Chocolate Chip Bread

2 cups All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons

Preheat oven to 350'

In a large bowl, beat together butter, cup of sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.

In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the milk into the batter until just combined. Fold in the cup of chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Combine the extra tablespoon of sugar with the extra 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips and sprinkle on the top of the batter. 

Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Skinny Strawberry Chocolate Chip muffins

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

1 egg white, beaten

2/3 cup diced strawberries

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350'

Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or insert muffin papers and set aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce until no brown sugar lumps remain.

Add the beaten egg white until fully incorporated.

Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined - do not over mix.

Gently fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick stuck into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool before enjoying! 

Approx. 140 calories per muffin. 

"Adult" Grilled Cheese

2 slices of bread (any kind you prefer)

1-2 slices of cheddar cheese

1-2 slices of Swiss cheese

3 pieces of bacon, cooked

1 apple, VERY thinly sliced

Butter

Heat griddle or large skillet over medium-low heat. (Use a panini press if you have one)

Assemble your sandwich:

Butter both slices of bread and top with slices of cheese, bacon and apple.

Cook until cheese is slightly melted and bread is lightly brown.

Flip sandwich and continue to cook the other side until cheese is completely melted and that slice of bread has lightly browned.

Slice in half and enjoy.

I love this recipe because the sweetness of the apple is so good with the toasted cheese and salty bacon.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie

Let's face it. I'm all about the shortcuts. You can make your pie crust from scratch, but I am very fond of the Pillsbury prepared pie dough. Just set them out for about 20 minutes at room temperature and then unroll them for the perfect round pie crust dough.

Now, for the filling:

2 cups of small diced (peeled) Granny Smith Apples

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons all purpose flour

8 store bought soft caramel candies, roughly chopped

Large flake sea salt

Egg wash (1 egg lightly whisked with 1 tbsp water)

In a bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar and flour, stirring until thoroughly mixed and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350'

Place one of the pie dough circles into the bottom of a round pie pan.

Dump apple mixture on top and top with the caramel pieces and a few pinches of sea salt. Place a second dough on top and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.

Brush pie with egg wash and using a sharp knife, cut two or three vents into the top of the pie.

Sprinkle the top with sugar and bake for 30-45 minutes.

White Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies

1 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1/2 cup White Sugar

1 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 cups Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup M&Ms

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350'

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars.

Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. 

Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix until just combined.

Stir in the M&Ms and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for approx. 10 minutes or until lightly golden.

Homemade Salsa

1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, partially drained

1-2 jalapeño peppers, roughly chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cilantro

Juice of one lime

Add approx. 1/2 the tomatoes to a food processor or blender.

Add cilantro, jalapeños, garlic and onion to the food processor and pulse 5-6 times or until there are no large chunks remaining.

Add remaining tomatoes, cumin, salt, pepper and lime juice. Pulse 2-3 times or until you reach the consistency you like.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet Sesame Green Beans

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-4 cups fresh green beans

2 packets Stevia

1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Steam or boil your green beans to soften them.

Add the green beans to a frying pan with the olive oil. Cook on high until they start to brown.

Lower heat to medium. Add stevia and soy sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the sesame seeds.

I got this recipe from simplytaralynn.com and it's a great side for lunch or dinner.

Homemade Chickeny Dumplins

In case you missed it, I didn't call these Chicken AND Dumplins, because I don't use Chicken! I get the chicken flavor from the broth, but if you like chicken just prepare some ahead of time and drop it in near the end of cooking the dumplins.

Dumplins:

3 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 teaspoons if salt

Mix it all together in a large bowl and roll out into a well floured surface. I then cut into pieces with a pizza cutter.

Drop into a pot of boiling chicken broth and cook for about 7-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your dumplins. Easy peasy!! (I like to add pepper to my broth for extra seasoning)

The broth will thicken during cooking from the flour on the dumplins.

