Chile Colorado Burritos

These were good! Easy to make - throw the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and all you have to do is assemble and bake when you get home!

Chile Colorado Burritos

2lbs stew meat
1 can enchilada sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 small can chopped green chiles
8 flour tortillas
2C shredded cheddar cheese

Put stew meat, enchilada sauce, tomato paste, boullion and green chiles in a crock pot. Cook on low 7-8 hours or until meat is very tender and easly shredded with a fork. Place about 1/2C of meat mixture (drain with a slotted spoon) on a tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 9x13 dish. repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour some of the remaining sauce from the crock pot over the burritos to cover them. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, 2-4 minutes. 1

Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

This was the first time we've made chicken burgers...they were good! Very similar to turkey burgers. Make sure you grill them until they are done - no medium rare with chicken! These aren't overly spicy (my almost 3 year old scarfed hers) but feel free to use a different cheese! We put a spicy BBQ sauce on ours and they were delicious!! You could bump up the heat too - add cayenne pepper or some chopped jalapenos!

Spicy Hawaiian Burgers

2lbs ground chicken
6 pineapple rings
6 slices pepper jack cheese
6 hamburger buns
1/4C soy sauce
1tsp smoked paprika
1tsp chili powder
1/2tsp season salt
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp garlic powder

Combine the ground chicken, soy sauce, 1/2 the paprika, 1/2 the chili powder, season salt, cumin and garlic. Lightly mix with your hands (it'll be very messy and sticky) and divide into 6 even balls. Form patties and sprinkle with the remaining paprika and chili powder. Refrigerate about 30 minutes.
Grill burgers over medium heat about 6 minutes per side. Top with cheese for the last 1-2 minutes. For the pineapple, grill directly on the grates. Carefully turn after 1-2 minutes. 1

Grilled Honey Bacon Chicken and Green Bean Bundles

Holy crap this was a good supper. LOVED it. I think the green bean bundles might be my new favorite thing. They were so easy and so good! The chicken was amazing. Sweet with a little bit of spice. And both recipes include bacon. That's never a bad thing.

Green Bean Bundles Where I got the recipe

1 pound fresh green beans
6-8 slices bacon - cut in half
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Wash and thoroughly dry green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans – this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Bundle together as many as you’d like! Using a half slice of bacon, wrap it around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish to hold it together. Repeat with remaining beans.
Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and garlic and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

Grilled Honey Bacon Chicken  Where I got the recipe

6 boneless skinless chicken breast
Marinade:
1/2C balsamic vinegar
1C olive oil
3T brown sugar
2T steak seasoning
Sauce:
1C honey
8 strips bacon - chopped
3T Worcestershire sauce
1T hot sauce (more/less depending on your personal heat level)

Combine marinade ingredients in a plastic zipper bag. Throw in chicken, seal bag, and marinate in fridge for at least 3 hours.
Make the sauce: Fry the diced bacon in a heavy skillet until slightly crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off and discard grease but do not clean skillet. Set the skillet over medium-low heat and add honey, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Stir to combine and allow to bubble slightly. Stir in bacon, then remove from heat and set aside.
Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken on both sides until completely done.
Place into a big heatproof bowl, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Toss to coat. 1

Mac'n'Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Yep. You read that right. It was good! Good for you? Well it's wrapped in bacon so yes. We aren't big meatloaf eaters here (Meatloaf fans? Yes of course. If you aren't, leave.) but I saw just a pic of this on Pinterest and had to try it. It's actually fairly simple to make...nothing fancy! I didn't make a side dish, I mean it's stuffed with mac 'n' cheese so I just couldn't bring myself to make mashed potatoes to go with it!

Use your favorite meatloaf recipe. I pulled this one out of a hat. Same goes for your mac'n'cheese. This is how my Grandma makes it and it always be the perfect homemade mac'n'cheese in my mind!

Mac'n'Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

Mac'n'Cheese:
1C elbow shaped noodles
1/4lb Velveeta-cubed
1/4C milk
2T butter

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain. Stir in the Velveeta, milk and butter. Keep on low and stir occasionally until cheese is completely melted. If it seems to thick add a bit more milk. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meatloaf:
1lb ground beef
1T chili powder
1tsp garlic powder
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
1/2 sleeve Saltine crackers - crushed
1/4C milk

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Topping:
6 strips of bacon (I pre-cooked mine in the microwave for 3 minutes)
1C ketchup
1/4C mustard
1T Worcestershire
1T brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325*. Line a loaf pan with foil. Place half of the meat mixture in the pan and press down and up the sides creating a well in the middle. Add your mac'n'cheese to well. I didn't use all of it. I snacked on what was left. Some people drink wine while they cook, I eat cheese covered pasta. Place the rest of the meat mixture on top, sealing the sides.
Line a sheet pan with foil. Place the sheet pan on top of the loaf pan, flip over, transferring the meatloaf to the sheet pan. Discard foil from loaf pan. Perfect the form of your loaf and make sure the sides are sealed well so no noodles escape!
Place the bacon on top and tuck the ends under the loaf. I did a basket weave. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

