Banana Pudding

We had friends coming over so I had to find a easy last minute dessert to make
I came across this one on pinterest.
You can never go wrong with banana pudding, right??

Ingredients:
1 box vanilla wafers
4-5 bananas (or more if you desire)
3 cups of milk
2 small boxes of french vanilla pudding (i just used regular vanilla and it was still amazing)

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip

Directions:
Line the bottom of a 9x13 with vanilla wafers
slice your bananas and layer evenly on top of wafers
combine milk and pudding & blend with an electric mixer
In a separate bowl, mix together cream cheese & condensed milk until smooth.
Fold in whipped cream.
Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mix & stir until well blended.
Pour mixture evenly over bananas
Layer the remaining vanilla wafers on top
Serve right away or refrigerate.

OH.
MY.
WORD.

beyond delicious! It was a total hit!

Crock pot cordon bleu

I've been trying to meal plan for the whole month, so I only have to go grocery shopping once and so I save money by sticking to my list and so I don't buy my pregnant self "treats" every single time I have to go to the store.
Yes, join the club...people think I am crazy.
We have only done it for 2 months now but I think we are doing pretty well.

Anywho, trying to plan 30 meals was a lot harder than I thought.
I started searching the WWW for new ideas when I came across this one.
We love Cordon Bleu so it was worth a shot.

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
4 ounces sliced ham
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry bread stuffing mix
1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl.
Pour enough of the soup into the crock pot to cover the bottom.
Layer chicken breasts over the sauce.
Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese.
Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers.
Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing.
Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.

Sounds easy, right?
It is and it wasn't too bad either :)

Original recipe found here.

And again, no picture! :( I'm sorry!

Cheesecake

A few years ago, I was about 19 or 20 years old, living at home, going to the local community college and working my tail off at a job I hated. We didn't live by any family and my dad being a collegiate level coach, we usually have his athletes over for Holiday dinners, etc.
This particular Holiday (Thanksgiving), my grandparents were flying in to spend the Holiday with us. Being older, I wanted to help my mom prepare Thanksgiving dinner instead of just sitting back watching football with the boys.
I found this recipe in a magazine during my lunch break at said job.
I was a little nervous to make it for a crowd but it was BEYOND AMAZING!!
It one of those things where you feel stuffed to the core, but it's so good you just want to keep eating it.
My grandma even asked me for the recipe.
That made me feel good seeing as I think she is a bomb cook!
Now that the Mr. and I live closer to my extended family, we got to spend Thanksgiving at my Grandparents house this past year and my grandma asked if I would make "My Cheesecake" again. So, I figured it's about time to share it with the rest of you.

Ingredients:
2 cups Graham crackers (crushed)
1 1/4 cups sugar (divided)
6 tbsp butter (melted)
4 pkgs cream cheese
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Sour Cream
4 Eggs

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line 9x13 pan with tinfoil
mix crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press in bottom of pan.
bake 10 minutes

BEAT cream cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended
Add sour cream-mix well.
Add eggs, ONE AT A TIME, beating on low after each until blended.
pour over crust.
Bake for 35 minutes (center should almost be set)
Cool completely
Put in fridge for 4 hours

Top with whatever your heart desires.
Caramel, nuts, fruit, etc.

mmmmmm!!!!

Vodka Pasta

When Kyle and I were first married, we had some friends invite us over for dinner and they made Vodka Pasta.
Kyle absolutely LOVED it!
Now we make it at least once a month.

Side note:
The original recipe called for 1 jar/can of Vodka sauce but we have only been able to find it at Target..and it was a bit pricey so we mix 1 can/jar or Alfredo sauce with 1 can/jar of spaghetti sauce until we like the consistency of the sauce.

Ingredients:
Pasta
1 can of Alfredo Sauce
1 can of Spaghetti Sauce
1 pkg of diced ham (Kyle likes a lot of ham so we always add more)
1 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli (cut into small pieces)

Directions:
Cook pasta and drain
Cook broccoli according to directions (I usually use the steamable bags because they are so easy) then cut up into tiny pieces
Mix in broccoli and ham
Then mix in sauces until you are comfortable with the consistency.

tada! that's it!

enjoy!

German Pancakes

I had never had these until Kyle and I were married. He loves them! and they are the easiest/fastest breakfast item ever!
And they are pretty good :)


Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Preheat over to 400 degrees
Combine with electric blender until smooth
Melt 3 tbs of butter in 9x13 pan
pour batter into pan
bake for 20 minutes

You can top with whatever you want.
I've had syrup, jam, powdered sugar..
Whatever your heart desires!

Cheesy chicken broccoli over rice (Crockpot)

My sister has been staying with us and she wanted to invite this boy over that she is kind of dating for dinner.
It was short notice and because I am 38 weeks pregnant I wanted something easy, fast and yummy.

I searched and searched and finally came across this recipe.

We had all the ingredients, it's made in the crock pot, and it was delicious!

