Slow Cooked Teriyaki Chicken

This was an awesome recipe that I would totally recommend! The chicken was so moist and flavorful and making a crockpot recipe really simplifies things. Doug added it to his "top ten" list, but I don't know what that means anymore, because I am pretty sure he has more then ten. :) This is a good one though!!!

Slow Cooked Teriyaki Chicken
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 6 chicken breasts, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce
6 T cider vinegar
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp. pepper
4-1/2 tsp cornstarch
4-1/2 tsp. cold water
Hot cooked rice, optional

Place chicken in a 4-quart slow cooker. In a larg bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours or until juices run clear.

Remove chicken to a serving platter; keep warm. Transfer cooking juices to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken and rice.

Vegetable Beef Bow Tie Skillet

This made a great weeknight meal without too much fuss. I thought it had a good flavor and it didn't take long to cook.

Vegetable Beef Bow Tie Skillet
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 can (14-1/2 oz) beef broth
1-1/2 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup chopped sweet yellow pepper
1 cup chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in broth, pasta, water and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add yellow pepper and zucchini; cover and cook 2-4 minutes longer or until pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; sprinkle with cheese.

Coconut Berry Pizza

I saw this one is Simple and Delicious and knew it was a MUST TRY! It is such a pretty one! I didn't have all the berries that it called for, but it was still amazing! You can pretty much use any fruit that is in season! If I were to make it again though, I would find an actual cookie dough crust recipe. This was a nice time saver, but I think a yummy cookie crust would totally make this recipe! The fruit spread was so good! I think it would make an awesome fruit dip just plain. All in all- a refreshing dessert!!!

Coconut Berry Pizza
2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 Tbsp. seedless raspberry jam
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping
4 medium kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
1-1/3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1-1/3 cups each fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries
1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted

Unroll crescent dough and place in a greased 15 in. x 10 in. baking pan. Press onto bottom and up the sides of pan; seal seams. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and jam until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over crust. Arrange fruit over top. Sprinkle with coconut. Chill until serving. (Yield 16)

Shredded Chicken & Bacon Burritos

Doug's Father's Day request was burritos, but of course I couldn't make just any old burrito, so I created a bionic burrito recipe. Don't get intimidated by the list of ingredients. Using the crockpot, I made it a simple "one-pot" recipe where you can just throw everything in. It was awesome- not to brag :) but I could see this one hold it's own on the menu at Bajio's or Cafe' Rio.

Shredded Chicken & Bacon Burritos by Lyd
1 T Olive Oil
2 Chicken Breast
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon (or bacon bits)
2 T Taco Seasoning
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T Teryaki sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, drained
1 can refried beans
juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Cheese
Tortilla Shells
Rice (for inside the burrito- optional)

In crockpot, pour olive oil and place chicken in. Drizzle Worcestershire and Teryaki sauce over top. Sprinkle bacon and taco seasoning over top. Pour a little water around the sides. Cook on high about 3-4 hours.

When chicken is cooked, shred and pull apart with two forks. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and cook for another hour.

Spoon into tortilla shell and sprinkle cheese over top.

Tangy Deli Melts

Here is a great way to jazz up a simple sandwich melt. I found a great recipe in simple and Delicious, but I was missing some ingredients, so I improvised and came up with a really yummy spread! I’ll include the original and then the changes I made.

Tangy Deli Melts (2 servings)
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 tsp. apricot preserves
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
2 seeded hamburger buns, split
2 slices deli turkey
2 slices deli ham
2 slices provolone cheese

In a small bowl, combine the mayo, preserves, and mustard; spread over buns.
On each bun bottom, layer a slice of ham, turkey, and cheese. Replace tops. Place sandwiches on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted.

My Changes:
For the spread I used 2 Tbsp. Cranberry Honey Mustard and 2 Tbsp. mayo. Then I used mozzarella instead of provolone.

Berry Delight Pork Chops

While raiding the in-laws fridge, I came across this dressing and saw some real potential. It gave a typical pork chop a real boost! I know you probably don't have it on hand, but I would recommend finding it or something similar! Mmmm!

