Dip Baby Dip

A few weeks ago, my friend Adriane made this amazing artichoke dip for a potluck dinner.  Well, actually after talking to my friends, I am not sure if it was a potluck or a BBQ, but I digress lol.  The point is, Adriane's dip was so good, it got me in this DIP mood.  About a week after eating Adriane's dip, our friend Tim had a promotion ceremony and his wife made a sausage/rotel dip.  That same weekend, Tim came over to watch football and I thought "well it is the season of the dip; why not make one while they watch football."  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love chicken and spicy food, so I decided on a buffalo chicken dip.  When I tell you that this dip was absolutely delicious, it would be an understatement.  It took me about 10-15 minutes to make and it was gone the same day.  Other than my corn dip, it's my new go to recipe for tailgating parties.  Today, I tried a new recipe and it was just as good.  I made a Pepperoni pizza dip.  There is about a spoonful left (not for long). We are having a work tailgating party in honor of the Kansas City Royals going to the World Series (Go Royals) and I don't know which one to bring.  Decisions, decisions.  Both recipes are posted below.  I know you, your friends, and/or family will enjoy both!  

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

picture courtesy of chocolatemoosey.com

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) cans chunked chicken (drained) OR 2 cups of cooked chicken cut into chunks 

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup of Ranch dressing

3/4 cup of Frank's Red Hot Buffalo wing sauce 

3/4 cup blended Shredded Cheese (mine had cheddar, Colby, and Mozzarella)...you can just use shredded cheddar

Directions:
1. Heat chicken and Buffalo sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. 
2. Make sure to break up the chicken so there are no big chunks. 
3. Add cream cheese and ranch dressing.   
4.  Stir until well blended and warm. 
5. Add shredded cheese. 
6. Pour into a shallow dish or a crock pot
7. Serve with pita chips for dipping.

Recipe: Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

12 ounces cream cheese

3/4 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried basil

2  (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce

1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste 

2 tsp dried oregano 

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of Pepperoni

1/4 tbsp of BBQ sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, 3/4 tsp of oregano, 3/4 tsp of parsley and 1/4 tsp of basil.  
3. Spread herbed cream cheese on the bottom of casserole dish. Layer with ½ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese.
4. In another bowl, mix together tomato sauce, tomato paste, 2 tsp of oregano, 2 tsp of basil, 1/2 tsp of sugar, garlic powder, and 1/4 tbsp of BBQ sauce. Pour over cheese layer in dish.
5. Cover with the remaining cheeses. Top with pepperoni.
6. Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 mins or until heated through and bubbly. 
7. Serve with pita chips or bagel chips.

Parmesan Meatloaf

A few weeks ago, I had a friend over for dinner with his fiance.  I racked my brain as to what I could make for them.  At first, I was going to go with a Mexican theme, because my neighbor inspired me to make chicken enchiladas.  I decided against that once he told me they would prefer a down home type of meal.  Being from the south, I thought about all the possibilities of what I could make.  After a couple of days, I decided on meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, and corn.  I knew I didn't want just any meatloaf, so I searched all of the web for the perfect meatloaf recipe.  I finally found one and it is the best meatloaf I have ever had.  Of course, I added my own twist on it and let's just say: AMAZING.  My guests thoroughly enjoyed the meal, which lets me know they agreed that it was AMAZING.  I am also including the recipe to a cake my mother in law introduced to me.  Last year, she brought this same cake to my mothers house and my mom literally ate this cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It is my go to cake to bake when I have to bring a dessert to a potluck.  I actually made two of them last weekend and ended up eating one ALL BY MYSELF (Don't judge me lol).  It's simple, requires few ingredients, and oh so good.  

Recipe: Parmesan Meatloaf

Picture courtesy of ontario.foodland

Ingredients: 

2 lb ground beef or ground turkey 

2 eggs 

1/4 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs 

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

2 tablespoons of minced garlic 

1 small onion, chopped fine 

1/2 teaspoon season all 

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup your favorite marinara pasta sauce 

1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese  

1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese 

1/2 cup of cooked chopped bacon 

Cooking Spray

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a meatloaf dish with non stick spray/cooking spray.  

2. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, thyme, oregano, basil, garlic, onion, season all, pepper, chopped bacon and Parmesan cheese. Do not over mix the ingredients.  Put the ground beef mixture in the greased meatloaf pan.  Top the meatloaf with pasta sauce.

3. Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour (may take 1 hr. 15 mins). Remove the meatloaf from the oven and add the remaining cheese on top.  Place the meatloaf back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.

4. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving/slicing.

5. Enjoy with mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and some garlic bread!

Recipe: Orange Cake

Picture courtesy of YouTube

Ingredients for cake: 

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 box of instant lemon jello pudding

3/4 cup of oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup of water

1/4 cup of orange juice

a splash of milk

Ingredients for icing:

2 cups of powdered sugar

1/3 cup of orange juice

2 tsp. warm water

2 tbsp. of softened butter

Directions for cake: 

1. Grease and flour a cake pan.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 for a glass pan). 

2. Mix together the ingredients for the cake and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Directions for icing:

1. Mix butter with powdered sugar before adding the juice.  Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. 

2. Immediately removing from oven, punch holes over the entire cake with a fork.  

3. Pour the icing all over the cake and spread evenly.  The icing will be absorbed leaving only a slight glaze.  

4. ENJOY!!!! 

 

Mexican Stuffed Shells

This is one of my all time new favorite recipes.  The entire family enjoyed them.  It only took about 15 minutes to prep, about 45 minutes to cook, and 2 minutes to devour.

Recipe: Mexican Stuffed Shells

Ingredients: 

• 1 pound ground beef (you could use ground turkey)
• ½ cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 packet of McCormick taco seasoning
• 4 oz softened cream cheese (I used fat free cream cheese)
• 1 box of JUMBO pasta shells (I boiled 30, but used 20)
• 12 oz enchilada sauce
• 1 cup of chunky salsa 
• 1¼ cup fiesta blend cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese

Instructions: 

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Boil your pasta shells for about 10-12 minutes When your shells are done cooking, rinse with cold water.  Put to the side. 
3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
4. In a large skillet, cook your ground beef over medium high heat.  While the meat is cooking, season with garlic powder, season all, and black pepper.  Stir.  Then add in chopped onions.  Continue to cook until meat is cooked through.  
   
5. Drain the extra grease from the pan. 
6. Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the ground beef and stir. 
7. Turn the heat to medium and then add in cream cheese. Cook until cheese is mixed in and melted throughout. Set aside.
   
8. In a large bowl, combine your salsa and enchilada sauce 
   
9. In the bottom of a 9x13 pan, pour about half of your salsa/enchilada mixture.  Then spread it evenly around the pan. 
   
10. Fill each jumbo shell with a good portion (about 1 TBS) of the meat mixture and place into the pan with sauce. 
    
11. Repeat until all shells or meat mixture is gone.
12. Pour the remaining salsa/enchilada sauce mixture over the tops of the shells.
13. Cover the pan with aluminum foil. 
14. Bake for 30 minutes.
15. Remove aluminum and top with cheeses.
16. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese is melted. 
17. Let stand for about 5 minutes. When you serve, you can add sour cream and Jalepenos on top for garnish/extra flavor. 
    
18. Enjoy! 

Winner, winner Roast Dinner!

I call my mother almost every day and food is always a topic of discussion.  As usual, I asked her what she was cooking and she vividly explained how she was cooking a rump roast.  She described it in such detail, I was inspired to make one myself for dinner.  Instead of a rump roast, I decided to purchase a chuck roast.  She had rice and green beans as her side dishes; I had collard greens and rice.  You choose whatever sides you would like.  After making this dish, I inspired my brother to make it as well and he had corn and rice as his side dishes.  This was a cheap meal that lasted a few nights.  Night two, I put my favorite BBQ sauce on the roast to change the flavor up.  Night three, we took the remaining roast and made sandwiches!  It's a very versatile meal.  Hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Recipe: Sweetened Chuck Roast

Ingredients:

Chuck Roast

1 small onion

1 small green bell pepper

4 small potatoes

Cooking Spray

Sugar

Season all

Garlic Powder

Black Pepper

Olive oil or canola cooking oil

Directions:

1. Wash meat thoroughly and then pat dry

2. Season both sides of the roast with season all, garlic powder, black pepper, and sprinkle with granulated sugar (I poke some holes in the roast and get some seasoning/sugar in the roast...not too many holes, just a few for flavor).  Make sure to rub sugar all over the meat so it's evenly coated on roast.  

3. In a large skillet, heat about 3-4 table spoons of oil (enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan (NOT TOO MUCH).  When the oil is hot, place meat in pan.  Cook on medium high heat on both sides for about 2-3 minutes.  You just want to get the meat to a pretty brown color on both sides.  You don't want to cook the roast all the way through.  

