Tater- Tot Casserole

Recipe Courtesy Craving Comfort 

One thing I've loved since being pregnant is tater tots.  They are one of the many carbs that got me through the first trimester.  As soon as I came across this recipe (on Pinterest), I knew it would be one hubs and I would both enjoy.  The only thing I didn't love about it was there wasn't any veggies.  So I decided to add some corn and peas to it.  Adding the veggies ended up giving it a great texture.  I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much without them. This recipe earned two thumbs up and the great thing is, I have half of all the ingredients left over to make it again next week.  Enjoy!

Tater-Tot Casserole
SERVES 4

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cream of celery or cream of chicken soup (undiluted)
• 1 16oz package frozen tater tots
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 can of corn
• 1/3 cup of frozen peas 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef. season with salt & pepper.
3. Add chopped onion, cook until tender.
4. In a casserole dish, combine ground beef mixture & cream soup along with frozen peas and canned corn.
5. Top mixture with tater tots and additional salt and pepper. 
6. Bake , uncovered, for 30-40 minutes till bubbly and Tots are golden brown.
7. remove from oven & top with cheese, return to oven until melted.
8. Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes

Spaghetti with Sauteed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes 

Courtesy Gina's Skinny Recipes

Ingredients:
2 skinless chicken breast halves, diced in 1 inch cubes
cooking spray
1/2 tsp each of dried oregano and dries basil
kosher salt and fresh pepper
8 oz spaghetti (high fiber or low carb) I used Ronzoni Smart Taste
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
6 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

Season chicken generously with salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Heat a large skillet on high heat. When hot, spray with oil and add chicken. Cook about 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

While pasta cooks, add olive oil to skillet on high heat. Add garlic and sauté until golden brown (do not burn). Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Sauté about 4-5 minutes. When pasta is drained, add pasta to tomatoes and toss well. If pasta seems too dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Add fresh basil and chicken and toss well. Serve and top with good grated cheese.

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Recipe Courtesy Sweet Peas Kitchen 

The recipe you'll find below is for bread, but I decided to make muffins.  I wanted something quick I could grab for breakfast this week.  Thanks to Pinterest, I didn't have to look far for a fabulous recipe! You'll see my changes to the recipe below in red.  

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Bread

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups fresh strawberries, divided
2. 3/4 cup white sugar
3. 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
4. 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
7. 1/2 cup vegetable oil (1/2 cup cinnamon apple sauce)
8. 2 eggs, beaten
9. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
10. 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate chocolate chips)
11. *1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess.
2. Puree 1 cup of strawberries in a blender. Transfer to a medium bowl. Slice remaining 1 cup of strawberries and place in the medium bowl with the strawberry puree. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup sugar; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add oil, eggs and vanilla extract to the strawberry mixture, stir to combine. Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan (greased muffin pan) and smooth surface with a rubber spatula.
4. Bake until top is golden and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes (20 minutes were perfect for the muffins).  Let cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto the wire rack, and cool completely.

Yields: 1 - 9 x 5-inch loaf (12 large muffins) 

 www.sweetpeaskitchen.com

Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil and Chili Pepper Flakes

I have to thank Pinterest for one of the best pasta recipes I've made in a long time.  I'm not a big pasta eater, even though I'm 75% Italian.  I love it, but my waist line...not so much.  But thanks to pregnancy and only being able to tolerate bland carbs has lead to lots of pasta for me lately.  I'm also usually so tired, it's the quickest and easiest dinner to make.  I was determined to find something different from the typical spaghetti and red sauce.  I'm now obsessed with this pasta.  It's easy, so easy to make.  All of the ingredients are kitchen staples and it makes great left overs.  Winner!

Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino 

Courtesy Yum Sugar

Ingredients

7 ounces of spaghetti
2 large or 3 small garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of chili pepper flakes (we used red pepper flakes)
1/4 to 1/3 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

*we also added grated parmesan cheese on top of the pasta.  

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to the directions on the package, until it is al dente.
2. Strain spaghetti and place in a large serving dish.
3. Add minced garlic, chili pepper flakes, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix together well.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2 to 4.

