Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Last week I mentioned I was going to have a recipe post for you guys. Well, here it is! I'm sharing the recipe for the DELICIOUS trifle I made for the Super Bowl party we went to. This trifle was a huge hit, everyone kept commenting on how yummy it was and it was mostly gone by the end of night!

*I will say though, if you are on a diet, or allergic to peanuts, don't read any further in to this post. =)*

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Ingredients
1 package of fudge brownie mix
26 ounces of miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tubs (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
1. Prepare brownies according to directions on package. Make sure when you are baking that they are not too done. You want them to be pretty moist, not chewy.
2. Cool brownies on a wire rack and then cut in 3/4 inch pieces.
3. Cut peanut butter cups in half.
4. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixture for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).
5. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well.
*Tip for adding the peanut butter, melt it in the microwave for about a minute or two.
It will be thin enough to easily mix in with the pudding.*
6. Fold in 1 1/2 cartons of the whipped topping.
7. Place 1/3 of the brownies in a trifle bowl, top with a 1/3 of the peanut butter cups, then spoon a third of the pudding mixture on top.
8. Repeat layers twice (or until bowl is full).
9. Cover with remaining whipped topping.
10. Refrigerate until chilled.

This is such a rich dessert that I suggest you don't take huge servings of it. But it is so, so good that you'll want to overindulge! I'm sorry if I just ruined any New Year's Resolutions. ;)

Cindy

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Last night I made this for dinner and it was oh so delicious! Collin got out of the shower and immediately commented on how good it smelled in the apartment. And then after his first bite he proclaimed, "Wow! This is REALLY good!" I think I picked a good recipe. =)

Chicken Enchilada Skillet

Ingredients

No-Stick Cooking Spray
Tortilla Chip Strips
3 cups cooked chicken strips, pieces, or shredded (3 cups = about 12 oz)
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained
1 can (10 oz each) red enchilada sauce
1 can (8 oz each) Hunt's® Tomato Sauce
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend cheese, divided

Directions

1. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add tortilla pieces and chicken; mix well. Cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until hot, stirring frequently.
2. Pour undrained tomatoes and enchilada and tomato sauces over chicken mixture in skillet. Mix well.
3. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over chicken mixture. Cover skillet; cook 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
4. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Serve immediately.

I always enjoy cooking with Ro*Tel. I think it makes things a little bit better. It has just the right amount of spice to it! This meal was super easy to make so it is a definite winner in my book, too! If you make this, let me know what you think.

Cindy

Sausage Casserole

A few weeks ago I told Collin that I had a breakfast casserole that I wanted to make for dinner. Collin is a fan of breakfast so he readily agreed that this would be an acceptable dinner. I was a little hesitant because I'm not a big fan of sausage, but this sounded good. And it was! It was really good! Ours probably had a little more than a pound of meat in it which made it very hearty, but it would be just as good, if not better with only a pound.

Sausage Casserole

Ingredients

1 pound of sausage
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Crumble and cook sausage in medium skillet over medium heat until browned. Drain.
3. Line bottom of greased 13" x 9" baking dish with crescent roll dough, firmly pressing perforations to seal.
4. Sprinkle with sausage and cheese.
5. Combine remaining ingredients in medium bowl until blended; pour over sausage.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until set.
7. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares; serve hot.
8. Refrigerate leftovers.

If you make this casserole I'd love to know what you think! I think it could be the perfect Christmas morning brunch. If it wasn't a tradition to have crescent rolls for Christmas breakfast I'd make it myself! =)

Cindy

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

This past weekend I was baking up a storm all day Friday! That evening our new young adult group at church was hosting the dessert portion of a progressive dinner for the students of an on-campus Christian group at our local college. It had a great turnout and my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies seemed to be a hit! I thought I would share with you guys this delicious recipe. It's perfect for autumn and those pumpkin cravings people get! Plus, they are so quick and easy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Then add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

2. Add in vanilla and chocolate chips.

3. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, or until lightly brown and firm.

Enjoy making these yummy cookies! I will say, they are more cake-like than cookie-like but who cares!? =) And I can guarantee they will make your house smell so good! Let me know what you all think!

