Taco Dip

The other day, while walking through the grocery store, my daughter asked me " Mom, who is playing in the Super Bowl ? "   I honestly answered   " I have no idea".     Who wasn't playing in the Superbowl?  That,  was a no brainer.   Mr Plain is a Packer fan.  They are not playing.  So, the Super Bowl doesn't really rank as an all important day for us.    I do know that Madonna is performing the half-time show and there is a car commercial with Matthew Broderick, aka...Ferris Bueller.
OK, so, I do know now who's playing.  Giants and Patriots?

Is the Super Bowl a big event at your house?   Are you having (or going to) a big party this Sunday?  Do you love to make junk food and yell at the television?  Or are you quietly going to get the re-cap on the evening news?

Either way...make this dip this weekend.  Heck, make it today.  Don't wait for the weekend.  It's sooooo quick & easy to make and anywhere you serve it....it will disappear quickly.  I know...I have been munching on this since yesterday...I even snuck a bit a breakfast.

{ If you would like to make a lighter version, just simply replace the sour cream & cream cheese with their low fat/non fat versions }

Printable Version

Ingredients:
2 cups sour cream
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 envelope, dry taco seasoning ( about 1/4 cup )

Topping suggestions:
lettuce
shredded cheddar or taco cheese
tomatoes
onions
salsa
olives

Directions:
Simply mix sour cream, cream cheese and taco seasoning until well combined.  Spread on baking dish and top with lettuce, cheese, olives, tomatoes, whatever your preference.
Keep leftovers in a cover container in the fridge.

Pin It

Chicken Pot Pie

Don't be alarmed by this photo:

This is my first attempt at homemade Chicken Pot Pie.  It looks a mess, doesn't it?   Well, it tasted good.  Really good! I am actually quite proud of myself, if I do say so myself and have found, yet another, recipe that really surprised me at how easy it was to make.  Now, I just need to figure what the heck happened to my crust to make it perfect  for next time.

Printable Version
Adapted From

Ingredients:
3 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp thyme
1 cup frozen mixed veggies
1/3 cup green onions (optional)
salt/pepper, to taste preference
1 disc, refrigerated pie crust
1 egg
1 tbsp milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a deep baking dish lightly with non stick cooking spray.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Add green onions and cook for approx 3 minutes or until onions are tender.  Add flour and cook, stirring, for approx 2-3 minutes.  Then, whisk in chicken broth.  Bring broth to a boil, then, simmer for 5-8 minutes or until it is slightly thickened.   Add chicken, veggies, thyme, salt and pepper..  Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
Roll out pie crust  and place over chicken mixture in dish.  Seal edges and cut 3-4 slits into crust.
Whisk together egg and milk and brush over the crust.
Bake for 25-30 or until crust is golden brown.

Mini Cinnamon Rolls with Icing

Cinnamon rolls are another treat around our house that we love.   I always wanted to make them homemade, but, found them a bit intimidating.  But, I discovered this quick, easy recipe from Iowa Girl Eats and gave them a try.   Now, I guess technically, they are not homemade.   More, semi-homemade...kinda like my doughnuts.  But, they are very easy and a snap to make.  You may want to double this recipe..they will vanish quickly!

Printable Version

Ingredients:
for cinnamon rolls
1 tube (8 oz ) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tbsp melted butter
ground cinnamon, to taste preference
brown sugar, to taste preference

for icing
1 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp milk
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven according to crescent roll dough package directions. Spray mini muffin pan with non stick cooking spray.
Layout half the dough (4 triangles) and pinch all the seams together. Flip over and pinch the seams on the back side together too.

Using a rolling pin, smooth the seams and roll the dough into a square about 1/4″ thick. Brush with half the butter, and sprinkle with as much cinnamon and brown sugar as you want. Roll into a log and cut into 8 pieces.  Place mini cinnamon rolls into prepared  mini muffin tin. Repeat steps 1 and 2 with the other half of the crescent roll dough. Bake according to package directions.Meanwhile whisk together maple syrup and milk in a bowl. Add in powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls

Courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats

Makes approx 16 mini cinnamon rolls

Chocolate Chip Swirl Cake

Today's post is going to a quick one.  My friend is in a feisty mood again this morning and my 4 year old is home sick.  It has been quite a morning, but, I wanted to share this cake.   It doesn't take much to make and it's SO good.
* Coating the chips before adding is suppose to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the cake, mine still sunk! But, the cake was still delicious  and I can't figure out what I did wrong!  Any ideas? *

Printable Version

Adapted From

Ingredients:

1 boxed vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1/4 cup chocolate syrup

vanilla frosting ( canned or homemade)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 13 x 9 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.  Scoop 1 tablespoon of dry cake mix and mix with 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips.  Set aside.   Prepare remainder of cake mix according to the directions on the box.  Once batter is well mixed, stir in coated chocolate chips.  Measure out 1 cup of prepared batter in a separate bowl.  Add chocolate syrup to the 1 cup of batter.   Stir until well combined. Set aside.

