Sweet Potato Nachos

Another pinterest recipe that caught my eye.  This was so delicious that I made it 3 times 2 weeks. Totally serious.  I may have even called a friend to say that I had the most fabulous new recipe!  Sweet potatoes are a favorite of mine and I love nachos so the combination was divine :)


Source:  twopeasandtheirpod blog

Ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes, washed and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 large avocado, pit removed and diced
Sour cream or Greek yogurt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the sweet potato rounds on a large baking sheet. You might need two baking sheets if you run out of room. You don't want to overcrowd the sweet potatoes. Toss the sweet potatoes in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the sweet potato rounds. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are crisp.

3. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle cheese and black beans over the sweet potatoes. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Remove pan from oven and top with green onions, cilantro, avocado, and sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serve immediately.

Black Bean and Caramelized Onion Dip

The color of this dip may not make for the best pictures, but it is really delicious!  

Source: spabettie

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Butter 
1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup
Pinch of Sea Salt
1 tsp Dried Basil
1 15oz can Black Beans, drained
1/3 cup Cream Cheese 
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 tbsp Cumin
1 tsp Onion Powder
Sea Salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Make the caramelized onions (I make big batches and store them in the freezer)  See my recipe at link.
2. In a food processor, pulse beans until smooth.  Then add cream cheese, garlic, cumin and onion powder and salt and combine until smooth.  Then add caramelized onions to bean mixture and combine.  Ready to serve in a bowl, or on tortilla chips, crostinis, crackers, etc.

Individual Peach Cobblers

I love Colorado Palisade Peaches!  I have been know to make the 4 hour trek from Denver to Palisade and fill my entire trunk with peaches and drive back.  This is one of my all time favorite ways to eat them.  I make a peach cobbler topping and then store it in the fridge and just crumble some on top of 1/2 of a peach and bake.  Great desert if you are cooking for only 1 or 2 people, or it can feed an army too!

Source:  Food.com

Ingredients:
Peaches (1/2 per person)

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1 small egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup oats (not instant) 

Vanilla Ice Cream for serving

Instructions:
Mix all the toppings together, line the peaches up on a baking dish with a 2 inch side.  Then crumble some of the topping on each peach and bake at 350 for 10-15 min (until the topping is slightly golden). 

Tequila-Lime Shrimp and Quinoa

I saw this recipe on pinterest and had to give it a try.  It did not disappoint.  It was healthy, delicious and filling.  I made a full recipe and even enjoyed the leftovers.

Source: iowagirleats.com

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1-3/4 cups chicken broth (could use vegetable broth or water)
15oz can corn, drained (or 1-3/4 cup fresh or frozen-then-thawed corn)
15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 red onion, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

For the Tequila-Lime Shrimp:
3/4lb (12oz) raw peeled and de-veined shrimp
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup tequila
juice of 2 limes
1 Tablespoon honey
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper (LOTS!)

For the Chili-Lime Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons honey
juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan then add quinoa and place a lid on top. Turn heat down to medium-low then simmer until quinoa is tender and broth has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork then transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly.
2. For the Tequila-Lime Shrimp: Whisk together all ingredients except shrimp in a large bowl then add shrimp and marinate for 10 minutes. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then mist with olive oil or nonstick spray. Add shrimp, being careful not to crowd the pan (may need to do 2 or 3 batches,) then saute for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Add to bowl with cooked quinoa.
3. For the Chili-Lime Vinaigrette: Combine ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid or in a small bowl then shake or whisk to combine and set aside.
4. Add corn, black beans, avocado, red onion, and cilantro to the quinoa and shrimp then drizzle with Chili-Lime Vinaigrette. Toss to combine then taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

Lemonade Pie

A perfect summer dessert!  Super easy plus - Cool and refreshing!

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, chilled

1 (12 oz) container Cool Whip, that's been in the fridge (not freezer)

1 (6 oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, keep frozen

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

Instructions: 

In a bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients with a spoon.  Pour into prepared pie shell.  Keep in fridge until you're ready to serve.

Italian Beef Sandwich on Onion Rolls

This has been a long time family favorite and these sandwiches are the very first meal I cooked for Erik.  When I told him I was making roast for his first dinner at my house he was expecting a traditional roast with vegetables and was pleasantly surprised by these sandwiches.  I hope you enjoy these sandwiches as much as we do!

Source: My mom

Ingredients:
3-5 pound rump roast
2 good seasons Italian dressing dry packets
1 good seasons ZESTY Italian dressing dry packets
2 cups water
1-2 cups monterey jack cheese
6-8 onion rolls

Instructions:
1. Place the rump roast in a crock pot.  Mix 2 cups of water with all 3 Italian dressing dry packets.  Pour over the rump roast and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

2. Once the meat is cooked, shred and place on a onion roll, top with cheese.  Broil for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and the roll is toasted on the edges.

