Crunchy Cheesy Chicken

Pin It It's getting to that time of year when I don't mind turning my oven on to make dinner.  Over the summer it was so hot I didn't want to turn the oven on for anything so we did a lot of grilling.  This is a fabulous weeknight meal.  It can be whipped together in about 5 minutes and then you just put it in the oven and forget it for about 40 minutes.  And what's not to love about cripsy, crunchy, cheesy chicken?  While the chicken is cooking whip up a few side dishes and you have a fantastic dinner.

Crunchy Cheesy Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Get out 3 plates or shallow dishes.  Place flour in one, egg in one and cheese and breadcrumbs in the third dish.  Mix cheese and breadcrumbs together.
3. Dip chicken in flour, then egg, then cheese/breadcrumb mixture.  Pat the cheese/breadcrumbs on the chicken so it sticks.
4. Place chicken on a foil lined baking sheet.
5. Bake 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Cooking times will vary depending on the size of your chicken.

Chicken Party Nachos

Pin It I think nachos are a great party food.  They are a crowd pleaser and easy to make.  However, I hate that some chips have tons of toppings and other chips have barely anything on them.  By the end of the night all that is left is a pile of topping-less chips.  That's how these gems came to be. I call them Party Nachos because they are perfect for a party.  Every chip is perfectly topped and they are the perfect finger food.  No need to worry about toppings dripping on your clothes.I made these for my husband's fantasy football draft party and they were gobbled up.  I'm definitely keeping these in mind for the rest of football season!

This recipe was shared at Six Sisters' Link Party and Trick or Treat Tuesday .

Chicken Party Nachos
15 corn tortillas
1 can refried beans
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked/grilled and chopped into small pieces
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

For serving:
jalapenos
salsa
sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lay tortillas on foil lined baking sheets.
2. Mix taco seasoning with refried beans.  Spread a thin layer of beans on each tortilla.
3. Place chicken on top of beans.
4. Sprinkle with cheese until toppings are well covered.
5. Place in oven and bake 5-8 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
6. Allow nachos to cool slightly before cutting or all of the cheese will fall off.
7. Using a pizza cutter, cut each tortilla into 4 pieces.  Serve with sour cream, salsa and jalapenos.

Cheddar Beer Dip

Pin It Looking for a super simple, fast, crowd pleasing appetizer to take to your next gathering?  This dip just might be the answer.  It can be whipped up in about 5 minutes and it is sure to get gobbled up quickly.  I'm also going to keep this one in mind for Super Bowl parties.

Cheddar Beer Dip
2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 packet ranch dressing mix
6 oz. beer (1/2 can)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

Pretzels, carrot sticks, crackers for dipping

1. Combine cream cheese, sour cream and ranch  mix until smooth.
2. Stir in beer until well incorporated (using a hand mixer will speed this up).
3. Fold in cheddar cheese.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Tastes best when allowed to sit overnight in fridge.
5. Top with extra cheese before serving.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Pin It I love BBQ chicken pizza.  If it is on a menu, I will order it.  So when I had some leftover BBQ chicken I was really tempted to make a pizza, but I was short on time and I decided that I could probably make a healthier choice. I decided on a salad.  It has all of the ingredients from a BBQ chicken pizza (minus the crust) with a delicious BBQ ranch dressing.  Healthy, yet satisfying.

BBQ Chicken Salad
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, grilled and basted with BBQ sauce
Romaine lettuce, chopped
Red onion, sliced
Red pepper, diced
shredded cheddar cheese

BBQ Ranch Dressing
2 Tbsp ranch dressing
1 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1. Arrange salad ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix dressing ingredients together until uniform in color.
3. Pour dressing over salad

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Pin It The pulled pork that I made yesterday made way too much for Albert and I to eat in a meal.  I love leftovers, but eating the exact same thing for 3 days in a row can get  very boring.  I made these quesadillas out of some of the leftovers and they were an amazing lunch.

