Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Wow. I saw this recipe on one of my favorite recipe blogs and since my hubby LOVES all things spicy, I thought this would be a winner in our house.

It did not fail.

Here's the recipe from How Sweet it Is, with very detailed instructions and way prettier pictures than I can offer if you want to give this one a try. I think you'll love it!

I used lowfat milk in mine, so I'm sure it wasn't as thick as hers, but we still loved it. I didn't have gorgonzola either, so I threw some feta on top at the end and it gave it a fun kick. I also was running a little short on my Frank's hot sauce, so I barely made the 1/3 cup called for in the recipe. I would have loved it with even a little more than it called for. I loved the zing in this souped-up Mac-n-cheese dish. I baked the chicken in the oven for about 25 minutes (threw a little olive oil, s&p and garlic powder on it too). I then just shredded it up with my hands and threw it in the bottom of the dish.

I used fresh cilantro and green onions from my garden to throw on top and we LOVED what this added to the dish.


David even added a little extra Sirache sauce on top of his for more heat.


Parents Review: David said this is his new favorite dish. I am making it again very soon with more hot sauce next time. Perfect!
Kids Review: They don't do spicy, so I just gave them some plain pasta and baked chicken before I dolled it all up, then added a veggie on the side for them. They were happy. :-)


Let me know if you try it!

Mexican Fried Ice Cream

It's Cinco De Mayo and we are celebrating with food. Yay! Here's a great recipe that I made with the kids today and it was so much fun. Not only was it easy and the kids got to help out with all the fun, but it was really, really good.

Here's the ingredients - minus the ice cream.


First we scooped some ice cream into a plastic baggie and formed it into a ball. We did this for each of us (in different bags) and threw them in the freezer until we were ready to use them.

Then, the kids poured some frosted flakes into a bag and a good amount of cinnamon and then smashed it up with a rolling pin. They loved this. You want to really taste the cinnamon, but you don't want it spicy. Go ahead and sample it to see what you like.


When we were ready to eat them, we got out the flour tortillas, sprayed our pan with Pam butter spray and fried them up a little bit. After I cooked each side - I sprinkled it with a cinnamon sugar mixture.



Immediately throw your tortillas inside your bowl to "form a bowl" before it gets crispy. Then, take out your ice cream balls and throw them in your frosted flakes mixture and shake it all up. Add your ice cream ball inside your tortilla, drizzle with honey and your done. You can also add a little whipped cream and sprinkles on top if you want to.

Here's how ours turned out.



Parents Review: I could've eaten two of them. It was like yummy, cinnamon honey ice cream and the tortilla was super tasty.
Kids Review: They would like it to be Cinco De Mayo every day.

Taco Salad

I hate to even call this one a recipe, but I have to say that this is my favorite kind of meal and I could eat it every other night. Seriously.

Here's how you make a stellar taco salad and keep the calories down at the same time.

Put a few of your favorite tortilla chips in the bottom of your bowl (I used my Tostitos chipotle fire-roasted ones)
Then add a ton of chopped iceburg lettuce.
Cook some lean ground beef in a pan, throw in a little bit of water and a package of taco seasoning - then throw it on your lettuce.
Add some shaved corn on the cob, low-fat shredded cheese, home-made guacamole (we mash an avocado, add some salsa and a squeeze of half a lime - perfection), salsa verde and some regular salsa and DONE.

Then mix it all together and enjoy. So great.

Parents Review: Love
Kids Review: Hold the lettuce and they are all over it. :-)

No Bake Graham Cracker Cookies

My mom has made these little dreamboats every year for our family reunion for as long as I can remember. I can't picture any other time she makes them, but they are a treat to look forward to. I love the creamy frosting on top, the pecan-pie-like filling in the middle and the soft and yummy graham crackers mixed in. They are chilled and served sliced into little bars.

A-ma-zing.

Here's her recipe.

In a 9X13 pan, put whole graham crax to cover bottom of pan.

