Fruit Pizza

There are many ways to create a fruit pizza. You can make your own sugar cookie dough but when you don't have the time, the premade is just as good. I love making this for parties. It's easy and I can just store in the refrigerator until party time. 

Ingredients
1(16.5 oz) refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough
1(8 oz) package Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Fresh Fruit, Sliced- You can get creative but I usually use Strawberries, Blueberries, and Kiwi.
Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray  pizza pan with cooking spray. I2. Spread Cookie Dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust. 3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
4. In a bowl beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla  until fluffy. 5. Spread mixture over cooled crust. 6. Arrange fruit over cream cheese. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pizza.

Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

This one is super easy. I had left over so the next night I put the fajita filling over tortilla chips and topped with cheese. Popped that in the oven until hot and enjoyed some nachos. 

Ingredients

1

Onion, Chopped

1

Red Pepper, cut into strips

1 Green Pepper, cut into strips

1

lb boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips

1

(1 oz)package Fajita Seasoning mix

1 can Rotel

Tortillas 

Toppings: Sour Cream, Cheese, Salsa, ect. 

Directions

• 1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Add Onion, Peppers,  and Rotel. Top with Chicken. 
• 2. Sprinkle with seasoning mix. Stir until combined and pieces are coated.
• 3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through baking, until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• 4. Spoon small amount mixture onto each tortilla. Top with you favorite toppings!

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 1  lbs boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts or Tenderloins
• 2 (15 oz) cans of Great Northern Beans (drained)
• 1 (15 oz) can White Corn (drained)
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 3  cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tsp. Cumin
• 1/2 Tsp Oregano
• 1/2 Tsp Pepper
• 1 (7 oz) can Green chilies
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 14 oz Chicken Broth
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese

Directions

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray or use slow cooker liner. Place Chicken on bottom of slow cooker. 
2. Top with Beans, Corn, and Onion. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the Garlic, Cumin, Oregano, Pepper, Chilies, Cream of Chicken Soup, and Chicken Broth.
4. Pour over Chicken.
5. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or high for about 4 hours.
6. Remove Chicken from slow cooker and shred. Put back in slow cooker and stir. Let sit another 30 minutes. 
7. Top with Cheese and serve hot. 

Slow Cooker Sausage Tortellini

This one is super quick and easy.You can use your slow cooker without having it take all day. Perfect for when you have a few hours before dinner.

Ingredients

1lb Italian Sausage
1 lb package frozen Tortellini
2 cans Diced Tomatoes
8 oz Cream Cheese
1 Green Pepper, chopped

Instructions

1. Brown Sausage in skillet.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix well.
3. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours stirring halfway through.
4. Uncover and stir. Cook uncovered for another 30 minutes.

Ham and Swiss Roll

I needed something quick and easy to make for my friend's birthday last night. Even though people were eating dinner before they can over it is always good to have something to nibble on. Usually I make my pepperoni bread but I wanted to try something different this time around. 

This one is so simple it's ridiculous but I figure why make planning a menu for a party difficult. This was relatively cheap to make too since it is only 3 ingredients. I used 6 slices of Cheese because I think it is delicious but 4 would work as well. 

Ingredients

1 refrigerated  pizza dough
1/2 thinly sliced Ham
4-6 slices Swiss Cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Roll dough out into a rectangle in lightly greased baking sheet. 
3. Cover with slices of Swiss. 
4. Add slices of ham over the Swiss.
5.  Starting on one of the long sides slowly roll the dough up. Leave the seam side down. 
6.  Bake 25-30 minutes. 
7. Cut into slices and serve. 

Butterfinger Pie

I made this last night for my friend's birthday. Butterfingers are his favorite candy so I went with it. Since it is still so close to Halloween it was cheaper to buy a bag of Butterfinger mini's. You can just as easily buy a few of the regular size bars or the fun size to make it as well. You can also make your own Graham Cracker Crust but I was short on time so I bought one pre-made.

Ingredients

8 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1 tub of Cool Whip
1 bag of Butterfinger minis, crushed
1 Graham Cracker Crust


Instructions 

1. In large bowl, whip Cream Cheese until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip.
2. Stir in 1 cup of crushed Butterfingers.
3. Spread over Graham Cracker Crust.
4. Top with the remaining crushed Butterfingers.
5. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Bruschetta

I love Bruschetta! It's a great little appetizer that is healthy and easy to make.  Bring it to any type of party with a loaf of Italian bread. You can use Balsamic Vinaigrette. I chose to use Pomegranate Vinaigrette because it is one of my favorites.

