I am so excited to be partnering with Sabra Hummus today and to share one of Kevin’s new favorite quick and easy dinners. :) He requests this one just about every week! I think rice and chicken enchiladas are his two favorite foods ever. When we go to Hibachi grills and they give us three pounds of fried rice each, he will eat all of his and most of mine too! :) So he loves burritos that have beans, rice, chicken, and cheese. But his favorite way is to have them “enchilada style” — smothered in enchilada sauce and plenty of melty cheese. I can’t say that I blame him! :) I’ll show you a peek inside these yummy “enchilada style” burritos. :)

Here’s all you’ll need for this quick and easy dinner. Just a few simple ingredients. I used a leftover rotisserie chicken for the chopped chicken pictured here. You could also make my five minute chicken with boneless skinless chicken breasts. It would be perfect in these burritos!

We’ll start by making the fabulous cilantro-lime rice. Add 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon of salt to a medium sauce pan and squeeze in 2 tablespoons of lime juice. It took me two whole limes to get 2 tablespoons. Not sure if my limes were extra dry or if I just wasn’t doing it right?? Or maybe that’s normal? I have to admit, with Kevin’s citrus aversion, I don’t squeeze a whole lotta limes over here. Oh yeah, don’t tell him there’s lime in this, okay? Cilantro Lime Rice is my favorite!! :) Anyway, if your limes are kinda small, get an extra one just in case. Whew! Now bring all that to a boil, turn heat to low, cover and simmer for exactly 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop up about 1/4 cup fresh cilantro. When the rice is done, gently stir in the cilantro and set aside. Easy peasy!

Now most burritos start with a base layer of beans or refried beans. I wanted to mix things up a bit and give my burritos an extra kick of flavor, so I used this Roasted Garlic Hummus from Sabra. I love all their fun flavors!! They have so many to choose from, you could make these same burritos with a different Sabra hummus flavor each time and they’d taste different every time. Great for variety! I think roasted red pepper and southwest would be awesome in here too.

It’s also pretty enough to just take off the lid and serve as is! I always have to sneak a bite. :)

Now let’s build these burritos. Spread a layer of your hummus of choice. This gives the burrito a wonderfully creamy, garlicky flavor and texture without all the fat and calories of a heavy cream based sauce. And hummus is very high in fiber! And protein! If you’re into that sort of thing.

Ahem. Top with your homemade cilantro-lime rice…

Some cooked, chopped chicken…

And a sprinkling of cheese.

Roll ‘em up and admire all those delicious layers! This is going to be one yummy burrito baby.

Place each burrito seam side down in a 9×13 pan that’s been generously coated with nonstick spray. (This dish is slightly smaller than 9×13, you could probably fit more in a true 9×13 pan)

Cover the tortillas completely with enchilada sauce.

And top with a generous helping of cheese. :)

Bake these at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes until melty and bubbly.

Yum!! These fun burritos are packed with layers of flavor. One is plenty for me, and Kevin can only eat about one and a half, so this will make enough to feed an army. :) Toss a salad, or make a little extra cilantro lime rice for a side, and serve the remaining Sabra hummus along with some pita chips to complete the meal. Enjoy!!

I am so excited to be teaming up with Nestle today to share this fun new cookie recipe. It is one of my new favorites! The idea for this cookie has been rolling around in my head for a few months now. I wanted to create cookie that was a combination of all my favorite flavors. Coffee and caramel is one of my absolute favorite flavor combos. If you haven’t tried my Caramel Toffee Latte Cupcakes, they are an absolute must!! :) I also added chunks of Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate because coffee, caramel, and chocolate is always a good idea. Oh, by the way, there’s also a giveaway at the end of this post with some really fun, rare Nestle items. Definitely worth checking out!

And be sure to visit my friends Maria and Jenny today who are also creating recipes with Nestle and offering a fun giveaway!

