Supersoft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I *love* soft cookies. These cookies are awesome - I think the secret to their softness is the pudding mix. I usually divide this batter in half when I'm done mixing everything together and put chocolate chips in half and M&M's in the other half. But it's so versatile, you could really put anything in it - mint chips, butterscotch, caramel bits, etc.

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
 

Mix together above ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 package dry instant vanilla pudding mix (3.4 oz)
• 2 cups chocolate chips (or M&M's, mint chips, white chocolate chips, etc) 

Cream together butter and sugars. Blend in vanilla pudding mix. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in flour mix a few spoonfuls at a time until batter is smooth and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips (or whatever mix in you're using). Bake 12-14 minutes on non-stick aluminum foil at 350 degrees.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Seriously amazing. Tastes just like Cinnabon. You can use the following dough recipe as listed below or just throw the ingredients into the bread machine on the dough cycle. I've done it both ways and they are equally as good!

Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 pkgs active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 3 more cups of flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir well, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add warm water to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer  on medium for 2 minutes. Add eggs and 1 more cups of flour, beat until thick. Stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover dough with a damp towel and let rest for about 20 minutes.
Roll dough out into a rectangular shape, about the size to fit in a jellyroll pan.

Filling:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2.5 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix together ingredients and spread evenly over top of bread. Roll up dough and cut into circles. Spread out evenly in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Bake rolls for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Icing:

• 1 (3 oz) package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1.5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp salt

Beat together all ingredients and spread over top of cinnamon rolls.

Broccoli Chicken Divan

Another great tasting recipe that only takes a few minutes to throw together. Original recipe can be found here.

• 1 head fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 can cream of broccoli soup
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp bread crumbs

Place broccoli in a saucepan and bring water to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes then drain. Place broccoli and chicken and baking dish or pie plate. Mix together soup and milk in a small bowl and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Mix together bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees.


Recipe serves 6 with 186 calories per serving.

Rosemary Bread

This is the most perfect bread ever. It's light and has the perfect touch of rosemary. It's even better with olive oil and black pepper for dipping. Original recipe can be found here.

• 1 cup water
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp dried rosemary
• 2.5 cups bread flour
• 1.5 tsp active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine. Select white bread cycle. Let the machine do all the work!

Cream Cheese Squares

A go to recipe that pretty much everyone loves. Original recipe can be found here.

• 2 (8 ounce) packages crescent roll dough
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Line 9x13 inch baking pan with foil (or spray with Pam).  Unroll one package of crescent roll dough and press into bottom of pan. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread over crescent layer. Unroll second package of crescent rolls and place on top of cream cheese layer. Do not press down. Pour melted butter over entire pan. Combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle all over top. Bake for 25-30 minutes for 350 degrees.

Taco Salad

This is a recipe my mom used to make when I was growing up. Even those who don't really care for salad will love this one. You can make this in one large bowl if feeding a family, but I make it just for the two of us so I made individual bowls and just save the leftover meat for leftovers.

• 1 lb ground hamburger meat
• 1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
• 1/4 cup water
• Chili powder
• 1 bag salad mix
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, diced
• Thousand island dressing
• Tortilla chips
• Salsa

Brown hamburger meat in skillet until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain and return to pan. Add kidney beans. Add water and chili powder (I never measure the chili powder - just add until it's all coated, I'm going to guess about 3-4 Tbsp). Cook on low until slightly thickened. Add lettuce to two bowls (use large bowl if serving more than two), diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a spoonful of salsa. Top with meat mixture. Pour thousand island dressing on top and take two forks to mix up salad together. Toss until everything is coated with dressing. Add crushed up tortilla chips on top.

Stuffed Shells

I used to make these with spinach instead of broccoli but lately the frozen spinach has been tasting kind of off to me so I decided to substitute broccoli and I think I actually like this version better. This recipe has been adapted to serve two so just double it if cooking for more people.

• 8 pasta shells
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
• Cooked broccoli (I used leftover from previous nights dinner)
• Salt and pepper

Cook pasta shells in boiling water until softened but not cooked all the way through. Set aside and let cool slightly. Mix ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, broccoli, and salt & pepper in a small bowl. Fill shells evenly with mixture and place in baking dish. Cover with spaghetti sauce. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.


Approximately 220 calories in 4 stuffed shells.

Slow Cooker Chicken Zingarella

Another slow cooker recipe. A nice sweet sauce really makes this dish tasty.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped into smaller pieces
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Cover with jar of spaghetti sauce. Add roasted red peppers. In a small bowl, mix garlic, brown sugar, red wine, and olive oil. Pour over sauce in slow cooker. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Chicken Creole

One of my favorite slow cooker meals, simple and easy but also really flavorful and filling. I usually serve this over jasmine or brown rice.

• 2 chicken breasts
• Creole seasoning
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained

Add chicken breasts to slow cooker. Season top of chicken generously with creole seasoning. Chop green bell pepper into large pieces and add to top of chicken. Empty entire can of tomatoes on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Chocolate Chip Pie

This one is super easy to make and easily rivals any chocolate chip cookie. This would be good with a homemade crust but to save time I just use the frozen ones!

• 1 deep dish 9 inch pie shell
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake for 1 hour. Let cool and serve.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is a copycat recipe of Panera's broccoli cheese soup. You can leave the broccoli in cut up pieces or what I did at the end was use an immersion blender to puree it a little bit. This is just one of those soups you want to be smooth!

