Recipes found on Facebook: July 2013

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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

OMG.......Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark
this is sooo easy to make!


2 sticks of butter
1 cup of light brown sugar
1 reg. bag of pretzels (you'll use about 3/4 of the bag)
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
Sea salt - ( I use our coarse sea salt with our grinder)



Preheat the oven to 400.

Line a large bar pan with parchment paper, cover with pretzels
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When it begins to bubble add the brown sugar.

Stirring occasionally let the butter/sugar mixture meld together and brown. This should take about 3 minutes. Do NOT let it boil, you will have sticky goo that is no good.

When you have a nice, brown caramel pour it over the pretzels, slowly and evenly. You can then use a spatula to spread it out, you have to work quickly and gently. It hardens fast so even pouring is the best method.

Bake the sheet for 5 minutes.

Remove the sheet from the oven and sprinkle the whole bag of chocolate chips evenly over the mixture.

Place back in the oven for about 45 seconds. If you let it sit there too long the chocolate will burn.

Remove from the oven and use a silicone spatula to evenly spread the chocolate over the top.

Sprinkle with sea salt and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. 





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Crock Pot Cinnamon Almonds

Crock Pot Cinnamon Almonds

Great holiday gift idea!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Salt
1 Egg White
2 tsp. vanilla
3 Cups Almonds
1/4 C. Water

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg white and vanilla until it’s a little frothy. Add almonds. Make sure the almonds are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture. Add cinnamon mixture to the almonds and toss until coated.

Thoroughly spray with the stoneware of your crock pot with non-stick cooking spray and add the mixture of almonds and sugars.

Cook on low ( with the lid on) 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. In the last hour, add the 1/4 C. of water and stir well. This ensures a crunchy yummy coating. (*make sure after you’ve added the water that you continue to cook the nuts for another 45 minutes to an hour.)

You have to stir really well, especially as it gets later in the cooking process.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread the almonds flat to cool. The almonds will be sticky at this point, so make sure you separate them a little and have no large mounds.

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿




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Monday, July 29, 2013

Adorable Chocolate Puppy Cupcakes Recipes

Adorable Chocolate Puppy Cupcakes Recipes
 

Classic Chocolate Cupcakes (check recipe here)
 
Puppy Face Ingredients:

- Chocolate M&Ms 1 pack

- Round Butter Cookies 1 pack

- Nutter Butter Cookies 1 pack (details here)

- Edible Candy Eyeballs 1 pack (details here)

- Royal icing or Chocolate drawing pen 1 pack (details here)
 
Instructions:
  • Assemble one round cookie, and two Nutter Butter Cookies into a puppy face on the cupcake.
  • Add one M&M as a puppy nose.
  • Add two edible candy eyeballs as puppy eyes.
  • Draw a puppy mouth with royal icing or chocolate food drawing pen.
 
There you go, another great birthday sorted with these adorable Chocolate Puppy Cupcakes!




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Saturday, July 27, 2013

OLD FASHIONED RICE PUDDING

OLD FASHIONED RICE PUDDING
 
2/3 c. Minute Rice
2 3/4 c. milk
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins

Combine Minute Rice, milk and raisins, sugar, butter, salt, vanilla and nutmeg in a buttered 1 quart baking dish. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring after 15 minutes and again when pudding is done. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm or chilled. Pudding thickens as it stands.



Photo from "CAKE ON THE BRAIN" recipe COCONUT VANILLA BEAN RICE PUDDING 
http://cakeonthebrain.blogspot.ca/2008/01/coconut-vanilla-bean-rice-pudding.html


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http://tinajo.origamiowl.com/

Sloppy Joe Squares

Sloppy Joe Squares
 

What you'll need:
1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 can (15.5 oz) sloppy Joe sauce
2 cans (12 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated Big & Buttery crescent dinner rolls
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz)
1 tablespoon sesame seed

What you need to do:
1) Heat oven to 350°F.
2) In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain.
3) Stir in sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
4) Unroll 1 can of the dough; place in ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Press in bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of dish.
5) Spread beef mixture over dough; sprinkle with cheese. Unroll second can of dough; place over cheese.
6) Sprinkle with sesame seed.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until mixture is bubbly and dough is golden brown. Cut into squares to serve.
Makes 8 servings 




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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Bacon Double Cheesebuger Stuffed Mushrooms