Mix together the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire and brown sugar. Remove the meatloaf from the oven. Pour sauce over top. Turn oven to *375 and bake for 15-20 more minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and meatloaf is cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing. 1

Crazy Pizza Bread

This is a great recipe! We ate the whole loaf. It was very easy to make but like all homemade breads, it does need time to rise. It's perfect for a Saturday Movie Night with the family. Very easy to adjust to your family's tastes and you could even be really crazy and have everyone make their own loaf!
PS It smells like heaven while it's baking in the oven.

Crazy Pizza Bread

1 teaspoon yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup Large Pitted Black Ripe Olives, sliced
1 1/2 cups favorite toppings, chopped (we used pepperoni, red onion and green pepper)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1tsp Italian seasoning
pizza or marinara sauce

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a bowl. Let it sit for 3 minutes until foamy, then add in flour and salt. Mix (using a mixer, spoon, or your hands) just until it comes together. Add in the olives and toppings and combine well. Dough will be tacky, but feel free to dust with a bit more extra flour if it feels too tacky. Let rise for about 1 hour, then put in the refrigerator for another hour.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and flour a Silpat or waxed paper. Roll out into a rectangle about 11×17”. Sprinkle cheese over top. Then, using the Silpat or paper, fold along the long side, like an envelope. Seal sides so cheese is not exposed. Let rest while you preheat oven to 450 degrees. Let oven stay at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.
Bake the bread, either on a pizza stone or baking sheet, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Mix the olive oil and Italian seasoning together. About 3 minutes before taking it out, lightly brush the top with olive oil and let it finish baking. Let rest on a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing. Serve with pizza sauce.

Where I got the recipe 1

The Best Pork Chops You Will Ever Eat...

Well so says where I got the recipe. They were good! And probably the best pork chops we'll eat since we very rarely eat pork chops! Very easy to make. Very family friendly too.

The Best Pork Chops You Will Ever Eat

Ranch dressing in a bottle
3C Italian bread crumbs
1 pkg Italian dressing mix
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1T garlic powder
6 boneless butterfly chops

Preheat the oven to 400*. You will want to mix ingredients 2 - 5 in a large bowl and mix together very well. Now pour a layer of ranch dressing out into a plate. Take one pork chop at a time and coat it on the plate with ranch dressing and then put the pork chop with the ranch dressing on it into the large bowl with the bread crumbs and coat it well on all sides. Add more ranch dressing to the plate if you need to.
Have your tin foil lined baking pan setting there ready. Spray the tinfoil with vegetable cooking spray. Place your breaded pork chops onto the tinfoil covered pan and once you have all your pork chops on the pan place it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the thick part of your pork chops reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. As soon as your pork chops are done remove from the pan and serve as soon as possible. 1

Hot-and-Crunchy Chicken Cones with a Mango Slaw

Every once in a while we like to get exotic and have something that involves tropical fruits. I am pretty certain I don't know the correct way to peel and chop a mango. This was good - the slaw was great, a very interesting sweet/spicy flavor. The little ones didn't care for the slaw but the flavor was a bit strong for them!

Mango Slaw:

1/2 cup(s) diced mango
2 large jalapeños, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoon(s) white wine vinegar
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 tablespoon(s) water
1 small shallot, minced
1 cup(s) mayonnaise
1/2 cup(s) chopped cilantro
2 clove(s) garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon(s) fresh lime juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
7 cup(s) shredded coleslaw mix

Chicken Cones:

3 cup(s) cornflakes
6 tablespoon(s) slivered almonds
6 tablespoon(s) sesame seeds
6 tablespoon(s) sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) crushed red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon(s) kosher salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup(s) milk
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, sliced lengthwise 1-inch thick
Vegetable oil, for frying
6 10-inch flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

Make the mango slaw: In a saucepan, combine the mango, jalapeños, vinegar, sugar, water, and shallot. Cover and simmer until the mango is softened, 10 minutes.

Transfer the mango mixture to a food processor and puree; scrape into a large bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the coleslaw mix and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

Make the cones: Wipe out the food processor. Add the cornflakes, almonds, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper, and salt and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large, shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Fill a third shallow bowl with flour. Dredge the chicken strips in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them in the eggs, then roll them in the cornflake mixture.

Set a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil. Working in batches, fry the chicken over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden brown, 6 minutes; transfer to the rack. Set the fried chicken on the tortillas and top with the mango slaw. Roll up and eat right away.

