The Garrison Girls

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles, Baked Chicken Parm & Cream Cheese Mac & Cheese

2012-10-20T20:44:00.000-07:00

Today I've got a few different recipes for y'all PLUS another great pic of the Girls. I love them.

And my Fall mantle I put together:

The cornucopia is a gift I received from Janet, Chris' stepmom, & the candle holder to the right (facing the mantle) of the picture is this project that I found on Pinterest. The picture was $6 at my fave place, Wal-Mart. I love Wal-Mart. I've probably said it before but I can spend HOURS at Wal-Mart. My last trip prompted me to state that I need a shock collar with a max allowable to spend programmed into it.

OK....on to the food!

Cream Cheese Mac & Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 lb Ziti

Olive Oil

1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream

1 cup Half & Half

1 cup 2% Milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp White Pepper

2 cups Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese

4 oz Cream Cheese, cubed

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, cook your Ziti for 4 mins. It will still be semi-firm. Drain the Ziti and in the same pot, toss in Olive Oil & mix well with the Ziti. Spray a baking dish with non stick spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, half & half, milk, eggs, nutmeg, salt & pepper. Stir in your cheese & then add your Ziti.

Spread the mixture into the prepared baking dish & scatter the Cream Cheese cubes over the top. Bake for 5 mins and then use a spoon to spread the melted Cream Cheese across the top. Bake for another 40 mins until bubbly on top. After done baking, switch on the broiler and broil for a few mins until the top is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 20 mins.

NOTES:

I will use less Cream Cheese next time

The Nutmeg gave it really great flavor

I might cook the pasta a little longer in the beginning next time.

Now, while the Cream Cheese Mac & Cheese was cooking for the 40 min stint, I started in on my Baked Chicken Parmesan

INGREDIENTS:

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Olive Oil

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup Spicy Marinara

DIRECTIONS:

My oven was already being used at 350 for the Cream Cheese Mac & Cheese so that's what it stayed on. Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray. Combine the Italian Bread Crumbs & Parmesan Cheese in a bowl. Brush your Chicken Breasts lightly with Olive Oil & then dip each in the Breadcrumb Mixture. Place on baking sheet & bake for 35 mins. Once the Cream Cheese Mac & Cheese was done, I bumped the temp up to 450 degrees & cooked for another 15 mins. When the Chicken was cooked through, I turned over & baked for 5 additional mins. Then, I spooned Spicy Mozzarella over each Chicken Breast, topped with Mozzarella Cheese & baked for another 5 mins.

And VOILA!

NOTES:

I had to whip out my food processor and blend up the Marinara Sauce so there weren't any chunks in it

Definitely cook the chicken for 20 mins at 450 as the original recipe states.

My seasonal theory is that "Fall starts as soon as Starbucks starts serving the Pumpkin Spice Latte". Oh, pumpkin....how I love thee. If I could pumpkin ALL THE THINGS, I would. I've never actually tried pumpkining things until this season though. My very first Pumpkin venture just happened to be Pumpkin Snickerdoodles. I've never been a huge fan of snickerdoodles....I'm more of a chocolate chip M&M or peanut butter cookie kind of gal......but I figured in the spirit of Fall (and because Chris likes snickerdoodles), I would try my hand at them.

INGREDIENTS:

Cookies-

3 3/4 cups Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

3/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 sticks Unsalted Butter

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 can Pumpkin

1 Egg

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Coating-

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

dash of Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions:

Whisk together Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon & Nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together the Butter & Sugars until well combined then beat in Pumpkin, Egg & Vanilla Extract. Add in the dry ingredients & beat until just combined. Cover & refrigerate for an hour. Remove from the fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a third bowl, combine the combine the Sugar & Spices for the coating. Scoop dough and roll into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the sugar mixture & place on the baking sheet leaving a couple inches in between each cookie. Take a drinking glass with a flat bottom, moisten with water and dip the glass in the sugar mixture. Use the sugared glass to flatten each cookie. Re-sugar the glass as needed. Bake the cookies for 12 mins & allow to cool.

These cookies were flat out phenomenal. There's nothing else to say.

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Catching up.......and Cheesy Bacon Biscuit Pull Aparts

2012-10-14T12:18:00.001-07:00

HEY FOLKS!!! I'M BAAAACK!

The past few months have been, to say the least, NUTS. Working 16 hour days, 7 days a week for 2 months straight is not something that I would EVER wish upon anyone. Except maybe 1 person....that's neither here nor there though. Also, our lovely little Girls are growing up and growing to love each other more and more every single day. They're just like real Sisters.

I love these Girls so much. I just can't get over how pretty their little faces are....and how great their little personalities are.

So this morning I woke up & made coffee and I was struck with the craziest feeling of motivation that I've had in a very long time. I had a list of things in my head: make breakfast, clean house, start all of the little projects that I've purchased supplies for but not actually started on. I've only gotten as far as breakfast. I do plan on getting off my butt after I make this post though.

I made these along with spicy scrambled eggs for Chris and fried eggs, sunny side up for myself.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp melted Butter

7 refrigerated biscuits

Mozzarella cheese (I just cut thin strips off of my block)

Bacon Bits

shredded Cheddar Cheese (I didn't measure)

As always, you can see I love my Wal Mart brand foods....

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt your Butter in the microwave for 30 seconds & brush that butter in the bottom of your iron skillet. Line the bottom of the skillet with your Biscuits. Only 7 of my roll of 10 would fit in my skillet. Layer your Mozzarella Cheese, Bacon Bits & Cheddar Cheese & cook for 17 mins.

NOTES:

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR AN OVEN MITT WHEN REMOVING YOUR IRON SKILLET FROM THE OVEN. No, I did not forget....I just want to throw in that friendly reminder.

I only cooked them for 15 mins in a gas oven. I would say give them a couple more mins. The Biscuits lining the outside were done but the center one was still a little gooey inside.

For Chris's scrambled eggs, I cooked them with a splash of Milk (for fluffiness) and Cayenne pepper with Louisiana Hot Sauce splashed across the top of the final product. He likes 'em hella spicy.

Anyways, I can't claim these biscuits as my own but they were definitely A-Mazing....I would suggest them to EVERYONE.

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Crockpot Dr Pepper BBQ Boneless Ribs & "Revolutionary" Mac & Cheese

2012-07-01T19:37:00.001-07:00

We all know how fantastic Dr Pepper is.....and how much we love it in this household. So to discover that I can cook with it has been an amazing feat for our taste buds. This round I made Crockpot Dr Pepper BBQ Boneless Ribs that I got the idea for from here.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless Pork Ribs

1 can Dr Pepper

9 oz BBQ Sauce

Season Salt, to taste

Directions:

Season ribs with Season Salt & place in the crock pot. Pour Dr Pepper & BBQ Sauce over the ribs and stir to mix. Cover & cook on low for 4 hours. The last hour that your ribs are cooking, start in on your "Revolutionary" Mac & Cheese.

