Maybe The Hubs Knows Best...

Sometimes... But if anyone ever tells him, I'll deny it!! Let's just let him continue believing that I am always right!

I bought a box of red velvet cake mix and cream cheese icing and was going to make some scrumptious cake cookies. But then for some reason I got the brilliant (I use that word loosely) idea to try something new. I wanted to see if I could make an inside out cupcake. Instead of the icing on top, lets put the icing right in the middle of the cupcake. This is where the hubs comes in. He very happily tells me that ain't gonna work and I think somewhere in the back of my mind I knew he was right but I still wanted to try and possibly prove him wrong...

So I did it. I make red velvet cupcakes and put a tablespoon of the icing in the middle. I even froze the icing hoping that might help make it work. Just in case anyone was wondering, it doesn't.

I'm not even going to bother sharing the recipe with you because it was that bad! Just enjoy my craziness in photos!

Happy Friday!

Oatmeal Raisin Pudding

Oh my goodness, I think this was one of the best smelling dishes I have ever made!  You would have sworn I was baking cookies at 7 in the morning!  Definitely a smell I could get used to filling up my home first thing every day.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup quick cook oats
1 & 3/4 cups milk, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 ounces raisins


LETS COOK:
Combine the quick cook oats and 1/2 cup of milk in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute.

Combine the cooked oats, 1 cup milk and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil; then turn down heat to low.  Cook the oatmeal for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.


NOTES:
*As with my other oatmeal recipes for Princess P, I add in an additional tablespoon or so of cold milk right before serving to help cool the temperature of the oatmeal.
*This recipe made enough for P to have breakfast for 2 days plus a little extra


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Chocolate-Covered Katie









Print Friendly

Slow-Cooked TX Chicken Pt. 2

The Slow-Cooked Texas Chicken I made was enough chicken to make two meals so I thought I would share with you the two simple dinners I made using the meat.

The first night we had sandwiches and french fries:

For the sandwich, I simply buttered and toasted two pieces of bread in a skillet, added the shredded chicken, some chopped sweet onion, pickles and a little bit of mayo.



The second night I made a BBQ Pizza:

For the pizza, I used a round loaf of bread that I found on special in my grocery store's bakery, topped it with a good amount of bottled honey BBQ sauce, the chicken, some chopped green onions and mozzarella cheese.  Put it on a baking sheet and broiled it in the oven just long enough to get warm and for the cheese to melt.  I did warm the chicken in the microwave prior to putting it on the pizza.



I've seen a few spicy pasta dishes that I think this chicken would also be good in.  Next time I make it, I'll try those and be sure to let you know how they turn out!

I would also love to hear any ideas or recipes that y'all might have that you think the chicken would go well with! Share! Share! Share! :)

Slow-Cooked Texas Chicken

Does it get any more Texas than combining chipotle peppers with Dr. Pepper??  It's a whole new awesome version of Tex-Mex! 

If you like heat, you've got to try this.  The chicken had a really nice flavor with some kick but the onions, oh man, the onions...  those really packed a punch!

INGREDIENTS:
1 large onion, quartered
5 large chicken breasts - can still be frozen
1 can (11 ounces) chipotle peppers in adobe sauce
1 bottle (16.9 fluid ounces) Dr. Pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar


LETS COOK:
Lay the onion quarters in the bottom of the crock-pot.  Place the chicken breasts on top of the onions.  Add the remaining ingredients to the crock-pot.

Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. 

Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred any large pieces that might still remain - but probably won't :)


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: The Pioneer Woman

*CHECK HERE FOR RECIPE IDEAS USING THE SLOW-COOKED TEXAS CHICKEN*

Print Friendly  
THIS RECIPE PROUDLY LINKED TO: Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Flour Me With Love, Couponing & Cooking

My Weekly Menu

I'm heading out of town at the end of this week so I am actually including two weeks in this menu plan...

MONDAY:
Asian Spiced Chicken Crescents

TUESDAY:
Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Wraps
Chips

WEDNESDAY:
Key West Chicken
Cilantro Lime Rice with Pineapple

THURSDAY:
no dinner plans - leave tonight for out of town - the Hubs gets to live off tv dinners for 5 days ;)

FRIDAY:
Out Of Town

MONDAY:
Out Of Town

TUESDAY:
Out Of Town

WEDNESDAY:
4th Of July - Festivities with family

THURSDAY:
Honey Mustard Chicken
French Fries

FRIDAY:
Creamy Chicken Pasta
Peas & Carrots









THIS MENU PROUDLY LINKED TO: Orgjunkie

Breakfast Cookies - Freezer Friendly

Have you ever seen a teaspoon sized cookie?  I have, they are tiny.  My 2 year old can eat 4 teaspoon sized cookies in under 5 minutes...