Cherry Tomato & Asparagus Salad

This was part of my Mothers day 2014 menu.  I served Chicken Salad on Croissants, this salad, sweet potato chips and chocolate strawberries.  Both my mom and Erik's mom enjoyed the Mothers day brunch!


Source - MyRecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and halved
6 cups halved cherry, grape, and pear tomatoes in varied colors
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes 

1 cup sliced basil leaves 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil asparagus in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Mix asparagus with remaining ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well to coat evenly with dressing.

Chicken and Kale Casserole

I love buying Kale at my local farmers market and finding dishes that include Kale!  This recipe is easy if you use a rotisserie chicken.  Yum.

Source: Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound large pasta shells
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, diced medium

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 bunches kale (1 1/2 pounds), tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped

2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)

1 container (48 ounces) part-skim ricotta

3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)

3/4 cup Parmesan, grated (2 1/4 ounces)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.

2. Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.

Banana S'mores

I found these on pinterest - so easy and so delicious!  Just slice a banana, stuff with chocolate chips and mini marshmallows and bake at 375 for 6-8 min and you have warm chocolate goodness in the picture below.

Cooking Light Pasta Salad with Mint, Melon & Prosciutto

I just discovered a wonderful little Italian shop in Littleton, CO that specializes in homemade raviolis and also has all the staples of a good Italian deli including fabulous prosciutto!  For my local readers, the shop is called The Rav House Homemade Gourmet.  On the day I visited the owner had just pulled out a batch of scratch made cinnamon rolls that he was taking to his fellow shop owners and he gave me one straight out of the oven.  Heavenly!  Ok, back to the recipe, in a Cooking Light magazine they had several mix and match pasta salad recipes and this one was perfect since I had just brought home the Italian prosciutto!

Source: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
3 cups of your favorite cooked, chilled pasta with a tablespoon of olive oil
½ cup cubed fresh cantaloupe
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1.5 ounces shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Mix and enjoy.  So easy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some of Erik's favorite cookies and he said the take a long time to make.  We whipped them up one night after dinner in no time and they were really good cookies.  I think this plate of cookies disappeared faster than I should admit :)

Source: vintage victuals blog

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups uncooked regular oats

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips 

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a baking sheet and set aside. In an electric mixer bowl, beat butter and both sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the oats and stir well. Gradually add to the butter mixture, mixing until well blended. With a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.

Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool on pan 2 to 3 minutes before cooling on wire racks. 

Bacon, Date and Manchego Quesadillas with Pistachio Cream

 

I have really started liking dates - yes, the food dates, real life romantic dates are great too :)  I made bacon wrapped dates awhile back (Link Here) and this time dates and bacon made an appearance together.  I never would have thought to put them together, but of course Food Network came up with a great pairing in their March 2014 magazine.  Enjoy!

Source:   Food Network Magazine Bacon issue - March 2014

Ingredients:
For the quesadillas:
12 slices bacon
4 10 -inch flour tortillas
2 cups shredded manchego cheese (about 8 ounces)
5 dates, pitted and julienned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the pistachio cream:
1/2 cup salted pistachios
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups spinach
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bacon slices side by side on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until browned and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, make the pistachio cream: Combine the pistachios, red pepper flakes, garlic, lemon juice and spinach in a food processor and pulse until chopped; with the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and process 5 more seconds. Pour the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the crema; set aside.

Assemble the quesadillas: On 1 half of each tortilla, layer 1/2 cup cheese, 3 slices bacon and a few date slices. Fold the tortillas in half to cover the filling. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 quesadillas and cook until golden on both sides and gooey in the middle, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining 2 quesadillas, adding the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.

Cut each quesadilla into 4 triangles; serve with the pistachio cream.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

An easy weeknight dinner!  Just grab a rotisserie chicken on the way home and this recipe is super easy!

Source: Raining Hot Coupons Blog

Ingredients:

• 10 small soft flour tortillas (you can use corn but I like flour with chicken)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups shredded and cooked chicken (I used rotisserie chicken)
• 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese – shredded
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4oz can diced green chillies (I like medium – they are not spicy at all)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese
3. Fill tortillas with the mixture above and roll each one then place in a greased 9×13 pan
4. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat
5. Stir flour into butter and whisk for 1 minute over heat.
6. Add broth and whisk together. Cook over heat until it’s thick and bubbles up
7. Take off heat and add in sour cream and chilies. (be careful it’s not too hot or the sour cream will curdle)
8. Pour mixture over enchiladas and add remaining cheese to top.
9. Bake in oven for 20-23 minutes then you will want to broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.
10. Enjoy!

Mushroom, Gruyère, and Spinach Quiche

I made this quiche one night and then had the leftovers for breakfast the next day!  Even the leftovers tasted great - heated in a 375 degree oven for about 15 min!