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms


 
Yield: 15 medium-large mushrooms

Ingredients
  • 1/2 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 onion finely chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 3 slices of bacon (I cheat and use "ready cooked")
  • 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • 15 medium to large mushrooms
  • 1/4 cup each cheddar & mozzarella cheese (or 1/2 cup cheddar cheese)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels, crumble & set aside.
  3. In a pan, brown ground beef, onion & garlic powder until beef is cooked through. Drain any remaining juices.
  4. Meanwhile, pull the core out of the mushrooms & discard… I use my strawberry/tomato huller to scrape out a little bit more of the mushrooms.
  5. Stir cream cheese into the beef until melted. Add ketchup, mustard, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese, worcestershire sauce, crumbled bacon and stir until combined.
  6. On a foil lined pan, fill each mushroom with the beef mixture. Don't be afraid to pile it up high.. it's yummy!
  7. Top with remaining cheese and bake 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and mushrooms are cooked.
  8. Enjoy!





http://www.spendwithpennies.com/bacon-double-cheesbuger-stuffed-mushrooms/ 


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Apple Blueberry Cobbler

Apple Blueberry Cobbler

 
4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced, 4 cups
4 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon
Dash nutmeg

Topping:
1 stick butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup flour

Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Place apples, blueberries, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into baking dish; toss lightly.

Mix together topping and crumble on top of apple blueberry mixture.

Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes…reduce heat to 350 degrees F, uncover and bake for until top is lightly browned and apples bubble up some…about 25 minutes or so.

May use any tart apple…..
Granny's Favorites Cookbooks 
 
 
 
 
 
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Polish Sausage and Cabbage Soup Crock Pot

Polish Sausage and Cabbage Soup Crock Pot

2 cups potatoes, cubed and peeled
4 cups cabbage, shredded it fine
1 carrot, shredded it fine
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed (optional)
1-1/4 lb Polish sausage, cooked, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 cups fat free chicken broth or you can just use water
black pepper and salt to taste

Directions:
Place potatoes, cabbage, carrot, onion, caraway seeds, sausage, pepper and salt in crock pot. Pour broth over all.
Cover, cook on low for 10 - 12 hours or high for 5 - 6 hours.

Courtesy of MawMaw Junes Recipes





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PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

1 - 18oz can pumpkin (or fresh equivalent)

1 box yellow cake mix (2 layer size)

1 cup sugar

1/2 c. melted margarine or butter

1 - 13oz can evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)

3/4 c. chopped pecans or walnuts

3 eggs

3 tsp cinnamon


Beat eggs and milk together; add pumpkin, sugar and cinnamon. Mix until well blended. Pour into a 9x13 greased pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over mixture. Drizzle with melted margarine. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 min or until done. Serve (warm or cold) with topping or whipped cream. Enjoy

chellascommoncents.com





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Secretly Healthy Spinach Dip

~Secretly Healthy Spinach Dip~


SO glad I found this! I could eat this stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner! YUM!

Everyone has someone in their family who doesn't like to eat anything they think is “healthy.” That’s why I have to be super creative with my recipes, and secretive when I use cottage cheese.

Just a general trick, substituting cottage cheese for sour cream reduces that fat and adds a ton of protein to a meal. Just be sure to first blend the cottage cheese and no one will be able to tell the difference.


Spinach Dip Recipe


Ingredients needed:

1 10 oz container of frozen chopped spinach – defrost and squeeze out all the juice
1-2 5 oz cans of sliced water chestnuts – dice into small pieces
1 8 oz container of 1% cottage cheese – blend with a handheld blender or in a traditional blender until smooth and creamy
1 packet ranch dressing

After completing the above tasks, mix all ingredients well, eat, and enjoy!
No baking or cooking needed.

*Note: to make this even healthier make your own ranch mix...Here is my homemade recipe:
Homemade Ranch Mix:
5 tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley flakes
4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Mix together and store in an air tight container.
For dressing: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.
For dip: Mix 2 tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream.
Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend.





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Chocolate Lasagna

Chocolate Lasagna

Chocolate Lasagna.......oh yes please!!!

It's a NO BAKE dessert that the kids will LOVE!


INGREDIENTS

1 package regular Oreo cookies (Not Double Stuff) – about 36 cookies
6 Tablespoon butter, melted
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cold milk
1- 12 ounce tub Cool Whip, divided
2 – 3.9 ounce packages Chocolate Instant Pudding.
3 1/4 cups cold milk
1 and 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Begin by crushing 36 Oreo cookies. I used my Manual food processor for this, but you could also place them in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or meat mallet. When the Oreos have turned into fine crumbs, you are done.

