Hot Ham 'N Cheese Samiches by Parker

Ingredients

 

1 loaf french bread

provolone cheese

cheddar cheese

ham

turkey

butter

garlic powder 

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

 

Line baking pan with foil (later will be wrapped around loaf)

Slice loaf in half long ways, lightly butter and sprinkle with garlic powder.

Brown until barley crispy.

 

 

Remove from oven and layer provolone cheese, ham, cheddar cheese, turkey.

You can layer as much as you like. We just did one layer each.

Fold loaf together and wrap tightly in foil.

Bake for 15 min or until heated through.

Unwrap foil and slice.

Thne enjoy as Parker is doing.  He made this all by himself (I helped a little)

Crockpot Chicken N Dumplings

Well the picture surely doesn't do it justice.  I forgot to take a picture

before we ate half of it so this is what was left.

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( I put frozen ones in there)

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 chicken bullion cubes

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped onion

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

dumplings or biscuits ( I used Pillsbury biscuits and tore up in pieces)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot except dumplings or biscuits.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

About an hour before your ready to serve it remove chicken and turn crock pot to high.  Shred the chicken and tear biscuits into small pieces and place back in crock pot.  Cook for 45min to 1 hours or until biscuits are no longer doughy in the middle.  As biscuits cook try to stir minimal times.  Mine was kind of mushy because I stirred to many times. But still tasted amazing.  Hubby, kids, mom and dad all loved it.  



Mini Apple Pies

I also made these wonderful Mini Apple Pies this weekend.   I found the recipe on Pinterst and will post the link at the bottom.

Start by cutting up eight cups of apples into small 1/2in bits.

 

Mix the apples with:
12 tablespoons of flour
1 1/2c of sugar
4 heaping teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg (depending on how much you like nutmeg...you could also leave it out)

You will also need:
4 tablespoons of chilled butter cut into 24 equal portions.
two boxes of pilsbury pie crusts (four chilled NOT frozen crusts)

Make sure you stir everything around getting the apples nice and coated.

Unroll your first pie crust and cut several circles out. Continue this until you have enough crusts.

I found that a wide mouth mason jar ring worked perfectly.

Line each cup of your muffin tin with a tiny pie crust.
I found that pinching the edge of the dough around the top edge of the tin and making a hammock of sorts worked really well. You can then gently fill the crusts with your apple mixture and push the crusts down the rest of the way.

 

You should be able to fill until slightly mounded.

 

Then take your equally divided butter... put a dab on each pie.

 

Cover as desired with left over dough. Brush with melted butter and bake at 400 for 18 to 22 minutes. I started checking in on mine at 10 minutes and checked every two until they were perfect.

http://pinterest.com/pin/703756161981723/

Crack Potatoes (I didn't make the name)

OMG these were so good.  I was glad since this was the fist time ever making them.  It's always exciting and scary at the same time when making something new for the first time. :)  I hope you enjoy them.




2 packets of ranch mix
1 bag of real bacon bits (I cooked bacon and crumbled it up)
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 (16oz) sour cream
1 bag frozen shredded hasbrowns. I used a 30oz bag

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large (I mean large bowl) then combine the hashbrowns in.  Place in a 13x9 baking dish and back at 400* for 45-60 minutes.  Or until golden brown on the top.

Here is where I found these on Pinterest.  http://pinterest.com/pin/703756162010855/

Mini Cheeseburger Pies

Burger Mixture
1lb lean ground beef
1 large onion chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Baking Mixture
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup bisquick mix (I used generic save a lot kind)
2 eggs

Garnishes
kosher dill pickles
tomato chopped
ketchup, mustard

Directions
Heat over to 375 degrees. Coat a 12 muffin pan with cooking spray.

Brown hamburger with onions on medium heat till cooked through. Drain well for 5 minutes.  Stir in remaining ingredients of Burger Mixture and set to the side.

Combine ingredients in Baking mixture and mix well.  Place mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup. Just enough to coat the bottom.  Add about 1/4 cup Burger mixture then top with more baking mixture on each muffin.

