copycat portillo's chopped salad

do you have a portillo's/barnelli's near you? if not, you should probably move near one stat! everyone raves about portillo's chopped salad so when i saw this recipe, i knew that i had to try it! (i have never actually tried the chopped salad because 1) i spent 10 years as a vegetarian and here is bacon in this salad and 2) portillos beef and cheddar crossaint or jumbo chili dog. when they have sooo many amazing things on their menu, who really orders a salad?! lol anyways, i have been eating a lot of salads lately so i thought that i would give this a try... and its amazing! as i was going over the place i got this recipe i noticed that a portillos chopped salad has chicken in it but they opted to leave it out. I guess actually having the salad from portillos would have clued me in to that earlier lol, oh well, i now can't wait to try this salad with chopped chicken breast in it!

copycat portillo's chopped salad
from http://stolenmomentscooking.com/homemade-portillos-chopped-salad/

1 head iceberg lettuce
1 – 2 heads Romaine lettuce (or big bag of garden salad mix)
1 small head red cabbage, minced
1 small red onion, finely minced
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 c. ditalini pasta, cooked and cooled
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 c. gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
mustard vinaigrette dressing (3 tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, black pepper to taste mixed well)

 Finely chop lettuce  into tiny pieces. Put in a large bowl.

 Add remaining ingredients, except dressing, and toss to combine well.

 Pour dressing on  just before serving.

puffy pizza

my kids love pizza (don't pretty much all of them though lol) i am tired of the same thing so when i found this recipe i thought that it would be a nice change up... and it was! my kids both loved it and i thoroughly enjoyed it (hubby was at work so he missed out on it) this is definitely a quick recipe that you can throw together when you are in a hurry to prepare something.... now if only it was more figure friendly and had veggies in it right?!

puffy pizza
from http://kim-thislittlelifeofmine.blogspot.com/2012/01/bubble-up-pizza.html?m=1

1 can (12oz) golden layer buttermilk biscuits

1 cup pizza sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut biscuits into quarters and place in medium bowl. Toss biscuits with pizza sauce. Add half of the cheese. Toss until well blended. Spray a pan with cooking spray. Pour biscuit mixture into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes

sorta bananas foster

so if you read yesterday's post, you know how much i love stir crazy. well they also have these amazing banana wontons with ice cream. i wanted something similar so i researched different bananas fosters and came up with this recipe... and it was so good! the whole family definitely approved and with how simple it was to prepare, i will definitely be making this one more often!

bananas foster (sorta)

2 bananas, cut into slices
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 tsp cinnamon
vanilla ice cream

melt butter and brown sugar together in saucepan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. turn heat to low and slowly add half and half while stirring constantly. When mixed well, add banana slices. Cook for 3 more minutes. Pour over bowls of ice cream and enjoy!

sweet and spicy chicken

i LOVE stir crazy's sweet and spicy chicken (well... i usually order shrimp instead but both are seriously uh-may-zing!) i have been searching for recipes to recreate since i first tried it! i have never figured it out until now... and i am so happy to be able to share how simple it is with you! i found a recipe for thai sweet chili sauce on pinterest and decided i would give it a try. it turned out awesome (you can easily substitute a store bought one like maggi taste of asia's thai sweet chili sauce and it would be even simpler!)

sweet and spicy chicken

1 large chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

3 eggs beaten

1 cup (or more) Panko bread crumbs

cayenne and black pepper
thai sweet chili sauce to taste

Heat deep pan on medium heat with oil filled about 1 inch. Scramble eggs in shallow dish. Pour breadcrumbs into shallow dish and pepper to taste. Dredge the chicken in eggs then dredge the chicken in panko bread crumbs. Drop the chicken in the hot oil and fry until golden brown.

When all chicken is cooked thoroughly, pour sweet chili sauce in hot wok and add chicken, stirring to coat chicken completely.

homemade thai sweet chili sauce (gluten free)

i found this recipe while trying to recreate stir crazy's sweet and spicy chicken. i never realized how simple it was to make something like this! i threw it together this morning and couldn't be happier with the results!it tastes just like the store bought kind and at half the price! btw this recipe is gluten free!

thai sweet chili sauce
from http://wheatfreemom.com/blog/recipe-gluten-free-thai-sweet-chili-sauce/

1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
3 red chili peppers
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water

Chop up chili peppers in a small food processor. (do not deseed)

Add chopped chili peppers, garlic, sugar, water and vinegar into a saucepan. Heat on medium until the mixture boils.

Turn sauce down to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl and mix well. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the chili sauce and continue simmering for a few minutes. This should thicken pretty quickly. Remove from heat. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

cream cheese potato soup

hi! i know that its been soooo long since the last time that i posted but things have been hectic around the camacho household and i feel that i was out of my cooking groove for a while there (where nothing seemed to turn out well at all... for like months lol)

 anyways, i'm back and i'm posting this great soup. i made this recently for my hubby when he was sick and everyone in my family gobbled it up! the only problem was that there wasn't any leftovers!

cream cheese potato soup
from http://www.crumbsandchaos.net/2010/11/cream-cheese-potato-soup/

4 cups CHICKEN BROTH
4 cups RED POTATOES, cubed (i didn't peel them but feel free to)
1/4 cup MINCED ONION
1/2 tsp SEASONING SALT
1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER
1/4 tsp CAYENNE PEPPER
8 ounces 1/3 LESS FAT CREAM CHEESE, cut into chunks
BACON CRUMBLES
CHEDDAR CHEESE

Combine potatoes, broth, onion, and spices in a large pot.  Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender.  
Take about a cup of potatoes out and set aside. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth.  Then pour the potatoes back in the pan.

When it is all returned to the pan, reduce the heat to low.  Add the cream cheese, and heat low and slow, stirring frequently, until it melts.  Serve topped with cheddar cheese and bacon pieces.

crockpot buffalo chicken dip

this dip is soooo addicting! i have made it several times for different get togethers i have had at my house and it is always a hit! i was craving this dip so badly today that i had to make it as soon as i got home from work. normally, i would cook a chicken breast in the slow cooker and shred it but i did this in a pan on the stovetop because it would have taken too long and i wasnt in the mood to wait any longer than i had to lol.

buffalo chicken dip
from http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/lighter-buffalo-chicken-dip.html

4 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 cups cooked shredded chicken

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. I love eating this with carrots but you can use celery, pretzels, chips or crackers!