Cheesy Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Quesadillas

So now that Thanksgiving is over, are you ready for something other than pumpkin?

 These quesadillas are some of my FAVORITE to make now! I love this recipe and I know you will too! All you need is some cooked and cut up chicken (I love having grilled chicken cut and in my freezer for easy use), cooked and crumbled bacon, grated cheese and 1 avocado cut up.

Preheat your pan with a dollop of butter til its nice and toasty! Throw a tortilla in and roll it around in the butter, load up your tortilla with chicken, bacon, cheese and avocado and then put your other tortilla on top and press down. Flip it over once its browned and crispy and let the other side get the same way.

Pull out of the pan and cut up into quarters to eat. Eat it right away. We LOVE these. They have so much flavor and are just so yummy! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Muffins

 I made these yummy cupcakes/muffins for a Halloween Party. I LOVE the pumpkin flavor. These had such a cool consistency. It was a mix between the crumby quality of muffins and the cake-like texture of cupcakes. And even better... they were so super easy! It only called for two ingredients, but I added in some spices and I loved it!

 So, just a cake mix (I used white... yellow would work too!), 15 oz of canned pumpkin and cinnamon and ginger.

 Just mix them together. I added 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger.

 No liquids, just the cake mix, the pumpkin and the spices.

 Its a thick batter, but go ahead and plop it into those cupcake liners.

 Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Yum!

 Cover with a dusting of powdered sugar, or if you're feeling like adding more sweetness to it, go ahead and whip up a cream cheese frosting! I loved it with the powdered sugar! Enjoy! I love pumpkin stuff and there will be more pumpkin recipes coming soon!!

Mini Deep Dish Pizza

Can you believe it? I'm back! I make no guarantees as to how long I'll be back posting recipes, but the scare I just had about losing everything jump started me to get blogging again!

So, this is a recipe I found on Pinterest a while back (from the website Dashing Dish) and I loved it. It was so quick and easy and I really liked it. I have to admit that my husband thought they were a good snack, so I guess they weren't very filling to him, but I thought they were delicious!

So here's what you'll need:

• 3-4 whole wheat wraps- I found mine on clearance at Wal-Mart!
• 1 (15oz) can pizza sauce (you may have some left over, depending on how much sauce you like)
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 48 mini pepperonis (I used regular sized pepperoni but just cut them up into 4 pieces each)
• 1 tsp basil/oregano mix OR Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of sweetener, (sugar/stevia/splenda)
• pinch of black pepper

 So take a whole wheat wrap and your round cookie cutter and cut out circles that will press down into your muffin tins... (See the pictures below)

 Spray your muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray before pressing the wrap down into each one!

 Next, take your pizza sauce, spices and parmesan cheese and mix it all together.

 Spoon a little sauce into each wrap, and then top with cheeses and pepperoni.

 Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes. When they come out let them sit for a few minutes just to cool a little. Then take a knife and cut around each one. They just need a little help releasing from the pan where the cheese has cooked onto it. Pop out and serve them up!! Enjoy!

Mint Oreo Ice Cream

So... I might have made another kind of ice cream. I had all the ingredients and those Mint Oreos were calling my name. I just had to see how good it would be in this ice cream.
And it DID.NOT.DISAPPOINT!

YUM! If you are a mint oreo fan, you will want to try this. Seriously YUM.So, here we go... Same recipe as before:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
And then whatever you want to add to your ice cream-which was about 15 coarsely chopped mint oreos this time.

First, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks in a large bowl. Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, butter and mint Oreos (or whatever you're adding) in a large bowl. Fold in whipped cream.Then... I decided that I just couldn't make Mint Oreo Ice Cream and leave it white. So I added some green food coloring which made it seem much more minty. =)Freeze for 6 hours til hard and then enjoy. Try not to eat the entire container in one sitting. Yum.
My little guy loved it too. Thankfully I had someone to share it with or else I would have eaten it all myself! And yes.. he is eating with his left hand. He seems to be favoring that left hand... Hmm..Did I mention I'm losing weight? I could probably do a lot better if I didn't make things like this.

Grilled Chicken Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

You know how you have a recipe bookmarked FOREVER on your computer and you just don't try it... and then you finally do try it and it is easy and delicious? Seriously. Why have I not tried this meal before now? I have had it printed and sitting on my counter for probably 6 months and just tried it a few weeks ago. I don't even know where this recipe came from anymore... its just been that long. (So if anyone knows where this recipe came from, let me know and I'll give them credit!)

