Leftover Idea

Am I the only one that makes a pot of chili and has a huge bowl leftover that NO ONE wants after the first night?! I'm assuming it happens to you, too. So, here's an idea my mom came up with when I was younger and I now use it on my family. It's a great way to get rid of the chili and the kids love it! Here's the process - pictures included. (P.S. - I never claimed to be a photographer) :)

Chili Tortilla Wraps

Leftover Chili - Reheated
Soft Tortilla Shells
Cheddar Cheese

Take your heated chili and add a scoop to center of your tortilla shell


Next, fold in your edges - don't worry if a little chili comes out - not a big deal.


Place seam side down in a skillet that is preheated with a small amount of oil


Flip over and brown on the other side (should only take a few minutes) - Remove and dab off excess oil


Top with another scoop of chili and shredded cheese - and enjoy!!!


You can make several of these at once in a large skillet. I don't know what it is about kids and tortilla shells, but they seem to eat up anything you put inside them! These are great for those nights that you don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen. Happy leftover eating!!

Fruit Pizza

I am in a serious recipe drought! I don't know what's up, but I need some fresh ideas. So, in an effort to celebrate spring and summer, both of which are just around the corner, I am posting one of my favorite dessert recipes for this time of year! My mother-in-law gave me this recipe years ago and it is so refreshing. It's the perfect dessert for those warm days when you need something sweet, but don't want it to be too heavy. Plus, it's just pretty. You might not even want to cut into it - ok who am I kidding?! You'll for sure want to cut into it cause while it's pretty, it tastes even better! Maybe try this one out some night when you are going to cook out (and while you are cooking out, go print off the pasta salad recipe I posted and make that as a side!!). I'm working to get out of my recipe rut - so enjoy this and I'll post a new dinner recipe soon!

Fruit Pizza

1 Roll of Sugar Cookie Dough
8 oz. Container Cool Whip
8 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Can each of Pineapple Slices, Mandarin Oranges, Sliced Peaches
Bananas (sliced)
Strawberries (sliced)
Kiwi (sliced)

Glaze:
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Cup Orange Juice (Pulp free)
1/4 Cup Water
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch and 1 Tbsp. Water - combined

On a round pizza pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, roll out sugar cookie almost to the edge and bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely. Mix the cool whip, cream cheese and vanilla together and spread onto cooled cookie. Add fruit in this order, working from the outside in: Pineapple slices, mandarin oranges, peach slices, banana, kiwi, strawberries. (I alter this on occasion as we like strawberries more than peaches, so sometimes I will leave out the peaches and add more strawberries! You can do any fruit combos you like - blueberries would be good too!).

Add all of the ingredients for the glaze to a sauce pan and whisk together. Bring to a boil and whisk at a boil for 1 minute. Drizzle over fruit while hot.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Told you it was pretty!

WINNER WINNER!!!

Well, it's official! My first ever blog giveaway is closed and the winner is..........


AMY RICHARD


Congrats, Amy! I know you'll love your new apron and think it's just adorable! I'll email you to get your mailing information so that we can get it sent to you right away!

Thank you to Olivia at Dancing Zebras for offering one of her cute products to one lucky winner! Please don't forget to check out her facebook page and see all the great things she makes - I know she'd love to make each of you your very own, one of a kind apron!

Thanks to each of you that entered and made this so much fun for me! I'll keep the recipes coming and who knows, you just might see another giveaway sometime soon! :)

My First Give-Away!!

I'm so excited to be hosting my first ever blog give-away! One of my sweet friends at church, Olivia, has a home business and has graciously offered up one of her adorable handmade (and super trendy) aprons! This girl does it ALL! She makes aprons, knot dresses for little girls, baby bedding, and more! She has just recently gone to some of our local children's boutiques and is going to start selling some of her products in these stores. Her work is high-quality and as cute as it gets!

What better to give away on a recipe blog than an apron? I actually own one of these and wear it all the time! It ties around the waist and is so cute! And who says you can't look cute while you are cooking? :)

Here are some pictures! Just imagine how adorable you'll be cooking in your kitchen in this!





So here's what you need to do! Two ways to enter and get your name in the drawing - 1. Become a follower of this blog and leave a comment letting me know you are a follower - include your email address so I can contact you if you are the lucky winner. (If you are already following my blog, leave me a comment and let me know!). 2. Go to Facebook and "Like" Olivia's business page - Search for "Dancing Zebras" and "Like" it - come back and leave me another comment to let me know that you are now a fan of Dancing Zebras and your name will be entered twice!

I'll be drawing the name out this Friday afternoon, March 4th. and will post the winners name on here - so make sure to check back!!

Thank you, Olivia! I'm excited for some lucky girl to get this adorable apron! Make sure and check out all of her products and get in contact with her via her facebook business page to order any of her great items! You won't be disappointed!

Good luck!! (Email me if you are having problems leaving a comment and I'll add your name! cmcash4476[at]gmail[dot]com

Easy Pasta Salad

I tried this recently at a girl's night and just had to have the recipe. I really love pasta salads. They are great as a side dish for nights you are grilling, as a take-along dish for potlucks, girl's nights, or just great all alone as a light lunch. This one is really simple but such a great combination of flavors. Thank you, Katie, for sharing this one with me!

Pasta Salad

1 lb. Box Spiral Pasta - Cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water
1 Bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Small Can Sliced Black Olives (I left these out as we don't care for olives)
1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced in half
1 Package Monterey Jack Cheese Cubes
1 Package Mini Turkey Pepperonis

Once noodles are done and rinsed, pour all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Toss with dressing and chill until ready to serve. You could add a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese and mix that in as well! Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Dinner

Ok, this one, I'm almost embarrassed to post. It requires no culinary wizardry at all. But, it's good. And it goes in your crock-pot. And if you throw in a salad or some apple sauce you have a full meal with very little effort. What busy mom or working girl doesn't like that idea. A good, complete meal cooking for you while you go about your day. Here's what you need to do and you can go ahead and start calling me Emeril at any time. :)

Crock-Pot Chicken Dinner

4-6 Chicken Breasts (frozen or thawed)
2 Cans Whole New Potatoes, drained
1/2 Bag Baby Carrots
1 Can each - Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup
Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Onion Powder to taste

Dump it in your crock-pot, stir, set to high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Easy, peezy, lemon squeezy.

Crock-Pot Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

That's a HUGE recipe title, isn't it? I didn't know what else to call it. I could have just called it "delish", cause it is! My friend from St. Louis sent this to me a couple of months ago and I've made it twice now. Once in the oven and then once in my crock-pot and they turned out a lot more tender in my crock-pot so that's the version I'm going with from now on. If you like the pork/apples/stuffing combo - this one is a winner! A little sweet, little savory and oh so good! Here's what you need:

Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

4-5 Boneless Pork Chops
1 Can Apple Pie Filling
1 Box Chicken Flavor Stove Top Stuffing
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Lightly season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Pour can of apple pie filling in the bottom of the crock-pot. Place pork chops on top and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours. About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve, cook Stove Top Stuffing as according to package directions. Spread over pork chops and serve.

Serve with a veggie or any sides you might like with pork!