Pizza Puffs

I found this recipe on another blog (Lick the Bowl Good)who got it from Rachel Ray and thought they looked great! Ok, they were better than great and I should have doubled it because I made it for 6 hungry adults and they lasted about 2 minutes! So good and a perfect party or summer food. Please try this, you will be a fan!



Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
pinch of salt (my addition, optional)
3/4 cup fat free milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup cut up turkey pepperoni
store-bought pizza sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, microwave the pizza sauce until warmed through. Serve the puffs with the pizza sauce for dipping.

Easy right!! If you have left overs, pop them in the freezer and they are a great snack anytime!

Banana Cake

This cake is incredible!! For some reason our bananas have been super ripe lately and this was the perfect solution for using them up! This cake is moist, fast, looks great and tastes even better! Great for a treat or set it on the counter and snack on it!



Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix (I use Betty Crocker)
1/2 cup water
1 cup smashed banana (3-4)
1/2 cup applesauce
5 egg whites (or 3 eggs)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 chopped walnuts
2 oz. fat free cream cheese (i can only find it at Safeway around here)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 cups powdered sugar
couple teaspoons milk

1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease 12-cup bundt cake pan with cooking spray.
2. Beat cake mix, water, bananas ,applesauce, oil, cinnamon and egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in the walnuts. Pour into pan.
3. Bake 43 to 53 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn pan upside down on serving plate or your cake stand and remove pan. Cool completely. Be strong, it will take about 1 hour.
4. While it is cooling it is time to make the glaze. Beat your cream cheese with a n electric mixer until smooth. Add in the vanilla and 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar. Add in just a little bit of milk at a time to get the right consistency. This is where you can make your glazw however you like. If you want a thick glaze add more powdered sugar. If you want a thin glaze add more milk. Stir well. Drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts to finish it off!

* This is a great snack and pretty healthy too!! By using egg whites or even egg beaters (I have egg beaters in my fridge that I only use for baking and I always use egg whites too!) you are cutting out a significant amount of fat and cholesterol. So easy and then you don't have to feel guilty for eating enormous amounts of cake....like me :)

BBQ Chicken Wrap

I LOVE this wrap because it reminds me of Red Robin..... which I also love. I get the same thing every time I go there :) SO this is a copy cat of the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap and you will love it! It tastes like the real thing!



Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

1 package spinach tortillas
3 chicken breasts, cut into bit size pieces
lettuce, shredded
tomatoes, diced
cheddar cheese, grated
1 can corn, drained
low fat ranch
mesquite bbq sauce
salt and pepper

1. Heat a non-stick skillet to med/high heat and drizzle a bit of olive oil. Season your chicken with salt and pepper and toss into the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Next add a couple of tablespoons of bbq sauce to the pan and coat the chicken. Turn the heat down and prepare your wraps.
2. In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons of ranch with 3 tablespoons of bbq sauce. Stir to combine. Spread some sauce on each of your tortillas. As much or little as you want. Next divide the chicken among all your wraps. Top with cheese, tomatoes, corn and lettuce. Wrap up tight and cut in half on your plates. So easy and good!!
* Serve these with fruit salad, french fries, chips, potato salad, anything summery and you are good to go!

Lemon Chicken Pasta

I love lemon pasta!! I don't know why I haven't posted this recipe before because it is great!! The sauce is light and the flavors are amazing! Everyone, including kids, loved this and it is really easy. You can whip it up in no time!



