I found this recipe a couple months ago on allrecipes.com and knew I’d love it because it has two of my favorite things in it…artichokes and mayonnaise.  I tried it the day after I found the recipe and fell in love!  I’ve made this a couple times when we’ve had company over and each time they’ve asked for the recipe.  If you don’t love mayo don’t be afraid of this recipe…the combination of ingredients make for a deliciously creamy dish.  The chicken ends up moist and flavorful.

The other thing I like about this recipe is that is has ingredients that I always have on hand, so that’s always a plus!  You just mix the ingredients, put it in a baking dish, and 25-30 minutes later you have a VERY delicious dinner!  This is a great weeknight meal (like I said just stir it up put it in the oven and move on with your life), but it’s also perfect for a weeknight or entertaining.  I REALLY hope you try this one, I know you’ll love it!

Artichoke Chicken

• 1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 pinch garlic pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic pepper. Place chicken in a greased baking dish, and cover evenly with artichoke mixture.
3. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.

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So I was watching the food network the other day (what? really?) and Guy Fieri’s live show came on.  I don’t usually watch him, most of his recipes I’ve seen are kinda out there, but I was bored so thought I’d give him a chance.  As usual, the stuff he was making wasn’t really my cup of tea, but then he started talking about this “malty strawnana.”  I had just gotten a blender from my brother and sis-in-law for a belated birthday present (that’s what happens when we live 500 miles away!) so it got my attention.  A malty strawnana is probably just what you’d expect: a vanilla shake with malt, strawberries and bananas.  I got the stuff for it that night, and it’s so good…just the perfect classic shake.  So…enjoy, I know we did!

Malty Strawnana

• 2 c. good quality vanilla ice cream (I always buy Breyers)
• 1/4 c. milk, add half in first, remainder if necessary
• 5 Tbsp malt (a.k.a. Ovaltine)
• 1 1/2 c. strawberries (he said to use fresh but let’s be honest…it’s December so they’re expensive right now.  I used frozen and it came out great!)
• 1 small ripe banana or 3/4 of a large one

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

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So, again, once of those recipes that I had at a friend’s house when they had us over for dinner (thanks Emily!), begged for the recipe, and argued with her because I wouldn’t believe it’s that easy! It sounds like a typical chicken casserole, but believe me, the few variations on ingredients (aka curry and mayo…in a casserole? Believe me on this one…delicious!!). Seriously, you GOTTA try this one…it’ll be a new staple in your house!

Chicken Divan

• 2 pkg. frozen broccoli spears, slightly cooked
• -OR-
• 1 pkg. frozen broccoli spears, slightly cooked and 1 1/2 cups cooked rice (see recommendations, below)*
• 3 cooked chicken breasts*
• grated cheese

Sauce:

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Put broccoli in bottom of 9×13 pan. If using, put rice on top of broccoli. Place chicken on top of rice/broccoli.
3. Mix sauce ingredients together. Pour evenly over top of chicken.
4. Spread grated cheese over top.
5. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Recommendations:

• Rice: So the original recipe that my friend gave me called for the 2 packages of broccoli. But after I made this a couple times, I thought that it would taste really good with rice to soak up all the DELICIOUS sauce, and to give it some more filling power. So, last time I made it, I made it with throwing some leftover rice in the bottom of the casserole dish, and I really liked how it turned out (like I said, just made it more filling…and none of the amazing sauce is put to waste!). So that’s definitely how I’m gonna make this from now on.
• Chicken:  I think the recipe calls for them whole, but I dice mine before I put them in.

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So I’ve officially found my new favorite weeknight meal. This actually would be good enough for a weekend meal (you know, when you sometimes might have just a bit more time to spend on a more “special” dinner), because it’s SO good, but I just love how easy it is and it’s made with ingredients that I usually have on hand. Also, my friend Suzanne told me that she makes these with broccoli in them, and that sounds really good, so I’ll have to try that next time (I’ll tell you how it goes)!

I found the original recipe from allrecipes.com, but after reading some of the reviews from other visitors (it was VERY highly rated from visitors, which is ALWAYS a good sign!), I changed it up a bit. So, if you’d like to see the original recipe click on this link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Savory-Crescent-Chicken/Detail.aspx But here is the recipe exactly how I made it (which was delicious!!):

Savory Crescent Chicken (makes 4 servings)

• 1 pkg cream cheese, softened*
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 large can (or 2 5 oz. cans) canned chicken*
• 1 Tbsp green onions, sliced*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• garlic powder, to taste
• 2 Tbsp milk
• about 1 c. corn*
• about 1 c. shredded cheese*
• 1 (8 oz) pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 c. croutons, crushed*

