'This and That' Cookies

I wanted chocolate chip cookies...but then I wanted something with rainbow sprinkles. I couldn't make up my mind so I decided to combine the two. Then it just turned into adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that and these beauties happened!

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 C sugar

3/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 Tbsp vanilla

1/2 Tbsp baking soda

1/2 Tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 C mini chocolate chips

1 C coconut flakes

3/4 C old fashioned oats

1/4 C rainbow sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, using a blender, beat the butter until smooth and then mix in the sugars. 

Add the eggs and vanilla and continue blending.

Add in the baking soda, baking powder and salt and give it a final mix with the blender.

Add in the flour and with a wooden spoon, stir to fully combine.

Pour in the chocolate chips, coconut flakes, oats and sprinkles. Gently stir to combine.

Using a tablespoon, scoop dough and lightly form into a ball. Place on baking sheet leaving 2 inches in between each cookie.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

Remove and let cool before serving.

**I like to form the dough into balls, line a tray with them and place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then remove the tray, place all the dough into a baggie and put back into the freezer. That way, if you are craving a cookie another night, you can just take a few out, pop them onto a baking sheet, bake and enjoy!

Italian BBQ Shredded Chicken

If you're looking for an easy pulled BBQ chicken recipe but with a nice zesty kick...this is the recipe for you! AND it's all done in the crock pot.

Ingredients:
2 Chicken breasts
8 oz BBQ sauce (I used Rays, no sugar added)
1/2 C Italian dressing
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Coleslaw
Buns


In a crock pot, add the BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. 
Add in the chicken breasts and spoon some of the mixture on top.
Set the crock pot on low for 6 hours.
When done, shred chicken and stir into the sauce.
Spoon onto a bun and top with coleslaw.

Cheesy Hamburger Macaroni

Hamburger Helper was a staple in our household growing up. I decided to make a one pot "grown up" cheesy hamburger macaroni and it has now been added as one of our go to recipes.

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed pepper flakes (optional)

3 C chicken broth

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

8 oz elbow macaroni

1 1/2 C shredded cheese

Green onions to garnish

In a large pan over medium high heat, add your ground beef. Cook for about 3 minutes and then add your onion and garlic. Stir and continue cooking until beef is completely browned and cooked through.

Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes and elbow macaroni. Stir, making sure everything is combined.

Once simmering, lower the heat to medium low and continue cooking for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be thickening up.

Once the noodles are al dente, remove from heat and stir the cheese in.

Top with green onions and serve.

Cheesy Corn Zucchini Fritters

When given a GIANT zucchini...make zucchini fritters! These were so easy, healthy, crunchy and delicious. The perfect snack to dip in a little sour cream and enjoy.

Ingredients

4 medium zucchini, shredded

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C flour

2 eggs

1/3 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp chives, chopped

1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 C corn

salt and pepper to taste

Place shredded zucchini in a strainer. Sprinkle with salt, stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, in a bowl combine the flour, eggs, cheese, chives, garlic and corn. Set aside.

After 10 minutes, your zucchini should have let out quite a bit of liquid. Place the zucchini in a tea towel, cheese cloth or paper towel. Over the sink, wring out the zucchini and get rid of as much liquid as you can.

Once strained, place the zucchini in the bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a pan over medium heat coat the bottom with cooking spray. Place a heaping spoonful of the mixture into the pan. Use the back of the spoon to flatten it out, until it is about 1/2" thick.

Let cook for about 4 minutes and flip. Cook 4 minutes again.

To get an even better crunch, place the cooked fritters in your air fryer at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Serve with a side of sour cream.

*You can freeze these and when ready to eat, just remove from freezer and place in air fryer at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Cheese & Chicken Bake

We love casserole dishes here! I didn't know what to make the other night and it had finally cooled down. I took out a few ingredients and decided to make a yummy, cheesy, chicken casserole bake. We just scooped it into a bowl and had it with a side of broccoli.

Ingredients

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 C water

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/4 yellow onion, diced

3/4 C uncooked rice

2 C chicken, cooked and cubed

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

2 slices bacon, cooked and diced

5 Ritz crackers, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2-quart casserole dish add all ingredients, except the crackers. Stir to combine, making sure everything is evenly mixed/distributed.

Cover and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir, and top with Ritz crackers. 

Place back in oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the crackers are golden.

