Arthur Bryant's

This was a weekend of eating out! My mom had to head back to Vernon Hills tonight, so we headed up to KC to hit up Kansas Sampler and Cabela's before we dropped her off at the airport. We tried to eat at Oklahoma Joe's-but who knew it was closed Sunday? We just had watched a BBQ competition on TV, so we needed some BBQ! We went to Arthur Bryant's at The Legends. I had a not so great experience the first time I went...but it was delicious. We had SO much food. My mom and I shared the pulled pork with fries, thank goodness we shared, we didn't even eat it all! Brett, Katie, and Kevin all went for the turkey-which they liked a lot too. I love pulled pork, and this hit the spot. The only thing I would mention is that their sauce just isn't my favorite sauce in the world..there are others I like better. But, I am glad we went, and I miss my momma already! I love having my family visit and I am always so sad when they leave. Good thing my dad will be here soon! Love you mom and thanks for everything!!! (I would be happy if they just all moved to the Lawrence/KC area, really...)

I forgot my camera, but I did remember to snap a shot on my phone! Pulled Pork and Fries:)

Milton's

Hands down, my favorite breakfast place in Lawrence is Milton's....the thing I hate? The wait. Always a wait, even on a weekday...but totally worth it. It is a very local place, kinda for hippies-no offense, and I try to take my family and visitors there when they come. My mom was the only person I hadn't yet taken, so we took her this morning. We went at 10:30 and were seated around 11:10 or so. But so totally worth it. The bad news? I forgot my camera, and I forgot to take a picture with my phone. Kevin and my mom had the Milton's Scramble or something of the sort. I love their granola, french toast, and their omelets...but today I tried a new omelet, the Prosciutto and Cheese. It had prosciutto, spinach, and feta cheese (I asked for no onions)...it was AMAZING. It came with breakfast potatoes-also amazing, and wheat toast. The cheese was just delicious. I was in heaven, and I am one of those people who never tries new things, I always order the same thing, but I am glad I tried this, it was to die for. Yummmmmmmmm. Wish I had a picture. I will be visiting again soon and ordering the same thing!

A visitor!

My mom gets in tonight at 7:12pm! I cannot wait. I love having my family visit. I didn't have anything to post last night because we just had some tacos, well and I ate a bunch of black beans, my current favorite food....I was busy cleaning and getting ready for my mother!!!

Kevin, me, and my mom in Cancun!

Calzones

I never made a calzone until I saw this Rachael Ray Bacon Cheeseburger Calzone recipe http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Grilled-Bacon-Cheeseburger-Calzones. It is super simple, and really good. Below is my usual Bacon Cheeseburger recipe, but tonight, I made myself pepperoni and Kevin hamburger, pepperoni, and bacon. We always dip them in ranch:) Yummy, and quick.

Ingredients
1 pound refrigerated pizza dough-I just use the Pillsbury kind
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
3/4 pound ground beef
4 slices bacon-precooked is easiest
Minced onion
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
One can of diced tomatoes, I like to use the garlic and onion kind

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide the pizza dough and form into 2 balls. Place in a large bowl greased with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the minced onion and tomatoes and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Crumble the bacon into the beef mixture and stir in the cheese; season with salt.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch round and transfer to a large oiled baking sheet. Place half the beef mixture on one side of the round. Top with half the tomatoes. Fold over the dough to form a half moon; crimp the edge to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough. Brush the calzones with olive oil. Pierce a vent in the top of each. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

It makes 2 calzones, about this size!


This was the inside of my mini pepperoni calzone:)

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Tonight for dinner I made a new casserole-I seem to be obsessed with casseroles....it was some good comfort food! I enjoyed it, although I think it could have been spiced up some more...not sure how. I will definitely eat the leftovers though! Can't go wrong with noodles of any sort! I looked up a bunch of recipes online and just mixed them all together..it worked out well:)

Ingredients
12oz wide egg noodles-cooked according to pkg. (I use a mix of whole wheat and white)
3 tablespoons butter
3-5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 chicken breasts
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
Parmesan Cheese
salt, pepper

For topping
2 tablespoons butter
Seasoned bread crumbs (I seasoned my own with a BUNCH of spices, just anything I grabbed out of the pantry!)

