Princess Doll Birthday Cake!

Want to make a PERFECT birthday cake for your Princess?! Here is how!

So for my daughters 4th birthday I decided to make a Princess Doll Cake. To be honest, I was pretty terrified to make it. I thought how can something SO pretty be easy to make?! Well good news everyone... its VERY easy! I got the recipe from the Betty Crocker website. If you want to watch a video of how to make the cake click HERE. Lets get started making your princess cake!

Ingredients 

-2 Boxes of Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

-Water, Vegetable Oil, Eggs (called for on cake mix boxes)

-3 containers of Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting

-Food Coloring (your desired color)

-1 regular size Barbie Doll

-Edible Pearls

-Decorating Sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease 1 1/2-quart ovenproof bowl (8 inches across top) and three 8-inch round cake pans with shortening; coat with flour (do not use cooking spray).

2. In large bowl, make cake batter as directed on boxes. (Both boxes of cake mix can be made at one time; do not make more than 2 boxes, and do not increase beating time.) Pour 3 1/4 cups batter into 1 1/2-quart bowl, and divide remaining batter among 3 pans (slightly less than 2 cups per pan).

3. Bake cake pans 23 to 30 minutes and bowl 47 to 53 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and bowl. Cool completely, about 1 hour. Place cakes in freezer 45 minutes before cutting to reduce crumbs. Cut off rounded tops of cakes. Cut bowl cake in half horizontally. Cut 1 3/4-inch diameter hole in center of all 5 cake layers.

4. Spoon frosting into large bowl. Stir in food color until desired pink color. Place one 8-inch cake on serving plate; spread 1/3 cup frosting over top. Top with second 8-inch cake; spread with 1/3 cup frosting. Repeat with third layer; top with larger bowl cake layer, cut side up. Spread with small amount of frosting. Top with rounded bowl cake layer, cut side down. Trim side of cake if necessary to make a tapered "skirt."

5. Spread thin layer of frosting over side and top of layered cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze cake 30 to 45 minutes to set frosting. It should look something like this:

 6. Spread frosting over cake as desired. Wrap hair and lower half of doll with plastic wrap. Insert doll into center of cake. Frost body of doll. Decorate with sprinkles and candy pearls as desired. Unwrap hair. Store cake loosely covered.

**This cake took about 5 hours to make**

Nightstand re-finishing tutorial and Master Bedroom remodel

This was my bedroom in December

I absolutely LOVE our bed frame that we bought a few years ago...but otherwise, our room has needed some major TLC. That poor nightstand was mine when I was single.. purchased about 9 years ago from Walmart. Its been painted twice and has water damage all over the top.

Since our budget for home decorating is slim to none, our master bedroom has gone on the back burner... since nobody ever sees it. But i have wanted a nice bedding set for a really long time.

When Christmas started drawing near I started making my usual list of super expensive items since im high maintenance like that... On the top of the list was this 60% off bedding set from Martha Stewart:

Don't you LOVE LOVE LOVE??

Christmas morning came and there it was!! My husband is the BEST!!

Next I wanted a set of nightstands that looked nice in our room, but came to realize that nightstands under $100/each were difficult to find. OUCH! Looks like I am going to have to learn how to paint furniture. I found some very helpful information from here, here, and here.

Since Christmas, I have been stalking Craigslist looking for a set of nightstands that I could re-finish. Solid wood. Matching. Decent size. Cheap or free. In perfect working order.

Last week I found 2 of these. $15 bucks. Ugliest color ever, but they were perfect.

Within a few hours I had this:

Lowes or Home Depot will have everything you need to do this project! 

Total cost (including a sanding block and paint that I will use again!) was $46 for 2 nightstands.. Score!!

Dent and scratch repair: If your old furniture has obvious dings or deep scratches, use 3M brand paintable/stainable wood filler. This will make your surface look next to new when its done! 

Sanding: If your furniture has been painted previously you will need to sand it. Use 220 grit sandpaper and lightly scuff the whole surface. I bought a sanding sponge. It was $3, and it washable/reusable. Wipe the sanded surface clean with a soft cloth.

