Cheesy Ranch Broccoli Bacon Noodle

Say that 5 times fast!  ;o)  I've been on a comfort food kick.  My family MIGHT just be getting sick of the cheesy buttery goodness i've been making the past couple of nights.  I will be honest...I've been lacking in the kitchen department lately.  I've been dieting, and I finally came to the end of my string with that.  I've missed eating what my family eats. I got tired of cooking different things for them for dinner.  And I've really missed making yummy things for the blog. 

 

This was right up my alley for comfort food.  Read that title!  Yum!!! 

 

 

Oh my!

 

Cheesy Ranch Broccoli Bacon Noodle

16 oz. small shells noodles

1 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 regular sized bag of frozen broccoli

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4-1 c. ranch dressing

16 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded or your favorite cheese. 

(I used half colby jack and half sharp cheddar)

 

Boil noodles according to package directions.  While that's boiling, cook your bacon in a large pan and steam your broccoli.  Make sure not to cook your broccoli too long or it will get all mushy.  Unless you like mushy broccoli.  When your bacon is good and crispy, remove it from your pan. Pour out all your grease except maybe a tablespoon or so to give your dish even more of a bacon flavor.  Add your milk and ranch.  Stir until combined.  Pour in your shredded cheese.  Stir until it's all good and melty.  Don't have your heat too high.  You don't want this to burn.  Add your broccoli, bacon, noodles.  Stir until all combined.  Let it thicken a little bit more and then ENJOY!

 

Seriously...so so GOOD!

 

This makes quite a bit of food.  You could easily half the recipe.

 

I'm off to get a crown in my mouth.  I'm scared to death!  Wish me luck!

 

Happy Friday!

Love, Erica*

 

Adapted from-Little BGCG

 

 

 

 

 

Beef and Broccoli-Guest Post

Happy Friday, everyone!  I'm so excited to have the weekend here!  Fall is in the air!  Woooooo!  Love when it starts cooling off and the leaves start to change.

My good friend, Candis, has offered to do another guest post.  Her last one was amazing!  My husbands new favorite dessert.  You can find that recipe HERE. 

This is one of my favorite light, quick meals. It has a delicious flavor and is filling and healthy. It calls for fresh onion, garlic, ginger and broccoli, but I've used dried spices and frozen broccoli and really enjoyed it.

Blanch or steam:

4 cups broccoli florets until tender and bright green (usually about 5 minutes).

While that's steaming, saute:

1/2 sliced red onion

1 tbsp minced garlic

in 1/4 c soy sauce until the garlic and onion are opaque

Add: 1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, thinly sliced into 1" strips. Saute for 7-10 minutes.

Add: 1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp vinegar and

1 tbsp minced ginger

Add the broccoli and stir together until the broccoli is coated.

Eaten on it's own, Beef and Broccoli has only 218 calories in a 1 cup serving. Or it can be served with any rice or pasta you like best.

Enjoy!

Yummmmmmy!  This is going on my menu for the next week.  Nothing like an easy, delicious meal.

Don't forget to leave us comments leading up to our giveaway next week.  We will enter in every single one from this week on.

Have a fun and safe weekend!!

Love, Erica*

Chicken Divan

A big hit!  I thought i'd try something new on the family last night, and even invited the Pops over, because it makes a whole lot.  My husband had 3 servings, and my Dad 2!  My kids gobbled it up and even my toddler cleaned up his tray.  Yay!  I love finding easy dinners like this for my family.

Chicken Divan
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. half and half
1/2 cooking sherry or water, (I used water)
2 regular cans cream of chicken soup
1-1 lb package of frozen cut or chopped broccoli-thawed
2 c. cooked rice
2-3 c. cubed cooked chicken
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a small saucepan, melt butter.  Add flour, and stir until blended in.  About 1 minute to make sure the flour taste is cooked out.  Stir in cream and sherry or water.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.  Cook and stir 2 more minutes.  Add soup and stir until smooth.  Remove from heat.  (I cooked my chicken while I did this.)

Place broccoli in an ungreased 13x9 baking dish.  Cover with rice and then half the sauce.  Top with chicken.  Stir shredded cheese into remaining sauce, and pour it over the chicken.

Bake it uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.