Cupcake Liner Wreath

I figured I better get this Valentine's Day wreath posted before March starts tomorrow.  This is one of the only craft projects I was able to complete in February.  I was inspired by a picture on pinterest and found a tutorial over at Tatertots and Jello, one of my favorite crafting blogs.  I followed all of the steps and didn't make any changes.  So, there's no point in recreating a great tutorial! So head on over and check it out.  

I'll definitely be making more of these wreaths for lots of different occasions.  

Barbecups

A few weeks back I picked up Pillsbury Grands biscuits for less than $1 each.  I knew I didn't want to use them as rolls to go along with dinner.  There are so many meals that you can make with crescent rolls and biscuits.  So I went to the Pillsbury site to find some.  I have a few different recipes I plan on trying, but this is the first one I wanted to make.  Mainly because I had all the ingredients at home and I've been on a use what you have kick. I made a few changes to this recipe, using whole wheat biscuits, omitting the onions and using ground turkey instead of beef. This recipe took no time to make.  It was delicious...I could have eaten all of them!  I'm looking forward to taking the leftovers for lunch this week.  Enjoy!

Barbecups 

Courtesy of Pillsbury

INGREDIENTS

1

 lb lean ground beef

1

 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)

3/4

 cup barbecue sauce

2

 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1

 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

3/4

 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz)

DIRECTIONS

1BROWN beef and onion; drain. Stir in barbecue sauce and brown sugar; cook 1 minute.2PRESS or roll each biscuit to 5 1/2-inch round. Place 1 biscuit in each of 8 greased regular-size muffin cups (for 12-cup muffin pan, use 8 outside cups for best baking results). Firmly press in bottom and up sides, forming a 1/4-inch rim. Fill with beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese.3BAKE at 350°F 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute, remove from pan.

Oreo Cupcakes

I can't believe I haven't posted a recipe all month!  I've been enjoying all day sickness for the past 8 weeks therefore being in the kitchen around food hasn't happened.  I've tried, but hubs usually has to come in half way through and finish.  I'm hoping that this second trimester allows me to get back into the kitchen and has me feeling much better! 

This was one recipe I did make over the past few months.  I made these sweet treats for our super bowl party.  They are as easy as they look and a creative twist on a regular cupcake.  I didn't eat any (thanks to my sweets aversion) but I heard they were good.  I left some without the cool whip as well for my guests who don't like it.  Enjoy!

Oreo Cupcakes

Courtesy of Kraft Foods 

What You Need
24 OREO Cookies
1 pkg. (2-layer size) chocolate cake mix
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

PLACE 1 cookie in each of 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Prepare cake batter as directed on package; spoon over cookies. Bake cupcakes as directed on package. Cool in pans 5 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

REMOVE paper liners; cut cupcakes horizontally in half.

FILL with COOL WHIP. Serve cookie-sides up.

Mine were no where as pretty looking as the original recipe, but they were still tasty (according to the guests).

Baked Mac &Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese 

Adapted from The Food Network by Tyler Florence 

Ingredients

• 4 cups (1 pound) elbow macaroni
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cups milk
• 2 tsp garlic salt 
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups grated Cheddar
• 1/2 cup toasted Pank Crumbs 
• 2 cups rotisserie chicken 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling salted water until done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and toss it with 2 tablespoons butter; set aside.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter and set it aside. Put the milk into a saucepan and add the thyme. Warm over medium low heat until the milk starts to steam, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the flavors infuse while you make the roux. In a large pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons butter and the flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 to 3 minutes; don't let the roux color. Strain the infused milk onto the roux, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thick. Remove from the heat and add 2 cups of the grated Cheddar; stir until it is melted and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour this over the macaroni and mix with 2 cups rotisserie chicken until well blended; put this into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar and toasted Panko crumbs over the top. Bake until the top is golden and crusty, about 25 to 30 minutes.

French Onion Scalloped Potatoes

French Onion Scalloped Potatoes 

Courtesy Betty Crocker

This recipe was part of our Christmas dinner.  I was looking for sides that I could prepare before hand and pop in the oven.  I had high hopes for this recipe and it didn’t disappoint.  Everyone at dinner went back for seconds.  It was THAT good.  Add this recipe to your list, you’ll thank me later!


