Pioneer Woman's Cheesecake

I've always wanted to make a cheesecake but have never had a springform pan, which is a necessity.  My grandma gave me one & so I finally got to try it out.  I'd say it was a success!  It was super easy to make & I made a raspberry topping.  My brother said it was maybe the best cheesecake he'd ever had - yessssss!!!!!  I can't wait to try new variations of this Pioneer Woman recipe.

Try THIS ONE today!

I love making new recipes.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

I have been wanting to try this recipe for a long time now & thought Christmas was a good time to try it because my family always has cinnamon rolls on Christmas day (from the frozen foods aisle; still delicious).  These are time consuming, but not as difficult as I had thought they would be.

These are delicious!!!  The recipe makes a TON of rolls so I have about three pie tins full in my freezer to be heated in the oven as I so desire.  I highly recommend making these - they are very rewarding to make.

HERE IS THE RECIPE.

YUMMMMMM!!!!!

P.S.  These use a whole lotta butter.

Oreo Truffles

It's become a tradition of mine to make Oreo Truffles every year around Christmas.  People love them!  It's fun to have so many people ask for the recipe and tell them that it's 3 ingredients total!  I used to tell everyone they are easy to make - which is sort of true - but yesterday when I made a triple batch and was using my Magic Bullet to turn the Oreos into crumbs (3 cookies at a time) and was melting a ton of chocolate and rolling each one I realized it's kind of time consuming and not the absolute easiest thing to make.  At least for me.  It's not bad though... mine just look kind of ugly.

HERE'S the recipe!

Everyone will love you for making these!!

Pioneer Woman's Best Chocolate Sheet Cake

This weekend was my mom's birthday & I made her Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake.  It was simple to make & didn't take much time at all.  The first night we ate it I thought it was "good" but not "great".  My sister told me it was better the next day & so I tried it & she was right.  It was "great" the next day - more chocolaty and rich.  If you're looking for an easy way to get a rich chocolate cake - this is the way to go.

I did one half with pecans and one without just in case someone didn't want pecans.  I like it better without, but most everyone else wanted the pecans in.  Yum!

Pioneer Woman's "Pasta alla Marlboro Man"

Last night I made this very meaty dish from the Pioneer Woman.  It's definitely not for someone who isn't big into meat.  I liked it... it is very tasty... but it's not my favorite PW recipe ever.  Definitely give it a try sometime though, if you love meat sauce!  It's really simple to make.  HERE IT IS!

Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes

For Thanksgiving I was in charge of making mashed potatoes - which happen to be my favorite Thanksgiving dish.  The pressure was on because as much as I love them, I've NEVER made them!  I knew I wanted to use the Pioneer Woman's recipe because her stuff is always to die for.  I doubled her recipe & so there was quite a load of butter and cream cheese in them - YUM!  They were really delicious and my family seemed to enjoy them a lot.  I highly recommend using this recipe next time you make mashed potatoes - you won't be sorry!

HERE is the recipe on her blog.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Muffins

THESE are really chocolate-y.  I like chocolate but it has to be either in cake form or in small amounts. So these aren't my absolute fave but if you love chocolate chips - you will love them.  You could also put less than it calls for in, which I will do next time probably.  They are good though - and super easy.

Whole Chicken - Two Ways

Each year we have a Thanksgiving with just friends.  Therefore I'm unable to rely on my mom making the turkey/meat dish.  Yikes!  Instead of turkey, I decided I'd try cooking two whole chickens - two different ways.

Chicken #1
Baked Slow Cooker Chicken
From AllRecipes

This was easy as pie to make.  The only "hard" part was having to stick my hand inside the bird and pull out the "giblets".  That was gross.  After washing the bird you just have to pat it dry and season it how you'd like.  I threw it in the crock pot and left for work and come home to a wonderful-smelling house and a fully-cooked, fall-off-the-bone chicken.  I definitely recommend this for when you're strapped for time and want dinner done when you walk in the door.

