Puffy Enchaladas...

These are SO easy and actually pretty yummy. I saw the recipe on the internet and can't remember where, so the credit goes to some smartie on the internet!

1 Lb ground turkey, (I used Hamburger)
1 onion Chopped (I only used 1/2)
1 10oz. can enchalada sauce
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 can refrigerated biscuits
1 1/4 c cheese

Pre heat over to 350. Brown hamburger and onions, drain. mix in tomato sauce and enchalada sauce. cut the biscuits into fourthsand stir into mixture. Then dump into a greased caserole dish and bake for 25 min. take out and sprinkle cheese bake additional 10 min. Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
See super easy!! :0)

What's Cookin'?

On the Menu

Home Cookin' Goodness: HM Mac Cheese and Sausage
Mexican Madness: 7-Layer Dip/Nachos
Where are We Tonight?: Chicken Broccoli "Faux" Mein
Totally Twisted: Leftovers
Simple Supper: Chili Cheese Dogs
On the Grill: Hamburgers and Ranch Fries
Crockpot Supper: Noodles and Gravy

Yummies: Chocolate Chip Biscotti, Orange Rolls, Chicken Salad (for lunch)

What's on your menu this week?

Check It Out!

Have any of you ever looked at

The Pioneer Woman?

I have yet try any of her recipes.

But it just might be LOVE at first sight.

She has some amazing looking/sounding recipes,

all with pictures and pretty in depth descriptions

of the process it takes to make the dish.

I just got done drooling over this.

And the other night I was taken away

by dreams of this.

So, head on over there

and have a tissue ready

for all the DROOL!

Chicken Rollups

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 pkg of cream cheese

2 cans cresant pop dough
1/4 C butter melted

itialian bread crumbs

Cook and shred chicken. Mix chicken and 3/4 of the cream cheese (or all if you like lots of cream cheese). place a scoop of chicken/cream cheese into opened cresant, fold to close. roll into butter and then into bread crumbs. Place on baking sheet. Follow directions on cresant can for cooking instructions. Serve with rice.

Menu Sharing

Anybody interested in sharing menus?

I'm always trying to figure out the best way to create a menu for my family.

Looking at others' menus helps me see what I could do to make my meal planning a little easier.

Right now I am doing mine by-weekly.

I'm trying to shop for all non-perishables/freezables at the beginning of the 2 weeks, and produce each week.

Any takers?

Puff Pastry Chicken Bundles

Prep: 15 minutes Bake:20 minutes at 400 Yield : 4 servings
From: Simple and Delicious

4 chicken tenderloins ( I just buy breast & cut them smaller to fit)
1/8 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/2 c spinach and artichoke cream cheese spread
4 slices Muenster Cheese, halved (this is pricey stuff...I just used Swiss cheese)
1 egg
1 T water

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll puff pastry into a 14-inch square. Cut into four squares. Spoon 2 T cream cheese into the center of each square; top with cheese and chicken.

Whisk the egg and water; lightly brush over edges. Bring opposite corners over each bundle; pinch seams to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; brush with remaining egg mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes before eating...or it will burn your mouth (we learned that the hard way). There were so pretty and so yummy. Looked so impressive. Next time I am going to experiment a little by adding ham, or removing Swiss cheese to see what is necessary. My little ones weren't too excited at first, but once they took a bite they changed their minds.

*I was looking for a picture to share since this came from a magazine I thought there might be one. NOPE what I found instead was another version that I want to make...oh man sounds yummy too.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Puff-Pastry-Chicken-Bundles

Skillet Meaty Lasagna

Tonight we had Skillet Meaty Lasagna for dinner.

I have an inability to read directions all the way through.

It doesn't matter if they are driving directions, baking directions, craft directions...

I just have a hard time with it.

So we'll try this one again and I'll do it the right way!

It wasn't bad, it justn't wasn't as good as it could have been,

at least I don't think it was!

Can I just say "Yum!" to that?

Funny Story

Our ward has a Chili Cook-Off every Fall.

So I decided to make a pot of chili to contribute to the feeding.

I had been craving chicken chili and found this recipe on SparkRecipes.com.

I didn't realize how seriously people took this Chili-Cook-Off,

and skimped a little (had a rough night).

It was really good, and apparently the judges (the Elders) liked it the BEST!