Berry Delight Pork Chops by Lyd
4 pork chops
salt and pepper
1 tsp Season Salt
1 T olive oil
1 T soy sauce
2 T Berry Delight Wish-Bone Bountifuls dressing

Heat skillet and drizzle oil over it. Put salt and pepper and season salt over pork chop and put into skillet. Pour soy sauce and dressing over top. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on both sides.

Crustless Breakfast Quiche

Usually, the only reason I don't make quiche more often is due to the fact that I stink at making pie crust and I always forget to buy them when I am at the store, so when I found a crustless quiche recipe, I was pretty excited. The recipe I found used chicken and bacon instead of sausage and peppers. (Which I bet would be good, I was just using what I had on hand.) This is a little bit more like a breakfast bake. It was really tasty!

Crustless Breakfast Quiche
1/2 lb cooked sausage
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic
6 eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet cook and drain sausage. Saute garlic, onions, and pepper with sausage. In a large bowl, combine eggs and cream. Stir in the meat mixture, and cheese. Pour into a greased 9-in deep-dish pie plate. Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

STRAWBERRY BANANA WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

STRAWBERRY BANANA WHOLE WHEAT MUFFINS

1 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. whole wheat flour 2 tbsp. sugar 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg, beaten 1 c. skim milk 1/4 c. vegetable oil 1 1/2 cup sliced strawberries and bananas Vegetable cooking spray Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine egg, milk and oil, stirring well; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in strawberries and bananas. Coat muffin pans with cooking spray; spoon batter into pans, filling 1/2 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Yield: 10 muffins, about 157 calories each.

Bacon and Chicken Sweet Tomato Pie

I got this idea on food network and I decided to add my own twist with spices and meat. It was amazing! Such a good mix! This ones a keeper!

Bacon and Chicken Sweet Tomato Pie by Lyd
*The meat is optional. You can just do the tomatoes and cheese and it is still really good, too.

1 prepared pie crust
1/2 cup cooked bacon
1/2 cup cooked chicken
3-4 fresh tomatoes, sliced
10 thick slices mozzarella cheese
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
olive oil

Lay uncooked crust in pie dish. Rotate tomato slices and cheese in a circle inside dish. Sprinkle with spices, chicken, and bacon over top. Fold extra pie crust edges over pie. Brush crust with olive oil. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

I convinced my sister-in-law to make me some pie crust (I just stink at that and she does an awesome job!). We made these fresh strawberry pies and they were delicious and very simple!

Fresh Strawberry Pie
9 inch baked pie shell (frozen deep dish works well)
2 pts. washed and cut fresh strawberries
FILLING:
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry Jello

Fill baked pie shell with fresh strawberries. Bring to a lazy boil cornstarch, water and sugar. Let cool 1 minute. Add Jello. Stir. Cool 15 minutes, then pour into shell. Refrigerate (for at least an hour to set) and top with Cool Whip.

Easy Turtle Squares

Heavenly.... I am staying with in-laws and they just keep making all these amazing desserts. This was so yummy! Bake this up and and pour a big glass of milk for me! Mmmmm...

Easy Turtle Squares
1 package (about 18oz.) chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1 cup (6-ounce package) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine cake mix, butter and milk in bowl. Press half the cake mixture into pan.
3. Bake 7 t0 8 min. Remove from oven. Sprinkle chips and 1/2 cup pecans over crust. Drizzle caramel topping over chips and pecans. Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter over caramel mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans.
4. Return to oven; bake 18 to 20 minutes longer or until top layer springs back when lightly touched. Cool completely on wire rack and cut into squares. (makes 24 bars)

Baked Rice Pudding

This is one of Paula Dean's that I fell in love with the minute I tried it. I am such a pudding person and this just hits the spot for me every time. I realized that not everyone is a rice pudding person though last night when I made this and my in-laws had a bit just to be polite. The all said they thought it was good, but I think I pretty much wiped out the batch. :) I love how this one turns out so well every time and that I can just use that tiny bit of left-over rice. I always have it baking while we eat dinner, so it is really when we finish. I also think it is fun that Paula just puts the spices on the top instead of mixing it in with everything. Hope you are a pudding person because I know you'll enjoy this one!

Baked Rice Pudding
Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice
2 1/2 cups milk
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch glass baking dish.
In a large bowl, stir together first 7 ingredients. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Place baking dish in a large pan; pour water into the pan to a depth of 1-inch. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until lightly browned and set. Combine cinnamon and nutmeg; sift over top of pudding. Cool slightly and cut into squares to serve.

