Chicken Parmigiana

  I shared the best cheesy garlic bread the other day, so today I'm sharing a perfect dish to make with it. Chicken Parmigiana! This chicken is so amazingly flavorful and a family favorite of ours! If your having company over to your house anytime soon, I suggest you make this delicious chicken for your guests.

  I love that the sauce is loaded with fresh garlic, onion and parsley. Break out the good parmesan cheese for this one, not the green canned stuff. You won't regret it! I sometimes serve this with garlic mashed potatoes instead of the noodles. It is to-die-for!



Chicken Parmigiana

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 a yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
3/4 cup of chicken broth
3 cans (14.5 ounce, each) crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound (16 ounces) thin spaghetti noodles

Directions: Mix the flour, salt and pepper on a large plate. Dredge the flattened chicken in the flour mixture to coat. Set aside.

Meanwhile, start boiling your pasta noodles in a large pot of water, according to package directions.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil is hot, fry chicken breasts, on each side, for about 3-4 minutes, or until their nice and golden brown. Remove chicken breasts and plate on a plate. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Add onions and garlic to skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and scrape the bottom of pan, getting the bits from the chicken coating. Allow chicken broth to reduce by half, about 2 minutes or so. Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low mixture to simmer for 30 minutes. The last few minutes of cooking, add chopped, fresh parsley.

Place the chicken breasts on top of the sauce in skillet, and cover them with parmesan cheese. Cover skillet with lid and reduce heat to low. Let simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated.

Place pasta noodles on individual plates and top with sauce and chicken. Sprinkle with more fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe from: The Pioneer Woman

Garlic Cheese Bread

  I can't think of a better thing to accompany a delicious Italian meal than this cheesy, buttery garlic bread. Words cannot describe how amazingly scrumptious this bread is, so please just do yourself a favor and make it. Now!

 It is sinful, but so worth it. It's topped with 3 different cheeses, low-fat mayo (gasp! I know) butter, garlic and chopped green onion. I think the green onion is what makes it amazing. This bread can really be a meal all in itself. Sometimes, I'll just serve it with a side salad and some marinara sauce on the side for dipping. It is so filling and so good.

Garlic Cheese Bread

1 loaf French Bread
1 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup low-fat Mayonnaise
4 green onions, chopped


Directions: In a medium bowl, mix together the cheeses, mayonnaise and chopped green onion. Cover and keep in fridge until ready to use.

Cut loaf of French bread in half lengthwise, then in half again. Making 4 equal pieces. Working with 1/4 a loaf at a time, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Then add 1 clove of minced garlic. Place 1 of the sections of bread, face down, into the skillet. Swirl bread around to soak up the butter and garlic, and allow bread to toast very slightly. Remove bread and place on a baking sheet, face up.  Repeat process with remaining butter, garlic and bread.

Spread cheese mixture evenly onto each section of bread. Bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. About 10 minutes. Slice and serve! ♥

 

 

Recipe adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream (no machine required)

 

 

   One Summer when I was maybe 10 or 11, my step-mom made us homemade vanilla ice cream. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world that we were making our own ice cream at home! I was so excited to watch her put all the ingredients in the ice cream machine, and watch it stir into sweet goodness. Waiting for it to be done was pure torture. When we finally got to try it, I remember it being the most delicious ice cream I had ever tasted.

  I still don't own an ice cream machine, but I've always craved that delicious homemade treat. I was browsing through a few blogs the other day and was SO excited to find you can easily make it at home, without a machine! This Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream recipe particularly caught my eye, over at Something Swanky.

  It's packed with strawberry swirls and chunks, along with golden oreo cookie bits and cream cheese heaven. It was amazing homemade ice cream, to say the least, and was so extremely easy to make. I'm excited to play around more with these easy ice cream recipes. The options are endless!



Easy Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 ounce) tub Cool Whip
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 Golden Oreo cookies (about half the package)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (21 ounce) can Strawberry Pie filling ( I used Duncan Hines)


Directions: In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk, cool whip, cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract. With a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

In a food processor (or you can use a large ziplock bag and rolling pin) add the Golden Oreos and 1/4 cup butter. Combine and crush together until crumbly.

