Spinach Salad with Homemade Dressing

MMMMM, this is one of my favorites. I LOVE a good spinach salad with all kinds of goodies on it. It's definitely worthy of the description, "YUMMY!"

Spinach Salad with Homemade Dressing

Salad:
10 oz baby spinach, torn
1/2 cup sliced red onion (I used sweet since I had it on-hand)
1 pear, cored and sliced/chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
8 oz. grilled chicken, sliced

Dressing:
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix the salad ingredients in a large bowl. In a blender or large bowl, mix together all the dressing ingredients. Blend or use stick blender to blend. Pour on salad and toss well. Allow to stand 5-10 min before serving. Enjoy, and try not to lick the bowl clean.

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Yummy Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting

I can only sum this recipe up in 3 words:

Oh My God!

It's delicious! This recipe is a keeper!

Chocolate Fudge Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. shortening
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. confectioners' sugar
2-4 tbsp heavy whipping cream (depends on the consistency you are aiming for)
1 c. hot fudge topping
2 tsp vanilla extract


Cream together the butter or margarine with the shortening. Sift the cocoa with the confectioners' sugar and add to the creamed mixture. Mix together adding 1 tablespoon at a time of whipping cream to keep mixture smooth. Add the hot fudge topping and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth and creamy.

A pretty heart cake for my Valentine!

Rating: 10 out of 5. Seriously, I love chocolate and this is the best frosting I have ever had! Thanks for the recipe Debra via allrecipes.com. I did change a few things, but I based it off of her recipe!

Chicken Marsala

Ahhh, where has the time gone? Let's see, work, work, work, sinus infection, chronic cough, work and work. I think that just about sums it up.

Almost 2 weeks ago, we had some friends over for dinner. The menu was Chicken Marsala, Roasted Red Skinned Potatoes and Garden Salad (mac n cheese and corn for the kids!). I love when my friends with children come over. I vacuum, dust, fluff pillows, tidy all my knick knacks and, in 2.2 nanoseconds, you cannot even tell the difference. They came packed for a weekend visit and I think they were there for 3-4 hours. It's hilarious and I loved every minute of it! They filled my home with giggles and grins. Come back soon, ok?

Chicken Marsala and Roasted Red Skinned Potatoes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry


In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.



Roasted Red Skinned Potatoes

Ingredients:
3 lbs Red Skinned Potatoes
1/2 c. (approximately) Olive Oil
4 tbsp. Tastefully Simple Season Salt (yes, it makes a difference!)
1 onion, diced

In a large 9x11 pan, pour 1/4 c. olive oil into the bottom of the pan. Add diced red skinned potatoes and onion. Add remaining olive oil. Sprinkle season salt and mix well. Bake for 1 hour @ 450 degrees or until browned.

Meal Rating: 4.5 out of 5. The potatoes took a little longer to cook, so my chicken was cold. I will defiantly make this again. Becki, what did you think?

Chicken Enchiladas

These are spicy, cheesy and delicious. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 c. sour cream
4 tsp. chili powder
2 c. cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
2 c. Colby jack shredded cheese
1 c. Pace Medium Picante Sauce
5-6 tortilla shells

In a large bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, picante sauce and chili powder. In a small bowl combine 1/2 of chicken soup mixture, add chicken and 1 c. cheese. Mix well. Divide the Chicken mixture evenly between the 5-6 tortillas. Toll and place in a 9x13 pan. Spread the remaining chicken soup mixture over the rolled shells. Sprinkle 1 c. shredded cheese over shells. Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 40-45 minutes. Serve with rice and corn cake.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins - Yummy & Easy!

This is an old stand-by that I jazzed up with the addition of sweetened cream cheese. Try any flavors of cake mix that sound good - chocolate is one of my favorites.

These aren't soft, fluffy muffins -they're quite moist and dense, but they sure are g.o.o.d!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

1 box yellow cake mix

1 box spice cake mix

1 29 oz. can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 T. powdered sugar

2 T. sugar

1 T. cinnamon

2 T. chopped nuts, optional

Mix together cake mixes and pumpkin. Do not add anything the boxes call for - just add the pumpkin. The mixture will be thick and sticky, perfect for a mess-making two-year old.

Mix the cream cheese with the powdered sugar, and set aside. Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and nuts, and set aside.

Spray two muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use cupcake liners. Add to each muffin tin: 2 T. of cake mixture followed by 1 T. of cream cheese mixture and then 2 T. of cake mixture. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. Cool before removing from muffin tins. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Thai Pork with Rice Noodles - Yummy!

We love pad thai, and while this is not an exact replica, it's a nice alternative to eating out. And even our two-year old liked it!

Thai Pork with Rice Noodles

2 pounds boneless pork, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
4 tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Noodles & Garnish
1 pkg rice noodles, cooked according to package
1/2 cup chopped green onions
4 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
lime wedges

Place pork and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on low setting for 8 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker, and coarsely chop. Add peanut butter to liquid in slow cooker; stir well. Stir in pork.

Add pork on top of noodles. Garnish as desired, and enjoy!

Sunday Pot Roast

This is one of Kevin's favorite meals.
It's a good thing, because I do not eat one bite.

Sunday Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 pot roast, approx. 2-3 lbs. Trim fat off edges (Kevin violated this meat with a beef rub too)
8 red skinned potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
1/2 bag of baby carrots
1/4 c. Worcestershire
1 c. water
4 tsp. cooking oil
4 tsp. beef granules
1 tsp. basil
salt
pepper

In a large pot (or dutch oven), heat cooking oil. Add pot roast and brown on either side. Add water, beef granules, basil, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes, onions and carrots to boiling mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 3-4 hours.

Please excuse Kevin's half eaten food in this picture.

I forgot to take the picture and I remembered half way through dinner.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Or at least that is what Kevin says...

Yummy Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and shredded (or 2 cans of Tyson all white meat chicken breast, drained, rinsed and shredded)
1 heaping tablespoon of Hellman's Mayo
3 tbsp. Honey Mustard
40-50 red seedless grapes, quartered
1/4 c. chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken breast, mayo, honey mustard, grapes and walnuts. Mix thoroughly. You may need to add a little more mayo depending on how moist you like the chicken salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over a bed of lettuce, on toast or on a bagel. To add a little more flavor, chop one apple right before you serve to mix in. The apples get brown very quickly, so only add them right before you serve.

Meal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. This is a staple for our house. We never get tired of this chicken salad.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This recipe is courtesy of Bob Evans:

Crock Pot Lasagna

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Bob Evans Sausage
1/2 lb. lean hamburger
2-24 oz jars of pasta sauce (I used Prego)
12 oz. Ricotta cheese (I substituted 2 c. Provolone)
2 cups Mozzarella
1 cup uncooked lasagna noodles broken into small pieces
1 tsp. parsley

Brown sausage and hamburger in a large skillet. Spray crock pot with non stick cooking spray. In a large crock pot, mix pasta sauce, sausage, hamburger, ricotta (or Provolone), 1 c. of the mozzarella, parsley and uncooked noodles. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until pasta is tender. 5 minutes before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1 c. mozzarella on top and cover.

Meal rating: 4 out of 5. Kevin really liked it, but it's a bit meaty for my liking. If you like meaty lasagna, than you should be happy with the outcome.