Bake for 30 min or until toothpick comes out clean in the middle of a muffin.  Top should be golden brown.  Serve pickles, tomatoes, ketchup and mustard- optional.

Only changes I would make is if you like cheese I'd add more cheese in the burger mixture or maybe putting some on top once they are browned??? Just an idea.

I found this recipe online @  http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-mini-cheeseburger-pies/ef22573e-bd2f-49fe-a240-d53ecdb76920#?st=6&term=cheeseburger pies&ps=9&pi=9&fv=AND(HasGridViewImage%3ATrue)

Baked BBQ Chicken

Well I just threw this together.  We've been wanting to BBQ but I'm not so good on the grill and with Travis not getting home till later in the evening I was going to get BBQ one way or another :)

Ingredients

Chicken ( I used drumbsticks)
bbq sauce
brown sugar- couple tablespoons
ketchup- squirt or two
mustard-small squirt
catalina dressing- squirt or two

I boiled my chicken first so it would already be cooked through. Then drained it. Placed a 13X9 baking dish lined with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Placed chicken in pan.

Mix- bbq sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, dressing then poured over the top of the chicken.

Bake for 30-40 min until bbq sauce is bubbly and turn chicken about 1/2 way through.

I served my chicken with Three cheese potatoes (post below) and corn on the cob.

Three Cheese Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced chives
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 table spoons butter
1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a double thickness of greased heavy-duty foil (about 18 in square) Dot with butter.

Fold foil around potato mixture and seal tightly. Grill covered over medium heat for 15-18 minutes on each side or until potatoes are tender.

Carefully open foil. Sprinkle the bacon and cheeses over potatoes. Grill 3-5 minutes longer or until cheeses are melted. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Yeild 4-6 servings.

NOW WHAT I ACTUALLY DID:

cut potatoes and boiled till almost tender, then drained. Put foil into a baking dish allowing enough on top to fold closed. Placed potatoes inside foil and placed butter over potatoes, added parmesan cheese, seasoned salt, pepper, onion, and garlic stirred around a bit. Fold foil closed and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 min. Then removed and added cheeses and bacon, closed foil and baked for another 20 min. This was delicious.

Chicken Enchilada's

Ingredients



10 soft tortilla shells
2 cups shreded chicken (I used about 4 cups to make it meatier)
2 cups monteray jack shreded cheese
2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp flour ( used 4 Tbsp to thicken more)
3 Tbsp butter
1 4oz can diced green chili's
1 cup sour cream

Pre-heat oven to 350degrees.  Spray 13X9 pan with cooking spray.  Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese and roll up in tortilla's and place in baking dish.

On med/low heat melt butter and add flour.  Wisk well and add chicken broth.  Bring to a boil until thick and bubbly (this is where I added the extra Tbsp of flour). Remove from heat add green chili's and sour cream.  Wisk well.  DO NOT BOIL sour cream unless you want it chucky.  Just enough heat to get it creamy.
Pour over enchilada's and top with 1 cup cheese.  Bake for 22 min then broil for 3 min to brown cheese.

And there you have it.  Chicken Enchilada's.

Both my kids loved it and my hubby.  They all thought it was better than our local mexian place we usually go to.  Well next time we want mexican I might just make this again.  A LOT CHEAPER.

I figured it up.  It cost me $13.10 to make this for a family of 4.  So it comes out to $3.28 a person.  Can't beat that. It normailly cost of $32 to eat at the mexican resturant. Just saved $18.90.

Calzone

CALZONE

BEGINNING

MIDDLE 

END RESULT....YUMMY!

This recipe was very easy and simple.  It didn't take much longer than making a regular pizza but did require a little more since you criss cross the strips over the top.  But all in all very simple.

Ingredients
pizza dough- enough to cover the cooking sheet.
pizza sauce
cheese of your choice
meat of your choice (I used hamburger and pepperoni)
Italian seasoning optional

Pre Heat over to 350 degrees.