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup flour
• 16 oz half and half
• 16 oz chicken broth
• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Dash salt and pepper
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a large stockpot, cook melted butter and flour and whisk over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Slowly add half and half, still whisking. Then add chicken broth, still whisking! Let simmer for 20 minutes, then add broccoli and carrots. Cook over low heat until veggies are tender. Use immersion blender here until soup is to consistency desired. Add nutmeg, and the salt and pepper. Add cheese and stir until melted thoroughly.

Original recipe can be found here

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

This dish is amazing. While not the healthiest, it's perfect for a once and while dinner when you just want to go all out and impress someone. The original recipe is from Allrecipes, mine is slightly adapted.

• 9 oven ready lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup butter (I use Smart Balance)
• Spoonful of garlic
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1.5 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella), divided
• 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning blend (mine is a grinder)
• Dash of pepper
• 16 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 chicken breasts, baked and cubed
• 1 bag fresh spinach

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add garlic, flour, and salt and mix together. Add broth and milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly for about a minute. Stir in 2 cups of italian cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Stir in the italian seasonings and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread 1/3 sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles on top, cover with ricotta cheese, then a layer of fresh spinach (be generous - the spinach will cook down). Add some of the leftover cheese on top of that. Repeat until you have no ingredients left! Top with remaining italian cheese/parm cheese.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken

Okay, so not two flavors you might normally put together, but trust me - it's really good. The original recipe is actually called Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs but since I don't have a grill (yet), I just adapted it to bake in the oven. The chicken stayed so moist and the flavors really go well together.

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced rosemary (or 1/2 Tbsp dried)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 4 chicken breasts, cubed

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Add chicken cubes and let marinade in fridge for 30 min to 1 hour. Spoon chicken pieces into baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. If you are so lucky to have a grill, please go here for the original recipe! 

Beef and Sweet Potato Stirfry

When you get tired of eating regular stirfry, this is a great alternative. Originally found this recipe here, but have made some adaptions to it.

• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 lb of lean beef strips or cubed beef
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced into strips
• Spoonful of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

In a small bowl, mix together the hoisin sauce, chicken broth, and rice vinegar. Stirfry beef in a skillet with small amount of oil until cooked thoroughly. At this point I like to drain off the oil out of the pan and lay the beef strips out on a plate with paper towels to soak up any oil. Return meat to skillet, add sweet potatoes, bell pepper, garlic, and hoisin sauce mixture to pan.  Cover, and let simmer about 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve over rice.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

I first heard about this recipe on the radio one morning driving home from work. They were asking listeners to call in and give their recipe for a dessert that is most requested by their friends and family during the holidays and is always the first thing to get eaten. A girl called in with this recipe and the radio DJ's laughed. I'll also admit it sounds weird...but tastes so good! The name is deceiving since it's not really a "salad", it should really be called something like Strawberry Layer Dessert. Anyways,  it's delicious so try it!

• 2 cups of crushed pretzels
• 5 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted

• Two 8 oz packages of cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz container of Cool Whip

• 3 oz package strawberry Jello
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup strawberry juices (drained from frozen strawberries)
• 1 package frozen sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar. Press mixture down into 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in the Cool Whip. Spread mixture on top of pretzel layer, making sure to seal all the edges. Let this set in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together Jello package and boiling water, then add the strawberry juices. Next, add the frozen sliced strawberries. Pour on top of cream cheese mixture and refrigerate for another couple of hours.

Pizza Soup

The original recipe is from A Year of Slowcooking and has been adapted somewhat below. It's a very hearty soup by itself but my hubby likes it with extra pasta in it so sometimes I add a little more for him. Instead of adding the sausage seasoning, I think it may be good with hot (spicy) sausage. May have to try that next time I make this!

• 1 jar of pizza sauce
• 3 empty jars full of water
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 package sausage, cooked and drained
• 1 cup sliced pepperoni, quartered
• 1/2 - 1/3 cup of pasta (I like to use ABC pasta since it's small)
• 1 Tbsp sausage seasoning
• 1 Tbsp pizza seasoning
• Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook sausage in skillet until done, drain, and return to skillet. Add the sausage seasoning and continue to cook a few minutes longer, then add to slow cooker. Pour in the pizza sauce and the 3 jars full of water. Add the green bell pepper, tomatoes, and pepperoni. Add the pizza seasoning. Mix together and cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat, add the pasta and turn slow cooker on high. When pasta is done, add soup to bowls and top with mozzarella cheese.

(I buy my sausage seasoning and pizza seasoning from Penzey's Spices)

Chicken Salsa Bowls

This is without a doubt one of simplest, yet tastiest dishes you could make. My mom used to make a similar dish in the oven when I was growing up so we adapted it to the slow cooker to make life simple.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 can mexicorn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 jar Pace medium salsa
• Your favorite white rice

Throw the chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Cover with mexicorn, black beans, and salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready to eat, make rice as usual. Shred up your chicken in the slow cooker with two forks. Add rice to the bottom of your bowl and top with mixture. If you want, you could add some shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.

Pesto, Feta, and Tomato Flatbread

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. This one doesn't really have any specific measurements, it's just kind of to taste! Enjoy!

• 1 package Flatbread
• 1 bunch of fresh spinach
• 1 can tomato & basil diced tomatoes
• Pesto
• Feta cheese
• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking tray with aluminum foil and lay out flatbread on top. Spread a thin layer of pesto on each flatbread. Cover with a layer of fresh spinach. Top with spoonfuls of diced tomatoes and add feta cheese on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes in oven. Remove and lightly drizzle olive oil and sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Cut into wedges.