Yep, I won a contest... doesn't happen very often!

And I got an Olive Garden Gift Card for my efforts.

I admit I did feel a little bad for winning, just because I didn't go in it for the win.

But hey, I've had one request for it now!

And since Green Chicken Chili is what we are eating tonight, I figured I would share it. So follow the link and enjoy! I ate mine with crushed tortilla chips, a tiny bit of sour cream and shredded cheddar... YUMMERS!

I made a few changes: I only used 1 tblspoon of chili powder and it was still plenty spicy, 2 cups of water, and made a paste with about another 1/4 cup of water and cornstarch to thicken it. That made all the difference in the world!

Keeping Warm

It's snowing.

It's 7 degrees.

I don't want to leave the house.

Not even to take Sophie to school.

I decided I want soup for dinner.

A nice creamy, chicken soup.

So, I'm trying a new recipe.

And it's made in the crockpot!

I think crockpot cooking is perfect for the cold.

Maybe that's because the food usually cooked in it is comforting.

Anyway, back to the recipe...

It's Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.

From Semi-Homemade w/Sandra Lee

You can go here if you want to check it out.

I'll let you know how it tastes.

Creamy Italian Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts, boneless/skinless
4 Tbs Butter's
1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

Smoosh butter on bottom of crockpot, place chicken on top and sprinkle Italian salad dressing mix. Cook on low 6-8 hrs. 30 minutes before it's ready, mix soup and cream cheese, add to chicken. I usually break the chicken up a little bit. Serve over rice!

20-40 garlic Chicken

in response to Amanda's request this is my most recent favorite.

Slow Cooker 20-40 Garlic Chicken (yes, it needs a more creative name)

about 2 lbs chicken parts (legs,thighs with the skin on or 2-3 breasts)
1 onion, chopped into chunks
salt
pepper
paprika
2 T Olive Oil
20-40 cloves of garlic (about 3-5 heads)

spread chopping onion on bottom of crock pot. In a bowl place chicken, drizzle oil, salt, pepper and paprika. As much as you would like. Take all the paper wrapping stuff off the garlic. Don't chop and try not to break them in half or anything. Dump it all on top of the onions.

Cook on low about 6-8 hours.
(don't be scared about the lack of water or number of garlic cloves...the garlic isn't over powering and it actaully becomes a nutty taste and the chicken somehow remains SO moist)

There are so many possibilities:
*I eat mine with LOTS of garlic goodness. My hubby eats just the chicken and the kids dip theirs in BBQ sauce. We are all happy. Eat it with rice or potatoes or whatever.
*shred it eat it in echiladas,
*Shred it add BBQ sauce and eat it in sandwiches or over toast

The last time I made this I cooked extra chicken and it made enough for 3 meals for my family of 4 plus a few left overs! SO GOOD.

Request...

I really want to start cooking a lot more with my crock pot. If any of you have any good (simple) recipes for the crock pot, please let me know! Thanks ladies!
Amanda

Ham and Cheesy Potatoes

So, this is just funeral potatoes with ham in it. I have another potatoe recipe, but I've never frozen it, so I don't know how it would do. But this is tried and true.

16oz frozen hashbrowns
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
crushed cornflakes
2 cups cubed ham

Combine, cereal, sour cream, soup, onion, ham and 1 cup of cheese. Pour mixture into greased pan. Spread crushed cornflakes on top. Top with remaining cheese.

Cook frozen at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Not frozen cook for about 45 minutes at 350, just make sure it's heated through and potatoes are cooked.

Chicken Pot Pie

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

2 chicken breast
1 cup each, carrots and potatoes, frozen corn, frozen peas
1/2 onion, chopped.
2 cans cream of chicken soup
milk, to get to desired consistency
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 9 inch pie crusts

I sautee the onion and chicken (cut in bite size pieces) in olive oil. I boil my carrots and potatoes until tender, adding peas and corn towards the end. Mix chicken and veggies with soup, adding milk until you get a creamy sauce. If you want you can use pie crust, place 1 crust in pe plate, fill and place 2nd crust on top.

Cook, frozen covered 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.

