Sweet & Heavenly Smores Dip

Oh my god. I made this for a party: best idea ever. You can use whatever you want for dipping: graham crackers, strawberries, bananas. It makes a lot of dip, and its just so perfect!

• 13oz jar of marshmallow fluff (or two 7 oz jars)
• 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups of milk chocolate chips

1. Pour the marshmallow fluff into the bottom of a pan
2. In separate  microwave safe bowl, combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips and stir till all chocolate chips are covered. Microwave for one minute- stir quickly until mixed evenly.
3. Pour this mixture over the marshmallow fluff, then fold with a spatula!
4. Enjoy your last meal, as you will die eating this! (half because it's so good, half because it's so much sugar!)

'Sand Art Brownies'

Found this recipe on a website for recipes in a jar, but I make it anyways because it's just so good. They're my new go to brownies, no the betty crocker ones, although the Ghiradelli ones are amazzzzzzing.

• 2/3 teaspoons salt
• 1 and 1/8 cup sifted flower
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (I bought whatever is cheapest)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees. 
2. Grease a 9 x 9 baking pan ( I used a tinfoil pan so I could through it out afterwards.)
3. Stir in eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil.
4. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops

I made these little balls one winter and they are so addictive, but not too sweet, which is good (for some people).

• 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 and 1/2 cup oats

1. Heat the sugar, butter, cocoa powder and milk over medium heat on the stove (make sure the pot is large- you'll be adding all the oats into here).
2. Bring to a rapid boil and boil for a minute
3. Remove rom heat and mix in salt and vanilla. Mix in peanut butter until dissolved. Quickly mix in oats until well combined.
4. Using a scoop, drop onto wax paper (on a baking tray) and let cool.

Lemon, Smoked Mozzarella & Basil Pizza

I found this recipe online, and it sounded pretty repulsive, but I tried it one day, and it's actually amazing! This makes one pizza:

• 6 thin lemon slices
• 3 ounces of smoked fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly (now I think the person who created this recipe meant mozzarella balls, but I don't know, so I bought some smoked mozzarella that is for sandwiches, but only had a bit, so I used some grated mozzarella as well. The second time I made this pizza, I just used a lot of smoked mozzarella, approximately ten slices, and it was amazing.)
• 5 large basil leaves- the first time i made this, I did as instructed, and I found certain areas to be really basil-y, so i suggest chopping up the basil.
• Extra Virgin olive oil- i used a spray pump and misted my pizza with olive oil.
• pizza dough (obviously)

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Place lemon slices into water for 15 minutes, then pat dry. (The first time I made this, I forgot to soak them and just put them on plan, and it was good but tasted very lemon-y)
3. Spread the cheese, lemon and basil around the pizza. Spray or drizzle pizza with olive oil (this makes it crispy like a restaurant pizza).
4. Bake for about 6 minutes, then put on broil for 30-60 seconds.

The original recipe says that you need to preheat the pizza stone for an hour, but my pizza stone was not big enough, so I used a pizza pan, and did not preheat it, so my pizza took longer to bake than this ^

Red Thai Curry Chicken

So I went to a thai cooking course once, and this is one of the dishes they taught us how to make. This recipe is so good, not very spicy, and it's not like some Indian curry.

• As many chicken thighs as you please
• 1 can of bamboo shoots
• 1 red pepper, slice thinly
• 2 cans coconut milk
• 1 small jar of red curry paste ( A Taste of Thai brand)

Directions:

1. Put curry paste in deep pot with 1 can of coconut milk (the thick cream and the liquify milk near the bottom).
2. Add chicken; stir until cooked. Add second can of coconut milk and let simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until thick and boiling. Add peppers and shoots. Serve over rice.

If you want some heat in your curry, you can always add some hot red peppers as shown in the picture.

Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry

This is a recipe out of a Canadian Living Magazine. It has tons of fresh vegetables, and if you don't like any of them, or you don't have them, you can replace them with whatever you like. I used bok choy, no mushrooms, some zucchini, lots of stuff. Whatever is in your fridge. This is why I LOVE stir fries.

• 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasta
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 sweet green pepper, thinly sliced ( I used chopped red pepper)
• 2 cups of thinly sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced 

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon of cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (even if you don't like spice, use the entire 1/4 teaspoon, you can't taste the spice that much, but it definitely adds some punch to the sauce.)