Ingredients:

2 cups Elbow Pasta

2 1/2 cups 2% Milk

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the Pasta & Milk. Bring to a simmer & reduce heat to low. Cook for 20-25 mins until the Pasta is soft. Stir regularly and whatever you do DON'T LET THE MILK BOIL! I was trying to do 3 other things at the same time as I was trying to cook and I was deathly afraid that my Milk would start boiling....luckily, it did not. When the Pasta is done cooking, turn off the heat & add Cheese, leaving a little extra for later. Stir to combine. Stir in the Spicy Brown Mustard, cover & let sit for a few minutes. At this point, you can probably take your Ribs out of the crock pot & get 'em ready for eatin'.

Then give your Mac & Cheese one more good stir & pour in a baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheese over the top and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

Notes:

I used to believe that only cheese & bacon could make everything better......Dr Pepper is officially added to that list.

DON'T TRY TO DO 5 THINGS AT ONCE WHILE COOKING WITH MILK. I can't stress enough how AFRAID I was the whole time I was multi-tasking & cooking this Mac & Cheese. Just the thought of Milk boiling & curdling ::gag::

Y'ALL ENJOY!!!!

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork

2012-07-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe for Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork on, you guessed it, PINTEREST! I had this one pinned to my Crock Pottin' board.

Ingredients:

ROAST-

1 1/2 lb Boneless Pork Loin

1 tsp Sage

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 cup Water

GLAZE-

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Corn Starch

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup Water

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

Directions:

Combine all Spices and rub over the Roast. Place Roast in the crock pot with 1/2 cup Water. Cook on low for 5 hours then switch to high for 1 hour. While the roast is cooking on high, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan. Heat and stir until the sauce thickens then brush over the roast for the remainder of the cook time. Serve with some of the glaze poured over the top of your serving.

Y'ALL ENJOY!!!!

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Cream Cheese Enchiladas

2012-07-01T17:37:00.002-07:00

After the semi-success of my first batch of Enchiladas (they were pretty tasty....but they fell apart), I thought I'd try my hand at them once again. This time around, I found some Cream Cheese Enchiladas to try out. I chose these because 1.) I had them pinned on my Yum board on Pinterest & 2.) I thought the corn would add an interesting flavor/texture to the "same ol' Chicken Enchiladas".

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, shredded Chicken (2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts)
5 oz Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Sour Cream
2 cups Salsa
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
1 cup frozen Corn Kernels
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
Pepper, to taste
7 Flour Tortillas

Directions:
Season Chicken Breasts with Pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. Then use 2 forks to shred the Chicken. In a bowl, cream together your Cream Cheese & Sour Cream then add 1/2 cup of Salsa & 1/2 cup of each of your Cheeses. In another bowl, mix together the Chicken, Corn, Chili Powder, Cumin & Pepper. Then add the Chicken & Cheese mixtures together & stir to combine.

Spread 1/2 cup Salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place 1/3 cup of the filling in the center of a tortilla & spread straight down the middle. Roll it up and place seam side down in your baking dish. Do the same for the remaining 6 Tortillas. Pour the remaining 1 cup of Salsa over the top and sprinkle with the rest of both Cheeses. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 mins & VOILA!

Notes:
I will probably use 1 oz less Cream Cheese next time around
These DID NOT fall apart! Imagine my excitement :)

Y'ALL ENJOY!!!!

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Taco Corn Bread Casserole

2012-06-05T21:15:00.002-07:00

Words can't describe how fantastic some of the Mexican food recipes have sounded and turned out since I joined Pinterest. Now this one doesn't Top the Mexican food I've attempted to cook....that would be the Mexican Shells I made last month.....but it's pretty far up the list of 5 whole recipes.

Taco Corn Bread Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg Corn Bread

1/3 cup Milk

1 egg

1 lb Ground Beef

1/2 pkg Taco Seasoning

3/4 cup Sour Cream

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix Corn Bread, Milk & Egg & spread into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 mins. While the Corn Bread is cooking, brown the Meat & add water & Taco Seasoning. When the Corn Bread is done baking, spread the Meat mixture over the top of it. In a bowl, mix the Sour Cream & 3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese & spread over the top of the Meat Mixture. Bake for another 20 mins. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and add your favorite Taco toppings.

Yes, this dish is as fantastic as it sounds. Enough said.

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan

2012-06-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

There is an AMAZING Italian restaurant in the Southwest corner of Frisco called Isabella's. They have the absolute best Chicken Parmesan that I have ever tasted. I've had a tiny craving for Chicken Parmesan since then and thought, what easier way to satisfy my craving than to find an Easy, Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan to make. By no means do I think that a Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan will compare to the the awesomeness that I had at Isabella's...but it works & it was actually pretty dang good, I must say.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Egg

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1 cup Mozzarella Cheese

1 - 12 oz can Tomato Paste, seasoned

I used seasoned Tomato Paste with a little bit of water because I don't have to blend it. We're not big fans of chunky Tomato Sauce in our household.

Directions:

Swirl Olive Oil around the bottom of you crock pot's stoneware insert until it covers the entire bottom. Mix the Bread Crumbs, Seasoning & Parmesan Cheese in a dish. Dip each Chicken Breast in the Egg & then in the Bread Crumb mixture, coating both sides well. Place the Chicken Breasts in the bottom of the crock pot. Layer all of the Mozzarella Cheese over the top of the Chicken Breasts. Cover the Chicken Breasts & Cheese with the whole can of Tomato Paste & cook on Low for 5 hours then switch to High for about an hour.

Notes:

I used a loaf pan for the bread crumb mixture. It seemed like the most logical choice of dish.

I should have saved a little extra Mozzarella Cheese to sprinkle over the top right before we ate.

I made sure to use ALL of the Bread Crumb mixture on my 2 Chicken Breasts.

This.........definitely satisfied my craving.

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Dr Pepper Crock Pot Roast

2012-06-05T20:19:00.001-07:00

Chris mentioned to me recently that he wanted me to try a pork ribs recipe cooked in the crock pot with Dr Pepper.....I thought, why not try to find something that I could make with the ingredients I had in my house already. Everyone loves a good Chuck Roast, right? PLUS, this was the last night I really had to cook before my busy week at work last week.

DR PEPPER CROCK POT ROAST

Ingredients:

2 lb Chuck Roast

1 - 12 oz can Dr Pepper

2 cups Water

5 dashes Worcestershire Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

My meat was just a *tad* frozen....I both found & made this recipe on my lunch break.

Directions:

Place Roast in the crock pot and add all other ingredients. Cook on Low for 5 hours then switch to High for about an hour.

Can I just say that Dr Pepper is an amazing thing to be addicted to. haha. I purchased boneless pork ribs on my last trip to the grocery store just so I can find a GOOD crock pot recipe to douse these in Dr Pepper. :)

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Garlic Lemon Chicken

2012-05-23T18:54:00.001-07:00

Another crock pot recipe I tried in April for Garlic Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Minced Garlic

2 tsp Seasoned Salt

5 dashes Louisiana Hot Sauce

1 cup White Cooking Wine

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot & cook on Low for 5 hours, then switch the crock pot to High for about an hour or so.

