~Bacon Pancake Dippers~

Ingredients:

1 recipe of the Bisquick pancake batter including the ingredients to make the batter or regular pancake batter

12 slices center cut bacon

syrup

Directions:

Cook bacon and set aside.

Mix batter according to the package directions.

Pour into a squeeze bottle with a big enough hole for the batter to come out.

Heat griddle to 300 degrees.

Squirt batter in a long oval shape a little longer and wider then the bacon and place a slice of cooked bacon in the center.

Lightly press bacon into the batter.

Squeeze more batter over the bacon. 

This is to protect the bacon from the griddle when you turn that pancake dipper over.

Cook until the batter starts to bubble then turn over and cook a few minutes longer.

Serve syrup in 4 ounce wide mouth mason jars.

~Breakfast Enchiladas~

Ingredients:

1 lb sausage

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

8 (8 inch) flour tortillas

6 eggs

1 T all-purpose flour

2 c half-and-half

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz. package of real bacon bits(or use crumbled cooked bacon)

Directions:

In a skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage and then drain fat.

In a large bowl, stir together browned sausage, 1 c. cheese and 1/2 of the package of bacon bits.

Place 1/8 of the mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll up and place seem side down in a sprayed 9×13 baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.

In another large bowl beat eggs, flour and salt. Mix in half-and-half. Pour over the tortillas in the pan. You can cover the dish and place in the fridge or baked immediately. (I refrigerated it overnight and it turned out great).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover dish and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over tortillas. Sprinkle the rest of the bacon bits over cheese.

Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover dish and bake 10 minutes longer or until set and cheese is melted.

Lasagna Soup

I found a recipe on Pinterest the other day and it looked good but included some things I knew my family wouldn't care for like onions and green peppers, and excluded things that I thought would be really tasty like minced garlic and ricotta cheese. :) So here is my twist on this tasty recipe! 

Lasagna Soup

1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 large cans of tomato sauce (mine were 29 oz. each)

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup Ricotta cheese

1 tsp.Italian seasoning

1/2 cup Cheddar cheese

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles, broken into pieces 

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

For garnish: 

Mozarella cheese

garlic or Italian croutons

Preheat a large pot or dutch oven to med-high and brown your ground beef, salt, pepper, and minced garlic together. Drain excess grease and return to pot. 

Add your diced tomatoes, both cans of tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, chicken broth, and your lasagna noodles to the pot and mix it all together. 

Cover and simmer on med-low for approximately 1 hour. 

Add your Ricotta cheese and mix together well. 

Cover and resume simmering for another 1/2 hour or until your noodles are as tender as you prefer them. 

Add your cheddar cheese and mix together until melted throughout and remove from heat. 

Ladle soup out into bowls and top with mozzarella cheese and croutons to your liking. 

That's it! Easy as that! :) 

~Loaded Chicken & Potatoes~

Loaded Chicken & Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cubed (1?)

6-8 medium skin on red potatoes, cut in 1/2? cubes

1/3 c olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp hot sauce (more if you like it HOT)

Topping:

2 c fiesta blend cheese

1 c crumbled bacon

1 c diced green onion

How to Make:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9X13? baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Add the cubed potatoes and chicken and stir to coat. Carefully scoop the potatoes and chicken into the prepared baking dish..

3. Bake the potatoes and chicken for 55-60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until cooked through, crispy, and browned on the outside. While the potatoes are cooking, fry your bacon (about half a pound).

4. Once the potatoes and chicken are fully cooked, remove from the oven. Top the cooked potatoes with the the cheese, bacon, and green onion. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

~Crispy Cheddar Chicken~

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

2 lbs chicken tenders or 4 large chicken breasts

2 sleeves Ritz crackers(the vegetable ritz are delicious if u can find them.)

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup whole milk

3 cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Sauce:

1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup( i used fat free)

2 tablespoon sour cream( i use fat free greek yogurt)

2 tablespoon butter

Crush crackers. If using chicken breasts and not tenders, cut each chicken breast into 3 large pieces. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Then press the cheesy coated chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in.

Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan. Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

In a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken

~Caramel Apple Pie~

Caramel Apple Pie

Pie crusts for a 9 inch double crust deep dish pie

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

5 cups thinly sliced apples

2/3 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

20 caramels, halved

2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To Make Taffy: 

In a small bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, and 1/3 cup flour. Mix well and set aside.

To Make Apple Filling: 

Place apples in a large bowl. Add white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Toss until all ingredients are mixed well and apples are thoroughly coated.

Spoon half of apple filling into pastry-lined deep-dish pan. Top with half of caramels and half of taffy mixture. Repeat process with remaining apple filling, caramels and taffy mixture. Place top pastry over filling and seal well (this is very important--if edges are not sealed, caramel will leak out all over). Cut steam vents and brush top crust with milk or light cream.

Cover pie with foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil from pie and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Serve warm.

Roast Chicken & Red Potatoes

This is one of those meals that really hits the spot on a lazy day with your family. It reminded me of grandma's house for Sunday dinner, and the kids really loved it too! They even asked for seconds, which is rare. It's so simple my 4 year old could probably make it (if I let her near my oven, LOL) So anyway, I hope you enjoy my simple recipe for roast chicken with red potatoes. 

Ingredients: 

Salt & pepper

5-8 lb. whole chicken

6 red potatoes

parsley

onion, cut into small chunks

minced garlic

1 stick of butter, 1/2 melted, 1/2 cold

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

Take out your chicken, and be sure it's completely thawed and all the innards (if there are any, mine didn't have them) are out of it. Salt the cavity GENEROUSLY, it will help to flavor the chicken as it cooks. Place in an oven safe deep pot (I used a dutch oven) with a lid. 

Put your onion and garlic in the cavity of the chicken, salt and pepper the outside of the chicken, and pour your melted butter over the top of it. 

Cover with the lid and cook for 20 minutes per pound, and then an additional 20 minutes to be sure it's done all the way through. 

When you have about 45 minutes left in your cooking, add your sliced red potatoes, butter the outside of your chicken, and sprinkle salt, pepper, and parsley over the top of all of it.

Replace lid. 

Cook for remaining time, and then set out to cool for about 10 minutes. 

Remove chicken from pot and let rest on a plate or cutting board for about 10-15 minutes before cutting into serving pieces. 

That's it!!! Easy peasy!