Sweet Treat Tuesday-Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Just in time for Easter! I made this cake Sunday for our small group and it was definitely a hit! This would be a perfect dessert for Easter Sunday! It was very easy to prepare and tasted divine!! I made my cake the night before and added the strawberries and icing the next day. This is a cake you must try, trust me, you will be sorry if you don't!

picture from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

Cake
1-½ cup Flour
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
½ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
9 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Softened
1-½ cup Sugar
3 whole Large Eggs
½ cups Sour Cream, Room Temperature
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Icing
½ pounds Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
2 sticks Unsalted Butter
1-½ pound Powdered Sugar, Sifted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 pound Strawberries

Directions:
IMPORTANT: Be sure to use a cake pan that’s at least 2 inches deep! Before baking, the batter should not fill the pan more than halfway.

Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.

Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.

Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.

Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. I used my pastry cutter and it worked great! Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.

Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.

Slice cake in half through the middle. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.

Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.
Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.

Cake is best when served slightly cool. For best results, store in the fridge!

Beans and Cornbread

Does it get any better than a warm bowl of pinto beans and hot cornbread? I mean it. I can make the most extravagant dish, and still, when I make a big pot of beans and some hot cornbread to go along with it, I remember that this is my favorite thing in the world to eat. Hands down. Another plus to this dish? It is SUPER cheap and you can eat on it for days! Unfortunately, I don't make beans very often, because a certain husband of mine likes to have meat at dinner time. So, since he was working late two nights in a row last week, I decided to make these and boy were they yummy! I cooked mine in a crock pot, but you can just as easily cook them on the stove top. It is a must that you prepare cornbread with these beans. I repeat, you must make cornbread to accompany these beans. Enough said.

Easy Pinto Beans
*I made a very large pot of beans and froze half of them, this recipe would work just perfectly halved.

Ingredients:
2 lbs cranberry beans (you can use pinto, but I have found cranberry to be more flavorful.)
1 package onion soup mix
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

Directions:
The night before you want to cook the beans, wash them in a strainer and place in a pot filled with fresh water and cover. Let the beans soak over night. In the morning, pour off the water used for soaking and place beans in crock pot. Fill with water. Add onion soup mix to crock pot and turn pot on high for 4 hours. After cooking for 4 hours, add salt and pepper, stir. Reduce heat to low, or warm if your crock pot cooks at a higher temperature, and continue to cook for another hour or so until beans are soft and ready to eat. Serve with cornbread.

Sweet Treat Tuesday-Perfect Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe and decided to make them today for dessert tonight at small group. I think they turned out very yummy. Mine were a "fuller" cookie than hers. Hers were actually very flat, and mine definitely were not, but I liked them that way.

Perfect Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
slightly adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:

1 cup oatmeal (not quick)
2 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoons vanilla
1 cup coconut (I used about 1/3 cup)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put the top 4 ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend about 30 seconds until coarse. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 30 seconds until light in color. Add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Next, add the dry ingredients then add the coconut and chocolate chips. Shape cookie dough into balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes. Let the cookies cool slightly before removing them from the pan to a wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. (I used a cookie scoop that made about 1 inch balls and I yielded about 56 cookies.)

Fluffy Stuffed New Potatoes

I love twice baked potatoes. And these are pretty awesome! And the best part is that they made with red potatoes, which makes them a little bit healthier, minus all the yummy stuff that goes in them! haha! These are easy and yummy, definitely try them!

Fluffy Stuffed New Potatoes

slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

3-4 medium/large red potatoes

2 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and Colby/Monterrey)

1 TBSP green onions/chives chopped

Salt

Pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry potatoes. Drizzle olive oil on potatoes and massage into potatoes. Sprinkle kosher salt on the outside of potatoes. Place in preheated oven and bake 30 minutes, or until cooked through. You'll know they are cooked when a fork is easily inserted and removed. I turned mine over half way through so as not to burn on one side. Set aside and let cool for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Place cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, and green onions in a bowl. Now, after letting the potatoes sit for 15 minutes, slice each of them down the middle and scrape the insides of the potato out, leaving a small rim of potato inside the skin. Dump the potato into the mixing bowl of the filling. Now, using a potato masher, mash away until the filling is all mixed together. Salt and Pepper to your taste. I actually didn't add and Salt and Pepper at this point. I salted and peppered before I placed them back in the oven.

Now fill each of the potato shells with the filling. I used a small cookie scoop. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven until heated through, about 15-20 minutes.

