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!

Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

This another Sister's Cafe recipe! Can you tell I recently went through their archives? They have lots of wonderful recipes, so you should check them out. This marinade can be used on chicken, fish, or beef. I marinated these chicken breasts for 8 hours and they were loaded with flavor. It is a little on the saltier side as far as flavor, but my kids and I love salt so we loved this! Super simple meal and great for not heating up the house.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oil (I used vegetable)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons mustard ( I used dijon)
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic (I used one small clove)

Directions:

Mix well. Pour over meat, then let marinate for 6-8 hours in the fridge.

Southwestern Chicken Nachos

I found this recipe on the Sister's Cafe and switched it up a little. The original recipe has you cook the chicken in Pace Picante sauce, but I chose to use homemade salsa. The toppings you could add on this are endless. I think next time I'll add black olives and green onion too. Super simple and great for a busy day meal.

Ingredients:

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce (I used homemade salsa, recipe here)
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro
diced avocado

(I also added lettuce and salsa, but I would recommend black olives and green onions too.)

Directions:
Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.

Grilled Cheese Supreme

So I saw an article in Better Homes and Garden magazine for variations of a grilled cheese sandwich and they looked so good, why hadn't I ever thought of it? I altered one of the recipes to my family's liking and it turned out really good. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

french bread, thinly sliced

monterey jack cheese

crispy bacon

sliced avacado

sliced tomato

1 Tb. mayo mixed with1 tsp. honey

butter

Directions:

Butter one side of each slice of bread. On the unbuttered side add the mayo/honey spread and top with cheese and remaining filling. In a skillet or griddle cook for 3-4 minutes per side over medium heat or until toasted to your liking and cheese is melted. 

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

I found this recipe at the Sister's Cafe and adapted it slightly to our liking. This is a wonderful summer meal. It was very flavorful and filling and you don't have to heat up the house to make it! Probably not going to be a salad the kiddos will like but I just threw some hot dogs on the grill while I had it fired up.

Ingredients: (use the following to your liking)

chopped hearts of romaine

sliced grilled chicken, (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning)

sliced red onion

crumbled crispy bacon

shredded mozarella cheese

candied almonds, (heat sugar over medium heat till turns to liquid, then add sliced almonds and toss till coated, cool on wax paper)

the dressing: (I halved this recipe and I had tons left over)

1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb. vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb. poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil. Blend until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Top over the above salad and enjoy!

Questions Answered....

While I have not fallen off the face of the earth like some of you might think, I am just wrapping up the summer and adjusting back into a real schedule again. The summer was fun and very busy. I think we were either out of town or had family in town for the entire month of July. It's now August and school is back in session. I am hoping to catch back up to blogging again. My camera cord has been missing and I finally gave up looking and ordered a new one so hopefully my next post will be soon! And yes, I did remove the comments from my blog, only because I have a hard time getting back to your blogs to return the comment. You can always e-mail though if you have any questions. Thanks for sticking with me! Be back soon....

California Grilled Veggie Sandwiches

So before you think, gross veggie sandwich, (at least that's what I was thinking), you have to give this one a try! I promise you will not miss the meat, it has so much flavor, and GOOD flavor! I loved these so much that I served them at my 4th of July BBQ too. Oh yeah, and did I mention, super quick and super simple to make? Great summer time meal.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mayonnaise 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/8 cup olive oil

1 cup sliced red bell pepper

1 small zucchini, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1 small yellow squash, sliced

ciabatta bread

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Mix mayo, garlic, and lemon juice together. Chill in refrigerator.

2. Brush veggies with olive oil and grill for about 3 minutes, turn and grill for an additional 3 minuted. (If you have a grill basket it is super handy for this meal.)

3. Spread mayo mixture on cut sides of bread and top with feta. Grill bread, cheese side up, until lightly toasted and cheese melts, BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THEM!