Prepare Pizza dough or you can also use crossants or pre-made pizza dough if you choose to.  Spread out to fill the pan space.  If it goes over that's fine it will just be larger.  Place pizza sauce, meat and cheese in the middle. Then take a knife (I used kitchen scissors instead) and cut slits 1/4 in apart. Don't cut all the way to the middle otherwise it will ooze out.   Once slits are cut then you start crossing them from side to side.  I went to the middle then started at the other end and then they overlapped a little bit.

Bake for 25-30 min until golden brown and cheese is melted.  And enjoy.

I got this recipe off Pinterst and it was great.  The whole family loved it.

Cheesy Chicken & Rice

I actually found this recipe in my coupon insert next to a campbell's coupon and it was pretty yummy.  I forgot to take a picture too so next time I make it I'll be sure to add it on here.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/4 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 can 10.75 oz cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked regular long grain white rice
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and cook 10 min or until well browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet.  Stir soup, water, onion powder, pepper and rice in skillet and heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 15 min, stirring once halfway through cooking time.  Stir in vegetables. Return chicken to skillet. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook 5 min or until chicken is cooked through and rice is tender.

Enjoy.

More recipes at campbells.com

9 year old Scrambled Eggs

Ok so below is what my daughter is learning right now.  Grandma got her a mini skillet and she made herself some scrambled eggs the other day.  Too cute.

Ingredients
2 eggs
handful of cheddar cheese
salt
pepper

She put two eggs in a bowl and mixed up.  She then added some cheese (probablly a little more than necessary) salt and pepper and mixed it up.  She sprayed the skillet with pam and heated it up.  Then poured eggs in and cooked.

Super easy if a 9 year old can do it :) Oh she also had some toast with it too.

Thick N Chunky Beef Stew

Another crockpot wonder.

2 packages of stew meat (I cut pieces in 1/2 also)
1 bag frozen veggies
4-5 medium potato's
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onions or onion powder
rosemary
2-4 packets brown gravy mix

1.  Brown meat in a skillet on med heat until no pink shows. 
2.  Place in crockpot the night before and set to low with 2 packets of brown gravy mixed with 2 cups water.  Let it cook all night.
3.  When you wake up peel and cube the potato's, rinse and mix in with meat.
4.  Add frozen veggies.
5.  Depending on size you may need to add more brown gravy mix.  You want enough juices in there to cover contents so it doesn't dry out.
6.  Add spices and mix well.

Cook in crockpot on high for approx 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until potato's are tender.

*Note- I sometimes add 1 can of drained corn about an hour before it's done.  My kids love extra corn.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Lasagna

So lasagna is pretty simple..I think. It is a little time consuming so hopfully I've made a few adjustments to help make it a little faster.

Now when I do lasagna I double it.  I will end up baking one right away then feeze one.  I usually cook it with a month.  Otherwise it tends to taste a little dry if you freeze it any longer than that. But whatever your comfortable with. 

Ingredients
2 pounds hamburger
1 box lasagna noodles
1 1/2 jars pasta sauce (any kind/flavor)
1 large container of cottage cheese
4 cups motzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
italian seasoning

1.  Brown hamburger and drain well.
2.  Break lasagna noodles into 2 or 3 pieces or leave whole which ever you choose.  I just throw the pieces in.  No one can taste if its broken up or not.  (I usually start the water while I cook the hamburger)
3.  Once noodles and hamburger are done spray the bottom and sides of a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.
4.  Layer a good amount of sauce on the bottom. This keeps noodles from sticking.
5.  Layer noodles, sauce, hamburger, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and motzarella cheese.  Repeat 3-4 times depending on size of your pan.
6.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 min then take foil off and bake for another 15-20 min until cheese is slighly golden brown on top or to your liking.

For a side dish we usually do salad and rolls of some kind.

Enjoy!

Update

Well I apologize for not posting more receipes lately.  I had the flu all week last week.  Then I must have passed it along to the kids because they were sick over the weekend.  On a good note.. We all are ok now.

