Cheesy Hasselback Chicken

Ingredients: •4 thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts •4-6 oz. deli-sliced ham, cut into strips about 1″ by 2″ •4 slices cheese, cut into strips about 1″ by 2″ (colby jack, pepper jack, cheddar, provolone, etc.) •seasoned salt •freshly ground black pepper Instructions: 1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2.Slice slits about 1″ apart in chicken breasts almost all the way through, leaving the bottom surface connected. Slide strips of ham and cheese into each slit. 3.Sprinkle chicken liberally with seasoned salt and pepper to taste. Place on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. 4.Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

Canning Salsa

8 quarts plum tomatoes pickling salt 6 large onions (red are good if you can get them) 2 to 3 heads of garlic 450 grams (1 pound) Jalapeño chiles 6 large mild green chiles (peppers) 2 1/2 cups minced cilantro 1/4 cup cumin seed, ground 1 156ml (5 1/2 ounce) can tomato paste PER JAR 3 tablespoons lime juice Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the tomatoes by dropping them in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes. You will need to do them in batches. Transfer the tomatoes to a sink or tub filled with cold water. Peel the tomatoes, and chop them coarsely. Layer them in a large strainer - such as comes in a set for cooking spaghetti - with the salt. I try to use about 4 tablespoons, but a bit more is okay. Much of it will run out with the water. Let the tomatoes drain for several hours to overnight, in a cool spot (but not in the fridge.) Don't forget to keep them a little raised from the bottom of whatever pot you strain them into, so they are not sitting in their own water. When you are ready to proceed, put the canning jars into a large canner with water to cover them by one inch at least, and bring to a boil. Boil the jars for 10 minutes. If your water is very hard, add a shot of vinegar to the water to prevent lime build-up on the jars. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onions, de-stem and deseed the Jalapeños (wear gloves!) and other green peppers, and peel and mince the garlic. Squeeze the juice from the limes and set it aside. Take the strained tomatoes, and chop them to the texture you would like - a food processor is fine for this. Mix them with the chopped onions, garlic, and chiles in a large canning kettle or other large, deep pot. Chop the cilantro and mix it in, along with the ground cumin seed. Mix the tomato paste with a cupful of the salsa, until it is lump-free. Mix it into the pot of salsa. Taste the salsa, and add some salt if you think it needs some more. Bring the salsa to a boil. Lift the sterilized jars from the boiling water bath and empty them. Half should be emptied into the sink, and half should be emptied back into the pot to keep the boiling water level up. Add three tablespoons of lime juice to each jar. Fill each jar with salsa, to within 1 cm of the rims. Wipe the rims with a clean paper towel dipped in the boiling water, and seal according the manufacturers directions - i.e by using lids and rims boiled for 5 minutes. Return the jars to the boiling water bath and boil them for 20 minutes, well covered in water. It will most likely be necessary to do this in 2 batches; put as many into the canner as will fit, when they come out put in the next batch of jars to be sterilized while you fill the first set. Take them out and fill them as the first set of filled jars is being processed. Remove from the water bath, allow to cool, check seals and label the jars with the date and batch number.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

1 cup softened butter 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 7.4 oz. box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 14 oz. bag Kraft Caramels Let’s get baking: In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, and all ten packs of apple cider mix until fluffy. About three minutes. Beat eggs, one at a time, and add with the vanilla to the butter mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three portions, mixing each just until incorporated. To make forming your cookie a bit easier, refrigerate for about an hour. This step is not required, but recommended. When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper (not waxed paper!). Begin by rolling about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a ball. I found that a little more dough is better than less as the caramel will seep out the sides during baking. Then, flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place two inches apart on parchment-covered cookie sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. (As I learned, these are easy to overbake, and the caramel will burn on the bottom. As soon as you notice the cookies are starting to lightly brown, remove them from the oven. Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off the baking sheet right onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist them off the parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down.

Baked Spaghetti Bread

Ingredients 1 loaf bread dough, thawed or roll-out pizza dough 6 oz spaghetti, cooked 1 c thick spaghetti sauce (i use one with sausage in it already) 8 oz mozzarella cheese 1 egg white parmesan cheese parsley flakes garlic powder 1 Roll out loaf into 12x16 rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes. I roll it out on a piece of parchment paper to make transferring it easier. 2 Cook spaghetti according to directions for al dente. Drain and let cool slightly. Mix with sauce. 3 Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-in strip down the center of dough. Top with cheese cubes. You can add 1/2 lb. Italian Sausage or ground beef (cooked) on top of this if you want. 4 Make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart on long sides of dough within 1/2 inch of fillings. 5 Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left, etc. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under bread. 6 Transfer to sprayed baking sheet or I just leave it on the parchment paper and transfer to sheet. Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with parm, parsley, and garlic. 7 Bake at 350 for 30-35 min or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, slice and serve