Filling:

Melt 1 Cup butter, add 1 Cup Sugar, 1/4 Cup milk and 1 beaten egg. Bring to full rolling oil. Remove from heat. Add 1 Cup chopped nuts (I used pecans), 1 Cup Coconut and 1 Cup crushed graham crax.

Spread this over the crax in the pan and cover with whole graham crax.

Cover with icing made of 1/4 Cup butter and 2 Cups sifted powdered sugar and just enough milk to mix. Beat well and ice the bars.

Put in fridge for 24 hours. Then cut into small squares.


Try not to eat them all at once. You will get sick. Trust me, I know from experience.

Parents Review: We love these.
Kids Review: Won't touch with a ten foot pole - just like pecan pie. :-)

Beef Stroganoff - in the crockpot

This is a new recipe for me that I found online on one of my searches. This is how I tend to find a lot of the things I cook because I will have a craving and I just start searching until I find a recipe that looks like it will be a good one.

I loved the beef sirloin tip in this dish. So tender and tons of flavor. I bought the thinly sliced ones at my local grocery store. It called for 1 1/2 lbs. of meat, but I could only find packages that were either just a little over a pound, or 3 lbs or more. I opted to have a little less meat and I also skipped out on the mushrooms that this recipe called for. But if you like them, I'm sure it would give a lot more fullness to this dish. It was very rich and a bit tangy. It calls for 2 Tbsp of Mustard that you add at the end along with some flour, water and an 8 oz carton of sour cream (I opted for Light S.C.). So, I think that the Mustard and also the Worcestershire gives it some real zip. I really liked it at first, but couldn't decide if I loved it. It was a different flavor for me. But I think it kept growing on me because I couldn't keep out of it. I am craving the rich flavor and am REALLY looking forward to diving into my leftovers tomorrow.

Here's a link to the recipe. Please let me know if you try this one. I love hearing feedback and if you guys loved or hated the dish and if you are enjoying the food I am posting. Interaction is my favorite part about blogging, so don't be silent out there. :-)



Parents Review: One thumb up. David was working tonight, so he hasn't had any yet, but I LOVE it. I think he will too!

Kids Review: Little Girl gagged and made all this drama when she half licked at it, but then I forced her to chew and swallow a real piece and she changed her tune and said, "MMMM. Now that was really great!" Such a stinker. Baby Boy gobbled it up. They both love red meat. We don't eat it all that often, but when we do, they both tend to be happy campers!

Favorite Brownies

You already have the recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on the left of this tray, but you're going to need this new recipe too. I have been making these basic, chocolatey, chewy and soft brownies with big chunks of chocolate for about 14 years. I got this recipe out of one of the early cookbooks I purchased in the newlywed stage of my life. It is one of the many recipes that I have come to love from this old book.

Here it is:

Favorite Brownies:

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs (or egg substitute)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugar, butter and vanilla. Add eggs. Combine dry ingredients, then add to sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in an 8 inch square pan. Bake for 35 minutes.



Parents and Kids Review: Seconds, please??? Love!!!

Baked Brown Rice & Asparagus Side Dish

I made one of my favorite recipes for dinner tonight - Cheddar, Cranberry, Apple Turkey Meatballs in the Crock pot. They were the best ones I've ever done before. So, so good.

I paired it with Brown Rice and tried making it a little differently. I found this recipe that tells you how to BAKE the rice instead of cooking it on the stovetop. My rice usually comes out a little mushy or dry or something that's not quite right. I'd heard about this different method and wanted to try it. Alton Brown from The Food Network has this recipe that I used tonight. It was so easy and David and I loved it. The only thing I did differently was I used half beef broth and half water when they called for all water. SO YUMMY!!

Then, I made the asparagus that you see in the picture above. Here's the simple recipe for these. It was easy and had a ton of flavor. It was such a nice change from just steaming it or roasting it, which is what I normally do.

I hope you enjoy these. Let me know what you think!

Parents Review: I will start baking my rice like this forever and always. I also love the asparagus prepared this way. Will do it again.

Kids Review: Asked for seconds and thirds of the rice. They wanted nothing to do with the Asparagus this way, but they gobbled up some plain steamed asparagus.