A. MA. ZING.  :o)  Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine did.  Happy Thursday!

Love, Erica*

Baked Ziti

I've had this in my to do folder to make for dinner for SO long.  I finally got to it, and it is now a family favorite.  My kids and husband gobbled it right up. Plus, it was really easy to throw together and you know how I love easy and yummy recipes.

Baked Ziti
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 oz) jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce
6 oz provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 c sour cream
6 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4-1/2 c parmesen cheese
Boil noodles according to package directions.  Drain. 

In a large pan brown your ground beef and chopped onions.  Add spaghetti sauce and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter a 9x13 casserold dish.  Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.


Bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cheeses are melted.  Enjoy!

Source-Allrecipes

It's Friday!  Make sure to enter our giveaway HERE to win the fun Scentsy warmer and scent.  We will be picking a winner Sunday night and announcing it on our Menu Monday!  Remember to leave a comment for EACH thing you've done for the giveaway.  If for some reason you aren't able to comment head on over to our Facebook page and leave a comment there. 

Have a great weekend!

Cowboy Calzones

We really enjoyed these.  They made enough to feed us the next day for lunch too.  I think I even sent some home with my dad, and just realized he never told me if he liked them or not...hmmm...how rude!  :o)  O'well.  We liked them.  I will make them again, but next time I'm gonna add LOTS more cheese.  I like lots of cheese in my calzones.  These were really easy to throw together.  And as you can see, my picky toddler loved them too!  YAY!

Cowboy Calzones

1/2 lb ground sausage

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1-10 oz can tomatoes and chilies

8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/2 c. grated monterey jack cheese

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper

1 recipe of pizza dough

olive oil for brushing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine sausage, hamburger, and onion.  Cook until brown.  Drain excess grease.  Pour in tomatoes and chilies.  Stir to combine and cook for about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let it cool a little.  In a bowl, combine all the cheeses and egg.  Add a dash of salt and pepper.  Add the cooled meat mix to the cheese mix and stir gently to combine.  Divide the pizza dough into 8 equal size balls. Roll out on a floured surface to make a 6 inch circle.  Place 1/8th of the meat and cheese mix in the middle of each circle.  Fold the circle in half and gently press to flatten and spread the filling inside.  Press with a fork along the edge to seal your calzone closed.  Transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling.  Brush calzones with olive oil.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  ENJOY!

YUMMO!

Happy Tuesday!!

Source-The Pioneer Woman

Sour Cream Noodle Bake

I love fast and easy meals, and this was definately one of them.  Plus my family gobbled it up.  So on my list it goes.  The recipe calls for green onions, but I left them out.  I knew if I put them in Jason wouldn't eat it.  I think it'd be awesome with them in, but we gotta keep them honeys happy! :o)

Sour Cream Noodle Bake
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
15 oz. can of tomato sauce

8 oz. egg noodles

3/4 c. sour cream
1 1/4 c. cottage cheese
1 to 2 c. Shredded cheddar cheese (I like a lot of cheese, so I used just about 2 cups)
1/2 c. green onions, chopped (use less or more for your taste)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown your hamburger in a frying pan.  Drain off grease and add your tomato sauce.  While the beef is simmering start boiling your noodles.  Strain and set aside.  Mix together your sour cream and cottage cheese together.  Stir in green onions and I put lots of pepper in mine.  Then add your noodles and mix well.  In a 8x8 casserole dish pour in half the meat sauce on the bottom, then half the noodle mix, a layer of cheese and then repeat layers topping with cheese.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 15-20 minutes or until your cheese is good and melty.  :o)  Enjoy with your favorite green salad and some garlic bread.

Source-The Pioneer Woman

Paprika Chicken

I'm trying to make more chicken dishes and this is a new one that I really enjoyed.  My family enjoyed it too, so that's a double bonus.  You can throw it on top of rice, or noodles.  We went with noodles and it was delish!  Except next time I am gonna double the sauce mix.  We like lots of sauce on our noodles.  So, if you are like me, double it. 