Pulled Pork Quesadillas
I didn't include measurements because you can make these as big as you want
Pulled pork
flour tortillas
gruyere cheese (or cheese of your choice)

1. Heat up leftover pork.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
3. Lay out a tortilla and spread pork and cheese on one half.  Fold the other half on top and place in the skillet.
4. Cook 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Notes- I heat up my porkl first because I found that I don't cook the quesadilla long enough to heat the pork all the way through without the tortilla getting to brown.
I chose gruyere cheese because it melts very nicely and has a mild flavor that pairs well with the BBQ pork flavor.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Pin It When I was in college our favorite restaurant to go to was Cheddar's.  I know that Cheddar's is a national chain, but we don't have any in St. Louis so it was a real treat to go down in Springfield.  My absolute favorite thing on their menu was the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.  I don't think I ever had anything else my whole 4 years down there.  It was lettuce, cheese, chicken, pickles and dressing all wrapped in a tortilla.  What made it even better was that you always had leftovers so you didn't have to cook for a day.  This salad was inspired by those awesome wraps.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
** I didn't use measurement because this can be made for one or a crowd.
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
Shredded carrots
Dill pickle slices
Shredded colby jack cheese
Chicken tenders or chicken nuggets/bites, cooked
Hot sauce of your choice
Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing

1. Arrange lettuce in bowl.  Top with carrots, pickles and cheese.
2. Toss chicken pieces with hot sauce.  Lay on top of salad mixture.
3. Drizzle with dressing of your choice.

**This is most delicious when the chicken is still warm so it melts the cheese a bit.

Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak

Pin It Albert LOVES Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches.  Whenever we go to a restaurant and they have a version of a cheese steak you can bet money that is what he will order.  I've been wanting to make cheese steaks at home for a while now and I just got this recipe from my mom.  It is incredibly simple and the result is as good as any local deli.  I think I also like this recipe because it allows me to use my crock pot.  You need to do a little bit of prep work involving your oven, but the bulk of the cooking is done in your crock pot.

Crock Pot Philly Cheese Steak
2-3 lb beef tenderloin
garlic salt
pepper
1 can beef broth
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
provelone cheese
hoagie rolls

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Season beef with garlic salt and pepper.  Place in a shallow baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
3. Allow beef to cool slightly and slice into thin slices.
4. Place sliced beef and beef broth into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
5. Just before serving, slice onions and peppers and saute in a little butter for 2-3 minutes, until just golden brown.
6. Serve by slicing hoagie in half and layering beef, onions, peppers and topping with cheese.  I placed my sandwich in a toaster oven for about 3 minutes to melt the cheese.

**I do not like green peppers so I didn't use any for the picture.  You can also add mushrooms if you like.  Feel free to use whatever type of cheese you like the best also.**

Wine Bar Sliders

Pin It Albert and I frequent the local wine bar.  In addition to their great wine selection, they have quite a tasty menu.  Last time we went we had sliders and they were fantastic.  They were so good in fact that I decided to recreate them for dinner later that week.  I have to say these turned out quite well.  Juicy burgers topped with melted gruyere, crispy bacon, red onions and roasted red peppers on a bakery fresh bun.  What more could you want?  I hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Wine Bar Sliders
* makes 6
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp steak seasoning
1 Tbsp seasoned salt
3 strips of bacon, cooked
gruyere cheese (enough for 6 slider sized slices)
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 large roasted red pepper, cut into short strips (I buy them in a jar)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp basil pesto (or 1/2 tsp dried basil)
olive oil
6 rolls (we used bakery dinner rolls)

1. Mix ground beef and seasonings together.  Form into 6 sliders and grill.
2. Meanwhile, brown onions and red peppers with olive oil in a skillet.  It only takes about 3 minutes.
3. Mix mayo and basil together.
4. Top burgers with cheese for the last few minutes of cooking.  Cover and let the steam melt the cheese.
5. Spread basil mayo on buns, top with a burger.  Top burger with onions, peppers and bacon.  Enjoy!

**you can substitute your favorite cheese if you can't find gruyere.  We just like how it melts and the mild taste that doesn't overpower the other ingredients.

Jalepeno Cheese Dip

Pin It The perfect dip for pretzel bites.  Warm, creamy dip with a little kick at the end.  Easy to whip together in a matter of minutes.  Reheats well the next day.  This was also inhaled at our Super Bowl party.