Delish!

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Ah, breakfast casserole, how I love you. Your spicy sausage, eggs, and cheesy goodness get me every time. I could eat this every morning. But, alas, I choose not to. This is a great dish to take to a breakfast get together, MOPS meeting, or make for breakfast on a holiday or when you have company. You can easily prepare it the night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning with no fuss. This is by far, one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. Yum!

Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:
6 slices bread (I recommend white or this), cubed
1 pound sausage (I recommend spicy), browned, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon, salt
pepper to taste

Directions:
Cube bread and place evenly in greased 9x13 pan or baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with sausage and then cheese. Mix eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour over ingredients in pan. May cover and chill overnight. (if left overnight, remove from refrigerator 15 minutes before baking). Bake 45 minutes at 325 degrees or until set. Cut into squares to serve.

Creamy Mashed New Potatoes

Let me be honest. I rarely use Russet potatoes. I almost always use red potatoes because they are healthier. And, I almost always keep the skins on. I prepared these this week to go with our Pecan Crusted Tilapia in Rum Butter Sauce and Green Beans. They were perfect. You could omit the green onions, but I wouldn't.


Creamy Mashed New Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 medium to large red potatoes
2 oz cream cheese
4 TBSP butter
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:
Cut potatoes in half and place in pot of salted, boiling water. Boil until cooked. You will know they are cooked when a fork is easily inserted into the potatoes. Drain all water off and return to pan and place back on burner on medium heat. Mash with a potato masher to release excess steam. Add butter with masher, then add cream cheese with masher. Finally, add heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper, and green onions. Serve hot!

Honey Wheat Bread

Ahh...fresh baked bread. Is there a better smell in a kitchen? I have been craving some honey wheat bread and decided to see if I could find a recipe for one online. I tried one from The Food Network and changed a couple of things. It was phenomenal! Especially hot out of the oven. My boys gobbled it up! It kind of tastes like the bread from Outback Steakhouse. It is crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, just perfect! I've been serving at sandwich bread for my boys and they love it. It made 3 large loaves. Delicious! FYI, it is pretty crumbly, so be prepared for a mess when your little ones eat it! I used all purpose flour, I'm wondering if I had used bread flour if it wouldn't have been so crumbly?

Honey Wheat Bread
adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 package dry yeast or 2 1/4 tsp
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 stick softened butter, mine was almost melted
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, plus some for sprinkling on top
3 cups bread flour (I used all purpose.)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients, knead for about seven minutes or until dough is no longer wet but smooth. I used my dough hook and let the mixer do the work. Let bread rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours), punch down and shape into loaves. You could probably put this in a loaf pan and bake it like that as well. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Let bread double in size again. Sprinkle extra oats on top and bake 25-30 minutes until crusty and brown on top.

Sweet Treat Tuesday- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie

A few years ago I attended a potluck Christmas party and tasted a delicious chocolate pie. I'm not kidding you, I thought of this pie often. I've tried a pudding pie recipe before that used Jello pudding mix, but it wasn't the same. Last week, I came across this recipe on Mommy's Kitchen and decided to try it. It was a cinch to prepare and it tasted so good! I didn't even make the meringue topping, and it still tasted wonderful. I suggest you make this and dare you to control yourself from sneaking your fork into the refrigerator for a bite.

*picture from Tina at Mommy's Kitchen, none of mine turned out very good!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 Pie Crust (I used Pillsbury)
1 cup Sugar
¼ cup Cornstarch
pinch of Salt
1 heaping tablespoon of unsweetened baking cocoa
2 cups carnation evaporated milk and/or whole milk
3 eggs, separated - reserve egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter

Meringue Topping
3 reserved egg whites
dash cream of tarter
2 tablespoons sugar OR
use Meringue Powder

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350. Prick the bottom and sides of your pie crust and bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.

Mix the sugar, cornstarch and cocoa together in a medium size pot. Add the 2 cups evaporated milk or whole milk. If using evaporated milk I use a 12 oz can, measure one cup evaporated milk add to the pot and then measure one more cup evaporated milk, you will be a bit short it comes to more like 3/4 cup so fill the rest of the measuring cup with whole milk to make a cup. Using a wire whisk blend together and stir constantly over medium high heat. When the mixture is heated through add the 3 egg yolks. You will need to temper you egg yolks so add some of the pudding mixture to the egg yolks and blend before adding to the pudding mix. Stir constantly until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and the butter. Let pudding mixture cool while you prepare the meringue topping.

