Creamy Chicken Enchilada's

I made these for dinner last night and Brett really liked them. They had a really good flavor and I put them together in no time at all!

What you'll need:

Chicken Breasts- fresh or frozen
1/2 tub of Sour Cream
A tub of Philadelphia Cooking Creme- Santa Fe
A large can of mild Chopped Green Chile's
2 cups of Monterrey Jack Cheese
2 cups cheddar
1 can Green Enchilada Sauce
Flour Tortillas

1.  Start by cooking the chicken. I just boiled frozen chicken breasts in a pot with some salt until it was fully cooked. Then shred or chop your chicken.

2. In a bowl combine the Chicken, Sour Cream, Cooking Creme, Green Chile's, Monterrey Jack, and half of the Cheddar. Taste, salt and pepper if needed.

3. Scoop the mixture into each Flour Tortilla, roll them up and place them seam side down on a greased baking dish.

4. Top with Green Enchilada Sauce and the rest of the Cheddar.

5. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

2. In a bowl combine

Spinach Artichoke Dip

I love spinach and artichoke dip with a passion. This one is really good. It's not the healthiest dish because it calls for a lot of mayo, but boy is it rich and delicious! Perfect for those football parties this season.

What you'll need:

A box of Frozen Spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove all excess liquid
A can of Artichoke Hearts packed in water, chop them up into smaller pieces

1 cup Mayo, not Miracle Whip yuck!

2 cups Monterrey Jack Cheese

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a baking dish and stir. Save aside a little bit of both of the cheeses for topping.

2. Top the dip with the remaining cheeses and bake at 400 for 25-30 mins or until gooey and golden brown on top.

Serve with Tortilla Chips or slices of Crusty Bread.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pie

This is Brett's most favorite dessert ever. He loves it because his Grandma Queen used to make it for him and he grew up on it. When I got my hands on this recipe I had to tweak it just a bit to make it a firmer pie. So here it is I hope you love it!

As do a lot of my desserts, this pie starts with the basic filling for Nana's no bake cheesecake. Cream Cheese, Cool Whip and Powdered Sugar.

What you'll need:

A Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust like this

1 1/2 blocks Cream Cheese
1/2 a tub of Cool Whip
Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup of Creamy Peanut Butter

As a garnish you can do: more Cool Whip, Chopped Reese's, Drizzled Chocolate, Caramel, Butterfingers...use your imagination!

1. Let Cream Cheese sit out to soften and place in mixer. Add 1/2 tub Cool Whip and mix, adding Powdered Sugar to desired sweetness. Add in Peanut Butter and mix. Taste and adjust.

2. Place in Pie Crust. Garnish with toppings and refrigerate.

Hope you like it!

Pulled Pork for Tacos

This recipe is an open and dump kind of recipe. My favorite kind! This can be made in a slow cooker, on the stove, or in the oven. Whatever your most comfortable with.

What you'll need:

A small Pork Roast
A large can of Enchilada Sauce
A packet of Taco Seasoning
A cup of Salsa
A cup of Water

1. Dump all of these things into a large pot or a slow cooker. Whatever you put it in, it needs to be in there for hours.

Oven- for 4 hours
Crock-pot- high for 4 hours
Stove top- bring contents to a boil for a minute and then reduce to med-low for several hours.

Check the meat often, add more water if its getting too dry.  After several hours, it should easy break up if you take two forks to the meat.

What I put on the tacos:

Brett and I like it authentic and this is how how make the tacos. I put them on corn tortillas, adding onions and cilantro. But you can use flour tortillas, tomatoes, cheese, whatever. It's up to you!

Hope you like it!

Tortilla Roll-Ups

These are so quick and easy and a perfect thing to take to a party or a cookout. They will disappear right before your eyes!

You can serve them plain or with some salsa for dipping.

What you'll need:

A bag of 8 Flour Tortillas, burrito sized
2 packages of Cream Cheese
2 small cans chopped Black Olives
2 small cans chopped Green Chiles
Some Green Onions, finely chopped

1. Leave the Cream Cheese out a while to soften before making this.

2. In a bowl add the Cream Cheese, Olives, and Chiles. Mix with a mixer until creamy.

3. Fold in the Green Onions. When mixed spread a even layer of the mixture on each tortilla and roll up.

4. Place whole rolls in the fridge to harden. This will make cutting easier.

5. When they seem firmer, slice the rolls at a diagonal. Yes the ends are ugly, but those are made for the cook to snack on!

Arrange on a plate and enjoy!

Italian Nachos

This is soooo good! We originally discovered this recipe at Johnny Carino's and just had to duplicate it. You can eat this as either an appetizer or just make a big batch and chow on it for dinner along with a salad. So tasty!