When I was originally making these cookies, the recipe said to spoon the dough by the teaspoon full onto the baking sheet.  This seemed very odd to me and when comparing mine to the recipe's picture, it just didn't seem right but I went ahead and made one batch teaspoon size.  Think mini Oreo's...

Once I had corrected that error with the second batch, I was able to get 23 tablespoon size cookies from this recipe, plus the first dozen teaspoon size.  But those were gone before the second dozen were out of the oven...

INGREDIENTS
3 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup no sugar added applesauce
2 cups quick cook oats
1/4 cup milk
3 ounces raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon/sugar mixture
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until combined.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes to let the oats become soaked.
3. Heap the dough by the tablespoon onto the baking sheet about two inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for a minute or two on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Princess P taste-testing - she definitely gave 2 thumbs up!

TO FREEZE
Allow the cookies to cool completely.  Place in a gallon Ziploc bag and freeze.
TO THAW & SERVE
Remove the desired number of cookies from the bag and allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Pop in the microwave to 15-20 seconds (times will vary based on your microwave) and then serve.

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Wisebread

Print Friendly

Roasted Vegetable Stack

I had trouble deciding what to call this dish.

Maybe because I live in Tex-Mex central, it just didn't seem right to call it a version of an enchilada. 

Mexican Lasagna maybe?

That just didn't feel right either...

Stack?  Simple, descriptive... heck, it'll work.

I'm not a huge fan of corn tortillas so this dish wasn't a favorite of mine because of that.  I would have liked it much better with flour tortillas but the hubs likes corn so, hey, marriage is about sacrifices right?


In the ingredients, I did not put measurements for the salsa or cheese because I just eyeballed it - you can use as much or as little as you like.  Also when I layered my stack, I alternated how I would lay the tortillas - the spots on the outer edges that weren't covered on the first layer I covered with the second layer of tortillas - hopefully that makes sense.



INGREDIENTS:
1 jalapeno, seeded & cut into matchsticks
1/2 medium onion, sliced thick
1 bell pepper, seeded & cut into matchsticks
1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1/2 inch quarters
1 cup frozen cauliflower
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to season
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed & drained
10 corn tortillas
salsa* - homemade or store bought
mozzarella cheese*


LETS COOK:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet.

Place the jalapeno, onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, cauliflower and corn onto the baking sheet.  Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and sprinkle with the cumin and red pepper flakes.  Season with salt & pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together.  Once the vegetables are well coated, spread them out evenly in the baking sheet.  Roast for 30 minutes - until the vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots - stirring the vegetables with a spoon every 10 minutes for even roasting.  Remove the pan from the oven and lower the temperature to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 9x2-inch round pan with cooking spray.  Spread a layer of the salsa into the bottom of the pan - around 1/4 cup or so.  Lay 2 tortillas on top of the salsa - the tortillas will overlap in the middle and spots on the edge will not be covered.  Top the tortillas with a 1/3 of the roasted vegetables and 1/3 of the spinach.  Then top the vegetables with a handful of the mozzarella cheese.  Continue to make layers in your pan until you are out of vegetables (you should be able to make 3 layers) - salsa, tortillas, vegetables, cheese...

Cover your pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and let bake another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Perry's Plate


What dish have you made that you still aren't completely happy with the name of the recipe?  You know we all have our one! :)

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

Roasted Chicken w/ Potatoes & Carrots

When I first saw this dish on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to try it.  I love roasted potatoes.  I'm the crazy person that will pick a recipe for dinner that requires roasting potatoes when it's over 100 degrees outside.  I'm also the same crazy person that will start complaining and asking why its so damn hot in the house :) 

The dish was very easy to put together so that's always a bonus in my book but the Hubs and I both felt that the chicken was very bland, extremely juicy, but bland.  The carrots & potatoes were magnificent though!

 If I decided to make this recipe again I think I would increase the amount of oregano and use a second orange or possibly a lemon.  If anyone has tried or does try the recipe and makes some changes, I would love to hear about them!

INGREDIENTS:
4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound baby carrots
28 ounces honey gold potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup diced red onion
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 orange
salt & pepper to taste


LETS COOK:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil onto the baking sheet and gently move to spread the oil out.  Rub the skin of the chicken thighs in the oil, then turn them skin side up.
3. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes in 1 tablespoon olive oil until well coated.  Spread the potatoes out around the chicken on the baking sheet.*
4. In the same bowl, toss the carrots in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil until well coated.  Mix the carrots in with the potatoes around the chicken.*
5. Sprinkle the onion and oregano over the chicken and vegetables.  Zest the orange and sprinkle over the chicken, reserving the juice.  Season the entire pan with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the pan and squeeze the juice from the orange over the chicken.  Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.