Cindy

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Over the weekend I made a delicious Crock Pot meal for Collin and myself. I was home all day Friday (until we had our event at church in the evening) but I was baking and cleaning and knew that if I were to make something for dinner I would feel very rushed so I decided to throw something together with my Crock Pot. It was so delicious and I promised on Instagram (username - iwanttobeaham - Follow me!) that I would post the recipe this week. Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Ingredients
2-3 lbs chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
Minute Rice (prepared)
cooked corn
1 cup cheese

Instructions
1. Place chicken in Crock Pot and cover with soup.
2. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
3. Once chicken is fully cooked stir in rice, corn, and cheese.
4. Enjoy!

See how easy that is? I cooked mine on high for 4 hours and it was perfect! It made the house smell so good. Or that could have been the baking I was doing, but whatever. =) Anyway, considering I just basically threw some stuff together so we could eat before having to leave at 6:30, I thought it was delicious! This would be the perfect thing to put in the Crock Pot before work or even before church on a Sunday to have a nice after-church lunch! And if you knew you'd be short on time when eating time came, prepare the rice ahead of time and keep it in the fridge and use a can of corn! I hope you enjoy this delicious meal!

Cindy

Crescent S'mores

Yesterday I told you all that I had a delicious recipe for my Crescent S'mores that I concocted over the weekend! Well, you don't have to wait anymore! These were RIDICULOUSLY simple to make and just as equally ridiculously delicious!

Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crumbs
Hershey bars
(I used the fun size bars)
Mini Marshmallows
Can of Crescent Rolls

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Unroll your crescent rolls and place them on a baking sheet.
3. Sprinkle as much or as little graham cracker crumbs as you'd like onto your crescent rolls.
4. Top with one fun size Hershey bar at the base of the crescent roll.
(If you have regular sized Hershey bars use 1/4 of a bar or 4 of the mini rectangles.)
5. Add mini marshmallows to top of chocolate.
6. Roll up crescent rolls and cover as much of the chocolate as possible with extra bit of crescent.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until crescent rolls are golden brown and chocolate appears soft.
8. Serve warm and enjoy!

If you try these let me know! I would love to know what others think about this. And if you have any variations or suggestions for other crescent roll desserts, let me know! I love dessert!

Oh, also, I wanted to tell you guys that I wrote a blog post for Meagan at Local At Last and it was posted on her blog today! Go check out my guest post all about summer here and leave Meagan (and me!) some love!

Cindy

And It Was Just Right!

We had such a great weekend!! It was filled with fun and friends. And we got to do much relaxing and get some things done around the apartment. It was wonderful!! I think it was the perfect weekend to give me a boost to get through the week and onto the next weekend. =) Friday evening Collin went and got his haircut and then we headed over to Yo Kool to get some frozen yogurt. They didn't have my new favorite flavor (Caramel Salted Pretzel) so I was adventurous and tried the birthday cake flavor. It was good! And I of course paired it with chocolate. And this time they had a new hot sauce dispenser so I got both hot chocolate and hot caramel! Delicious! I even topped it with some Oreo's. Collin almost always gets Butterfingers in his. He likes to layer it.


Saturday I didn't take any pictures but I got to go to a stamping workshop and we made some pretty cards. It was fun but it always is fun when I get to stamp and make cards! I am getting together on Friday with some ladies to do some card making and I'm excited! After the workshop was over I went home and cleaned around the apartment a bit! It was much needed because I'd been a little lazy over the week and I like to spread out my "chores" throughout the week. Collin and I did run some errands in the afternoon but the evening was so fun! We went to dinner with Jeff and Jeannie and had a delightful time! Then we went back to their apartment and just hung out and relaxed. It was so nice to just be able to spend time with them yet not really be doing anything. That's how I know we've got good friends. =)

Sunday was a great and RELAXING day! Church went really well and I got to talk with some friends that live in West Virginia but come every so often with their relatives when they're in town. The weather was BEAUTIFUL so we took a walk around our neighborhood after lunch. I got most of my laundry done and Collin swept away the spider webs around the outside of the apartment and sprayed some stuff that's supposed to prevent bugs and spiders from getting into your home. I hope it works because I'm so tired of finding spiders all over the apartment! I mean, I understand we live in a kind of wooded area but it's ridiculous the amount of spiders that we find inside. But that's about all we did really. We watched tv, Collin played video games, I baked and made a pizza! Then after dinner when the sun was a little lower in the sky we went and played frisbee golf!! It was the first time I'd played since our anniversary trip because it's just been so, so hot and the ticks had been REALLY populous and I just wasn't risking it. We had a REALLY nice time playing though. It was quite delightful!