These cookies are sent absolutely over the top with the addition of brown butter. You guys know how much I love brown butter! I am obsessed with brown butter cookies, and I pretty much make all my cookies with brown butter now. It adds a completely melt-in-your-mouth texture and that “secret ingredient” flavor that makes these cookies decadently bold, rich, and ultra flavorful. Everyone always asks me what my secret is! :) It’s one of those flavors you can’t quite put your finger on the taste, but you know it is to die for. :)  If you’ve never made cookies with brown butter before, hold on… and get ready to get hooked! :)

Here’s what you’ll need to make these cookies: butter, sugar, dark brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, all-purpose flour, baking soda, Nestle chocolate chunks, caramels, instant coffee, and coarse sea salt for sprinkling. You can use the unwrapped caramel bits or caramel squares. If you use the squares, you may want to chop them a bit. I find this easier if they have been frozen for a few minutes first. For the instant coffee, I used Nescafe Hazelnut. Hazelnut is another one of my favorite flavors, so I of course wanted to incorporate it into these cookies. :) They also have vanilla which I think would be fabulous. These instant coffee packs are great for baking. Try adding a packet to brownies or a chocolate cake mix to intensify the chocolate flavor. Love using this simple trick.

To make these cookies, begin by melting the butter over medium to medium-high heat.

When it melts, it will start to bubble…

And after a few minutes it will start to foam. When it gets to this stage, start whisking constantly.

It will quickly turn brown, have a wonderfully nutty aroma, and you’ll see little brown bits at the bottom of the pan.

At this point immediately remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Set aside and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt with two tablespoons instant coffee. That’s exactly six of the Nescafe Taster’s Choice Single Serve packets.

Add the sugars to the brown butter, which should have cooled off by now, and beat with an electric mixer until well combined, about 3-5 minutes.

While that’s going on, I like to get my eggs and vanilla ready to add. This recipe calls for one egg and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk makes them super rich and helps them stay moist.

Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for another two minutes.

Until you have this situation going on.

Add the flour and coffee mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. How beautiful does this coffee-flecked dough look??!

Add the caramels and chocolate chunks and stir until just combined.

Cookie dough perfection!!

Use a medium (1.5 tbsp) cookie scoop to place dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat liner.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes until edges just start to turn golden.

I love sprinkling a touch of salt over my chocolate chip cookies right when they come out of the oven. It just gives them a little something extra and enhances all the other flavors. I’m using this Fleur De Sel finishing salt I got on Amazon. You can also just use kosher salt.

Rich, hazelnut mocha, salty caramel, and a fresh-from-the-oven cookie.

It doesn’t get much better than this! :)

I love these cookies because there’s something chewy and fabulous in every bite!

Hope you enjoy!! :) Be sure to follow Nestle Kitchens on Pinterest for more cookie ideas and check out Meals.com for more recipes!

Avocado, lemon, garlic, freshly cracked salt and pepper… Is there anything more pure or fresh than this simple, delicious pasta?? :) My kitchen smelled amazing yesterday as I was making this! Such a bright combination of flavors and aromas. A creamy avocado and Parmesan sauce is tossed with fresh pasta and loads of buttery, garlicky shrimp. To die for.

I am so excited to share this recipe with you today from a new cookbook called Absolutely Avocados by my friend Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking. Gaby is the avocado queen and her new book has 80 amazing avocado recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and even dessert! This book would definitely be my first stop for fun, new, delicious recipes using avocados. Gaby is obsessed with avocados, so I know she has the best recipes on how to use them for every occasion!! :)

You know I picked a pasta recipe to make first! :) I didn’t have to read past the first four ingredients — shrimp, avocado, lemon and pasta — to know this would be so right up my alley. Add in garlic, scallions, and Parmesan? It just sends it right over the top.

Start by boiling the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the avocado in half. Gaby shows you exactly how to buy and cut an avocado with step by step pictures in her book.

Remove the pit, and spoon out the avocado from the skin and place the avocado into the bowl of a food processor. Add the Parmesan and lemon juice and process for 1 to 2 minutes while streaming in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until smooth and creamy. Scape down the sides of the food processor bowl with a spatula as needed. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and set aside.

Next add the butter and reminaing 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the shrimp and cook until they are pink an cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.

Like so!

Add the scallions and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

Add the cooked pasta and avocado-Parmesan sauce and toss to combine.

Serve it up topped with more Parmesan if desired! Such a fun and delicious pasta. Thanks for sharing with us Gaby!

