Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

I found this recipe the other day on a blog that I like to read and she claimed it was a must try, so I took her advice and tried it. She was right - if you like things that are that perfect sweet/salty combo, then this is the perfect thing. It's simple to make and oh so good. Perfect for those last minute Christmas/New Year's parties you are going to and need to take a little treat with you!

Salted Caramel Pretzel Bark

1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks)
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
Mini Pretzel Twists (about 1/2 bag)
12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with foil. Spread pretzels in an even layer all over baking sheet. In a sauce pan, melt butter. Once melted, stir in brown sugar until combined. Cook on low for 3 minutes and then pour evenly over pretzels. Bake for 5-7 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread chocolate chips evenly over pretzels and allow it to melt for 1 minute. Take a spatula and spread chocolate chips out and then sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate for an hour or so and then break bark into chunks and serve.

Caramel mixture poured over pretzels - ready for the oven

Chocolate chips are on - it's looking good!

Here's the Sea Salt that I used - this adds a great flavor!!

Ready to go - so yummy!!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

I bet you can't guess where I found this recipe! :)

Made these for dinner tonight and my family thought I was absolutely amazing. I mean, I pretty much am, but chicken wrapped in bacon just pushed me right over the edge. HA! (Just in case you are reading this and don't actually know me - I'm TOTALLY Kidding!)

I didn't even get to snap a picture of the finished product, because they were gone so fast. These would be good as a meal (I served them with baked potatoes and corn), or as a Holiday appetizer or Superbowl App! They are a little sweet and a little spicy and so good. Plus, just 4 ingredients and you're done. EASY!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 lb. Bacon
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 TBSP. Chili Powder

Preheat oven to 350.
Slice chicken into 1" bite size pieces and set aside. Take strips of bacon and cut into thirds, wrap a piece of the bacon around each piece of chicken and secure with a toothpick. Mix the brown sugar and chili powder together in a shallow dish and dredge bacon wrapped chicken in that mixture. Set on a broiler pan with a rack that has been greased well with cooking spray - (this allows the bacon fat/chicken drippings to drip down into the pan below). Bake 30 minutes or until bacon is crisp. May need a few minutes under the broiler at the end of baking time to crisp it well! Remove toothpicks and enjoy!

Creamy Grilled Chicken Picata

Here are 3 words that if they are used to describe any recipe, I'm pretty much willing to eat it: 1. Creamy 2. Pasta 3. Chicken

All three of those words describe this recipe that I made tonight and it was AWESOME! (Imagine me singing the word "awesome" in a semi-opera style voice cause that's what was going on in my head as I typed it.) :)

Here's the recipe and just a bit of info: It calls for grilling the chicken and since I didn't have the time (nor the desire) to grill outside, I used my Foreman Grill and it worked great.

Creamy Grilled Chicken Picata

Chicken Marinade
Juice of 1 lemon (3Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil or oregano
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pasta and Sauce
1 lb. box Penne Pasta (I used about 3/4ths of the box)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 cup half and half
1-2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbps capers (optional-I left these out)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients and mix well. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate at least 2 hours minimum and up to 24 hours max in the refrigerator. When ready, grill until done. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes and then slice into strips to serve over pasta.

While chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to directions (10-12 minutes). Reserve 1/2-1 cup of pasta water and drain. In skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Whisk in garlic and lemon juice. Pour in half and half and whisk until hot. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Add the parmesan cheese, basil and capers, and heat until cheese is melted. Check the consistency of the sauce and add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Toss in pasta. (Add more pasta water if noodles soak up too much of the sauce.)

Slice chicken and stir into sauce. Sprinkle with more parmesan if desired.

Mongolian Beef & Garlic Noodles

I made this last week and I told Mike that I'm basically ready to go be a chef at P.F. Chang's right now. Ok, fine, maybe not, but this recipe was so easy and SO good, that I was pretty impressed with myself. I served it with garlic noodles and the whole thing together was AWESOME! Save the money and make Chinese food at home - you'll be surprised at how simple it is and how much better it tastes!