The final product:

Until next time.....

-Samantha

3 Packet Pot Roast & Cheddar Potato Slices

2012-05-23T18:35:00.002-07:00

Here is another crock pot recipe that I tried in April for 3 Packet Pot Roast. This roast was A-MAZING. I am not by any means going to try to pass it off as my own because, well, there really just is not any way to do it. I used the exact same ingredients as she did. Most of my crock pot recipes have derived from the same site that I found this one on. Along with the roast, I made Cheddar Potato Slices derived from the Parmesan Potato Wedges on that page. Cheddar & Parmesan, Wedges & Slices.....2 different things, you may say.....but those are only TWO ingredients out of this recipe.

3 PACKET POT ROAST

Ingredients:

2 lb Chuck Roast

1 packet Grill Mates Peppercorn & Garlic

1 packet Ranch Dressing & Seasoning

1 packet Italian Dressing

3 cups Water

Directions:

Place your Roast in the crock pot. Combine the 3 packets in a bowl & pour on top of the Roast. Flip the Roast to cover it completely in the Seasonings and make sure you rub the Seasonings into the Roast also. Add a cup of Water and cook on Low for 5 hours.

Then (when you get home from work, as I did), add 2 more cups of water and switch the crock pot to High....this turned out to be about another hour while I was prepping & cooking our Potato Slices.

The Final Product:

Just like the Grill Mates packet says, YOU CAN SEE THE FLAVOR! :)

Notes:

The recipe I copied says you can cook on High for 4-5 hours. I am weird about leaving my crock pot on High while no one is home though AND the 5 hour mark would have left no extra time to make our side dish.

CHEDDAR POTATO SLICES

Ingredients:

3 Russet Potatoes, sliced

5 tbsp Vegetable Oil

2/3 cup Plain Bread Crumbs

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 tbsp Paprika (not pictured...see notes)

2 tsp Ground Mustard

3/4 tsp Garlic Powder

3/4 tsp Ground Thyme

1/4 tsp Cayenne

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F & place a foil lined baking sheet inside to preheat also. Place your Potato Slices in a bowl with the Vegetable Oil & toss them until they are evenly coated. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl & add to the Potatoes, tossing again to evenly coat. Place the Potato Slices in a single layer on the baking sheet & bake for 25 mins.

The Final Product:

Notes:

I clearly did not realize I was snapping a pic of Parsley instead of Paprika. I did not use Parsley in this recipe. :)

These were all kinds of spicy, crispy goodness....we love spicy & crispy in our household.

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Pizza Casserole & Homemade Baked Mozzarella Sticks

2012-05-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I tried back in March. I made a Pizza Casserole & Homemade Baked Mozzarella Sticks.

PIZZA CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

1 lb Ground Beef (not pictured...I don't know why)

10 oz Meat flavored Pasta Sauce

1/2 lb Rotini, cooked & drained

Mozzarella Cheese (I shredded 3 String Cheese Sticks)

Pepperonis, to desired meatiness

Directions:

Brown Ground Beef until cooked all the way through then add Pasta Sauce & Rotini. Transfer Beef to greased, round baking dish & cover with Mozzarella Cheese & Pepporinis. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F for 25 mins.

Notes:

I used lean Ground Beef so there was no reason to drain. Less lean Beef will need to be drained BEFORE adding the Pasta Sauce.

HOMEMADE BAKED MOZZARELLA STICKS

Ingredients:

4 Egg Roll Wrappers, cut in half

4 String Cheese Sticks, cut in half

Olive Oil

Salt

Directions:

Place a piece of String Cheese near the bottom corner of one Egg Roll Wrapper. Fold the bottom corner over the Cheese and roll up halfway. Fold the sides towards the center over the Cheese. Moisten remaining Wrapper with water and roll it up tight to seal. Brush each Cheese Stick with Olive Oil & sprinkle with Salt.

Bake on a foil lined baking sheet for 15 mins at 400 degrees F. Flip & bake for 5 more mins.

Notes:

I followed the recipe's directions to a T (see link above) and well, some turned out wrapped to perfection & some did not.

Keep Egg Roll Wrappers covered with a moist paper towel while you're not rolling them.

It doesn't matter if they're homemade or frozen, the cheese always busts out the sides of my cheese sticks. ::sigh::

The final products for the evening:

Mmmmmm Meaty Goodness!!!

Despite all the cheese that made it's way OUT of the sticks, there was still alot inside too. :)

Y'ALL ENJOY!!!

Until next time.....

-Samantha

"OMG" Chicken & Chocolate PB Sandwich Cookies

2012-05-21T18:51:00.001-07:00

Here's a recipe I tried for "OMG" Chicken served that night with Kraft's Home Baked Mac & Cheese & Chocolate PB Sandwich Cookies for dessert.

"OMG" CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

Directions:

Combine Sour Cream & Parmesan Cheese and spread a thick layer of the mixture over the top of the Chicken Breasts. Sprinkle the tops of the covered Chicken Breasts with Italian Bread Crumbs, to taste.

Bake on a foil lined baking sheet for 30 mins at 425 degrees F or until your breadcrumb crust is nice & toasty.

CHOCOLATE PB SANDWICH COOKIES

Ingredients:

16 Ritz Crackers
Peanut Butter
6 oz Chocolate

Directions:

Lay 8 Ritz Crackers out on a sheet of wax paper. Place about a half of a spoonful of PB in the center of each Cracker

& then place another Cracker on top. Press down in the center of the top Cracker and the PB will spread evenly between the 2. Melt your Chocolate in the microwave in a small bowl for about 30 seconds & stir. Then heat for another 15 seconds until there are just a few chunks left. Stir evenly to melt the remaining chunks. Dunk your PB Crackers in the Chocolate until evenly covered and remove by lifting out of the bowl with a fork. Hold the fork over the bowl until all extra Chocolate drippings have fallen off. Place on the wax paper and allow to set for about an hour or so.

Notes:
My mistake was that I used too large of a bowl so I kept having to gather the chocolate back to the middle and spoon it over my PB Crackers.

These were much better after they were placed in the fridge for a bit. Will definitely let them set in the fridge as opposed to the counter next time.

The final products for the night:

Man, I love Kraft's Home Baked Mac & Cheese

Y'ALL ENJOY!!!!

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Baked Crispy Chicken & Roasted Corn

2012-05-20T10:34:00.002-07:00

This is a recipe I found for Baked Crispy Chicken & Roasted Corn. Never in my life did I think that Instant Mashed Potatoes could be used for anything besides making quick, easy, fantastic Mashed Potatoes. Mr. Food proved me wrong.