Pour remaining plain batter into prepared baking dish.  Drop chocolate syrup batter randomly by tablespoons into pan.  Swirl batter with a knife.

Bake 30-32 minutes or until knife or toothpick in center comes out clean.

Top with vanilla frosting and additional chocolate syrup, if desired.

If you want to snap a picture of cake, make sure your toddler is napping or it may vanish mid-shot :)

Breakfast Burrito

Mornings at our house are crazy.  Borderline insane it seems some days.  For some reason, Thursdays seem to be crazier than the rest?   Sorry..back on track, with all this goings-ons in the AM, breakfast has to be quick and ready to go.   So, that's where these come in.    I  make these up during the day while everyone is at school, freeze them, then, just pop them in the microwave for breakfast.  They are quick and a nice, warm, healthy breakfast before we head out the door.   Also, with my pack, everyone likes them different...lots of eggs, little eggs, cheese, no cheese, turkey bacon, ham.   So, by making them before, everyone is happy. Well, OK, almost everyone.

Printable Version

Ingredients:
6-8 eggs, beaten
6- 8in flour tortillas
Filling Suggestions: : shredded cheese,  cooked turkey bacon, chopped honey ham, onions, peppers, salsa,

Directions:
Scramble eggs in lightly greased or buttered frying pan.  If desired, add shredded cheese to eggs while scrambling.
With you fillings, you can either mix directly with the eggs while they are cooking or simple add on individual burrito.  Whichever you desire.
Spoon approx 1/4-1/2 cup eggs to a warmed tortilla shell. Add fillings if they weren't added while eggs where cooking.  Roll burrito and place seam side down and wrap in parchment paper. Freeze in freezer safe bag/container or wrap again in foil.
When you are ready to eat, place unwrapped burrito on a microwave safe plate and heat for approx 2 minutes.
If desired, top with salsa or more cheese.

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nutella has been around for years.  Since, the 1940's to be a bit more exact.  But,  I recently just discovered it's yumminess over the holidays.   I made these Nutella  Blondie's from Carrie at Kiss My Whisk.  They were a huge hit.  So, since, those went over so well, I decided to try out something else.  Cookies! Cookies sounded really good.   Chocolate chip are always winner at our house, so, I figured, give them a try.  Well, another big hit around here.  They love them.  My son told me they were the best cookies EVER.  EVER.  They are currently gone, of course, so, I need to make these again very soon.

Printable Version

Adapted From

Ingredients:

1- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

1 stick butter (room temp)

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda in  medium bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in Nutella and vanilla extract.  Add in egg.   Add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

Glazed Doughnut Muffins and Life with an Angry Toddler

I would like to introduce you to somebody:

This is my youngest.  He (yes, he..I refuse to cut his curly hair, OK?) is  21 mos old.  He is cute, sweet and loving.  He is also going through the terrible 2's.   Yep, they are real.  Oh, and they start at about 18mos, not 2 years old.  Lovely the things you find out after you have kids. Like, the terrible 3's are way worse.  OK, so, this cute little face is one of the reasons why my baking/ blogging/Facebooking/pinning have been severely slacking of late. Ever since the holiday season ended, he has been very clingy and very tough to make happy.  Honestly, he is kicking my butt.  The days that he is cooperative, I have been trying to get household things done.   You know, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, taking care of my other kids.  So, I have been feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my site.   Every day, my little blog is getting more traffic and I am sooooo thrilled and keeping is current is very important to me. So, when I came across this recipe, I wanted to bake and share.

Well, my bad.  I got pre-occupied with my angry toddler this morning and my muffins turned out...well, a bit browner than I would of liked.  Honestly, I debated all morning whether or not to post them at all. Then, I reminded myself that ,I wanted to keep the ole' blog honest and post good and not perfect things that I baked or cooked.  Now, these muffins are super-duper good. Especially, if you are a doughnut lover. Which, we are around here.
So, since I can't really do them nearly as much justice as My Baking Addiction,  I am going to send you over to Jamie's site for the whole recipe.