Red Velvet Oreo Bars

1 box Red Velvet Cake mix

1 stick of butter, softened

2 eggs

9-10 Oreos

Preheat oven to 350' F

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray

In a large bowl mix together cake mix, butter and eggs until combined.

Batter will be very thick.

Crush about 6-7 Oreos and mix those into the batter.

Scoop the batter into the pan and spread out evenly.

Crumble the last few Oreos and sprinkle on top, pressing into the batter.

Bake for 10-13 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Chicken & Broccoli Foil Packet

This recipe is so easy and so good. Everything goes into the foil, which makes cleanup super simple. I'm just giving you the single serving version. Obviously, you would multiply the number of packets per the number of people you are serving.

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup broccoli florets

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 piece cooked bacon

1 tablespoon Ranch Dressing

Preheat oven to 400' F

Spray a large sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with cooking spray.

Place chicken into foil and top with broccoli, sprinkle with cheese and crumbled piece of bacon. Drizzle the ranch dressing on top.

Bring up the foil sides and and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.

Place packet on a cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breast.

Remove packet and let sit for 5 minutes before cutting open. Cut slits into foil to release the steam.

Chocolate Chip Gooey Butter cake

Crust

1 box Butter Recipe cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling

1 8oz package Cream Cheese, softened 

2 eggs

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 16oz box powdered sugar

1/2 cup (1stick) butter, melted

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350'

Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a bowl, combine cake mix, egg and butter with electric mixer. Mix well.

Pat into bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

Still using electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth then add eggs and vanilla. Dump in powdered sugar and beat very well. Reduce mixer speed and slowly pour in melted butter.

Mix well and stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread out evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes 

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely

You can also melt some chocolate and drizzle over the top. Let cool for at least an hour before cutting into bars.

Blueberry Oatmeal Granola Muffins

Blueberry Oatmeal Granola Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup 2% milk

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

1 cup granola

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with paper liners or coat with nonstick spray; set aside

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In separate bowl, wisk together milk, applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Add blueberries and gently toss to combine.

Scoop the batter evenly into muffin tray. Sprinkle with Granola. Place in oven and bake for 15-17 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Sunday

Sunday Funday means no recipe posts today! See you guys tomorrow!! ;)

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Balls

Here is another "no recipe" recipe. Mostly because I have absolutely no measurements for anything. I just dump and guess.

Old fashioned rolled oats

Peanut butter

Honey

Vanilla extract

Chocolate chips

I seriously can't explain any measurements for this. I just dump and stir until it just seems right. But trust me, this combination is absolutely amazing. Dump all ingredients into a bowl and the just scoop some into the palm of your hand and roll into a ball. Refrigerate to set.

These are amazing for breakfast or for a late afternoon snack.

These would also be great with dried fruit.

Shortcut Vegetable Soup

The best part about this recipe is that there really isn't a recipe. You can adjust everything to your preference. I usually just work with whatever I have in my kitchen at the time. 

I always start with:

 

1 - 32oz container of vegetable broth

2 small cans of crushed tomatoes

Italian seasoning packet

2 packages of frozen vegetables

This time around, I browned 1/2 pound of ground turkey and added it at the end of the recipe. You can completely leave that out or even add in some ground beef. It's all about preference.

(You can add any vegetables you like. I'm not a fan of biting into a tomato, which is why I buy the crushed, but you could buy diced or even whole tomatoes)

I start by bringing the entire container of vegetable broth to a boil with a good amount of italian seasoning.

I then add the cans of crushed tomatoes and bring back up to a boil.

Then add your veggies and let simmer until the vegetables are cooked through.

That's it!!

It's so easy, and so versatile. You could add potatoes or zucchini or any vegetable you prefer in a soup. This is perfect, quick and super easy for a nice cold day and tastes even better leftover the next day once the flavors have married. 

Green Bean Bundles

I first had these bundles of joy many years ago on Thanksgiving. They were so amazing and incredibly easy. You get all the hard work done the night before and just pop them in the oven right before you're ready to serve them.