BAKED CRISPY CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Egg

5 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

4 tsp Sriracha Sauce

2 tsp Onion Salt

2 tbsp Unsalted Butter

1 pkg Idahoan Instant Buttery Mashed Potatoes

Directions:

Combine Egg, Apple Cider Vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, Sriracha Sauce & Onion Salt. Place Chicken Breasts in a bowl and pour mixture over them. Cover & marinate for 4 hours. I came home at lunch to prep my Chicken for dinner that night.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Melt Butter in your baking dish. Place Instant Mashed Potato flakes in a shallow dish and roll Chicken Breasts in the flakes until WELL COATED. Bake Chicken Breasts in your buttered dish for 25 mins, then flip & bake for another 30 mins or until the coating is golden brown.

ROASTED CORN

2 ears Corn

Butter

Pepper, to taste

1/4 cup Cream Cheese

3/4 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled

3 tsp Chili Powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Brush corn with Butter, sprinkle with Pepper & roast for 20 mins. Brush each ear with Cream Cheese & sprinkle with Queso Fresco & Chili Powder, pressing it into the Corn to stick.

The final products:

Notes:

The Instant Mashed Potato flakes as a crispy crust on the Chicken was a FANTASTIC IDEA! :)

Until next time.....

-Samantha

Homemade Strawberry Banana Popsicles

2012-05-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

It's been about a month since my last post....and for that, I apologize. We've had a lot going on. The Girls being the Girls, my dad came to visit, transferring all of my photos from the old computer to the new one....and on top of that, I haven't had much time to cook. I'm going to try a different format for my recipes that I think will make for easier finding of specific things. Meal by meal as opposed to everything for the week in one post. ENJOY!

I tried my hand at homemade Strawberry Banana Popsicles

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1/2 cup Milk

1/4 cup Vanilla Yogurt

7 Strawberries

1 tsp Vanilla

Directions:

Slice your bananas & strawberries. Place all ingredients in the blender and Liquify to the desired consistency.

Split between 5 dixie cups (or small popsicle molds, if you have those on hand)

Freeze for about an hour and a half & then place your popsicle sticks in the middle of each cup. Freeze for another few hours (ours froze overnight)

The final product:

Notes:

- These could have used a little more Strawberry

- The dixie cups were the perfect size for a small healthy snack

Until next time......

-Samantha

My Mexican Dish! & also a few things I made in the crock pot

2012-04-15T21:46:00.001-07:00

It's been another busy week here in the Garrison-Hickman household. The girls have been running around, still non-stop, since my last post.

Kaydon came to stay the night on Thursday night & stayed all day Friday too. He got ahold of my camera and out of the 100 or so pictures he took, this one was the only one worth keeping.

He kept me super busy for the day....but we love when that little man comes to hang out with us. Having an active day just comes with the territory. :)

So, I tried my hand at a Mexican dish this week in addition to a couple other things. It turned out GREAT.... taste-wise....the Enchiladas, aesthetically, could have used some work.

This Week's Dinner Menu:

Monday - Sour Cream Enchiladas & Mexican Stuffed Shells.

Tuesday - Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork & Mustard & White Wine Potato Slices

Thursday - I tried my hand at 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Chicken Tacos (I can't seem to find the link anywhere on my Pinterest boards ::sigh::)

Sunday - Cheesy Chicken & Rice in the crock pot

SOUR CREAM ENCHILADAS

Ingredients:

5 Corn Tortillas

Canola Oil

1 - 10 oz can Enchilada Sauce

1 cup Sour Cream

1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Cayenne

Directions:

Mix together the Sour Cream, half of the Cheese, Cumin & Cayenne. Heat the Oil in a skillet over Medium heat and the Enchilada Sauce in a separate skillet over Medium Low heat. Use tongs to fry the Tortillas for 5 secs on each side then dunk 'em in the warmed Enchilada Sauce. Lay each Tortilla flat on a plate, spoon 2-3 spoonfuls right in the middle of the Tortilla & roll 'em up. Place Enchiladas face down in an 8x8 baking dish & cover them with the remaining Cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 mins or until the Cheese is nice and bubbly.

So, the Enchiladas tasted great.....but they fell completely apart once they were removed from the baking dish. ::sigh:: Will try again soon...I've heard they're tough to get perfect.

MEXICAN STUFFED SHELLS

Ingredients:

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1 package Taco Seasoning

4 oz Cream Cheese

11 Jumbo Pasta Shells

1 1/2 cups Salsa

1 cup Taco Sauce

1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Monterrey Jack Cheese

Sour Cream, for garnish

Directions:

Brown the Ground Beef, add the Taco Seasoning & prepare according to the package instructions (this usually only consists of adding 2 cups of water). Add the Cream Cheese & simmer until completely melted. Blend well, remove from heat & set aside. Cook the Pasta Shells according to package instructions & drain. Set the Pasta Shells out on a baking sheet so that they're not touching. Pour Salsa on the bottom of your baking dish. Stuff each Shell with the meat mixture & place open side up in the baking dish.

We used the leftover meat mixture & sour cream mixture from the Enchiladas to make a Nacho Appetizer while everything cooked.

Pour the Taco Sauce over the shells, cover with foil & bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins. After 30 mins, sprinkle the Shredded Cheddar Cheese over the top of the shells and cook for an additional 15 mins, uncovered.

I have to say the Enchiladas and Stuffed Shells were ALOT of work but man were they worth it. I'm excited that I made good Mexican food. :)

SLOW COOKER PARMESAN HONEY PORK

Ingredients:

2 Pork Steaks

2/3 cup Shredded Parmesan, Asiago & Romano Cheese Mix (I didn't have straight up Parmesan Cheese in stock)

1/2 cup Honey

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Basil

2 tbsp Minced Garlic

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Salt

Directions:

Spray the inside of the crock pot with non-stick Cooking Spray & place your Pork Steaks in the crock pot. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl & pour over the Pork Steaks. Cook on Low for 6 hours.

Look at that smokey goodness :)

MUSTARD & WHITE WINE POTATO SLICES

Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes, sliced

3 spoonfuls Spicy Brown Mustard

2 tbsp Butter

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 clove Minced Garlic

3 tbsp White Wine

1 tsp Salt

Side note: I originally bought Fingerling Potatoes to use for this recipe....but I guess they don't stay good in the fridge for very long. I bought them on Sunday and when I went to cook them on Tuesday, they were green. :( That's OK....I'll stick to regular ol' Russet Potatoes any day. Another side note: I'm probably the only person that purchased a slicer so I won't cut myself AND STILL END UP CUTTING MY FINGER RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.

Directions:

Whisk together all ingredients but the potatoes. Add your Potato Slices to the same bowl and toss 'em til they're all coated in the mixture. Lay Potato Slices on a foil lined baking sheet & cook at 425 degrees for 30 mins.

I love potato slices.