French Onion Chicken

French Onion Chicken is a new and favorite recipe for me. Coming from someone that does not like french onion soup...this was amazing! AND I didn't feel guilty eating this! Super light and can even eat this over egg noodles instead of rice, or just by itself!

Ingredients

2 Chicken breasts, boneless skinless

Salt, pepper, Trader Joes umami seasoning

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

Pam cooking spray

I Cant Believe Its Not Butter spray

1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 C + 3 Tbsp beef broth

1 Tbsp flour

2 oz mozzarella

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a sauce pan over medium heat, coat the bottom with Pam and about 15 sprays of butter. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat. 

Cook for about 2 minutes and then add 3 Tbsp beef broth. Continue cooking onions until browned.

Once they become translucent and soft, you may need to higher the heat to get the brown color.

In the meantime, add the salt, pepper and umami seasoning to both sides of your chicken.

Once the onions are browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan over medium high heat, add the chicken breasts. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, until browned. Remove and set to the side.

Add your onions back to the pan. Add 1 Tbsp flour and stir the onions to coat.

Add the 1/2 C broth and garlic. Stir to combine and make sure all lumps of flour are dissolved.

Bring to a simmer and stir until sauce thickens. 

Once thickened, pour sauce & onions into a casserole dish. Place chicken on sauce and top with the mozzarella.

Place into oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve over rice, egg noodles, pasta or potatoes and a side of vegetables.

Chipotle Chicken Pitas

I found my love for this recipe when we had dinner at a restaurant we regularly go to. Instead of my usual, the Chicken Chipotle Pita caught my eye and I had never seen it before. Apparently, I was never looking because it has been on their menu for years! I devoured every bite of it and was determined to make them at home. Grilling the chicken thighs makes it that much better. And the homemade chipotle sauce...I could put that on anything!

Ingredients

Chicken:

4 boneless chicken thighs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

salt & pepper

Pita bread

Lettuce, shredded

Tomatoes, diced

Green onion, diced

Chipotle Sauce:

3/4 C sour cream

1/4 C milk

4 oz cream cheese

1 1/2 can chipotle sauce (if you use canned chipotle peppers, it will be spicy)

Heat up your grill. If you are using a pan on the stove, turn heat to medium high.

Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and rub onto the chicken thighs.

Cook the chicken thighs until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

To make the chipotle Sauce, add all ingredients to a blender and blend until fully combined and smooth. Add to a dish or squirt bottle for easy use. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Dice your chicken.

Place your pita bread on a plate and top with diced chicken, tomatoes, lettuce and green onion.

Drizzle as much chipotle sauce onto your pita as you like! Enjoy!

Jambalaya

A couple weeks before Fathers Day this year, my dad requested that I make Jambalaya. This was probably the second time EVER that he has asked me to cook a recipe so I knew he was excited about it, especially since he didn't want to wait for Fathers Day to have it! I had made a healthier version of Jambalaya before so I too was excited to try the full flavors. Needless to say, it turned out amazing! Even my brother who "doesn't like shrimp" really enjoyed it!

Ingredients

1 package smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" slices

1 package andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" slices

1 Tbsp oil

4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

2 tsp hot pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

salt, to taste

1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 cups cooked white rice

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the oil and smoked sausages. Cook the sausages until browned and then add in the chicken. Let cook for about 3 minutes.

Add in the butter, onion, both bell peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft.

Stir in tomatoes, pepper sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt. 

Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Cook for another 3 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through.

Add the rice, 1 cup at a time, and gently stir in. Let sit over low heat for about 4 minutes, until heated through.

Pasta Primavera

I remember learning how to make this delicious Pasta Primavera in Middle School during an after school program. This was when I found my love for cooking. We each had our own cooking station and someone watching over us as we made this meal. I have never changed anything about this recipe as it brings back great childhood memories when cooking/eating this. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp butter

1 C broccoli, chopped

2 green bell peppers, chopped

½ C tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 C zucchini, sliced thin

1 C onion, chopped

2 C tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the butter, zucchini, broccoli, onions and bell pepper. Stir until butter is completely melted.

Lower heat to medium and using a spatula, stir frequently and look cook for 6 minutes.

The broccoli should be getting soft by now. Add the tomato sauce and paste. Mix well and add salt & pepper to taste. Lower heat to medium low and let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add cooked pasta to pan and stir to coat. Add pasta water to the sauce until it is to your desired consistency.