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!