That was a delicious pepperoni pizza! Yum yum yum!

Crescent Roll Smores. I totally just made this up but it was SOO good. I'm sharing the recipe this week for sure!

So all in all it was a great weekend! I hope you all enjoyed your weekends as well! Did you get to do anything fun?? I'd love to hear about it!

Cindy

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

So last Wednesday I decided to make a buffalo chicken pizza. It was so, so good. Collin kept telling me how yummy it was. He ate half the pizza that night himself! I will definitely be making this again. Plus, it was super duper easy to make! And quick! That was the best part; it was quick and simple! If you like pizza and you like buffalo chicken, you must make this!

Ingredients
1 pizza crust
buffalo sauce
(We have Texas Pete's Buffalo Wing Sauce)
pre-cooked chicken strips
(you can either buy these pre-cooked or cook them prior and set it aside - for time constraint purposes I bought the pre-cooked packet of chicken strips)
mozzarella cheese
Ranch dressing

Before I begin, there are certain recipes that I don't actually measure my ingredients. I just go by how it looks/feels. That's what I did with this.

Directions
1. Have your pre-baked pizza crust ready on your pizza pan.

2. Mix your chicken strips with buffalo sauce in a medium-sized bowl until the chicken is fully yet lightly coated in sauce. You want all the chicken to have some red on it but you don't want it swimming in liquid (unless you like it REAL spicy).

3. Spread two spoonfuls of buffalo sauce over your pizza crust. I used what we consider the tablespoons (the bigger of our two spoons) and it coated the crust perfectly.

4. Spread a thin layer of mozzarella over your buffalo sauce on the crust.

5. Top the mozzarella with your chicken mixture. Spread it evenly over the crust.

6. Drizzle Ranch dressing over top the chicken mixture. You can either do little dollops of Ranch or make little lines along the pizza in a zigzag pattern (I did the latter).

7. Top the pizza with mozzarella cheese.

8. Bake at 425 (or 400 for dark/non-stick pans) for 8 to 10 minutes or until your cheese is bubbly and your crust is golden brown.

9. Let it cool for about 3 to 5 minutes (if you can wait that long) then slice, serve and enjoy!

Let me know if you make this pizza. It really is so delicious! I don't think you'll be disappointed! I think I'm making it again this week!! Happy eating!

Cindy

Best. Dinner. Ever.

Oh my gosh. I've found my new favorite meal, ever. After our trip to NC in April where I discovered I really liked North Carolina style BBQ I've been wanting to try to make it myself. I searched all over the internet for the perfect recipe and I finally found one. I pinned it to Pinterest so I would remember it and did nothing with it for a few weeks. And then one day I decided I was gonna try it! And I had recently pinned a recipe for Panera's mac and cheese and decided to make that with the pork. WOW. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal!! Anyway, because it was so good I decided to share the recipes with my lovely blog friends!

Crockpot North Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ
Recipe adapted from Savour Fare blog

Ingredients

2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) pork butt or shoulder roast (do not use a loin, it will get too dry)
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Blend brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper; rub over roast.
2. Place roast in Crockpot. Drizzle liquid smoke over roast.
3. Combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic, and cayenne pepper and stir to mix well.
4. Drizzle about 1/3 of vingear mixture over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining mixture.
5. Cook roast on low for 8-10 hours.
6. Remove roast from Crockpot and shred the meat; removing any fat. Add juices from Crockpot and remaining vinegar mixture (a portion may be reserved to pass at the table).
7. Serve plain or as sandwiches.

I'm telling you. So, so, so good! I'm warning you though, it makes a lot! Fortunately for us we've really enjoyed eating it as leftovers!