What you'll need:

Some Wonton Wrappers. Usually found in the produce section of the grocery store. They look like this.

Oil for frying them.

A tube of Italian Sausage
A jar of Alfredo Sauce
Some Pasta Sauce
A cup of chopped Black Olives
A cup of chopped Banana Peppers
Some Italian Blend Shredded Cheese

1. Slice the Wonton Wrappers into triangles and fry them in hot oil until they are golden brown and crispy. This will take several batches to make a good amount of chips. Set on a paper towel to collect oil.

2. Ground up and cook the sausage in a skillet until cooked and scoop out onto a paper towel to drain.

Assembling the nachos:

Arrange the chips on a plate adding sausage, cheese, drizzling sauces, and olives and peppers. You can do this in several layers. Top with more cheese and I like to put the whole deal in the oven for about 10 minutes so everything is hot and melty.

When you make this, be sure to invite me over!

My Pasta Sauce

Ever since I learned how to make my own pasta sauce I have never gone back! It's really quite easy and I think the flavor is 100% better than jarred sauce. Grandma Janie's Lasagna just cannot be made with anything other than this!

What you'll need:

An Onion- finely diced
Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
White Wine (yes this girl cooks with wine woot!)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes Italian style-drained
1 can Hunts Tomato Purée
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

1. Sauté Onion and a spoonful of garlic over medium low heat until the onions are translucent.

2. Add about a 1/2 cup of wine and let it simmer away for several minutes.

3. Add the canned tomatoes and purée.

4. Add a spoonful of sugar, some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Taste and adjust seasonings.

5. Let it simmer for a few more minutes so the flavors can meld.

Make big batches and freeze for whenever your making an italian dish.

Enjoy!

Greek Pasta Salad

My absolute favorite cheese is feta cheese. So I am always looking for ways to incorporate it into a recipe. This is my Greek Pasta Salad and it's really good as a side or you could add some grilled chicken to make it a meal.

What you'll need:

Rotini Pasta
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers (any color, I like orange)
A Cucumber
A Red Onion
Feta Cheese
Kalamata Olives
A bottle of Kraft Greek Vinagrette dressing

1. Boil pasta, drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

2. Chop veggies into bite sized pieces and add to pasta. Add Feta and olives.

3. Dump dressing onto pasta until it's as wet as you like it. Stir and refrigerate.

Enjoy!!!!

My Oven Potatoes

I make these all the time as a quick and easy side dish for the family. There is really nothing to it! It's more about cooking the potatoes at the right temperature than it is about what you put on them. They have to be crispy to be good! Here's how I make them.

What you'll need:

Small potatoes not russet. I like baby Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes.

Seasonings (I use Montreal Steak Seasoning, some more salt, and garlic powder.)

Oil (olive or vegetable)

1. Cut potatoes into small, even sized chunks. Put them on a sheet pan.

2. Drizzle with plenty of oil, enough to coat plus a little more.

3. Sprinkle plenty of seasonings and use your hands to make sure the potatoes are coated in oil and seasoning.

4. Put in a 400 degree oven checking for color on the under sides. After a while or so, about 15-20 minutes, use a spatula to scrape and flip the potatoes. If they don't come off easy they need to stay in longer. After they are flipped put them back in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until they are crispy and golden brown.

Enjoy!

Jo Jo's Frosting

So my mom is the most creative person ever! She has made some pretty awesome cakes in her life time. She is the one we all call on for inspiration and overall cuteness. Some examples:

 The adorable fish cupcakes she made for Ian's first birthday.

 The beautiful cupcake cake she made for our white trash wedding.

The spread she made for my baby shower.....so wonderful!

She has decided to share her frosting recipe with the world! Or the three people that actually read this I guess.

What you'll need:

A Stick of Butter

1/2 Cup Crisco 

Powdered Sugar

Vanilla Extract

Milk

1. Whip together in a mixer softened butter and the Crisco until smooth and add a tablespoon of vanilla. 

2. Add Powered sugar to desired sweetness and add milk when it get stiff. It's a trial and error type thing.

There you have it, legendary frosting

Chicken a la Glynos

This chicken is soooo good and easy. The sauce becomes so rich, it flavors that boring old chicken breast like no other. We love it! I love it because it is ready in no time at all.

What you will need:

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

1 1/2 Teaspoons Onion Powder

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder

Some Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (4)

Butter

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

This is what you do:

1. Combine all the spices together to create your own spice mix....mmmmm. Coat the chicken Breasts with the spice mix.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sautee the chicken over medium heat turning only once about 7 or 8 minutes.

2. Pour the cream into the pan and lower the heat and stir. This will get all the chicken bits and seasonings off the bottom of the pan. It will be awesome. When it is thick add 2 tabespoons more of butter, let melt and voila! You have a really delicious sauce!