Directions
Cook pasta according to package and set aside. In a large skillet cook chicken until done. Season with salt and pepper, etc...Pull chicken out of the skillet and set aside (after cool enough cut into small pieces). In same skillet melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add diced up onion and garlic, cook until soft. Add flour and whisk together and let it brown, and the flour to cook. Slowly add the milk, chicken broth, chicken soup, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture thicken and combine well. After bubbly, add the chopped chicken to the mixture.

Butter a 9x13 pan and put the noodles in the bottom. Pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on casserole.Then mix butter and breadcrumbs and sprinkle that on top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes until breadcrumbs are toasted!


Finished Casserole


Delish!

French Toast Casserole

This one I stole from one of the blogs I follow...http://serendipitybistro.blogspot.com/. It was really easy, and we like to have breakfast for dinner sometimes too! I served it with some sausage links. It had the consistency of bread pudding, which is one of my all-time favorite things. YUM! I did cut the recipe in half from what was posted at this blog. It turned out great, and we will make it again for sure! I copied and pasted the recipe below-I did it just the same, but I cut it all in half. I still baked it for the same amount of time.

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 loaf Pepperidge Farm bread (1#)
6 eggs
2 c milk
Maple syrup (the real thing, not pancake syrup)

Directions
Use a 9x13 inch dish. Melt butter. Add brown sugar & cinnamon; make a paste & spread over bottom of dish. Use only Pepperidge Farm bread (this recipe will take a 1# loaf). Remove crusts. Layer two slices of bread and fill in sides and ends with smaller pieces. Beat 6 eggs & add 2 cups milk. Pour over top. Cover & refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. Uncover & bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Drizzle maple syrup on top. Place under broiler until brown & bubbly. Allow to sit 5 minutes before cutting. When serving turn the slice upside down on the plate. This allows all the ooey, gooey from the bottom to now run all over the slice as you eat it.

Before the flip!! This was right out of the oven!

Homemade Tomato Soup with Tortellini

My dad loves to cook too-and he has made some really delicious things, like this soup I am about to post about. But I will never forget when he made this Minnesota Hot Dish recipe when my mom was gone and he made me eat it. At that time, I thought it was SO GROSS, onions, peppers, ew, all things I hated when I was younger. Plus I was a picky eater. I hope he never makes that again.... You might ask him about his ULTRA lemon chicken he once made, that was also interesting. He is a good cook though and I like when he gives me recipe ideas, I think he found this one, made some changes, gave it to me, and I changed some things too. So I will tell you how I made it, with just a few changes from what he gave me. It was perfect for this FREEZING day and I loved it. I love all tomato soup, but I never made it myself-a can of Campbell's has always been my easy way out. Kevin liked it too, and I will definitely make it again. I will even eat the leftovers that are in the fridge! Love you Dad and miss you too!

Perfect for a cold day!


Ingredients
1 large onion (I used yellow-I always use yellow)
2 tablespoons of butter
A little EVOO
1-28oz can whole tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1-15oz can tomato sauce
Sage to taste (I like a lot of flavor so I used a lot of spices!)
Basil to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
A touch of garlic salt, and a few red pepper flakes
9oz package of refrigerated tortellini (I used Buitoni cheese and garlic, and this was a bit different dad:))
Parmesan cheese to top

Directions
In a large saucepan cook onion in butter/EVOO mixture until tender. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato sauce, all the spices, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

After 30 minutes, use an immersion blender to smooth the soup out as smooth as possible-I never had used our immersion blender until today-that thing is AWESOME, saves so much time than having to take it out and put it in the blender/food processor. Continue to blend until all lumps are gone. Then, add refrigerated tortellini to the soup and boil for 10-12 minutes until pasta is cooked through. I kept it at all low boil and stirred it so I didn't make a huge mess of tomatoes everywhere.

Spoon soup into bowls and top with the Parmesan cheese. It was perfect! Yummy:) Time to get my dad an immersion blender!!

Finished Product!