3 INGREDIENT CROCK POT CHICKEN TACOS

Ingredients:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Salsa

Taco Seasoning

Directions:

Blend (or just mix if you prefer chunky salsa) the Salsa & Taco Seasoning until the chunks are no more. Our usual Salsa wasn't in stock when I went to the store so I had to improvise for the sake of Chris' "texture issues". :) Place the Chicken Breasts in the crock pot & pour the Salsa mixture over the top. Cook on Low for 6 hours. I forgot to take a picture of the final product. We made tacos with flour tortillas, shredded cheese & sour cream this night. Then made Street Tacos with the leftovers & corn tortillas on Fri night. Mmm mmm mmm....will definitely be making this again. :)

CHEESY CHICKEN & RICE (in the crockpot)

Ingredients:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

Rice

2 cups Cheddar Cheese

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Whole Kernel Corn

Directions:

Place Chicken Breasts in the crock pot and cover with Cream of Chicken Soup. Cook on High for 4 hours. About 30 mins before the cooking time is up, cook Rice according to package directions. Add Rice, Corn & Cheese to the crock pot and mix it all together til the Cheese is melted.

YUM YUM YUM! This was so good! Using extra Cheese was definitely a good move. :)

Well, that's all we had for this week. I can't say enough times how proud I am of myself for trying a Mexican dish too. This cooking thing is getting to be kinda fun! :)

Until next time......

-Samantha

Steak & Pork Chops

2012-04-09T21:30:00.000-07:00

I took a couple days off from the kitchen (Thursday & Friday to be exact). It was just enough time for us to ready ourselves for

the craziness of the new sisters! Theyhave gone non-stop since we brought Joy home Friday night. LEELOO IS LOVING IT!

But you're here for the food.....right??? Here's the menu for my Saturday & Sunday night.

Saturday's dinner was Creamy Basil Pork Chops & Pierogi Lasagna

And on Sunday, we had Country Bumpkin Fried Steak (still can't get over how great I actually made this....I heard from a little birdie that it was easy to screw up) & Cheddar Mashed Potatoes

CREAMY BASIL PORK CHOPS

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Pork Chops

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 cloves Minced Garlic

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1 tbsp Basil

Directions:

Heat oil over Medium heat. Add Garlic, Salt & Pepper & saute for about a minute or so. Saute pork chops until browned on both sides & cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate.

Whisk heavy cream & basil into remaining pan drippings over Medium heat until sauce thickens slightly.

Pour the gravy over the chops & BAM! I forgot to take a final picture. :(

PIEROGI LASAGNA

Ingredients:

12 Lasagna Noodles

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 packets Roasted Garlic Instant Mashed Potatoes

1 Packet Buttery Instant Mashed Potatoes

I don't know why I had cooking oil out......just ignore that part of the picture

Directions:

Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook Lasagna according to package directions, drain & separate noodles so that they don't stick together. I laid them across baking sheets covered in Wax Paper.

Cook the Mashed Potatoes according to package directions then add the Pepper & Cheese & mix well. Lay 3 Lasagna noodles across the bottom of the baking dish and layer the Mashed Potato mixture on top of it.

Repeat until you have 4 layers of noodles with 3 layers of Mashed Potatoes in between. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins.

COUNTRY BUMPKIN FRIED STEAK

Ingredients:

3 "Flat Iron" Steaks (as I like to call them)

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Yellow Cornmeal

1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening

3 tbsp Flour

1 1/2 cups Milk

Directions:

Season Steaks with Salt & Pepper. Place Buttermilk & Cornmeal in 2 separate dishes & dip each steak in the Buttermilk then COVER in Cornmeal. I heard that the secret is to double dip them. I just made sure to press extra Cornmeal all over them instead of sticking them BACK in the Buttermilk.

Heat the shortening over Medium-High heat & add the steaks. Cook until the coating is Golden & then remove to a paper towel lined plate. Then, add Flour, Salt & Pepper to taste to the remaining pan drippings. Cook until flour is browned, stirring constantly. Whisk in the milk until gravy thickens and serve over the steaks.

CHEDDAR MASHED POTATOES

Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup Buttermilk

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

Directions:

Boil potatoes until tender. Drain & mash. Stir in the Cheese, Buttermilk, Salt & Pepper.

Final products:

This meal tied with my Crockpot Taco Chicken for my fave of the week.

Welp....that's it for last weeks' meals. I've got lot's of good meal planning coming up this week too.

Until next time......

-Samantha

Exciting things & FOOD

2012-04-08T21:05:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been almost a week since I posted last. We've had lots of great food cooking and exciting things going on. Exciting things first:

MEET JOY! She's the newest addition to our little family. Leeloo absolutely LOVES playing big sister to her & having someone to play & cuddle with.

Another big exciting thing that happened this week: Texas Rangers baseball is back!!! I love love love (can't say it enough) BASEBALL SEASON! There's no other sport that I love more than a sport that I can watch 6 nights a week and NOT get sick of.

And then of course, the last exciting thing that happened this week: Easter at Mom's :) We had a wonderful lunch and spent some time just hanging out, which we don't do often enough.

Here's Kaydon checking out his Easter Basket from Aunt Sammy & Uncle Chris

And eating Easter candy

Now.....on to the 1/2 week in food (I'll post the other half tomorrow) -

Monday night I made a Cheddar Bacon Dip for us to snack on before our Honey Glazed Chicken & Bacon Bites & Cheesy Garlic Bread. I halved everything in the Cheddar Bacon Dip since it was just Chris & I eating it. It made for a great snack while dinner was cooking. I also used entirely too much bread for the Cheesy Garlic Bread. We would have been just fine with 1/4 of our loaf of French Bread. ::sigh:: I promise I'll get bread baking right someday.

Tuesday night we had Lemony Garlic Chicken & Homestyle Mac & Cheese (and no, it wasn't by Kraft....as much as I love theirs, I figured I'd try another one)

On Wednesday, I made Crockpot Taco Chicken & Chili's Copycat Salsa. I have to say that this was a pretty dang good meal. Extra Spicy, which is how we like it in our household.

CHEDDAR BACON DIP

Ingredients:

1 cup Sour Cream

1/2 packet Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 bag REAL Bacon Bits

1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Mix 'em all together and stick in the fridge for a bit.

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN & BACON BITES

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips

Enough bacon to wrap around each strip (9 in my case)

2 tbsp Honey

1 tsp Spicy Dijon Mustard

1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Directions:

Combine the honey, mustard & lemon juice in a bowl. Wrap one slice of bacon around each strip & place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Tip: The foil makes for easy clean up later on. Brush each strip heavily with the marinade.

Bake at 425 degrees for 13 mins. Flip the strips and brush heavily with marinade again then cook for an additional 13 mins.

OOOOH WEEEE!!! Don't ya wish ya had some!

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD

Ingredients:

1/2 loaf French Bread

1/2 cup Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

2 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup Mayo

Salt to taste

1/2 stick Butter

2 cloves Minced Garlic

Directions:

Mix all 3 Cheeses with the Mayo & Salt and set in the fridge til you're ready to use.

