Crispy Chicken Wraps:

Okay. I go to Melanie's blog. A lot. She's just an amazing cook! I tried these and they were wonderful. However, mine didn't crisp up like hers, so I just put the filling on top of some home-made wheat bread and sprinkled with cheese and we chowed down. My kids even asked for seconds and I ate the rest of it that night. It was so good. Very easy and very quick. Also, like I've said many, many times, I'm not a good photographer. My friend Becky has given me some tips and I hope to post more "appealing" pictures in the future. This one has been sitting in my que for awhile now.





CRISPY CHICKEN WRAPS:

1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, sliced very thin
2 celery ribs, chopped fine (I omitted these due to my husband's non-celery preference)
2 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular
2 teaspoons hot sauce (this does not make them spicy but adds great flavor!)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better, in my book)
4 (12-inch) flour tortillas

1. Whisk the mayonnaise, cilantro, scallions, celery, sour cream and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to combine.

And if you are wanting to try the wrap method:

**To prevent the wraps from unrolling during cooking, be sure to start them seam-side down in step 3.

2. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.

Meatballs:

Oh my gosh. These were the BEST meatballs ever! I found this on my friend Melanie's site. I will never EVER eat another store bought meatball again. They just wouldn't compare. I think Mitch ate about 10 meatballs the night I made them, and I will admit, I ate a whole sandwhich myself. *full body shiver*..Pure awesomeness. There just aren't enough words. I did cut down the amount of pepper for my family's taste to half, but I will post it with the full on and you can decide for yourself.



MEATBALLS:

1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup fresh parsley
3 eggs beaten separate then added
2 T dried oregano
1 T minced garlic
1 T salt
1 T ground black pepper
2 t dried basil
1 t red pepper flakes
2 pounds ground beef

Mix all ingredients first, then add meat and mix well. Form golf ball-sized meatballs. Pour a little beef broth over each one. Don't be stingy with the beef broth! Bake 450 for 20 -25 minutes. With the whole recipe, I can usually get about 25-30 meatballs.

Sauce:
2 can crushed tomatoes
Sprinkle basil, oregano, red pepper, garlic (whatever you prefer)
Add cooked meatballs, let sauce warm up.

Buns: Put a slice of mozzarella on a hoagie bun and bake it at 400 for 5-6 minutes until the cheese and bun are nicely toasted.

Fruity Chicken Pasta Salad:

I can eat vats of this stuff. I'm serious. This is the perfect summer meal. It's filling and healthy all at once. I love the taste of the sauce mixed with the crunch of the fruits and veggies. My mom brought this to Aja's blessing last year and the recipe been requested many times, but I've never given it out to anyone. Why? I have no idea. This salad should not be denied to anyone. So here it is.

FRUITY CHICKEN PASTA SALAD:

Chicken:
4 Tbsp. chopped green onion.
1 tsp. lemon pepper.
½ tsp. salt.
4 chicken breasts cooked and cubed with the above ingredients.

Mix one 13 oz. jar of Litehouse Coleslaw Salad Dressing and 1 ½ c. mayo. Add chicken and refrigerate.
Cut up:
2 c. chopped apples (granny smith-green)
1 ½ c. chopped celery.
2 c. sliced red grapes.
One can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits.
¾ c. nuts (cashews are the best).

Cook one 12 oz. package of bowtie pasta according to package directions. Mix everything in a large bowl and let chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

My cakes

My great friend, Becky, is teaching me how to make cakes and I thought it would be fun to post the ones that I have made so far. I've made 2 real ones. Kind of sad, but I'm sure to do more since we have a lot of birthdays coming up!

This LadyBug was so much fun to make. This was Aja's first birthday cake.



This is Cohen's cake. For some reason he's obsessed with AppleBee's. So I made his cake to represent that.


And since I'm trying to get in as much practice as I can so I can perfect my mad skillz, I'm doing cakes SUPER cheap just for you! If you are interested let me know!

Jap Chae

Jap Chae is a Korean dish. It's made from cellophane noodles and stir fried with sesame oil and vegetables. This was super good. I decided to add egg to mine for the protein, but you could add whatever meat you wanted or none at all. I got this recipe from foodnetwork.com. I do recommend cutting your noodles if you don't want to be slurping forever. This is a great summer dish that is easy to whip together in a hurry.