2. Transfer the Oreo crumbs to a large bowl. Stir in 6 tablespoons melted butter and use a fork to incorporate the butter into the cookie crumbs. When the butter is distributed, transfer the mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you work on the additional layers.

3. Mix the cream cheese with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in 2 Tablespoons of milk, and sugar, and mix well. Stir in 1 and 1/4 cups Cool Whip. Spread this mixture over the oreo crust.

4. In a bowl, combine chocolate instant pudding with 3 and 1/4 cups cold milk. Whisk for several minutes until the pudding starts to thicken. Use a spatula to spread the mixture over the previous cream cheese layer. Allow the dessert to rest for about 5 minutes so that the pudding can firm up further.

5. Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the top. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips evenly over the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.

recipe originally from centercutcook.com/chocolate-lasagna 






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Sweet Baby Ray's Crockpot Chicken

Sweet Baby Ray's Crockpot Chicken

 

4-6 chicken breast 
1 btl Sweet Baby Ray's sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
 


Mix everything but chicken
Place chicken in crockpot (frozen is ok)
Pour sauce mixture over chicken
Cook on low 4-6 hours






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Monday, July 22, 2013

Baked S'mores

Baked S'mores


1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 5 full graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
2 or 3 super-sized (5 oz.) chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
1 1/2 cups marshmallow crème/fluff (or mini marshmallows if you must!)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom of pan.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.


In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt.

Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.


Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place chocolate bars over dough. Two 5 oz. Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly [for 8 by 8] side by side, but break the chocolate (if necessary) to get it to fit in a single layer. [use 3 Hershey's for 12 by 8 pan]

Spread marshmallow fluff evenly over the chocolate layer.

Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This is most easily done by putting the second half of the dough in a gallon size freezer bag. Use your palms or rolling pin to flatten it out, and then use scissors to cut down both long sides of the bag, so it will open up book-style. Open it up carefully, and the dough will stick on one side of the bag. Then place the bag, dough side down, on the other three layers. From there peel the bag up and carefully spread the dough where it is uneven.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely or almost completely for the melty factor before cutting into bars.

Enjoy!
 


 


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Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups

Caprese Lasagna Roll-Ups


Ingredients
8 lasagna noodles, uncooked
14 oz freshly shredded, low-moisture part skim Mozzarella cheese, divided
3/4 cup Ricotta cheese
1 large egg white
1/3 cup freshly, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/4 oz)
freshly ground black pepper
3 - 4 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (about 1/6 inch thick slices)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
1 cup marinara sauce, recipe follows

Simple Marinara Sauce
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic finely minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions listed on package to al dente. Drain pasta (DO NOT rinse with water) and align lasagna noodles in a single layer on a large sheet of parchment or wax paper.
For filling, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese and egg white until well blended. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Mix in 12 oz. of the Mozzarella cheese and season with black pepper to taste (I wouldn't recommend seasoning with salt just because the cheeses already have plenty of salt).
Place 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture over each lasagna noodle and spread into an even layer, going from one end of the lasagna to the other. Align 4 thin tomato slices over cheese mixture then sprinkle fresh basil over top. Snugly roll lasagna noodles to opposite end. Spread about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of an 11 x 7 inch baking dish. Align lasagna roll ups, seam side down in dish. Top each roll up with about 2 Tbsp of the pasta sauce (covering edges of pasta so they don't dry out while baking). Sprinkle top with remaining 2 oz. shredded Mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven, plate pasta and garnish with plenty of basil ribbons. Serve warm.

Simple Marinara Sauce
Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions to hot oil and sauté about 3 minutes until soft, adding garlic during last minute of sautéing. Pour in crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and allow sauce to cook for about 25 - 30 minutes (which will allow some of the water in crushed tomatoes to evaporate) while you prepare pasta and lasagna filling (you can freeze or refrigerate left over sauce in a small airtight container for later use, adding fresh basil if desired).
Recipe Source: Cooking Classy
 
 
 
 
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Oreo Cookies Cake

Oreo Cookies Cake

Ingredients
  • Eggs
  • Oil
  • Water
  • One box of Chocolate Cake Mix
  • Two (four ounces) packages of Instant Oreo pudding
  • Four cups of milk – 2% or higher
  • Crushed Oreo Cookies – this one is optional


Directions
  • Start making the cake mix by following directions on the box.
  • Grease a pan (you can use a 9×13 one), put the mixture in and start baking.
  • Start making the pudding a little bit before the cake is ready.
  • Take a medium bowl and add the pudding mixture as well as some milk.
  • Keep whisking until most of the lumps are removed.
  • Let it sit for approx two minutes.
  • The mixture needs to be slightly thick and not runny but not as thick as a pudding.
  • When the cake is ready and still warm, take a wooden spoon handle or a straw and poke holes all over the cake about an inch interval apart.
  • Aiming for the holes, pour the pudding mixture over the warm cake.
  • Spread the pudding out on top of the cake while gently pushing down to help it get into the holes.
  • Then you need to put the cake in the fridge for an hour until it is completely cooled.
  • Once it is ready, you can either spread some whipped topping of your choice on top and sprinkle with crushed Oreo cookies or you can just add the cookies.