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Zucchini Spaghetti Pie

This was a hit! Marley loved it so much she was literally shoveling it in her mouth, sans fork, just giant handfuls. Tinsley ate more of it then I did. My 2 tiny girls sometimes eat like they are teenage boys.

Mine looked nothing like the picture from where I got the recipe. I figured it's because I used more sauce so the egg mixture didn't really settle down into the noodles. But I kind of liked it that way. And I didn't let it rest long enough but we were hungry. It was still delicious!!!

Zucchini Spaghetti Pie

8oz spaghetti - broken in half
1 can tomato sauce
2tsp Italian seasoning
1/4tsp garlic powder
1T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 large zucchini - shredded
1/2tsp dried basil
2C shredded mozzarella
4 large eggs
1/2C milk
1/2C shredded Parmesan

Preheat the oven to *375. Grease a 2 quart baking dish and set aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan. Stir in the tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic powder.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about a minute. Add the zucchini and basil, stirring occasionally. Cook until the zucchini is tender, about 8 minutes.
Stir the zucchini and 1C of the mozzarella into the spaghetti noodles. Mix well. Pour into the baking dish.
Whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour over the spaghetti mixture. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let set 10 minutes before cutting. 1

Southwest Stuffed Peppers + Southwest Cheesy soup

This was my first attempt at stuffed peppers. Yummy! I love bell peppers - they are so pretty! Relatively easy recipe. However I had a TON of filling left. I turned it into soup today! Both girls scarfed the soup.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

1lb ground beef - brown and crumbled
1pkg taco seasoning
2C cooked rice
4 bell peppers - halved and seeded
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
1C sweet corn
1 jar (16oz) salsa
1C shredded cheddar cheese
olive oil

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish about 20-25 minutes just until cooked through. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them.
In a bowl add the taco seasoning, cooked ground beef, black beans, corn and rice. Add in the jar of salsa and mix well.
Carefully spoon the beef mixture into each half of the bell peppers and place back into the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way through. Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into the oven just until the cheese has melted.

Southwest Cheesy Soup

Leftover stuffed pepper filling
milk
1/2lb cubed Velveeta

Add the filling to a sauce pan. Add enough milk to cover the mixture and make it "soupy". Add the Velveeta. Simmer until heated through and the cheese is melted.

We topped ours with shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream. Tortilla chips would be good too! 1

Bacon Cheeseburger Tacos

I tried to make bacon taco shells found here on Pinterest. I had them cooling and my very curious 2 year old decided to "touch" them. With a mustard bottle. Shells they were no longer...So we used hot dog buns instead to still give it a "taco" feel. They.were.awesome. Marley ate an entire "taco" bun and all and she never eats bread! I still want to give the actual bacon shells a try some time...because well a taco shell made out of bacon? Sounds pretty awesome to me!

Bacon Cheeseburger Tacos

1lb ground beef
1C ketchup
1/4C mustard
12 strips of bacon - cooked to your preference (extra crispy at our house!)
6 hot dog buns
shredded cheddar
shredded lettuce
dill pickle relish
"taco" sauce*

In a skillet brown and crumble the ground beef. Drain off any excess grease. Stir in the ketchup and mustard. Simmer for 10 minutes.

To assemble:
Lay 2 strips of bacon in a hot dog bun. Add in some of the hamburger mixture. Top with the cheddar cheese, lettuce and relish. Drizzle with "taco" sauce. Take a bite. Enjoy a trip to food heaven.

*"taco" sauce
Mix together 1C mayo and 1/4C ketchup in a small bowl. 1

Pudding Chip Cookies

I LOOOVE cookies made with pudding mix. They are almost cake like and stay moist and chewy for a long time! This recipe was quick and easy. I didn't quite get 2 dozen cookies out of it. Mix and match chips/pudding flavors for different flavored cookies!

Pudding Chip Cookies

1C all purpose flour
1pkg (small box) instant vanilla pudding
1 stick butter -softened
1/2C packed brown sugar
1tsp baking soda
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.
COmbine flour and pudding mix in a small bowl. Beat butter in large mixing bowl on medium to hig speed for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar and baking soda until well combined. Beat in egg and egg white. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cook on baking sheet 2-3 mintues; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 1

Apple Crumble Bars

These were good! Like little mini apple pies...and this recipe was a lot easier to make than I thought it was going to be! Took no time at all. Tip - next time I'd refrigerate over night before cutting. I waited until they were cool and the jam still ran and the crust sort of fell apart, but the next day they were just fine!