Jalepeno Cheese Dip
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
8 oz. shredded colby jack cheese (the kind you shred yourself, not preshreded packaged cheese)
1/4-1/2 cup diced jalepenos, to taste
hot sauce

1. Melt butter in a saucepan.  Stir in flour and cook until butter is slightly golden brown.
2. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened slightly.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
4. Add jalepenos and season with hot sauce to taste.

**If dip seems too thick add milk 1 Tbsp at a time.

Jalepeno Popper Dip

Pin It This week you will get a sampling of our Super Bowl party treats.  It's all about the food for the girls.  I could personally care less about the game.  The guys care about drinking and the game, but they did appreciate the food too.  This dip is definitely a crowd pleaser.  Warm, gooey, creamy, crunchy with a bit of a kick.  Not as spicy as it sounds and goes great with an ice cold beer.

Jalepeno Popper Dip
2 packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 4oz. can chopped green chiles
1 4 oz. can chopped jalepenos or 1/4 cup chopped fresh jalepenos
1/2 cup shredded colby jack or Mexican cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzerella
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a large bowl mix cream cheese, mayo, chiles, jalepenos and shredded cheese until well combined.
3. Pour the  mixture into a greased 9 x 9 oven safe dish.
4. Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle over the top of the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spray the top of the crumbs with cooking spray to aid in browning in the oven.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown.
7. Serve with tortilla chips, veggies, crackers or pretzels.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole

Pin It Add some excitement to your breakfast with an egg and hashbrown casserole.  This recipe can serve a crowd and doesn't require constant babysitting if you were making all eggs to order. 

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole
6 eggs (can use egg substitute)
1/2 c sour cream
dash of hot sauce
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 T butter
1 T green chiles
3 T white onion, finely chopped
2 cups shredded hashbrown potatoes
4 precooked breakfast sausage links, cup into pieces or 1/4 lb cooked sausage crumbles
2/3 c shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Generously butter an 8x8 baking dish or an 8-9 inch pie pan.
3. Put butter, onions, green chiles and  hashbrowns in a skillet.  Cook for 5-10 minutes or until starting to brown.
4. Meanwhile, mix eggs, hot sauce, sour cream and seasoned salt until well combined.
5. Press hashbrown mixture in the bottom and up the sides of baking dish.
6. Sprinkle sausage on top of hasbrowns.
7. Pour egg mixture over sausage.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes until almost set in the middle and edges are golden.
9. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes, or until melted.

Copycat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Pin It

Our first official date was to Red Lobster.  Ever since then we have had an obsession with their rolls, however our checkbooks and waistlines don't allow us to eat there as frequently as we would like.  I stumbled across this recipe in the St. Louis Post Dispatch and it is pretty darn close to the real deal.  These are now a staple at our dinner table because they are so quick to prepare and I usually have the ingredients on hand.

Copycap Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 c milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 T butter
1 tsp garlic salt
1 T parsley flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine Bisquick , milk and cheese until it forms a ball of dough.
3. Drop spoonfuls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Hint: they turn out best when you don't roll them into perfect balls.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slighly golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, melt butter and garlic salt together. 
6. Remove rolls from oven and brush butter mixture over warm rolls.  Sprinkle with parsley flakes.

Heavenly Ham Sandwiches

Pin It This is a great potluck lunch item.  Ham sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls, covered in a delicious butter mixture and oven baked to perfection.  Recipe can be doubled or halved depending on the number of mouths you have to feed.  These are great even the next day as long as you reheat them.

Heavenly Ham Sandwiches
12 Hawaiian rolls
1/2 lb thin sliced ham
4 slices swiss cheese
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice rolls in half.  Put ham and 1/4 piece of cheese on each roll and replace top.
3. Put butter, mustard, worchestershire and onion powder in microwave safe bowl, cover and microwave until butter is melted.  Stir to mix.
4. Place sandwiches in an oven safe baking dish. 
5. Spoon butter mixture over the top.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds.
6. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown and chesse is melted.
7. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.