To make the meringue topping mix the 3 egg whites with a dash of cream of tarter along with 2 Tablespoons sugar. Whip the egg whites till stiff and soft peaks form. Add pudding to cooled pie shell and top with meringue making sure the meringue touches the sides of the pie crust to prevent shrinking. OR use Meringue Powder to prepare topping. Follow directions on container. Broil till lightly golden brown on top.

*I actually lost my directions to my meringue powder, so I didn't do the topping. I topped each slice of pie with cool whip, and it tasted great!

Chicken Fajitas

When Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe posted this recipe a few weeks ago, I immediately added it to my monthly menu plan. It looked and sounded wonderful. I changed the way I cooked it slightly from hers, but I don't think the final product would turn out any differently.

Chicken Fajitas
slightly adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
Marinade:
¼ cup lime juice (about 3-4 limes) *I used bottled.
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar (I used red wine)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Liquid Smoke*
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

*Note: Liquid Smoke may seem like an unnecessary, optional ingredient but it adds a good flavor and smokiness.

Fajitas:
2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. You can either place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top or add the chicken to the bowl that you mixed the marinade in. I used a bowl and put a plate on top to seal in the flavors. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-5 hours. The longer you marinade, the better flavor you'll get.

After marinading, take chicken out of the bag or bowl and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side, it will cook fast since it is cut into strips. Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Toss cooked chicken stips with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and top with tomatoes, lettuce, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, or whatever you fancy!

PWs Perfect Pancakes

It's Saturday morning and you want to prepare something different for your family for breakfast besides a bowl of your favorite cereal. Well I've got the perfect pancake recipe for you! I usually use Bisquick to make pancakes, but in my quest to make more things from scratch, I made Pioneer Woman's perfect pancakes this past Saturday. Add some butter and syrup, and you're ready to go! I even made a special treat for my hubby and kiddos, theirs had either blueberries or chocolate chips. I got a lot of "Thanks for cooking mom" comments today. I even had two little helpers to assist in making the batter. My cup runneth over! Enjoy!

*I halved this recipe and it worked great. It made 9-10 pancakes halved.

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pancakes
from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:
3 cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cake Flour (no cake flour? click here for a substitute)
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 cups Milk
2 whole Large Eggs
3 teaspoons Vanilla
4 Tablespoons Butter

Directions:
Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl.

Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.

Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.

Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. When bubbles pop, it is time to flip, but not until the bubbles pop!

Variations: You can add fruit (fresh or frozen) to the pancakes once batter is on griddle or chocolate chips to add a special treat.

My two little helpers.

Taste of the Islands Steak

A few months ago, I participated in a meal prep with some friends. The host had all of the ingredients for numerous dishes, and we all prepared our meals for our families and placed them in our freezers once we returned home. This is one of those recipes. It was really good! I had never had flank steak before, but it was very tasty. The second time I prepared this I used NY Strip steaks. The flavor was just as good. It is a sweet and spicy flavor. We don't eat a lot of red meat around here, so this must be good for me to have tried it again!

Taste of the Islands Flank Steak
adapted from a friend's recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp sesame oil (I have substituted olive oil before.)
1 Tbsp jerk seasoning

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a gallon sized Ziploc bag with flank steak or any cut of steak you choose.

Zip bag and squeeze well to mix ingredients. Marinate at least 4 hours, longer for better flavor. You could also freeze this (marinade and meat in bag) and cook at a later date. I have done this, and the flavor is phenomenal!

After marinating, remove steak from marinade. Either discard marinade, or cook on stove top, bringing to a boil and use to baste meat with sauce. Grill meat over medium-high heat 5-8 minutes per side or to desired doneness, or broil 5-8 minutes each side. Let steak stand for a few minutes. Slice diagonally across grain. If using regular steaks and not flank steak, cooking times may vary. Cook until the meat is your desired tenderness.

Sweet Treat Tuesday- Ulitimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm starting a new series on This Mommy Cooks. It's called Sweet Treat Tuesday. I will try and post a new sweet recipe on every Tuesday. Enjoy!

