Tex-Mex Lasagna

Buenos días! Buona Giornata! I love when I can combine my two favorite ethnic flavors. Mexican and Italian. It is molto bene AND muy bueno! This Tex-Mex Lasagna is full of the flavors of your favorite Spanish meal, but made with lasagna noodles instead of tortillas! It is yum, yummy. It is easily turned vegetarian (if you aren’t a carnivore like me) and the whole family will gobble it up! Quick and easy to throw together too!

Tags: Cooking, Dinner, Easy, Fast, Italian, Mexican

Apple Raisin Breakfast Bread

Breakfast can get boring easily. At least for me. I’m not a morning person. Actually, I’m currently blogging at 2am – so that should tell you something of my preference between day and night. Also, should make you cut me some slack if anything in this post makes no sense. Since I don’t drink coffee, mornings find me stumbling around praying I get most of the cereal into my kid’s bowls & not all over my floor. I decided to make a breakfasty bread to take some of the annoying edge off the first few minutes of being awake. Made the night before, and all ready to go in the wee hours of the morning. Ok, ok…my kids sleep until around 8:30 every day. God loves me, what can I say? Breakfast bread made me think of cinnamon raisin toast. But that wasn’t what I had in mind. I needed more. About the only other thing I like with raisins (besides cinnamon) is apples. So a cinnamon-y spiced apple raisin breakfast bread was perfect!

Tags: Apple, baking, Bread, Breakfast, Raisin

Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

I’m making peanut butter and chocolate for two reasons. I needed a snack to bring to conference championship weekend (it’s a football thing – pretty much the best day in the NFL all year) and secondly, I don’t really like peanut butter chocolate things. Since I’m trying to drop a few pounds, I need to make things that won’t tempt me personally. I’ve found that if I can resist the urge to eat “just one” of something, I’m much less likely to polish off the entire batch. These looked amazing and my husband (confirmed non-sweet eater) had three of them, so I feel very confident in telling you to give them a try. Plus, 3000 people repinning this on Pinterest can’t be wrong. Sweet and salty together is always a good plan.

Tags: Chocolate, Desserts, No Bakes, Peanut Butter, Salty, Snacks, Sweet

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

(happy sigh) This chowder is heavenly. Full of broccoli and cheese and deliciousness. I made it on a snow day recently and just in the nick of time. Right after I took it off the stove and headed out to shovel some snow (with my belly full and warm of this amazing soup), my sister and her 5 kiddos showed up at my door. Hungry. Cold. Without power for over 24 hours because of the storm and no phone line to call in advance. This chowder was on the table in a flash and gobbled down by all of them. The perfect thing to take the freezing edge off your day. Even if you haven’t trudged thru a foot of snow to get some! As a side note (total tangent!) – it is that same sister’s birthday today. Have a great day Jess!

Tags: Broccoli, Chowder, Cooking, Dinner, Lunch, Panera, Soup

Apple Pancake Rings

My kids love pancakes. I love pancakes. But I also want to give a little more nutrition at breakfast than what is essentially all doughy bready goodness…dipped in sugar. So when I saw this recipe, I thought I’d give it a try. My kids picked the cinnamon pancake from around the apples. Epic Mommy fail. Guess I’ll have to stick to making pancakes with applesauce mixed into the batter. My husband (and I) loved these though. They were a welcome change from the same ol’ same ol’ Saturday morning pancake breakfast. The apple cider syrup that goes along with them is delicious too. Perfectly tart/sweet. Mmmm.

Tags: Apples, baking, Breakfast, Pancakes

French Chicken Broccoli Supreme

Are you sick of making casseroles with cream of *insert whatever has been creamed* soup? This broccoli chicken bake has a rich creamy sauce that you make yourself in just a few quick minutes. The taste is fantastic, similar to what you’d get with a condensed soup…but so much better. It has a crunchy buttery topping and is full of flavor. I have no idea what about this is “French”, but it is most certainly supreme. Supremely amazing and delicious. Enjoy!

Tags: Broccoli, Casserole, Chicken, Cooking, Cream of Chicken Soup, Dinner, Easy

Lemon Monkey Bread

Every monkey bread recipe I’ve ever seen is made with butter and brown sugar resulting in a caramel covered pull apart bread. This recipe intrigued me because of its main ingredient. Lemon. Lemon? Yes indeed. It is a bright fresh citrus bread drizzled with butter, lemony sugar and a sweet glaze. Lemon is so vibrant and clean. With the beautiful powdery snow around here lately, this monkey bread seemed a perfect complement to the fresh white landscape. This bread looks and tastes like you slaved away making it, in fact, it is so quick and easy you won’t believe it. But absolutely delicious.

Tags: baking, Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, glaze, lemon, Monkey, Sugar, Tea

Chicken Pot Pie

Homemade chicken pot pie rocks my world. It shouldn’t even be called the same food as those store bought frozen bricks masquerading as pot pies. You know the ones I’m talking about. Green box. Frozen food aisle. If you think those are tasty, it’s because you have never had the pleasure of a real food version. This pot pie is full of delicious vegetables smothered in a rich sauce wrapped in a flaky crust. It is home cooking at its finest. Warming right down to your toes on a cold winter night. It is perfection.

Tags: Chicken, Cooking, Dinner, Frozen Food, Pot Pie, Vegetables

Fried Mozzarella Balls

I have tried the fried cheese at just about every restaurant in the Seattle area. I love it. In sticks, wedges or balls. With marinara, sprinkled with parmesan, panko, breadcrumbs or beer battered. I would eat it in a box. I would eat it with a fox. I would eat it here or there. I would eat it anywhere.  Hmmmm. Might be reading too much Seuss to my kiddos. Seriously though. Melty cheese in a crunchy shell is absolutely glorious. There’s a fancy pants fried bocconcini (mozzarella balls) recipe floating around on Pinterest, but I figured there had to be an easier way than draining the cheese, patting it dry etc. And I found it in my fridge. String cheese. Genius! Still melty and delicious, without needing a special trip to the store for a $20 bucket of bocconcini.

Tags: Appetizers, Cheese Sticks, Cooking, Fried Cheese, Mozzarella, Snacks

Zucchini Pizzas

Stay with me. I know the title of this recipe sounds a little odd. But I promise, these are delicious. Sort of like a deep-fried zucchini meets a pepperoni pizza. In one delicious mouthful. Not much goes better with a lazy Sunday watching football than pizza. Unfortunately, I’ve already way surpassed my quota for slices eaten this season. So, I set out to make myself something to munch that would be hearty and filling with the flavors of pizza and none of the guilt. Zucchini pizzas were born. These little babies are delicious and a mostly healthy alternative to cheese drenched bread on game day.

Tags: Appetizers, Cheese, Healthy, Pizza, Zucchini