Panera's Stove Top Mac and Cheese
Recipe from Smells Like Home blog

Ingredients

16 oz pipette pasta or other small pasta shapes
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half (I used milk in my recipe)
4 oz white American cheese, chopped or torn into pieces
8 oz extra sharp white Vermont cheddar, shredded
2 tsp – 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (adjust according to your tastes) (I used 2 tsp of Spicy Brown Mustard)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce (like Frank’s)

Instructions

1.In a large stockpot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.
2.While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a 4-quart sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted and has started to bubble, whisk in the flour; cook for 1 1/2 minutes whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in the milk until no lumps remain. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook milk mixture, whisking frequently, until it thickens and bubbles, about 8 minutes.
3.Remove sauce pan from the heat and by the handful, stir in the cheeses allowing all of the cheese to melt into the sauce before adding more. Stir in the mustard, salt, and hot sauce. Return the sauce pan to the heat and stir in the pasta. Be sure to stir up the sauce from the bottom of the sauce pan and thoroughly coat all of the pasta with sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat until heated through. Serve hot in bowls with spoons.

If you've never had Panera's mac and cheese, it doesn't matter. Make this. It is to die for. White Vermont cheddar is my favorite kind of cheese and I have a feeling that's part of why I love this recipe so much. However, it is gooey and creamy and cheesy and so, so good. Definitely a winner in my book!

If you try one (or both!) of these recipes let me know what you think. I hope Collin and I aren't alone in our love for good ol' Southern style food!

Cindy

Woes of a Weary Woman

I'm gonna get real with you guys today. I feel like my blog has been lots of fluff lately, and there's nothing wrong with that but I want this to be a space that my readers can come to and relate to and not just feel like "oh it's another blogger who has it all together". Because believe me, I don't have it all together. Not even close. Some of my favorite blogs are the ones where the writers share their real life struggles.

Anyway... this isn't anything too major but I feel like I just need to get it off my chest. So yesterday I was tired. We got home Sunday night from our day with Justin and Molly a little before midnight. My usual bedtime (even on the weekends sometimes) is around 10 or 10:15. So getting to bed at midnight was not a good thing for me. I knew I would be tired yesterday but it was worth it because we had a great time with our friends. So yes, I was tired all day yesterday.

Work came much too early and it was a slow Monday which did not help my sleepiness. Plus, I knew I had lots of stuff I wanted to be doing around the house and I was instead at work. So that made the day a little bit hard. Anyway, I made it through work and got home and realized I had developed a headache sometime during the afternoon. No biggie, I would just take some medicine and hopefully it would go away. No such luck. My headache actually stayed with me until I went to bed. But I didn't let it stop me from getting some stuff done. I finally put away the hang up clothes that had been laying across the laundry basket for over a week. And then I decided that since it's been so warm out lately, I'm obviously not going to be wearing any more sweaters until next fall so I wanted to switch my winter clothes out for my spring/summer clothes in my closet. That was succesful and I also managed to decide to get rid of lots of clothes that I didn't wear this past season! Go me! So I had a pretty good start to my evening. I was productive, I went to Wal-Mart and did a return and exchange and picked up an ingredient for dinner that I had forgotten. Good time overall.

What my dinner should have looked like via Pinterest
But then... I returned home and things went south. Collin was scheduled to get off at 7:30 from work so I started dinner around 7:10 or so. It was perfect because it wouldn't take long at all to make this recipe that I found on Pinterest. I was so excited about it. I followed the recipe to the tee and all was going well! I couldn't find fresh sundried tomatoes so I bought a jar of them and I had the hardest time opening the jar. It was so hard and I was hurting my poor hands trying. I finally found one of those rubber jar openers and got it open but by that point I was a little frustrated. But I calmed down and continued making my dinner. Then it happened... I go to combine the pasta with the sauce and it seemed like all a sudden all the liquid from the sauce went to the bottom of the bowl and the cheese stayed completely clumped together. It had resolidified. How am I supposed to serve a cream sauce if it's just one big blob of cheese?? I tried to fix it but it wasn't working and at this moment Collin calls to tell me there was a complication at work and he probably wouldn't be leaving until 8 at the earliest. And I just start crying. My dinner is ruined (or so I thought) my husband is going to be very late, and my head hurts really bad at this point because I'm really hungry. Collin finally gets home and I was still pretty upset about my dinner not working right but we add some milk to the "sauce" to try to get it to be liquified again. It doesn't really work. So we decided to just eat it the way it was. There was some liquid stuff in there and we could just cut the cheese up and still eat it all together. So we're walking downstairs with our plates and I had my laptop in my other hand since I brought it upstairs for the recipe and as I'm trying to close the door that leads to the basement my fork falls off my plate and I couldn't catch it or else I'd drop my laptop. And I just started bawling. It seems so trivial but it was the last straw. I was very hungry, exhausted, upset over dinner not working properly, upset about the fact that it was now 8:45 and we were just eating dinner, and then my fork falls off my plate. I felt so silly but boy did it feel good to cry and get it all out.

