Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Wrap

Found this on Pinterest from this site.  Very easy and quick to make and somewhat kid friendly.  One of my kids ate this up no problem, the other one cried the whole meal because there was lettuce in it.  I only added a tiny bit of lettuce in his, it was mainly bbq chicken and cheese in a tortilla, but oh well.  The first time I made this it was last minute and I didn't have red onion or cilantro, it made a big difference with it in it, added much needed flavor. I also used local, more expensive tortillas, which we really enjoyed with these wraps.  It was just a quick, fresh tasting easy meal.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2/3 cup chopped pineapple, fresh or canned
• 1/4 of a red onion, chopped
• 1 romaine heart, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 4-5 large wheat or white tortillas

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, flipping once until chicken is cooked through and golden brown. Remove pan from heat. Add barbecue sauce to the pan and toss chicken to coat. 
2. Place tortilla on a plate. Layer with a spoonful of barbecue chicken, cheese, pineapple, onion, chopped romaine and cilantro. Roll, burrito style and secure with a toothpick. Serve immediately.

Creamy Spaghetti

This meal is very quick and easy to make and very kid friendly to eat.  I might add some chicken next time I make it but that would drastically increase the amount of time needed to make this, so we will see.  Be sure to add plenty of salt and pepper at the end.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz. spaghetti
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 3/4 c. chicken broth
• 3/4 c. shredded Italian cheese blend
• kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Cook garlic until fragrant, 1 minute, then add heavy cream, chicken broth, and 1/2 cup pasta water. Add cooked spaghetti and toss with tongs until noodles are fully coated and liquid is simmering.
3. Remove from heat and add cheese. Toss constantly, adding more pasta water until sauce reaches desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
From:  Christi Reed!

1 pound extra lean ground beef
2 tablespoons dehydrated onion
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Sauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups water or pineapple juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tablespoons soy sauce

In a medium bowl, combine meatball ingredients,.  Shape into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Place under the broiler in your oven for 5-7 minutes or until the meatballs begin to brown.
In a large saucepan, whisk together the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.  Add the meatballs and reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring often.

Serve over rice.  Yum.

Pesto-Chicken Penne

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
• 6 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded Italian cheese blend
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 1 jar (15 ounces) Alfredo sauce
• 1-1/2 cups 2% milk
• 1 jar (8.1 ounces) prepared pesto
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the chicken, cheese blend, spinach, tomatoes, Alfredo sauce, milk and pesto. Drain pasta and add to chicken mixture; toss to coat.
2. Transfer to two greased 8-in. square baking dishes. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil; sprinkle over casseroles.
3. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until bubbly.
4. To use frozen casserole: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 2 casseroles (6 servings each).

Crockpot Oatmeal

Overnight Apple Oatmeal

 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 medium apples, peeled and diced  (I like using a quart of my canned apples for ease)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cinnamon  (I use closer to 1TBSP, just my taste preference)
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 4 cups water or 3 cups water and 1 cup half and half  (I do 3 cups water and 1 cup milk)

Instructions

1. Break up the butter into small pieces and drop it all around the bottom of a slow cooker. While doing this, wipe down the sides of the cooker with a pat of butter to keep from forming a "crust" along the edges.
2. Cover butter pats with diced apples.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon across the apples
4. Pour sugar over the apples and cinnamon
5. Cover with two cups of oats
6. Gently pour in 4 cups of water, or 3 cups water and 1 cup half-and-half
7. DO NOT STIR
8. Place on low setting and cook overnight, 8-10 hours.

Raspberry Dessert

Let's talk desserts!

A while ago we were discussing what we do with our frozen raspberries, this is one of my favorite things to do with them.

Raspberry Dessert

Layer 1:
1 cup graham wafer crumbs
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted

Layer 2:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
1/2 tsp almond extract

Layer 3:
3/4 cup boiling water
1 package (85g) raspberry-flavoured gelatin
2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

Layer 4:
1 cup whipping cream
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp unflavoured gelatin*
1 Tbsp cold water*

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a small bowl, mix together graham wafer crumbs, brown sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and combine, reserve 1 Tbsp, and press the remainder into an ungreased 8×8 pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove from oven, and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

In a small bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, icing sugar, and almond extract. Spread over cooled graham crust.

Pour boiling water into a bowl and whisk in raspberry gelatin powder until dissolved. Stir in raspberries and refrigerate, stirring often, until the mixture begins to thicken and set. Pour over the cream cheese layer and refrigerate until completely set.

Whip cream until it begins to form peaks. Add sugar and vanilla. Sprinkle unflavoured gelatin powder over cold water, and let sit until all the water has been absorbed. Microwave gelatin for 30 seconds, until clear and all crystals have dissolved. Drizzle gelatin into the cream while whipping it. Spread over the set raspberry layer, sprinkle with reserved graham crumbs, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

* A tip: the gelatin and cold water is a stabilizing agent for the whipped cream. If you plan to serve this immediately, you can skip the stabilizing agent and just whip together the cream, sugar, and vanilla. I like to add the stabilizer if it will be in the fridge for more than a few hours, as whipped cream has a tendency to lose its airiness if left to sit for too long.

Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler

This is very similar to your hot fudge pudding cake recipe that you put on here that I love, except with pumpkin and caramel.  It says cobbler but it is more like cake.  It is delicious, even all my boys were loving it! It is not a very strong pumpkin flavor, reminded me of a spice cake flavor kind of.  

I Got the recipe from this site.

PUMPKIN PECAN COBBLER

Yield: 8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups very hot water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, stir pumpkin, milk, melted butter and vanilla together to combine. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to create a thick batter. Pour into a small 8-inch casserole dish with high sides.

In a separate bowl, stir sugar, brown sugar and pecans together. Spread over the top of the batter evenly. Pour hot water over the entire thing {WITHOUT STIRRING A THING!} and bake for 40 minutes or once the middle is set. {Be sure to place on a baking sheet incase it bubbles over.} Cool 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with more pecans and vanilla ice cream.