Green Bean Casserole

This isn't necessarily the healthiest way to serve green beans, but it is pretty delicious.  I used canned green beans, but I will probably try fresh ones next time.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients

2 T butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1 t salt

1 t sugar

1/4 c. onion (I omitted)

1 c. sour cream

3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. crumbled ritz  crakcers

1 T. butter, melted

Original recipe makes 10 servings


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
2. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Chicken and Cream Cheese Taquitos

These. Are. Amazing.  Enough said.

Found originally here.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked shredded chicken

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup salsa

1 + 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 + 1/2 cups chopped baby spinach, stems removed

coarse salt (and fresh black pepper if you like), to taste

9 - 10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

vegetable or canola oil, for frying

topping as you like:

sour cream/quacamole/salsa/taco sauce/ranch dressing

Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, cheddar and spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Working with one tortilla at a time add 2 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture off center and spread out like a log. Roll up and set seam side down in a 9x13 dish. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled and rolled.
3. Bake at 350 for about 10 mins, flip over if desired. 

*The original recipe has you fry these, so feel free to go that route instead!

5 stars!

Bacon and Chicken Shish-Kebobs

I made these for Father's Day dinner last week.  It was funny because Callen said how much he loved the mushrooms at the same moment I was gagging them down.  I can't handle squishy food.  I think that is also why I have an aversion to seafood.  Food should not be spongy like that.  Anyway, the rest was great and Callen said it was worth making again, so here you go.

Ingredients

• 1/4 C. soy sauce
• 1/4 C. cider vinegar
• 2 Tbs. honey
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 10 lg. mushrooms, cut in half
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb. sliced thick cut bacon, cut each slice in half
  
• 1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
• skewers

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the soy sauce, cider vinegar, honey, canola oil, and green onions. 

Place the mushrooms and chicken into the mixture, and stir to coat. Cover, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. 

Preheat grill for high heat. Wrap the chicken chunks with bacon, and thread onto skewers so that the bacon is secured. Alternate with mushroom halves and pineapple chunks. 

Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange skewers on the prepared grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes, brushing occasionally with remaining soy sauce mixture, until bacon is crisp and chicken juices run clear.

Chocolate Lasagna

Everyone needs to have it.  And not just once or twice.  Like every month.  Every holiday.  Whenever, just on a regular basis.  It is SOOOO good.  And definitely healthy, right?

Chocolate lasagna (original recipe all over facebook and pinterest)

Starting with the bottom of a 9x13 dish.
Layer 1:  crush a container of REGULAR oreos in a bag and mix with 6 T of melted butter.  Press onto the bottom of the pan.  Put in the fridge to harden while you continue to
Layer 2: Whip 8 oz of softened cream cheese until light and fluffy, then add 2 T of milk and 1/4 c. of sugar and 1 1/4 c of whipped cream.  Spread this over the oreos.
Layer 3:  Mix 2 3.9 oz boxes of instant chocolate pudding with 3 1/4 c of milk.  Let thicken, then spread on top of the previous layers.  Let set completely.
Layer 4:  Spread on the rest of your tub of whipped cream.
Layer 5: Sprinkle on mini chocolate chips.

Keep refrigerated until you serve!  (I don't suggest freezing it for long if you decide to go that route or the pudding layer freezes and it's not good.  This also does not keep for more than a few days, so eat up!

List of ingredients to help with the trip to the store:

• 1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
• 6 Tablespoon butter, melted
• 1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cold milk
• 1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
• 2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
• 3 1/4 cups cold milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

5+ stars!

Butternut Squash Risotto

I could have sworn I already did this recipe, but I can't find it, so here goes.  This is definitely worth keeping.  (Though I made it for my mother-in-law and she gave me some pointers on what I could do better next time.  I didn't think there was anything wrong with it to begin with...)

Butternut Squash Risotto (found here)

1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces-let me just say this is harder than it looks. These bad boys are not easy to peel.  In the end Callen came and did it for me).

2 chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 an onion chopped (gross)

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup Arborio Rice (I didn't know what this was, but apparently it is a specific kind of rice especially for risotto.  Found by normal rice at the grocery store).

3 cups Chicken Broth (I made this back in Brooklyn's soy-free days so I used water from the boiled chicken.  Now that we can eat soy, it will probably have a little more flavor next time I make it)

Parmesan Cheese

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Salt

Fresh Basil

To start with, peel and chop your butternut squash into 1 inch cubes.  Then melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a pan and add your squash.  Sprinkle with salt and let it cook.  Cover it with a lid so it can steam while you work on the chicken.

Cut your chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes.  Cook your chicken on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. of Olive Oil and a sprinkle with garlic salt.  When it’s finished cooking, set aside.

Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp. of butter for about 5 minutes.  (Or just leave it out).  Then add the garlic and Arborio rice and saute for another 3-5 minutes until your garlic and onions are cooked and your rice is starting to turn golden.

Then add 1 cup of broth and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  Then add another 1/2 a cup.  Continue to add the broth a 1/2 a cup at a time until it is all absorbed into the rice.  It should seem creamy when it’s finished.

Once the rice is done, add the butternut squash (it should be steamed and maybe even a little golden brown) and your chicken and mix it all together.  Then top with parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

4.8 stars!  Great!

Spinach Artichoke Bites

I made these for my niece's birthday party BBQ and everyone RANTED AND RAVED about them.  Her family even insisted I get them the recipe a couple of times.  Definitely worth making again.

Spinach and Artichoke Bites (original recipe found here)

Ingredients (yields 4 dozen bites)

• 1 (8 oz.) package softened cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 tubes of crescent roll dough
• shredded mozzarella (optional, though in my opinion completely necessary)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  Lightly spray muffin tins with baking spray.

Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well.  

Once you’ve combined the dip, set aside.

Roll your crescent roll dough out onto a large cutting board/work surface.  Working with half of the dough at time (4 triangles), pinch all of the creases together so that you’re left with one big piece of dough.  Cut the dough into 12 equal squares with a pizza cutter.

Put one square in the bottom of each muffin tin, the put about a teaspoon worth of the dip inside.

Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese, then bake for 12 minutes.

Seriously divine.

5 stars

Apple Butter

I bought a bushel of apples.  Do you know how much that is?  Like 100 apples.  That's a TON of apples.  So what did I do with them?  I steamed a bunch and blended it into sugar free applesauce (totally delicious, add some cinnamon and you've got a nice little treat!), I dehydrated a ton (soak in lemon juice/water before dehydrating to keep them from turning too brown), and then made some apple butter.  It was really good and even though it will only last 2 weeks or so, it was totally worth it for those Sundays when I have freshly baked whole wheat bread to put it on.

I found the recipe here.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter
(I halved the recipe)

6 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and sliced (if I remember correctly, for half I used 10 apples.  And trust me, that is a SHIZ LOAD to cut and peel)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn't have these so I just didn't use them)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well.
2. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. (I did this overnight).
3. Uncover, stir in vanilla and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours. (I screwed this up and actually added the vanilla before I cooked it.  It wasn't a big deal)
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the apple butter until smooth.
5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze.
6. Serve on breads, muffins, pork chops or just eat it with a spoon.

Pretty dang good!