I am one of those girls who after her kiddos go to bed, bakes 2 Nestle Tollhouse Ultimates Chocolate Chip Lovers cookies for herself and then pours a big glass of milk and sits and enjoys each and every bite. Sometimes I make 3 and give my hubby one. No kidding, I make them every night, until recently. Have any of you noticed that Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough is scarce these days? I have searched every store around here and can't find my beloved Nestle Tollhouse Ultimates Chocolate Chip Lovers cookie dough anywhere! I've actually been quite distressed over this. So, this week, I decided to actually try the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bags and see if it at all compared to my favorite cookie dough. I googled to see if there were any suggestions to change and found a couple, and made a couple of my own and came up with the recipe below. They tasted almost exactly the same as my favorite refrigerated cookie dough! One big problem though, I like to eat them warm, so would these babies freeze and then bake up just as good. Yes! I have two dozen frozen cookie balls of dough in my freezer and they bake just perfectly! At the bottom I'll have cooking instructions for the frozen cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable shortening (yes I know, yuck, but it makes these great!)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup Nestle's Tollhouse semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup Nestle's Tollhouse milk chocolate morsels
1/2 cup Nestle's Tollhouse Semisweet chocolate chunks, divided (this is important, these chunks are the best thing about these cookies!)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and mix. Beat the butter, shortening, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter-eggs-and-sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.

Add the chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chunks and mix well.

Drop rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, leaving a few inches between the drops. I used a cookie scoop, that made about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch balls. Press two chocolate chunks into the top of each ball.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, just until the edges are turning brown and the middle isn't fully set, and let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

*Freezing Instructions- Refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes to help the dough harden up a little. Scoop out small balls, rolling them with your hands into little balls and place them on wax or parchment paper in a Tupperware or air tight freezer safe container. Press 2 chocolate chunks into the top of each ball. Separate layers with another piece of wax or parchment paper, seal tightly and place in freezer. I would say they would probably be good for 3-4 months, but they won't last that long at my house! When ready to bake them, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake, frozen, for 11 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and serve with a tall glass of milk!

Divine Breadsticks

Earlier this week, I prepared baked spaghetti, and didn't have any bread to make in the freezer. Gah! I perused My Kitchen Cafe to see if she had a quick bread recipe, and came across her recipe for Divine Breadsticks. The best part about these, there is only a 30 minute rise required! This is my kind of bread! I actually made two different variations of the breadsticks, one with seasonings and one with a cheesy mixture on top (the cheesy breadsticks can be found here). Both turned out really well, and quick!

Divine Breadsticks
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups all purpose.)
1/4teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I used basil and rosemary) and Parmesan cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Cake Flour Substitute

Ever skipped over a recipe because it called for cake flour and you didn't have it? No more! Try this, it worked like a charm for me!

Cake Flour Substitute

from Recipezaar

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions
To make two cups of cake-and-pastry flour (cake flour), combine 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour with 1/4 cup cornstarch; proceed with your recipe.

The easiest way to do this substitution is to put 2 tbsp of cornstarch in the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup, then fill the cup as usual with all-purpose flour and level top. Repeat process to get your two cups.

If you only need 1/2 cup of cake flour, put 1 tbsp cornstarch in bottom of 1/2 cup measuring cup, then fill and level as above.

Alice Springs Chicken meets PWs Ranch Style Chicken

I know, I know, that is a very long recipe title! I combined two different recipes last night and got a super yummy result! Have you ever had Alice Springs chicken from Outback Steakhouse? Oh it is so yummy! (note- I usually get mine without mushrooms because I'm that kind of girl) It is basically a seasoned piece of chicken breast with bacon, honey mustard and melted cheddar cheese on top. Did I peak your interest with that? What made this stand by dish in my home better, was Pioneer Woman's honey mustard sauce she uses to marinate her Ranch Style Chicken. It's a little tangy, but oh it was so delicious! This is a must try!

Alice Springs Chicken meets PWs Ranch Style Chicken
adapted from copycat recipes and pioneer woman cooks

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
Seasoning Salt (I use Lawry's) I didn't measure, maybe 1 tbsp
olive oil for cooking
4 pieces of bacon, or more if you desire.
1/2 cup or more cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice or juice from half of a lemon
2 TBSP spicy brown mustard (optional, but I thought it added a perfect kick!)

