Hot Ham & Cheese Pinwheels

One roll of store bought crescent rolls

Cheddar cheese

Ham

Roll out your crescent dough, keeping the triangles together so it remains as one large rectangle. 

Layer on the ham and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Then take the dough, and roll it up tightly into a tube like shape. 

Using a knife, start at one end of the "tube" and slice the roll into pinwheels about 1 inch thick.

Spread the rolls onto a baking sheet and bake at 375' for approx. 10 minutes, or until the pinwheels are golden brown.

These would be a great appetizer for a party or a potluck. They're quick and easy and really good!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

I love the Boboli pre-made pizza crusts. They are a quick lifesaver when you're craving pizza, but you don't want to order out.

1 small Boboli ready made pizza crust

Store bought Alfredo sauce

Shredded Parmasan cheese

Fresh Mozzerella pearls

Chicken

Onto the pizza crust, spread on some Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with the shredded parm and throw on some mozzerella pearls (the more cheese the merrier, in my opinion!) Shred some cooked chicken over the top.

Pop into a 400' oven for approx. 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This is my absolute favorite homemade pizza. 

Apple Pie Stuffed Chocolate Cake

I was watching the Food Network the other day and on an episode of The Kitchen (my all time fave) they baked a chocolate cake with an apple pie inside. So, naturally, I had to try it!!

You need:

One box of chocolate cake mix, prepared

One store bought pre-made apple pie

A spring form baking pan

That's it! 

Mix the cake batter as directed on the box. Add about a cup of the cake mix to a greased spring form pan and spread out along the bottom.Take your apple pie out of the store packaging and drop it down into the pan on top of your cake batter. Then, pour the rest of your batter on top.

Bake at 350' for about 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow cake to cool before removing from the pan.

Crockpot Flank Steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon of minced onion

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 (1 1/2 lb) beef flank steak

Put the flank steak in the bottom of the crockpot. Combine all other ingredients in a seperate bowl and pour over the steak.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

The meat should easily shred.

 As with most everything, I put mine into a soft taco shell with some cheddar cheese. It was soooooo good!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1 can of Rotel brand diced tomatoes with green chilis

1/4 cup of onion, chopped finely

1/4 to 1/2 cup of Italian salad Dressing

A dash or 2 of dried cilantro 

Add all ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Serve with tortilla chips.

For a recipe so simple, this is crazy good. I may add it to a soft tortilla shell with some shredded chicken for lunch tomorrow. Yum!!

***I did end up throwing this into a tortilla for lunch with some shredded chicken and it was awesome. Pictures to follow. (Of course! Lol)

Birthday Cake Cookies

A coworker of mine is turning 29 tomorrow and she is always asking me to bake something. I figured, what better present than to bake her something special just for her birthday?!? So, I made her some Birthday Cake Cookies. Yum-o!

1 cup of butter, room temperature

1 cup of dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 cups of cake mix (I used Funfetti, but you could use plain vanilla)

1 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 cups of rainbow sprinkles

3/4 cups of mini chocolate chips

2 cups (I used about 16 cookies) of coarsely chopped Birthday Cake Golden Oreos  

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

With mixer on low, add in baking soda, salt, flour and cake mix stirring until mixture just comes together.

With mixer still on low, add in sprinkles, chocolate chips and chopped Oreos. Stir until evenly incorporated.

Chill dough for AT LEAST two hours. (I chilled mine overnight!)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350'.

Using a spoon, form dough into round balls placing them 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes then transfer to cooling racks.

These were so good, I may or may not have had a couple with my morning coffee. (I did.)

The Best Chicken Marinade

My mom and I decided to make Kabob's for dinner using chicken and pineapple. I marinated the chicken all day and they couldn't have tasted better. This marinade is insanely delicious!!

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup vinegar

That's it! I whisked the ingredients together and poured them over the chicken. Covered with plastic and refrigerated all day. The flavor on this chicken was delicious.

My nephew is a very picky eater, so I figured he would be all about eating the sweet pineapple and have nothing to do with the chicken, but it was the complete opposite. He ate every bit of chicken on his plate and left all the pineapple!