3. Just pour it over the chicken on a plate!

Good times!

Open Faced Fajita Sandwich

These are so yummy! I have made them a few times for Brett, Bre, and BJ. They loved it. The flavor is so yummy. And as promised, just a few ingredients. No ridiculous marinades to make! Serve with a salad or something. 

What you'll need:

A loaf of french bread

Beef for fajitas meat, its only available at Walmart and its right in with the fresh ground beef. This isn't frozen it's right there. Looks a lot like this.

A bag of frozen bell pepper strips, also can be found at Walmart. 

A red onion

My favorite Cajun Seasoning

 and Pepper Jack Cheese slices.

1. Cut the meat into strips and saute in a skillet adding the peppers and sliced red onion until they are completely cooked.

2. Add some of the Cajun seasoning to the mixture and taste until it's the way you like it. We like it spicy.

3. Cut some french bread down the center (hot dog) and made individual little halves. Like what a french bread pizza would look like. 

4. Scoop out some of the bread so the filling nestle in the center and pile on as much of the filling as you want.

5. Top with the Pepper Jack slices and stick in the oven on broil until the cheese is bubbly and melty. 

I like cheese!

Enjoy!

A Classic: Nana's no bake Cheesecake!

Pretty much everyone knows my Nana, my mom, and me for this recipe. It's so easy too. I decided to post a classic recipe that's been in the family for a while so I don't look like I just throw boxes together! Everyone loves this recipe. It's creamy any delicious and it takes no time at all. Our topping of choice is cherry, but you could do whatever! Strawberry, Chocolate, Caramel... endless. This recipe is extremely complex and difficult guys... so bare with me!

What you'll need:

A Graham Cracker Pie Shell- or you can make you own but that's just more work.

A 8oz bar of Cream Cheese left out for a while to soften.

A tub of Cool Whip

A half cup or so of Powdered Sugar

Cherry Pie Filling or whatever topping you like.

1. In a mixer blend the cream cheese with the cool whip, adding the cool whip a little at a time to get a creamy consistency, you may not use all of the cool whip. You want the mixture to be fairly firm in the fridge. 

2. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time while mixing. Be sure to taste throughout and add as much powdered sugar as you would like to get the desired sweetness you want from the filling. 

3. Add to pie shell and refrigerate for a while until the mixture has a little firmness.

4. Add your favorite toppings and eat!

Enjoy guys!

My Quick and Easy Broccoli Cheese Rice

Easiest side dish ever! And it's really good! Last night we had my Grandpa Slapper over for dinner because Grandma is in New York. I made this at my mom's along with steak and potatoes. I've been making this stuff for a while now. It's definitely NOT homemade but I add a few more ingredients to make it better than the box.

What you'll need:

A box of Rice-a-Roni's Broccoli Au Gratin rice mix
Butter
Water
A small bag of frozen chopped broccoli
A couple of cups of Sharp Cheddar
Salt and Pepper

For larger crowds add an additional box of Rice and more broccoli.

1. Make the rice according to the instructions on the box, either on the stove top or in the microwave, doesn't matter!

2. When it comes to the part where you add water to the rice, add the frozen broccoli too. Bring to a boil and let simmer away. Exactly as the box tells you.

3. When the rice is almost done, add a cup of the cheese and mix. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

4. Pour into a oven safe dish and add remaining cup of cheese to the top. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes until cheese is melty and delicious.

Enjoy!

Italian Herb and Cheese Chicken with Ravioli

Well I made this delicious Italian dish for dinner Monday night and Brett really seemed to like it!  I know your saying this looks like chicken parm, but no it was totally different. The sauce was sooo good and complex that it gave the dish a whole new flavor. 


What you'll need:


Some Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt and Pepper
Flour
Oil
Marinara Sauce- I used Newman's Own
Philadelphia's Italian Herb and Cheese Cooking Creme



This is what I did:


1. Salt, Pepper, and lightly dust with flour Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.


2. Sautee in a few tablespoons of Olive Oil in a med-high pan turning only once. About 7 mins per side. Don't worry if it's not cooked because we are putting it in the oven. Oh btw preheat the oven to about 350.


3. Once they are pretty and golden brown on both sides take them out and set it in the oven on a safe plate to finish.


4.  Make the sauce,  just add jarred Marinara sauce to the pan drippings. Then the magic happens, add 1 tub Philadelphia herb and cheese cooking creme. OMG such a yummy sauce!


5. Add some mozzarella cheese to your cooking chicken breasts. When done and deliciously melted, eat it with the sauce over it. I also made some store bought ravioli as a side to eat with the rest of the sauce. 


Enjoy!