Directions:
Sprinkle seasoning salt on chicken, both sides. Be sure not to add too much seasoning, or your chicken will be too salty. Heat olive oil in frying pan and cook chicken, until juices run clear or when chicken is cooked through. Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet. (I lined mine with tin foil and sprayed it with nonstick cooking spray.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While preheating, place bacon in frying pan and cook until desired crispness. Drain on paper towels to remove excess grease. In a small bowl mix mustards, honey, paprika, and salt. Spoon honey mustard mixture over chicken until covered. Place cooked bacon on top of chicken. Sprinkle cheese on top of bacon. Place pan in oven for 5 minutes or so until cheese is melted. Use extra honey mustard sauce for dipping. Mmm, mmm good!

Divine Cheesy Breadsticks

The other night when making Divine Breadsticks, I decided to add a little bit of Pioneer Woman's Garlic Cheese Bread recipe in the mix. Basically, I made the breadsticks, and topped them with her yummy cheesy topping adapted a little bit. They were a hit!Divine Cheesy Breadsticks
adapted from My Kitchen Cafe and Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups all purpose.)

½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)

1-½ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese or Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup (real) Mayonnaise
2 whole Green Onions, White And Light Green Parts Minced
1 dash Salt
3-4 TBSP Butter
2 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown. Remove from oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In small bowl mix cheeses with the mayonnaise and the green onions. Add dash of salt to taste and set aside or keep in fridge until you need it.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet and add the minced garlic. Place breadsticks face down in the skillet, swirling it to soak up the butter and garlic. Allow bread to toast in the skillet, removing garlic if it starts to get too brown. Repeat with remaining breadsticks.

Place breadsticks back on baking sheet, and spread cheese mixture on top of french bread loaf. Bake 8-11 minutes in preheated 425 degree oven until cheese is bubbly.

Curry Chicken and Broccoli Cheese Casserole

While at my mom's house last week, she prepared this yummy casserole. Of course I got the recipe. Her original recipe calls for one can of chicken. I used my own cooked chicken and tripled the amount of chicken. The curry in the dish isn't overpowering at all, so don't let that turn you away. I may actually double the sauce recipe next time since I increased the amount of chicken, but making it as directed below turned out really well too. Just another twist on the classic chicken casserole!

Chicken Curry and Broccoli Casserole

slightly adapted from my mommy

Ingredients:
1 1/2-2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
4 cups broccoli, frozen (chopped or florets)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 can cream of chicken soup (or click here to make your own)
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
1- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Layer broccoli in bottom of baking dish. Layer cooked chicken on top of broccoli.

In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, soup, lemon juice, and curry. Spread this evenly on top of the chicken and broccoli layers.

Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of creamy mixture, and then sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Cover with tin foil and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Because I was short on time, I baked mine for 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven. It turned out well, but I think the cheese would have melted better if I had done it longer in a cooler oven.

Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute

I am on a quest to make my meals healthier. Unfortunately, it's sometimes not that easy. If I could find a substitute for condensed soup, it would be awesome. I decided to google it and see what I could come up with, and I found a recipe for cream of chicken soup, one of the more common condensed soup varieties on a website called the kitchen. To make cream of anything else, just substitute the broth for another type. For cream of mushroom, cook some mushrooms down in the butter, then add the flour and some cream. I used this recipe tonight and it worked perfectly. Go ahead, try it. No longer will you skip over recipes with condensed soup in them, or cringe when you dump a whole can full of glump into your pot. I hope this helps you as much as it has helped me!

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup

from the kichn
*makes a little over a cup, equivalent to one can of soup


Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white flour
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper

Directions:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat then add the flour. Cook, stirring rapidly, until the mixture is thick.

Add the chicken stock and whisk until smooth, then add the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened. Remove from the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

This will keep for a couple days in the fridge, but it's best to use it the day you make it.

Dirty Rice

I usually use Zatarain's boxed mix for dirty rice when I'm making it. But, I came across a recipe that looked really simple on Southern Plate, and thought I'd give it a try. It was so simple and tasted very similar to the Zatarain's boxed stuff I usually use. Best of all, my kiddos liked it!

Dirty Rice
slightly adapted from Southern Plate


Ingredients:

3-4 Cups cooked rice (I used brown)
1 pound ground turkey, beef, or sausage (I used turkey)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s), or less if too spicy
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped or minced garlic
4 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 2 Tablespoons dried)

In large skillet over medium heat, place celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, and meat. (My meat was already cooked, so I cooked the vegetables and garlic and one tbsp butter in the skillet and then added my ground turkey.) Break up meat and cook all, stirring regularly, until meat is fully cooked and vegetables are tender. Add Creole seasoning, stir. Stir in rice and continue cooking over medium heat until rice is heated through, stirring well the whole time.