To see more recipes from Absolutely Avocados, check out these links below:

Bacon, Avocado and Corn Salad on Picky Palate
Fried Avocado Tacos on Heather Christo Cooks
Irish Nachos on Family Fresh Cooking
Mango Cilantro Guacamole on Two Peas and Their Pod
Cheese Pupusas with Tomatillo Avocado Salsa on Table for Two
Vegetarian Avocado Sushi Bowls on Running with Tweezers
Goat Cheese Guacamole w/ Pita Chips on Shutterbean

And for more recipes plus a peek inside the Absolutely Avocados cookbook, be sure to visit this page on What’s Gaby Cooking!

Hope you enjoy! :)

I am so, so in love with this simple, delicious pasta. And I am so excited to share the recipe with you guys today! First of all, it’s fresh, homemade, brown butter tomato sauce. You had me at brown butter. But second of all, it’s so easy. Like five-ingredient, done in 10 minutes easy. I whipped this up for us after we had been painting the office / scrapbook room all day and we were starving, and I didn’t feel like cooking, and I needed something super quick and easy to make. It’s one of those “I don’t feel like making dinner!” dinners, but it totally knocks your socks off. It is definitely going into our dinner rotation! With fresh tomatoes and basil, it’s the perfect summer meal. But it will also warm you right up on chilly nights as well! It’s fresh, filling, decadent, and divine. It’s everything I want in a pure, simple pasta. And just look how easy it is to make! :)

Just five simple ingredients! Cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, cheese ravioli, Parmesan, butter, and salt and pepper.

This incredible pasta recipe comes from the brand new Recipe Girl Cookbook written by my beautiful and talented blogging friend Lori Lange. Her blog, RecipeGirl.com, has over 2,600 of her best recipes and theme menus for entertaining and every day. And now she has her very own cookbook with brand new recipes to share! You may remember Lori from this San Diego travel post a few years ago. We had the BEST fish tacos ever on that trip and and I am still dreaming about that Midnight Madness cake! And to this day, that is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Lori is an extremely talented recipe developer and her book is filled with her fabulous recipes that are tested, tried, and true.

When I saw this recipe in Lori’s new book I knew it had to be made immediately. With only five simple ingredients, a cook time of 12 minutes, and it’s pasta?? This recipe totally speaks to me.

First, cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Mine were done in 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat.

When the butter is melted, add the cherry tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and burst and the butter turns brown, about 7 minutes.

After the seven minutes were up, my tomatoes were soft and perfect, but they were still mostly whole. I wanted them to be a little more saucy, so I gave them each a little mash with the back of my spatula. We loved it like this! But you could certainly leave them whole if you prefer.

Next add in the chopped basil, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Serve the tomato sauce over the warm ravioli and top with fresh Parmesan cheese. I used shaved Parmesan here.

You guys. This is a-mazing. Seriously. Perfect, fresh, and fabulous in every way. Awesome job, Lori!! You totally nailed it!! :) This will be made again and again.

To celebrate The Recipe Girl Cookbook, we are hosting a fun giveaway for a beautiful KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender. The blender comes in 12 gorgeous colors, and the winner gets to pick their favorite color! And of course the winner gets a copy of The Recipe Girl Cookbook! :)

Use the PromoSimple Widget below to enter the giveaway. It may take a second to pop up. Good luck!! :)

KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender & Recipe Girl Cookbook Giveaway

To see more recipes from The Recipe Girl Cookbook, visit the following blogs participating in a virtual book launch party for Lori. Every day this week a different blog is sharing a new recipe from The Recipe Girl Cookbook along with a KitchenAid blender and cookbook giveaway!

