Breakfast for Dinner

Don't you just love eating breakfast foods for dinner? It feels like such a treat to do every now and then!

I don't have any recipes to share today but I will share some pictures from dinner tonight. We couldn't have just a boring 'ole breakfast in our house - it needed to be FUN and CREATIVE!!!


I made a sunny-side up daisy for my hubby!



A heart for the cook!



And even some heart cinnamon rolls! I thought the rolls turned out cute in their heart-shape. However I tried a new roll recipe and it was not my favorite so I will wait until I make some really yummy rolls before posting the recipe.



Side Note: I used a train cookie cutter for my 3 year old's egg but it was a big disappoint and not worthy of a picture. You couldn't really tell what it was after it was done cooking. Luckily, he still thought it tasted good!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Oh my! I would rate tonight's dinner with 11 out of 10 stars!!!

We had honey lime chicken enchiladas, Spanish rice, and chips and salsa. After the first bite, I fell in love! I told my husband, "This is better than going out to an authentic Mexican restaurant!" So that in itself, says a lot. I loved the sweetness on the honey, the little kick from the chili powder, the taste of lime, and the oh so yummy creamy enchilada sauce and cheese that smother it on top. I can't wait to make these again, perhaps the next time we have some friends over for dinner!



Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas
Source: My Kitchen Cafe

6 T. honey
5 T. lime juice (2 small limes)
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder

1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded (I cooked 3 chicken breasts in my crockpot this morning)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 lb monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz. green enchilada sauce
1 c. heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

*Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top.

Crock Pot "Baked" Potatoes

Tonight we are having "baked" potatoes and buffalo chicken wings!!!

When I saw this recipe online, I had one of those..."Why didn't I think of that" moments. I just love using my crock pot and can't believe I didn't think about using it for potatoes before now.

It feels like spring will never come. We got about a foot and a half of snow between yesterday and last night! But thinking ahead to the warmer months...what a great way this will be to make "baked" potatoes on a hot summer day without heating up the whole house. Or if you have to work all day or be out and about running errands...just throw the potatoes in the crock pot and they will be all ready by the time you get home!



Crock Pot "Baked" Potatoes
found on Gina's WW Recipes

4 Russet Potatoes
Aluminum foil
Toppings: light sour cream, fresh chives, bacon bits, broccoli, cheese

Wash and scrub potatoes until clean. Dry thoroughly. When dry, prick potatoes with a fork and wrap in aluminum foil.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4.

Top with your favorite fixings!

S'mores Pops

Aren't these just adorable? S'mores on a stick!



Put them in a vase for a cute centerpiece or give them away as a gift.



My 3 year old LOVED them! He's always my honest little taste tester and these definitely passed the test! :)



Can you tell how much I love these little things? They are so yummy and seriously take only 10 minutes to make.

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken

I have been so tired lately. Seems like the 3rd trimester fatigue has hit hard. I needed to find a recipe that I could just throw in the crock pot this morning and it would be all ready for us this evening. I was thinking MEXICAN and this recipe did not let me down. It's a Kraft recipe and is so simple and so delicious!

*Note, I substituted chicken thighs for chicken breasts. My husband and I are huge fans of chicken thighs. I buy them in bulk at Costco!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I had some leftover pumpkin in the fridge that needed to be used up so this morning Carson and I had Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for breakfast. This is a recipe that my Mom always made (and still does). Sometimes I use the regular size muffin pans and other times I make them into miniature muffins. They are so yummy and easy to pop into your mouth for a quick snack.

Mickey Mouse Oreo Favors

My son decided he wanted a Mickey Mouse theme for his 3rd birthday party this past January. For today's post, I want to show you these adorable Mickey Mouse Oreo Favors. (The idea came from www.mypartyfile.com) Aren't these just adorable? The kids loved them! I made some into cookies and some into lollipops.





Directions:
Melt red chocolate melting chips in microwave, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Dip the bottom half of each Double-Stuffed Oreo into the red chocolate. Gently slide a lollipop stick directly through the center of the Oreo cookie (through the white filling in the middle) and stop just before it comes out the other end. Lay on waxed paper for the red chocolate to dry.

