Chicken Florentine Casserole

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, here is the link http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/chicken-florentine-casserole/detail.aspx.  This recipe was very easy to put together and the taste was pretty good, although I would make a few changes next time.  Tonight I made the recipe exactly as directed.

60 Seconds to Chocolaty Heaven!

If you're like me and you get a sweet tooth EVERY night, you might like this one.  When the kids are in bed and the husband is downstairs playing x-box with his headphones on, it's time to bust out the blender for your moments of quiet time on the couch before bed catching up with your girly shows.  This takes just seconds to prepare and it has everything so satisfy my sweet tooth!

Milk Shake:
*1 medium Banana (frozen bananas work too)
*1 TBSP Peanut Butter
*3 TBSP Nesquik Chocolate Powder
*1 cup Milk (more or less if you want it thick or thin)
*A handful of Ice 
Throw everything in the blender, mix it up and enjoy!  

Chef Salad and Homemade Croutons

Sometimes you just want something super healthy, like salad.  But if you have a husband like mine, they think it's only dinner if there's meat in it.  That's why I only get away with salad as the entire dinner if I put plenty of meat on top.  I'm sure everyone knows how to make a salad, but I'm just showing a tasty way to put yours together.  Replace vegetables you don't like with ones that you do like.  This salad is budget friendly and healthy.  Who said you can't afford to eat healthy?

Classic Baked Ziti

Tonight's dinner is Baked Ziti.  I got this recipe from food.com.  Here is the link, http://www.food.com/recipe/classic-baked-ziti-22176, and here is what you need to make it :

Chicken Marsala

This is by far one of my favorite chicken recipes.  I can't even tell you how great it tastes, you just HAVE to try it!  I love cooking with wine, and the Marsala wine in the recipe makes it taste great!  Here is how I make it and what it costs...

Weekly Menu 8/28-9/3

This week the temperatures are supposed to drop into the 80's, so I put a few more meals in my plan that use the oven.  Running the oven when it's 98 outside is not the best idea.  So here is this week's tentative plan...

*Sunday- Chicken Marsala

*Monday- Classic Baked Ziti (New Recipe)

*Tuesday- Chef Salad & Homemade Croutons

*Wednesday- Chicken Florentine Casserole (New Recipe)

*Thursday- Breaded Tilapia with Dipping Sauce, rice and veggies

*Friday- Left Overs

*Saturday- Ground Beef Casserole (New Recipe)

Overall there are 3 new recipe I want to try this week.  Wish me luck!  Anyone have their meals planned for this week yet?

Easy Pasta Night!

So, tonight is the kind of night where cooking something new just sounds like too much work.  It's been the kind of day where my daughter has lost her art supplies, Nintendo DS, and lava lamp (due to attitude) and still tells me "no I won't do it" when I ask her to clean her room.  Not my favorite words.  So, being busy with that and having not made my list of meals for the next week, nor have I gone grocery shopping, I decided to make something easy that I already have ingredients for.  Spaghetti!!  Lets just say that Prego is my best friend tonight!

Chicken Enchiladas

This is probably the best enchilada recipe I have ever found.  I make this monthly and my husband requests it.  It's easy to make and put together and I like to make a large batch and have lunch leftovers for the next day.  I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com and I follow the recipe exactly.  Here's what you'll need,

Grilled Salmon With Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze

This was yummy!  I am always looking for a tasty salmon recipe and I loved this one.  It was so easy to make.  I made the salmon with a side of salad and buttery bow tie pasta.  I found the salmon recipe in one of my cook books called "The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook".  

Here is how I made it:

Pulled Chicken Over Rice

I started out this day intending to make chicken enchiladas, which I love, BUT when it was 6:00 pm and my thermostat showed the temperature of my house had creeped up to 81 degrees I decided I wasn't going to turn the oven on and make it even harder for the AC to catch up.  We have had some terrible heat these last few weeks, so using the oven is not always in our best interest.  So, since I had already cooked my chicken and it was ready to shred, I searched for recipes that would include this chicken and this is what I found.  The recipe is at this link, http://www.food.com/recipe/pulled-chicken-over-rice-170028 and it was incredibly easy and tasty.  It tastes a lot like the rice and meatballs recipe I make a lot, but it has chicken instead.  I definitely recommend this for an easy summer meal when you don't want to run the oven!

Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken & Lemon Risotto

So I have to admit I had a lot of fun with this one!  I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone to make this meal with ingredients I have never before used, and I'm glad I did it.  Before tonight I didn't know if I even liked risotto, and now I know I do.  I got both of these recipes from Rachael Ray's Look + Cook cookbook.  I love this book because it shows pictures of the cooking process.  I wanted to take more pictures for this one, but honestly, keeping up with the chicken and risotto at the same time left little time for pictures.  Here are the recipes I used:

Pork Chops in Mushroom Marsala Sauce

This is one of my easy go-to recipes that I can throw together in 30 minutes.  I created this recipe from putting my own twist on other recipes I've seen before.  Here is how I make it :

Homemade Pizza

Menu for this week 8/19-8/25

Here is this week's menu plan, I am trying 3 new recipes!!! Wish me luck!

*Friday- Eating at a friends!

*Saturday-  Homemade Pizza with the kids (Husband will be gone since hunting season starts)

*Sunday-  Pork Chops in Mushroom/Wine Sauce Over Pasta

*Monday-  Lemon Risotto and Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken... and maybe a salad

*Tuesday- Chicken Enchiladas

*Wednesday- Left Overs

*Thursday- Grilled Salmon With Ginger-Orange Mustard Glaze With Steamed Veggies & Rice

Chicken Pot Pie

Tonight I made chicken pot pie. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com, the link is "http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-pot-pie-ix/detail.aspx". This pie is made from scratch except for the crust. I used a frozen deep dish pie crust for the bottom and a refrigerated roll out crust for the top. I followed the recipe exactly and I thought it turned out great! The sauce was quick and easy to make as well. I make chicken pot pie about once a month, but this is the first time I've tried this recipe, and I think I like it better than what I've usually done.

Chicken Milano

I am a big pasta lover, and this one is now one of my favorites! I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and I altered it slightly.  My husband loved this dish and he even said it tastes like something from a restaurant. The blend of sun-dried tomatoes, heavy cream, garlic and chicken broth makes a tasty sauce.  I will definitely be making this one again.


Chicken Milano 
*2 T Butter
*4 Cloves Garlic, minced
*1 cup (1.5oz) Sun-dried Tomatos, sliced
*2 C Chicken Broth, divided
*2 C Heavy Cream
*3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (about 1.5 lbs), sliced in half
*Salt and Pepper to taste
*2 T Olive Oil
*3-4 T Chopped Fresh Basil
*16 oz Fettuccini Pasta

Start a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the pasta and cook to "al dente".  Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the garlic for about 30 seconds.

 Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and the dried tomatoes, bring to a boil, lower the temperature and simmer about 10 minutes.

 Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, add the olive oil to a non-stick skillet and add the chicken.  Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and juices are no longer pink.

 After the sauce has simmered, stir in the heavy cream, bring to a boil and simmer a few minutes.

 When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the skillet, set aside and keep warm.  Pour the remaining chicken broth into the skillet the chicken was in and boil for 1-2 minutes to loosen the  bits on the bottom of the pan.

 Add the chicken broth to the sauce and stir in the basil.

 Add about 6 tablespoons of the sauce to the pasta, and toss together.

 Serve the chicken over the pasta and pour the sauce over top!  Enjoy!

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

This Lemon-Garlic Tilapia has become a favorite of mine.  It's fast, easy and light!  When you pair this tilapia with brown rice and steamed veggies you are looking at a low calorie, low fat meal that "in my house" means... there's room for dessert!  Yay!  Here's all you'll need:

Lemon Garlic Tilapia

*recipe from allrecipes.com

4 Tilapia Fillets (about 3/4 lb) ($4.43)

2 Lemons ($1.00)

2 Tablespoons Butter ($0.18)

2 Cloves Garlic, minced ($0.04)

1 1/2 tsp Parsley Flakes ($0.15)

Salt and Pepper

Total cost to make $5.80, makes 4 servings and does not include sides.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and lightly grease the baking dish.

