It's That Time of Year Again!

Well, another year of life has come and gone for me! Tomorrow is my 32nd Birthday! I'm ready for this day...even though it means getting older. To prepare for it, I baked some yummy treats to take to work for a little "party" in the office! They turned out great!

FRUIT PIZZA COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:
1 Pkg. Refrigerated Slice & Bake Sugar Cookies
1 (8 oz.) Cream Cheese; softened
1/2 C. Powdered Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Fresh Fruit of choice

Bake the cookies according to package directions. While cookies are baking, mix together the Cream Cheese and Powdered Sugar until smooth. Stir in the Vanilla and Lemon Juice; set aside until ready to use. To assemble the pizzas, spread about a tablespoon of frosting on each cookie and top with fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Here's a picture of mine:

Quit drooling over your keyboard! ;) Give them a try, they are sure to be a hit at your house too!

My Birthday Eve Supper...

Tonight, on the eve of my 32nd Birthday I decided to try another recipe from Pinterest! It was quick and easy after a long day at work. Just what I needed so that I could get working on my Birthday treat to bring to the office tomorrow! :)

CREAMY CHICKEN POCKETS

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2-3 Small Chicken Breasts; diced
1/2 C. Minced Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
1 Tbsp. Butter; softened
3 oz. Cream Cheese; softened
1/4 tsp. Seasoned Salt
2 Tbsp. Milk
1 (8 oz.) Pillsbury Crescents (I used the large ones)
1 Tbsp. Butter; melted
1/4 C. Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs; optional

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the Chicken with the Onions and Garlic. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the Cream Cheese and 1 Tbsp. Melted Butter until smooth. Stir in the Cooked Chicken, Onions and Garlic. Add the Salts, Pepper and Milk; mix well. Separate the Crescent Roll Dough into 8 triangles. Dollop a Tablespoon of filling into the center of each triangle and fold the corners up to seal. Press and seal firmly. Place on ungreased baking sheet or stone and repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with Bread Crumbs. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown.

These were so easy, and so good! Give them a try! :)

Mmmm Rice!

Another recipe to check off of my Pinterest to try list! This one was really good, despite all of the steps involved.

CHEESY CHICKEN & WILD RICE CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, finely diced
3 Stalks Celery, finely diced
3 Carrots, peeled and diced
2 Tbsp. Fresh, Minced Garlic
2 C. Shredded, Cooked Chicken Breast
2 C. Steamed White Rice
16 oz. Prepared Wild Rice
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt

CHEESE SAUCE:
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 C. Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 C. Chicken Broth
2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Top with 2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a dutch oven or medium pot over medium heat. Saute Onions, Celery and Carrots until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in Garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in Chicken, both Rices, Salt, Pepper and Garlic Salt. Reduce to low. To prepare Cheese Sauce melt Butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in Flour, Salt and Pepper then slowly pour in Chicken Broth whisking continously. Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in 2 C. Cheese until melted. Pour Cheese Sauce into Rice Mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased 9x13 pan and top with remaining Shredded Cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Makes 8-10 servings

A Neat Treat

I found this recipe on Pinterest and I wanted to try them. They are just so cute!

EASTER EGG HUNT COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Crisco (or 1/2 C. Crisco & 1/2 C. Butter)
3/4 C. White Sugar
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
24 Mini Cadbury Cream Eggs

Optional:
Green Frosting
Jelly Beans or M&M's

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a mini-muffin pan. Cream Crisco/Butter, Sugars, and Vanilla. Add Eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl combine Flour, Baking Soda and Salt. Gradually add to wet ingredients. The dough will start to pull away from the side of the bowl. Using about a tablespoon of dough wrap the Mini Cadbury Cream Egg so it's completely covered. Place in Mini Muffin Pan. Bake for about 9 minutes, or until golden. ***IMPORTANT*** Let the cookies cool in pan for about 10-12 minutes until you can "twist" it out. Using your fingertips gently try to twist the cookie to remove it. If cookie seems too soft like it will break apart wait 2 minutes and try again. If your muffin tin is greased the cookie will lift out whole after about 10-12 minutes. But do not let your cookie cool completely in tin or it may adhere itself to the pan and then you will have to scrape it out. Let cookies cool completely on wire rack. Top with Frosting and Jelly Beans or M&M's. Enjoy!

These are the cutest things I've ever seen!

Another Easy-Peasy Crockpot Meal

It was so nice to be able to just throw all of the fixings for supper tonight into the crockpot with very little effort on my part! And now my house smells fantastic as it's still cooking!

SLOW COOKER CREAM RANCH PORK CHOPS & POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 Pork Chops
6-8 Medium Potaotes; chopped into large pieces
2 Cans (10.75 oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup
2 Pkgs. Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 C. Milk
Dried Parsley to sprinkle on the top (optional)

Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray, and put the potatoes in the bottom. Place Pork Chops on top. Mix together the Cream of Chicken Soup, Ranch Dressing and Milk, mix well. Pour on top of the Pork Chops and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours. Use the extra sauce in the slow cooker as gravy for the potatoes and chops. Sprinkl with parsley.