Mongolian Beef (this makes 2 large portions, or 3-4 small portions)

1 lb of thin cut round steak or flank steak (cut into thin strips, against the grain)
1/4 cup of cornstarch
3 teaspoons of canola oil
1/4-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 large green onions, sliced

Prepare the meat:

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch.

Make the sauce:

Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

Cook the meat and assemble dish:

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

Garlic Scallion Noodles

8 oz (half a box) of angel hair or spaghettini noodles
4 tablespoons butter (half a stick)
5 cloves of garlic, minced or pushed through a garlic press
2 green onions (scallions) finely chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 or 2 tablespoons of brown sugar (based on your own personal preference of sweetness)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat. Melt butter. Add green onions and garlic. Stir and cook, without browning the garlic. Cook until the garlic smell is fragrant and filling the room, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and soy sauce, and cook for another minute. Increase the heat a bit and throw in the noodles. Quickly saute the noodles until they are all coated with the garlicky butter mixture.

Serve immediately. Garnish with additional green onions if desired.

Triple Chocolate Cake

This cake is as easy as it gets and is SO good! You need three things: A cake mix, box of instant pudding and chocolate chips. And then you need a fork. And maybe some vanilla ice cream. And possibly a treadmill. Cause you will eat more than 1 piece, I promise you that. :)

Triple Chocolate Cake

1 box Chocolate Cake Mix (I used Dark Chocolate)
1 small box Instant Chocolate Pudding
1/2 bag Chocolate Chips (Semi-Sweet)

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix pudding with 1 1/2 Cups milk and whisk until it starts to set. About 2-3 minutes. Stir in cake mix. This will be very thick. Spray 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and spread cake/pudding mixture into pan. Spread chocolate chips all over top. Bake 30 minutes, or until cake starts to pull away from the sides of pan.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

Pinterest strikes again! Here's another recipe I made a couple weeks ago that I found on Pinterest - it was great! Southwest chicken wraps that are all hot and crispy and just chock full of yumminess! Here's what you need:

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

1 cup cooked rice (warm or room temp)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken **I sauteed chicken tenderloins in olive oil and seasoned them with garlic powder, seasoning salt and pepper and then shredded with forks**
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained (I used 1/2 can)
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced (optional)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (I left this out)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. If you like sour cream, you can spread some on the tortilla first, then add cheese and then the rice/chicken mixture. Roll stuffed tortillas like a burrito. Then spray all over with cooking spray.

Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve. I served with additional sour cream and salsa on the side for dipping! So good! And even great reheated the next day for lunch! :)

Photo and recipe courtesy of www.melskitchencafe.com

Corn Dip & Cheese Ball - Great Appetizer Recipes

I made both of these recipes last night for a party I hosted and they were both a hit! The first recipe (corn dip) came from Sarah and it's just a great, warm dip that is served with Frito's Scoops. So perfect for fall and winter. It was a hit at my party!

**Note: Use the whole jalapeno. The original recipe actually calls for 2! If you like a real kick of heat, go for it! I didn't use the whole jalapeno and wished that I had.**

Corn Dip

2 cans mexi corn (drained)
1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup Mayo
1 jalapeno (seeded and ribs removed) - chopped finely
1 lg jar diced pimentos
1 tsp. Accent Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 30 mins. Stir 1-2 times during baking. Serve with Fritos.

The next recipe is my mother-in-law's cheese ball and it's AWESOME!!! By far my most favorite cheese ball recipe! The ingredients will seem weird - but they all work together perfectly. I usually serve it with Wheat Thins or Club Crackers. I truly think Macie would eat the entire thing if I'd let her - it's that good!

Cheese Ball

1 Package Cream Cheese - softened slightly
1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
1 Cup Chopped Pecans - Divided
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 of a small can of crushed pineapple (drained)
3-4 dashes hot pepper sauce

Blend cream cheese, worcestershire sauce, garlic, pineapple, hot sauce and about 1/4 cup pecans together and form into a ball. Roll cheese ball in remaining 3/4 cup chopped pecans and chill until ready to serve. Serve with assorted crackers.