Paprika Chicken

4 large skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts

1/4 c. chopped onion

2 Tbsp butter

1 c. chicken broth

1 tsp paprika

8 oz sour cream

2 Tbsp flour

Soften up your onions in the butter in a large frying pan.  When your onions are translucent add your chicken, broth, and paprika, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through.  Stir together sour cream and flour and add to your chicken mix and stir it in until it's good and thick.  Let it cook until heated through and pour it on top of noodles or rice.  Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!  And are you having trouble commenting?  Blogger has been acting silly lately, and I know that's why we haven't been getting very many comments....right?  :o)  Well, if so, then when it asks you to sign into blogger make sure that the stay signed in box isn't checked.  It worked for me.  I wasn't able to comment on anyones posts, and it was driving me batty!  See you next week! 

Source-Dash of Simple

Tender Creamy Cube Steaks

This is another one of my favorite crockpot recipes.  With my lil' man being sick this week I haven't had much time to do anything else but hold and rock him (which is fine by me), I had to think of easy things to cook for dinner and this is one of them.  It has only a few ingredients but it doesn't lack on taste at all.  Pour it over mashed potatoes, rice, or even noodles like a stroganoff.  These are so tender you can cut them with a fork.

Tender Creamy Cube Steaks

4-6 good sized cube steaks (I used 8, because my butcher cuts ours up little)
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of dry lipton onion soup
1 c. water
1 sm. can of mushrooms  (Use fresh, if you have them.)

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan.  Brown your steaks on both sides. Throw into crockpot.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over top of steaks.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours. 

Hope your having a great week!!  I think Spring is finally here!  Yipee!!!

Lemon Butter Chicken

I wanted to try something different for dinner with chicken, and I found this recipe and it looked easy enough to throw together.  My family loved it, as did I.  It's not the healthiest, but it was oh so good with some garlic parmesan noodles and green beans.  You can also do this in the crock pot too.  I would have tried it that way, but I'm not very ambitious in the morning.  Am I the only one that stays in my jammies until...ok...all day?!  Hurry and vacuum and do the dishes before the husband gets home, so he thinks I actually did something during the day.  Ha!...Hey!  I don't do it every day!!  Being a stay at home mom is hard work!  Try this recipe.  It's easy and tasty.  And you won't be sorry.

Can you see the butter?!  Mmmm...Gotta love it!

Lemon Butter Chicken

1 cube butter

1 package of Good Season Italian Seasoning

2 lbs chicken tenders, or breasts

The juice of 2 lemons

Melt the butter in a big frying pan.  Add your chicken and then sprinkle the seasoning over the top and the juice of the lemons.  Cover and let cook on medium heat until tender.  I took the lid off, and let the juice simmer down so I could get a yummy crispy crust on my chicken.

For the crockpot, put melted butter in the bottom of the crockpot and add chicken.  Sprinkle with seasoning and juice.  Put on lid and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-8 hours.

Enjoy!!

And we had to pick a new winner, because our first one never contacted us.  So...the winner of the Shutterfly photo book is Stephanie Smiley!!  Congrats!!  Make sure to e-mail Monica at cholita41 at yahoo dot com to claim your prize. 

See you tomorrow!

Source-The Queen Bees Hive 

Taco Casserole

I love Love LOVE this dish.  I could eat these kind of things every night for dinner.  My good friend, Tansy, brought me this dish after I had my baby.  We dug in and it was so tasty.  I can't believe it's taken me this long to make it again.  Jason and I even had a few hour argument of what kind of tortillas Tansy put in the casserole.  I was right, of course, but he still thinks he is right.  Ha!!  She put corn in, which I think gives it a better flavor.  He insists she put in flour, but she said if you use flour the tortillas gets all gooey...and who wants that?!  Give this a try.  It's awesome...seriously...awesome! 

Taco Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 can of black beans
1 packet of taco seasoning, or you can use the good homemade kind.
1 c. sour cream
1 can dice chilies
1/2 c. salsa
1 can cream of chicken soup
corn tortillas (I used about 8-10 cut into quarters)
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brown beef in a large skillet.  When it's done throw in the black beans, undrained, and taco seasoning.  Cook until the liquid is just about gone.  In a large bowl mix together sour cream, chilies, salsa, and cream of chicken soup.  Cut your tortillas into quarters.  Layer your ingredients, starting with the sour cream stuff, in a 13x9 casserole dish.  Then tortillas, meat, cheese.  Repeat layers and top with lots of shredded cheddar cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes.  We topped ours with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, green onions, avacados, salsa and ranch.  Mmmmm...it was sure tasty!  Wish there were some leftovers for lunch.