Ingredients:
1/2 pound Asian vermicelli noodles
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 onion, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound spinach, stems discarded
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
In a bowl, soak the vermicelli in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the noodles, drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then rinse in cold water. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears.

Heat a large pan. Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are cooked but still a little crisp. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. To the pan add 1 more tablespoon sesame oil. Add the noodles, spinach, salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add to the vegetables with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and combine.

Transfer to a platter. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pizza anyone?

I love home-made pizza in all forms. I decided to try a new pizza crust out because I was kind of bored with what I was using. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it was so good! I doubled it so that it could fit into one of those huge cookie sheets. My family probably ate half the pizza. I couldn't believe it! This one I definitely will make again. If you want, you can add some of your own herbs to the dough to add a bit more flavor. I just did a plain crust and it was really good.



Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

Directions:
Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Mix in oil and warm water. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.

Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Slow cooker Italian beef

YUM! I got this recipe from my friend, Melanie's, blog (her website is below). This beef is so delicious and tender. My whole family chows this down when I make it. There is nothing but peace in my household for about 15 minutes while they eat. We serve the meat sandwich style. I always sautee some onions,red or yellow peppers and then drizzle some juice on and top with Provolone cheese. This is definitely one you need to try!



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix (such as Good Seasons brand)
1 (5 pound) chuck roast

Directions:
Combine water and beef broth with salt, ground black pepper, oregano, basil, onion salt, parsley, garlic powder, bay leaf, and salad dressing mix. Whisk to combine.

Place roast in slow cooker, and pour salad dressing mixture over the meat. Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. When done, remove bay leaf, and shred meat with a fork (I did this step about 45 minutes before eating so the shredded meat had time to absorb more of the juices in the crockpot). Serve on crusty rolls with cheese, if desired.

Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Whew! What a mouthful, right? I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it was a hands down winner at my house. Kids....and ME gobbled them up just about as fast as they came out of the oven. They were super moist and held up well to the dunking test.



Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup margarine
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cloves and cinnamon, stir into the creamed mixture. Then add the mashed bananas, rolled oats and chocolate chips, mix until well blended.

Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cookies from pan to cool on wire racks.

I did change this recipe up a bit. It asked for 1 teaspoon of cloves. Now..If you have ever worked with cloves then you know it's a POWERFUL spice. So I decreased it and added a bit of nutmeng to go with it as well and it was yummy!

Mendoza Tacos!

What can I say about these tacos? They are the most amazing tacos EVER! My good, fun, funny friend, Becky, is the one who taught me to make these tacos, and I'm so glad she did. They do take a bit of work, but trust me..it's worth it! I think in one week I made these tacos..THREE TIMES. Oh, it didn't stop there. I'm usually a one taco kind of gal..I ate FOUR of these babies in one sitting and probably could have gone back for more if I could have ignored the glutton in me.



Meat Filling:
2 lbs. of ground beef.
1 onion, chopped fine.
1-2 tsp. of garlic.
1-2 Tbsp. of cumin (you can adjust this to your tastes..the more you add the better it is)
2 tsp. of salt.
Pepper to taste.

3-4 cups Mozarella cheese, shredded.

Here is the time consuming part. You fry your own shells. Just grab a package of those white corn tortialls from the market and fry them in oil. While they are cooking, use two forks to fold into the shape of a regular taco shell.

Put in your meat filling and then top with cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. This helps crispy up the shells and melts the cheese.

Recommended toppings:
A bit of salt
Couple squirts of lemon (I will NEVER eat a taco without lemon again)
Sour cream
Avacado
Cilatro
Green leaf lettuce
Taco sauce

Amazing!

Bourbon Chicken..Ahh how I love thee.

So I found this WONDERFUL recipe on my friend, Melanie's, recipe blog. She's an amazing cook and an amazing woman who cracks me up all the time with her clever and witty posts. You can find her awesome blog at www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. (anyone who knows how to just add a link to a word..Let me know! I'm computer lame.) I'm so glad that she posted this recipe and that I chose to make it because it has become a regular in our house. No, there is not really bourbon in this recipe, but the mixture of flavors gives it a hint of flavor. It's truly wonderful.



BOURBON CHICKEN:

Ingredients:
2lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons oil (for pan-frying)
cornstarch (for dusting, optional)

Sauce:
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ginger (I used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and if you choose lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.