Chicken #2
Roasted Herb Chicken
Based on a Better Homes and Gardens recipe

1 Whole chicken (3 pounds or so)
Butter (melted)

Seasonings I used:

Salt
Lemon-Pepper
Oregano
Thyme
Basil

Wash the bird with cold water and take out the giblets.  Dry the bird with paper towels.  Tie the neck and legs together with baking string.  Brush chicken with melted butter.  Season as desired.  Use as much or as little of each seasoning as you wish.  Place on a roasting pan (I used a one-time use pan).  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until a thermometer stuck in the bird reads 180 degrees.

Easy, pretty fast & delicious.

Chicken #2 wins for the better texture and flavor, while Chicken #1 wins for easiness.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Snickers Popcorn

Last night I made Snickers Caramel Popcorn from cookiesandcups.  It was pretty easy to make & it is DELICIOUS!!! I will definitely make this again.  I didn't use a ton of Snickers because I thought it would be too much, but I think I will add more next time.  I only used 4 normal sized candy bars chopped up.  Next time I think I'll go for 6 or more.  I opted out of using nuts and I did include the chocolate drizzle on top.  SUCH a delightful treat.  You might want to plan to give some away though or else you'll find yourself eating a HUGE amount of this.  Like a whole king size bowl full.  Yummmmmmm!!!

Easy Salsa Chicken

This recipe is pretty much as easy as it gets.  I found it HERE.  It takes about 5 minutes to prepare & throw in the oven.

I served mine with sour cream, black beans and corn.  It is tasty... especially for how easy and how few ingredients.

If you want a fast and easy dinner idea, I definitely recommend this one.

Chipotle Chocolate Chili

Another thanks to my sister-in-law for finding an amazing recipe.  I made this Chipotle Chocolate Chili on Sunday and it is delicious.  Mine turned out a little spicy, but not too much.  I used 1 whole oz. of chopped chocolate instead of a 1/2 oz.  It is yum!!

HERE IS THE RECIPE!  I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture.

Whatever-I-Had Pizza

Pizzas are so easy to make because you can use whatever you have lying around the kitchen.  This was a very fast meal to make & sometimes that's just how meals have to be.

Last night I used:

Store-bought Pillsbury pizza dough - sprayed with olive oil on a greased baking sheet
Goat Cheese
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
Canned shredded chicken

I baked this for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Then I added:

Baby Spinach
Red Grapes - halved

It turned out delicious and took about 20-25 minutes total.
I love the versatility of pizza!

Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

I've tried quite a few different apple pie recipes in the past few years but I keep coming back to this one.  I really, really like it.  It might be close to my favorite, but I don't feel right about choosing a favorite because so many recipes are great and differ quite a bit.  This one is definitely a wonderful choice though - you won't be disappointed.

It's from a member of All Recipes.

It was a gorgeous fall day and I baked this pie with the doors open and the sunshine streaming in.  It was the perfect day to make an apple pie.

We had picked some apples from our apple tree out back and it was delightful making a pie out of our own fruit.  I loved it!  Due to baking the best pie crust ever - this was possibly the best pie I've ever made.

The Best Pie Crust I've Ever Made

I followed the pie tutorial on the Pioneer Woman's website by a pie pro she had guest-post.  I've never made a better crust in my life - and I've made a lot of different types of crusts.  It was flaky, buttery, extremely flavorful and just straight up wonderful.

HERE is the tutorial and recipe.  I don't know what the heck leaf fat or whatever it's called is, so I just used one cup of butter instead (which she says is just fine to do).  I washed mine with heavy cream before baking it.

I am obsessed with Pinterest these days and recently saw the beauty that is this pie crust:



How gorgeous is that?  So I wanted to do something similar.  For some reason I thought I had a cute leaf cookie cutter like this... but I was wrong.  I had to opt for pumpkin-shaped and it was kind of lame.  But DELICIOUS!

This is the best crust recipe I've found.  Use this on your Thanksgiving pies for sure!

Apple Poppyseed Spinach Salad

I loosely based this recipe on THIS one, but it's one of those things you can just throw together with anything you have on hand and like.

baby spinach
slices of a sweet apple (I used ones off my tree in the backyard)
goat cheese
craisins
roasted walnuts
apple poppy seed dressing (SEE THIS POST)


This is super delicious and very easy. I love fall salads!  This would be good for Thanksgiving too.