Primer: Priming (I have read) is a very necessary step if you have pre-painted/stained/sealed furniture. I talked with the paint specialist at Home Depot and they recommended a Paint+Primer option. No priming is required because there is primer in the paint. After sanding, just paint your surface. This cuts your work in half!

Paint: I went to Home Depot with one of my throw pillows and found a dead match! Guava Jam from Behr in semi gloss. A quart of Paint+Primer cost me $15, and I only used 1/4 of it total for both nightstands. You will have plenty left over for another proejct.. woot woot! (Make sure you get a semi-gloss or gloss if you are painting furniture. It helps with durability and protects against dings and water damage). If they dont have your exact color, did you know that they will make it? Just take a sample with you and they do the rest.

Brush: Make sure you use a soft-bristled brush that does not shed (quite a few of them do). Its worth a dollar or two extra to get a nice brush that you will use again and again. Mine was $5.

Hardware: If you need new hardware for your furniture, you can get them at Home Depot, Lowes, or even Walmart, Target, and many department stores have a wide selection. You can find some really beautiful options ranging from $1-8/ea. There were some that I liked that were in the 2 dollar range, but I absolutely fell in love with these. $4/ea was well worth it!

I also found some matching mirrors on Craigslist in terriffic shape for $15 for the set. The wood frame matches my bedframe perfectly:

This project was really simple, so dont be intimidated. If you have questions and feel like a dummy, ask a store associate... theyre used to dummies like me :).

 Love my new room!!

If you have questions, leave it in the comments section and I will do my best to respond quickly. You can do it!

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins- a perfect grab and go breakfast!!

These are absolutely delicious! The best part is that they are incredibly good for you. I was looking for healthy "grab and go" breakfast options for my husband and I the other day and ran across a fairly basic oatmeal muffin recipe. I played around with some ingredients, added a few things, and substituted a few things and came up with these yummy muffins! I hope you like them as much as I did. They can be eaten right away or you can flash freeze them, then freeze them for later use.

5 cups oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)
1 cup raisins

2 2/3 cup water
2 1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP olive oil
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 TBSP chia seeds (optional)

Mix together the first set of ingredients in a large bowl. In a medium bowl mix together the second set of ingredients. Mix well. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir until completely combined. Pour into lined muffin cups till they are full. This recipe makes 24 muffins. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before eating. Let cool completely before freezing.

Perfect Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is one of my favorite meals and this is one of the best recipes I have ever tried. I hope you like it as much as I did!

8 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup melted butter (8 TBS)
2 cloves cloves garlic
1 egg

2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Your favorite pasta sauce
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 350. Trim all fat from chicken breasts. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, and egg. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper until mixed thoroughly.

Dip your chicken breast first in your butter mixture, then in the bread crumb mixture. Make sure you coat both sides evenly. Place in a non-greased 9x13 pan. Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Then top each breast with a little pasta sauce and some mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve over your favorite pasta. Goes along beautifully with THIS homemade roll recipe. Enjoy!

Honey Glazed Pull-Apart Rolls

This is a very universal bread recipe. Its a great base for orange rolls, cinnamon rolls and homemade crescent rolls. Would be great thrown all together in a loaf pan for homemade white bread. The possibilities are endless.

I am a big huge bread fan. I would live off it if I could. Sometimes I do. The texture of these rolls is amazing! 

Recipe:

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 cup warm water*

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp salt

Sprinkle 1 TBS dry yeast over water mixture and wisk with a fork until combined. Let sit until it gets bubbly.

Then stir in:

2 cups bread flour (if you dont have bread flour, all purpose will work)

1/3 cup melted butter

1 beaten egg

Stir until a smooth batter is formed and continue to add flour to form a soft dough - about 1-2 cups. Let dough rise until double in size. Once doubled, turn out onto a crisco'd countertop to avoid sticking. Use a small amount of Crisco on your hands and Roll into 2" balls and place 3x6 in a greased (I like to use Crisco) 9x13 baking pan. This recipe makes 18 rolls and they should all fit in this pan. Cover pan tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. If you use my Quick-rise method (See HERE for bread tips!) do NOT use the plastic wrap!