Hope you have a wonderful week!! 

Taco Seasoning

I grew up with pops using the taco seasoning packets and that's just what I used. You know, use what you know. Well, I was making tacos the other day and lo and behold I didn't have a packet. Well, this may not be of any interest to all those that already knew this, but for those who don't like change like me, you can make your own seasoning very quickly and it tastes better! Seriously, if this blog has done anything for me I use way less pre-packaged food. I love it.

Here is the recipe I found. It equals about a packet of purchased taco seasoning.

Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all together. Add 2-3 Tbls. with 3/4 cup of water to 1 pound browned hamburger. Simmer about 5 min.

This recipe is pretty adaptable. I didn't have onion powder so I doubled the garlic powder and I didn't have crushed red pepper so I sprinkled in some cayenne pepper. It still ended up a little to spicy for the kids so maybe ex the cayenne pepper. Your choice though.

Source: All Recipes

So then I called up Erica and said, "Hey, guess what? I made my own taco seasoning!" and she says, "I do that all the time". Oh fine. So much for me being cool. Anyway, she sent me the recipe she uses and it makes a bulk recipe so you can have it on hand when you need it.

Bulk Recipe Here

Okay, one more thing. We never heard from our Shutterfly Photobook winner. If we don't hear from you by Monday, we'll draw another name. Email me at cholita41 (at) yahoo (dot) com. Have a happy Thursday!!!!

Homemade Pizza

Nothing like shooting out 4 big ole' pizzas and having hardly any left for leftovers the next day.  It's a good feeling when my food gets eaten up and I get compliments saying how yummy it was.  :o)  This pizza dough is the easiest to throw together and with the best results.  I seriously prefer these pizzas over any pizza place in this little town.  The recipe makes 2 big sheet pans, but I had to feed 10 adults and 8 kids, so I doubled the recipe and 4 sheets was perfect!  I made a pepperoni, pepperoni and olive, meat lovers, and hawaiian.  I think next time I'm gonna try a chicken bacon ranch or something fancy.

Homemade Pizza Dough
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
4 c. flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/3 c. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

In a small bowl add water and yeast together and let it sit about 10 minutes or until it's good and bubbly.  In your mixing bowl add your flour and salt and stir to combine.  Slowly pour in olive oil while your stirring.  Stir until oil is incorporated.  Gently stir yeast mixture and pour into flour mix.  Mix until it forms a ball.  Drizzle a big bowl with olive oil.  Throw in dough and roll it around to coat your dough.  Cover with saran wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.  Drizzle 2 big sheet pans with olive oil.  Divide dough in half and spread each half out into pans.  You might not think it's gonna spread all the way but it does.  It is a thinner crust.  Top with pizza sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings and throw it a preheated 500 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges of dough are golden brown.  DELISH!!

Dough can be refridgerated for up to 3 days after it's made, or if you wrap it up good and tight it can be frozen for up to 6 months!!  So that's a plus too!!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does.  Have a wonderful week!!!!

Source-Pioneer Woman

Pasta Carbonara

I know I know...Another pasta dish with creamy goodness and bacon!  I just posted one similar to this a few posts back, but I think this one is tastier, so I had to share.  I first tried this dish when my ex mother in law brought it over after I had the baby.  We all loved it, so I had to get the recipe.  It was pretty easy to throw together.  The sauce is so tasty and delicious.  If you like it lots creamier, you can double the sauce.  I made mine ahead of time and it was still pretty creamy a couple hours later.  But the noodles do soak it up, quite a bit.

Pasta Carbonara

8 oz. thin spaghetti, cooked

4-6 slices of bacon cut up

3 Tbsp onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. parmesan

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/8 tsp black pepper

3 large chicken breasts, cubed, and cooked

Cook your chicken and noodles before hand. I like to fry my chicken in some butter and salt and pepper.  Fry up bacon, and when it's starting to brown throw in onion, cook til almost crisp then add garlic stirring around for about 30 seconds to get the good garlic flavor.  Don't over cook your garlic.  Remove onto paper towel to drain leaving about 1 Tbsp of oil in the pan.  Add heavy cream and heat to it's almost boiling, stirring every now and then.  Add cheese and turn to low and let it simmer for 3 minutes.  Add noodles, chicken, parsley, and black pepper.  Stir to coat and enjoy.

