Berries & Cream

I found this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine and it looked delicious! It was quick, easy to throw together, and tasted great! We had company over for dinner and I made this for dessert. Everyone licked their dish clean. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 loaf of pound cake, thawed

4oz. cream cheese, softened

1 + cup marshmallow creme

fresh sliced strawberries

fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Cut pound cake into 1/2" cubes. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow creme until smooth.

2. Layer cake and berries alternately in serving dishes. Top with a dollop of cream cheese mixture and garnish with blueberries on top. Chill until serving.

Meaty Manicotti

This is the first time I've ever made manicotti, don't know why, but my family loved it so I am sure I will make it often now. This one was super easy to make and has pretty basic ingredients in it that I typically  have on hand. I made all 14 which is an entire package of noodles and it was too much for my family of four. Just one filled me up and my husband only ate 2, so super filling!

INGREDIENTS:

14 uncooked manicotti shells

1 pound Italian sausage (I like sweet the best)

3/4 lb. ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

3oz. cream cheese, cubed

1/4 tsp. salt

4 cups of meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook manicotti shells according to package. Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook sausage and beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer, Drain and remove from heat. Cool for 10 minutes.

2. Drain shells and rinse in cold water. Stir mozzarella, cream cheese, salt, and meat mixture together. Spread 2 cups of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. 

3. Stuff each shell with about 1/4 cup of meat mixture, arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake and additional 5-10 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Wraps

We've been eating a lot of salads, sandwiches, and wraps at our house lately. This particular wrap has become one of our favorites. I found it on http://realmomkitchen.com a while back and we have had it several times. I typically use the uncooked tortillas from Costco rather then buying actual wraps. 

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 lb. sliced roasted chicken, from the deli

1/2 lb. black forest ham, from the deli

4 wedges of creamy swiss cheese (we have been using whipped cream cheese)

4 Tbsp. mayo

2 Tbsp. honey Dijon mustard

spinach or spring mix lettuce

4 tortillas/wraps

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix mayo and mustard together and set aside.

2. With each tortilla, spread cheese over entire tortilla. Next place a couple of slices of chicken, followed by a couple pieces of ham. 

3. Spread about 1 Tbsp. of mayo/mustard mixture evenly over the ham. Place a few pieces of lettuce on top and roll the tortilla into a log. Slice and serve.

Quesadillas de Carmarones (Shrimp Quesadillas...yum!)

Seriously?!! Where have I been? Are you tired of staring at the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe? It's been so long, since October long...yikes! Well, I am back and starting off with a bang, if you like shrimp. I found this recipe over at the Pioneer Women's site so there were no doubts it would be awesome! My husband loves fajitas and this recipe has a fajita twist to it so it worked out great. Super easy and super tasty.

INGREDIENTS:

flour tortillas (I prefer the Tortilla Land Uncooked from Costco, which you have to pre-cook for this recipe)

12+ whole LARGE shrimp, peeled and deveined

8oz can El Pato

1 whole large onion

1 Large Red Bell Pepper

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt to taste

butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour El Pato over shrimp and set aside.

2. Chop peppers and onions into large chunks. Heat skillet over high heat, add olive oil. Cook veggies over high heat until they start to brown. Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Return skillet to the high heat and dump shrimp and sauce, stirring occasionally until shrimp is opaque. (add a little water if sauce gets dry) Remove from skillet and chop into bite sized pieces. 

4. In a separate skillet, heat a drop of butter. Place tortilla in skillet and top with cheese, shrimp, veggies, and a little more cheese. Place a second tortilla on top. Cook both sides, adding a drop of butter before flipping. 

5. Remove from skillet and slice into wedges. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I found this recipe over at beckyhiggins.com a few weeks ago and gave it a try this past week. I love that it's not a traditional "brothy" chicken noodle soup. It's thicker and creamier which makes for a more filling meal. My kids absolutely loved it as did my nephew. This makes a great meal for cool fall day...which we are yet to have here. 

Ingredients:

2 chicken bouillon cubes (or 2 tsp. granules)
2 cans chicken broth
1 c. chopped carrots
2 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 (half) can cream of chicken soup
1/4 c. milk
1/2 cube (4 Tbsp.) butter
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (2 pieces)
4-6 oz. egg noodles

Directions:

Boil chicken until fully cooked. Cook egg noodles. Dissolve 2 bouillon cubes in 1 cup boiling water. Add chicken broth and vegetables to the liquid until tender. In separate bowl, whisk a half a can of cream of chicken soup and milk until smooth. Whisk soup and milk mixture into broth and vegetables. Melt butter then stir into flour. Add to soup mixture. Add chicken and noodles. Optional: Season to taste with salt & pepper or Schillings garlic & herb seasoning.