4. Remove bread from grill and top with grilled veggies. These can be open faced or as a normal sandwich. Enjoy!

Marinated Grilled Shrimp

Some of you may or may not know my husband is doing P90X right now and there is a nutrition plan that goes along with it. If you've spent anytime on my blog then you know I am NOT a healthy cook! My husband has been after me to cook a few healthy meals a week for him and this is when this recipe came into play. He asked me to cook fish...well this is about as close to fish as it gets in my house. I don't eat sea creatures. They stink and they still look like the original creature when you buy them! I will however eat shrimp. It doesn't stink or have eyes looking at me when I buy it. Anyways, we grilled these up the other night and man were they good! Even my kids devoured them. These are definitely worth trying.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled and de-veined

Directions:

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add shrimp, cover and refrigerate for an hour. Preheat grill to medium heat. Thread shrimp on skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2-3 minutes per side.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

We love buffalo chicken at our house, so when I ran across this recipes at allrecipes.com, I knew it was a must try. It's was a great busy day meal because it cooks in the crock pot. It was definitely too spicy for the kiddos but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts

1 bottle of Frank's Red Hot BUFFALO Wing Sauce

1-2 Tbsp. dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix

2 Tbsp. butter

6 hoagie rolls

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, and pour 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix over top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, then shred the meat with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls and add a splash of remaining sauce if desired.

*I topped ours with lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese and drizzled ranch dressing over each one. Yummo!

Yummy Fruit Dip

This is another dessert I made for the baby shower I threw a week or so ago. Super simple, only two ingredients!

                              

Ingredients:

1 7oz. container of marshmallow creme

1 8oz. container cream cheese, (I used plain, but you can use strawberry too)

Directions:

Using a hand mixer beat the two ingredients together until well combined. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Southwestern Rice Bowls

I found a recipe on favfamilyrecipes.blogspot.com for Southwestern Rice Bowls and I made my own variation of them. These were super good! Everyone in the family enjoyed them. I will definitely be making these again.

Ingredients:
Spanish Rice, prepared (click here for my recipe)
2 chicken breasts, cooked (cook in taco seasoning and chicken broth for about 4 hours in the crock pot, then dice or shred)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
shredded lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
sliced black olives
tortilla chips, crumbled

Dressing:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. Hidden Valley Ranch mix
(mix above ingredients and chill)
Just prior to serving, add 1/3 cup homemade salsa (click here for my recipe) and mix till combined.

Directions:
1. Heat corn and black beans.
2. Layer the following in 3-4 bowls:
Spanish rice
black beans
corn
chicken
cheese
lettuce
olives
drizzle dressing over top and garnish with crushed tortilla chips, enjoy!

Cake Pops

I made these for a baby shower last night and had a lot of people ask me how I made them, so I figured I 'd post them. I've seen people all over blogland making these and putting their own cute twists on them. I used the directions from Bakerella and it's super simple, just a little time consuming.

Ingredients:

1 box cake mix (cooked as directed on box)

1  16oz. tub frosting (I used cream cheese frosting)

1 package of chocolate bark or candy melts (any additional candy melts if you choose to drizzle them)

sucker sticks

Directions:

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 tub frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. I used my cookie scooper to get a consistent size and I ended up with 47)
4. Insert sucker sticks and chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and place on wax paper until firm. Drizzle with additional colors if you choose. 

BBQ Chicken n' Cheddar Sandwiches

So I found this recipe over at the Recipe Shoebox, if you haven't visited this blog- check it out, Lara has lots of yummy recipes! This one was no exception, the entire family enjoyed these. They were very filling and very easy to make. You may want to leave the chipotle pepper out if you have little ones, they will still taste great!

Ingredients:

4 strips bacon, halved crosswise
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lbs)
salt and pepper
1 cup favorite BBQ sauce
1/2 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
1/4 cup water
4 large onion rolls, split (we used onion hamburger buns)
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Fry bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Cook chicken in bacon fat until browned on one side, about 4 minutes.  Flip chicken and add barbecue sauce, chipotle pepper (if desired), and water.  Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet and slice into bite size pieces.  Arrange onion rolls cut side up on baking sheet.  Divide chicken among bottom haves of rolls and top with sauce, cheese, and bacon.  Bake open-faced sandwiches in oven until cheese melts and rolls are golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Top each sandwich with toasted roll top.  Serve immediately with a fruit smoothie on the side.  Makes 4 sandwiches.  Enjoy!  

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner

This is another one skillet meal from America's Test Kitchen, although I ran across it first on Teresa's blog,  A Blog About Food. The recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes as well, but for some reason they seemed to have missed my grocery list that week so I made it without- and it was still good. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, minced

salt

pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine

8 ounces penne

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)

1 (5 oz) bag spinach

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Skillet Tamale Pie

My sister bought me the 10 year Complete America's Test Kitchen cookbook for Mother's Day and I have been going through it like a mad woman marking the millions of recipes I want to try. This was one of them. First off, I love any meal that only uses one pan! The tamale filling was full of flavor and perfectly accented with a homemade cornbread topping. The meal came together pretty quickly and created little mess. Definitely a keeper!