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese & 1 Tbsp melted butter until smooth. Add the chicken, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well.
3. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal.
4. Spoon 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull the 4 corners of dough towards each other; pinch edges to seal.
5. Place sandwiches on an ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops with 1 Tbsp of melted butter; sprinkle w/crushed croutons.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recommendations:

• Cream cheese: If you forget to take your cream cheese out of the fridge to soften it (which I ALWAYS do!), then just nuke it for a few seconds. Don’t do it too long, watch it carefully, or else you’ll end up melting it which is NOT the result you’re looking for, but if you do it for just a few seconds it does the job perfectly!
• Chicken: I used canned chicken and it turned out awesome, but the original recipe called for 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed. Just thought I’d let you know.
• Green onions: The original recipe called for white onions, but I only had green onions so that’s why I used them instead. And I’m glad I did, because I think it gave this rich dish a more light fresh taste than normal onions would have.
• Corn: The original recipe didn’t call for corn (that’s why I’m not sure of the exact amount because I just kind of guessed), but some of the reviewers put corn in so I thought I’d try it, and I LOVED the corn in it. Again, it added some freshness and sweetness to this rich dish.
• Cheese: Again, the original recipe didn’t call for it, but I took some of the other reviewers’ advice and added some. And again, glad I did…added a bunch of extra flavor (some of the other reviewers said these were a bit bland without the cheese)! Went really well with the other ingredients. I used cheddar.
• Croutons: Some of the other reviewers didn’t use these, but I don’t know why! They added so much flavor & texture!

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All I can really say about this dessert is that it is SUPER easy, OH SO GOOD, and different (which is always nice). I really don’t know what else I can say about this recipe except that you REALLY need to try it!

I was watching 30 minute meals the other day, and she made this dessert, and it was really intriguing to me, because first off like I said it’s super easy and I’m always down with that…I’m not a huge dessert fan, so I think it’s kind of pointless to take hours to create some crazy dessert that I really don’t get why it’s all that special in the first place. So an easy dessert I think always deserves a try. Also, it has Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) in it, which even though it’s chocolate I LOVE it…and that helps, because it seemed to me like one of the few desserts that would actually satisfy both me and those crazy chocolate lovers!

And once I tried it I was sold. It was as easy as it looked (always a plus), and it tasted SO great! And again, it’s a little bit different which I really liked. So please try it!

Heavenly Hazelnut Pound Cake

• 1/2 c. sliced almonds
• 1 store-bought pound cake*
• 1 cup Nutella*
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped*
• 2 tsp almond extract*
• 1 lemon, zested
• Blackberries & raspberries, for garnish*

1. Lightly toast the almonds in a small skillet.* Set aside to cool.
2. Cut the pound cake in half, horizontally. Spread the Nutella on the cut side of both cake pieces. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Then place the top half of the cake back onto the bottom half.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the whipped cream, almond extract & the zest.
4. Cut the pound cake into 1-inch slices & serve with the whipped cream & berries.

Recommendations:

• Pound Cake: You can find these in the freezer section, by the frozen premade pies and stuff. You always see these in Sarah Lee brand. It’s so good and buttery! Just make sure you defrost it before using it!
• Nutella: This is a chocolate hazelnut spread that you can find in any grocery store by the peanut butter. If you’re not yet hooked on nutella, go buy some and you will be!
• Cream: I whipped some powdered sugar in with the cream to give it some sweetness.
• Almond Extract: The original recipe called for 1 Tbsp orange liqueur, but I don’t drink alcohol, so I used almond extract instead because I thought that flavor would go really well with this (but I didn’t use a full tablespoon because almond extract is pretty strong). And it tasted great with it! If you don’t drink alcohol I’d definitely recommend using the almond extract! But if you do drink alcohol, then definitely try the orange liqueur because that’s what Rachael Ray put in the original recipe and I’m sure she kind of knows what she’s talking about by now.
• Berries: I just used raspberries and it tasted great with just them. But I’m sure it would be even better with both berries!
• Toast Almonds: Just make sure you watch the almonds closely, cause they burn easily!

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This is the best broccoli grape salad I’ve ever had. I like it so much because, as opposed to some other broccoli grape recipes I’ve seen, it has all fresh ingredients (grapes instead of raisins, bacon instead of bacon bits, etc). And, it is SO easy! It’s a perfect side to bring to barbecues and things like that, people love it cause it’s not the typical salad that people usually bring (green, potato, or macaroni). So, here you go:

Broccoli Grape Salad

• 4 c. grapes, cut in half*
• 1 broccoli head, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 lb. bacon, cooked & crumbled
• 3/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 1/2 red onion, sliced*
• Dressing:
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1. Cook bacon.*
2. Combine mayonnaise, sugar & vinegar. Set aside.
3. Combine grapes, broccoli, bacon, sunflower seeds & onion.
4. Pour dressing over salad; toss until combined.
5. Let sit in fridge overnight, if desired (this just lets the flavors meld together a bit, it almost marinades the broccoli).