The Bovine's Apple Poppyseed Dressing

This Apple Poppyseed Dressing is seriously easy to make & pretty delicious - especially on a fall salad with apples and goat cheese. Yum!  There is something really rewarding about making your own dressing.

Here is where I got the recipe.

the bovine's apple poppyseed dressing:
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons light tasting olive oil
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon molasses (optional - I didn't use because I didn't have it)
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
4 to 6 dashes salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon poppyseeds

Combine all ingredients but poppyseeds in a blender.Mix well until blended. add poppyseeds. Mix well. Refrigerate 4+ hours to let onions rehydrate and flavors meld.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Last night I made this Crispy Cheddar Chicken.  I was so looking forward to it because anything with cheese is amazing in my book.  Well... it was easy to throw together and didn't take much time - so that was a plus - but I wasn't blown away by the taste.  It was actually just not that great.  The picture on the original recipe's website looks so amazing so I thought it would be fantastic.  Just not so.  But it's okay.  My husband hasn't tried it yet and maybe he'll tell me I'm crazy and it's really good.  I hope it is just me! If you try it and like it - let me know!

*** UPDATE *** My husband just called and said this is amazing.  So I guess I'm just crazy.

Candy Corn Cupcakes

I had the highest hopes that these would turn out perfect and adorable like they are on the blog where I found the RECIPE for Candy Corn Cupcakes.  Just so you know, these don't taste like candy corn (which is downright disgusting if you ask me), they just look like them.  They are so adorable if done right.  I made the batter and the colors looked so cute and I even thought I did a good job of evenly distributing the batter so there was half yellow/half orange.  All is well until the bottoms of your cupcakes BURN.  I was so angry.  After all of that work most of the batches' bottoms burned, requiring me to cut off the burned part and have most of the batch just cupcake tops that were orange.  I put them on the bottom shelf of the oven to bake and there's where my problem was.  I guess you live and learn in the kitchen.  Not every batch can turn out perfect.

I also made the frosting  recipe to go with these.  It's not my favorite because I'm partial to a thick cream cheese frosting and this is more that light, whipped store-cupcake frosting/filling.  It's tasty though, for sure.  I used almond instead of vanilla because that's what I used in the batter and I wanted to remain consistent.

These are really cute (if you do it right) and are great for around Halloween.

Before - when things were still hopeful

After.  Not so hopeful anymore.

This one sort of turned out right.  Too bad the picture is so blurry.

Mexican-Style Goulash

I made this Mexican-Style Goulash last night.  I don't really see how it sets itself apart all that much from normal goulash.  Next time I might add a can of beans or a can of green chilies to the mix to make it live up to its name a little more.  This recipe uses one pot (yay!), is fast, easy and makes enough to eat leftovers over the next day or two.  Definitely not gourmet-tasting, but it does the job and is pretty yummy.

HERE is the recipe. I used a whole can of corn instead of a cup of frozen.  I also used mozzarella because I was too lazy to grate cheddar last night and my mozzarella was already grated.  Does it get much lazier than that?  Sheesh.

Pumpkin Cornbread

Last night I made Pumpkin Chili and this Pumpkin Cornbread as a side.  This is the perfect fall meal!  I am slightly obsessed with this cornbread recipe now, it has more flavor than normal cornbread with the spices and pumpkin - but the pumpkin isn't too much.  I poured honey on mine and it was wonderfully scrumptious.  Next time I hope I have some honey butter to go on it... that would make it out-of-this-world.

Heavenly...

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

My favorite fall recipe: Pumpkin Turkey Chili.  It's easy and fast to make and is just a great recipe for a cool, crisp autumn evening in your cozy home.  This recipe is from All Recipes.  I sometimes make a double batch just because it's so good to have leftovers of.  The pumpkin isn't overpowering at all, there is just a hint of it.

If you're looking for an easy, fall-like recipe to try for dinner, you should definitely make this.  Last night I made it with a new recipe I found, Pumpkin Cornbread.  I'll post that recipe next.  Perfect meal!