Ingredients
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Basil
2 Tbps Pomegranate Vinaigrette
1/2 Tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
6 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup Red Onions, chopped
Parmesan (Optional)

Instructions
1. Stir Garlic, Basil, Pomegranate Vinaigrette, and Salt.
2. Gradually stir in Olive Oil.
3. Mix in Tomatoes and Red Onions.
4. Serve over Italian Bread Slices.
5. Top with Parmesan if desired,

Spicy Balls

Tried these out for a small get together with some friends. They weren't as big of a hit as the Buffalo Chicken bites but they went pretty quick as well. This would work best if you have a deep fryer. Since I do not, I had to improvise.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Milk
1 Egg
1 block of Pepper Jack Cheese, cut into cubes.
1 cup Bread Crumbs
Parsley
Oil

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, beat Milk and Egg together until well blended.
2. I a separate bowl mix together Bread Crumbs and Parley.
3. Dip the Pepper Jack Cheese Cubes in the Milk mixture.
4. Roll in Bread Crumbs making sure they are well coated.
5. Heat oil in skillet.
6. With a slotted cooking spoon, dip 3-4 Spicy Balls in the oil at a time and cook until golden brown.
****This will only take a few seconds so don't hold them in there long. I burnt my first few by just putting them directly in the oil.
7. Serve up hot!

Grilled Peppers with a Twist

I was home this past weekend and grilled out with my family. These Peppers with a Twist are a perfect side dish when grilling out! They are easy and healthy too. I like to make these with both Orange and Yellow Bell Peppers but you can use any kind. 

Ingredients

4 Bell Peppers- any color

12-16 Grape Tomatoes

1 cup Mozzarella, shredded

2 Tbsp Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Basil

Instructions

1. Cut Peppers in half. Remove seeds. 

2. Fit in Tomatoes. I can usually fit 3-4 in each half. 

3. Sprinkle with Cheese. 

4. Drizzle with Raspberry Vinaigrette. 

5. Sprinkle with Basil. 

6. Place on the top shelf of the grill and let cook for about 10 minutes. 

Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese

Yes, I am making something with a Buffalo chicken theme again. I can't resist. Plus this one is a tasty twist on an old classic.

Ingredients
1 package Elbow Macaroni
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 cup Flour
1 Tsp Garlic, minced
2 cups Milk
1 (8oz package) Shredded Cheddar

2 Chicken Breasts, cooked, diced

3 Celery Stalks, chopped
1/4 cup Buffalo Sauce- I used Frank's Buffalo.

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook Elbow Macaroni according to package instructions. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, Melt Butter in large sauce pan. Stir in Flour and Garlic until well blended.
4. Stir in Milk. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute.
5. Remove from heat. Stir in Cheese.
6. Mix Cheese mixture with Pasta. Add Chicken, Celery, and Buffalo Sauce.Stir until well blended and spoon into 13x9 baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray.
7. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Featured Beer
I tried a Red Chair NWPA by Deschutes Brewery. This is what they are calling a Northwest Pale Ale. It has a ABV of 6.2% and is available during the Winter. I like this one because it has a slight bitterness and the flavor isn't overwhelmed by hops. It has a nice hint of citrus to finish off the aroma and flavor.

Easy Slow Cooker Chili

Time for another Crockpot Monday post. I went with an old classic this week. I made Slow Cooker Chili with some Corn Muffins. Awesome meal to come home to. I took the pictures while it was nice and hot because I couldn't wait to eat so they turned out a little steamy.

Ingredients
2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
1 cup Onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1 can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 Green Pepper, diced
1 (28oz) can Diced Tomatoes-no salt added, undrained
1 (15 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tsp Cumin

Cheese for topping (Optional)


Instructions
1. Brown Beef in Skillet. Drain.
2. In slow cooker, mix Beef and remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or on high heat for 4-5.

Quick Tips

•  I used a slow cooker liner to reduced the amount of clean up. 
• You can also used Ground Turkey to make Chili for a healthier option. 

Cheesy Italian Sausage Penne

This is one of my favorite dinners! I love just mixing the meat, pasta and veggies all in one dish. Shane asks me to make this all of the time. I make a lot of this even thought there is only two of us because we like to have extra for the next day. Normally, I only use Penne pasta for this one but as you can see in the picture I mixed in some Rotini this time. I wanted to use what I had in the pantry up. 

Ingredients

1 box Penne Pasta. 
1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
1 tsp Garlic, minced
1 Zucchini, sliced
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 jar Pasta Sauce (any kind)
8 oz Velveeta, cubed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. 
2. Cook pasta according to package instructions. 
3. In large skillet, brown sausage breaking up the sausage as you cook it. Drain. 
4. Return to heat adding the garlic, zucchini, red peppers, and pasta sauce. Cook until vegetables are tender. 
5. Drain pasta and add to sausage mixture. Lightly mix in Velveeta. 
6. Move to a lightly greased 13x9 baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. 

Featured Beer

While making this meal last night I also had a Unit 6 by Rivertown Brewing Company. It's an American Hefeweizen Ale. I must say I am a little disappointed. While the beer itself is good it is not your typical Hefeweizen. It is more of a plain wheat beer in my opinion. Hefeweizen beers are typically has hints of bananas and cloves giving them a distinct taste. This beer is lacking such flavor.