**** I often use biscuits or crescent rolls for my crust. No bottom crust, just place on top of mixture. Don't use the layered biscuits, the don't get cooked all the way through. If using crescent rolls I just rol the dough out on top of the filling. It's fabulous. If your pot pie is frozen I would put them on top toward the end of cooking time.****

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

8-10 flour tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1- 16oz container of sour cream
1- 4oz can diced green chilies
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
(If you don't want to cook and then
shred the chicken you can buy a
rotisserie chicken and shred it, or
even 2-4 breasts)

Mix chilies, sour cream, 1 cup of cheese and soup together. Divide mixture in half. Add chicken to one half. Roll chicken mixture into tortilas and place in greased baking dish. Cover with remaining sauce mixture and cheese. Cook frozen, covered with foil for 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.

Homemade Mac 'n' cheese

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked macaroni
4 T butter
1/4 flour
1/4 t mustard
1/4 t worcestshire sauce
Salt and Pepper
1 cup milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar (this make a HUGE difference)
Smoked Beef sausage (Kielbasa)

Cook macaroni as directed.

While it's cooking, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour, mustard, worcestshire sauce, S & P. Stir till thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat. Add milk, stir constatnly till it boils. Boil and stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Add cheese and stir till melted. Drain noodles and add to sauce.

I cut the beef sausage into circles. Stir into mac 'n' cheese. I usually save some to place on the top. Pour the mac 'n' cheese into a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish, I sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake at 35o for 20 minutes. If frozen bake, covered at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

Crock Pot Pork Chops
These pork chops come out so tender, I mean, they just fall apart! Add to that a yummy gravy and you've got an easy winner!

Pork Chops (I used 3 bone-in chops and that fed the 4 of us with leftovers)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 medium onion, sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place chops in crock pot, salt and pepper them. I then dumped the onions in and covered with the soups. Cook on low 8 hours.

I served this with mashed potatoes, corn and peas and rolls.
It was really, really tasty, and, oh so, easy!

Brined Baked Chicken

Taken from Betterthanmymothers.blogspot.com

3 T Salt
2 T Brown Sugar
2 cups VERY hot water
1 t Peppercorns
1 Bayleaf
1 Lemon
Ice
8 Drumsticks

Dissolve salt and brown sugar in hot water. Add peppercorns and bayleaf. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into the brine. Add lemons to brine. Add 3 cups of ice to cool the brine down. Pour into ziploc bag and add chicken. Close bag and place in bowl in fridge over night.

Line cookie sheet with foil. Place wire baking rack on top of the foil. The not only makes clean-up a cinch, but it allows the chicken to get crispy on all sides.

Bake at 45o for 35-45 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.

I served this with rice, corn and pinto beans. I spiced up the beans by adding a little lime juice and salsa. This was a really yummy meal. Both kids loved the chicken and Kennon tried, and liked, the beans. And it was rather hassle free!!!

Some Yummy New Finds!

I've been trying a lot of new recipes lately .

Some of which are healthier, others just because they sound/look yummy.

I LOVE food blogs.

I think I may even call it a hobby.

I have come to love recipe hunting and menu planning!

Crazy I know, but I love food!

I figured I would share my new finds with you all.

I also love that you can go to one food blog and then find

a MILLION others!

Happy Eating:

http://www.betterthanmymothers.blogspot.com/

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Noodles and Gravy (tonight)

Brined Baked Chicken (this will be Sunday dinner)

http://www.realmomkitchen.blogspot.com/

Navajo Tacos

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

Shrimp Fajitas (tomorrow)

http://www.theopenpantry.blogspot.com/

Turkey Meatball Subs

Haven't had this yet, it's getting ready for tonight!

But I thought that since I have a moment, I would post it.

I am hoping it is yummy!

Turkey Meatball Subs

Meatballs:

1lb ground turkey

1/2 c dry breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c finely chopped onion

1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano

1/4 parsley

Mix all together and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. I recommend spraying your baking sheet.

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce--- homemade would be even better, but I'm lazy!

add meatballs to sauce and place as much as you like on each of 4 sub rolls, we'll toast ours

Grated mozzerella to top the meatballs--- if you want to melt the cheese put the sandwich under the broiler for a few minutes.

**** I'll let you all know how they are!***

*** I really liked the sandwich! I though the meatballs were very tasty! Jake was surprised after biting into a meatball because I omitted the "turkey" part. But he said they were good. The kids loved the meatballs too! Overall I call it a successful meal!***