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Okay... this may be my favorite pumpkin baked good recipe EVER.  My sister-in-law sent me this recipe and I wish I could kiss her from a 1,000 miles away for it!  Delicious, amazing, wonderful!


Pumpkin Cake


4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
16 oz. pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. nutmeg


Mix eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin together until well blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a sheet pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Do not frost until cool.

Frosting

6 oz. cream cheese
1 stick butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3-4 c. powdered sugar

Let the cream cheese and butter soften to room temp. Then mix cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add vanilla and powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix until smooth and you have reached desired consistency.


I am keeping it in the fridge and it tastes really great cold.  I definitely recommend keeping it cool before you eat it.  


I will be making this every fall forever.

Flat Apple Pie

Hello! It's been awhile.  I went on vacation and someone else was feeding me! Now that I'm home, there are several recipes on the agenda.  Last night I realized I had some leftover store bought pie crust.  I usually hate store bought pie crust and love making my own.  But since it was just sitting there I decided to throw together an apple pie.  I checked my favorite cook book (PW) and there was a recipe for "Flat Apple Pie".  This recipe is only in her cook book and not on her website, but I found another blog who has posted the recipe for your use - GO HERE.

I love making apple pie more than almost anything.  There's something so rewarding about taking an apple pie out of the oven... it smells so heavenly.  This was a little less exciting because it was store bought crust.  I was also a little skeptical because there is only brown sugar and sugar, no spices or anything!  But... as always... PW didn't disappoint. I had myself a piping hot slice and it was delectable.  It takes literally minutes to throw together (because I don't peel my apples) and tastes super good.

I love you apple pie!


I only had enough dough to make three small flat pies.  You're supposed to make two large flat pies.  Mine turned out pretty ugly - but taste is all that matters when it comes to pie.

Before baking.

After baking.

Cinnamon Eclairs with Pumpkin Cream

Word to the wise... don't make eclairs for the first time ever on the morning of a baby shower that you're throwing.  It's a little stressful.  With that being said - on a normal, non-stressful day these Cinnamon Eclairs with Pumpkin Cream are relatively easy to make... slightly more challenging than other things I've made in the past but not too bad.  I found the recipe HERE.  These turned out pretty well for my first try ever and many people complimented them and loved that the cream was pumpkin instead of normal.  It was a lot of work but it was worth it to have homemade eclairs at the shower.

Step 1 of 3

The finished product.  

I left off the nuts because I knew not everyone would like them.  They aren't gorgeous... but they're also not hideous either... and that's a big step for me!  If you want to challenge yourself a little bit and end up with a yummy treat... make these!  You'll feel quite accomplished at the end of the process.

Janell's Out-of-this-World, Amazing, Delicious, Wonderful Parmesan Dip

My friend Janell gave me this recipe a few years ago & I have made it around 10 times, with no end in sight.  It is the most delicious, naughty, wonderful dip I've ever tasted.  Every time I make it for a baby or wedding shower EVERYONE asks me for the recipe and wants to know what's in it.  They're always shocked when they hear there are only 4 ingredients!  I literally cannot make this dip unless I'm taking it to share with a large group because if I have it at home - it's me, a bag of Fritos and a whole platter of dip... until the dip is gone.  BAD BAD BAD.

I will forever love Janell because she gave me this recipe.  Not that I wouldn't love her anyway :)

Janell's Out-of-this-World, Amazing, Delicious, Wonderful Parmesan Dip
3-8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo


Beat these two ingredients until smooth


Mix in:
1 medium chopped onion 
6 oz shredded Parmesan cheese


Put in baking dish and bake at about 375 degrees, until brown on top- approximately 15 minutes
Best with Fritos or corn chips.  


Go with the Fritos people... you won't be sorry.




Once you make this, you'll be hooked for life.  

Cheese and Trees Mini Quiches

I threw a baby shower over the weekend and will be posting a few "party foods" this week.  These mini quiches are so cute and easy.  I loved them!  You could add whatever you wanted to them too and they'd still turn out great- bacon, little ham pieces, etc.  I kept it simple and followed the recipe exactly - but I doubled it so I could make 24.

This is a Martha Stewart recipe.