1. Cut chicken across the grain into thin strips. In wok, or large deep skillet, heat half of the oil over high heat; stir fry chicken, in 2 batches, until no longer pink inside (about 4 minutes). Set them aside.
2. Add remaining oil to the wok. Stir fry ginger and garlic. Add all your vegetables, stir fry for about one minute. Add 1/4 cup water; cover and let steam until vegetables are tender (4 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, in bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil and hot pepper sauce. (You might want to double this portion if you put in a lot of extra vegetables. I know I did.)
4. Pour this mixture into the center of the wok and boil, stirring, until thickened (about 2 minutes).
5. Return chicken to pan, stir fry until thick.
6. Serve over rice, or with some egg noodles. Sprinkle with the green onions. 

Enjoy!

Tuna Spaghetti

So this is an old recipe my family always makes- it's simple, yet delicious. If you don't like tuna, probably not for you ;).

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 BIG can of diced or crushed tomatoes- I use the big almyers one, juice and all
• 1 can of tuna ( I like to use two- give it more of a thickness, and more tuna for the amount of pasta)
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• 1 box of spaghetti

1. Cook the spaghetti according to directions.
2. In the meantime, melt the butter. Add the flour, then the milk. Make sure there are no clumps and stir it until it boils and thickens. Add the tomatoes and the tuna, stirring for about a minute. Add the cheese, stir until it is melted, and stir in cooked pasta.

Enjoy the delicious pasta. Makes lots, even leftovers. I think it might even be better the second day.

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of this one. BUT ITS GOOD.

Scooter's Spaghetti

So this is a recipe I found on pinterest, complete credit to this cook, it's so delicious, I thought I'd share the love.

• 8 ounces of spaghetti (a little less than one box)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large can of spaghetti sauce (I used this special brand from Costco, it has a white label, and it's delicious)
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green or red peppers
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 8 ounces of cream cheese (approximately one block of Philadelphia)
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• Grated parmesan cheese
• French's French fried onions- they make the pasta, make sure to use them, you could even make two

1. Cook spaghetti as directed. Cook to al dente, strain and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef, drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3. Combine the onions, peppers, and butter in a small glass bowl. COVER and microwave on high until soft, approximately 4 minutes.
4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well, until cream cheese is mixed properly. If the cream cheese isn't soft enough, put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
5. In 12 x 8 "pan, put a thin layer of spaghetti sauce, cooked spaghetti, cream cheese/vegetable mixture, remaining spaghetti sauce, & parmesan cheese. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with french fried onions and bake for another 5- but don't let the onions burn.

Serve warm and enjoy the deliciousness that is in front of you. It's so good, I want some thinking about it! Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice

So I made this recipe, changing a bit. I used white rice instead of brown, and I was making it as a side dish, so I omitted the chicken.

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into one inch pieces
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound frozen vegetables, thawed, patted dry
• 2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger ( I used minced ginger, it tastes fine)
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Toss chicken with 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Place a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil, then onion; stir fry until onion starts to brown (about one minute).
2. Add chicken, stir-fry until cooked through (5-6 minutes). Transfer mixture into bowl. 
3. Add 1 tbsp of oil to skillet. Stir fry vegetables for 2 minutes- transfer to bowl with chicken.
4. Add 1 tbsp oil, along with garlic and ginger to the skillet; stir fry for 30 seconds. Add cooked rice. Cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add chicken, vegetables, and remaining soy sauce; cook 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.

This makes quite a bit, and it's totally delicious! Enjoy!

Stuffed Italian Bread

So this bread is a bit of work, but definitely worth it. Its ooey, gooey, and cheesy. Its supposed to be a pull apart bread, but the bottom of the loaf doesn't pull apart.

• 1 italian loaf
• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup), melted
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• 3 tsp chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (I used minced garlic, still tastes amazing!)
• 1 tbsp of dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 3 tsp chopped parsley ( I used dried)
• 12 oz shredded cheese- I used a mix of mozzarella and cheddar (its said that it is 1 and 1/2 cups, but it's better if you weight it- there's quite a difference.