NOTES:
*You could combine steps 3 & 4 into one step - just put the carrots and potatoes and 2 tablespoons of oil into one really big bowl and then dump out onto the baking sheet - I just don't have a bowl big enough to hold all of that so I wrote it out as 2 separate steps

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Life Is Great



Anyone else crazy enough to admit to summer time roasting?? ;)

Print Friendly LIKE Mom on Facebook ~ FOLLOW Mom on Twitter ~ FOLLOW Mom on Pinterest    Like This Recipe?You Might Also Like These ~ Pan-Roasted Teriyaki Chicken w/ Green Beans & Potatoes Roasted BroccoliRoasted Rosemary & Garlic Potatoes Roasted Vegetable StackRoasted Veggie Sandwich  

THIS RECIPE PROUDLY LINKED TO: Two Sasters, Not Your Ordinary Recipes, The Real Housewives of Riverton

My Weekly Menu

MONDAY:
Leftovers from Father's Day

TUESDAY:
Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Roasted Potatoes

WEDNESDAY:
Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken
Rice

THURSDAY:
Tex-Mex Chicken Tacos
Chips & Salsa

FRIDAY:
Chicken Caesar Pasta Bake






THIS MENU PROUDLY LINKED TO: OrgJunkie

Twix Brownies

INGREDIENTS
1 package snack size brownie mix - I used Duncan Hines
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 bag mini Twix Candy Bars


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease the bottom of an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the brownie mix, oil, water and egg until well blended.
3. Pour half of the batter into the pan and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.
4. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. While the brownies are baking unwrap your Twix bars.
6. Remove the brownies from the oven and lay the twix bars on top of the brownies in one layer.
7. Pour the remaining brownie batter over the layer of Twix bars - the mix probably won't completely cover the Twix bars.
8. Continue baking for 15-20 minutes.
9. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.


NOTES
*These weren't the most attractive of desserts but they sure did taste good!

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

Apple Breakfast Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
1 box (3.5 ounces) french vanilla pudding & pie filling mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup applesauce
5 small apples, cored & dices - I used small Galas
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup old fashioned oats


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pudding mix.
3. Add the eggs, sour cream and applesauce to the dry ingredients and mix until well blended - batter will be thick.
4. In a medium bowl, combine the apples, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and oats.  Toss to coat the apples.
5. Pour half of the batter into the greased bundt pan, then spoon the apple mixture evenly around the top of the batter, reserving about 3/4 of a cup worth.  Cover the apples with the remaining batter.  Sprinkle the remaining apples on the top of the batter.
6. Bake for 45-55 minutes.  Allow to cool for a half hour before removing from the pan.


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Allrecipes

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

BBQ Ranch Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 bag (12 ounces) medium shells pasta
1 bag (12 ounces) frozen golden sweet corn
1/2 cup bottled ranch dressing
1/2 cup bottled BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon bacon bits
french fried onions


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the corn to the boiling water for the last five minutes of cooking.
2. Drain the pasta and corn and rinse with cold water.
3. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, corn, bacon bits, and both dressings and toss to coat.
4. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Top with the french fried onions right before serving.


NOTES
*This is a family favorite for us because it is so versatile - you can add cherry tomatoes and green onions for an additional splash of color.  Or add cooked chopped chicken and it can be a full meal.
*I typically add some additional BBQ sauce right before serving, just enough to coat the pasta again after it has set in the fridge.

Print Friendly

THIS RECIPE PROUDLY LINKED TO: Bizzy Bakes

Pan-Roasted Teriyaki Chicken With Green Beans & Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
1 small orange, thinly sliced
1 small lemon, thinly sliced
3/4 cup bottled teriyaki sauce & marinade
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 medium new potatoes, quartered
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a large baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Arrange the orange and lemon slices in a single layer on the bottom of the dish - I alternated one orange slice, one lemon slice.
3. In a large bowl, combine the teriyaki sauce with the minced garlic.
4. Add the green beans to the sauce and toss to coat.  Using tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the orange and lemon slices.
5. Add the potatoes to the teriyaki sauce and toss to coat.  Using tongs, add the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish on top of the green beans.
6. Place the chicken in the bowl with the teriyaki sauce and toss to coat.  Place the chicken in the dish on top of the green beans.  Pour any remaining sauce over the chicken.
7. Roast the dish for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken and then roast for an additional 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Real Simple