• Monday (Breakfast):  Two Peas and Their Pod – Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
• Tuesday (Lunch):  Picky Palate — Avocado-Topped Hot Dogs with Creamy Chipotle Sauce
• Wednesday (Happy Hour): Eat, Live, Run — Sweet Smokin’ Hot Mango Chipotle Guacamole
• Thursday (Dinner): Kevin and Amanda — Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter & Fresh Tomato Sauce
• Thursday (Dinner): FoodieCrush — Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas
• Friday (Dessert): RecipeBoy — Snickerdoodle Blondies

Today my recipe buddy is Heidi of Foodie Crush, she is making Lori’s Garlicky Swiss Chard and Chickpeas. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks for looking! Hope you enjoy! :)

So excited to share a new quick and easy dinner recipe that we love. This Cheesy Sausage Tortellini is creamy, cheesy, pure comfort food. It’s one of our favs! If you follow me on Instagram, you got a sneak peek of this new recipe a few weeks ago. :) You only need one skillet, and you can whip this up in less than 30 minutes. A perfect weeknight meal that everyone will love! :)

Here’s all you’ll need to make Cheesy Sausage Tortellini. Just seven ingredients here!

Start by coating the bottom of a 12-inch skillet or large dutch oven with a thin layer of olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke.

Add the sliced sausage and arrange in a single layer. You can use any kind of smoked sausage for this recipe (turkey, chicken, pork, etc). We love Butterball Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage. (Not a paid advertisement!) I honestly cannot tell the difference between this and full-fat smoked or andouille sausage in a side by side taste test. It is that good. And it is HALF the fat and calories of regular smoked sausage!

Cook until the sausages are well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Sorry, I was playing on my phone and not paying attention. Mine got a little crispy! Don’t worry, they’re still good. :) This smoked sausage is very forgiving. :)

Next add a couple of cloves of minced garlic.

And stir around for about 30 seconds until golden and fragrant.

Then add three-fourths of a cup of chicken broth…

One 8-oz can of tomato sauce or one cup of your favorite spaghetti sauce…

And a half cup of regular or heavy cream. Feel free to substitute fat-free half and half here as well. It’ll still taste good, it just won’t be quite as creamy. :)

Next add your perfect little cheesy tortellinis :)

And season with salt and pepper to taste. I love using my Trudeau Graviti Salt and Pepper Mills when I’m cooking and for EVERYTHING! :) Have you seen these? They are so cool! All you do is turn it upside down and it automatically grinds fresh pepper and sea salt for you. No cranking or turning yourself! I would seriously never use freshly ground pepper without this thing. This pepper mill ranked #1 on my Five Kitchen Essentials Under $25 list. And how cute is this gift set with two grinders and gourmet salt and pepper?? I just stumbled upon this on Amazon and I had to share it with you guys. If you have a foodie in your life this would make the perfect gift for anyone who loves to cook for their family! :) It includes the stainless steel salt and pepper grinders plus a cute little package of gourmet Brazilian sea salt and fresh Telicherry peppercorns. So fun! I love it. Pin this for Christmas gifts. :)

Now stir everything up and let your tortellinis soak up this luscious tomato sauce :)

Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn heat to low and cook for 12 minutes until tortellini are plump and tender.

Look how much our tortellinis have grown! They got huge! :)

Now serve this up on a plate or a wide soup bowl.

I want to plant my face in this creamy, cheesy deliciousness. This sausage adds a really nice smokiness to this dish. Dinner perfection. :)

 

Oh my gosh you guys. I cannot even begin to tell you how IN LOVE I am with these AMAZING pretzels!! Oh. My. Word. They’re soft, they’re chewy, they’re buttery. They’re perfect little pillowy pretzel bites covered with a fabulously crunchy cinnamon sugar crust and finally — the pièce de résistance — they’re dipped in THE most heavenly salted caramel sauce ever. Seriously. I ate this caramel sauce right out of the jar with a spoon. Maria had to wrestle the jar away from me. We had words. I tried to sneak it home with me. The combo of these two together is 100% perfection. If you want the BEST mini appetizer-dessert-snack EVER… This is it. So insanely good. I am jealous of past-Amanda for getting to eat these, since present-Amanda currently doesn’t have any. I kind of hate her. Let’s make these right away before I get too bitter. You have, have, have to make these. ASAP. They are so good! :)

Okay, let’s get started. :) I always love getting together with bloggy friends, but I especially love it when we can get together and bake!! :) I had so much fun baking with Maria and Josh in the Two Peas and Their Pod Kitchen. Maria asked what I wanted to make, and I knew it had to be their famous homemade soft pretzels! They were so easy and fun to make. I am definitely making these at home ASAP!! :) Here’s what all you’ll need — just a few basic ingredients. Nothing too complicated. We used bread flour, but you can easily use all-purpose flour as well.