Hint: If you are having troubles with the Oreos breaking, pop the Oreos in the microwave on defrost for 10 seconds before you dip them in red chocolate and insert the sticks so the centers will soften up and the stick will slide right in.

Rub a dark chocolate melting chip on the side of a hot kettle to slightly melt it, and gently insert between the biscuits. Repeat for the other ear. When the icing is dry, add two dots of white icing (I used a tube of white icing) for Mickey’s buttons. Store in an airtight container, and refrigerate if the weather is hot!

If you want to give them as party favors, pop each one into a cellophane bag, then tie a little ribbon at the bottom.

Old Fashioned Beer Bread

Five years ago I used to sell Tastefully Simple. My favorite and best selling product was their beer bread. Even now, when I go to a Tastefully Simple party, I can't leave without buying at least one box of their famous beer bread.

The other day I ran across a recipe for Old Fashioned Beer Bread. So this time I made it from scratch! It was delicious! The top of the crust was golden brown and gorgeous. It went so well with the chili we had for dinner that night.

The Best Chili Ever

I've been searching for a good chili recipe. I had a hard time picking which one I wanted to make, but the name of this recipe almost felt like a challenge! Is this REALLY the best chili ever? I just had to find out!

Spiced Pumpkin Milk

I just love drinking Silk's Pumpkin Spice Soy Milk but I can usually only find it in grocery stores around the holidays. The other day I ran across the cutest food blog called Little Nummies for Little Tummies and low and behold she had a recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Milk!



Here's how you make it. There's not even any pumpkin in it!

Cookie Dough Truffles

When making chocolate chip cookies, I am always guilty of eating 1/2 the batter before they even make it into the oven! Now that I am pregnant, I am very conscious of what I eat and avoid anything that could possibly harm the baby. (Raw eggs!!!) So that means I haven't had any cookie dough for more than 7 months!

This recipe comes from my all-time favorite lady - PAULA DEEN! I just love her!!! My 3 year old son and I watch her show often. Carson now points out all the Paula Deen magazines to me when we are at the grocery store. He'll say, "Look Mommy! There's Paula Bean!" I'm still trying to teach him that her last name is not "Bean" but it's just the cutest thing.

I saw this recipe while surfing Paula Deen's website. Once I saw COOKIE DOUGH truffles, I just knew this recipe was for me. It contains no eggs yet tastes exactly like the cookie dough you would bake in the oven for cookies! And what's even better is that they are coated in C.H.O.C.O.L.A.T.E.

Mmmmmmmmmm!!!! They were very easy to make and are addicting! I am in love!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

Carson and I headed down the road to the Bagel Tree to bring back some fresh bagels for our mid-morning snack. Boy do I have a treat for you!!! I found this bagel spread on another food blog called www.pinchmysalt.com. This is so yummy that I could eat it on my bagel, English muffin, or piece of toast EVERY morning! There is also a Weight Watcher recipe out on Gina's WW Recipes for those of you trying to eat healthy. Gina has lots of great Weight Watcher recipes on her blog and she even gives you the point values.

But seriously, whether you try the original recipe (like I did) or the Weight Watcher recipe - you have got to try this!!!

Pizza Pasta Bake...

...another freezer meal.

Broccoli Cheddar, Chicken and Tater Tot Casserole

This recipe caught my eye while looking at a food blog called Picky-Palate. I made it tonight for dinner and boy was it delicious! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

When we lived in Indiana, a good friend of ours used to cook Chicken Cordon Bleu for us on several occasions. It was a treat every time Catherine would invite us over for dinner! This was one of our favorite meals! Catherine was so good at making it! Once we moved to NJ, I decided I'd have to make it on my own if we ever wanted to eat it again. Click here for the link to the recipe. It takes a bit of time to make but is definitely worth all the hassle in the end.

The other day I saw a recipe for this Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole on a food blog called Gather Round Our Table. I thought, man that looks so easy! So I just had to give it a try!

Cinnamon Spiral Bread

I was in the mood to make fresh, homemade bread this afternoon. I used to make this recipe as a teenager in my Mom's kitchen. I can't wait to have a piece of it with our breakfast tomorrow morning! Ok...who am I kidding? I think I'll have a piece right now!!!