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

My Weekly Menu

MONDAY:
Leftovers

TUESDAY:
Caramelized Chicken with Chipotle Tomato Dressing
Pasta

WEDNESDAY:
Hoisin Glazed Pork Chops
Stir-Fried Green Beans

THURSDAY:
Creamy Chicken Caesar Pasta Bake

FRIDAY:
Sticky Fingers
French Fries


THIS POST PROUDLY LINKED TO: OrgJunkie

Peanut Butter Pretzel Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1 package chocolate chip cookie mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
Peanut Butter Pretzel Sandwiches - I used Snyder's of Hanover

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet.
2. Mix together the butter, egg and cookie mix until a soft dough forms.
3. Scoop out a large tablespoon of the cookie dough and make an indention in the middle.
4. Lay the pretzel sandwich on top of the cookie dough.
5. Top with another spoonful of cookie dough, making sure to seal the sides around the pretzel.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
7. Allow to cool for a minute on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES
*These turn out to be large cookies and I completely forgot to write down how many cookies I ended up with at the end of the recipe :(
*Some of you may be thinking what in the world?!?!?! The pretzel actually softens some during the baking and you are left with just a nice chocolate/peanut butter AND sweet/salty combo all in one!

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: $5 Dinners

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

THIS RECIPE PROUDLY LINKED TO: Flour Me With Love, Couponing & Cooking, Crazy For Crust, All The Small Stuff, Blessed With Grace, 33 Shades Of Green, Mandy's Recipe Box, Mrs. Fox's Sweets, DJ's Sugar Shack, Newlyweds, Michelle's Tasty Creations, Real Housewives of Riverton


Chocolate Banana Oatmeal

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup milk +
1 banana
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 tablespoon no sugar added applesauce


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot.
2. Cook over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.


NOTES
*I added additional milk as the oatmeal cooked to get it to the consistency Princess P likes - I also let it stay a little thicker as it finished cooking so I could add additional milk right before I served it to her to help it cool down quicker.
* This recipe made enough for her to have breakfast for 2 days.


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Chocolate Covered Katie

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

THIS RECIPE PROUDLY LINKED TO: Yummy Inspirations

Roasted Broccoli

INGREDIENTS
1 head broccoli crowns, cut into florets
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
large pinch crushed red pepper
salt & pepper to season


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, toss the broccoli and 3 tablespoons of olive oil until the broccoli is well coated.  Season with salt & pepper.
3. Transfer the broccoli to the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
4. Stir together the remaining tablespoon oil, garlic and red pepper in a small bowl.
5. Drizzle the mixture over the broccoli and stir to coat.
6. Roast the broccoli another 8-10 minutes, until the broccoli is beginning to brown.


NOTES
*I have also used this recipe to make roasted asparagus and it was wonderful!
*I served this with the Simple Garlic Chicken


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: WebMD

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

Simple Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS
1 pound chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of crushed red pepper


INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. In a skillet, saute 1 tablespoon oil, 4 cloves garlic and red pepper just until the garlic is tender.  Add the chicken to the skillet and lightly sear both sides of the chicken.
3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in the casserole dish. Scrape out any burnt garlic from your skillet.
4. Heat the remaining oil and garlic in the skillet until the garlic is tender.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the brown sugar until melted. 
6. Pour the brown sugar mixture over the chicken and cover loosely with foil.
7. Bake 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the juices run clear.


NOTES:
*I served this with the Roasted Broccoli


RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Food.com

PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION

My Weekly Menu

MONDAY:
Ranch Pork Chops
Ranch Corn Salad
*We haven't had this recipe 10 time in the past month, this for some reason is the recipe that keeps getting pushed back each week because we keep having something come up

TUESDAY:
Chicken & Caramelized Onion Quesadillas w/ Jalapeno Cream Sauce
Chips & Homemade Salsa

WEDNESDAY:
Honey Cilantro Pasta Salad

THURSDAY:
Salt & Pepper Pork Chops
Roasted Carrots

FRIDAY:
Thai Chicken Wraps w/ Honey-Peanut Drizzle



THIS MENU PROUDLY LINKED TO: OrgJunkie

Birthday Fun

Since it's Friday, I decided I would let y'all have a peak into our lives over here in TX and share some of the family pics from Princess P's birthday party this past weekend.

I hope everyone has had a great week and I look forward to sharing more recipes with you next week!

PLAYING IN THE BOUNCE HOUSE

BLOWING OUT HER CANDLES

SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE WAS YELLING & CLAPPING
AFTER SHE BLEW OUT THE CANDLES :)

THAT'S SOME GOOD ICING

PRESENTS!

GETTING SOME HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS

ME & MY BABY

THE AWESOME CUPCAKE PLATTER TO GO WITH OUR
BALLOON THEME MADE BY AUNT KATHLEEN & MYSELF!