Cheez-It Chicken

My friend Trina texted me a recipe the other day that she thought I would like.  Once I saw how easy it was, I knew I just had to try it!  The best part was that I already had the ingredients.  Chances are, if you have kids, you have the ingredients too!  Thanks Trina and Winner Dinners for this easy, delish recipe...we'll definitely be having it again soon!  :)

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Cheez-It Chicken

8 chicken tenders (I am funny about chicken tenders...don't like the tendons in them - YUCK, so I just sliced 3 chicken breasts into strips)

1 cup sour cream (I only used about 1/2 a cup and used Light sour cream)

3 cups Cheez-Its, crushed

1/2 cup butter, melted (I only used about 1/4 cup)

Here goes EASY...crush the Cheez-Its in a large ziploc bag.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Roll the chicken tenders in the sour cream and then in the Cheez-It crumbs.  Place them in a baking dish.  Drizzle with the melted butter.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.  Seriously, it doesn't get easier than this!  Only 4 ingredients and about 4 minutes of prep time.  Dinner is served!

This chicken turns out really moist on the inside, but super crunchy on the outside.  My 5 year old devoured it and even said at one point that it tasted like Chick-fil-A...SCORE!  BIG mommy points there!  Enjoy!  :)

Roasted Asparagus

If you like asparagus and want the easiest recipe EVER, then this is for you!  It is hard to even call it a recipe when it only has two ingredients, but since I got it out of a cookbook, then I'll call it a recipe!  Here ya go:

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Roasted Asparagus

1 pound fresh asparagus

Olive oil-flavored cooking spray

Snap tough ends off 1 pound fresh asparagus.  Coat asparagus with olive oil-flavored cooking spray, and bake at 450 for 10 minutes or until tender.

It really doesn't get any easier then that for a quick, wonderful side dish!  Now, if only I could get my son to take a bite!!  Enjoy!  :)

Sweet and Tangy Braised Chuck Roast

While at home for Thanksgiving, my Dad made an amazing roast!  It is very different from the standard roast that you are probably used to...it has some really unique ingredients that give it a little bit of sweetness.  I couldn't believe it when he told me what was in it.  So, don't be alarmed by the ingredient list when you see that there are cookies in it...embrace it!  Trust me!  This was super easy because it is a crockpot meal and tastes wonderful!

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Sweet and Tangy Braised Chuck Roast

6 (2-inch) gingersnap cookies finely crushed into crumbs

1 cups peeled baby carrots

2 large celery stalks cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces

1 medium onion cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 cup raisins (I skipped this...not a raisin fan!)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 (about 2 pound) beef chuck roast

In a 4 1/2 - 6 quart slow cooker, combine gingersnap crumbs, carrots, celery, onion, wine, vinegar, raisins, salt, and pepper.  Place roast on top of vegetables.  cover with lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6-6 1/2 hours or until roast is very tender.  Place roast on warm platter. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid.  Serve roast with vegetables and sauce.

The roast literally fell apart as I was taking it out...SO GOOD!!  Enjoy!  :)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grinch Cookies)

When I asked my son what kind of cookies he wanted to make for Santa this year, he immediately said Grinch cookies.  (I had pinned this recipe from The Hungry Dudes a while ago and told him about them.)  I thought these were appropriate because his favorite Christmas movie is How the Grinch Stole Christmas...and because I LOVE chocolate and mint together.  I mean, I REALLY love chocolate and mint...Junior Mints, York Peppermint Patties, Andes Mints, Mint Chocolate chip ice cream...Mmm, Mmm! If you love any of those, then you are going to LOVE these cookies too!!  They are super easy and taste delicious!!  You could make them for Christmas, or just make them because they are fantastic!! We will definitely be making these BEFORE next Christmas!

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Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies (Grinch Cookies)

1 pouch sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract

6 to 8 drops green food color

1 egg

1 package Andes Mints

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350.  In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color, and egg until soft dough forms.

 Sorry, had to include a picture of my son making his best Grinch face!

 He was my little helper that day!

 Stir in chopped Andes Mints (they recommended using a huge knife and I would recommend this too...took no time at all to chop!) and chocolate chips.

 Using a small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool for about 3 minutes before moving cookies to a wire rack.  Store tightly covered at room temperature...before they disappear! :)

 Our elf, Haddy couldn't even stay away from these yummy cookies!!  Enjoy!  :)

Oklahoma Breakfast Pizza

If you have family in town for Christmas and need to make a great breakfast that is different from your standard breakfast casserole, give this a try!!  This came from my Dad and it did not disappoint.  He actually cut it out of the Oklahoma newspaper of all places. It is so good and the best part is you can eat it with your hands!  :)

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Oklahoma Breakfast Pizza

1 package Shawnee Mills pizza crust mix (I used a Pillsbury roll out crust)

8 Pork Sausage Patties (I used Jimmy Dean HOT sausage instead)

1 cup diced bell pepper

1 cup frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I just used all mozzarella)

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 400.  Press pizza dough into pizza pan and set aside.  Brown sausage and bell pepper, drain, and set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with milk.

Spread sausage and bell peppers over pizza crust. 

 Top with thawed potatoes.

 Sprinkle with cheese and then carefully pour egg mixture over the sausage and cheese.

 Bake at 400 for 20-35  minutes.  Sprinkle with cooked and crumbled bacon.

(I will say that the edges of my crust got pretty brown, so half way through baking, I put foil around the edges of my pan to stop the edges from getting too dark.)

Yummy...this is SO GOOD!!!!  Enjoy!  :)

Peppermint Bark

If you need an EASY, DELICIOUS treat to take to a holiday party this year (or just a yummy treat to have at home!), then this recipe is for you!  With only 2 ingredients, you can't go wrong!!  

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Peppermint Bark

2 bags (12 oz each) white chocolate chips

1 cup peppermint candies (I used 11 candy canes)

Place candy canes in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a meat mallet or heavy saucepan.  The meat mallet worked GREAT!

 Line a 15X10X1 inch baking pan with foil.  Coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Place chips in a large glass bowl.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Stir.  Repeat, stirring until smooth.  It only took 2 total minutes to melt mine.  Fold half the crushed candies into the melted chocolate.

 Pour onto prepared pan, spreading almost to edge of pan.

 Sprinkle top with remaining crushed candy canes.  Refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

 Break into pieces to serve...that is IT!!

This is seriously yummy stuff...and I will warn you, a little bit addicting!  Enjoy!  :)

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

This is another recipe that I had pinned from Rock Recipes.  Oh my...it was GOOD!!  This was my first time to ever fry anything.  We don't normally eat like that, but I will definitely bend the rules for this!  I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but it really isn't bad.  You have most of this stuff in your pantry!

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Double Crunch Honey Garlic Chicken Breasts

4 large boneless chicken breasts (place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet, pound to 1/2 inch thickness

Sift together:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons salt

4 teaspoons pepper

2 tablespoons ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground thyme

2 teaspoons ground sage

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

(The recipe says this mix makes enough for two batches and you can freeze half of it. I halved it and still had a ton!)

Egg wash:

whisk together 4 eggs and 8 tablespoons water

Honey Garlic Sauce:

In a medium saucepan add:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 cloves minced garlic

Cook over medium heat to soften garlic, but don't let it brown, then add:

1 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

Simmer for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then dip in the flour/spice mixture to coat.  Then, dip in the egg wash and then dip in the flour/spice mixture again.  Press to coat.  Heat a skillet just below medium with a half inch canola oil covering the bottom.  Fry gently about 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.

 Dry chicken on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before coating in the garlic honey sauce.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Seriously yummy stuff here!!  Enjoy!  :)