Caramel Oatmeal Bars

Caramel Oatmeal Bars
These in my opinion are so much better than the M&M bars below. The hubby said less chocolate but I think he's nuts! I will most likely make these again.

 

 

Ingredients:

Melt together in a sauce pan

• 32 unwrapped caramels
• 5 tablespoons evaporated milk

Mix together in a bowl

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine

Add

• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Press half of oatmeal mixture into a 9 x 13 pan Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and sprinkle on enough chocolate chips to cover.
3. Then top with caramel mixture, then remaining oatmeal mixture.
4. Bake another 15-18 minutes.
5. Cool and cut.

Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup

Amazing Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I only used half an onion)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped (I added an extra jalapeno)
• 1/2 medium green pepper
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or water (I used water)
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth (I used one carton so one can less)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• Topping: 1 cup non-fat tortilla chips (optional) (we def mixed in some tortilla chips which gave it the tortilla flavor and was oh so good)

 Directions:

 

1. Sauté onion, garlic, jalapeño and green pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.

2. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large pot and bring to a boil.

3. After about 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts and shred.

4. (Two forks work well to pull the chicken apart!).

5. Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer an additional 45 minutes.

6. Serve, topped with crushed tortilla chips if desired.

 

I absolutely loved this soup and will def make it again in cooler weather. I'm glad I added the extra jalapeno it added just enough extra spice and I honestly couldn't imagine adding the extra can of chicken broth it would have been way too thin, but over all super yum!

Chili Dog Casserole

Chili Dog Casserole
*Do you even need a picture to know what this looks like? And yes I seriously made this! The buns actually got kinda crunchy on the bottom which I liked. I have been trying to figure out how to make kid friendly meals and this one caught my eye and yes you can laugh (Jen I know you are already). I did follow this one exactly LOL pretty hard not too!

Ingredients:

• 8 hot dog buns
• 8 hot dogs
• 1 (15 ounce) can chili
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. Tear up the hot dog buns and arrange the pieces in the bottom of the dish evenly.
4. Slice the hot dogs into bite size pieces and layer the pieces over the buns.
5. Pour the chili over the hot dogs, sprinkle with the chopped onion, then spread the mustard over the chili and the onion.
6. Top off with the cheese.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 4-6 bell peppers
• 1 (19 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-16 ounce) jar salsa
• shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream

Directions:

1. Combine beef, onion, seasoning mix and egg in a large bowl.
2. Add rice and mix well.
3. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membrane.
4. Spread tomatoes on the bottom of an ovenproof 12 X 9 inch baking dish. The liquid from the tomatoes will reduce during cooking so if (like me) you like lots of sauce, add about a cup of water. This also helps make the peppers softer.
5. Place peppers, cut side up, on top of the tomatoes.
6. Spoon beef mixture into peppers, mounding as necessary.
7. Top each pepper with salsa.
8. Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until beef is cooked thoroughly and peppers are soft.
9. Cover each pepper with cheese and return to oven, under the broiler, until the cheese melts- less than a minute, so watch carefully!
10. Serve with sour cream and additional salsa.

**These are what we would say are super yummy! These are def getting added to the we will make again list and I wouldn't be surprised if the hubby asked for them specifically. I think I found these on recipezaar.com which is a recipe website I absolutely love! I would highly recommend stuffed pepper fans to try these and if you don't these may change your mind!

Our Valentine's Day Meal

We didn't go out to a fancy Italian restuarant or any restuarant for that matter. We decided to stay in this Valentine's, so I made us dinner. It turned out amazing thanks to wonderful recipes I found online (and that my friend suggested). Here are the recipes for our amazing dinner! They are super simple and sometimes simple is the best! The hubby loved loved loved the dinner so that is always a plus!

Beer Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (sifted)
• 3 teaspoons baking powder (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt (omit if using Self-Rising Flour)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients and beer.
3. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
4. Pour melted butter over mixture.
5. Bake 1 hour, remove from pan and cool for at least 15 minutes.

Crock Pot Roast

Ingredients:

• 1 beef roast, any kind
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dried Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Place beef roast in crock pot.
2. Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast.
3. Pour the water around the roast.
4. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

For dessert I made these M & M bars and although they're good, they're not as good as the reviews said they were. I was a bit disappointed with them but the hubby said they were yummo! I prob won't make these again (look for the carmel bar recipe so much better)

M & M Dream Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup M&Ms
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, coconut, baking soda, and salt; add melted butter and stir until moist (the mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1 1/2 cups and press remaining crumbs into a greased 13X9-inch baking pan (I line the pan with non-stick foil.).

2. Bake 12 minutes at 375°F.

3. Combine milk and peanut butter; carefully spread over baked crust. Sprinkle on M&M's and chocolate chips. Sprinkle reserved crumbs over chocolate pieces and lightly press crumbs down.

4. Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting.

Quick Chili

Quick Chili

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
1 white onion, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can ranch-style beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Directions

1.In a large pot, cook beef over medium heat until brown. Stir in onion and cook until onion is translucent. Stir in tomato sauce, water, ranch-style beans, kidney beans, chiles, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

This chili is super easy and is pretty good. I would recommend cooking it longer so that it thickens up otherwise its more like a soup. The hubby loved it and ate most of it.

Dips

Ok I love love love finding new dips for when we have people come over for football games, birthday parties, poker nights, and any other gathering we happen to have. Dips for some reason always turn out pretty well and they are super simple to put together!

Chili Cream Cheese Dip

Ingredients

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 can of your choice chili (we like campbells firehouse chili)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a microwave dish that is about 9 inches spread package of cream cheese evenly along the bottom.

2. Pour the can of chili over the cream cheese and spread evenly.

3. spread cheddar cheese over chili

4. when assembled you can heat in the microwave until the thoroughly warmed and the cheese is melted and serve.