Source: Cooking Light April 2014

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I used a packaged one to save time)
3 center-cut bacon slices
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
1 large egg white
2 ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, grated

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Bake the crust (with pie weights on top of foil) at 425° for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove weights and foil; bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
4. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings; crumble. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add shallots to drippings in pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and thyme; cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in spinach; cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Drain any excess liquid.
5. Place milk, half-and-half, eggs, egg white, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender; process until smooth.
6. Arrange half of cheese over bottom of crust; top with spinach mixture and remaining half of cheese. Carefully pour milk mixture over cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until filling is set. Let stand 10 minutes.

Gnocchi and Squash

I just love homemade gnocchi!  Add some zucchini, cheese and fresh basil and it makes a great dinner!

Source: Real Simple August 2013

Ingredients

• 1 pound gnocchi, fresh or frozen  (I used some that I had pre-made and froze) - Here is the recipe I use Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 yellow squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 ounces Feta, crumbled (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot.  Note:  If you have made some and frozen them, just cook in boiling water until thye rise to the top of the water in the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the squash to the gnocchi and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with the Feta and basil. Season with pepper.

Pasta with Bacon and Leeks

Food Network magazine this month featured Bacon.  This recipe was on their front cover and was easy and delicious!  The magazine is being treated like a work of art in my house and the guys are pouring over each page of bacon goodness :)  Enjoy!

Source: Food Network

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt
• 12 ounces mezzi rigatoni (or other short pasta)
• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced and rinsed well
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings from the skillet.
3. Add the leeks to the drippings in the skillet. Season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and cook until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes.
4. Add the pasta to the skillet along with the parmesan, half of the bacon and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss to coat, adding enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen. To serve, top with the remaining bacon, and more parmesan.

BBQ pork stuffed sweet potato

This recipe is super easy - only 3 ingredients and it cooks in the crock pot while you are at work.  What could be easier than that.... Delicious!

Source: Adapted from The Novice Chef Blog

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin
1 jar Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce
4 large sweet potatoes

Instructions:
Put the pork loin and the BBQ sauce in the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

While pork is cooking, bake your sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400°. Scrub potatoes under water and wrap in foil. Bake in oven for about 1 hour.  Remove pork from crock pot and shred the meat.

When ready to serve, cut a a slit in the sweet potato, lengthwise. Grab the potato from both ends and press together to open the sweet potato up. Fill each sweet potato with a generous helping of pulled pork and top with an extra drizzle of BBQ Sauce. Serve immediately!

Red Velvet Cookies & Ice Cream Sandwiches

My co-worker LOVES red velvet, so I decided to make some red velvet cookies for her birthday.  After I made the cookies I decided they would make perfect ice cream sandwiches too.  I used cookies and cream ice cream and they were delicious!  I think these would be perfect for Valentines day, or just a normal weekday!

Source: Duncan Hines
Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine one (1) box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix, two (2) eggs and one-third (1/3) cup vegetable oil using a hand blender or wire whisk.
3. Form teaspoon size balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about one inch (1") apart. Slightly pat down the top of each ball.
4. Cook for 8-10 minutes (the top of the cookie will crack).
5. While hot, lightly sprinkle the top of the cookie with powdered sugar (optional). 

Here is the ice cream sandwich version:

Mostaccioli Salad

I made this for a wrestling team family cookout recently and I was so excited when one of the mom's asked for the recipe!  This is an old family recipe and I have an original with my mom's handwriting on my grandma's stationary.  I treasure those recipes!  This recipe is easy and I served it chilled.  The ingredients lend itself perfectly to sit out at a picnic.  This can also be made with penne or other pasta.  A random fact....mostaccioli means "little mustache" in Italian.  I thought that was fun!  Enjoy! 

Source: My Mom/Grandma

Ingredients & Instructions:

16 oz mostaccioli cooked al dente

1 cucumber

1 green bell pepper

1 sweet onion

(thinly slice cucumber, pepper and onion - I used a food processor)

Next combine the following for the dressing:

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 Tablespoon Parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 Tablespoon prepared mustard

(I put them in a Tupperware and shake, until combined)

Then toss all ingredients together and enjoy. 

Sausage Egg Casserole

My brother specifically requested I post this recipe - so here you go Ryan...



This is the perfect breakfast casserole for overnight company and my family enjoyed this when we were staying in the mountains for some R&R over Thanksgiving.



Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 cups milk
2 slices of bread (torn into small pieces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 pound sausage
1 cup grated cheddar



Instructions:
1. Brown sausage and drain
2. Mix eggs, milk, salt and mustard
3. Add bread, cheese and sausage
4. Pour into greased glass 9x13 and refrigerate overnight
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes