipes

Hey gals--I think we ought to also post tips and tricks that we use for either eating healthy or getting our kids to eat, etc. I loved the post you did on your blog, Holly, that gave me the idea for the Pampered Chef veggie tray!

Anyway, here's a link that I found in Prevention magazine...what drew me to the cover while I stood in the grocery store line was the title, "Flat Belly Foods"! I thought, man I need some tips on this one! :)

The article listed 38 different food items that are supposedly quick, easy, and healthy for eating. I'm definitely going to try a few. Here's the link to see the list of foods--it even lets you print off a grocery list:
www.prevention.com/healthiestfoods

Almond Punch

8 cups hot water
4 small boxes Peach Jello
4 cups sugar
2 cups lemon juice
3 cans pineapple juice
1 oz almond extract or 1 cup very srong almond tea
Ginger Ale

In large pot simmer 8 cups hot water and 4 boxes of Peach Jello until it dissolves. Stir in 4 cups sugar and 2 cups lemon juice until well dissolved. Take off heat and add 3 cans pineapple juice. Add 1oz. almond extract or 1 cup very strong almond tea. Divide in 3 large freezer bags. Freeze 24 hours. Set out 3-4 hours before and add 2 liters Ginger Ale or Club Soda per bag.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I have several recipes I need to post, but I thought I would start with this one because it is SO simple and my kids love them. These are great for breakfast! It does not get any easier than this 2 ingredient recipe! :)

1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 12 oz Canned Pumpkin (I am not sure about the can ounce size, but it is the regular size can, not the huge one) Make sure this is not pumpkin pie mix, but plain pumpkin.

Mix the dry cake mix and the whole can of pumpkin together until moist and blended. Do not add any other ingredients! It is pretty thick. Spoon the mixture into a muffin pan (regular or mini) filling about 1/2 full. You can use liners or just spray the pan. Bake as directed on the cake box for cup cakes. They will be a little lumpy on top even when done, but they are yummy! These are somewhat healthy too. Enjoy!

Cooked Apples

I must confess that the stuffed pork chops idea and this idea both came from another recipe website that I discovered (www.menus4moms.com); this website posts a whole menu plan a week at a time. I decided to give it a try this week, and it's not half bad. Although, next week I'm planning to try ideas from our site! :)

O.k., I liked these cooked apples b/c they were great plain by themselves, but they'd also be great with whipped cream, or ice cream, or in a pie! I ate them plain trying to cut calories! :{

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until apples are tender. Serve hot or cold.

I don't know why I feel the need to tell if I've altered the recipe in anyway, but again, with this one--I didn't have 6 apples, only 4 and I didn't use Granny Smith--I used Gala! ;)

Stuffed Pork Chops

I just tried making these for the first time last night, but I liked them enough that I know we'll have them again. I modified the recipe some and will tell you how I did that--they were still great. I served them with steamed asparagus & hollandaise sauce which was o.k., but I probably should've also fixed a wild rice or a salad or something. I made cooked apples for dessert, I'll put that recipe in a separate post.

*Ingredients:
4-6 boneless thick pork loin chops
8 oz crumbled blue cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
2 tsp. dried chives
Adobo seasoning (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

*How I modified the ingredients: I just had the regular thin cut, bone-in kind, and they worked too. Instead of cutting a slit to stuff them, I just rolled them up and closed w/ toothpick. I also only had crumbled Feta cheese on hand (which I prefer to blue anyway) so I used this and it was yummy. I cooked my bacon in the microwave--very fast & easy. I did not have dried chives so I left them out...I'll try to get them next time to see what difference that makes.
Oh and I used Lowry's Season Salt instead of Adobo...I've never even heard of Adobo, does anyone know what it is?

Instructions:
Using a sharp knife, cut a slit into each pork chop to make a pocket, taking care not to cut all the way through. Mix together cheese, bacon, chives. Divide cheese filling into loose balls equal to the number of pork chops you are cooking. Stuff each pork chop with the ball of cheese filling and secure opening with a toothpick. Sprinkle lightly with adobo & pepper on both sides of chops. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. or until done.

Summer Salad

Mixed salad greens or spinach (~1 bag)
1 pint Strawberries, topped & halved
1 Mango, peeled & cubed
3 Kiwi, peeled and sliced
handful dried cranberries
1 cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup sugar

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar

In a medium skillet saute almonds with sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar caramelizes and is completely melted. Spread out on foil-lined cookie sheet to cool. Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside. Prepare fruit. Just before serving, wisk dressing vigorously once more, place lettuce in salad bowl, and toss with 2/3 of the dressing. Top with fruit and nuts and drizzle remaining dressing over top. Serve immediately.

Mexican Lasagna

I have tripled this recipe and frozen it in 9x9 pans.

1 pound ground beef
1 can mushrooms
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
8 oz can Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp Picante Sauce
8-10 Lasagna Noodles
2 Tbsp Onion
Tortilla Chips crushed

Cook lasagna noodles until done. Set aside and cook meat. Drain and add taco seasoning, oniond, salt, pepper, mushrooms, tomato sauce and picante. Grease 9x9 dish and layer noodles, meat, cheese and repeat. (If you want to freeze it, freeze at this point) When ready to eat, thaw and top with broken chips. Heat at 350 for 10-20 minutes until hot though and cheese is melted.

Poppyseed Chicken

I am sure everyone has a Poppyseed Chicken recipe. There are may different ones out there, this one is very quick and easy. It is also easy to make lowfat and top with whole wheat Ritz. I try to keep the ingredients on hand.

3 or 4 Chicken Breast (cooked & chopped)
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small Sour Cream

Mix all of the above and put in a baking dish

Top with a cylinder of crushed Ritz Crackers, slivered almonds and poppyseeds.

Bake 350 degrees 20-30 minutes

Serve over rice

Crunchy Baked Tilapia

I love seafood, but Kevin is not a huge fan. This is a recipe he actually really likes though -- the fish is mild tasting and the panko breadcrumbs & seasonings make it a yummy meal. Even Seth will eat it!

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese or asiago cheese, grated
2-3 tilapia (or other mild white fish) fillets

Preheat oven to 400°F

Melt butter in shallow pie dish; set aside.

In another shallow dish, mix cracker crumbs, seasoning and spices.

Dry fillets and dredge in butter; then, in crumb-seasonings mixture.

Place on oil-sprayed foil-lined baking sheet and distribute remaining crumbs on tops of fillets.

Drizzle remaining melted butter over crumbs.

Sprinkle each with grated cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily and topping is golden.

Toasted Bean Burritos

I don't mean to insult anyone's intelligence with posting something that is this simple, but one of the reasons we're doing this is to get ideas, right?!
So anything goes! Plus, Trent is the one who taught me to make these when we were first married. Enough rambling--here's how I make them:

Ingredients:
flour tortillas
refried beans
shredded cheese
chopped onions
taco sauce
or add in sour cream or anything else you love in a burrito!

Steps:
1. Butter one side of your tortilla, then toast it (flipping it a couple of times) on a hot skillet or a griddle. The toasting is what makes these taste great.
2. Add your refried beans--I add them while the tortilla is toasting (you may want to warm the beans a little first.
3. Add in chopped onions and shredded cheese--close the burrito and plate it up!

I serve the Knorr Spanish Rice (it comes in a package and makes in 7 min) as a side.
I buy the Taco Bell mild sauce--it's great added in or used for dipping. Guacamole & chips go well with it too.

I know this is a simple recipe, but we love it! Probably I love it because it's fast to fix, doesn't cost much and is a no brainer! :)