Its great with tortilla chips, corn bread, or crackers. We just love this dip.


PHILLY Cheesy Pizza Dip

What You Need!

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbsp. each chopped red and green peppers

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

RITZ Crackers

Make It!

SPREAD cream cheese onto bottom of microwaveable 9-inch pie plate; cover with sauce. Top with layers of all remaining ingredients except crackers.

MICROWAVE on HIGH 2 min. or until heated through.

SERVE with crackers.

I didn't get to try this but the hubby took it to work and I got rave reviews and requests for the recipes so I'm going to say this is a must try!


5-Layer Mexican Dip

What You Need!

1 can (15-1/2 oz.) refried black beans

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

3 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup sliced black olives

1 tomato, chopped

Make It!

MIX beans, chili powder and cumin (I used 1 tablespoon taco seasoning instead); spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

TOP with layers of remaining ingredients.

REFRIGERATE several hours or until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips.

I added a layer of salsa, a layer of guacamole, and I bought presliced olives. Other than that I didn't do much else different. You could prob add more layers. I read one that had lettuce on top or you could do a layer of ground beef cooked in taco seasoning. I served it with chips and it got devoured :)

Pork Tenderloin Studded with Rosemary and Garlic

Pork Tenderloin Studded with Rosemary and Garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
4 garlic cloves minced
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 teaspon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray

1. preheat 475
2. combine rosemary and garlic. make several 1/2 in. deep slits in pork; place about half rosemary mixture in slits. Rub prok with remaining rosemary mixture; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pork on cooke sheet coated with cooking spray.
3. bake at 475 for 20 min. or until meat thermometer registers 160 or to desired doneness. let stand 5 minutes and cut into 1/4 thick slices.

about four servings


The hubby didn't care for this at all, but he is not a big pork eater so that may have been the problem. I forget what sides I made but he preferred those over the pork.

Greek Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

Greek Chicken with Angel Hair Pasta

1 pound uncooked angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halved
2 cups chopped red onion (I think I used about a cup)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 dried oregano
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with basil garlic and oregano
3/4 cup (3 oz) feta cheese crumbled

1. cooke pasta according to package
2. heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 3 min on each side. Add onion and next five ingredients; stire well. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from heat; sprinkel with cheese. Serve with pasta.

Tacos al Carbon

Tacos al Carbon

Ingredients
cooking spray
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell peppers (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium) (I didn't use this cause I ran out LOL)
1 (1 lb) flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
8 garlic cloves, minced (I used half as much)
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used dried)
6 tablespoons fat free sour cream (I don't like this stuff so I don't use it LOL)

Directions
1. heat pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add bell pepper to pan; cook 4 minutes. Add onion; saute 10 min or until veggies are tender. place pepper mixture in large bowl; cover and keep warm.
2. add beef to pan; cook 7 min. or until desired doneness. add beef to pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add chili powder, lime juice, olive oil, salt and garlic to bowl; toss to coat.
3. heat tortillas. spoon steak mixture evenly over tortillas. top each taco with cilantro and sour cream

Makes about four servings

Pizza Pasta Casserole

Pizza Casserole

Ingredients

2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced pepperoni sausage
16 ounces pizza sauce
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Cook noodles according to package directions.
3.In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Drain excess fat. Stir in the noodles, pepperoni, pizza sauce and milk, and mix well. Pour this mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish.
4.Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes, top with the cheese, then bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.

This was pretty yummy. I followed the recipe exactly although I would add a bit more sauce. I think next time I might even add some mushrooms. Well any pizza topping would be good!

The Neglected Blog

I have been neglecting all my blogs but this one by far is the most neglected. I have tried a few new recipes lately and some have been super yum and some not so yum, but I figured I'd post them and let you determine which are the best of the best!

Sicilian Sausage & Peppers Rigatoni

What You Need!

1 lb. turkey Italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 large green peppers, cut into strips

3 cups rigatoni, uncooked

1 jar (24 oz.) chunky spaghetti sauce

1 cup KRAFT Shredded Italian* Mozzarella-Parmesan Cheese Blend

Make It!

HEAT oven to 375°F.

PLACE sausage and peppers in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 15 to 20 min. or until sausage is done. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package.

DRAIN pasta. Add to baking dish with spaghetti sauce; stir. Bake 15 to 20 min. or until heated through. Top with cheese; bake 2 to 3 min. or until melted.

I followed this recipe exactly. I wasn't too crazy about it but the hubby did and he took it to work and the guys loved it there as well too. I guess this is def a man dish!

Super Easy Cereal Bars



INGREDIENTS:


*1/2 cup peanut butter
*1/2 cup sugar
*1/2 cup honey
*3 cups Cheerios cereal
*1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)
*1/2 cup salted peanuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.) In a small sauce pan, bring the honey & sugar to a boil over med heat. As soon as the sugar is dissolved remove from heat.

2.) Stir in the peanut butter until well blended.

3.) In a separate bowl, combine Cheerios, peanuts & chocolate chips.

4.) Pour the peanut butter & honey mixture over the cereal mixture… Stir until well coated.

5.) Spread into a buttered 9×9 pan

6.) Let cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

Another thing I didn't care, but the boys I sit for get wic and lots of peanut butter and cheerios. I was looking for a way to use the cereal without it going to stale because its a giant box and they don't eat enough of it by the time the next box comes, so I figured cereal bars would be super fun. Although I didn't care for the cereal bars that much the kids just LOVED them. I actually doubled this recipe and put it in a 13 x 9 pan and it was great. I made them again and added chocolate the second time (semi sweet chocolate chips).

I have a few more to add, but I'll do it in another post. Hope you enjoy these two so far!