This is another recipe where adding other ingredients is fine.  Such as broccoli, or mushrooms.  Maybe trade the meat for shrimp.  Yum!  This was an awesome meal with some steamed asparagus on the side!  Enjoy!!!

Beef Enchiladas

I decided to change it up a bit for the family and do beef enchiladas instead of chicken.  The hubs was pleased...the daughter...not so much.  She told me to stick to the chicken.  I thought they were delicious and a lot different than the chicken.  These use a red sauce, and I used all corn tortillas.  My family prefers the flour, but I prefer corn.  Something about the taste of the corn tortilla makes it more...I dunno...DELICIOUS?!  It gives it a lot more flavor.  I also loved the cilantro in the sauce and on top.  My family is a bit picky and they would be fine if I left the cilantro out.  I did leave out the green onions for them...BOO!  :o)  I'm sure these woud be awesome with shredded beef too, but I went the easy route and used ground beef.

Beef Enchiladas
For the sauce you need:
1 Tbsp veg. oil
2 Tbsp flour
1-29 oz. can of red enchilada sauce
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, plus extra for topping

For the meat you need:
1 lb ground beef
1 med. onion
4 oz. can of diced green chilies
1/2 tsp. salt

You'll also need:
10-14 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for frying
can of olives, sliced
1 c. chopped green onions
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Cilantro
and whatever else you want to top these babies off.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine your oil and flour. Whisk it together and allow it to bubble for a minute.  Pour in your red sauce, broth, salt and pepper.  Stir and bring to boil.  Lower your heat and let it simmer while your cooking up the meat. 

Chop up your onion and throw it in a large skillet with ground beef.  Brown beef and drain fat.  Throw in green chilies and salt, and stir it up.  Turn off heat and set aside.

In a small skillet over medium heat fry your tortillas in oil just until they are soft.  Don't crispify them.  Drain them on a plate with paper towels. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread 1/2 c. sauce in bottom of a 13x9 pan.  Dip each tortilla in the red sauce and place on a cookie sheet.  In each tortilla add your meat mix, black olives, green onions, and grated cheese.  Roll it up and place it in your 13x9 pan seam side down.  Stir the cilantro in the remaining sauce and pour it over the top of the enchiladas.  Top with a generous amount of shredded cheese.  Bake enchiladas for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle tops with cilantro.  And top it off with whatever else you want.  Enjoy!

Hope you are all having a fabulous week.  Stay tuned for tomorrow...it's giveaway time.  It's been awhile!!  :o)  YAY!  Have an awesome Thursday!!

Source:P-Dub

Sloppy Joe's

My usual go to for Sloppy Joe's has always been Manwich Bold.  It was easy and tasted fine to me.  I didn't have any Manwich but wanted Sloppy's, and I for sure didn't want to take the new baby to the store, so I found a recipe and I have to say it's 1000 times better than Manwich, and why the heck didn't I do this before?  My family loved it too.  So good with your favorite chips and I like to throw on some cheese and pepperoncini peppers.  YUM!

Sloppy Joe's

1 pound lean ground beef

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a pan brown beef with onion, bell pepper and garlic.  When it's done add the remaining ingredients and cook on low for 15 minutes, stirrin occasionaly.  Serve hot on a warm hamburger bun. 

Biscuits and Gravy...and an Introduction

Hi!!!  Erica here!  Just a quick note to introduce you to our new addition.  Baby Boy K arrived on 1-26 at 1:07 PM.  He was 8 lbs 7 oz. and 21 inches long.  It was a fast delivery and i'm so grateful for that.  He has been such an awesome baby so far, and he is such a huge blessing in our lives.  Our family is complete, and who knew that i'd have 2 red headed little boys.  :o)  I couldn't be happier.  Big Sis and Big Bro are doing great with him.  Hopefully soon I can get back in the groove of things and start baking and cooking up a storm.  Wish me luck. 

Hi, Mommy!

 1 week old

Now for my Friday recipe...