Spaghetti Casserole

This freezer meal idea came from Mari's Recipe Blog.

Tuna Fish Sandwiches

One of my favorite food blogs to read is Picky Palate. That's where this quick lunch idea came from.

The snow is coming down really hard outside. So we enjoyed a tuna salad sandwich, side of spinach salad, and potato chips from the comfort of our warm kitchen. Maybe later we will wrap up and venture outside to play in all this snow!

Corn Pudding and Pork Chops

This next recipe has been a family favorite as far back as I can remember. It was always something we could depend on having at big family dinners. Corn pudding! Not to be confused with a dessert (with pudding in the name) but it is a tasty vegetable side dish to go with any meal. Last night I served it up with pork chops and mashed potatoes.

Flan

My hubby asked me tonight, "When are you going to make that flan recipe again?" I instantly thought that would be a great recipe to post to this blog and excitedly said to him, "Oh!! We already have pictures of that, don't we?" In a sad tone he answered, "Yes, so does that mean you're not going to make it again anytime soon?" He made me chuckle. So here it is, the recipe for amazing flan. I found it in one of my cookbooks called, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2.

And yes honey, I promise I will make it for you soon! :)

Knock You Naked Brownies

These chewy, gooey brownies are filled with chocolate chips and caramel. They are so rich, you'll want to make sure you have someone to share them with!!!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes

What did I make for the Super Bowl party tonight? Mini Oreo Cheesecakes. I saw this recipe on www.lickthebowlgood.com and my mouth was instantly drooling. I love popping Oreos in my mouth and I love eating a good piece of cheesecake even more! Putting these 2 ingredients together - I knew this was gonna be good!



How cute are these? And a great idea for a large group of people.

Sunday Roast

I love using my crock pot! Just throw a few things inside, let it cook all day (or all night) and then you have a meal that tastes like you spent the entire day cooking!

Late last night, I threw this rump roast in the crock pot so that we would have a meal ready and waiting for us when we got home from church. This morning our house smelled so good! This is quite possibly the best roast I've ever had!!!



This roast would go really well with mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Unfortunately I didn't have either on hand, but the couscous I made was a lovely compliment to it as well.

Non-Traditional Green Bean Casserole

I have always enjoyed a good Green Bean Casserole. This recipe caught my eye because it was different - it didn't call for the standard cream of mushroom soup. I just had to try it!

Fruit Pizza

By request, here is the recipe for a delicious Fruit Pizza! Growing up, I remember my Mom making this all the time for our big family gatherings. To this day, I still love eating it, only now I make it for my husband and son.

Mini Meat Loaves

This recipe came from Betty Crocker's quick & easy cookbook. They are just that - Quick, Easy, and DELICIOUS!!! I love them! The cute little loaves bake much faster than a traditional whole loaf, plus you get more of that tangy crust. I even doubled the recipe this time so I could put one of them in the deep freezer for a quick meal down the road.

Blueberry Salad

Blueberry Salad

1 lg. box blackberry jello
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 can blueberries (packed in water)

Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add enough water to juice to make 2 cups. Heat juice/water mixture to boiling; dissolve jello in it. Add 1 1/2 cups cold water, drained blueberries and pineapple. Stir. Pour into 9x13 baking dish. Let set overnight.

Topping:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Cream together. Spread carefully over top of salad. Allow to chill thoroughly before serving.

We're Having Chinese Tonight!

One of my favorite things to order when eating out at a Chinese restaurant is Double Pan Noodles with chicken. Ever had them? They are just delicious! This summer my in-laws came to stay with us for a couple of months and I had the honor of getting some personal Chinese cooking "classes" from my father-in-law. Before moving back to China, they used to own and run their own Chinese restaurant and let me tell you, he made THE BEST Chinese food ever! So I feel extremely lucky to have been taught by the best!

This was my first time making this dish and I was very happy with how it turned out! Ryan's exact quote was, "Wow! This is better than the real stuff." Carson's exact words were, "Mmmmmmm!!!" The hardest part about learning how to cook Chinese food is that they don't use measuring cups and spoons like we do. They just eyeball it all; however, I did my best to estimate the exact measurements.