Cranberry Chicken

I've seen this recipe in a dozen places so I decided to try it. The reason why I like it is because it's good and super easy.

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 (8 oz) bottle French dressing (I used honey catalina dressing. Worked great.)

1 envelope onion soup mix

6 boneless chicken breasts

Heat oven to 350. Combine cranberry sauce, dressing, and soup mix. Put chicken breasts in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Pour mixture over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes. Serve over rice.

Mexican Fiesta

This a super delicious dish!

1 16 ounce bow tie pasta
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium green pepper chopped
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 16 ounce container sour cream
1 1/3 cup salsa (more or less according to your taste)
1 large can pitted olives sliced
2 large or 4 smaller fresh tomatoes chopped


Prepare pasta as directed on package, cooking only 7 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, brown beef in skillet. Add onion and green pepper. Cook and stir until onions are tender, but not browned. Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder, and salt. Toss with pasta and spoon in to a 13x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle on cheese. Spoon a layer of sour cream over the cheese. Add a layer of salsa, then the olives, and then a layer of tomatoes. Now eat it!

Fruit Pizza

(The fruit pizza in this picture is half of this recipe. I made two smaller fruit pizzas out of the recipe.)

FRUIT OF THE SEASON SUCH AS:
Strawberries
Kiwi
Grapes
Fresh Pineapple
Bananas
Blueberries
Peaches
Etc.

1 Pint Whipping Cream, Whipped with a little powdered sugar added after cream is whipped almost stiff. (Do not, I repeat, do not use Redi-Whip or any other aerosol whipping cream.)

CRUST:
(Preheat oven to 350 degrees)

Cream together:
½ cup margarine
¾ cup sugar

Add:
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
Mix

Then add:
1 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Mix

Spread dough for crust evenly on pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool. Then spread sweetened whipped cream over crust. Decorate entire surface with fresh fruits.

Ranch Southwest Chicken

Okay, so I was at Sam's Club, and I totally sampled this chicken and took the recipe card. I really like it. It's super tasty and easy to make.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup barbecue sauce (give or take)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 cup ranch dressing

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup corn (drained)

1/2 cup tomatoes (I put in a bit more than 1/2 cup.)

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate four chicken breasts in 1/2 cup barbecue sauce for 15 minutes.

2. Cook chicken in the oil until cooked through.

3. Remove chicken from pan, then baste the chicken with barbecue sauce on both sides.

4. RANCH SAUCE: Combine 1/2 a cup of ranch dressing and 1/2 cup salsa.

5. Toss 1 cup of drained corn and 1/2 cup of tomatoes together (or just throw in as much of each as you'd like). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Top chicken breast with ranch sauce and garnish with corn mixture.

*To make this gluten free, be sure to check the BBQ sauce to ensure it is gluten free.  It really depends on the brand.  Same with the Ranch Dressing.

Corn Bread

Delicious and oh so succulent corn bread! I have been looking everywhere for a recipe for corn bread that I really love, and I have finally found it. My dear friend Celia gave it to me! Thank you, thank you!!! It's our favorite corn bread. Just so everyone knows it's a sweet corn bread. I can't eat corn bread any other way!

2 cups Bisquick (generic brands of Bisquick work great too)
6 Tablespoons corn meal
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix 'er up and pour 'er in a 9x9 greased pan. Cook at 350 for 35-40 minutes. (Check with a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean.)

Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

I absolutely love this salad. Especially when the nectarines are at the perfect ripeness. The dressing for this is super delicious! Enjoy!

NECTARINE & RED PEPPER SALAD

1 large bag of spinach
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 nectarines, sliced thin (optional)
3-4 ounces feta cheese
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup dried sweetened cranberries
Salt and pepper

Dressing for Nectarine and Red Pepper Salad

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 cup oil
1 kiwifruit, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, dry mustard, and onion in blender.
2. Add in oil, blend.
3. Add kiwifruit and mix until dressing has thickened. Fold in poppy seeds.

Tortellini & Vegetable Soup

Not only is this soup super tasty, it's healthy too! It's what I like to call a twofer. When I made this, I started off with 8 cups of broth and then ended up adding two more cups at the end because my tortellini sucked in a lot of broth. It justs depends on how brothy you want it.

Ingredients:
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp. dried or fresh parsley
½ tsp basil
½ tsp thyme
½ tsp oregano
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 zucchini diced
½ onion diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried bay leaf
½ pkg. frozen chopped spinach or 1 cup fresh chopped spinach
1 package tortellini (fresh or boxed)
Parmesan cheese, grated for top

Directions:
In a large pot add broth, herbs, and bring to a boil. Add all vegetables and leave on medium to medium-high heat until carrots are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Add tortellini and cook for another 7-8 minutes. Add parmesan cheese to the top of each serving. (Can also add shredded chicken.)

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

I got this recipe from my friend Krista's blog. She's got tons of delicious recipes. I am a huge fan of cheesecake and love to try new ones. This one is really tasty! (Sorry, I didn't take a picture of this one. There is one on Krista's blog though.)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 Tbsp. sugar

Filling:3- 8oz.pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice

Whipped Cream

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 2/3 up the sides of an 8" springform pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. add pumpkin eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and allow to come to room temperature, then refrigerate. After it has thoroughly chilled, remove the pan sides and cut. Serve with whipped cream.

Crock pot Chicken Delight

This chicken is so easy, and it rocks! Plus, it's easy to half.

6-8 chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 pkgs. Good Seasons dry Italian dressing mix

Place chicken in large crock pot. Mix soup, cream cheese, and seasoning. Cover chicken. Cook on low heat for 4-5 hours. Serve over rice, veggies, or mashed potatoes.