cake batter dip

this is delicious! i made it on a whim and it definitely went over well with the family (of course it would though... there is no vegetables and its sweet lol)

i served it with graham crackers because thats what i happened to have but this would be excellent with animal crackers or nilla wafers

cake batter dip
from http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/appetizers-and-snacks/cake-batter-cracker-dip/

2/3 cup Cake Mix, Any Flavor (i used white)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup Whipped Topping
sprinkles (add as many as youd like or skip this step if you get a cake mix that already has sprinkles in it)

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.

sweet and spicy bacon wrapped chicken

YUM! thats all that i can really say... i will definitely be making these again for the hubby and myself! its super easy and its definitely my kind of recipe! no measuring involved!!! of course, oli and aj wouldnt even touch them (side note: oli finds spaghetti dipped in ketchup delicious) is this an age thing?! i am always trying to find recipes that the whole family will love because its much easier on me (i used to make 3 seperate meals- 1 nonorganic meat for frank, 1 organic meat for oli and 1 vegetarian for me so even if i make one thing for frank and me and one for the kids its still less on me!)

i dont know where i was going with that... all i know is that i hope that my kids grow out of this whole not eating thing/not liking what i make for them- im not used to it lol

also there is something stuck under my 'o' button and its seriously annoying. that is all

sweet and spicy bacon wrapped chicken

from http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweet-spicy-bacon-chicken.html

 

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

6 Bacon slices, cut in half (or 12 but i like to conserve)

 pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish coated with oil or cooking spray.

 

Cook for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and bacon is crispy.

 

We dipped these in bbq sauce but they actually don't really need to be dipped in anything!

fried pickles

yum... i first tried fried pickles at cheeseburger in paradise and i fell in love. its not something that you think would be good but they actually are. i have been meaning to try this recipe for a while now because Oli loves pickles (of course he refused to even try one of these so theres that lol)

my hubby is a huge fan of my fried green beans so i used that recipe and tried pickles instead... next up is zucchini (side note: im totally stoked that my garden is finally starting to grow! if it goes as good as its looking right now, i will have tons of zucchini, butternut squash and tomatoes! i'm so excited!! its the little things in life, i tell ya lol)

im going to try both my green beans and these pickles with a beer batter next time (i ran out of beer the last time i had a girls night and havent had a reason to go out and buy more yet... this gives me the prefect reason lol)

fried pickles
from http://ifounditonpinterest-camamamacho.blogspot.com/2012/06/green-bean-fries.html

1 jar dill pickles slices
1/2 cup  Flour
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
 Oil for frying

Add about 2 inches of oil to skillet and heat.
Drain pickles. Dry on paper towels. (they don't have to be completely dry... i left them on a towel for a few minutes before moving on to next step)

In a shallow dish, combine all dry ingredients. In another shallow dish combine milk and whisk in 1 egg.

Dredge pickles in  wet mixture then the dry mixture.

Place into hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove to paper towel lined baking sheet. Serve immediately. Serve with ranch dressing

homemade hot fudge sauce

i was dying for a hot fudge sundae last night but was fresh out of the jarred fudge sauce (its been that kinda week lol) so i googled homemade hot fudge sauce to see if i had all the right ingredients so that i satisfy my craving! (by no means was i willing to put on actual clothes and go to the store to buy some) this recipe is super simple and comes together in only minutes!

anyways, i finally came across this recipe ( i didnt have the exact ingredients... so i just pretended it said what i wanted it to lol) i figured that it couldn't hurt so i gave it a shot. i was suprised by how close to the jarred stuff it actually was! when it was done, i quickly added it to some vanilla ice cream and voila! craving quenched!

 ( i'm ashamed to admit that today i put a spoon into the jar of my homemade hot fudge and ate it straight up cold... and it was AMAZING! it tasted just like fudge. im having a hard time deciding which way is better... hot or cold!)

homemade hot fudge sauce
from http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,197,158163-236201,00.html

1/2 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp butter
1 can sweeted condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Melt chocolate, vanilla and butter. Add remaining ingredients and cook until bubbly. Cool. (Hot fudge sauce will thicken as it cools.)