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

If you haven't tried my Cafe Rio Pork recipe yet then you are missing out! I actually get the most google hits on that post. It is so yummy! Anyways, I decided to make a double batch of pork last time and froze half of it to see how it would do. I am happy to report it is just as good. I decided to serve it over a salad this time using the cilantro lime ranch. Love it, love it! Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

Cafe Rio Pork (click here for recipe)

Hearts of romaine, chopped

black beans, drained and rinsed

corn

cherry tomatoes

mozzarella cheese

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (click here for recipe)

Directions:

Place chopped lettuce on serving plate and top with black beans, corn, tomatoes, pork, mozzarella, and drizzle cilantro lime ranch over top. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Bruschetta Pasta

Ugh! It's getting darker way too early now! Sorry for the horrible shadow...AGAIN! This pasta is definitely one for the adults, not kids. My kids just wanted to know where the meatballs were. You can make this as is or you can also add some grilled chicken in with it  for a more filling meal. It tastes great either way.

Ingredients:

1 lb. wheat spaghetti, prepared (reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid)

3-4 large tomatoes, diced

1 cup fresh packed basil, finely chopped

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup diced red onion

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. Red Wine vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

grilled chicken (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and toss to coat.

Caramel S'more Cups

I hope everyone had a fun Labor Day weekend! My family and I just got back from a fun week at Lake Powell and it's good to be back on solid ground again! I made these cookies before I left and am finally getting a chance to post them. They were as yummy as they look. You can't wrong with a chocolate chip cookie, rolos, marshmallows, and chocolate all in one! 

Ingredients:

1 pouch of Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

24 Rolos, unwrapped

72 mini marshmallows

1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. Make cookie dough as directed on package. Shape dough into 24 1 1/2" balls and place into muffin cups.

3. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from oven; firmly press one rolo in the center of each cookie and top with 3 marshmallows. Bake 2-4 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffy. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan.

4. Once completely cooled, melt chocolate chips in a ziploc bag (about a minute). Cut of a corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate on each cookie. Let stand until hardened.

Oriental Chicken Salad

Sorry for the awful shadow on the picture. It's becoming a bigger and bigger problem as we are getting closer to fall. I found this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe, a fabulous site if you've never been there before. I thought this tasted very similar to the Oriental Chicken Salad at Paradise Bakery, which is one of my favs! This dinner is super simple to throw together for a last minute meal. Don't let the ramen noodles scare you, they actually taste really good!

Ingredients:

1 package (3 ounces) oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix 
½ cup pre-sliced almonds
 red wine vinaigrette ( simple recipe below)
1/2 package (16 ounces) coleslaw mix or broccoli slaw mix (I used the coleslaw)
1 package romaine lettuce (I used hearts of romaine, finely chopped)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 scallions, both white and light green parts, chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Break up the ramen noodles with your hands and place them and the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the noodles and almonds turn light brown, 6 to 7 minutes.

Place the slaw mix (I only use 1/2 bag), romaine lettuce, chicken, and scallions in a large serving bowl.

Toss to combine the ingredients well. Just before serving, pour the salad dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Scatter the toasted almonds and noodles on top and serve.

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course

Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette

Whisk together:
¾ cup vegetable oil
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
Ramen noodles seasoning packet

Shredded Beef Tacos

I love these tacos! I have been making our beef tacos this way for the past couple of years and they never disappoint. I have posted them here on my blog before with a yummy garnish that is worth trying too. It's an easy crock pot meal that requires very little ingredients. You can also substitute the beef for chicken and the beef broth for chicken broth with great results too.

Ingredients:

beef tip roast

2 packets of your favorite taco seasoning

1 can beef broth

1 small diced onion

Directions:

Pour beef broth in crock pot and mix in taco seasonings with a whisk. Place roast in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove roast from juices and shred. Serve in warm tortillas with toppings of choice!

Recommendations:

• I love the uncooked tortillas from Costco, once you try them you'll never go back.
• My favorite toppings- lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, this salsa, avocado or guacamole 
• I've used low sodium beef broth and low sodium taco seasonings and it still turns out great
• This rice (pictured above) makes the perfect side dish, but this one is good too!