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Saturday, July 20, 2013

APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE

APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE RECIPE


Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup walnuts or 1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 medium firm tart apples, peeled thinly sliced
1 teaspoon amaretto flavoring or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 egg yolk
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
24 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons butter, melting
2 cups gingersnaps, crushed

Directions

Heat oven 350°F Spray bottom of 10" springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl, stir together gingersnaps with 6 Tbs melted butter(crust). Press into bottom and 1/2" up sides of pan; wrap outside of pan with foil. Bake 5-7 minutes until set.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Beat in eggs, egg yolk, cream, 2 Tbs flour and flavoring 1 minutes or until blended.
In medium bowl, toss apples with 1 Tbs brown sugar and cinnamon until lightly coated.
Pour half of the filling into crust; arrange apples over the filling, overlapping slightly. Pour remaining filling over apples. Bake 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 nuts and 1/4 cup melted butter(topping); sprinkle over cake. Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown and set 3" from edge. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.
Refrigerate overnight.
Store in the refrigerator.





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Crisp Cucumber Salsa

Crisp Cucumber Salsa:

Note: 1/4 cup is only 16 calories! YES ONLY 16 Calories!!!


2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded
tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.
 



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Friday, July 19, 2013

Skinny Shake

Have you tried the Skinny Shake before, it tastes like a Wendy's frosty:
 


3/4 cup Almond Milk
about 15 ice cubes
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1-2 Tbsp unsweetened Cocoa powde
r
1/3 of a Banana
 

Blend.


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Thursday, July 18, 2013

SLEEPING TEDDY BEAR

OMGoodness!!! How Adorable is This?!?!

SLEEPING TEDDY BEAR

Ingredients for assembly:
- Plain Omelette (blanket)

- Cooked Brown Rice (bear)
- 1 Sausage link (body)

Instructions:
Step 1- Mold warm rice into balls. Two small balls for the ears and one larger one for the head. You can also mold an arm if desired. For snout, you can use either white rice or a small piece of mozzarella cheese.
Step 2- Cook your sausage link. Once fully cooked, place sausage under Teddy bear rice head.
Step 3- Cook up omelette. Once done to satisfaction, gently lay atop sausage up to the “neck”. You can also use a piece of the omelette for the egg.


~For more fun, amazing ideas... recipes and motivational weight loss tips
Click and join here--->
All Natural Healthy Weight Loss Solutions Support Group 







originally posted on facebook 

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Crock Pot Ranch Pork Chops

Crock pot Ranch Pork chops:


package of boneless pork chops
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

In crock pot layer pork chops, add the cream of chicken soup, then sprinkle dry Ranch dressing all over.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR Low for 6 hours.



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Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

Loaded Baked Potato & Chicken Casserole

2 lbs chicken breasts
8 potatoes
1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T fresh ground pepper
1 T paprika
2 T garlic powder
6 T hot sauce

Topping
2 cups Shredded Cheese
1 cup crumbled Bacon
1 cup diced Green Onion

Preheat oven 500*F
In a large bowl mix olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and hot sauce. Cube the potatoes and add to the bowl.
Coat a 9x13 dish with cooking spray. Add potatoes, allow for excess sauce in the bowl.
Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes, stir every 15 minutes
Cube the chicken and add it to the bowl with the left over sauce.
Mix together cheese, bacon and green onion in a small separate bowl.
Once potatoes are done, add the uncooked marinated chicken, then layer the toppings over the chicken. Bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.


 
I am adding a photo to this recipe....I did not save the original photo that was posted on facebook, so I searched google for one. The photo that I liked the most for this recipe is on a blog that has this exact recipe. So I'm guessing that is where the recipe came from that was posted on facebook. So I am posting a link to the blog with this recipe and photo. Please do not think that I am stealing this recipe. I just found it on facebook and wanted to keep it on hand. Thank you for allowing me to link to your website. :)
 
 


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eliquified.com

Secrets and Tips to making the best Fried Rice

Here are some secrets to making light, fluffy and flavorful fried rice, no matter what ingredients you use.