easy spicy shrimp

it feels like its been forever since i posted last! i just got a new job and to say that it has been hectic around here is an understatement! i have to give props to all working moms- its really hard to make healthy, nutritious meals while balancing two work schedules! i've been finding it really hard to make anything other than mac and cheese or ordering pizza- and i've only had a job for a week! (and its only part time lol)

anyways, ive been sticking to the basics lately because i know whats easy and what my kids like (this isn't one of those recipes so that doesn't really fit here lol- its why i havent had any recipes to post)

this is recipe is easy and its really good- especially if you like spicy! to me, it has an asian flavoring (from the sriracha) so it pairs well with rice

easy spicy shrimp
from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/amazing-spicy-grilled-shrimp/

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons hot sauce

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon ketchup

2 teaspoon sriracha

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, hot sauce, minced garlic, ketchup, sriracha, pepper, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl.

Place the shrimp in a large, resealable plastic bag. Pour in the  marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Heat large pan over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. When heated, add shrimp and cook until cooked through (opaque), flipping once- a couple minutes on each side. careful not to overcook. serve over rice

bacon beer dip

i made this for a girls night that i hosted at my house over the weekend. i think everyone really enjoyed it(i drank a little too much so i'm not quite sure lol)! its super simple and can be made in advance!

bacon beer dip
from http://www.thecookingmom.com/bacon-beer-dip/

1 package cream cheese, softened (i always used 1/3 less fat)
1/4 cup beer
1 tbsp ranch dip packet mix
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
With a mixer, beat together cream cheese, dip mix and beer until smooth. Stir in cheese and bacon. Chill for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled with pretzels.

homemade pizza sauce

i must admit that i am spoiled when it comes to pizza. my family owned a pizza/italian restaurant for over 30 years so i always had pizza ingredients readily available to make homemade pizzas. well a few years ago, we sold the restaurant and i've been hardpressed to find a comparable sauce. (im sure someone in my family has the sauce recipe somewhere but i havent thought to ask lol)

ive tried canned sauce, bottled sauce, tomato sauce, canned tomatoes- you name it, i've given it a shot with no success. so i thought that this recipe probably wasn't going to be anything special. i really like it though! and i think that it could be used as a pasta sauce as well.

pizza sauce
 from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/10/new-york-style-pizza-sauce.html

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 medium cloves garlic, grated

1 teaspoon dried oregano

pinch red pepper flakes

 pinch dried basil (I didnt have any fresh on hand)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half

Combine butter and oil in medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Add garlic, oregano, pepper flakes and basil and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and onion halves. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to lowest setting and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour.

beer pizza dough

i made this on friday for dinner and it was awesome! i made a zucchini goat cheese pizza for myself (using homemade pizza sauce) and a pepperoni and bacon one for the hubby. it was sooo good i cant wait to make it again!

beer pizza dough
from http://www.marthastewart.com/318023/beer-drinkers-pizza-dough

1 cup warm (110 degrees to 120 degrees) beer ( i used 312 and it was awesome)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 1/2 ounces fresh yeast

2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk to combine beer, 2 tablespoons olive oil, sugar, salt, and yeast. Fit bowl on electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix until incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add flour, and mix until dough is fairly stiff, about 10 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Brush the inside of a large bowl with remaining tablespoon olive oil; transfer dough to bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Divide dough into balls (I did 4). Again on a lightly floured surface roll out dough into thin circles. Transfer to pizza pan or pie pan. Top with pizza sauce, ingredients of your choice and cheese. Bake in 400 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes (or more depending on how cooked you like it!)

crockpot bourbon chicken

the temperature here in chicagoland is starting to creep up so i have been going through all of my saved recipes to find something that didn't involve the oven (we are trying to wait until the last possible minute to turn our ac on) so i switched my planned menu up (today was supposed to be pork tenderloin) and decided on this recipe. the original recipe calls for cooking the chicken in a skillet but i had a lot of things going on today so i decided that i would turn this into a crockpot recipe so i didnt have to worry about dinner. i also decided halfway through the cooking process that i was going to add broccoli to the meal. i wouldn't do that again (although i used frozen broccoli because its all that i had on hand. it may have turned out differently if i had fresh broccoli)

anyways, my hubby and i thought this was delicious... my kids- not so much. the barely got it in their mouths before promptly spitting it out and refusing anymore.

