Pizza Fondue

Want to impress your friends at your next potluck? Try this easy, gooey, sharable treat!

2 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup 

1 can (8 oz) pizza sauce

1/2 c. milk

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 c. shredded pizza cheese

1/2 c. chopped pepperoni

Italian bread, chopped into cubes

In a large saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add cheese and pepperoni; cook and stir over medium heat until cheese is melted. Transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm. Serve with bread cubes.

Baked Chicken Chimichangas with Sour Cream Sauce

I am a Mexican food-aholic. My inevitable answer to the “Where do you want to go to dinner?” question is almost always “Mexican”. Unfortunately, the Air Force has not exactly placed us in the restaurant mecca of the world, so I’ve had to do a lot more at-home experimenting with my eatery favorites.  These chimichangas tasted just as good (if not better) than most restaurants and probably a lot leaner without the added deep frying.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 envelope taco seasoning

½ cup salsa verde

½ cup sour cream

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 large flour tortillas

4 T. butter, melted

Combine chicken with taco seasoning, salsa, and sour cream. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

(Tip: This is a great way to use up surplus chicken, but if you don’t have leftovers on hand, try pouring some enchilada sauce over raw chicken and broiling for about 9 minutes per side; then, shred chicken with two forks)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay tortillas out flat and brush both sides with melted butter.  Add about 1/3 cup of chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla; add shredded cheese atop the chicken. Fold tortillas like an envelope and place on a cookie sheet, seam side down. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Top with sour cream sauce and additional shredded cheese.

 Sour Cream Sauce

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2 cups chicken broth

¼ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 cup sour cream

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; whisk in flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and spices. Raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Let simmer until sauce thickens. Reduce heat to low and stir in sour cream. Cook 2-3 minutes, until heated through. Serve over chimichangas. 

Beer Bread

I love the Tastefully Simple Beer Bread but it is really expensive to buy so I looked up copycat recipes online, found one, made it and it was reallllly good!!! The recipe is from http://www.food.com/.

Photo by Fly Girls

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

12 ounces beer

2 tablespoons melted butter

(If you only have all purpose flour for every cup of all purpose flour add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mix all ingredients except melted butter together-stirring just until blended.

3. Pour into greased bread loaf pan.

4. Spread melted butter over the top of the bread during the last 10 minutes of baking.

5. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

My Family's "Secret" Cornbread Recipe

I am such a cornbread snob. For years, my family has been enjoying this moist, sweet cornbread. Our friends are convinced there must be some secret ingredient. But in fact, the recipe could not be more simple or the result more satisfying. Try it out on your next chili night!

1 box yellow cake mix (and corresponding ingredients) 

2 boxes Jiffy corn muffins mix (and corresponding ingredients)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, prepare cake mix per package instructions. In a separate, large bowl, prepare both boxes of corn muffin mix per instructions. Add the cake mixture into the corn muffin mixture and stir until completely combined. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour mixture evenly into pan. Bake for 35-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve with chili.

Chili My Way

Any time the weather cools down, the first thing I crave is a big helping of chili and cornbread (you can’t have one without the other!). Chili is a versatile dish, suitable to anyone’s palate. If you prefer a chunkier texture, try using extra diced tomatoes. Not a fan of spice? Cut back on or eliminate the jalapeño (or try a different pepper, like Anaheim or bell). I recommend giving it a taste after it starts to simmer, and adjusting the spices to your preference. And don’t forget, chili is great for sharing with friends!   

1 ½ lbs. ground beef 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28-oz) tomato sauce

1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes 

1 can (15-oz) chili-style diced tomatoes

1 can (15-oz) chili beans (hot)

½ onion, diced

1-2 jalapeños, diced

1-2 T. chili powder (by taste)

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

1 bottle (12-oz) beer

In a large skillet, brown ground beef; add garlic during the last few minutes of cooking. Add meat to a large crockpot or pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook in a crockpot 4-6 hours, or on the stovetop, about an hour (for best flavor). Serve with cornbread and shredded cheddar cheese. 

Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread

Last week it was Peanut Butter Banana Bread. This week, Chocolate Chip Walnut Banana Bread. I still have some more frozen bananas in the freezer so you will be getting another dose of banana bread before the big move. This bread turned out great! My husband isn't a huge fan of banana bread but I was able to get him to try this version and he loved it. It tasted a lot like a cookie and was consumed in no time at all. 

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla 
3 bananas, mashed
1 egg
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 by 5 baking pan with Crisco; set aside. In mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder; set aside. 


2. Using mixer, beat brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, egg, mashed bananas and butter until combined and creamy. Slowly add in dry ingredients until combined. Stir in chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. 


3. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Personalized Kitchen Dish Towels

I couldn't decide what to send one of my best college friend's for her wedding shower. I wanted something that was personal and something that was semi-homemade. I started browsing one of my favorite tutorial websites, Sew 4 Home, and decided on  fabric personalized dish towels. The store selection is a bit lacking where we live so I had to get my dish towels from Walmart but they were surprisingly soft and turned out just perfect. I followed the Sew 4 Home tutorial but decided to just use one strip of fabric on the towels instead of doing the triple border.

A few hours, and many breaks later, the towels were complete. 

 

 

I will definitely be making some of these for my own kitchen. Possibly different ones for each of the holidays because I always like to have a little something for each occasion.