Apple Crumble Bars

For the base:
1 1/3C all purpose flour
2T sugar
1tsp salt
1 stick butter - softened

For the filling:
4 medium apples - peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
5T sugar
1/4tsp cinnamon
2tsp cornstarch
2T lemon juice
1/2C fruit jam (I used peach)

For the crumble:
1/2C all purpose flour
3T sugar
4T butter - softened

To prepare the filling - in a large skillet combine the apples, sugar and cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the apples start to soften but are still firm, stirring occasionally. In a small cup whisk together the lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to the apples, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease a 9x13 pan.

To make the base, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles bread crumbs. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Spread the fruit jam over the base. Top with the apple mixture.

In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the crumble. Mix well until combined and crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the apple mixture. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. 1

Balsamic BBQ Glazed Chicken

Dustin got me a bottle of high quality balsamic vinegar for Christmas and it's been patiently waiting to be used. Tonight was the night and it was a hit. This BBQ sauce was delish!!!! The perfect balance of sweet and sour. Even both girls loved it! I only used 2 chicken breasts so we had a good amount of sauce left and have already decided we will be using it on steaks tomorrow night. It'd be great on just about anything - chicken, beef, pork ribs, green beans or asparagus...It comes together really quick too, with just a few ingredients.

Balsamic BBQ Glazed Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1C balsamic vinegar
3/4C ketchup
1/3C brown sugar
1T Worcestershire sauce
1T Dijon mustard
1/2tsp salt
1/2tsp pepper
1/2tsp garlic powder

In a saucepan combine every thing except the chicken. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by 1/3, about 15-20 minutes. Lightly season the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat your grill to medium heat. Place the chicken on the grill. Baste with the sauce, basting each side every few minutes until the chicken is done.
Serve the remaining sauce on the side! *Reserve some before you start basting so you don't cross contaminate your sauce

Where I got the recipe! 1

Taco Pizza

I've had several people ask me for my taco pizza recipe...It's silly easy. It's sooooo good. I love taco pizza. Sunday nights during the winter are movie/taco pizza night in this house!

I use the Betty Crocker dough mix - you just add water. I also add in 1T of dried cilantro. Use 2 packages for a 9x13 cookie sheet. Prepare the dough and let it rest. While it's resting, brown 1lb of ground beef. Drain off the excess fat and stir in a package of taco seasoning. Then stir in a can of refried beans. Mix well. Grease your cookie sheet and pat out the crust. Spoon on your favorite pizza sauce. Top with the beef mixture. I plop on big spoonfuls and then do my best to smooth it out! Top with 1C shredded mozzarella and 2C shredded cheddar. Bake at 425* for 15-20minutes or until the cheese is nice and golden and the crust is lightly browned.

Let cool before you cut! We top ours with crushed Doritos, lettuce, sour cream, jalapenos and taco sauce. I always just set up an assembly line of toppings so everyone can add as much/little as they want! 1

The ever so famous simply named - Pasta Salad

It's FINALLY spring and I can FINALLY make Pasta Salad again!!!!!!! This salad is SO FREAKING AWESOME. Well at least my little brother and I think so. I made this last night. It's 9:30am and I'm resisting every thing I have to go get some for breakfast. It's in my Top 5 Favorites.

This dish is perfect for BBQ's, potlucks, weddings, graduations...we've figured 1 batch will serve 8-10 people. Or about 2 if it's just me and my brother.

Tip - let your pasta cool completely before adding the dressing. Hot pasta will absorb the dressing like a sponge. Which is fine, you can always just add more before serving but you'll just be using more and more dressing!

Pasta Salad

1 head broccoli - chopped into bite size pieces
1 tomato - chopped
1 medium cucumber - chopped into bite size pieces
1C shredded (VERY IMPORTANT IT'S SHREDDED!!) Parmesan - I always use more, I love it
1 8oz bottle ranch dressing (more/less to your liking. We like more!)
1 bag tri-color rotini pasta - cooked to al dente and cooled

In a LARGE bowl mix every thing together. Make the pasta salad as creamy as you like! Cover and chill in the fridge at least 3-4 hours. Stir before serving and add more dressing if needed. 1

Turtle Burgers

I saw this pic on Pinterest and had to make them. They made me giggle. It kind of backfired as Marley refused to let us cut her turtle...

I took a pound of ground beef (pink slime free!) and shaped it into 4 shell shaped patties. Get creative here- season the meat, add veggies, add shredded cheese. Go crazy. I cut the strips of bacon in half and then cut those strips in half lengthwise. Basket weave the bacon over the patties, wrapping the loose ends underneath. Cut the hot dogs into head, feet and tail shapes and secure with toothpicks.

Dustin grilled them bottom side down first. They are semi-delicate so turn carefully! And the hot dog pieces will get black and crispy...but to me that's the best way to eat a hot dog! We ate them bunless (oops forgot to buy buns!). A burger, wrapped in bacon, garnished with a hot dog - it screams perfection!

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