Melt 2 tbsp Butter in a skillet and add 1 clove Minced Garlic. Place 1/4 Loaf of Bread face down in the skillet and swirl around so the bread soaks up all the garlicky, buttery goodness while it's toasting. When bread is slightly toasted, place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Remove the used Garlic & Butter & repeat these steps as many times as necessary. Spread the cheese mixture over each toasted 1/4 loaf & bake at 425 degrees until the cheese is melted.

See....too much bread ::sigh::

LEMONY GARLIC CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/3 cup Lemon Juice
1/6 cup White Cooking Wine
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/8 cup Parsley
4 cloves Garlic
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper

Directions:

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Combine Lemon Juice, Wine, Olive Oil, Parsley & Garlic in a bowl. Season the Chicken with Salt & Pepper and place in baking dish. Pour the marinade over the Chicken, cover & place in the fridge for about 20 mins.

Then bake uncovered at 375 degrees for an hour.

HOMESTYLE MAC & CHEESE

I'll be honest....I got a little sidetracked while cooking and totally forgot to take pics. A note to add, I actually ended up using 2 different types of pasta that were NOT elbow macaroni. I didn't have any on hand.....

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Penne Pasta
1/2 lb Rigatoni
1 stick + 2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Flour
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
4 cups Milk
4 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/4 cup Crushed Saltines

Directions:

Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain & set aside. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Melt a stick of Butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add Flour, Salt & Pepper & mix well. Gradually add milk, bring to a boil, and cook until smooth and thickened, stirring constantly. Add Cheddar Cheese and stir until melted. Add Pasta and mix well. In a separate bowl, melt 2 tbsp Butter and mix Saltine Crumbs until evenly coated. Spoon Pasta into the baking dish & sprinkle Saltine Crumbs over the top. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 mins.

And VOILA!!!

Final product for our meal that evening:

CHILI'S COPYCAT SALSA

Ingredients:

2 cans Diced Tomatoes, drained

1 can Whole Jalapenos, drained

1/4 cup Minced Onion

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Lime Juice

Directions:

Mix it all together in a blender and liquefy to the consistency of your liking.

This salsa was so incredibly SPICY....much better than Chili's! :)

CROCKPOT TACO CHICKEN

I only had 1/2 a jar of Salsa so I used some of my Chili's Copycat Salsa in this recipe too. Made for extra spicy Taco Chicken.

Ingredients:

2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 jar Salsa

1/2 lb Frozen Corn

1 tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 tbsp Cumin

1/2 tbsp Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Oregano

1/2 tsp Cayenne

1/4 tsp Salt

Pepper to taste

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in Crockpot and stir coating chicken evenly with the mixture.

Cook on high for 4 1/2 hrs. Near the end of the cooking time, cook rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking, shred chicken in the crockpot with 2 forks.

That's all the yummy goodness I had for the week. :)

Until next time......

-Samantha

Crockpot Ribs & Loaded Potato Casserole

2012-04-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

With the crazy work week I had last week, I hardly even had time to think about eating....let alone, actually cooking. So you could say I was on a hiatus from my kitchen.....but really, my mind was occupied with other things. Things that I get paid for. :)

I've officially planned my very first week of meals for this coming up week so hopefully I'll have lots of goodies to post. I do have to take a moment to show the ridiculousness I got myself into over the weekend though. I was just minding my own business one night, washing dishes when suddenly.....A WILD DIP CUP APPEARED!

And planted itself right in my drain. It was like a perfect fit. There was no room around the edges to stick ANYTHING (including a fork & needlenose pliers) to attempt to lift it out. So as I stood there and laughed, then worried, snapped a pic & posted to Facebook, & then laugh some more, I remembered: SUCTION CUPS!!!

This little thing was my hero that night. I had some of them leftover from the Mickey Mouse fort kit I put together for Kaydon for Christmas. :)

So now, after you're done laughing at me, we can get on to the food -

Sunday night I made Crockpot Easy Ribs & I tried another Loaded Potato Casserole (this one was much more successful than the last)

CROCK POT EASY RIBS

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs Boneless Pork Ribs

1/3 cup Syrup

2 tbsp A1 Sauce

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

Place ribs in the bottom of the crockpot. Mix other ingredients together and pour over the ribs.

Cook on high for 4 hours.

Mine didn't turn out anything like the picture....they were pretty dang good though. If they had bones, they would fall off the bones.

LOADED POTATO CASSEROLE

(I halved everything and made a smaller serving for Chris & I)

Ingredients:

4 Russet Potatoes, peeled & diced (yes, I can count...I added one after I took this picture)

1/4 cup Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Sour Cream

1/8 cup Butter

1/8 cup Milk

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 1/2 oz Bacon Bits

Directions:

Boil potatoes until tender & then drain

While the potatoes were boiling, we took the time to play with Leeloo & the new camera just a bit

Transfer to a bowl and mash with a hand masher, then bust out your handy dandy hand mixer just to be sure and get ALL the lumps out. Add Cream Cheese, Sour Cream, Butter, Milk, Salt & Pepper. Mix Well and then stir in half of the cheese & bacon by hand.

Spoon mixture into an 8x8 baking dish and cook for 20 mins on 375 degrees.

Top with the remaining Cheese & Bacon and bake a few more minutes to melt the cheese. And Voila!

Oh yeah.....and the Potato Casserole :)

Mmm Mmm Mmm....this meal was pretty dang good. :) Now if I can just master more than 2 items without screwing something up.....WE COULD HAVE A FEAST! :)

Until next time.....

-Samantha

5 in 1

2012-03-25T21:51:00.001-07:00

I've kinda been slacking on posting this week & for that, I apologize. We did have a pretty good line up for dinner this week though. Monday was Pork Roast (my first pork roast, I might add) & it was phenomenal, as shown in my last post.

Tuesday we had my own derivative of Crispy Baked Chicken Strips & Baked Potato Rounds (Chris thought these potatoes were great and demands them again soon).

Wednesday we had Oven Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Roasted Parmesan Potatoes (Chris absolutely LOVED these too.....he obviously loves a good potato...but who doesn't?!?). I also made my first attempt at Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies....I've tried twice now and have still been unsuccessful following the recipe to a T. Oh well.....maybe I'll try again and the third time will be the charm.

Then on Saturday my favorite little man, Kaydon, came to stay the night.

Here he is doing "acrobatics" with Uncle Chris

For dinner we had Herb Crusted Pork Chops with Kraft's Home Baked Mac & Cheese. I'd like to add that Kaydon never even knew he liked pork chops until he ate them at my house.

So.....ON TO THE FOOD! :)

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN STRIPS

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

2 cups Italian Style Bread Crumbs

1 tbsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Sage

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Rosemary

1 tbsp Ground Cumin

dash of salt

1 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Spicy Brown Mustard

Directions:

I combined all of the spices & bread crumbs in 1 bowl & put the mustard in a separate bowl.