What you'll need:

Green Beans (I always use frozen, but canned and fresh are fine as well)

1 package of bacon

1 cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Salt

1 teaspoon Soy Sauce

Wrap 1/2 strip of bacon around approx. 10 green beans and secure with a toothpick.

Line bundles in a 9x13 baking dish

Melt butter and mix with brown sugar, garlic salt and soy sauce.

Pour mixture over green bean bundles and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

(The next day) Bake at 350' for 30 minutes.

These are fantastic served right from the oven, but if you are planning to take them to a party, put the bundles (juice and all) into a crockpot and keep on warm.  They're perfect for a long day of snacking and partying. 

I worked at a jewelry store for many years and we always had a Christmas lunch. These green beans were always requested by my coworkers as my lunch contribution. :)

*as I have not made these in many years, I did not have my own picture for them. I borrowed one from google so that you could see what these bundles should look like.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap

This is a recipe that I just kind of threw together one night from things I already had, but it turned out so delicious.

1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I used the store brand frozen kind)

1 soft flour tortilla

1 to 2 tablespoons of Ranch Dressing

1 piece of bacon, cooked (I used turkey bacon)

Cooked white rice

Shredded cheddar cheese

Bake chicken until done and cut or shred and set aside.

On a soft tortilla shell (I warmed it in the microwave for just a few seconds) spread on the ranch dressing and sprinkle with some shredded cheddar cheese and a few tablespoons of white rice.

Crumble cooked bacon into tortilla along with the shredded chicken.

Roll tortilla shell burrito style and enjoy.

This is such a filling recipe and it tastes amazing.

It takes a bit of prep work with the cooking of the chicken, bacon and rice but it is definitely worth the effort.

Beer Bread

I have yet to find a beer bread recipe that I love more than this one. It's so simple and you can literally find most (if not all) of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. 

Spread on some apple butter and have it for breakfast or cut it into cubes and dip it in some dill dip as a snack. No matter how you eat it, it's so good.

3 cups all purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 - 12 ounce can of beer (brand of your choice)

Approx. 1/4 to 1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all ingredients (except for butter) together in large bowl and place in loaf pan.

Batter will be very thick.

Pour melted butter on top of uncooked bread loaf.

Bake for 1 hour at 375'

Let cool for approx. 15 minutes or 

until bread pulls from sides of loaf pan. Bread should easily come out of pan when turned upside down.

Sweet Italian Salad Dressing

I have had so many requests for and compliments on this recipe. It has just the right amount of sour tang from the red wine vinegar and just enough sweetness from the sugar to make it amazing.

Depending on your taste preference, you can add or subtract the amount of vinegar and sugar you add. I'm a huge vinegar lover, so I tend to add a few extra dashes of it.

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of water

1 packet of Italian salad dressing mix

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup of sugar

I bought a cheap salad dressing bottle with a lid. I dump in all the ingredients and just shake it up really good. It's so easy and absolutely delicious. I will never buy store bought salad dressing ever again.

Beefy Noodles (Two ways)

This is a recipe that my mom has made for years. There are two versions. The quick version, and the slow cooker version.

Today, I made the quick version because I forgot to thaw out my stew meat ahead of time. Oops!

For the quick version, everything is done on the stovetop.

To a mixing bowl I add:

one can of beef broth

one can of Cream of mushroom soup

One packet of brown gravy mix

Salt and pepper to taste

Wisk these ingredients together and dump into a large pot. Bring to a boil and add in your egg noodles. Cook until noodles are soft. (Again, salt and pepper to taste)

The long version isn't much different except it actually includes stew meat.

Add the stew meat to a slow cooker and pour your mixture over the top. Let cook on low for at least 8 hours. When done, remove meat and set aside. Dump liquid from slow cooker into large pan on stove and repeat the same directions as the short version, but once noodles are done, add the stew meat and serve!

*The liquid mixture is also awesome poured into the crockpot over stew meat with carrots and diced potatoes. Just eliminate the egg noodles and you have a delicious roast and veggie recipe!