Eggless Cookie Dough (For One)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 TBSP butter, softened

1/8 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 TBSP milk

1/3 cup flour

Pinch of salt

Chocolate chips (or whatever add-in you like)

Combine softened butter and brown sugar with a mixer on low for a little less than a minute.

Gently stir in vanilla, milk, flour and salt with a spoon.

Then combine the mixture with the mixer on low for about 30 seconds.

Add chocolate chips and stir with a spoon.

Chill in fridge for about 30 minutes.

Mini Smashed Potatoes

12 baby Yukon gold potatoes

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

(Optional: favorite herb or seasoning)

Preheat oven to 450'

Steam or boil the potatoes until tender.

Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cookie spray.

Place the cooked and dried potatoes on the baking sheet leaving 2" between each potato.

Use a potatoe masher (or spatula) and press gently, but firmly on each potato until flattened.

Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper (and a seasoning if you choose)

Bake at 450' for about 20-25 minutes.

Mini Taco Bowls

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 bag of Tostitos Scoops chips

Shredded Cheese

Any other preferred taco toppings

Prepare ground beef per directions on taco seasoning packet.

Place Scoop chips onto plate and spoon in the taco meat mixture. Top with cheese and any other taco toppings that you prefer. These are a perfect appetizer for a party or even a fun meal to make with your kids. They'll love the tiny kid sized tacos. These are so quick and so easy.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

2 lb Pork tenderloin

12 oz root beer

1 cup Bar-b-que sauce (any variety)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In slow cooker, whisk together the root beer, BBQ sauce, salt and pepper and then add pork tenderloins.

Cook on low for about 8 hours. Shred pork with two forks.

Pile on a bun and add a little extra BBQ sauce. (Or if you're boring like me, just eat as is!) lol This was so yummy!!

Baked Tortellini Casserole

2 tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1  28oz can crushed tomatoes

1  8oz can tomato sauce

1 tsp kosher salt

Black pepper to taste

1  24oz package FRESH cheese tortellini

3 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Sautée the onions and garlic in the olive oil until soft.

Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper.

Once beef is cooked, stir in the tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Stir in the uncooked pasta and 1 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Transfer to a casserole dish and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350' for about 30 minutes.

Grilled Turkey and Swiss

I use my George Foreman a lot, but it is rarely for grilling meat. The other day, I was dying for a good sandwich, so I went to the grocery store deli and had them slice me some turkey, super thin and I grabbed a package of thinly slice Swiss cheese. When I got home, I pulled out the George Foreman and started heating it up.

I buttered the bread (in this case it was a loaf of French bread) as if I were making a grilled cheese, then piled on the turkey and Swiss. I put it on the George Foreman and closed the lid. I cooked it into the bread was the perfect shade of golden brown. 

This sandwich is so quick and easy and I could probably eat one every day. 

Late Night Snack

This is not a recipe, but a late night impulse snack I had last night. I just couldn't help myself. 

I took a Honey Graham Cracker, topped it with Cool Whip (straight out of the freezer) and sprinkled it with the some mini chocolate chips. Holy Moly, it was amazing. (And less than 150 calories!!)

One Pan Italian Chicken with Potatoes & Green Beans

I've seen this recipe floating around Facebook for a while and decided to give it a shot. The original recipe calls for 1/2 stick of butter, but since I'm a calorie counter, I replaced the butter with Olive Oil.

Fresh green beans

Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into smaller pieces

Red potatoes, cut into pieces

Italian seasoning packet

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

In a greased 9x13 pan, place the chicken in the center and the green beans on one side and potatoes on the other side.  Sprinkle with half a packet of italian seasoning mix and drizzle with olive oil.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350' for about an hour.

This recipe was so good. I will most definitely be making it again...and again. ;)

Work in Progress

Hey guys! I haven't forgotten about you! I'm just working on some new recipes to share! Please be patient with me! Thank you!!! In the mean time, check out the recipes I've already shared. I promise you won't be disappointed!  ;)

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are my favorite chocolate chip cookies to make. They're tiny and so thick and fluffy. Plus, when they're little bitty, I don't feel guilty for eating 2 or 3...or 4. ;)

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350'

In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.

In electric mixer bowl add butter and both sugars and mix until creamy.

Add egg and vanilla, beating well to combine.

Gradually beat in the flour mixture until combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.

With a spoon scoop dough into small balls and place onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.