Enjoy!

Creamy Apple Squares

While digging through some old recipes this weekend, I came across this gem from my Great-Aunt Nanny.  Now, how did my great aunt's recipes find their way to my possession?  I honestly, don't remember. My grandmother has been gone for 20 years...I think...think..she gave them to me before she died.  But, I could be wrong.  Anyhow, Mr Plain and the kids are very glad that I had this recipe.  I made these yesterday and they were virtually gone by the end of the day.  Gone.  They are creamy, fruity and taste awesome warmed up with a nice glass of milk.  At least, that's how I inhaled a good portion of them.

Printable Version

Ingredients:
18.25 oz boxed yellow cake mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 13 x 9 baking dish with non stick cooking spray.  Combine cake mix and butter in a mixing bowl.  Mix until crumbly.  Reserve 2/3 cup of cake/butter mixture in a separate bowl.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon to 2/3 cup mixture.  Mix well. Set aside.
Take remaining cake mixture and spread evenly on the bottom of baking dish. Then, layer sliced apples on top  of  that cake mixture base.
In a separate bowl, blend sour cream and egg until well mixed. Spread cream mixture evenly over sliced apples.
Top off with cinnamon cake mixture
Bake 30 minutes of until golden brown.
Best served warm. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

Happy Monday!
First, thank you to everyone you linked up this past Thursday at It's a Keeper. You still have a few days to participate, so, please join in!
Well, I have been on a sorta dip kick lately.  First, it was this yummy Guacamole, now, a bit of a change, some fruit dip.  This is a simple, kids-can-even-make-themselves-dip. It goes great with apples, pears,strawberries,blueberries..whatever you want to dip.  It's also a great way to get kids to dig into some fruit.

Printable Version
Adapted From

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 ounces vanilla yogurt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup whipped topping (thawed)

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, mix peanut butter, yogurt and cinnamon.  Fold in whipped topping.  Mix all until well blended. Keep refrigerated in covered container.

It's a Keeper Thursday

I am so happy to be co-hosting It's a Keeper Thursday with Christina this week!  It's a great opportunity to check out some great recipes and add your own.  So, link up and check out some great recipes and fellow food bloggers!

Just a couple of guidelines:

• Follow It’s a Keeper and today’s co-host via email, GFC, Facebook and/or Twitter.

• Your link should be a food or craft/project related item.  Link up as many as you’d like!

• Add my button to your sidebar or blog post – help spread the word!

• Be sure to check out some of the awesome posts that others have linked up! Let them know that It’s a Keeper sent you!

Enjoy!

Cake Mix Cookies

I have a confession....I like shortcuts.   Anything to make life a bit easier at times is great by me.  Call it impatience, call it laziness.  Sometimes, it just fits me.  That's why I like these cookies. Now, I made pancakes with cake mix and then, these cookies over Christmas, but, these are even easier. Just three ingredients.  Three!  Well..maybe more than three if you want to add chocolate chips, nuts, toffee..whatever you wish.   I used a yellow cake mix and mixed in about 2/3 cup of chocolate chips.  So, go crazy!
They are so easy...you must try them.

Printable Version

Ingredients:
18.25 oz box Cake Mix ( any kind you wish)
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray lightly with cooking spray.  Mix cake mix,eggs and oil until well combined.  Fold in chips, nuts, any additional flavoring you desire.
Spoon about a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll into balls, place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes or edges are lightly browned.

Snowball Float

Anybody else still trying to bounce back from the holidays? Oh, it's been a bit tough here.  Everyone is back to work and school, but, I am still in vacation mode. My youngest is too..making it a little tough to keep up with things around the blog.   So, pardon my not so great pictures and well, not very extensive blog entries.

The weather is playing a big part in my slight slackness too.   I live in the Midwest and it's suppose to be about 20 degrees or lower this time of year.  Well, it's going to be nearly 50 today.  Tomorrow?  Almost 60.  60 degrees in January! It's no wonder things are a bit off.  

It does seem odd then, that I would post this recipe.  Snowball?? Especially,since November, we have seen maybe two inches of snow.  That's being generous.  Last year at this time?  I don't know, it seemed like a million inches. We were buried until March.

Just preparing for the snow with this one...