Again, I usually double to liquid dressing part of the recipe, it just makes it that much better. Probably not the healthiest, but it makes it nice and gooey.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the melted butter, olive oil, onion, garlic, dijon mustard, poppy seeds and parsley in a bowl.
3. Cut the bread into cubes with X slices without cutting all the way through the bottom crust. (I found this difficult, I found that the bread caved in, so i cut it one way, and then used scissors to cut the other way.)(See the bottom on how to cut it)
4. Pour the butter-onion garlic mixture carefully into those x cracks using a small spoon and over the top of the bread. (I moved the cut pieces apart, so that i could see into the cracks, and spooned it in- it's a lot of work but its worth it.)
5. Distribute the cheese in the cracks (and on the top if there is any extra).
6. Wrap the loaf with tinfoil, bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove the loaf, unwrap it, and bake for 10 more minutes. 

Parmesan Ranch Chicken

This recipe is so simple, yet so delicious. And it's nice and juicy too. Now, the website I originally got it from has the recipe for like, 20 servings, so I tend to mess up the yields, but it always turns out good.

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs- I used italian breadcrumbs that already have seasoning in them.
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
• 1/2 pack of ranch dip mix (1 ounce envelope)- I used the Club House 'Salads'n Dips' mix, its 28g
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup of butter, melted

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease (with some butter) the bottom of a pan- you will be laying the chicken breasts in the pan, so make sure it's big enough.
2. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and ranch mix. Dip chicken in melted butter, then roll it in the bread crumb mix until even.
3. Bake for 45 minutes in the oven. Make sure to check the insides for pink when it's done.

Banana Smores! Mmmmm

So I wanted an easy dessert the other night, and I ran across this recipe.

Get a banana, cut it in half, throw some baby marshmallows into the slit (where you cut the half) along with some milk chocolate chips. Wrap it all in tinfoil. Put em in the oven at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Take em out, sprinkle some crunched up Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, or even graham crackers and enjoy!

Kraft 3 Layer Chocolate Pie

Surprisingly, this pie is really not that sweet- it's quite light. My family doesn't have that much of a sweet tooth, but I have a huge one- so when I made this they were a little disappointed, thinking they wouldn't like it. Turns out they did!

• 2 packages of jell-o chocolate instant pudding
• 2 cups milk
• 1 oreo pie crust- I don't know where this recipe is from, but I couldn't find a pre-made crust, so I bought the Oreo crumbs, and just made the recommended amount, put it in a 10 inch pie dish, worked out fine! (the recommended size was for a 9 inch pie dish)
• 1 tub ( 8 oz) of cool whip- I didn't know how much my cool whip tub was, but I bought one of the normal sized ones- like 300 ml or something- and used that as instructed.

1. Make the crust- or use a store bought one- whatever you fancy.
2. Mix the 2 pudding packs with 2 cups of milk in a blender- it will be thick.
3. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of the pudding onto the crust- can be tricky, the crumbs always move.
4. Blend half of the cool whip tub with the remainder of the pudding, until evenly mixed. Spread that on top of the pudding layer.
5. Take the remaining cool whip and spread on top. Refrigerate for 3 or more hours, just until firm. If you only have an hour to refrigerate it,that's fine too, but try for 3 or more.
6. Cut it- eat it with a big glass of milk- ENJOY THE CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS :)

Homemade Lemonade

So, I love lemonade, and I found this recipe, which my family can deal with, as it's not too bitter. It's only a few ingredients too.

• 4-6 lemons
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• Ice cubes (optional)
• Lemons to garnish (optional)

1. Juice the lemons to make 1 cup of juice- now you can use store bought lemon juice, it's just better with hand squeezed lemon juice. I have a little juicer, which i just grind my lemons on, and that works well. So roll the lemon betweens your hand before, to loosen it up, cut it in half, juice it, and you might want to strain it to get the seeds out- or even the pulp if your not such a big fan.
2. Pour this juice into a large jug, along with 6 cups of water. Then add the one cup of sugar, stir well, and add ice cubes and lemons for garnish. 

Apple Pie Bites with Crescent Rolls

I found this recipe when I was looking up things to do with my Pilsbury Crescent Rolls- you wouldn't believe how many recipes there are- still need to try a spinach and feta one. ANYWAYS.