One of my hubbies favorites.  I'm still trying to master it.  I think i'm getting close though.  He used to prefer going to Flags West and get their Biscuits and Gravy instead.  Ha!  Rude.  :o)  Gotta love an honest husband.  I made the biscuits in heart shapes this time.  Maybe that will help it out a little bit. How cute would these be for Valentines Day morning?  We like to eat them for dinner, but I don't think this qualifies as "romantical" dinner type.  I'm not a HUGE fan of Biscuits and Gravy, but I make them to make the man happy.  Isn't that how it works?  Hope you enjoy them too!

 Can you tell it's a heart?!  Awwww...

Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits-

2 c. flour

1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1/3 c. shortening
1 c. millk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.  Cut in shortening until it looks like it's evenly incorporated.  Gradually stir in milk.  Stir until well combined.  Pour out onto floured surface and knead 15-20 times until nice and smooth.  Punch out until about an inch thick and cut with a round cookie cutter, or a round cup.  I can usually get about 9-10 biscuits. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes or until they start turning a golden brown on top.

Gravy-
1 lb ground sausage
1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

Brown your sausage.  If you got a ton of grease in your pan then drain most of it.  I think some fat gives it good flavor.  When it's done browning add flour and whisk it around for a minute or so until all the meat is coated.  Add salt and pepper to your liking.  Gradually whisk in milk and continue stirring on medium heat until it starts to thicken.  It's done when you get it to the consistency you prefer.  Pour over warm biscuits and enjoy.

Creamy Bacon and Parmesan Pasta

Give me creamy pasta and bacon any day of the week.  So fulfilling and yummy.  I've made this adding chicken and peas.  Mix it up!  Broccoli would be awesome with it too.  It does need quite a bit of salt for my tasting, but everyone in my family thinks I use WAY too much salt, so I never add it to my dishes while I cook.  Don't want to upset anyone.  :o)  This is a quick and easy meal to stir up.  My kids absolutely love it too.

Creamy Bacon and Parmesan Pasta
1 pound bacon
1/4-1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 whole Eggs
1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

In a skillet, fry the bacon. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes. When done, remove bacon until cool enough to handle and roughly chop.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until done (according to package instructions).

Place cream and cream cheese in a small saucepan. Heat over low until cream cheese is melted, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese, eggs, and pepper and whisk until blended.

Drain pasta (reserving 1/2 cup of hot water) and return to pot. Immediately add the white sauce and toss to coat. The hot pasta will cook the eggs. Stir in the bacon, and add some reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.

Enjoy! And Happy Monday! Yay to the end of January!!!

Chicken Enchiladas

I'm doing a lot of my family favorites this week.  I think it's me preparing for having this baby and I probably won't be doing these for awhile, until I get back in the groove of things.  Years ago, when I thought about making chicken enchiladas, I thought they sounded WAY too hard to make.  I think they could be, but these are so EASY!  I got this recipe from my Dear MIL.  She is the best cook.  I always make a pan of flour and a pan of corn.  And make sure to have all the fixings!  YUMMY!

Chicken Enchiladas
4-6 large chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken
2-19 oz. cans of Las Palmas Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (You can use your favorite, but this one is perfect, I think.)
1 small can of green chilies
3 big spoonfuls of sour cream
cheddar cheese, shredded
Corn or flour tortillas, or both

I like to boil my chicken breasts.  It's faster and they shred so easily afterwards.  I salt and pepper it before putting it into the tortillas.  While chicken is boiling, in a large bowl, mix together cream of chicken, enchilada sauce, green chilies, and sourcream.  Stir until well combined.  Spoon some sauce in the bottom of 13x9 pan, just so it's coated.  Shred chicken and season to taste.  Add some chicken to center of tortilla, and then some cheese, and roll up lining them up nicely in your pan.  When you get them in there good and tight top with remaining sauce, and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 40-60 minutes or until good and bubbly.  Remove foil and top with shredded cheese and leave in oven until it's good and melty.  Top with your favorite toppings.

Like I said before, when I make these I usually do 1-13x9 pan of flour and 1-8x8 pan of corn.  There is usually plenty of sauce to do both.  Do them how you want, my family doesn't like them stuffed full of chicken, but if yours do then throw a few more breasts in to cook.  Good stuff!