also for some reason i cant upload the pic (its not a good one anyway lol) so there is no pic for this one at the moment, but i will get it up as soon as i can

crockpot bourbon chicken
from http://eatcakefordinner.blogspot.com/2012/05/bourbon-chicken-over-rice.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EatCakeForDinner+%28%3Ccenter%3E+++Eat+Cake+For+Dinner%21%3C%2Fcenter%3E%29

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 Tbl. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, grated

1/4 c. apple juice

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 Tbl. ketchup

1 Tbl. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. soy sauce

pinch red pepper flakes

1 Tbl. cornstarch

1 cup broccoli, optional (i used frozen and i wouldn't recommend it. next time i would leave the broccoli out entirely or use fresh)

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add the cubed chicken and brown. You don't have to let it cook through because it will completely cook in the crockpot.  Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients (except broccoli) in the crockpot.  When the chicken is browned, add it to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Halfway through the cooking time, add the fresh broccoli if using. (if using frozen, i wouldn't add it until the last 30 minutes of cooking time). Serve over rice.  

green bean fries

i was pleasantly surprised by these. i have had tgi fridays green bean fries and those are awesome but i have tried making them at home in the past and they never turned out well. this time i dont know what i did differently, but i think that these turned out awesome (some of them even tasted like burger king onion rings for some reason lol) my husband thoroughly enjoyed these and told me that i have to make them more often(of course my kids still wouldn't try them even though we called them 'green goblin fries'. one day.... )

we dipped them in ketchup and theat was good. next time i plan to make a garlic lemon aioli to serve them with. i also plan on trying to use beer instead of milk next time and see how that turns out)

green bean fries
from http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Fried-Green-Beans

1 lb.Green Beans (cooked or overcooked)
1/2 cup  Flour
1/2 cup Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
 Oil for frying

To cook green beans, add cleaned and trimmed green beans to salted boiling water. let boil for 4 minutes and remove to bowl with ice cold water and let cool completely. (this is called blanching. it stops the cooking process on the beans). when cooled, let them dry completely on clean dish towel.

Add 2 inches of vegetable oil to skillet and heat.

In a shallow dish, combine all dry ingredients. In another shallow dish combine milk and whisk in 1 egg.

Dredge green beans in  wet mixture then the dry mixture.

Place into hot oil, fry until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes.

Remove to paper towel lined baking sheet (helps from the green beans getting soggy)

green breakfast smoothie

so im always looking for new weight loss ideas where i can watch what im eating without really watching what im eating, does that make sense? i dont like feeling deprieved at all so dieting is always really hard for me and i opt to work out alot instead (and as im getting older, im realizing that its not as easy for me to lose any extra lbs as it use to be... i still have 10 pregnancy pounds to lose and my daughter is 1 1/2 years old lol) anyways, i came across this breakfast smoothie and i thought that i would give it a try. (just replace breakfast with one of these?! thats something that i can do!) and after reading all the benefits of having a green smoothie a day, i was sold...

"Great for weight loss, digestive health, supporting the immune system, and as a healthy and filling snack. After a couple of weeks you’ll have that ‘Glow’ – glowing skin, hair, nails, even eyes get brighter! Who doesn’t want that?!"

and after doing this for the last week and a half, i can say that this definitely keeps me satisfied until lunch... i am actually thinking about starting to have one for breakfast AND lunch and then just eating dinner to see if that helps with losing the remaining lbs)

i really dont like the taste of spinach, so i was pleasantly surprised by the fact that you cant taste it in this at all! the only thing that you have to worry about with these is that the calories in the fruit does add up! and really, you can add any fruits that you like/have on hand. frozen fruits work extremely well for this. ive added frozen peaches and mangos and all are amazing!

side note: my daughter LOVES these. every morning when she sees me making one she begs me until i give her some, which i happily do because its the only green that she will eat (my son also really enjoyed them until he asked me what was in it and i said spinach... wuh wuuuhh lol dont know where my head was on that one)

green breakfast smoothie
from http://lindawagner.net/blog/2011/03/green-smoothie-for-weight-loss/

(this makes ALOT of smoothie, this is just one of the approx. 3 cups that it actually makes)

This recipe is super simple. All you need is a blender and the following ingredients:
1 banana
5 strawberries
1/2 cup canned or fresh pineapple
a couple handfuls of spinach
a couple blueberries
ice
water

put all ingredients into blender and puree until it reaches desired consistency.