Here’s the kind of yeast we used.

To start, combine warm water from the tap, yeast, sugar, and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.

Mix for about 30 seconds until just combined.

And let sit for about five minutes until the yeast “blooms” and it looks like this.

Next add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until just combined.

Like so.

Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough is smooth and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.

Perfect! Remove the dough from the bowl and knead into a ball.

Coat a bowl with a little vegetable oil, add the dough, and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a clean towel or foil and place in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, about an hour. You can use the bread proofing setting on your oven, or just set it in a regular oven turned off. The oven is a great place for dough to rise because it’s generally free from drafts.

Meanwhile, we’ll make the salted caramel sauce. Yay! Salted caramel party time! All you need is sugar, butter, cream, and salt for the most perfect, most pure, most delicious caramel sauce ever. Be sure to measure your ingredients out ahead of time so you have them ready while you’re making the sauce (it goes quickly), and it helps if the butter and cream are at room temperature.

To begin, heat 2 cups of sugar over medium to medium-high heat in a heavy 2-3 quart saucepan.

Whisk constantly. The sugar will start to melt and clump up as it transforms, just keep whisking.

It’s starting to melt! Keep whisking. :) This is the most heavenly fragrance in the entire world. You know the saying warm vanilla sugar? This is so much better than that.

Keep whisking, keep whisking… :)

Once the sugar is completely smooth and melted, add 12 tablespoons of butter, piece by piece. Three Land O’ Lakes half-sticks are exactly 12 tablespoons.

Whisk after each addition until fully incorporated.

When the butter is fully incorporated into the sugar, remove the pan from the heat.

Slowly pour in one cup of heavy cream.

Whisk until the cream is fully incorporated and the caramel is smooth.

And finally, whisk in one tablespoon fine sea salt.

That’s it!! See how easy that was?? :) Pour the sauce into a jar and cool to room temperature. You’re going to need to taste-test SEVERAL times with a spoon though. Several. See? That jar was full before I got to it. ;)

I seriously need to have this on hand at ALL times. It’s so good on everything!! :)

Meanwhile, our dough has doubled in size! It’s pretzel time, baby!

First, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Once the water comes to a boil, add 2/3 cup baking soda.

While you’re waiting on the water to boil, divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.

Here’s where Maria and Josh took over. They are the perfect, cutest little team in the kitchen! Yes, we were all very comfy in our PJs this fine Saturday morning, lol! Roll each piece into a rope about two feet long.

Cut the dough into one inch pieces to make the pretzel bites.

Boil the pretzel bites in batches, about 15 at a time, for 30 seconds. Remove with a large slotted spoon.

Place pretzel bites on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are not touching.

Here’s where I forgot to take a picture! I must’ve been sneaking caramel out of the jar while Maria wasn’t looking. ;)

Bake the pretzel bites at 425 for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven and immediately place the pretzel bites on a cooling rack. You could also use a sheet of wax paper or foil if you do not have a cooling rack. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. You want to do this over a cooling rack and not on the pan you bake the pretzel bites on or else the sugar will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Then put the pretzel bites back on the first pan and continue baking for an additional 8-10 minutes until golden and cooked through.

Tada! The sweet, cinnamony, crunchy shell combined with the soft, pillowy, salty pretzel is absolute perfection.

But then you’re gonna wanna do this.

And this.

And this.

And basically just keep doing that over, and over, and over. And over.

The end.

OMG. You guys will NOT believe what Maria did with her pretzel bites!!! They are stuffed with peanut butter AND dipped in chocolate!! Swoon! Visit TwoPeasandTheirPod.com and get the recipe for these Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Bites! :)

I’ve got a fun appetizer for you today! If you are a fan of Crockpot Little Smokies AND Pigs in a Blanket, you will LOVE these Smokey Sausage Cups! It combines the best of both worlds into one perfect bite. They’re a savory blend of smokey sausages in sweet and spicy sauce, BUT THEY’RE ALSO all wrapped up in a puffy, buttery, crisped-to-perfection pastry shell. It’s two of my favorite appetizers in one! I’m so excited to share this recipe with you today as part of the Pepperidge Farm “Puffection” Game Day Entertaining Challenge.