I will try to get back to posting tomorrow.  If I can remember.  Just been so busy lately with the holidays etc.

Hope everyone had a good Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Now we'll get cookin on 2012!!

Chicken-parmesan Bundles

4 oz (1/2 of 8 oz pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided

6 tbsp. Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 lb) pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 egg

10 Ritz crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, heated

Heat oven 375

Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella and 3 tbsp parmesan until well blended; spread onto chicken breasts.  Starting at 1 short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly.  Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired.

Beat egg in shallow dish.  Mix remaining parmesan and cracker crumbs in separate shallow dish.  Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture.  Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done (165 degrees). Remove and discard toothpicks, if using.  Serve topped with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella.

This recipe came from my brother's girlfriend Ashley.  And it is Yummy!!

Healthy Holiday Tips

Fist off, I just want to say thank you to everyone who views my blog.  I hope everyone is enjoying the recipes.  I've already had many compliments on it so that makes me happy :)

I know almost everyone worries about thier weight around the holidays.  I know I do.  But I'll be the first to admit I love food. Who doesn't right.  I've found  a few helpful tips to help you out through the holiday season.

**Instead of eating off a large dinner plate try using a lunch plate (smaller).  I've done this before and it has helped dramatically.

** 20 Minute rule. Wait 20 minutes before getting seconds.  This gives your brain time to register how full you really are.

** If you're going to a party have some fruit beforfe you arrive.  Bannana's, organes, apples are loaded in fiber and help keep your blood sugare more stable and helps prevent food cravings.

** You can drink 8oz of water 20 minutes before a meal helping to feel full sooner while your eating.

Now I know I'm no expert but these are a few things I've done through out the years to help.  And maybe they will work for you too. Worth a shot :)

I wish you all a very Merry Chirstmas and a safe and Happy New Year!! 

Brittney

Taco Dip

Here is a yummy dip and it's fairly quick to make if you need something last minute.

2 packages cream cheese-softened
1 can refried beans
1 taco seasoning packet
onion powder or salt (You can use real onion if you like it just cut it up small)
mixed cheddar/mozzarella cheese
tomato- chopped
lettuce- chopped
Tortilla chips

Mix cream cheese, refried beans, seasoning, onion powder on med with a mixer. Spread mixture into a 13x9 baking dish.  Top with tomato, lettuce and cheese.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Refridgerate leftovers.

Better than sex cake......

This is very sweet so fair warning lol

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 tub cool whip
1 jar hersheys hot fudge
1 jar hersheys caramel
heath candy bars broken up (you can also use butterfinger candy bars too)

Bake cake according to package directions.  When done take a wooden spoon and use the handle to poke holes all over the cake.  The more the better.  Then warm in the microwave the hershey's hot fudge and carmel.  You may need to stir a few times.  Pour over the cake making sure to saturate the entire cake.  You can use your spoon to spread into the holes of the cake.  Allow to cool and cover the top with a good layer of cool whip.  Then top with the chuncks of heath bars.

Enjoy.

If you have left over's I would put in the fridge since it has the cool whip.  But we don't usually have to many leftovers.

Pickle Roll Ups

Most people have had these at one point in time but these are a hit in our family so I thought I'd post it.

1 jar dill pickle spears
1 package softened cream cheese
1 package budding beef

place beef on a plate and spread a layer of cream cheese across it then place a pickle on one edge and roll it up.  You can leave them whole or cut into pieces.  My kids like to use fancy toothpicks in the pieces so people can just grab the tootpick and eat. :)

Caramel Corn

6 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda

Place popcorn in a large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat; stirring occasionally.  Revove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda, mix well.  Pour over popcorn and stir until well coated.  Pour into two greased 13x9x2 inch baking pans. Bake uncovered at 250 degrees for 45 minutes stirfing ever 15 min.  Cool competly. Store in air tight containers or plastic bags.

Makes approximatly 5 1/2 quarts