Delicious, easy, finger food.  These get my recommendation for a party/brunch..

Crockpot Italian Chicken

I guess I'm the last person ever to discover this recipe - everyone says they know it and make it all the time.  It is simple and fast!

Crockpot Italian Chicken (as found here)


4 chicken breasts
1.5 packets of dry Zesty Italian Dressing
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for at least 4 hours.  I put mine in for 8 hours and shredded it. Stir well to mix the soup and the cream cheese together once it's warm enough to mix easily.  The original recipe I found tells you to cook those two ingredients on the stove top to incorporate and then throw in to the crockpot - but I'm lazy and skipped that step and just stirred it all together when I was ready to eat it.  You can serve it any way you'd like - full breast, chopped, shredded, etc.  I cooked bowtie and penne pastas that I had on hand from previous meals and put this on top of it.  Some people like rice with it - but I hate white rice and refuse to make it.  I also threw some cherry tomatoes on top because we have a zillion of them and need to use them up!

My husband steamed yellow squash and zucchini to go with it.  Delicious!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

I am obsessed with Einstein's pumpkin shmear (sp??).  But I never make it to Einstein's and I wanted to try a homemade recipe to see how it measured up.  I made Skinny Taste's Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese - but I used fat free cream cheese (the recipe called for 1/3 fat).  I think next time I would use a full fat cream cheese - it would be worth it.  This cream cheese is more creamy and thick rather than light and fluffy like Einstein's.  I think I prefer Einstein's but this is still really tasty and easy to make.  Plus there is more of it so you're saving money.  I'll be eating this for lunch for a week on wheat bagels and I look forward to doing so!

Maybe next week I'll treat myself to an Einstein pumpkin shmeared bagel, though.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Pumpkin recipes galore, I know!  I made these pancakes Sunday morning and they were delightful!  I covered them with syrup and Pumpkin Fluff Dip.  They were easy to make - not too many ingredients - and added a little flavor to the normal pancake.  If you love pumpkin spiced things, these are a real treat for a fall morning.  My husband really liked them, too.

Pasta Salad with Tomatoes, Zucchini and Goat Cheese

I have made the original version by Pioneer Woman once before and loved it.  This time I wanted to make it with basil instead of parsley and goat cheese instead of feta.  So here's the recipe the way I made it (with very minimal changes from the original):


12 ounces Farfalle (bowtie) Pasta
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 whole Lemons (more To Taste)
Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
2 whole Zucchini, Cut Into Small Wedges Or Diced
10 ounces Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1/3 cup Minced Fresh Basil
6 ounces Crumbled Goat Cheese


Cook pasta until done. Drain and rinse in cold water until completely cool. Add olive oil and lemon juice, then add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt). Toss to combine. Add zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and goat cheese, and toss to combine. Add more of what you think it needs. Squeeze in a little more lemon juice/drizzle more olive oil if it needs more moisture.


Cover in plastic wrap for at least a couple of hours to chill.

I used a fresh zucchini, fresh cherry tomatoes and basil all picked straight from my garden.  WONDERFUL!  I love, love, love this pasta salad.  It's so lemony and cheesy and fresh.  

Pumpkin Fluff Dip

I was having family over for dessert and made this Pumpkin Fluff Dip.  Wowza!  So easy and a total liability to have in the fridge for a pumpkin and whipped cream lover like myself.  I planted myself in front of a movie last night with a box of cinnamon graham crackers and dipped to my heart's content.  Bad.  But this stuff is good - I definitely recommend you try it for a Halloween or fall party.

Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies

I made these Pumpkin Spiced Oatmeal Pecan Cookies over the weekend to kick off the fall baking season.  They were really easy to make and turned out healthy but delicious-tasting.  I've been eating them for breakfast, kind of like oatmeal but in a cookie.  HURRAY for pumpkin!  I am slightly obsessed with pumpkin, as you will come to find out in the following weeks.  The air is getting cooler and it's getting more enjoyable to be in the kitchen.  These make the house smell amazing.  There's not a lot that I love more than a fall day with the cool air coming through the front door, sun shining and the smell of baked goods coming out of the oven.