Macaroni Grill

On Friday night we went to the Macaroni Grill for dinner. We got gift cards and decided to try it out, since we had never been before. It was a nice little night. We both enjoyed their bread dipped in olive oil, and we got the Romano's Sampler for an appetizer which was Tomato Bruschetta, Mozzarella Fritta and Calamari Fritti served with arrabbiata sauce. It was pretty good. I had a glass of wine, which always makes everything taste better. For our entrees, Kevin got the Penne Rustica and I got the Pollo Caprese. We even had dessert....Amaretto Apple Crispetti. I did manage to take pictures of our entrees. Overall I enjoyed it and would go back, but it wasn't my favorite place. I like how the tables are covered in paper and they leave crayons on the table-kills time! You can visit the website here- http://www.macaronigrill.com/Home/Default.aspx

Penne Rustica


Pollo Caprese

B&G

Biscuits and Gravy....I never thought I liked them...until one day when Kevin tried to impress me and make them for me for breakfast. So I pretended to like them, until I realized I love them! I mean some carbs with gravy? Whats not to love? Kevin made them tonight for dinner while I was volunteering at a reading night at a local elementary school. It made me realize how blessed I am to come home to warm meals and a nice home. One of the kids mentioned he was so happy they were serving pizza because his family had no food at home and they didn't have any money to buy any. It truly broke my heart. I wish I could help out more than I do for the kids who truly need our help in Lawrence and the surrounding communities. I hope everyone remembers how blessed they are to have home cooked meals, because not everyone has that.

Kevin's B&G

Ingredients
1 pound medium (or whatever sausage you want) sausage
Flour
Milk-I like the 2% for this
salt and pepper
Biscuits (we used a can, but you could make them!!)

Directions
Brown sausage in skillet, coat all the sausage with flour-until covered. Then add milk and stir constantly until thickens and comes to a boil-make sure it doesn't burn to the bottom of the pan or boil over! Once its thick-serve it up. I think Kevin adds other seasoning and isn't telling me so he can keep it a secret. Anyway, its delish.

Yum.

Green Bean Casserole

I LOVE Green Bean Casserole, it is no longer just for holidays in the Kinley-Spreer household. I make it pretty often. I cannot get enough. Tonight I made Green Bean Casserole and threw a roast in the crock pot with some potatoes, package of onion seasoning, an onion, beef broth, garlic, and random other seasonings. I love doing that, although then my hands smell like garlic and onions all day at work! I wish I would have had some carrots, too. Run that crock pot all day and have a moist, seasoned, super easy supper. That is why I decided to focus on the green beans for this post! You can find the original Campbell's recipe here http://www.campbellkitchen.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=24099. Yum, yum yum, and of course, a Thanksgiving and Christmas must-have!

Ingredients
1 can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
Dash ground black pepper
2 cans green beans
1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions

Directions
Stir the soup, milk, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Mmmmmmm.....

Beef Tamale Bake

I saw this Beef Tamale Bake a couple of different places, and I am not sure where the original recipe is-but it is a Pampered Chef Recipe, I know that. This was pretty good for a "healthy" recipe. Not my favorite of all recipes, but I enjoyed it. I feel like it was missing something but I am not sure what...possibly more to come on that. I did put a big glob of sour cream on it at the end, which makes everything delicious!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water, hot
2 egg whites
3 tbsp margarine
1/2-1 lb lean ground beef
16 ounces salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream to top!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray Deep Dish Baker with nonsstick cooking spray. In Small Batter Bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Using Stainless Steel Whick, whisk water, egg whites and vegetable oil spread into cornmeal llmixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into baker.

Place ground beef in Large Skillet. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain, if necessary.

Add salsa, beans, garlic pressed with Garlic Press, chili powder and cumin to beef; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon beef mixture evenly over batter to within 1/2 inch of edge of baker. Bake 20-23 minutes or until crust is set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges.

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/pampered-chef-beef-tamale-bake-recipe-r33060#ixzz0fkSf7XMB

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray deep pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add water, egg whites and margarine into cornmeal mixture; stir until smooth. Pour batter into pie pan.

Place ground beef in large skillet. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain, if necessary.

Add salsa, beans, garlic, chili powder and cumin to beef; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Spoon beef mixture evenly over batter. Bake 20-23 minutes or until crust is set. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and then return and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and cut into wedges, mine were less than perfect! :)

Ground Beef Mixture


I forgot to take a picture until after we cut into it!

Cindy Spreer's Cheesy Potatoes

Well, if Kevin didn't make me fall for him-I fell for his mom's cheesy potatoes. They are SO good, and now a staple in our house, and I take them to family functions, which is awesome, because they are so simple. Love it. Love it. Love it. Love all the Spreer's too!!!!