Ingredients:

  2 boxes (4.7 oz each) Betty Crocker® scalloped potatoes
1 package (1 oz) Hidden Valley® The Original Ranch® salad dressing and seasoning mix (milk recipe)
3 1/2 cups boiling water
2 cups half-and-half
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 can (2.8 oz) French-fried onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F.
In 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, stir together both Sauce Mixes (from potato boxes), the dressing mix, boiling water and half-and-half with wire whisk. Stir in both Potatoes pouches and the bell pepper. Bake uncovered 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Top with onions; bake 10 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley before serving. Let stand 5 minutes before serving (sauce will thicken as it stands).
Makes 8 servings

LOVE

Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs

Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs

                                                          Recipe Courtesy Paula Deen


Ingredients 
7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
Salt and pepper, for taste
Paprika, for garnishing
Sweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing Pimentos, for garnishing


Directions
Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with paprika, pickles and pimentos. Store covered in refrigerator.

*I didn’t add the pickle and pimento garnish because I didn’t have them at home.

Christmas Card Album

Last year, I started this Christmas Card Album.  

It was our first year as a married couple, therefore our first Christmas card picture sent out together. I decided to save one card of ours each year that I will add to the album.  I love the thought of all our Christmas cards through the years being in one place for us (and future children and grandchildren) to look through.  What a perfect way to see how our family grows throughout the year.  

Here's the finished/started project:

I bought an 8x8 red photo album from Michael's.  I printed one of our wedding pictures for the front cover of the album.  After all, I can't think of a better representation of "the beginning" than a wedding picture.  I used some scrapbook paper to match our Christmas card, a little glue and then I typed up a little paragraph highlighting our year.  I LOVE the way it came out.  I showed it to D, he looked at it, then flipped through the (blank) pages.  Then, he made the comment "So, you think we'll only be together for the next 20 years".  I proceeded to explain that you can add pages to these books and they only come with 10 f/b pages to start.  I can't wait to pass this on to our children one day and hope they will then pass it down to their children.

*I am a little behind on adding our picture from 2011 to the album!*

Pretzel Rolo Brownie Bites

This is another Pinterest inspired creation.  

I think the ones I saw on Pinterest were blondies, but I was too lazy to make anything from scratch.  So this is what I came up with.  

These bad boys are easy to make.  All I did was make a boxed batch of brownie mix, following the directions on the box.  I used my small Pampered Chef scoop to scoop the brownie mixture into a greased Pampered Chef mini muffin pan.  I cooked them for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick came out clean.  I immediately pressed a rolo into the middle of the baked brownie.  As soon as the rolo was slightly melted, I pressed the square pretzel on the top.  I let them cook a bit in the pan before I moved them to a cooling rack.  

I personally loved the sweet and salty combination.  YUM!

Creamy Crab-Filled Potato Nests- Pampered Chef

This is another NYE appetizer.  Hubs prepared this dish.  It was very tasty.  If I could change one thing it would be to cook the potato cups longer.  But, there weren't many left at the end of the night so that is always a good sign! Enjoy!

Creamy Crab-Filled Potato Nests

Ingredients:

3 cups (750 mL) shoestring potatoes (see Cook’s Tip)

1 egg white

1/2 medium red bell pepper

3 green onions with tops, divided

1 lemon

1 can (6 oz/175 g) lump crabmeat, drained

1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup (50 mL) light mayonnaise

1/2 tsp (2 mL) Dijon mustard

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place shoestring potatoes into large resealable plastic bag; gently press bag to break potatoes into smaller pieces. Place into Classic Batter Bowl; add egg white and toss to coat using Small Mix 'N Scraper(R). Using large Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 1 tbsp/15 mL), divide potato mixture evenly among cups of pan. Press tops with Mini-Tart Shaper to make indentations; bake 3–5 minutes or just until edges of nests begin to brown. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack.

2.  Meanwhile, on Cutting Board, finely chop bell pepper using Food Chopper; blot dry with paper towels. Slice green onions, reserving green tops for garnish. Cut lemon in half crosswise; using head of Stainless Whisk as reamer, juice lemon to measure 1 tbsp (15 mL). In clean batter bowl, combine bell pepper, onion bottoms, lemon juice, crabmeat, 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the cheese, mayonnaise and mustard; mix well.

3.  Divide crab mixture evenly among nests using clean large Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 2 tsp/10 mL) and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5–7 minutes or until crab mixture is hot and cheese is melted. Remove pan from oven to cooling rack. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.

Yield:  12 servings