Thanks to a friend of mine for sending this recipe over!

Zucchini Cheddar Muffins

I made these Zucchini Cheddar Muffins last night.  They are really fast to make and are delicious!  This is due to the fact that I used slightly more cheddar than the recipe called for - so there's probably more cheddar than zucchini in mine.  They are perfect to grab out the door for breakfast or as a side dish to a dinner.  Very versatile and I highly recommend them!  These would be really great for a brunch too.

Pineapple Barbecue Pulled Chicken

How I love my crock pot.  It just makes life so easy.  And makes the house smell so, so good.

I made this Pineapple Barbecue Pulled Chicken the other night.  I can't say it was amazing, really.  What I can say is it was pretty good and very (extremely, utterly, completely) easy.  We put this on rolls for sandwiches and had them with Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake.  I recommend using 1/2 cup pineapple juice from the can - the original recipe's author said she prefers it without - but I prefer it with (I think).  I also omitted onions and used onion flakes instead because we hate onions and flakes provide a little flavor without the taste of an actual fresh onion.

If you're in a hurry, you have some chicken in your freezer and want a recipe for a work night this is a good one to use.

Not my top choice, though.  I think I just like pork better.  Maybe I will try this recipe again with pork and end up loving it.

Cookie Dough Brownies

To make these delightful little treats follow THIS recipe - except I was in a hurry and made the brownie part from a Ghirardelli brownie mix (the best brownie mix ever).  I usually don't like to do this but with the kitchen project still in the works and not a lot of time, a boxed mix was just what I needed.  I made a thick batch and left them a little gooey inside, how my husband and I like.  They were so yummy - and the cookie dough is egg free so there is no taboo eating it.  I found myself wanting to lick off the top cookie dough part and then eat the brownie so I could taste each separately to its fullest.  I got many-a-compliment from co-workers/husband on these - so definitely make a batch for the cookie dough lover in your life.

Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake

We have a plethora of delicious zucchini and huge, juicy garden tomatoes.  It's heavenly.  I made this as a side dish last night & we devoured nearly the whole thing.  I adapted this from Kalyn's Kitchen's recipe.

Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake


1 huge zucchini (or 2 medium) - cut into half-moon slices
1 huge tomato (or 2 medium) - sliced
4 Tablespoons fresh basil - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
Another 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella for top
Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8" x 8" baking dish with olive oil.  Wash the zucchini and cut in slices or half-moon slices.  Wash basil and finely chop.

Combine the sliced zucchini, chopped basil, dried thyme, garlic salt, and both kinds of cheese and stir together until the veggies are coated with cheese and the herbs are well-distributed.  Season with black pepper.  Put the mixture in the baking dish and cover with sliced tomatoes.  Bake uncovered for about 25-30 minutes.

After 30 minutes or so, take the casserole dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining 1/2 cup of grated cheese.  Put the dish back in the oven and bake 10-15 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted and nicely browned and zucchini is fully cooked (I baked for about ten minutes and then put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes).  Serve hot.

This was ooey, gooey with cheese and also tasted sorta healthy with the veggies.  I am so happy we have zucchini still growing so I can make this again soon.

Kitchen Project

Thank you to my cute sister-in-law for making my new header!

I didn't get the chance to bake or cook this weekend because I was undertaking a project in my kitchen... painting all the cabinets.  It's a lot harder work than I imagined.  It will be done tonight though and I have two things lined up for dinner - so stay tuned for some new recipes this week!

Goat Cheese, Chicken & Tomato/Basil Quesadillas

Last night I wanted to make something fast, easy, and with ingredients I already had at home.  The result was:

Goat Cheese, Chicken, Tomato and Basil Quesadillas


Burrito size tortillas
Goat cheese
Canned chicken
Thinly sliced tomatoes
Chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Butter

Mix one can of chicken with the garlic salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet to medium high.  Butter one side of a tortilla.  Smear as much goat cheese as you'd like on the other side of the tortilla.  Add chicken on top of goat cheese.  Add as many thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh basil as you'd like.  Put in skillet butter side down and cook until the butter turns the tortilla nice and golden brown.  Fold in half and enjoy!  You could obviously butter two tortillas and put one on top and flip the quesadilla so both sides get brown and delicious - but the tortillas I used were 200 calories per one and I didn't really want to eat 400 calories worth of tortillas last night because lately my booty is jiggling a lot and I'm saving my calorie frenzy for fried food at the State Fair (which is really going to help with the booty issue).