Okay, seriously simple ingredients here. You can whip these up in no time. The original recipe calls for orange marmalade, and I would have loved to have tried these with orange marmalade, but… confession time. Kevin is not a huge fan of oranges. I know right? I’m not sure we can be friends anymore. He won’t even eat little clementine cuties!! I know right??!  He doesn’t know what he’s missing. More for me. Whatever. He’s not really a fan anything citrusy. We don’t have lemon-scented cleaning products in the house. For me, however, this means no key lime pie. No crumbly lemon squares. No cranberry-orange sweet rolls. No cheesecake. I die. Not that I can’t have them, of course. Just that I can’t really make them. Because then he won’t eat any. And then I’ll eat them all. Bad. So I don’t really get them all that often. Don’t you feel so terribly sorry for me? Oh, and I realize cheesecake is not a citrus, but I’m just throwing that out there since it’s another dessert my beloved doesn’t really care for.

ANYWAY!

The recipe ALSO says you can use orange marmalade OR you favorite jam, so… I used GRAPE jam! It was perfect because I’ve seen recipes for Crockpot Little Smokies with grape jam. All the better!

The best part about these Smokey Sausage Cups is that you can keep most of the ingredients on hand at all times, which means if you have unexpected guests, you can whip these up as on a moment’s notice for a quick and delicious appetizer. And if you need ideas using up that leftover sausage… You can make this Spicy Sausage Pasta! It’s our favorite weeknight dinner ever. :)

Anyway. Here’s what you do. Slice an 8oz link of smoked sausage, and dice into quarters.

Lightly flour a work surface.

And roll out the one sheet of puff pastry.

Cut the puff pastry into squares.

And press in a muffin tin sprayed with cooking spray.

Next, stir the diced sausage with 2 tablespoons orange marmalade (or your favorite jam) and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.

Oh man, you know what I just realized? I bet you could even use HONEY instead of jam. Honey Mustard Sausage Cups?? YES PLEASE!

Whatever you use, divide your delicious saucy sausages into the muffin tin cups.

And bake to golden brown PUFFECTION for 15 minutes in a 400 degree F oven. Top with chopped parsley and serve!

These babies will fly off the plate! They’re sweet, spicy, saucy, and served in a puffed to perfection cup. Hope you enjoy!! :)

What’s your favorite must-make party dish or appetizer?

Check out the Puffection TM tab on the Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Facebook page, where you can share your favorite Puff Pastry recipes, and www.puffpastry.com for more even recipes, tips and how-to videos.

 

 

This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm as part of the “Puffection” Game Day Entertaining Challenge. All opinions are my own.

You guys may have seen me Instagram about this one a few weeks ago, and I am back now to share the recipe! And oh gosh, you guys. This is a good one. It’s quickly becoming one of our favorites! This colorful dish is jam-PACKED with flavor. It’s reminiscent of super cheesy broccoli soup with added chicken, bacon, and spicy tomatoes. You can’t go wrong with that combo!! :)  It makes a ton and it’s super filling, which makes it perfect for a hungry family. It’s delicious enough for picky eaters and easy enough for a weeknight meal.

This hearty one-dish skillet dinner will warm you right up on a cold winter’s night. Make this one ASAP!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Bacon — I chose to go with Turkey bacon this time. Give it a try if you’re looking to cut back on fat and calories, it’s not that bad! :) Or feel free to use the real stuff. :) You can also simplify this recipe even more by using pre-cooked bacon (real or Turkey); I’ve done it both ways depending on what I have on hand.
• Chicken Broth
• Broccoli Florets
• Rice
• Extra Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese — Make sure to keep an eye out for extra sharp cheddar so the cheesy flavor will really shine through in this dish.
• Diced Onions — I used the frozen, diced onions in a bag found in the freezer section of the grocery store.
• Garlic
• Chicken — This is a great recipe to use up boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but feel free to use a leftover cooked, chopped chicken or a rotisserie chicken as well.
• Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles

Get started by dicing the bacon. I like to use two slices per person, but feel free to make this extra special by using three or four if you wish. :)

Add the bacon to a very large skillet or dutch oven and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the bacon until crisp, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season generously with salt and pepper.