Once your rolls are doubled in size, bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Mix 2 TBS melted butter and 2 TBS honey until combined. Brush over hot rolls. Let them cool for 10 minutes before handling. Enjoy!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Dumplings

This is one of my favorite meals ever!! Its a family recipe and I decided its time to share this amazing meal with others!! :) About half of my family love the dumplings (me included) and the other half aren't fans of them so making the dumplings are entirely optional.

Soup:
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into bite size pieces
3 Large cans Chicken Broth OR 10 cups Water and 10 tsp Chicken Bouillon
1 Sweet Onion, chopped
6 Stalks Celery, chopped
6 Carrots, chopped

Put all ingredients into pot, cook until Chicken is done. I cook it for about 2 hours on med-low heat.

Noodles:
3 Eggs ( I use 4 eggs because we like more noodles)
1 tsp Salt
2-2 1/2 Cups flour (2 1/2-3 cups if you used 4 eggs)

Mix together and roll out until dough is about 1/8" thick. Use pizza cutter and cut dough into noodles. Add to Chicken Soup. Cook for at least 45 minutes. Covered. (I like thicker noodles so i cut mine a little thicker. You can cut them as thin/thick as you like.)

Dumplings: (optional)

1 cup Milk

13 Tablespoons Butter (2/3 Cup)

1 cup Flour

3 Eggs

1 Tablespoon Salt

1/2 Bunch FRESH Parsley

Bring milk to boil. Add butter and salt, stirring constantly. When melted turn down heat to LOW add flour and mix immediately. When stiff add one egg at a time and mix well between eggs. Add Parsley. Mix well for a few minutes. Remove from heat. NEXT: Remove the noodles and most of the chicken and veggies so there is mainly broth in the pot. (the dumplings are very sensitive and i have found they cook better when just in broth) Bring Broth to BOIL and place dumplings in by the spoonful, one by one. COVER (VERY important... DO NOT lift the lid) and turn heat down to med-low and cook for 25 minutes. When done remove them from the broth and set aside in separate bowl. Add noodles, chicken and veggies back to pot. Serve soup and top with dumplings, if desired. Serve with Salad and Enjoy!

Hearty Italian Soup

This is a super yummy soup perfect for those cold fall/winter days and nights!

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Sausage
• 1 medium Sweet Onion
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Oil
• 10 cups Water
• 10 tsp Chicken Bouillon
• 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 can Connellini Beans, rinsed
• 2 cans Stewed Tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2 cups Tortellini
• 2 cups baby Spinach leaves
• Mozzarella Cheese, To Taste

Directions

• In Large pot bring to boil water, boullion and Italian Seasoning.
• Cook Sausage, Onion and Garlic in Oil in a large saucepan for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
• Add cooked Sausage mixture to soup. 
• Next add Beans, Tomatoes and Tortellini, cook for 8 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Remove from heat. Stir in Spinach; Cover. Let stand 5 minutes
• Top with Mozzarella Cheese and Serve with French Bread!
• ENJOY!! :)

Homemade Chicken Pad Thai

My family and I love.. i mean LOVE Thai food and so when i found this recipe on pinterest, i had to try it!! I have made it a few times and have modified it to make it a little bit more tasty! This is seriously one of the yummiest homemade pad thai recipes i have ever had! Its very similar to what you would get in a restaurant! If you love Thai food you will love this!!

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts, sliced 
• 16 oz pkg Rice Noodles (I use the brand "Taste of Thai")
• 4 TBSP Brown Sugar
• Juice from 2 Limes, plus wedges for serving 
• 6 TBSP Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp Asian Chili Paste
• 3 tsp Sesame Oil
• 5 Green Onions, green and white parts, chopped and s
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 small bunch Cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup Roasted and Salted Peanuts, chopped

Directions

• Soak Noodles according to pkg instructions, Drain
• In bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, asian chili paste and 1 tsp oil
• In large skillet heat 1 tsp oil over high heat
• Add WHITE parts of green onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly. When cooked add Beaten Eggs and cook, scraping eggs with a spatula until eggs are almost set. Place on plate.
• Cook Chicken in 1 tsp oil in large pan. 
• Add noodles, green onion GREEN parts, Sauce, Peanuts and Cilantro. Cook, Stir constantly, until noodles are soft and sauce is cooked into noodles. Add cooked Egg mixture to noodles and toss to coat... breaking the eggs up.
• Serve with lime wedge and top with more peanuts, if desired. Enjoy!