Dump the oreo crumbs into the center of the batter, then pour the can of Strawberry pie filling over the oreo crumbs. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the filling and crumbs into the ice cream batter. *Only fold 2 or 3 times. You want swirls in the ice cream, so don't over mix. Pour mixture into a standard loaf pan and cover tightly with saran wrap.

Freeze atleast 6 hours or overnight. Then serve and enjoy! ♥

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ham, Egg & Cheese Crescent Rolls

   I love making breakfast, but with our busy schedules, I don't get to make it as often as I'd like. It's impossible on the weekdays, so I usually try to on the weekends. I typically make us pancakes, or waffles a long with scrambled eggs and turkey bacon.

   A few weekends ago I decided to change it up a bit, and tried these stuffed crescent rolls. The kiddo's gobbled them up! They were SO awesome. I thought about different varieties that would be great. Not a ham fan? Add some crumbled sausage, or turkey-sausage (love that stuff!) or try a different cheese to go inside. Swiss with the ham, or mozzarella with the sausage! I'm excited to experiment, and I'll be sure to report back here when I do!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Crescent Rolls
Makes 16 rolls

2 (8 ounce) tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls
16 thin slices honey ham
4 large eggs, scrambled
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese


Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the crescent dough from the tubes. Separate at perforations and place crescent triangles onto large cookie sheets. 8 per cookie sheet.

Roll up each slice of ham and place one piece onto the wide end of the crescent. Top ham with a little bit of scrambled egg and 2 Tablespoons of shredded cheese. Starting at the wide end, carefully roll up each crescent towards the point.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve and enjoy! ♥

Brownie Mix Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

    I have totally fallen in-love with these cookies. Honestly, I would eat a brownie over a piece of cake, any day. I think it's a texture thing. I can't think of a more amazing dessert than a chewy, dense and chocolatey brownie. So needless to say, these cookies were heaven to me.

    I love how simple they are to make, and the flavor is to-die-for. I topped them off with some cream cheese frosting and it shot them right up to the next level! They were so soft and so totally delicious.

Now excuse me, while I go make another batch...


Brownie Mix Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting

1 package (18.3 ounce) Fudge Brownie mix ( I used Betty Crocker)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted then cooled
1-2 Tablespoons water

Directions: Whisk together the brownie mix and flour in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs until combined, then butter and water. Batter will be thick. Cover and refrigerate one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop tablespoonfuls of dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, spacing at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Let cool cookies cool completely before frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting:

5 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 Tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions: Cream together the cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer on medium speed. Add in the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Beat until soft and creamy. Spread frosting on cooled cookies.

Pizzadillas

   I'm just now realizing that Cinco de Mayo is this weekend and I haven't posted anything for the celebration. I guess these Pizzadillas (aka. Pizza Quesadillas) are kind of close to Cinco de Mayo food... they are quesadillas! ha

   With Summer approaching (yay!) and the desire to not want to turn the oven on, these yummy quesadillas will probably be eaten a lot at my house. They only take a minute to prepare, pretty healthy if you ask me, and delish. Obviously, they are so versatile. You can stuff these with anything you'd like. We went veggie-style this time around and loved them!
  

  

Pizzadillas

8 large Whole wheat tortillas (or use flour tortillas)
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 bag Turkey pepperoni slices
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small can sliced olives, drained and rinsed
1/2 a red onion, sliced thin
Pizza sauce, for dipping


Directions: Heat a non-stick griddle or skillet over medium heat. Take one tortilla and sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on one side. Top with desired toppings. Sprinkle a little more cheese over toppings. Fold over other half of tortilla to cover toppings. Carefully place on heated griddle. Cook tortilla on each side for about a minute, or until cheese is melted. Transfer pizzadilla to a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas and toppings.

Slice pizzadillas and serve with pizza sauce. Enjoy♥

  

Menu Plan Monday #30

   My family and I had an amazing weekend up in Salt Lake City. My husband went to the Supercross, while I got to hang with my sister-in-law. We had a ball! I think I would move up to Salt Lake if it wasn't for the crazy snow they get in the winter.

   I'm putting some delish grub on this week's menu. I'm making one of my all-time favorite salads and also getting my crock pot to help me out, while I start off a busy Monday at work. Hope you all have a great week!