• 1 apple, sliced- doesn't need to be peeled- try to use a bigger apple, and try not to use macintosh apples, they get really mushy easily- I used jazz apples- somewhat expensive, but nice and sweet
• 3 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar (dark or light)
• 2 tsp of cinnamon- I used a cinnamon sugar mix ( put some sugar into a bowl, and add some cinnamon just enough until when you mix it well, it looks like brown sugar grains)
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 1 package of crescent rolls

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brush melted butter over flat crescent rolls
3. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar).
4. Roll apple up in the crescent roll, and brush with melted butter and cinnamon (or cinnamon sugar mix).
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
6. Serve alone or with ice cream- the perfect sweet treat.

Fingerling Potato Salad

So I found this recipe on Pinterest, decided to try it out. It's totally easy, and the time the potatoes spend cooking, I spent preparing. It was awesome!

• 2-3 pounds of fingerling potatoes ( if you dont have a scale, I'd say about 15, I used these mini potatoes that were a cross of baby potatoes and fingerling potatoes- anyways, it's best to weigh them)
• 4 green onions (the recipe calls for white part only, but i used the entire stalk- I kind of love green onions- it doesn't change the taste or anything so feel free to do as you please)
• 1 stalk of celery, diced ( I think i used two, somewhat because my stalks looked pathetic, but again, chose what you'd like)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp of celery seed ( I just poured it out until it looked sufficient- if you haven't used celery seed before, it does add quite a taste, so start with a little and add as you please- you could even omit the salt and use celery salt)
• fresh chives- i used garlic chives, which i also love, so again, add as much as you want
• I added in a couple strips of bacon, crumbled (chopped), even though the recipe didn't call for i

Dressing:

• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup mayo

I didn't think that this was very much sauce- you'll come to learn I love saucy foods- so I doubled it, just mad it more creamy.

I also added a little blob, about a penny sized, of dijon mustard to the sauce, since most recipes call for that in the dressing

SO: Wash the potatoes, and cut them up into bite size pieces- I cut my potatoes into 8. You can peel them if you like, I didn't, it's less work, looks better, tastes better, and has more nutrients. Then you have to steam the potatoes- it really doesn't take long, just until they're tender enough to eat- careful not too much though, or else they'll get all mushy, and then you'd have a mashed potato salad- MMM?

In the mean time, cut up the celery & onion and put them in a large bowl. If you're making bacon to put in as well, now is the time. Then take your steamed potatoes, strain them, and drop them into the bowl with the celery and onion. (When I was eating the salad, I was thinking how it would taste that much better with some hard oiled eggs, so really, whatever you like!)

Mix together the mayo, red wine vinegar, and mustard if you're using it. Pour the dressing over the potatoes while they're still warm. Add salt, pepper, & celery seed to taste (and if you like a little bit of that spicy kick, maybe add some paprika.)

TA-DA. Deliciousness in a few quick minutes. 

If you're worried about the calories from the mayo, don't worry, I used low fat mayo (it was all I had), and it still tasted great! Hope you enjoy!

Summer Bean Salad

This photo does it no credit! This bean salad is healthy, and a great way to get your protein! It makes a huge amount of bean salad, and you can certainly alter it to your liking. Personally, I hate beans, but this salad is so good, I can't resist.

Mix all of the following ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy!

• 1 can of mixed beans, drained, washed & let to strain
• 1/2 cup of cucumber, diced
• 3 to 4 stalks of celery, washed and sliced
• 1/2 cup of green pepper 
• 1 cup of red bell pepper (I used about half a cup of red pepper, half a cup of yellow pepper, and half a cup of orange pepper- it just makes it look more approachable. And yummy!)
• 6 green onions, sliced (the entire onion, not just the white part)
• 1/2 feta cheese (feta can be expensive, so whatever you have works- but the more the better. You know what they say- feta, the cheese that tastes beta!)
• 2 tbsp of fresh, chopped dill (make sure to chop it as fine as you can handle, or else you'll get it stuck in your mouth for a while!)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp canola oil

Now, I think that the salad is a little dry when theres only this much dressing, probably cause I chop up so many veggies to put in, so try it out, definitely play around with what your personal tastes are.

This salad lasts for 4 or 5 days, then it starts to get a little mushy. Just keep it covered or sealed in a refrigerated area and you should be good. Hope you enjoy!