I FORGOT TO DO THIS.

Don’t let this happen to you. It needs flavors.

NOTE: Now would be a good time to start the rice. I always prepare my rice on the stovetop like this: 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt. Add all to a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 14 minutes. Makes four servings. Lighty, fluffy, delicious rice, works perfect every single time!

When the bacon is crisp, use a slotted spoon to remove to a plate.

Since I used turkey bacon, I didn’t have enough grease left in the pan to cook the chicken, so I added a little butter and olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the chicken in a single layer and cook on one side for two and a half minutes.

Flip the chicken to the other side (as best you can) and cook for another two and half minutes.

Five minute chicken! Done! Add the chicken to the plate with the bacon.

This time I had enough butter and olive oil left in the pan, so go ahead and add the diced onions…

And top with the broccoli. If you have picky eaters you may want to give the broccoli a rough chop before adding it just to make the pieces smaller and blend in easier. I speak from experience.

Cook, stirring occasionally until broccoli is tender and onions are brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes.

Add in minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly until just fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Then add in the tomatoes…

And by now your rice should be done, so add it along with the chicken, bacon, and any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. Stir all to combine, then reduce heat to low to keep warm.

Now for our creamy, cheesy sauce. Add butter to the bottom of a small saucepan over medium heat, I used the same one I cooked my rice in.

When the butter is just melted…

Add an equal amount of flour…

And whisk (or stir with a fork) until just combined.

Pour in the chicken broth (I just thought about this, but you could also use milk here, if you’re not the type of person to keep chicken broth on hand. Me, I buy it by the case.) and turn the heat to high and cook until it starts to thicken and bubble.

Now remove the sauce from the heat and add in the shredded cheese and plenty of salt and pepper to taste. I like to use 1/2 teaspoon each.

Stir until the cheese is melted, then pour that cheesy deliciousness all over the skillet. Stir to combine.

Easy. Gorgeous. Lovely. Delicious.

And cheesy, spicy, and creamy.

This hearty, flavorful dinner is sure to please! Hope you enjoy! :)

This simple recipe is so easy and so delicious. We love this around here! You don’t even have to cook the noodles first, which makes this one of our favorite, easy weeknight dinners.  It’s creamy, flavorful, and you can get it on the table in 15 minutes or less. Perfect for busy weeknights!

Here’s all you’ll need to make it. Egg noodles cook super fast, allowing you to get this on the table even faster. Frozen diced onions and peas are a huge time saver and make it easy to keep the ingredients for this dinner always on hand. And there’s not too much lemon juice in this recipe, so no need for a real lemon here. Feel free to use the bottled stuff!

This recipe is perfect for leftover ham, especially if you’re planning on having a ham for Christmas! Or you can grab some ham from the deli, just make sure you get something that sounds really delicious, like this Maple-Glazed Brown Sugar Honey Ham, lol! Also ask them to slice it really thick for dicing, so you have nice, bite-sized chunks of ham.

I have also used a rotisserie chicken here (or cooked, chopped chicken breasts) in place of the ham. Whatever you have on hand works great!

To make, add some butter to a large, 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.

Once the butter has melted and is just starting to turn brown, add the diced onions.

Cook onions until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, half-and-half, and noodles to the skillet and bring to a boil.

Add the diced ham and stir to combine.

Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the noodles are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Now check your cream sauce. If it isn’t thick enough at this point, we can fix that right now.

Simply stir together one tablespoon of cornstarch with three tablespoons of cold water with a fork. You can use the same measuring cup from the broth and half-and-half. Pour into the sauce and it will thicken immediately.

See? It’s already starting to bubble and thicken! Add plenty of salt and pepper to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper), then stir to combine.

Next add the frozen peas and splash of lemon juice and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Creamy, easy, and delicious! That’s all you do! :)

Hope you enjoy! :)

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I love banana bread. I’ve had such a huge craving for it this fall! When I ended up with 3 very ripe bananas on my counter this weekend I knew exactly what I had to do with them. We also had Sugar Cookie Eggnog in the fridge, so I decided to make banana bread muffins with eggnog for a special holiday treat. I am in love with these delicious little muffins! They are are so decadently soft and perfectly fluffy. They’re also topped with a sweet cinnamon-streusel crumb topping and stuffed with rich morsels of dark chocolate, just for fun. The sugary, crunchy topping combined with the soft, melt-in-your-mouth muffin is such a wonderful combination. Heaven!