Ingredients:

4-5 cups of penne pasta (I do about 1 cup of dried pasta a person)
1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 water
zest of 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and the pasta. While your pasta is cooking you will cook up the chicken and make the sauce.
2. In a small skillet, bring it to medium heat. Drizzle it with a bit of olive oil. Season your chicken with salt, pepper, and onion powder and place into the pan. Cook for about 7-9 minutes, until cooked through.
3. Now, while your chicken is cooking we will make the yummy sauce. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a medium skillet. Heat at medium heat and cook the garlic for just a minute. Stir the garlic as you cook it. You DON'T want it to burn. It will taste bitter, so keep stirring and as soon as you start to smell the garlic you know that it is beginning to soften and cook. Next add in your soup. Whisk the soup and garlic together and add in the zest and lemon juice. Now at this point you will add the water. You can make your sauce as thick or thin as you like. So start adding water until you get it where you like it. Heat the sauce through and give it a taste. You may want to add a bit of salt and pepper, but it is up to you :)
4. Alright, lets get this meal together! Drain your pasta and return to pan. Add the sauce to you pasta and toss to coat. Divide your lemon pasta among your plates and then top with chicken and fresh parsley. YUM!! You are done, now go eat!

* I pair this dinner with steamed broccoli, green beans, or a salad. Then toast up some garlic bread and you are set!

Oreo Cookie Bark

It has been so boiling hot around here that I haven't been baking as much....I want to but our house is so hot, I just can't do that to my family :) So here is a super yummy and sweet treat you can make without turning on the oven! Just to let you know it is very addicting:) YUM! I got this idea from Homebased Mom. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

Stick pretzels
reduced fat oreos
2 1/2 cups white chocolate melties
m&ms and sprinkles

1. Really easy and you can kinda eyeball most of it. Ok all you do is line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Next break up about 1/3 to 1/2 a package of oreos with your hands and spread it out on the cookie sheet. Next, break about 3 or 4 handfuls of your pretzels in half and mix them in on the cookie sheet with the oreos. At this point you can put as much pretzels and cookies as you like to cover the cookie sheet. More of one or the other if you prefer or even amounts of both.
2.Ok next put your melties in a microwave safe bowl and start melting. Stir every 30 seconds until smooth. Drizzle back and forth over your pretzel/oreo mixture to pretty much cover it all up. You will see cookie and pretzel peeking through. Same thing here, you can have as much white chocolate as you want.
3. Next while the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle m&ms and sprinkles over the top. Allow is to cool, which only takes about 15 minutes and then break up into chunks! SO GOOD!!

* this is great to give away as gifts or goodies for a friend. You can use different color oreos and m&ms to make it fun.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Skewers

This was Rex's request for his father's day dinner and it was divine! He recently got me a grilling cookbook, so we tested it out! Won-der-ful!! Really easy and the flavors are amazing! Next time you grill, try this out!


Ingredients:
1-1.5 lbs. pork chops cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil

BBQ rub:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt

Glaze:
1/4 cup fresh or refrigerated lime juice (I grated a bit of peel in there too)
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
limes for garnishing
skewers

1. Mix oil and dry rub ingredients together in a shallow dish. Toss pork chunks into dish and mix with spices until all the meat is coated. Preheat grill to med-high heat. Skewer your pork onto water soaked skewers.
2.Combine all your glaze ingredients together. Put your skewers on the grill and after they have been cooking for about 5 minutes start basting pork with glaze. Baste every couple of minutes to really enhance the flavor. After about 12-15 minutes check your meat for doneness and remove from grill when cooked through.
3. Serve with lime wedges, watermelon, corn, potato salad, anything bbq worthy and eat!!

Carolina Shredded Chicken

This is a great summer sandwich and would be perfect for a 4th of July BBQ! It is really easy and comes together quick! It was a big hit and made enough to feed my whole family and more!! Try it, you will definitely eat it up!



Ingredients:

Chicken:
6 boneless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.)
1/2 teaspoon season salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2/3 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard (I always add more, I love mustard)
6 whole wheat sandwich buns

1. Heat grill to medium-high heat or if you are not grilling heat a large non-stick skillet to med-high heat.
2. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with season salt and paprika. When grill or pan is ready place chicken on. Cook for about 9 minutes then turn and cook for an additional 9 minutes or until cooked through.
3.Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from grill or pan and allow to cool slightly. With 2 forks or your hands, shred meat. Add the chicken to the sauce and heat through. Divide chicken evenly among buns. Serve with corn and the cob, watermelon, coleslaw, any fresh fruit salad or a green salad and you are set! Enjoy!