Heavenly Oreo Dessert

1 (15.35 ounce) package Double-Stuffed Oreo cookies 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 packages (3.9 ounce, each) Instant Chocolate pudding mix 3 1/4 cups cold milk 2 (8 ounce) containers Cool Whip 1 (8 ounce) block Cream cheese, softened 1 cup powdered sugar Directions: Take a large zip-lock bag and place all the Oreo cookies inside. Seal bag shut and place on counter. Using a rolling pin, crush the cookies until they are small chunks/crumbs. You want them to still be chunky and small, but not fine crumbs. Set aside half of the cookie crumbs for the topping. Pour the other half of cookie crumbs into a 9×13 baking pan. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and mix well to combine. Once combined, press into the pan to form a crust. In a bowl, whisk together the 2 pudding mixes and milk. Cover and place in fridge to set. In a medium bowl, blend cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Fold in one container of Cool Whip. Spread mixture over the cookie crust. Next, take chocolate pudding and spread over the cream cheese mixture. Spread the other container of Cool Whip over the chocolate pudding layer. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and chill in fridge at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy ♥

Taco Chicken Bowls

Ingredients •1½ lbs. chicken breasts $2.90 •1 (16 oz.) jar salsa $1.99 •1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained $1.19 •½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn $0.57 •1 Tbsp chili powder $0.15 •½ Tbsp cumin $0.07 •½ Tbsp minced garlic $0.10 •½ tsp dried oregano $0.03 •¼ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02 •¼ tsp salt $0.02 •to taste cracked pepper $0.02 •2 cups dry rice $0.66 •8 oz. shredded cheddar $2.49 •½ bunch cilantro (optional) $0.45 Instructions 1.Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture. 2.Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs. 3.Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving). 4.After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Crockpot General Tso’s Chicken

Ingredients 1 package of chicken tenders 1/4 cup ketchup 1/2 cup onion chopped (or 2 Tbs dried onion flakes) 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp garlic powder 1tsp ground ginger 3 Tbs cornstarch Instructions Cube the chicken into 1 inch pieces and place in a large Ziploc bag with the cornstarch. Shake the bag to coat the chicken with cornstarch. Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot and whisk until combined. Then in a non stick pan add 3 Tbs of olive oil and preheat to a Med-Hi setting. Arrange the chicken in the pan and cook for 5 mins on each side. It’s okay if the chicken does not brown, it will cook the rest of the way in the crockpot. Add the chicken to the crockpot stirring the ingredients and turn the heat to Low for 3 hours. Serve with brown rice and vegetables. Note** If you’re not able to use the crockpot, this can also be done in the pan. Wipe out the leftover oil from the pan and add all ingredients to it covering with a lid. Turn the heat to Low-Med and cook for 30-45 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

Ingredients •1 c. whole milk •1/2 c. vegetable oil •1 tsp. salt •2 c. (10 ounces) tapioca flour (I used Bob's Red Mill -- I found mine in the gluten-free section of the grocery store) •2 eggs •3/4 c. Parmesan cheese (get a small block of Parmesan and shred it yourself... it makes a BIG difference) •3/4 c. sharp or medium cheddar cheese, shredded (shred yourself.. just like the Parmesan) Instructions •Preheat oven to 350 degrees. •Combine the milk, oil, and salt in the saucepan, and whisking occasionally, bring it to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove from heat as soon as you see big bubbles coming through the milk. •Add all of the tapioca flour to the saucepan and stir until you see no more dry tapioca flour. The dough will be grainy and gelatinous at this point. •Transfer the dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. (Alternatively, you can do the next few steps by hand. Be prepared for a work-out.) Beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed until it smooths out and has cooled enough that you can hold your finger against the dough for several seconds. •Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. With the mixer on medium, beat the eggs into the dough in two additions. Wait until the first addition has been fully incorporated into the dough before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. •With the mixer on medium, beat in the cheese until fully incorporated. The resulting dough will be very sticky, stretchy, and soft with a consistency between cake batter and cookie dough. •Using an ice cream scoop, a tablespoon measure, or a dinner spoon, scoop rounded portions of the dough into mounds on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Space the mounds an inch or two apart. Dip your scoop in water or spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. •Transfer the sheet with the puffs to the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, until the puffs have puffed, the outsides are dry, and they are JUST starting to color. Do not over bake! Cool briefly and eat.

