White Chicken Enchiladas

10 tortillas
2 cans of chicken (I use Costco brand)
2 cups monterrey jack cheese
3 TBSP. butter
3 TBSP. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4oz.) can diced green chilies

1.  Mix chicken and 1 cup cheese.  Roll up into tortillas and place into greased 9x13 pan.
2.  In a saucepan, melt butter.  Whisk in flour for 1 min.  Add broth and whisk until smooth.  Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
3.  Remove from heat and stir in chilies and sour cream.
4.  Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.  I added olives on top of one tray of enchilads, but that's optional.
5.  Bake 22-25 min at 350*, then broil for 3 min.

Stuffed French Toast

Stuffed French Toast

 You’ll need:

Loaf of French bread, eggs, milk, butter, cream cheese, cinnamon & jam or fruit (or both).

1.       Slice a loaf of bread in 2-inch pieces. You should get about 6-8 pieces all together, not including the ends. Using a paring knife, cut a deep slit across the top in the middle of each slice, approximately 4 inches long. This will form your “pocket".  Set the bread aside.

2.       Slice the strawberries and add a little sugar and mix it in. Set them aside.

3.       Next, add jam to the cream cheese and mix both of them until well combined.  I used 8oz. cream cheese and a few big scoops of jam.

4.      Grab a slice of bread and add 1-2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture. Do the same thing with the fruit.  If you can, close the opening by gently pressing the bread together. This will make frying them easier and less messy. Set the filled slices aside.

5.      Now it’s time to make the "egg bath". Mix about 4 eggs, milk and cinnamon together until well mixed. Turn the stove top on to medium-high to preheat the skillet, or about 350 degrees. While your skillet is heating up, dip sliced bread in the egg mixture on both sides.

6.      Add a little butter to the surface of skillet or just use non-stick spray like I do.  Fry each slice for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove from heat, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Cheesy Chicken Ranch Casserole

2 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry ranch dressing mix (not the dip blend)
2 cans cooked chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
8 oz. penne pasta

1 1/2 to 2 C cheddar cheese, grated

1 1/2 to 2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Combine evaporated milk and Ranch dressing and pepper in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken slightly.  Mix all ingredients and sauce together and pour into a in well-greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

 

I got this recipe from Pinterest and changed it up a bit!

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I am a pancake connoisseur.

These are hands down the BEST pancakes I have ever had!  I prefer mine with chocolate chips, but you can easily omit them if you'd like.  If you make these, I would love to hear what you think of them!

1 cup flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 TBSP. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/8 cup oil
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Combine first four ingredients in a medium bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk and oil.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Cook on a griddle!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I am very sad to say I am still on my diet, so I did not get to enjoy this delicious dish. It sure looked & smelled amazing in my house last night. Sigh. My husband & his friend were the lucky sweet and sour chicken eaters and they said this recipe is AMAZING. My husband even said it's better than take-out! Wow. We are serious about Chinese food, so that is really saying something. I can't wait to try it!

3-4 chicken breasts
3-4 eggs, beaten
1 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup oil {canola, olive or vegetable. Pretty much any oil will do the trick.}
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. garlic powder

Heat frying pan with oil on medium heat. Cut chicken into chunks and season with salt and pepper. Roll chicken in cornstarch, then egg, then place in pan with warmed oil. Fry until lightly golden on both sides, but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a greased baking dish. To make the sauce, combine the rest of the ingredients {the last 5}. Pour over chicken. Bake 325* for 60 min, turning every 15-20 minutes. Serve with rice. To make extra sauce, combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then let simmer until desired consistancy. Stir frequently.

Thanks, How Sweet!!

Pizza & Garlic Bread

My husband taught me how to make this dish a couple years ago. I can't believe I never came up with it sooner! It is quick, easy, and very scrumptious!

1 loaf of french bread

8 oz. cheese of your choice

1 can pizza or marinara sauce

25-30 pepperonis {or other toppings of your choice}

A few TBSP. of softened butter

Garlic powder

Parsley {Optional}

Slice loaf of bread in half. On one half, spread butter, then sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder, then parsley. {Sometimes I add a little bit of cheese to the garlic bread.} On the other half, spread desired amount of pizza sauce, then sprinkle cheese and add pepperonis on top. Place foil on your cookie sheet so you don't need to wash it. Then, place the pizza & garlic bread on the cookie sheet. Bake at 425* for about 10 minutes. Watch carefully. Once the pizza is done, I like to put it under the broiler for a minute or two to get the edges a bit crispy. Mmmm.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

There isn't really a recipe for these, I just threw it together and all the men loved them {even the picky eaters}. Everyone came back for seconds! {They would have come back for thirds and fourths if I hadn't made amazing S'mores brownies, too!} This "recipe" is so simple to double or triple. Here is what you will need to make just a few, maybe 3-5.

2-3 chicken breasts
4 tortillas
2 cups cheese of your choice {I use a blend}
BBQ sauce {We have a strong preference for Sweet Baby Ray's}

Put chicken in a pot and fill with enough water to cover the chicken. Boil for 20 minutes {or less or more depending if the chicken was frozen or thawed}. Place in a bowl of cold water to cool down enough that you can handle it with your hands. Shred the chicken with a fork or with your hands, like I do, then place in a bowl. Cover the chicken with BBQ sauce. Heat a pan over medium to medium/low heat. Place tortilla in pre-heated pan and sprinkle cheese on top. Heat until cheese is melted, then add chicken. Fold one side of the tortilla over and cook until lightly golden brown. Flip and cook the other side.
*You can also do this in your oven on broil. Add ingredients to tortilla, fold in half and cook until lightly golden brown. Flip and do the same to the other side.

Sooo, my pictures didn't turn out well for this but you get the idea :)

Creamy Spaghetti

The secret ingredient in this spaghetti dish is the cream cheese, which makes the flavor very rich! Mmmmm. Since there are some picky eaters in my family {I won't name names}, I do not add real onions, but instead onion powder for the taste.

Creamy Spaghetti:

3/4 lb. whole grain spaghetti, cooked

1 lb. lean ground beef {I prefer 90% lean or higher}

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. dried basil

24 oz. spaghetti sauce of your choice

4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

2 TBSP. Parmesan cheese, fresh or canned

Cook spaghetti as directed on the package. Cook the hamburger, along with the onion powder, garlic powder & basil. Drain, then return to pan. Stir in sauce and cream cheese; cook on low 3-5 minutes or until sauce is heated and cream cheese has melted. Drain spaghetti noodles and add to sauce. Mix and dish up! Top with Parmesan cheese. {{399 calories per serving}}