We also had family in town for a wedding, so we had to hurry and eat before they all showed up. Therefore, I didn't take a picture! so sorry! I totally spaced.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 10oz can cream of chicken soup
1 10 oz can cheddar soup
1 14 oz can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic salt seasoning

1 cup sour cream
6 cups broccoli florets, just fork tender (I just used one bag of steamable broccoli)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Place soups, chicken broth, salt, and garlic seasoning into a crock-pot over low heat.
Whisk until smooth.
Place chicken in, pressing to the bottom.
Cover lid and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours
After the 3 or 6 hours, shred chicken and stir in sour cream and broccoli
Serve over cooked rice and top with cheese

Yuuummmmyyyy!!

Original recipe found here

Tator tot Casserole with Chicken, broccoli & Cheese

I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided I would give it a try because we had the ingredients and it looked easy.

The picture doesn't do it justice.
It turned out a little bit runny..Not quite sure what I did wrong but it still tasted good.

Ingredients:
2 small cans cream of chicken soup
2 small cans cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 Cups milk
8-10 Cups broccoli florets
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (bake or I throw mine in the pressure cooker)
1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco or Chalula)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1/8 teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt with Parsley
1/2 bag Ore Ida Seasoned Tater Tots, frozen
1/2 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place soup and milk into a large pot over medium heat. 
Whisk until smooth and heated through, about 5 minutes. 
Stir in broccoli and cook for 5 additional minutes to soften slightly. 
Stir in chicken, salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. 
Pour mixture into 11×7 inch baking dish that’s been sprayed with cooking spray.
Top evenly with tater tots and cheese; bake for 20 minutes then cover with foil.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes with dish covered with foil. 
Remove from oven and serve. 

don't judge me  for using paper plates..I didn't want to do dishes that night ;)

crockpot spaghetti & chicken

Ingredients:
3 lb. chicken pieces (I guesstimate that 3-4 breasts equal one pound? I could be wrong though??)
1 (2/3 oz.) pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lb. of spaghetti

Directions:

Place chicken pieces in crock pot and sprinkle Italian seasoning over chicken.
Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. melted butter.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
(We shredded the chicken after the 4-6 hrs)

Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saucepan and sauté onion and garlic.
Add Cream of Chicken Soup, cream cheese, and chicken broth.
Stir until smooth.

Add this mixture to crockpot and cook on low for an additional hour.
Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.
Put chicken mixture on top of cooked spaghetti.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

I had been CRAVING blueberry muffins.
I found dried blueberries for a great price and so I was on the search for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe.


I found this one and ended up doubling it.

I also ended up with A LOT of muffins and froze a whole bunch so they wouldn't mold.

I was amazed at how yummy they were.
I was surprised I made something that tasty ;)

I am a bit late at posting this, but I actually just pulled the last bag out of the freezer.
I once again, forgot to take a picture of the finished product, and I would take one of the ones I just pulled out but the tops got a bit squished so they don't look pretty.

Just a side note: I didn't use the whole full 2 cups of blueberries because in my first batch, they all sunk to the bottom so a lot of the blueberries ended up in the last group of muffins.
Also, I didn't have buttermilk so I made my own.


Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups fresh, frozen or dried blueberries
Additional sugar

Streusel Topping:
3 T white sugar
3 T brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
5 T melted butter

*Combine all ingredients until size of peas and set aside


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in blueberries (batter will be thick).

Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups with about a tablespoon of batter.

Sprinkle Streusel on top

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Easy Peasy and Delicious!

Crock pot ranch potatoes

We had dinner at my brother and sister-in-laws house.
She asked if I could bring a side dish.

I searched Pinterest for ideas and I found this one.

I am always hesitant to make new things and serve them to people besides my hubby.
(he isn't afraid to tell me if it's a keeper or not)


I came home on my lunch and put it in the crock, so as soon as I got off work we could just go.

Boy, were they yummy!
We didn't even have any left over.

The recipes calls for red potatoes.
I didn't have red potatoes, just the regular ones and it worked fine.

Ingredients:

2-3 large potatoes, diced (about 1 inch or 1/2 sizes)

1 pkg. ranch dress mix

3/4 c. sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

Directions:
Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a large bowl and stir well. Add potatoes and stir til the potatoes are completely coated. Pour in crock pot, cook on low for 4-5 hours or til potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally as cream and potatoes start to stick to the sides. You may need to add a little salt and pepper but taste first before you add any.

mmmmmm! Delicious!

And once again, because I was in a hurry, I forgot to take a picture.
But I found the original recipe here.

Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken

This recipe was amazing!! We liked it so much that we made it 2 days in a row! And guess what? I forgot to take a picture BOTH time! Fail! I blame it on the pregnancy brain.

This recipe reminded me a lot of "Hawaiian Haystacks" if you have ever had those before. So you could probably add the toppings on and it would be exactly the same, but a million times easier.