I'm hungry just typing this! Good thing that supper will be ready in the next half hour or so!

Potatoes Are So Good!

This is the side dish that is being served with the Chicken recipe that I just posted. I can't wait to try them. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but the courtesy goes to Paul Deen, as this is her recipe.

OVEN ROASTED POTATOES WITH GARLIC & ROSEMARY

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 Lb. Small New Red Potatoes
1/4 C. Olive Oil
4-6 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. Fresh or 1 tsp. Dried Rosemary
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Pare a narrow strip of peel from the middle of each potato. In a large bowl mix the Oil, Garlic, and Rosemary; add the Potatoes and toss well. The season the Potatoes with Salt and Pepper. Transfer the potatoes to a shallow baking dish and place in oven until potatoes are tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Serve hot.

Oh so yummy!

Chicken for Supper Tonight!

My house currently smells so good! It's courtesy of tonight's supper...there are hints of garlic and citrus lurking in the air. I can't wait until it's ready. This is another recipe that is courtesy of....you guessed it, PINTEREST!!!! :)

ORANGE ROASTED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS:

1 Whole Chicken, rinsed and patted dry
2 tsp. Dried Rosemary or 2 Tbsp. fresh
1 tsp. Dried Sage or 1 Tbsp. fresh
1 Orange, sliced into wedges
1/2 Onion; chopped into chunks
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350. Slice Orange into wedges. Salt and Pepper the Chicken. Put the Chicken in a Roasting Pan. Add Oranges, Rosemary, Onions and Garlic to Chicken cavity. Drizzle the Chicken with Olive Oil. Bake until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 1 hour.

I am drooling waiting for this to be done!

Catching Up On A Few Posts...Sunday Dinner!

I'm so loving Pinterest!!!!!! I've found so many good recipes on that site! I love trying them and sharing them with you. :) I made this recipe yesterday for lunch and the bro LOVED it!

LAZY SUNDAY CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
4 Sausages (Beef or Pork)
1 Lb. Potatoes
1/2 Lb. Carrots
1/2 Bell Pepper
1 Large Onion
1 Fennel Bulb
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp. Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Italian Herbs
1/2 C. Chicken Broth
3 to 4 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat oven to 450. Peel the Potatoes, wash them, then cut them into four pieces. Peel one large or two small Onions and cut them in wedges. Remove the base and stalks of the Fennel, and turn that one into wedges as well. Slice 1/2 to 1 Bell Pepper into strips and put everything in a big Roasting Tray (I used a 9x13 pan). Use a big bowl to combine the Oil, Italian Herbs, Grated or Chopped Garlic, and Chicken Broth. Pour it over the Vegetables. Toss them around to make sure the Broth gets everywhere. Seaso with a generous amount of Salt and Pepper. Cover the tray with foil and bake for 45 minutes. In the meantime, lightly brown the Sausages on the stove-top and slice into 3 pieces. After 45 minutes the potaotes and veggies should be fork tender, if they are, remove from oven and uncover. If not, put back in oven until they are. Place the Sauasages on top and pour the Balsamic Vinegar all over. Place the tray back in the oven, uncovered fr 25 to 30 minutes. Take out after 15 minutes, flip over the Sauasages and ladle the juices lurking at the bottom of the pan over the veggies. (I added some more broth at this point) Put it back in the oven for the remaining time, until everything is nice and brown.

This meal was easy to prepare and tasted so good! Give it a try!

Dreaming of Summer Gardening With This Supper...

And yet another recipe that I found on Pinterest and just had to try! It truly is delicious and very easy to prepare! Can't get any better than that!

TORTELLINI AND GARDEN VEGETABLE BAKE

INGREDIENTS:
10 oz. Dried Cheese Filled Tortellini (or 2- 9oz. Refrigerated Packages)
1 Medium Carrot, thinly sliced
1 1/2 C. Sugar Snap Peas; halved crosswise
1 Tbsp. Butter or Margarine
1 Lb. Bonelss, Skinless Chicken Breasts; cut into bite size chunks
1 C. Fresh Sliced Mushrooms
1/3 C. Chicken Broth
1 1/2 tsp. Oregano
2 tsp. Flour
3/4 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1 C. Milk
1 (8 oz.) Cream Cheese; softened and cut into cubes
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 C. Quartered Cherry Tomatoes
1 Small Red or Green Sweet Pepper; coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook Tortellini in boiling water according to package directions. Add the Carrot during the last 5 minutes, and the Sugar Snap Peas during the last 1 minute of cooking. Drain. Meanwhile, heat Butter or Margarine in a 12-inch skillet. Add Chicken and Mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet. Shake together Chicken Broth, Oregano, Flour, Garlic Salt and Pepper in a screw-top jar until smooth. Add to Skillet along with Milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; add Cream Cheese. Cook and stir until Cream Cheese is smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in Lemon Juice. Add Pasta Mixture, Chicken Mixture, Tomatoes and Red or Green Pepper. Toss to coat. Turn into a 9x13 pan or 3-quart casserole dish. Bake, COVERED for 30 to 35 minutes. Stir and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

This is an unbelievable dish! Give it a try!