But you know what, that wasn't the end of the evening. Once I finally calmed down, we ate our dinner while watching some 30 Rock on Netflix (which always makes me feel better!). And the dinner actually wasn't bad. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting but it had a really good flavor! And of course spending time with Collin was really nice and he always makes me feel better. So I went to bed finally around 11 and I felt better. Still tired, still headache-y but full and loved. But boy, yesterday was just not my day.

Do you ever have days like this? Days where no matter what you do or how hard you try things just aren't going how they're suppose to? It seems like everything is conspiring against you. At least there's always tomorrow to bring a new and better day!

Cindy

Quick Skillet Steak Meal

Yesterday I was browsing around Pinterest (like I so often do) and I came across this recipe for a quick skillet meal of steak, onions and mushrooms. I thought it looked and sounded delicious so I wanted to give it a try last night! Let me tell you, it was DELICIOUS!! And very easy to make. It didn't take long at all. I served it with baked potatoes and they took the longest to cook (an hour in the oven at 400° with some olive oil on them and sprinkled with sea salt). Anyway... since we thoroughly enjoyed this meal I thought I would share it with you all today.

Quick Skillet Steak with Onions and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 lb thin cut beef round steaks
1/2 large onion, sliced into rings
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz sliced mushrooms
cooking spray
garlic powder to taste
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice your onions and mushrooms into desired thickness and set aside.

Slice beef into thin strips. Season with salt, garlic powder and fresh pepper to taste. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When the skillet is very hot, spray with cooking spray and add half of the beef. Cook one minute, then turn steak and cook an additional 30 seconds. Set aside in a dish.

Spray the skillet again and when it gets hot add the remaining steak, cooking one minute, then turning and cooking 30 seconds more. Add remaining steak to the dish.

Return skillet to heat and add 1/2 tsp of olive oil to pan; add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook one minute, then turn and cook onions an additional 30 seconds or until onions are golden. Set aside in a dish.

Lower heat to medium and add 1/2 tsp of olive oil to the skillet, add mushrooms, salt and pepper and lightly spray the top of the mushrooms with cooking spray. Cook 1 1/2 minutes, then turn mushrooms and cook another minute and a half. Add to dish with onions.

I can not express to you how delicious this meal was. I did change things slightly from the original recipe so the one you see here is how I cooked mine. One thing I changed was the original recipe says to combine your steak, onions, and mushrooms and stir it all together once it's all done and then serve over rice. I think that would be delicious too, however, I wanted to make the onion and mushrooms toppers for my steak. I think my biggest victory with this meal is that Collin ate the mushrooms. He likes the flavor but not the texture but he said it was good enough that they didn't really bother him much! Hurray!

If you try this recipe let me know what you think! Also, if you'd like to follow me on Pinterest just click here!

Cindy

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

I was browsing around Pinterest earlier this week and found this recipe for a cheesy chicken and rice bake and thought to myself that it looked pretty good. So I repinned it and decided instead of waiting to make it I was gonna make it this week! So I bought the ingredients and cooked it last night. I was a little apprehensive about whether I was going to like it or not because I'm kind of a picky eater and it had a different smell while it was cooking but it was delicious!! And healthy, too! I love it when I find a yummy new recipe that both Collin and I like.

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 cups Cooked Brown Rice
¾ cups Frozen Corn
15 ounce Can Black Beans, Drained And Rinsed
1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream)
4 ounces, fluid Can Green Chilis
½ cup Salsa
1 cup Low-fat Cheddar Cheese, Plus More For Topping
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro For Garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

I actually used a can of chicken - it was MUCH easier and quicker. Though next time I cook it I'm going to put my chicken breasts in the crock pot in the morning to cook and then all I'll have to do is shred it before mixing it in when I go to bake this in the evening.

