Pepperoni Roll Ups

A few years ago, my friend Aurora told me about this great little snack/appetizer/dinner/lunch...you get the idea. You can have it for whatever! I sometimes make this with a great big salad and we have it for dinner. It takes all of about 5 minutes to prepare and they are always a big hit!

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Pepperoni Roll Ups

Crescent Rolls

Pepperoni

String Cheese

Ranch/Marinara Sauce

(You can make as many or as few as you like.)

Separate the crescent rolls into triangles. Place 4-5 pepperonis on each triangle and top with half a string cheese. Roll up and bring up sides to seal. (Sorry about my gross looking cookie sheet...it is clearly time for a new one!)

Bake according to directions on crescent roll package.
Yummy!!

I always serve these with a side of ranch and marinara and they promptly get gobbled up. Enjoy! :)

Salad Wraps

This is a recipe that I adapted from a Paula Deen recipe because I didn't have all of the ingredients she called for. It is now my absolute favorite sandwich to eat at home...SO EASY and delish!

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Dena's Salad Wraps!

(Eyeball the ingredients based on how many people you are making these for. The pictures show ingredients for 2 wraps...one regular size and one MAN size!)

Lettuce, chopped

Tomatoes, chopped

1 Avacado, chopped

5-6 slices of turkey, chopped

2 slices of Colby-Jack cheese, cut into squares

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Ranch dressing to taste

Flour tortillas or my favorite...Mission Sun Dried Tomato Basil Wraps

In a medium bowl, place lettuce, tomato, cheese, turkey, avacado, and bacon.

Add ranch dressing; stirring gently to coat with dressing.
Place filling on each tortilla or wrap; roll up and cut in half crosswise.

SUCH a good, light lunch or dinner...YUMMY!! Enjoy! :)

Margherita Pita Pizzas

OH. MY. GOODNESS. I have a new favorite recipe right here!! I cut this out of a magazine a few weeks ago and forgot about it. I'm SO HAPPY that I rediscovered it and decided to make it. These are incredible easy and SO SO GOOD!

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Margherita Pita Pizzas

4 pita breads

2 tsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups (8 oz) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

3 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Thinly sliced fresh basil

Place pita breads on an ungreased baking sheet; brush with oil.

Top with garlic, 1 cup cheese, tomatoes, garlic powder and remaining cheese; sprinkle with Italian seasoning. (I made one pepperoni for my son.)
Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Top with basil if desired.

Seriously, these are amazing! I loved them, my husband devoured them, and my son loved his personal pepperoni pizza. I see A LOT of these in our future! Enjoy!

My FAVORITE Chicken Salad

OK, so I normally title the recipes with their actual name, but this is hands down my favorite chicken salad recipe. It is the tried and true salad you can make for any type of shower, or just to eat with friends. It is incredible easy too and is great by itself or on a croissant. Thank you Southern Living for this reicpe...I can't even count how many times I have made it!

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Sherried Chicken and Grape Salad

6 cups chopped cooked chicken

3 cups sliced green grapes

1 cup toasted slivered almonds

2 celery ribs, diced (I'm not a fan of celery, so I leave this out)

3 green onions, minced

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons sherry (I don't ususally include this ingredient either)

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper

Ready for the easiness??? Stir all ingredients together. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

It doesn't get easier than that! I'm telling you...it is WONDERFUL...perfect in this HOT HOT summer! Enjoy!

Spicy Shrimp

Yes, here is another shrimp recipe that has a kick to it! I actually got this recipe from Taste of Home also and again, it is amazing. Super easy, lots of spice, and DELISH!

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Spicy Shrimp

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1 to 2 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 2/3 cup hot cooked rice

(I halved this entire recipe)

In a large skillet, saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in the tomato sauce, broth, parsley, hot sauce, onion salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in shrimp; cook 5-7 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Serve with rice.

SO YUMMY! This one definitely has a kick, so have your water ready. Enjoy! :)

Cajun Shrimp Skewers

If you like shrimp and if you like spicy, you MUST make this recipe ASAP! I made these last night and was amazed at how good they were. I cut this out of my latest Taste of Home and am so glad I did. These will definitely be a summer staple!!

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Cajun Shrimp Skewers

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. paprika

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 lb. uncooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium lemon, cut into wedges

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first nine ingredients. Add the jumbo shrimp; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. On metal or soaked wooden skewers, thread shrimp and lemon wedges.

Grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-8 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning once.

Seriously, these are FANTASTIC!!!! Enjoy! :)

Juicy Roasted Chicken

A few weeks ago after a friend mentioned that she had roasted a chicken, I decided I needed to try it. Yes, I haven't ever roasted a chicken before. I love rotisserie chickens and they are so easy to pick up at the store that I had just never considered making one myself. But, after my friend raved about how easy it was, I wanted to try it for myself. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and it was crazy easy and DELISH! The chicken was literally falling apart. You have to try this!

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Juicy Roasted Chicken

1 (3 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 cup margarine, divided

1 celery stalk, leaves removed

Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in roasting pan and season generously with salt and pepper on inside and outside. Sprinkle inside and outside with onion powder. Place 3 tablespoons margarine in the chicken cavity. Arrange dollops of the remaining margarine on outside of chicken. Cut the celery in 3 to 4 pieces and place inside the chicken cavity. Bake one hour and 15 minutes (or longer according to the directions on the package of the chicken). Baste with melted margarine. Cover with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before serving.

YUM! Seriously, how good does this look?!?

Perfect comfort food meal if you are in the mood! Enjoy! :)