Sweet heart Pops

Ingredients 24 mini candy canes 12 6? lollipop sticks 1 cup white candy coating Sprinkles Instructions Heat oven to 300 degrees. On a parchment lined baking sheet, arrange the candy canes as hearts with the lollipop stick centered in between the two candy canes. Bake for 3 minutes. You want them to be malleable, but not melted. Remove from oven & shape candy canes into hearts by pinching the the bottom of the heart into the stick and pinching the top ends together. I also pulled the edges out to make my hearts more round and full. They will be hot & you need to work fairly quickly. If the candy canes harden before you have them shaped, just stick them back in the oven for a couple of minutes. I re-heated mine a few times before I got the hang of shaping them the way I wanted them. Melt candy coating in the microwave at 30 second intervals on medium power, stirring between heatings, until smooth. Spoon the melted candy coating into the center of each heart, then top with sprinkles. Cool the pops before serving or wrapping

Bacon and Pea Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients ◦8 oz penne or macaroni pasta (I use Dreamfields) ◦8 oz frozen peas ◦4 thick slices of bacon, cut into small pieces ◦1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use fat-free Greek) ◦Dash of hot sauce ◦4 oz cheddar, shredded ◦4 oz fontina, shredded (or other melt-friendly cheese - not more cheddar) ◦Salt ◦Pepper Instructions 1.In a medium saute pan, cook the bacon to a crisp and then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. 2.Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions, until al dente. 3.Add the peas to the pasta water in the last minute of cooking. 4.Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining the pasta and peas. 5.Return the pasta and peas to pot. 6.Add 1/4 cup pasta water (it must be hot), the yogurt, a few dashes of hot sauce, and 1/3 of the grated cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. 7.Stir in remaining cheese, one small handful at a time to prevent clumping. 8.Add additional pasta water as necessary to thin and melt the cheese sauce. 9.Season with salt and pepper. 10.Add the bacon, mix well, and serve.

Coal Rice Krispy Treats

3 Tbsp butter 6 cups marshmallows 1 tsp vanilla 5 cups cocoa krispies** 1 cup crushed oreos black food coloring Pour the rice krispies and oreos in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat until melted. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and add the marshmallows. Stir until the marshmallows are mostly all melted (this will take a few minutes--low and slow is key for perfect texture). Add in the vanilla and black food coloring (keep adding until you get the color you want) and finish melting. Once fully melted, take them off heat and pour over the rice krispies. Stir to combine until everything is black. Dump everything by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet, so they look like funky coal shapes. Allow them to cool about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Onion Rings

Ingredients: 1 quart vegetable oil 1 large vidalia onion, cut into 1/4" slices 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup dry bread crumbs Seasoned salt, to taste Directions: Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or pot to 365 degrees. Separate the onion slices into rings and set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Dip the onion slices in the flour mixture until completely coated and set aside. Whisk the eggs and milk into the flour mixture. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat and place on a wire rack to let excess batter drip off. Pour the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Gently toss battered onions into the bread crumbs and and coat evenly. Deep fry a few rings at a time for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Place finished onion rings on paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt and serve.

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun Dried Tomatoes

3 tablespoons butter 1/2 pound Penne 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast 1 tablespoon Spicy Grill seasoning (I always use the kind for steak) 1/4 cup flour, plus 1 tablespoon 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups milk (I used 2%) 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced 1 cup mozzarella 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 Italian seasoning bread crumbs Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Cook your Penne in a large pot of boiling salted water about 3 minutes short of al dente. Drain and return to pot. Dice chicken into bite size pieces and toss with grill seasoning. Cook until cooked throughout. In a large heavy pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic, whisk and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add milk while whisking and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently until sauce thickens, about 6-8 minutes. Add tomatoes, cook for 1 minute. Take off heat and add mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Add chicken and pasta to sauce and season with salt and pepper. Pour mixture into baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bread crumbs. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad

Raspberry Vanilla Jello Salad 1 box (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding 32 oz. container vanilla yogurt 8 oz. container Cool Whip (thawed) 1 pkg. frozen raspberries Combine the pudding mix and the vanilla yogurt, stirring until well mixed. Fold Cool Whip into the mixture. Lastly, fold in the raspberries. I had set mine out for about 10 minutes before making the salad, but you can put them in frozen and they will thaw very quickly so you can serve the salad right after mixing. If you don't serve the salad immediately, the raspberries will thaw more and the juices will add a raspberry flavor to the entire mixture - I like it both ways!