Creamy Italian Chicken

I had a friend share this recipe with me and I just get excited about anything that requires a crockpot. It was sure creamy and delicious- very rich, so be sure to have a good salad with it. :)

Creamy Italian Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 bottle prepared Italian Dressing
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can of milk
1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese

In a big crockpot pour dressing of chicken and cook on low for about 5-6 hours. Take the chicken out and stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat on high for about 30 minutes and put chicken back in. Keep warm and serve over rice.

Fresh Pea Soup

I found this recipe by Ina Garten while I was waiting in the Dentist office, and it looks so good that I had the receptionist copy the recipe for me so that I could try it out. I really liked the mint in it. You can also use dried split peas and just adjust the recipe to fit- that is what I ended up doing, so mine doesn't look as pureed.

Fresh Pea Soup
2 T unsalted butter
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
5 cups freshly shelled peas or 2 packages frozen peas
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup creme
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
Garlic Croutons, for serving

1. Heat butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until peas are tender. (Frozen peas will only take 3 minutes.) Remove from heat; add the mint, salt, and pepper.
2. Puree soup in batches; Place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place lid on top, and puree on low speed. Whisk in creme and chives and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with croutons. Makes 6 servings.

Grandma Helen's Chocolate Chip Cookies

We're spending the summer at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and this was what we were greeted with- does it get any better?! These were some yummy cookies, so I got Grandma to share the recipe!

Grandma Helen's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar

Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and add 3 1/2 cups flour. Mix well and stir in 1 bag of chocolate chips or 1/2 (or 1/2 bag chocolate chips and 1/2 bag of plain m&m's).

Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees.

*Tip: Freeze balls of dough scooped with a small ice cream scoop onto a lined cookie sheet. When they are frozen, place into a Ziploc bag so they're ready when you want quick cookies!

Tortellini and Ham

I just made this yummy dish for lunch- I didn't have all the ingredients, so I had to do some substituting, but the general idea was the same, and it was really tasty!

Tortellini and Ham
1 pkg. (19 oz.) frozen cheese tortellini (or you can just cook up some dry)
1 cup frozen or fresh pepper strips
3 Tbsp. butter
1-1/4 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 tsp. minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pepper strips in butter until crisp-tender. Add ham and garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Combine the cornstarch, broth, basil, parsley and pepper; stir into pepper mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened.

Add 2 Tbsp. cheese. Drain tortellini; toss with ham mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pie

Here is one that made it to Doug's top ten list. This was a delicious 30 minute meal I found in the Cook's Country magazine. I didn't have a rotisserie chicken on hand (Do people usually have those hanging around? :) So I just fried up some chicken in a little bit of olive oil, season salt, and garlic. This made a delicious meal, and I was so excited how it stayed together like a pie. I really liked the top part (a Southwestern-inspired quiche) and the cilantro gave it a tasty flavor. I would definitely recommend trying this one out!

Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla Pie
1 (10-inch) flour tortilla (I didn't have one that big, but it still worked fine)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into ball size pieces (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup drained jarred pickled jalapenos, chopped (*I substituted a 4 oz. can of green peppers- still got some heat, but not over-powering.)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup all-pirpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 9 inch pie plate. Press tortilla into prepared pie plate and spray lightly with cooking spray. Toss chicken, cilantro, jalapenos, 1 cup cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper in large bowl until combined. Spread filling over tortilla.
2. Whisk eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl until smooth. Slowly pour over filling, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until surface is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

This was a yummy recipe I came up with as a twist off one I found on the Kraft site. I think the caramel and cinnamon make a big difference at dressing it up.

Banana Caramel Spice Pie

1 large ripe banana, sliced

1 Pie Crusts (6 oz.) oreo or graham cracker

1 cups cold milk

2-3 oz. cream cheese
1 pkg. (4-serving size each) vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed

1 cup caramel sauce

PLACE banana slices on bottom of crust. Drizzle half of the caramel over the bananas.

POUR cold milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes, cream cheese, and cinnamon. Beat with wire whisk or mixer 2 minutes or until well blended. Spoon into crust. Spread whip cream over top.

REFRIGERATE 4 hours or until set. Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top and serve topped with caramel topping. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.