The Glitter Pumpkin

I found this Idea on Pinterest and I just had to try it with my daughter!! It was SO much fun and she had a blast decorating her pretty little pumpkin!!

This is a very simple craft for kids! All you will need for this project is a Pumpkin, Glitter (your choice of color) and Mod Podge. First you are going to cover the entire pumpkin (except the bottom and stem) with mod podge, a pretty good amount. Next have your kid go to town with the glitter!! SO much fun and it turns out great!!! Try doing this with your kids this year! I promise they will love it!

Worlds BEST Cinnamon Rolls!

These from-scratch Cinnamon rolls are SO delicious! No calorie counting allowed!

Mix together in a large bowl:
1 cup very warm water
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
Wisk with fork until combined. Then add:
1 TBS dry yeast. Wisk again until mixed.
Let sit until bubbly/foamy (approx. 10 minutes). Then add in:
2 cups flour (I like to use bread flour, but its not nesesary)
1/3 cup warm melted margarine
1 beaten egg
Stir with fork until a smooth batter is formed and continue to add flour to form a soft dough (about 1-2 cups). Let dough raise until double in size, and then gently turn out on a lightly floured counter top and roll into a rectangle about 1/2" thick.

Spread a thin layer of softened margarine (you will need about 1/2 stick) over the surface, making sure to go all the way to the edge. Then sprinkle dump on the brown sugar. It needs to be thick so keep spreading until you cannot see through to the dough. Again, spread all the way to the edge. Follow with a heavy sprinkle of cinnamon.

Roll fairly tightly and pinch edges of dough to seal. Use dental floss to cut rolls about 1 1/2" thick. Place in a completely greased 9x13 pan (I like to use Crisco, works WAY better than cooking spray). Let raise until more than double in size*****

*****Quick-rise method
Preheat your oven to its very lowest setting (usually 150-170ish degrees). Once preheated, turn the oven OFF. Put your rolls in the oven and set your timer for 20-30 minutes and they will be nice and fluffy when they are done! Then remove from oven and pre-heat to your baking temp of 350. Bake until golden brown, about 10-12, minutes but WATCH them! Ovens vary!

FROSTING! The best part, yes?
Completely melt 1 stick of margarine. You want your butter HOTT
Add (by 1/2 cup fulls) about 2-2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, stirring, until thick. Then add:
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBS maple syrup
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Wisk together until smooth. If too thick, add milk in small quantities. If too thin, add more powdered sugar.

Drizzle over hot rolls! ENJOY!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Fall Everyone!!! October is finally here and i am going to start the month off right by making these delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law for my bridal shower and i am SO glad she shared it with me!!! These are seriously the most delicious cookies ever... I just had to share this with all over you :)

 **WARNING** these are dangerously addictive! 

Ingredients

- 1 cup Shortening

- 2 cups White Sugar

- 2 Eggs

- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

- 1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Puree

- 4 cups Flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

- 1 teaspoon Salt

- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

- 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in Eggs one at a time. Stir in the Vanilla and Pumpkin until well blended. Combine in separate bowl Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg; Stir into the Pumpkin mixture. Mix until blended well. Then add the Chocolate Chips. Stir in the Walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Enjoy 

Tips:: I use Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips so there is more chocolate throughout each cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

Want to make simple delicious cookies that your kids can help decorate?! Then stop your search here cause you have found it!! This is the most simple cookie ever. Just make Chocolate Chip Cookies (your favorite recipe) or buy already made cookie dough. Cook the cookies. When they are cooled flip the cookie upside down, add frosting (store bought or home made), top with another cookie and there you have it! My daughter and i decorated the tops of them to make it more fun for her!! SUPER easy and yes.. they are delicious!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

In honor of the beginning of Fall I thought I would post a pumpkin recipe. This is SO GOOD! It has a cake-like consistency and it melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
6 eggs

1 (32 oz) can pumpkin (or 2 of the 15 ouncers will work too!)
1 cup water

4 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

12 oz milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream shortening, sugar and eggs (adding eggs one at a time). Blend in pumpkin and water. In a seperate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill loaf pans about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Toothpick should come out with tiny crumbs, but no liquid, when its done. It will continue to bake to perfection in the pan as it cools. Enjoy!!