This made A LOT of food so if it's just two of you eating it, you might want to halve the recipe. As you can see it filled a full 13x9 casserole dish and we only ate maybe 1/8 of it for dinner since it's so filling. So we have lots of leftovers. Good thing we enjoy leftovers! Let me know if you make it and what you think!

Cindy

White Cheddar Chicken Pasta

Last week I found this delicious looking recipe on Pinterest called White Cheddar Chicken Pasta. I clicked on the link and it led me to this blog where I decided I had all the ingredients to make the recipe that night. And let me tell you, it was delicious!! I love white cheddar cheese, there's something about it that is so tasty and pungent (in a good way) and I thought it was the perfect flavor for this meal.

For the chicken:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp dry mustard
1 T fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Mix together mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and sprinkle over chicken pieces. When pan is hot, add chicken and brown about 3 minutes per side until cooked through. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.

For the pasta:
1 pound rotini or other short cut pasta
2 T butter
2 T flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 T Dijon mustard
8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups milk (I only had 1 3/4 cup of 1% milk so I added a little bit of half and half to make it thicker)
1 T fresh thyme
1 T fresh oregano
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Parmesan cheese to taste

Heat water to boil in a large stock pot for pasta, add salt and pasta and cook to al dente and drain according to directions. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Add wine, garlic, onions, and mustard. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Reduce heat to low and slowly add milk, stirring to combine. Cook about 5-7 minutes more until mixture begins to thicken. Add cheese and stir to melt. Add chicken and pasta and toss to incorporate sauce. Add thyme and oregano and serve topped with crushed red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.

I actually did not add the thyme or oregano at the end (though I like them). The flavor was already very strong from putting the thyme in with the chicken and I didn't think it needed anymore. But I also don't like it when the spices are overwhelming the rest of the flavors. Also, another note, I added a bit of crushed red pepper when we had this for dinner and it was good (gave it a little spice) but when I had it for lunch the next day I didn't add any and I thought it was even better wihtout it.

So there you have a wonderful and delicious way to have pasta. I love pasta for dinner but I like to mix it up instead of having the same ol' spaghetti all the time. This is definitely a good way to mix it up!

Cindy

The Gratitude Challenge - Day 7

1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
Psalm 105 (NLT)

Today I am grateful for a husband who does the dishes. I really don't like to do the dishes. I hate the way it makes me hands feel. I hate the way sponges get stinky after a while and then it leaves a lingering stench on your hands. I hate touching dirty dishes with food sometimes caked on them. It just makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, I do the dishes if I have to, but when Collin and I got married we made a deal. I do the laundry if he does the dishes. I am so, so grateful that he doesn't mind doing the dishes! I try to tell him often because I don't ever want to take it for granted! I got one great husband!

Cindy

Experiments in Cooking

A few weeks ago I shared with you some recipes that I was planning on trying that week and I promised I would share the recipes and the results with you if they turned out well. I didn't forget, I promise, I just really wanted to do a Christmas theme for last week so it didn't quite fit in. However, here are two of the recipes that we enjoyed.

Southwestern Chicken Bake
what you need
1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix
1 Tbsp. chili powder
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style Finely Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

make it
HEAT oven to 400ºF.

COMBINE coating mix and chili powder in shaker bag. Use to coat chicken as directed on package. Place in 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min.

SPRINKLE with cheese. Bake 10 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF) and cheese is melted.


I served mine with a broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot blend and baked potatoes. It turned out delicious! It had a little bit of a spice to it and was crispy and moist at the same time. And of course I love a good warm baked potato covered in butter with a little bit of salt. (The picture is of Collin's plate he prefers his with cheese.)

The other dinner we made was a delicious baked ziti. It probably could have used a little more salt for my liking but it was good. There wasn't a recipe for it, we just kinda threw some stuff together. I boiled some ziti noodles (we actually used penne because it was what we had in the house) and while the noodles were boiling the ground beef was browning. Once those were done we drained the noodles and put it into an 9 x 13 baking dish. We added the ground beef and stirred it around a bit and then added some cheese (enough to make it gooey) and stirred it around some more. Once the dry ingredients were mixed well I added a jar of Prego Traditional sauce. I covered all the dry ingredients well and then baked it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 350ºF until it was gooey and steamy. We made some buttered toast on the broiler and thoroughly enjoyed our meal!