Monday

Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken

green salad

Tuesday

~Leftovers~

Wednesday

BBQ Chicken Salad

Thursday

~easy night~

sandwiches, baked chips, fruit

Friday

Broccoli & Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

grilled steaks

salad

Saturday

~Kitchen's Closed~

Momma gets a night off :)

Sunday

Taco Pizza

caesar salads

Menu Plan Monday #29

  Another fun weekend has come and gone. We had gorgeous, sunny weather here in Southern Utah, so we spent a lot of the weekend outside enjoying it. I also had the chance to get some cooking done, so I have some awesome recipes to share this week!

  As for our dinner Menu, I'm making some recipes we haven't had in awhile. It's nice to change things up. I'm definitely looking forward to all of them! Here's what they are...

Monday

Chicken Pillows

garden salads

veggie

Tuesday

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Wednesday

~Leftovers~

Thursday

* Lemon Pepper Chicken

rice & veggies

Friday

Easy Beef Stroganoff

corn

Saturday & Sunday

*Kitchen's Closed all weekend! (yay)

Going on a family trip :)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Grilled Chicken Stuffed Burritos and Creamy Cilantro-Ranch dressing

  Yes, I am giving you another Mexican recipe. I am in-love, obsessed, and will never get enough of my beloved Mexican food. So expect more of it. Okay. Thanks. Bye.  ;)

  I took a walk on the healthier side with these burritos, and they turned out phenomenal! I grilled up some chicken with a little bit of seasonings, and made our favorite mexican rice to stuff inside as well. I also added refried beans, chopped tomato and lettuce and wrapped it all inside a whole wheat tortilla.

 Talk about amazeballs! They were sooo good.

  There happened to still be some Creamy Cilantro-Ranch dressing in my fridge, I had made a few days before, so we decided to dip our burritos in it. It topped them off to perfection. Seriously, I can't wait to make these again!


Grilled Chicken Stuffed Burritos
Recipe by: Holly Lofthouse
Makes 6 Burritos

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 Tablespoon McCormick's Roasted garlic & Bell pepper seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups prepared Mexican rice
1 can refried beans
1 tomato, chopped
1 head Romaine lettuce, cleaned and chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
low fat sour cream
salsa
6 large whole-wheat tortillas
Creamy Cilantro dressing (recipe below)


Directions: Heat a large non-stick grill pan (or skillet), over medium heat. Add bite-size chicken pieces to pan and drizzle with the 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season chicken with garlic & bell pepper seasoning, salt and pepper.

Cook and stir chicken for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Meanwhile, cook the refried beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until heated.

On a microwave-safe plate, heat the tortillas until they're warm. Take one tortilla and spread 1/2 cup of beans into the center. Top with some grilled chicken and 1/3 cup mexican rice. Add desired amounts of tomato, lettuce and cheese. Roll up burrito-style, then serve with sour cream, salsa and dressing.


Creamy Cilantro-Ranch dressing

1 (1 ounce) package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup light Mayo
3/4 cup green salsa
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced

Directions: Pour all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour dressing into a container and seal. Store in fridge at least 2 hours to let flavors meld, before serving. Dressing stays good in fridge up to 1 week.

My baby is 3!

  My baby turned 3 last Saturday, and I'm still crying about it :*(  He is growing up too fast! I wish I could push pause and take in all the special moments. One of the most recent, and favorite of mine, was when I was driving him to daycare last week. I could see him looking at me in the rear view mirror when he said, "You so pwetty, Mommy."

Gah! Talk about melting a Momma's heart ♥  :)


 Kallen is our last baby. A few months after he was born we decided three kids was plenty for us, so it's bittersweet as he grows older. It also validates why I go all out for his birthdays. We celebrated with a big bash and invited all of his favorite people. It turned out so fun! I thought I'd share a few pics of the big day.

The Birthday boy!



He specifically requested a 'Cars' cake.
This was my attempt...

Some 'Traffic Light'

treats for the partay!

We served sandwiches and lot's of

yummy food to the party guests!

Present time!

After about 2 hours of partying,

he was done.

Seriously, done.

Ummm, wait. Maybe I'll just enjoy one more

bite of cake with the boys...

And one more cruise on my new ride.

Happy Birthday, Kallen ♥