Ingredients:

TAMALE FILLING:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, minced

2 Tbsp. chili powder

table salt

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 15oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro ( I used probably 2-3 times this much!)

CORNBREAD TOPPING:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal 

3 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

3 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. TAMALE FILLING- heat the oil in a 12 inch oven-safe skillet (I used my hutch oven) over medium heat. Add onion, chili powder, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook till fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the ground beef, bean, and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and break up meat with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheddar cheese and cilantro and season with salt and pepper. 

4. CORNBREAD TOPPING- whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until uniform. Stir in the cooled butter until just combined.

5. Dallop the cornbread batter evenly over the tamale filling, then spread into an even layer. Bake until the cornbread is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bake

I know this totally doesn't look appetizing but it's one of those comfort foods that tastes great and looks awful. I found the recipe at Baking Like Betty (and I think she found it at Sisters Cafe), but either way it was great and my family enjoyed it. I made two, froze one, and am happy to report they were both equally great. Sometimes things aren't as great after being frozen but this one was. Try it and see what you think.

Ingredients:

2 pkgs reduced sodium Stuffing mix ( I didn't use reduced sodium)

1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of chicken soup

1 C milk

1/2 tsp pepper

3/4 lb sliced deli ham, cut into 1" strips

8 Swiss cheese slices, or 1 C shredded

2 C cheddar cheese, shredded 

2 C cooked chicken, ( I used canned chicken from Costco, and pulled apart the chunks)

Directions:

Prepare stuffing mixes according to directions on box. Meanwhile in a bowl, combine soup and milk. Put chicken in a greased 9x13 or 2 8x8's (that's what I did for two small family batches). Sprinkle chicken with pepper. Layer ham, swiss, cheddar, soup mixture, and finally top with stuffing as final layer. At this point you can freeze or bake for 45 minutes at 350. If frozen, thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes before baking. Cover with foil and bake 350 for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer. If using 8x8 cut baking time to about 30 minutes covered, 5-10 uncovered.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

So this salad is a re-post from well over a year ago, but it is so good that it's worth posting again! I recently made it for a party we went to and I can never get enough of it. There was tons of food at the party and I seriously only ate a huge plate of this salad. Love it!

Ingredients:
1 lb. spinach (I added some red and green leaf too)
1 qt. strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup almonds
1 Tbsp. sugar

Dressing: whisk together the following
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup or little less, sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced green onion
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions:
1. Toast almonds in sugar in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Place on wax paper to cool.
2. Combine spinach, strawberries, and candied almonds.
3. Toss dressing over salad just prior to serving, otherwise it will be soggy.

Southwest Summer Pork Chops

This recipe is courtesy of Tried and True Cooking with Heidi, thanks Heidi! I almost always bread pork chops because it keeps them so tender and moist, but I found this recipe while browsing the blog world the other day and they looked so good. These had great flavor and everyone in the family enjoyed them. I bought thin cut pork chops so they cooked really quickly on the bbq- great summer time meal so you don't have to heat up the house! Give them a try and let me know what you think-

Ingredients:

4 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
6 bone-in pork loin chops (I used boneless)
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece)
2 TBSP lemon juice

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; rub over pork chops. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine barbecue sauce and lemon juice; add the pork chops; Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Discard marinade. If grilling the pork chops, coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 6 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°

Wicker Patio Chairs...Before and After

I have been searching Craigslist, Goodwill, and Garage Sales for the last couple months in hopes of finding the the perfect wicker chairs for my front porch. Well, all that time searching finally paid off! I found a man on Craigslist selling these beauties for $15 each!!! That is a major steal if you've ever looked into buying wicker before. Of course I couldn't leave them as is either- after a few coats of black spray paint they were just what I was visioning in my head.

BEFORE

AFTER

PERFECT! JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR!

thanks craigslist!

BBQ Chicken Spaghetti

So anyone who reads this blog on a some-what regular basis will know that I love ranch and cilantro. Well Picky Palate has done it again! She has created yet another fabulous meal using my favorite ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 lb. angel hair

4 Tbsp. olive oil (I know I am bad, but I used butter!)

1/2 large red onion, diced

2 Tbsp. + ranch dressing mix

3/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves

shredded bbq chicken (I put 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot topped with KC Masterpiece for 4-5 hours on low)

Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain and run under cold water.

2. Place olive oil (or butter :) in large pot over medium heat and saute the diced red onion. Add cooked noodles, ranch, and cilantro. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Place noodle mixture on serving plates and top with shredded bbq chicken.