Next, I coated the chicken strips VERY WELL in the mustard.....

....before dredging in the bread crumb mixture. If you look hard enough, I think you can see a strip in there.

Then place the tenders in a baking pan coated in olive oil & cook at 400 degrees for 30 mins.

BAKED POTATO ROUNDS

Ingredients:

3 russet potatoes, sliced with the handy, dandy slicer

- it only took cutting my finger ONCE to go buy one

1/4 cup melted butter

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp Minced Garlic

1/2 cup Fake Bacon Bits (it's all I had on hand)

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sour Cream to serve with potatoes

Directions:

Brush both sides of potato slices with butter & season with the salt, pepper & garlic then place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 mins turning halfway through. When the potatoes are ready, top with Bacon & Cheese & cook for about 5 additional mins or until the cheese has melted.

Both of Tuesday's final products -

OVEN BAKED GARLIC PARMESAN CHICKEN

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

2 tsp Minced Garlic

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1/2 tsp All-Purpose Seasoning

1/4 cup Plain Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Combine Garlic, Olive Oil & Seasoning in small skillet & heat until garlic is browned.

Cut small slits diagonally down the length of each Chicken Breast

Place the Chicken Breasts in a bowl, pour the warmed Garlic, Oil & Seasoning over the top & set aside to marinate for a bit.

At this point, I started prepping my potatoes to be cooked so that my chicken could marinate.

Mix the Bread Crumbs & Parmesan Cheese together in a bowl & coat each breast with the mixture. Then place the chicken in a baking dish coated in non stick cooking spray.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes & then cook under the broiler for 5 mins to brown the tops.

ROASTED PARMESAN POTATOES

Ingredients:

3 Russet Potatoes

Butter

All-Purpose Season Salt

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and poke holes all around with a fork. Cook in the microwave for 3 1/2 mins, flip over and cook for another 3 1/2 mins. Cut each potato in half and then slice squares into each half ensuring you DO NOT cut through the skin.

Season each half with Butter, Parmesan Cheese & Season Salt and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

Broil until golden brown and VOILA!

I'm not gonna lie.....these were pretty dang good. Definitely a must try for anyone that loves potatoes.

Both of Wednesday's final products -

HERB CRUSTED PORK CHOPS

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Pork Chops

Spicy Brown Mustard (I just squirted a line down each side of the chops and spread it around)

1/2 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

1 tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 tbsp Parsley

1/8 tsp Salt

1/8 tsp Pepper

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

Rub Mustard over both sides of the pork chops

Combine Bread Crumbs & Seasonings in a bowl & dredge pork chops in the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a foil lined baking sheet in the oven to warm. While the oven is preheating, swirl the olive oil around to coat a skillet & heat over med-high heat. Brown both sides of the chops.

Transfer the pork chops to the warmed baking sheet and cook for about 10 mins.

Saturday's final product(s) -

Kraft's Home Baked Mac & Cheese is definitely an easy favorite in this household!

Welp, that's all of the homemade goodness we had this week. I promise I won't slack so much from now on....of course, who doesn't like a post with 5 recipes in one though?!? :)

Until next time.....

- Samantha

My first Pork Roast

2012-03-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

Welp....since dinner for tonight is cooking, I may as well post my AWESOME pork roast I made in the crockpot yesterday for dinner.

I have to say, I really outdid myself with this one.

It was a Sage Rubbed Pork Roast in Apple Gravy that I found in the comments section here and some good ol' fashioned baked potatoes. :)

Everyone knows how to make baked potatoes so I will not be posting the recipe for those.

SAGE RUBBED PORK ROAST IN APPLE GRAVY

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp sage

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 1/2 lb pork roast (aka pork butt) (& that weight is just a guess)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cups apple juice

Directions:

Combine spices in a bowl.

Rub both sides of the pork roast with the olive oil and the combined spices.

Place in crockpot with 2 cups of Apple Juice.

I left the crockpot on Low for 4 1/2 hours then when I got home, switched it to high while the baked potatoes baked for 1 hour 20 mins.

Remove from crockpot and shred with 2 forks and VOILA! You've then got a full plate of fantastic, flavorful Pork Roast. :)

While Chris made himself a BBQ sandwich, I made myself a BBQ Baked potato with shredded cheese & butter (YUM)

And after I was done with that, I proceeded to make myself a foldover BBQ sandwich. I love foldover sandwiches. :)

Needless to say, Chris & I knocked out the entire roast by ourselves last night. :) We did work!

That's all I have for tonight. Will post tonight's dinner shortly (or tomorrow). I may not have the motivation tonight. ;)

Until next time....

-Samantha

Dinner for 1!

2012-03-14T14:16:00.001-07:00

So I was home alone last night and originally thought, "YES! Rest night for Sammy!" Not so much. Once I got home from work, I realized I had a weekly chore to do. While doing my weekly chore, I decided that just because Chris wasn't home, doesn't mean I can't make myself a good dinner & so I took to Pinterest. :)

Last night's menu consisted of Honey Mustard Chicken Strips & Chili Cream Cheese Dip.

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN STRIPS (my own variation, of course)

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cut into strips

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup spicy brown mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp paprika

a dash of pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

Directions:

Combine mayo, spicy brown mustard, honey, garlic powder, paprika & pepper in a bowl. Stir until evenly combined. Divide the sauce in half and refrigerate until ready to use. Half will be used for the marinade and half will be used to dip. Place the chicken strips in the portion being used as marinade and stir to coat. Refrigerate for 30 mins (or overnight, if you plan better than I do).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the bread crumbs onto a plate & dip the chicken strips into the crumbs, covering completely. Do not shake excess marinade off of the strips before doing so. Flip them over a few times & press the bread crumbs into the strips & then place the strips on the wire rack. Discard the leftover marinade. I do not advise attempting to use this as extra dipping sauce. Believe it or not, some people just need to be told.

Bake the strip until the read crumbs are golden brown (about 25 minutes). AND THEN SERVE WITH THE FANTASTIC DIPPING SAUCE THAT WAS CREATED IN THE BEGINNING! :)

CHILI CREAM CHEESE DIP

Ingredients:

4 oz cream cheese

1/2 can of chili

Directions:

Warm both ingredients in a pot on the stove until blended. Serve with Tortilla chips.

EASY PEASY!!!

And the final products together -

YUM! Those strips were AMAZING! The marinade made it seem like they just melted in your mouth. So.dang.good. :)

Until next time.........

-Samantha

Dinner & Bday tribute to Leeloo

2012-03-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

Welp....dinner tonight was a SUCCESS! Plenty of leftovers for Chris to take to work on Monday :) I have to say, I'm getting kinda good at this whole crockpot thing. That makes me really happy because it's really easy.