Monday Match Up-Crockpot

A crockpot recipe?  On the week of Thanksgiving?  Yes.  Why?  Because we know how busy we are, and I'm sure you are gonna be baking and cooking for the big day, so we wanted the first of the week to have an easy recipe.  And what's more easy than throwing stuff in the crockpot and forgetting about it for the rest of the day.  I LOVE IT!  I chose to do one of my family's favorite.  French Dips.  Simple ingredients and awesome results. 

Here's the recipe~

Crockpot French Dips

4 lb. rump roast
12 oz. can of beer  :o)
10.5 oz can beef broth
10.5 oz can french onion soup
6 of your favorite hoagie rolls
butter
provolone cheese

Trim excess fat from the rump roast, and place in a slow cooker. Add the beef broth, onion soup and beer. Cook on Low setting for 7 hours. When you are about ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut hoagies in half and butter and bake until starts to get a little crisp.  Top with cheese and leave it in til it's good and melty.  Slice or shred your meat and place on hoagies, and serve with the Au Jus in the crockpot for dipping.  DELISH!  Perfect with some potato chips, or homemade fries.

And I can't close my post without wishing my beautiful daughter a HAPPY HAPPY 11th Birthday.  Ugh!  I can't believe I have an 11 year old.  So happy she is mine.  :o)  Love you, my Justy!

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Yes! I need easy right now. I have a huge to do list this week and all the other everyday stuff needs to have easy written all over it. I love crockpot recipes. Every time I make one I wonder why I don't do these more often. EASY! I made a new recipe for ribs and they turned out very tasty. A recipe to keep for sure.

Santa Fe Country Style Ribs

2 lb. boneless country-style pork ribs
1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup Salsa (I used a thick and chunky medium, we like spice)
3/4 cup Chili Sauce
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. ground red cayenne pepper (I used a sprinkle or two, not too much for the kids' sake)
2 Tbls. tomato paste

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray. In the cooker place ribs and sprinkle with salt. In small bowl, mix salsa, chili sauce, cumin, and red pepper. Pour over ribs.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours.

Remove ribs from cooker. (I used a slotted spoon because they were so tender.) Into a 2 cup measuring cup, pour 1 cup cooking juices from the cooker. Stir in 2 Tbls. of your tomato paste. Spoon over ribs and reserve some for extra sauce at the table.

We had these with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a bread. Yum!

Yay for Turkey Week! Also, don't forget to enter our Giveaway for the book CakePops by Bakerella. Enter Here.

Happy Birthday Justy! We sure love you. I remember the day you were born. Eeek. It was a crazy experience. So glad you made it. Have a great day!

Source: Pillsbury Slow Cooker

Lazy Lasagna

The name fits me to a T.  It really is lazy because it's so darn easy to throw together.  You don't even have to cook the noodles!  I love that!!!   I've been making this lasagna for years, and it's a family favorite.  It's so easy and you can change it up a bit without a problem.  Before I found this recipe lasagna intimidated me.  It just seemed too hard to do.  Glad I found this one.

Here's the recipe~

Lazy Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1-32 oz. jar of spaghetti sauce
16 oz. cottage cheese
8 oz. sour cream
8 uncooked lasagna noodles
2-8  oz packages of shredded mozzarella cheese give or take
1 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 c. water

Cook beef in a large skillet until meat is brown.  Drain fat and add spaghetti sauce.  Heat through.  Set aside.  Combine cottage cheese and sour cream, stir well.  Spoon 1 1/2 c. meat sauce in bottom of 13x9 pan.  Place 1/2 of the uncooked noodles on top of the meat sauce. Then half of the cottage cheese mixture.

A good layer of mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the remaining meat sauce and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese.  Repeat layers starting with noodles.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Pour water around the sides of the pan. (I usually don't use ALL the water.)  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake in a preheat 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Make sure to put a cookie sheet or foil under pan, because it always bubbles over a little bit.  Uncover and bake 20 minutes more or until bubbly.  Let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes longer. 

The finished product. 

I was in a hurry to eat it and that's why it's not completely set up.  The more you let it sit the less gooey it is.

I like to add olives to my meat sauce and sometimes I use more or less cheese.  Depends on my mood.  Seriously...change it up a bit if you'd like.  Let me know what you try different.

Source-Great American Brand Name Recipes Cookbook