Now, don’t worry if you are like me — I can’t even stand to be in the same room as eggnog. It is just totally not my thing! You can’t even tell it’s there in the muffins. And you could easily replace the eggnog with buttermilk, sour cream, or vanilla yogurt if you are not a fan. BUT, if you do love eggnog…

You will love this special eggnog glaze for a little extra eggnog kick! :)

You gotta make these guys. Here’s what you’ll need. We found this fun Sugar Cooke Eggnog at Kroger. I’m missing brown sugar and powdered sugar in this picture for some reason!

First we’ll need to do a little prep work with the butter. Start out by adding one whole stick of melted butter to the workbowl of your mixer. We need this butter to be cooled, so swirl it around a few times to help it along.

Next we need some butter to be very, very cold, so cube two tablespoons of butter and stick it in the freezer to start chilling.

Now we can really start on these bad boys! Give your melted butter a few more swirls if it’s not cool yet, then add 1 cup of sugar…

1/2 cup eggnog…

And three very ripe bananas. These bananas were just right. Totally brown on the outside, but not brown or mushy on the inside. Beat with mixer until bananas are mashed and everything is well combined, about 2-3 minutes.

Next add two eggs…

And here’s where I was going to add a tablespoon of vanilla, but at the last minute I decided I wanted to use a vanilla bean, because I love the speckled look a vanilla bean gives. You can find vanilla beans almost everywhere, and they can be used in place of vanilla extract for a special touch. Check the McCormick’s spices in the spice section of the grocery store. To use a vanilla bean, split it in half…

And use the back of your knife to scrape out the vanilla bean seeds, aka the “good stuff”.

Beat this until eggs and vanilla bean seeds are well combined, another 2 minutes or so. See? Perfect little vanilla bean flecks! I love these.

Meanwhile, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Add to wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Finally, add 1 cup dark chocolate chips to the bowl that had the flour in it…

And toss around to coat with any leftover flour. This will help keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. Add chocolate chips to batter and stir to combine.

I found these fun Parchment Lotus Cups at Kroger and thought they would be perfect for muffins! I love the rustic look of these liners.

If you can’t find these locally, you can buy them on Amazon or make your own with unbleached Parchment Paper using this great tutorial from Tidy Mom.

With these liners I was able to fill my muffin tin all the way to the rim. It took exactly two scoops of a Large Baking Scoop (each scoop is about 3 tablespoons) and it made 12 muffins exactly. Of course you can always just use regular muffin tin liners, or you don’t have to use liners at all. Just be sure to spray your muffin tin generously with baking spray if you choose to go that route!

These are almost ready for the oven, but first they need their crunchy cinnamon sugar streusel topping! :)

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and those 2 tablespoons of frozen butter in a bowl. I am still using that same bowl from earlier, less dishes to wash! :)

Use a knife or a pastry cutter to combine until moist and crumbly, it will take about five minutes. This part’s a pain, see if you can talk someone else into doing it. ;) About 30 seconds in is when I remember how much I love those boxed mixes where the streusel topping just comes in a bag. But then I bite into a warm, soft muffin with that perfect crumbly sugary top, and I remember how totally worth it is. It’s everyone’s favorite part!

Generously sprinkle the crumb topping over the muffins. You will use it all! :)

Bake these at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist pieces clinging to it.

You guys. These are so good.

Love this crunchy topping!

And the warm, soft, fluffy inside.

I love these with just a touch of melted butter.

Or if you prefer, you can top them with a sweet eggnog glaze.

Just melt together one tablespoon of butter with two tablespoons of eggnog and whisk in one cup of powdered sugar.

Then drizzle over these perfect little muffins.

Hope you enjoy these guys!! And if you love eggnog treats, check out this gorgeous Pumpkin Eggnog Bread from the beautiful Dine and Dish blog.