Salsa Chicken Burritos

These are SO yummy and incredibly simple for those days you don't want to be in the chicken forever making dinner!! So here it is guys!

Salsa Chicken Burritos

(makes 5-6 burritos)

- 2 Chicken Breasts

- 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

- 1 cup Mild Salsa

- 1 small can Diced Green Chilies

- 1 box Mexican style Rice-A-Roni

- Shredded Lettuce

- Tomato

- Shredded Cheese

- Sour Cream

- Guacamole

- Tortillas

Place raw chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, salsa and diced green chilies in Crock-Pot on LOW for 3 hours. Start making Mexican Rice (according to directions) about 30 minutes before Chicken mixture is done. When Chicken mixture is done, mix and shred chicken with 2 forks. Next make your burrito by placing all the ingredients inside the tortilla. Hope you all ENJOY! (optional: top with more cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole)

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this, life keeps getting in the way! I made these not too long ago and they were Amazing!!! They are very similar to California Pizza Kitchen/P.F. Changs Lettuce wraps!! They were THAT good!! When i worked at CPK i got lettuce wraps all the time but man are they expensive SO this is a great way to kick that lettuce wrap craving of yours and also not break the bank doing it! Hope you Enjoy!

Ingredients

- 2 lbs of your choice of Meat (ground turkey, ground chicken, Shrimp-no shell)

- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped

- 1/2 cup Hoisin Sauce

- 3 TBSP soy sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 TBSP fresh Ginger, grated

- 1 TBSP brown sugar

- 1 TBSP sesame oil

- 1/2 TBSP Asian Chile Oil

- 5 ounces Bamboo Shoots, canned and drained

- 12 ounces water chestnuts, canned-drained-chopped

- 1 can Bean Sprouts

- Ice Burg Lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Combine the following into your Crock-Pot: Your choice of meat-raw, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil, chile paste, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. MIX well!

2. Cover; Cook on LOW 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours)

3. Thirty minutes before time to serve add Bean Sprouts. MIX.

4. Place meat on top of an ice burg lettuce leaf and ENJOY! 

TIP: To add even more flavor drizzle hoisin sauce on top of your meat mixture inside your lettuce wrap

Sadly this is one of those dishes that doesn't look very yummy in the pictures but is absolutely delicious!!! So with that being said PLEASE don't judge this recipe off the picture cause trust me, they are worth making!! :)

Pasta Salad

Sorry it has been so long since one of us have posted but things have been pretty busy for all of us lately! I thought I would share this recipe I found online but modified it a little to make it, in my opinion, MUCH better :) This is the prefect Salad to bring to a big family/friend get together or a potluck and is also perfect for spring and summer! :)

Pasta Salad

- 1 Bag of Rainbow Pasta

- 1/2  of 16 oz (1 cup) bottle of Italian Salad Dressing

- 3 TBSP Parmesan Cheese

- 1 TBSP Sesame Seeds

- 1 TBSP Poppy Seeds

- 2 tsp Seasoning Salt

- 1 tsp Paprika

- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

- 1/4 tsp Chile Cayenne Pepper

- 1 Cucumber

- 1/2 Red Onion

- 2 Tomatoes

- 1 small Can Olives 

**NOTE: In pictures below i doubled the recipe. I made it for a Easter picnic with my husbands family. If you are making this for a get together of any kind i recommend doubling the recipe. Also when i double this i double everything BUT the olives and tomatoes. If you are a lover of olives and tomatoes then go ahead and add all you want :) I personally like it better with less Olives and Tomatoes when doubled**

First you want to cook your pasta, RINSE under COLD water for about 5 minutes. 

When done place in a large bowl and mix in Salad dressing. 