 Sprinkle tilapia with salt and pepper on each side and add to the baking dish.

 In a small saucepan add the butter, minced garlic, parsley flakes, and the juice of 1 1/2 of the lemons.  Save the other half of lemon for wedges to serve with the fish.

 Saute for a few minutes over medium heat.

 Pour the butter mixture over the tilapia.  

 Bake in the 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until white and flaky.  Serve with your choice of sides and enjoy!

Back On Track

Well, This was my first week of planning ahead for all my dinners and, well, things happen. I took a few days to help with a family member and wasn't at home to cook, so now I need to get back on track and I have 3 more meals to make for the week. So this weeks schedule is changing slightly, since I am now going to cook with the ingredients that will go bad first. I will still make the items on my menu, just in a different order. Tonight will be lemon & garlic tilapia; tomorrow, chicken milano; and the following day chicken pot pie.

BBQ Chicken Wings

This was a pretty low key dinner, but it always goes over well. I used the mini wings and drumsticks and first baked them in the oven at 375 with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, for about 50 minutes. Then I tossed them in a bowl with BBQ sauce and threw them on the grill for about 5 minutes.

The macaroni salad had olives, cheese, and pickles and the sauce is made of miracle whip, mayo, mustard, pickle juice, and S&P. Very easy to throw together.

Menu for this week 8/10-8/16

This is the first weekly menu, and I plan to stick with it. I have one night dedicated to left overs, and it's possible that one night could turn into a eat out/go to a family member's house/ or have company night where I would have to alter my plans slightly. But here it is...

Wednesday- BBQ Chicken Wings, Macaroni Salad, & Biscuits

Thursday- Steak (Probably Ribeye), Oven Roasted Potatoes, and Salad. (We are having company!)

Friday- Chicken Milano (a new recipe)

Saturday- Lemon & Garlic Tilapia (new recipe), brown rice, & asparagus

Sunday- Chicken Pot Pie (I have made this many times before but I am trying a different recipe that I hope will be better!)

Monday- Left Overs!

Tuesday- Homemade Cheeseburgers, potato salad, & chips

Blueberry Zucchini Bread

Today I had some zucchini to use up, so I decided to make this blueberry zucchini bread. The recipe I used is from allrecipes.com. Here is the link, http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blueberry-zucchini-bread/detail.aspx . I thought this was a very tasty recipe, but I would use a little less vanilla extract next time, I thought it was a little strong. I also altered the recipe slightly, I used 1/2 C apple sauce and 1/2 C oil, instead of the full amount of oil, and I also used 2 C whole wheat flour and 1 C white flour, which probably made it a bit more dense, but much more healthy!
This was a great way to use my zucchini, although it only used 2 cups. I also topped the recipe with a crumb topping which is totally optional. The recipe was just the right size for one full sized loaf and 12 muffins, since my kids like to eat the muffins for breakfast!

Cars 2 Cake!

My son's 4th birthday was just weeks after the new Cars 2 movie came out, so he decided he wanted a Cars cake! This one took many hours of work and a few pound of fondant, plus the cars purchased at Walmart, but I got it done and was pretty happy with the result :)

Qwirkle Cake!

This one was done last minute. I was in a baking mood the night before I had a game night with some friends. I love the game Qwirkle.

Halloween Cake!

I LOVE Halloween!  And what's more fun than making a Halloween themed cake?  Not much in my house!  

To make a festive cake like this one, just bake up 2 layers of your favorite cake, frost, stack and cover the cake in white Marshmallow Fondant, making sure to color some fondant orange and green for the pumpkins.  

Pipe the spider web on with chocolate frosting and a small round tip.  And don't forget the spider!  Shape your pumpkins out of the orange fondant and use the green for stems and vines!  

This is sure to be a hit at your Halloween party!