Parmesan Garlic Bread

Pin It I really don't like store bought garlic cheese bread.  I just think it is too greasy and salty.  This recipe can be whipped together in about 10 minutes, start to finish, while you are boiling pasta or preparing the rest of your meal.  This bread has a warm, crispy crust and a soft, chewy center.  Bread perfection :)

Parmesan Garlic Bread
1 loaf "take and bake"  french bread
1 stick butter, melted
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter.  Stir in garlic and parmesan cheese.
2. Place bread on a sheet of foil.  Smooth butter mixture over the top of the bread. Curl up ends of foil so the butter doesn't escape, but don't cover the top of the bread.
3. Place bread under a broiler for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
4. Slice and enjoy with your favorite meal.

Santa Fe Chicken Burritos

Pin It I found this recipe on Skinny Taste a while ago, but never got around to making it.  Well this week I had Reading Night at school and needed a low maintenance meal.  I happened to have all of the ingredients on hand.  You literally pour everything into your trusty crock pot and come home to a wonderful, fully cooked mexican meal.  I will definitley be making this gem again.  It is so versatile.  I made burritos for dinner and then made nachos for lunch the next day.  This would also be great served over rice.  There are endless possibilities.  Let me know your ideas!

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 3 large pieces)
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained
1 cup chicken broth
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 4 oz can diced jalepenos (optional)
dash of hot sauce (to tasste)

1. Pour all ingredients, except chicken, in a lined crock pot.  Stir to mix.  Place chicken on top of veggie mixture.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours.
3. 30 minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred.  Return chicken to crock pot for remaining time.
4. Serve wrapped in tortillas with your favorite fixings.  For these I used a little Mexican rice, shredded cheese, sour cream and hot sauce.

The creation straight from the crock pot.

Perfect Pork Roast

Pin It As I've said before I love my crock pot.  I love knowing that I will have a delicious meal waiting for me when I get off work.  I love meals that I can prepare the night before and then just turn on in the morning.  This is my go to pork roast recipe.  You really can't mess it up. 

Perfect Pork Roast
2-4 lb pork roast (I prefer boneless, but bone in is fine too)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp pepper
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
half of a lemon, sliced (the one you got the zest from)
1/2 bottle of blush wine (white wine will work too)

1. I recommend using a crock pot liner.  Place your pork roast in your crock pot. 
2. Sprinkle garlic, pepper, lemon zest and Italian seasoning on roast.
3. Pour wine in the crock pot around the roast.  Arrange lemon slices on top of roast.
4. Cover and cook on low for 5-8 hours or high for 3-4.

Delicious when served with potatoes, gravy and a vegetable.

Citrus Glazed Ham

Pin It We were given some leftover spiral sliced ham.  I have never been a fan of ham and scalloped potatoes and we just couldn't eat any more ham sandwiches so I had to get creative.  Let's face it, leftover ham can be dry and tough.  This glaze will give you that juicy, just baked taste that you crave.  It is also a great weeknight 30-minute dinner.  I will definitely be using this again when I make a big ham.  Your ham does not have to be leftover for this recipe to work.  You could use this glaze on any ham, ours just happened to be leftovers.

Citrus Glazed Ham
Leftover sliced ham (I had about 8 slices)
juice and zest of 2 oranges
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a shallow baking dish mix all ingredients except ham together until sugar is dissolved and honey is well incorporated.  Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.
3. Arrange ham in dish, flipping to coat well in glaze.  It is ok if the slices overlap.
4. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until heated through.

Coca Cola Cake

Pin It We have family dinners every Sunday.  I am in charge of dessert.  I like to get creative and make new tasty creations to share with everyone.  Sundays are also my excuse to try out all of the recipes that I find on Pinterest because I have lots of hungry mouths ot share with.  (This also prevents me from having to eat the entire cake myself.) 
I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and it's definitely a winner.  It's moist, gooey and chocolately without being overly rich or sweet.  Delicious when served with fresh strawberries or whipped cream.

Coca Cola Cake
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 cup butter

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 cup cola

1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp vinegar)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Glaze
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup cola
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon to a mixing bowl.

3. In a saucepan melt butter.  Add cocoa, cola and buttermilk and bring to a boil.  Watch closely because it bubbles up quite quickly once it starts to boil.

4. Mix butter mixture with dry ingredients.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

5. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Just before cake is done baking make the glaze.  Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add cocoa and cola and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and whisk in powdered sugar until there are no lumps.

7. Pour glaze over hot cake.  It will look like the cake is floating, but it really isn't too much glaze.  Don't worry.

8.  Allow cake to cool slightly and glaze to set before serving.  Delicious served warm or room temperature.  Leftovers are amazing.

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.

Pretzel Bites

Pin It More Super Bowl snacks.  These were hands down the winner for the most popular snack of the evening.  I made 100 of them and they were gobbled up by the 3rd quarter.  Very easy, but a little time consuming.  Will definitely be making these gems again.

Pretzel Bites
Rhodes dinner rolls (as many as you like, each roll makes 4 bites)
water
1/2 cup baking soda
coarse sea salt
1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Thaw rolls until soft, but still cold and not risen.  Cut each roll into 4 pieces.  I used kitchen scissors and it worked great.
2. Arrange dough on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Allow to rise until double in size (about 40 minutes).
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the baking soda. 
4. Drop about 10 bites at a time into the water.  Toss gently with a slotted spoon for about 45 seconds.  They will puff up slightly.  Remove and place on paper towel to drain.  Repeat until all bites have been boiled.
5. Place boiled bites on a greased baking sheet.  (They will look shriveled, they will puff up in the oven).
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and generously brush with butter.  Sprinkle with salt.

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.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Pin It We had twice baked potatoes at our wedding reception.  We both love them, but I rarely make them because they are too time consuming for a weeknight meal.  I had extra time this weekend so I whipped up a batch.  These are super simple, but a little time consuming.  They make a great side with potato chip chicken.

Twice Baked Potatoes
4 large baking potates
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T butter
3 T milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
3 slices bacon, crumbled
2 green onions, chopped or 1 T dried chives
1-2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.  Wrap potatoes in foil and bake for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through.
2. Once potatoes are cooked, allow to cool slightly until you can handle them.  (or use a towel to hold the potatoes).
3. Slice potatoes in hald lengthwise.  Scrape out the insides of the potatoes into a bowl, being careful to save 4 of the halves to refill.
4. Mix sour cream, butter, milk, bacon, cheese and green onions into the potatoes until well combined and smooth.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic.
5. Spoon mixture into 4 potato halves.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until heated through.