Ingredients:
2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I guesstimate that 2-3 breasts equal 2lbs?!)
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/4 cup water
1 8oz pkg low fat cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1. Place chicken in crock pot
2. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
AFTER THE 4 or 8 HOURS
4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate.
6. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.
8. Cook on LOW until heated through.
Serve with rice or noodles.

Crockpot Chicken Ragu

I made this on one of those nights when I didn't have anything planned and we didn't have much in our pantry. It was easy, fast and yummy.

Ingredients:
18 oz. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
1 jar Ragu Spaghetti Sauce (I didn't use Ragu..just whatever brand I had)
1 1/2 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
Place chicken in crock-pot. Pour sauce over the chicken and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle shredded cheese over the chicken and sauce. Cover and let cheese melt.

Easy peasy!

Maple Pretzel Chicken

I was a bit nervous to try this recipe but I went for it anyway and it actually wasn't too bad.

I tried frying the first few piece but just found that the pretzels fell off or started to burn (even if I turned the heat down)
so I baked the rest. The only problem with that the pretzels became a little soggy.

I think I will have to try it again when I am not in a hurry.
Seeing as I was in a hurry, I forgot to take a picture
:(

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1-1 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
In a shallow bowl whisk the egg and syrup
Place the pretzel in a separate bowl
Dip chicken in egg mixture and then into pretzels
In a large skillet cook the chicken in medium heat until juices run clear.

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

They had an amazing sale on Chicken Breasts here, so the hubs and I stocked up. I'm not lying when I say the only thing we had in our freezer was chicken. haha.
So being pregnant, in the dead of summer, with no AC, I have been using the crockpot about every night for recipes. And most of those are chicken!! ;) It's a good thing the Mr. loves food or I think he would be sick of all the chicken we have been eating.

Ingredients:
4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (I always put mine in frozen)
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it. place chicken in crockpot. pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

Easy, right?

And quite tasty for a summer night

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Being pregnant and always starving, but nothing, I mean absolutely nothing, sounds good has been a bit difficult for me (and the hubs). I didn't cook anything for the first few months besides box Mac & Cheese in fear I would gag and barf my brains out at the first weird smell/texture. There was one day I craved my Grandma's homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. 1. I didn't have her recipe. 2. I didn't want to stand in front of a hot oven all day to make it. So....I compromised. :)
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup. Crockpot=I don't die of heat and I still get my soup!
Well, this recipe made a LOT and we ended up throwing some of it away after we ate it for about 3 days straight. But it was yummy, so I do recommend it. Still not as good as Grandma's, but what can ya do ;)

Ingredients:
5 cups of chicken broth (boxed or can is fine)
One can Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup onions chopped fine
1/2 cup celery
1/2 cup carrots
1/2 cup green onions
One can of whole kernel corn
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup Egg noodles
2 cups cooked chicken chopped or 2 cans canned cooked chicken

Directions:
Add everything but the noodles and cooked chicken to the crock pot on Low for 5-6 hours, the last hour turn on High, and add noodles and chicken. Remember, if you do this in the morning, and don’t have a timer on your crock pot, use a lamp timer, they work wonderful.

I boil 4 chicken thighs in about 8 cups of water, make sure they are cooked through.
Cool, remove skin and bone and shred with forks. Cool, cover and refrigerate.
I like thighs. If you need, add water to the broth to make 5 cups. Add cream of chicken soup. Chop the vegetables, I like everything about the same size, celery, carrots, onions, green onions.
Add everything to the pot and forget it for the afternoon, do not add the chicken and noodles. (Will add them the last hour or so) The smell will take over the house.

I always add more noodles that the recipe calls for, I like it like a stew, do what you and your family likes.

**once again, no pic! sorry!!!!

Chicken & Broccoli Cresent Pockets

Oh.my.word.

I was amazed at how delicious these were.

They were a bit messy to make and we bought the cheap crescent rolls so we had to keep pinching them together.
(we are poor college students, give us a break)

I doubled the recipe, because, lets face it, I have a husband that likes to eat & my brother and his friend were over. After we all ate, we still have a TON left over.

So for future references, don't double the recipe unless you have a crowd coming over ;)

But take my word for it, they were quite delicious.

Ingredients:

2 packages crescent rolls

1 package frozen steam-in-a-bag broccoli

1 8-ounce package softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pinch two crescent rolls together to make a rectangle, for four rectangles per package. Steam the broccoli in the microwave two minutes shy of the time suggested on the bag.
In a large bowl, stir together cream cheese and sour cream. Add chicken, cheese, and partially steamed broccoli, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Scoop some filling into each crescent rectangle and seal shut completely. Place on a baking sheet.

Cook for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.

recipe found here

My oven is older and so the tops were really brown but they still turned out delicious!

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

This recipe was pretty yummy but I wasn't "in love" with it. I don't know if I would stick it in the cookbook though.

2 1bs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 or 4. Serves 4 - 6.

As you can see, we didn't have any sesame seeds so we went without ;)