My husband said this was "amazing".  I am beginning to think he just says that every time he eats though.  These were definitely nice to just throw together and they incorporate some of my favorite things in life... tortillas, basil, goat cheese, tomatoes.  Delicioso!

Eggs-in-a-Hole

I think I'm a late jumper on to this bandwagon.  I wanted to use up some french bread I bought before we went out of town and so I looked in my handy-dandy PW cookbook and found Eggs-in-a-Hole.

This was perhaps the easiest breakfast I've ever made and it was so incredibly yummy.  My husband says he had it growing up and I think people make this all the time.  But guess what? I'd never had it or heard of it until now.  Bread soaked in butter can't be wrong - but the egg/salt/pepper makes it doubly good.  I don't think it would be quite as good with thin, regular bread - I think I will make it with thick, artisan-type breads every time I make it.  

Delicious!  Here is the "recipe" - four ingredients!

Pineapple Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

HAPPY SEPTEMBER!

I have a ton of zucchini in my garden and so when a friend sent me this recipe I knew I had to try it.  And WHOA - I am glad I did.  I love these!  My husband is dying he loves them so much.  They are sort of healthy, too, except I used full fat cream cheese instead of 1/3 fat.  Totally worth it.  These are a great way to bid farewell to summer and say hello to fall - a wonderful mix of the two seasons.  

If you like zucchini - definitely, definitely these are a must.

Thank you Skinny Taste!

Seriously... yum.

Pioneer Woman's "The Bread"

To accompany our lasagna last night I made "The Bread".  Simplest recipe of all time - and so good. I put dried thyme on one half and left the other plain.  I didn't use quite as much butter as the recipe calls for and it still turned out delicious.

Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

I love pasta and almost every other Italian dish known to man.  But lasagna?  For some odd reason I don't love it.  I don't really like ricotta cheese and lasagnas usually seem to have it.  Bleh.  I saw that Pioneer Woman's lasagna doesn't have ricotta, though, and knew I had to try it.

It takes a while to make this because it says to simmer the meat for 45 minutes after browning it, so I decided I would make this over the weekend and freeze it.  I've never done this before so I was a little hesitant but it worked out just fine.  The only issue I had was it taking forever to bake - but if I had taken the advice I was given and covered the lasagna with tin foil from the get-go, it wouldn't have taken much longer than it normally does.  So, if you end up freezing this, bake it covered in tin foil.

Into the freezer it went...

And here is the baked, finished product.

And HERE is the recipe.  I used the noodles you don't have to cook to save a little time and they work just perfectly.

Now, we had friends over for dinner who are big lasagna lovers.  They loved it and thanked me repeatedly for it (so nice).  Also, my husband said it was "amazing" and "better than most restaurants".  I was quite pleased with the results and how much everyone loved this.  I thought the bites with basil were pretty amazing... I think I would add a little more basil because I love it so, so much.  But if you make this exactly as directed, you won't be disappointed.  Also, if you don't like the idea of cottage cheese, what the original post of the recipe says is true - you have no idea that there is cottage cheese in it, not in the least.

Finally, a lasagna I actually like!

Spicy Pasta Salad with Smoked Gouda, Tomatoes and Basil

I made this pasta salad back in July and my sister has been requesting another batch so I made it for a BBQ yesterday.  It's very simple to make (I think I say this in every post) and is really fresh-tasting.  The spiciness can be almost non-existent (like the batch I made yesterday) or as intense as you want it - just add more adobo sauce or a chipotle pepper.  The first batch I made had more of a kick to it and I think I like it better like that.

I used fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from our garden - yum!

It is yet another Pioneer Woman recipe - and not the last for the week.  Click Me for the recipe!

My sister says it's one of her favorite pasta salads ever... so give it a try! Especially if you like smoked gouda.