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

2 tbsp white chocolate chips

vanilla ice cream

chocolate or caramel syrup

Directions:

Warm milk and chocolate chips in saucepan until chips are completely melted and milk is hot.  Pour into a standard mug.  Top off with vanilla ice cream, syrup and more chips.

Pin It

Guacamole

Just a short time ago, I posted a great recipe from my sister, Kathleen. Well, I have another great one from her! She also served this at Christmas and it vanished pretty quickly.  It's so simple and yummy, give it a try..

Printable Version

Ingredients:

1 envelope, dry guacamole mix

2 ripe avocados

1 medium tomato

1 medium onion

lime juice(desired taste)

Directions:

Smash/Mush/Mix your avocados to desired texture.You can use your blender or food processor for this. I used my hand mixer. Add lime juice to desire taste. Then, add guacamole mix.  Mix well.  Dice onions and tomatoes.  Add in and mix. Add more lime juice if desired. Refrigerate for about an hour before serving. Store in air tight container in fridge.

Pin It

Linked up at: Foodie Friends Friday

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Well, break is over.  Everyone is back to school and work.  It's very quiet.  Kinda nice, but, kinda eery too.  It takes a few days for me to get used to it. I will. No problem. Quiet is good.

I am working my way back into the kitchen too.  I didn't get much done while everyone was home.  We got a bit too much take-out and ate too many sandwiches..it was a nice break, but, now, it's time to get back to business.

I came across this recipe on Pinterest. Where else?  I mentioned before that my oldest daughter is a bacon fanatic.  Well, she is a bit obsessed with ranch dressing too.  So, instead of continuing to buy a bottle of Kraft. I decided to give this a try.  It's quite tasty and mixed up in a snap.

{Just a note...these ingredients can be reduced or increased to your own taste..play around with it and see what works for you }

Printable Version

Adapted From

Ingredients:

¾ cup mayonnaise 
¾ cup sour cream 
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 cup buttermilk 

1 tbsp chives
1 tbsp parsley
garlic

salt/pepper

Directions:

Add all ingredients in bowl and mix well.  Adjust to your own taste. Mixing in a blender or food processor would probably work best, but, a whisk will do just fine too. Store in air tight container in fridge.

Pin It

Crock Pot Shredded Chicken with Onion Soup & Italian Dressing Sandwiches

I am on a roll. First it was this. Then this.  Now, I have discovered another great dish for my crock pot.  This chicken is sooooo good.  You can eat on a sandwich or just right off a plate.  It is quick, easy and takes very few ingredients. 

The first time I made these, we added a slice of Swiss cheese per the suggestion of the recipe..that was awesome. But, if you don't have any on hand...eat it just plain.  It's just as good.

Printable Version

Adapted From

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Italian salad dressing

1 envelop of dried onion soup mix

garlic powder- per taste preference

Directions:

Spray your crock pot with non stick cooking spray.  Add chicken.  Then, add water, soup mix, Italian dressing and garlic powder.  Coat chicken well.  Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

Once chicken is cooked, shred well.  Served on warm buns.

[Semi-Homemade] Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

                  

Well, we only have a few days left of Christmas break around here. In a few days, the kids and Mr Plain will be back to work/school and it's back to our regular daily routine.  Since the kids have been on break, breakfast is a bit easier.  We haven't needed to get everybody up, dressed, fed and out the door to the bus in a mere hour,so, I decided to make doughnuts over break.

These doughnut are very quick and very easy and are also really easy to kids to help out with.  It's just a little recipe of my own that I have been making for quite a while.  They are really good and it's tough not to eat just one.

Printable Version

Ingredients;

1-10 count tube of  refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

2 TBSP butter, melted

1/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Cut each biscuit in half (I used my kitchen scissors) and then, roll into ball form.  Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes or until lightly brown. In a separate bowl, mix sugar and ground cinnamon until well combined.   Once doughnuts are cooled, coat with warm melted butter.  Then, coat with cinnamon sugar mixture.  

Makes 20 small doughnuts

Eat at once!

Pin It

My Top 5 of 2011

Happy 2012!
 I hope everyone had a safe and Happy New Year's Eve.  We had a quiet night at home. Table for Seven has not been around for an entire year yet, but, I wanted to share my popular recipes so far.

#5: Scotcheroos

#4- Baked French Toast

#3 Chocolate Eclair Cake

#2- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

#1- Warm Bacon Cheese Dip