Use previously chilled leftover rice
To get the perfect fried rice, you’ll want to use yesterday’s rice as it’s had a chance to dry out a bit in the refrigerator. The heat of the pan and the liquid seasoning (soy sauce) will re-steam and hydrate the leftover rice. If you try to use freshly cooked, hot rice (like I did years ago,) you’ll end up with too much moisture in the rice and will make a heavy mess in the pan.


High heat is essential
But high heat doesn’t mean that you need super high BTU’s or a gas stove. All it takes is a bit of patience to let your pan or wok heat up. The high heat ensures that whatever ingredients that you put into the pan gets fried quickly and that each grain of rice gets hot to the core.


Don’t touch
A common mistake of stir frying is to constantly poke, prod, turn and flip every second. In a restaurant kitchen where flames are so powerful they can singe your brows, chefs have to keep things moving. But in home kitchens, our stovetops need a little more time to do their work to heat up and cook our food. If you keep poking at the rice, the grains will break, release more starch and turn the entire thing goopy. It will never have a chance to fry correctly…not enough “wok time” as my Mom likes to say. The best thing is to do is to spread out the rice, use the entire cooking surface of the pan and just leave it alone. Put your spatula down and back away from the stove for a minute. Give the rice a chance to heat up. Then flip, toss and redistribute the rice, again spreading it out and leaving it alone to cook another side.


Fry ingredients separately
Fried rice has many different ingredients, and in my home it’s usually just a mixture of whatever vegetables, meats or seafood I can scrounge up from the refrigerator or freezer. But whatever the ingredients, you want to make sure that you can taste each individual one. To do this, you’ve got to fry your meat or seafood first, remove from the wok or pan when 80% cooked through and then toss it back in towards the end of the stir fry to finish cooking. Because if you try to fry all of the ingredients at the same time in the same pan, they’ll all compete for “wok time” and everything will end up tasting exactly the same!



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Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp Fried Rice

 

Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

Make sure to use leftover, day old rice when making fried rice. Freshly made rice will make a fried rice that's mushy.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces small raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2 stalks green onion, minced
  • 4 cups leftover rice, grains separated well
  • 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, defrosted
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if you are making a gluten-free version)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method

1 In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the salt, pepper and cornstarch. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add just 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.

2 Add the shrimp, quickly spreading out around the cooking surface area so that they are not overlapping. Let fry, untouched for 30 seconds. Flip over and let the other side fry for 30 seconds, or until about 80% cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

3 Turn the heat to medium, let the pan heat up again. Add the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the pan into the same plate as the cooked shrimp.

4 Use paper towels to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean and return to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the rice and stir well to mix in the green onions throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, untouched until you hear the bottoms of the grains sizzle, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok.

5 Drizzle the soy sauce all around the rice and toss. Add the peas and carrots, the cooked eggs, shrimp and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add an additional 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, if needed.
Yield: Serves 4.


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Butterfinger Dessert -Weight Watchers

Butterfinger Dessert
-Weight Watchers =easy and low in sugar


1 (10") prepared angel food cake, cut into 1' cubes
1 ( 1 oz.) package of sugar free, fat free but
terscotch pudding mix
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 ( 8 oz.) containers of cool whip FREE, thawed
10 fun-sized butterfingers candy bars, crushed (I used mini food processor)


1. Spray 9 x 13" pan with cooking spray. Arrange half the angel food cake cubes in bottom of pan.


2. In large bowl, combine the pudding mix with skim milk. Whisk until starting to thicken. Fold in both containers of cool whip FREE.


3. Pour half the "fluff" mixture over the cubed angel food cake in pan. Top with half the crushed butterfinger candies. Repeat with rest of cake, fluff and candy. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, or overnight. Enjoy!

There are 15 servings and 4 points per serving!

http://bit.ly/VIfkTg
Find this and more at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lilmamma/ 



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Easy Cheesy Breadsticks

Who buys frozen garlic bread or cheese sticks - NO MORE!!

Share this with your friends...they'll thank you!!!

Easy Cheesy Breadsticks



1 (10 ounce) cans prepared pizza crust
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
marinara sauce



Directions
Preheat oven to 425.
Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet or Lg. Bar Stone, and brush with butter.
Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.
With a pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 12 long strips. Then cut those in half to make 24 strips.
Do not seperate strips.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet.
Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.




as seen on and copied from facebook :)