All their goodness!!!


Ingredients

1 bag frozen hash browns-completely defrosted!!! Cubed or Shredded.

1 can cream of celery soup

1/2 cup minced/diced onions

1 bag (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese, I use sharp cheddar for everything

1 stick of melted butter

8 ounces sour cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

Crunched up chips, buttered bread crumbs or corn flakes to top it with

Directions

Generously butter a 9x13 pan. Mix defrosted hashbrowns, celery soup, onion, cheese, melted butter, sour cream, and salt and pepper together. Pour into greased pan. Top with your choice of crunchy items. Bake for one hour, sometimes I bake a bit longer, depending on how defrosted my potatoes are, I make sure its nice and bubbly and brown on top:)

My very large serving...well my first serving anyway...

Cordon Bleu Chicken Rolls

I think Chicken Cordon Bleu has been one of my favorite things to eat since I was little. It always seems like a special treat because I don't make it very often. YUMMY. My grandma and I made this the last time she was visiting-she better come again SOON. I made it again tonight and it was just absolutely fabulous, or maybe I was just really hungry. Either way-I found it extra delicious, as did my bro and Kevin too! You can find the original recipe here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cordon-Bleu-Chicken-Rolls/Detail.aspx. The directions seem a bit long, but it is truly simple.

Ingredients
8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 3 and sliced them long ways to make them extra thin, so really 6 total)
8 slices cooked ham-I use party time ham, about a half a piece per chicken depending on the size
4 slices Swiss cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces-I just use half a slice/whole slice per chicken
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme-whoops, I totally forgot that part!
1/4 cup melted butter-I truly think I melted a whole stick-cannot go wrong with butter!!
1/2 cup cornflakes cereal crumbs-I used a lot-because I used them in another recipe tonight...

Sauce
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).(I had it at 350 for my potatoes)

Place each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a finger of cheese on each ham slice and sprinkle lightly with thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Roll up seasoned ham and cheese 'jellyroll-style', then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and fasten with toothpicks. Here are my rolls-


Place melted butter in a small bowl and place cereal crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter or margarine, then roll in crumbs, turning to coat thoroughly. Place coated rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Here is one of mine all rolled up!


Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for about 40 minutes (I ended up at 350/375 for an hour because I also had Cheesy Potatoes in the oven) or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear. Serve with cordon bleu sauce, if desired.

To Make Cordon Bleu Sauce: In a small saucepan mix together the soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, and serve hot over chicken rolls. Makes about 2 cups; 8 servings of 1/4 cup each. (I recommend the sauce-yummy!)

Finished in the pan...


All plated up and ready to eat!!!!

Banana Muffins

I love muffins, and when my bananas go bad, which is all the time-I am usually making banana bread, but to change it up, I found a banana muffin recipe I like. You can find the original recipe and my inspiration here http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Banana-Crumb-Muffins/Detail.aspx. I changed a few things when I made them tonight. I really like them and I made mini-muffins instead. Kevin ate a nice hot one right out of the oven and said it was wonderful! So that means it was a success.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted, I will sometimes substitute applesauce if I am feeling healthy!

Topping
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon-I use more like 2-3 teaspoons, I love cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 (350 for minis) degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers (I ended up with 42 VERY LARGE minis...I would put less mixture in next time to make them a more normal size).

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes (more like 10-15 for minis), until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!!

Before Baking


Yummy!! My cute little mini muffins!

Bubble Bread

Kevin's mom makes this delicious bubble bread-I couldn't remember what she told me exactly when I asked her how to make it, so the allrecipe website saved me once again. Kevin's mom does make it in a bundt pan, which is about the only kitchen item I do not have, so the recipe I found online works perfect in a 9x13. I have this in the oven now, for Kevin's Valentine's breakfast! :) Yum! PS-you have to make it the night before to let rise!!

Ingredients
1/2 cup pecan halves-I would say I use more than that! :)
18 frozen dinner rolls
1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix-NOT INSTANT!
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions
Generously butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle pecans in bottom of pan. Place frozen dinner rolls in a single layer on top of pecans. Sprinkle dry pudding mix over the top.