Next you want to mix ALL spice ingredients into a small bowl

 When mixed, sprinkle on top of pasta/dressing mix

 Mix VERY well and then add sliced Cucumber

Once mixed add in sliced red onion (slice as small as possible)

When mixed add Olives

 Next add your Parmesan Cheese

Add Sliced Tomatoes

Place into refrigerator for at LEAST 2 Hours for time to chill and absorb all the flavors. When done Eat up! 

 

Warm & Spicy Italian Sandwiches

This is one of my husbands favorites! He LOVES this dish so much he recommends it literally ALL the time! SO i thought i would share it because of how amazing yet simple it is! Enjoy!

Italian Sandwiches

- 3 lb Top Round Roast

- 1 pkg Onion Soup Mix

- 1 Sweet Onion

- 2 Jalapenos

- 1 Yellow Pepper

- 1 Red Pepper

- 1 Orange Pepper

- 1 Green Pepper

- 1 pkg Classic Italian Seasoning

- 1 (32 oz) Swanson Beef Stock

- Sliced Provolone Cheese

- Rolls (Homemade or Store bought)

Directions

1. Place Roast, Soup Mix, Sweet Onion, Jalapenos, Peppers & Italian Seasoning into the Crockpot

2. Pour the Broth into the crockpot until it reaches the top of the roast. (i use the entire box)

3. Turn the crockpot on HIGH for 1 hour and then LOW for 10 hours

4. Once cooked, use 2 forks and shred the meat.

5. Place Shredded Meat on Rolls and top with Provolone Cheese.

6. ENJOY!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

The best kind of restaurants are those that serve bread while you wait, right?? Red Lobster is one of my favorites. They serve these TO DIE FOR biscuits. Ive been wanting to make them for years, as I have seen lots of copycat recipes. This is the winner, my friends! This recipe yields 1 dozen biscuits.

Biscuits:

2 1/2 cups Bisquick

4 TBS cold butter

3/4 cup cold milk. I use 1%

1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp Johnny's garlic seasoning*

To brush on top:

3 TBS melted butter

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp Johnnys garlic seasoning*

*I always use Johnny's garlic seasoning in place of garlic powder. I highly recommend it! If you do not have this, and dont want to buy it, you can use garlic powder instead.

In a large bowl, add the cold butter to your Bisquick.

Use a pastry blender (if you dont have a pastry blender, use a fork) to blend them together. It should have small pea sized chunks when its fully mixed. It should look like this:

Add milk, cheese, and garlic seasoning.

Mix with a fork until fully combined.

Spoon onto a greased baking sheet by 1/4 cup fulls and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. 

Put your butter, parsley and garlic seasoning into a small bowl and microwave for approximately 30 seconds. Brush onto hot biscuits.

Serve immediately, as they are the best fresh from the oven. These also warm up great in the microwave if you have enough self control to have some as left-overs :). ENJOY!!

Chicken Fajitas

These are super yummy and VERY easy! Enjoy!! :)

Chicken Fajitas

- 3 Chicken Breasts

- 1 pkg Spanish Rice-a-Roni

- 1 Sweet Onion

- 1 Red Bell Pepper

- 1 Green Bell Pepper

- Corn Tortillas (6 inch)

- 1 can Diced Green Chiles (4oz)

- 1/4 cup Salsa

- 2 tablespoons Oil

- 1 teaspoon Garlic

- Seasoning Salt & Pepper

- Sour Cream

- Cheese

- Hot Sauce (if desired)

First you want to cook your Spanish Rice according to directions on box.

(Note: we did not have Spanish rice when i made these. So..No pictures with rice. These Fajitas are good without the rice but even better with the rice, so i definitely recommend adding the rice!)

While rice is cooking add Oil to frying pan. Add Red & Green Bell pepper & Onion. Cook on medium heat until all veggies are cooked!

Once Veggies are cooked add chopped chicken & chopped garlic. Season with Pepper & Seasoning Salt

When Chicken & Garlic are cooked add canned diced Green Chiles, mix and cook for 3 minutes

Add Salsa, mix and cook for 3 minutes

 It should look like this:

 Now you want to warm up tortillas in microwave for about 1 minute

 Next you will want to place chicken mixture and rice on tortilla and top with Cheese and Sour Cream.

ENJOY!