Tonight's menu consisted of Crockpot Chicken Parmesan (which, again, I obtained from here) & Penne Pasta with Garlicky Breadcrumbs. This was my own variation of a recipe I acquired from here. Delish. I attempted an Asiago Garlic Bread but, of course, burned it. I haven't quite mastered baking bread in a gas oven. With time............right? We can only hope. :)

Recipes for the SUCCESSFUL noms are below!

CROCKPOT CHICKEN PARMESAN

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves

1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 t Italian seasoning

1/4 t black pepper

1/4 t salt

1 T Olive oil

1 slightly beaten egg

4 thick cut strips of mozzarella cheese

1 jar marinara sauce, blended

Directions:

Spread the olive oil in the bottom of the crockpot. I swirled it around to cover the entire bottom of the stoneware. Beat the egg with a fork in a small bowl. Mix the bread crumbs, seasonings & Parmesan cheese in another small bowl.

I set up an "assembly line" next to my crockpot & dipped each piece of chicken in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture (making sure to press the cheese/breadcrumbs into the chicken)

& then set them each in the bottom of the crockpot

Place a slice of Mozzarella cheese on each piece of chicken. I broke each of my strips in half to be sure the cheese would completely melt over each piece

If you have a significant other like mine, this would be when you blend the marinara sauce just to be sure there are no chunks in it. I liquefied for about a minute or so.

Cover the chicken completely with the entire jar (or blenderful...however you want to refer to it) of marinara. {{No need to worry, those are only water spots on my crockpot. Anyone that lives in TX and doesn't have a water softener built into their home HAS to know about the annoying water spots that get on EVERYTHING.}} :)

Cover & cook on low for 4 hours. After the 4 hours was up, I interrupted my reading time to get up, switch the crockpot to Keep Warm & start on my Pasta.

PENNE PASTA WITH GARLICKY BREADCRUMBS

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Plain breadcrumbs

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz penne pasta

1/4 cup parsley

2 t lemon juice

1/2 t salt

1/4 t pepper

*told you I love Great Value brand*

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed on packaging. This pasta was cooked in boiling water for about 13 mins to get to the softness we like. All stoves heat differently so my suggestion is checking it every couple mins when you get to about the 11 min mark. And don't forget to STIR REGULARLY! I was trying to do 2 other things at the same time and kept having to remind myself to STIR THE PASTA.

While the pasta's boiling, heat 1 1/2 T olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Swirl skillet to ensure you cover the entire bottom. Add garlic & cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Thank goodness this was only for 30 seconds as I'm not really sure how things would have turned out trying to stir both pasta & garlic at the same time. I have visions of one or the other falling to the floor....that would be just my luck.

Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. When the 5 minute mark is up, return skillet to heat & stir in the breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs I used only took about a minute to brown.

Once the pasta is done cooking, drain and toss it in a large bowl. Add 2 t of oil, the breadcrumb/garlic mixture, parsley, lemon juice, salt & pepper & mix well. This took tossing in the bowl and also stirring with a wooden spoon to make sure the pasta was evenly coated....and still, it wasn't quite evenly coated.

And now, the final product ::drum roll please:: :)

On our fancy paper plates {{don't hate}} :)

Not so bad for only my third meal in the crockpot.

On a side note though, in 30 minutes my baby girl, Leeloo, will be 1 year old (or 7 in dog years) ::tear:: Oh, how they grow up so fast...and she's still the crazy dawggie.

Here's a pic of her the day we brought her home. She was just a precious little ball of fluffiness!

I still go back through my Leeloo FB album on occassion and get teary eyed looking at all of her pics.

I did take an awesome video of her chasing the rain earlier today....she likes to run and jump through the air trying to chomp at the rain drops....my video froze up though when I went back & watched it and it's really just not of the appropriate quality to post on YouTube or my blog. I love that little girl more than ever and can't wait to give her all of her NEW TOYS tomorrow!

Until next time.......

-Samantha

Silly girl, Leeloo

2012-03-10T10:24:00.001-08:00

I just wanted to make a quick post about our silly little girl, Leeloo.

Chris & I went to N'Awlins last weekend and while we were having a blast doing this (I have to say those were the best hurricanes I've ever had):

Leeloo was busy doing this:

She sure does looove going to Grand-Paw & Grand-Maw's house! And playing with Uncle Turner and Aunt Haley! :)

Until next time......

-Samantha

Dinner & dessert 3/7/12

2012-03-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

I've recently tried my hand at cooking in my crockpot & tonight was actually only my second time to use it....so far, so good :)

On the menu tonight (from Pinterest, of course): My own rendition of "Lazy Chicken" that I found on this blog, Simply Recipes Cheesy Bread, & what is supposedly the "Perfect Brownie"

First up: My very own "Lazy Chicken" :)

Ingredients:

2 Chicken breasts (thawed & cut into fourths)

1 Jar Meat Flavored Tomato Paste (I had to blend so there were no chunks....oh, the things I do for him) :)

1/2 bag of Egg Noodles

Directions:

Mix tomato paste and chicken in crockpot and cook on low for 5 hours. By this time, the chicken was easy to shred with 2 forks but just to be safe, once I got home, I switched the crockpot to High and started cooking the noodles & cheesy bread (which took about 30 mins altogether).

Cheesy Bread (for 2)

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp sour cream

2 cloves minced garlic

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

4 thick cut slices of French Bread

Directions:

Mix cheese together in large bowl and add mayo & sour cream. In a separate bowl, blend the butter & garlic until smooth. Add the garlic butter mixture to the cheese mixture and combine. Preheat broiler. Slice french bread into 4 thick cut pieces. Spread the cheese mixture over each slice of bread. Place under the broiler until slightly browned and bubbly on top (this took about 5 - 7 mins)

The final product(s) - yes, that IS a paper plate :)

"Perfect Brownies"

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup Nestle Toll House cocoa powder

3 eggs

3/4 cup unsalter butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup Log House semi-sweet chocolate chips

Sidenote: I'm a huge fan of Wal-Mart's Great Value brand :)

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients, except the chocolate chips

Add the eggs & melted butter and hand mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the wet ingredients.

Stir in the chocolate chips

Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. I used an awful lot of this...I wasn't really sure how to make it "lay down" around the sides without it raising up out of the bottom of the dish. Pour the batter in the dish and spread it evenly.

Bake at 325 degrees (I don't have that symbol on the netbook) for 30 - 35 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Lift the parchment paper out of the dish and pull the edges down. Allow to cool before om nomming down

I have to say these brownies are PRETTY DANG GOOD!

Until next time......

-Samantha

Intro to the Girls

2012-03-06T19:30:00.000-08:00

So....this is the beginning of a blog that I hope my sisters will join me on eventually.

MEET THE GIRLS - SAMANTHA, MACY & CYDNEY (when we were little...this is one of my fave pics of us)

This is my boyfriend, Chris & I

And our beautiful little girl, Leeloo (she loves to watch dog shows)

Macy is the middle sister & she's the Mother of my handsome little nephew, Kaydon

And then the bayyyby of the Girls is Cydney (or CC)

STAY TUNED!