Recommendations:

• Grapes: Definitely don’t skip the step of cutting the grapes in half. It makes the grapes absorb some of the dressing & it is just SO annoying to try to chase a whole grape around your plate!
• Red onion: If you’re making this for someone who might not like onions, don’t leave the onion out, just chop them small instead of slicing them. The onions add a lot of flavor, even if you only put a little bit in.
• Bacon: I just cook my bacon on a plate.  I just put a bunch of paper towels underneath the bacon, cover it with more paper towels, & nuke it till it’s done.  SOOO much faster & it tastes just the same!

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Yes, this is a post for a recipe.  And yes, despite what you may think, “dumps” are edible.  And they’re actually quite delicious.  You might know these super easy and delicious cookies as “No Bake Cookies.”  But where’s the fun in that??  My family has always called these cookies “Dumps,” and if you’re having a hard time figuring out why just take a look at them the next time you make them!    Okay, so maybe I do have a potty mouth, but it’s not my fault…it’s how I was raised.  I totally shouldn’t be held accountable for my actions.  Even if it means I grossed you out for a minute.

Anyway, do NOT let the name deter you from making these cookies!  As I said, they are SUPER easy and SO, SO good…I literally have never met a person that didn’t love these cookies! Even myself, the chocolate hater that I am, I even love these cookies!  I made these a few weeks ago and brought them over to a friend of mine who had just had a baby, only to find out that they’re her husband’s favorite cookies…I don’t think she even got one before he sat on the couch and devoured the whole plate right in front of us.

And really, they’re gonna be the easiest cookies you’ll ever make.  Really, you don’t have to bake them.  They’re perfect for those “baking impaired” people like me…my roommates in college even made fun of me because they said I was the only home ec major in history that ever burnt store bought cookies!
Dumps (a.k.a. “No Bake Cookies”)

• 1 stick of butter
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups oatmeal (or more if needed)
• 1/2 c. peanut butter*

1. Boil butter, milk, sugar & cocoa 2-3 minutes.*
2. Add other ingredients.
3. Drop by spoonful onto wax paper & let cool.*
4. Really, that’s it…you’re done!

Recommendations:

• PB:  I always use creamy in this, but I hear that chunky is good too…really, I doubt it matters, just whatever you have on hand for your PB&J’s.
• Boiling:  Anytime you boil milk, make sure you watch it VERY closely…it’ll boil over VERY quickly!
• Cool:  These taste best if you give them a little while to cool.  They’re not like choco chip cookies that taste good right out of the oven.

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So I’ve told you before that one of THE most annoying things to me is having to wait for water to boil! I always have these super quick meals, and half the time I’m stuck waiting for the stupid water to boil! That is why I absolutely LOVE this recipe…it’s super easy…no cutting, washing…and the best part is, you don’t even have to cook the noodles first!! Gotta love that.

I got this recipe years ago in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that my aunt & uncle gave me for my high school graduation, and I make it all the time now! The onions make it a lot sweeter than you’d expect.

Chili-Mac Skillet

• 1 lb ground beef
• 3/4 c. chopped onions (about 1½ medium)
• 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chili peppers, drained
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (8 oz) can tomatoes, cut up
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. elbow macaroni (uncooked)*
• 2-3 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 c. shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1. In a large skilled cook meat and onions till meat is brown and onions are tender. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients (except cheese). Bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or till macaroni is tender, stirring often.
4. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and heat about 2 minutes more or till cheese is melted.

Recommendations:

• Macaroni: I tried this the other day with whole wheat pasta the other day (instead of white like usual), and it tasted exactly the same as usual.  So I’d recommend using whole wheat elbow macaroni, because why not get the added health benefits??

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Don’t remember why, but I got in the mood the other day to make fish tacos. I started searching through recipezaar, and this was the second highest-rated recipe on the whole site for fish tacos. Now, just bear with me…when you read through the ingredients of this recipe and see that the fish is actually those frozen fish fillets, you might think: “how can someone try to pass this off as a legitimate recipe when they’re using frozen fish fillets as the main ingredient?!?” Well, I thought the same exact thing! Once I saw this recipe and saw the fish fillets as an ingredient, I skipped over it and went on to the other recipes! But, after skimming through a few of them, I started feeling kind of intrigued by the fact that a recipe with frozen fish fillets could be the second highest rated one for fish tacos on the whole site! I decided to trust in the other users of the site and just give it a try…I decided I’d make it on a weeknight so we wouldn’t be too disappointed if they weren’t good (you know how it works, you’re so exhausted by dinner time you’re just happy to eat anything!). Anyway, tried them out, and they were FABULOUS!!