Combine butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat until boiling then pour over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and allow to stand overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Make sure you let it set up a bit before you flip her over or you will lose the all goodness!!

Before the flip!


After the flip!


Yummy!!


For the original recipe click here-
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Overnight-Bubble-Bread/Detail.aspx

Mi Ranchito

Last night, we went to CostCo (a fav place of mine)...and my all-time favorite Mexican restaurant - Mi Ranchito. Thanks Tara for taking me to experience it a couple years ago! So delicious. It has now become a staple for Kevin and me when we are in the Olathe, 119th and Blackbob area. They have the most delicious chips and good margaritas too. My favorite menu item? Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas. YUMMMMMMMM! This was after I took my first, large bite.



I have even taken most of my family there when they visit-see picture below-My dad, brother, Kevin and I last Spring before we went to a Royals Game! Then dressed my dad up in a sombrero for his birthday and gave him dessert. Its a great place. I highly recommend it. You can visit their website by clicking here http://www.miranchitokc.com/. Its definitely worth the drive to KC. Enjoy!

Peppered Bacon and Tomato Linguine

I feel like we eat pasta A LOT. But this one is a little different, and has bacon in it, which Kevin will always eat:) It is pretty tasty.

Ingredients
1/2 pound peppered bacon, diced
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic-or a bit more, in my case!!
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes-I use the garlic and onion diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese-I use more, duh.

Directions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, and set aside.

Saute green onion and garlic in bacon drippings over medium heat for one minute. Stir in tomatoes, basil, salt and ground black pepper; simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Toss hot pasta with sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

For the original recipe on my favorite recipe website click here:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peppered-Bacon-and-Tomato-Linguine/Detail.aspx

Easy Taco Bake Casserole

For some reason, I am obsessed with this Taco Bake...it has cream cheese and sour cream so that is probably why. I can't remember where I found this one, but I remember I did cut it in half, which is more than enough for us, with lots of leftovers, and I added refried beans to the recipe. Kevin would rather it be made with rice, which I bet is possible, and you could add salsa or rotel in place of the tomato sauce, but I like it just the way I make it. Maybe I will get adventurous and try some new ideas next time I make it!

Ingredients
8 oz/half bag or box of shell pasta
1/2 pound of ground beef or turkey (mine is never a perfect amount)
1 8oz can of tomato sauce
8 oz brick of cream cheese
1/2 cup to 1 cup of sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
Shredded cheese for top-I use sharp cheddar or mexican blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta as directed and drain. While pasta is cooking, brown ground beef and add taco seasoning and tomato sauce, then simmer until combined and pasta is done cooking. Also soften and combine cream cheese and sour cream mixture. I microwave the beans as well during this time which makes them easier to spread. Spray a 9x9 pan or larger if you are making a bigger batch. Put drained pasta in the dish first, then layer beans on top, then cream cheese/sour cream mixture, then pour ground beef/tomato sauce/taco seasoning mixture on top of that, then cover in shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes when cheese is nice and melty! Yummy, and super easy.

Ranch Chicken

For dinner Tuesday night I knew I was going to make some chicken... Usually the recipes I make are a combination of other things I see, sometimes that is good and sometimes that is bad. Last night was a success. I base that success on Kevin getting a second portion. If he only eats one serving-I will not make that dish again, but last night that wasn't the case.

Ingredients
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken breasts (I use Smart Chicken strips, about half a package, smaller pieces so I do not overeat!!)
1/2 cup or so of Ranch Dressing
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dried Ranch Dip
1/2-3/4 cups of seasoned bread crumbs
4 Swiss Cheese Slices

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Fill one shallow dish with ranch dressing, fill another with breadcrumb/ranch packet mixture. Heat large skillet on stove to medium high-ish heat and coat bottom of pan with a layer of olive oil. Bread chicken first in ranch dressing and then coat in bread crumb mixture. Brown chicken on both sides on stove until golden brown on each side-be careful and only turn once or coating will fall off! Then place skillet in the oven and cover chicken with swiss cheese slices, bake until chicken is done all the way through and cheese is melted over chicken. Enjoy:)

We had this chicken with fried potatoes and corn.

Welcome!

Since I enjoy cooking...much more than I enjoy work, I decided I would start blogging about that, and well, probably my life too.