4. When meat is browned, place to the side. Chop an onion and bell pepper up (slices like for fajitas). Sauté your onions and peppers in the pot you cooked your roast in for about 3-5 minutes.  Add some seasoning to your vegetables (season all, black pepper, garlic powder).  You could also use fresh minced garlic.  

5. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Place the roast in the pan.  Place 

sautéed peppers and onions on top of roast.  Peel your small potatoes.  Chop into small chunks.  Rinse them off.  Season with seasonings listed above.  Spread evenly over roast and vegetables.  In the same pot you cooked meat and vegetables in, add a little water, pour into baking dish.  

6. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.  Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours or until meat is tender.  

7. After your roast comes out of the oven, let rest for about 5 minutes, then serve with your choice of side items.  Enjoy! 

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

This is my new favorite go to dish.  It's great for potluck, a weeknight dinner, or dinner date for two.  I have made it twice so far.  The first time  I made it, it was good, but the second time was even better.  It doesn't take many ingredients and it also doesn't take long to cook.  This recipe will be a hit whenever you make it!

Recipe: Chicken Parmesan Casserole

Ingredients:

1 package of chicken tenderloins (cut into chunks)

1 (28oz) jar of marinara sauce (I like the meat flavor or the herb flavor)

1 small jar of roasted garlic Alfredo sauce (you can use whatever flavor you like)

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup of Italian bread crumbs

Olive Oil

Seasonings: Season all, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes (optional), black pepper

Directions;

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray or olive oil

3. Make sure you have washed your chicken and cut it into chunks.  Season you meat with the seasonings listed above.  

4. In a skillet, put a table spoon of oil in the pot.  Heat on medium.  When oil is hot, place seasoned chicken in the skillet.  Cook (stirring occasionally) for about 5-7 minutes.When the chicken is done, put to the side.

5. Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with the cooked chicken.  Next, evenly spread the jar of marinara sauce all over the chicken.  Then drizzle about half the Alfredo sauce over the marinara sauce.  

6. Sprinkle both cheeses (mozzarella and Parmesan) all over the sauce.  Make sure it's evenly spread.

7. Next top with the bread crumbs .  Do not put too much, You want a light coat over the cheeses (just to provide a crunch).  Spray the top of the breadcrumbs with cooking spray or drizzle olive oil on top.  

8. Bake covered for 20-25 minutes.  Then bake uncovered for about 5-10 minutes.  

9. When it comes out of the oven, let stand for 5-10 minutes. 

10. Instead of your traditional spaghetti noodles, serve this dish over white rice.  If you do not eat white rice, serve it over brown rice or rice pilaf (any rice).  Enjoy!

*I tried it with spaghetti and with rice.  I much prefer it with white rice.  The kids asked for seconds and thirds.  This is a great freezer meal too.  You can prepare early and cook when  you are ready.  

Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken/Sausage Cheesy Casserole

I'm back!!!  I know it has been 5 months since I have blogged, but life has been busy.  I have been cooking and trying new recipes, but haven't had the time to load them.  Because I feel like we haven't had time to just "be" and finding time to cook those cool new recipes seem like a hopeful thing of the future, I have been cooking a  lot of dishes that we could have for at least two days or something I can prepare ahead of time.  I find many of my recipes on Pinterest or Kraft.com and then I modify them to my southern routes.  For example, most people have made some type of potato casserole, but my family loves MEAT.  I added sauteed smoked sausage and chicken to the dish.  Tomorrow, I will try a Chicken Parmesan Casserole (with no noodles...instead a brown or white rice cooked separately).

My hope is to blog more in the summer.  Stay tuned for that Chicken Parmesan Casserole Recipe.  Be sure to follow my blog, leave comments, and share it with others.

Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken/Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

Chicken (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)

Smoked Sausage or Turkey Sausage sauteed (Optional)

Bacon fried and crumbled

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 cup of green onion

1/2 stick of butter

Sour Cream (optional)

Ranch (Optional)

Aluminum Foil 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Season your chicken with Season All, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic Powder, and Black Pepper

Spray a 9x13 dish with non stick cooking spray

Spread the chicken all over the bottom of pan

Add sausage on top of chicken

Spread cheese all over meat

Sprinkle crumbled bacon over cheese

Spread green onion on top of bacon/cheese

Place one table spoon of butter in each corner and in the middle of the pan

Cover with aluminum foil

Bake for one hour covered at 350 degrees

Uncover and let stand for about 15-20 minutes before serving

When you serve, you could place a spoon of sour cream or drizzle ranch all over individual serving.

Enjoy!