I was a little afraid to make them, because my husband literally refuses to eat fish sticks (which, lets be honest, the battered fish fillets are pretty much the same thing!), and I don’t like coleslaw, but I was just so intrigued by that point that I just had to do it! And he LOVED them! It was actually pretty funny, because he just kept talking about how great they were, and then he told me that I can’t get annoyed with him if he starts asking to have these once a week! So, please, please try these! They are GREAT, and they’re SO easy (it just takes the amount of time it takes to bake the fish fillets!), and I really think they’re gonna be a go-to busy weeknight meal for you, like they are for me now!

Fish Tacos & Cilantro Coleslaw, 20 Minutes Max

• 4 frozen battered fish fillets
• 4 flour tortillas*
• 1/3 head green cabbage*
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro*
• 1 green onion, sliced or minced
• 1 tsp chopped jalapeño*
• 1 Tbsp mayo
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice (about half of a lime?)
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• s&p to taste*

1. Bake fish fillets according to package directions.
2. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil & place them in the oven to heat…or heat them at the last minute in the microwave (cover w/a wet paper towel first).
3. Meanwhile, shred or chop the cabbage.
4. In a medium bowl, combing the cabbage with all the remaining ingredients.
5. Cut each hot fish fillet into 6-8 pieces, then pile into a hot tortilla with lots of slaw.

Recommendations:

• tortillas: I used whole wheat tortillas with this, just because they’re supposed to be healthier, and I actually think I would prefer it with these anyway, because they add a bit of a sweeter taste, yum!
• cabbage: I just used that pre-shredded coleslaw mix, because it’s so much easier!
• cilantro: I used A LOT more cilantro than called for, just because we love cilantro!
• jalapeño: I don’t love spicy foods, but I think next time I make this I will even use more jalapeño than called for, just to give it a tiny bit more kick (I couldn’t even tell it was in there this time).

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So on Sunday I found myself in a typical dilemma (well at least in my home!)…it was time to start dinner and I had NOTHING to cook…this happens to me often when I don’t do my weekly meal planning! So, I’m standing in my kitchen, and I’m starving (cause of course I waited until I was starving to even think about figuring something out to make!), so I needed something quick! I used to love looking in my fridge & pantry and just creating some random dish, but since I have a husband now, I’ve doing that a lot less lately (I don’t think it’s as fair to him as when I was single & could just eat a pb&j for dinner if my little “concoctions” (that’s what my roommates used to call it when they’d see me standing in front of the fridge with “that look”) didn’t turn out quite as good as I’d pictured in my head). So, I’m a bit out of practice in the whole “top chef” thing!

So anyway, as I said, I was standing in the kitchen starving, with NO IDEA what I could make! So, here is what I came up with:

Super Simple Chicken Pasta

• cooked chicken, cut up
• 1 pkg pasta
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato paste
• about a cup of water
• Italian seasoning, to taste
• hot pepper flakes, to taste
• s&p, to taste
• Parmesan cheese
• parsley flakes

1. Really, I just mixed together the tomato paste & water in a pot & then added the diced tomatoes, chicken, and seasonings, and heated it through.
2. At that was heating, I cooked the pasta…I used the refrigerated pasta, which really helped to make this a SUPER quick meal (refrigerated pasta only takes a few minutes to cook. If you’re using normal (dry) pasta, I’d start cooking it first.
3. Once the pasta was done cooking, I immediately added it to the chicken pot and mixed it with the sauce (really important step! This post explains why).
4. I mixed in a bunch of Parmesan cheese (my husband LOVES cheese, so I always use quite a bit in recipes).
5. I sprinkled each individual serving with a bit more Parmesan and some parsley flakes (just to brighten up the flavor a little bit).

Okay, okay, so now that you’ve read the recipe, maybe you DON’T wish you’re creative like me, because I realize this isn’t really all that creative. Really, all it is is a really basic spaghetti with chicken instead of ground beef, and linguine instead of spaghetti noodles. But, hey, I was impressed with myself, and my husband and I were both surprised at how good this turned out because of how simple it was! Perfect weeknight meal!

Recommendations:

• Chicken: I used leftover rotisserie chicken.
• Pasta: As I said, I used refrigerated pasta (linguine this time around). I almost always have some in my fridge lately, it’s a great go-to item.

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