Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Oh wow! Was this meal good! Not that I thought it wouldn't be, but I was so surprised how much I LOVED the sauce for the chicken. It totally makes this dish.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
(from Jamie Cooks it Up)
submitted by Michelle


4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 C milk
3 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 t dried parsley

 Sauce:
1 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 T sour cream
2 T butter


Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks. In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers. Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine. Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then the cheese. Press the cheese into the chicken with your fingers. Some of it will fall off when you add it to the cracker crumbs, don’t worry about it. Press the cheesy chicken into the cracker crumbs and press it in. By the time you are coating the last piece of chicken, the dish you are using for the crumbs will be full of cheese. Don’t let it get you down. Once the cheese melts in the oven it will adhere nicely to the crumbs and the crackers. 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 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy. Into 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.

Valentine Chex Mix

I love a good Chex Mix. I normally have or make the salty ones and love them. For our Valentines Day treat I was excited to try this one out. It sounded so yummy since it has two of my favorite things, white chocolate and Peanut Butter! It was defifantly a winner at my house. 

I am adding the origanil recipe, but some modifications I made was doubling the recipe. I knew this size would not make enough for all my boys! And I also used White Chocolate Chips, and heated everything on the stove, not the microwave. It came out great and we all loved it!

Valentines Chex Mix
(from bettycrocker.com)
submitted by Michelle


4 1/2 cups Rice Chex cereal
1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup red, white and pink candy-coated chocolate candies
2 tablespoons red or pink jimmies sprinkles


Place cereal in medium bowl. In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Place 1/2 of the cereal mixture in 1-gallon food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, stir candies and sprinkles into remaining cereal mixture. Spread on waxed paper or foil; cool about 15 minutes. In serving bowl, mix both cereal mixtures. Store in airtight container.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 I came across this recipe, and new I just had to try it!! I love banana bread, and I love the combo of chocolate and peanut butter!!! So the combo of the 3 really had me intrigued!!!
It was super good. We all loved it, and devoured the whole thing one night after dinner (there are 7 of us in our family, mind you).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
submitted by Camille
(adapted from Serenity Now )

-3 (very ripe) bananas, mashed

-Reese's Peanut Butter Chips (about 1/2 - 3/4 cup)

- 3/4 cup Milk Chocolate Chips

-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

-1/4 cup coconut oil

-1 egg

-1/2 cup granulated sugar

-1/4 cup light brown sugar

-1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

-1/2 tsp. baking soda

-1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

-1/2 tsp. salt

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a loaf pan.

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium sized bowl and set to the side.

2. Mash bananas with a potato masher. 

3. Stir together the bananas, egg, oil, sugar, and peanut butter. 

4. Add your dry ingredients to the banana mixture, and stir until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Do not overmix!

 5. Carefully fold in the peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. 

6. Add batter to the pan and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let it cool before slicing, and then enjoy...it's just as good as dessert!

Skinny Slow Cooker Taco Soup

Now, I usually steer clear of recipes that say either "skinny" or "low fat"....why, you ask? Well, to me skinny or low fat = tasteless. I have tried many recipes that claim that they are both skinny AND tasteful.
 Nope.
They weren't.
 BUT..... I was drawn into this recipe because of two things: the fact that it is made in a slow cooker, and because it called for chopped, green chilies. I love chopped green chilies and had never thought to put them in a taco soup.
 I was intrigued.
 Soooo.....I tried this soup.... and was SO glad I did!!! It is SO good!!! So good, in fact, that we have made it 2 times in the last 10 days!!!!
yum. o.

Skinny Slow Cooker Taco Soup
submitted by Camille
adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

•  1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (11 oz) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
• 1 can sliced black olives, drained (optional)
• toppings: tortilla chips (strips or crushed), diced avocado, light sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

 Heat oil in a saute pan over medium high heat until shimmering. Add ground turkey (or chicken) and saute until browned, breaking up chunks and stirring with a long spoon frequently, about 4-6 minutes. Drain, then add the meat to the bottom of a slow cooker.

 Add remaining ingredients (except the toppings) to the slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours or until the onions are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm with desired toppings.

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats

I don't usually like Rice Krispie Treats, but when I saw that these were called "Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats", that definitely caught my eye!
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream is my most favorite ice cream, so that is why I really wanted to try these. And you know what? They really did taste very close in flavor to Cookies and Cream Ice cream!!! 
They were super simple to make, and very few ingredients. My 7 year old son helped me make them. He has really caught the cooking bug lately, and loves to help me out in the kitchen!!! These were the perfect treat for him to help me with!!!!

Cookies and Cream Rice Krispie Treats
submitted by Camille
from Glorious Treats

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

20 regular oreos, crushed/chopped (about 2 1/2 cups crushed)

5 cups mini marshmallows

3 Tablespoons butter

Directions-

1.  Put rice krispies treats into a large bowl.  Spray a 9×13″ casserole dish or cake pan with non-stick spray, set aside.

2.  In a large plastic (ziplock type) bag, crush oreos (I used a rolling pin).  You want to have some crushed into small pieces, and some bite size chunks.  Add oreos to rice krispies and stir to combine.

3.  In a large microwave safe bowl, heat butter and marshmallows together (about 3 minutes).  They will expand a LOT, so make sure your bowl is big enough.  When the marshmallows are puffy and mostly melted, carefully remove from microwave and stir to fully combine the butter, and make sure the marshmallows are fully melted.  (I did this over the stove as my microwave runs quite hot and I don't have luck with marshmallows in there!!!)

4.  Pour melted marshmallows over cereal and oreos and use a spatula sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to quickly combine all the ingredients.  As soon as all the cereal is combined, spread mixture into the prepared 9×13″ dish.  Use the spatula to press the mixture around the dish, and flatten as needed.

5.  Allow to cool (about 20 minutes) before cutting into squares.  Eat and enjoy!

Yield- About 24 (2 inch) squares.

Storage- Keep covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container 2-3 days.