I was very pleased with these meals and it was actually fun to make them because I had it planned out and knew exactly what I was making and that I had all the ingredients in the house. I will definitely be planning out our meals like that much more often! I haven't lately because of the holidays, but as soon as we're done with leftovers and what not from all the festivities I'll be planning away!

Do you have any fun meals planned coming up? Do you have any good recipes and things you think we should try? Let me know! I definitely want to try new things out!

Cindy

Domesticated, Much?

I must say, for not being one who likes to cook I sure am excited about my meals for this week!  Last Friday I planned out meals and went to the store and bought the few things I needed and can't wait to cook them all!  And let me reemphasize... I do NOT like to cook.  I much prefer when Collin makes the meals, but more often than not I need to come up with something because he works later than me on most days.  I think maybe my main problem with not liking to cook is not having a plan.  I go to start dinner and I don't know what to make and it takes me 15 minutes just to decide and then I open up a box of Hamburger Helper or I make grilled cheese and soup because I'm so frustrated with not knowing what to make.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE soup and grilled cheese for a meal, it's easy and delicious, but it's almost a cop out.  I think planning is good for me.  Knowing what I have in the house and what I am going to make with all that is important for me to get excited about making dinner.



Found here



So this week I've got some good meals (one already eaten) up my sleeve.  Last night I made a Pampered Chef recipe called a Taco Ring.  It was really delicious.  Definitely something we'll be making again.  And it was quite easy, too!  You can find the recipe here: http://www.grouprecipes.com/39414/taco-ring.html.  I actually used the Pampered Chef Main Dishes cookbook that we got for a wedding gift but that's the same recipe.  The hardest part was browning the ground beef, which goes to show you it's not hard to make at all.  I didn't take pictures quite simply because I forgot, but I'll take some pictures of the rest of my meals.

The meals I'll be preparing the rest of the week are:

Tonight: Southwestern Chicken Bake served with baked potatoes, and a broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot blend.

Thursday: Baked ziti

Friday: Homemade Spinach and Pepperoni Pizza.

I'm excited to see how they all turn out and I'll be sure to keep you all posted.  If they're good I'll share the recipes!

I'm always eager to find new recipes and dishes to try, what's a good, new (or tried and true favorite) recipe that you've had recently?

Cindy



"What does this mean? It's so bright and so vivid!"

As I was driving to work on Tuesday morning I was heading towards the most beautiful sunrise I'd seen in a while.   It was so breathtaking that as I stepped out of the house I saw it and opened the door back up and made Collin came out to look at it.  I was marveling at the beauty while driving and then as I turned onto the next road on my route I look to my left and am caught off guard by a HUGE rainbow (as seen above).  The WHOLE rainbow was there and this thing was humongous!  I could see every color vividly.  It was amazing.  So I continue the last 3 minutes of my 7 minute drive and arrive at the parking lot of work when I realize it's a double rainbow.

I haven't seen a rainbow with such brightness in a long time and to see two rainbows side-by-side was incredible.  These actually are not my pictures, they were taken by my coworker, Ed.  My camera was unfortunately sitting on the end table at home and my phone was dying so my camera function wouldn't open.  I was disappointed but quite grateful to Ed who took these and sent them to me.  But to be able to capture so much beauty in one morning was simply overwhelming.  I walked into the building (finally) and was just brimming over the top with joy and gratitude to God.  I came up to my office and I just sat in silence praying and thanking God for His beauty and grace.  How wonderful to start my day off like that.  I just knew that Tuesday would be a good day, and sure enough, it was!  God truly showed himself to me that morning and I couldn't have been more in awe!

On another note, I feel like a 50's housewife today.  I'm wearing a brown sweater with a pink cami peeking out underneath and I have a pink ribbon on my head acting as a headband and my hair is a bit flat today and it's flipping out all on its own.  So of course when getting dressed I just had to add a strand of pearls to complete the ensemble.  Now I just need to don my apron and get into the kitchen and bake some goodies!  Sometimes I wish I could live like the 50's housewives did (minus all the inequality).  Just stay home cooking, baking, cleaning, running errands, etc.  Actually, that's not sometimes, that's all the time.  Unfortunately I have to be responsible and work to help support our little family.  Oh well... maybe someday I can fulfill that dream!  And for now, I'll just have to be satisfied with being a housewife every alternating Friday and on the weekends.

Cindy