Unfortunately... I was having company over when I made this, so I was trying to hurry and all the pictures I got were the ingredient shot and then the final product... Whoops!

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts

Montreal Steak Seasoning
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce can) tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2-1 tsp salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. parsley

Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. Season both sides with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Preheat grill and grill chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes per side. In a large pot, boil water with 1 Tbsp. salt. Add 1/2 lb. penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions

Heat 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over med. heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but don't let the garlic turn brown. Add the chicken broth and let the broth reduce down by half. Once the broth has reduced, stir in the tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the parsley and basil to the sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Slice the chicken. Serve pasta with sliced chicken on top.This was so delicious... creamy, flavorful. So yummy. Try it. Its very easy and so absolutely delicious... How could it not be delicious... Did you look at the ingredient list? Heavy cream, butter, olive oil... hello...YUM!

Lasagna Soup

I got this recipe from one of my co-workers at my new job (see last post). I had a feeling my husband would love it, since he loves Lasagna, and he absolutely did. It was pretty fast and easy too! My kind of recipe!1 lb. ground beef
1 onion
3 tsp. garlic, minced (I used less...)
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 small can tomato paste (I didn't have any paste, so I used tomato sauce)
3 cans diced tomatoes
3 cans chicken broth
12 oz. corkscrew pasta (I used penne because I didn't have corkscrew)
3 tsp. basil
6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
6 oz. Cottage cheese blended until smooth
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or any other kind of cheese for the top)

In a large pot over med. heat, saute the onions and gr. beef, breaking it up into small pieces, about 5-7 minutes. Drain excess grease from the pot. Add the garlic, pepper, salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes and saute for another minute. Add the tomato paste (or sauce) and saute until the paste turns a rusty brown-- about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juices and the broth and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the pasta, increase the heat to medium and boil until the pasta is tender. Depending on the type of pasta you use, this time will vary greatly. Penne takes considerably longer to soften than other kinds of pasta. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Add the blended cottage cheese and parmesan and stir. Serve with extra mozzarella or some other kind of cheese on top. YUM!

Nutella Ice Cream

I am still alive.

Just barely.

I picked up another job as a nurse in the birth center at the other hospital near me... So I've been doing double time right now.

And I've been orienting... and working a lot of hours. My kids are starved of attention, I'm exhausted and I've hardly been cooking... And it hasn't been new recipes. Hence, my absence from this blog.
I apologize, but I'm back... at least for now!

But... I have a great recipe to share with you today!

In honor of World Nutella Day (did you know there was such a thing? Me neither!), I have a great recipe for Nutella Ice Cream.This particular recipe can be ANY kind of ice cream you want... And what's even better about this recipe???

You don't have to have an ice cream maker or rock salt to make it! Crazy huh? It is still creamy and delicious and you will love it!

Here's what you need:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 (14 oz) Sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
And then whatever you want to add to your ice cream.

In my case... 1/2 cup Nutella

First, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks in a large bowl.

Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, butter and Nutella (or whatever you're adding) in a large bowl.
Fold in whipped cream.
Keep Folding...
Almost there:

Pour into a 2 quart container and cover. Freeze for at least 6 hours or until firm. Store in freezer.

Enjoy... I ate mine in these little ramekins... and the portion was perfect!Want some other ideas for variations on this ice cream??

How about adding 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. vanilla for Cinnamon Bun Ice Cream? Sounds good, doesn't it?

How about cookie dough chunks for cookie dough ice cream? My favorite!

How about crushed oreos and some mint extract ( or just use Mint Oreos...) for Grasshopper Ice Cream! Can I have another favorite? I think I will be making this next...

The possibilities are limitless!!! All without the mess of rock salt and the hassle of the ice cream maker!

Can't Leave Alone Bars

This is a recipe that I got from Tried and True cooking with Heidi and I am so glad I tried it.

I took these to work that night to be devoured by my co-workers during the night. We need something to keep us awake all night! The day shift got there and there were only about 2-3 left and they were upset with me for not bringing some for them.

Thankfully, they are one of the easiest desserts I have ever made and I will be making some soon to take to those complaining day-shifters =)
1 package white or yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz- or half a bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed

Combine the cake mix, eggs and oil. Press 2/3 of this mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Set remaining cake mix aside.

In a microwave bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave, uncovered until chips and butter are melted and stir until smooth. Pour over crust.
Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. I found it easiest to just use my hands to crumble the cake mix over the top (after I washed my hands of course....)Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until just lightly browned. Cool before cutting.Enjoy!