Cinnamon Roll Waffles

These little waffles are a new favorite in our house! They are such a fun treat for breakfast and they are so incredibly easy to make. All you need is a store bought can of cinnamon rolls and a waffle iron!

  Ingredients:

1 can of Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls

Directions:

Preheat the waffle iron. I have a Belgian Waffle maker with a browning control knob.  I set the browning knob to 5 1/2.  You can make these just the same with a regular waffle iron too.  Place a cinnamon roll towards of the center of the waffle maker.  I made 2 at a time, just make sure that they are not touching when you put them in the waffle maker. Close the waffle iron and cook until the the timer sounds. Drizzle the warm cinnamon roll waffles with the icing.  Enjoy!!

 

Tortilla Pizzas

These are a favorite of mine.  Not just because they are insanely easy but because they are delicious! They are light & crispy and they only take 10 minutes to make, which can really help on nights when you need dinner on the fly!  Serve these with a salad & voila`, dinner is served!  This combination is one of my personal favorites, but you can use any of your favorite pizza toppings.  I used olive oil for the base but for a quick pizza sauce, combine a small can (8oz) of tomato sauce with a little dried oregano and garlic powder.  (I never really measure the spices, just add some in, stir & taste.)  There is no need to cook it, just mix it together & spread on the tortilla.  It will cook with the rest of the toppings on the pizza.  As my 6 year old says, "Easy Peasy, Lemon Squeezy"!  Oh, and did I mention that these are low cal?  Yep, 2 of these little pizzas are about 500 calories depending on the topping that you choose.  Not bad for yummy pizza dinner, huh?!? 

Ingredients:

Small Flour Tortilla (Soft Taco Size)

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Minced Garlic, to taste

1/4 cup Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella

1 piece of thinly sliced deli ham

Thinly sliced Onion

(Or your toppings of choice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Place a tortilla on a sheet pan (I lined my with tinfoil for easy clean up.).  Place a little minced garlic on the tortilla & pour a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil over the top.  Spread the olive oil & garlic evenly around the tortilla. 

Top with 1/4 cup Part- Skim Mozzarella Cheese, make sure to not add too much cheese.  It will weigh down the tortilla & it won't come out crispy.  This is actually one of the few recipes that I really do measure out the ingredients!

Then top with the ham & onions. 

 Bake for 10 minutes, at 400 degrees. 

Allow to cool slightly on the pan before slicing.

Enjoy!
               

White Cheddar & Green Olive Pimento Cheese

If you've been to the south, chances are you've had Pimento Cheese.  I grew up loving pimento cheese sandwiches but it's great on toast, crackers & apples slices too.  If you really want something spectacular, butter up some bread & sandwich this stuff between it for an awesome grilled cheese!  There are all kinds of ways to make pimento cheese.  You can use any kind of cheese you like.  But this is pimento cheese, my way, with my favorites- sharp, white cheddar cheese & pimento stuffed green olives yum, yum, yum!  Add in some crackers & here's a great summer snack or appetizer!  I also made this a low(er) fat version.  Feel free to substitute regular, full fat versions for any of these ingredients. 

Ingredients:

8 oz Sharp, White Cheddar Cheese (I used Cabot's New York White Cheddar)

8 oz 50% Reduced Fat White Cheddar (I used Cabot's)

8 oz 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup Pimento Stuffed Spanish Green Olives

1/2 cup Reduced Fat Mayonnaise (I use Duke's brand)

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Serving Options:

bread, crackers, apple slices, celery

Directions:

Shred the cheddar cheeses.  Coarsely chop the green olives.  Combine all the ingredients in a small- medium sized bowl.  Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. 

Note:  This recipe makes quite a bit of Pimento Cheese, you can easily half the recipe for less.  But I recommend making a whole batch, it will keep for a while in the refrigerator! 

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This is a recipe that I found via Pinterest (one of my many obsessions).  It looked so yummy that even though I am not much of a pork eater, I had to try it.  I am so glad I did!  It was fabulous!  I honestly don't think I've ever cooked anything pork, other than bacon.  And possibly a ham?!?  But even that, I'm not a hug fan of.  My husband makes the BEST Smoked Pork BBQ (NC Style of course) but that's the extent my culinary experiences with pork...until now.  This recipe just might make me a pork convert.  C + C Marriage Factory is the site that I found this recipe & consequently these pictures that summoned me to try it.  I've seen it all over the web, with lots of people using pork loin roasts too.  I have only tried it with a tenderloin so far though.  This is really so yummy & such an easy recipe, you've got to give it a try!

Ingredients:

1, 2 lb Pork Tenderloin

1 tsp Ground Sage

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1 clove Garlic, crushed

1/2 cup Water

 

For the Glaze:

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cornstarch

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup Water

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

 

Directions:

Trim the silver skin & extra fat off the pork.  Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic in a small bowl.  Then rub over the roast. Place it in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for the glaze in small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens. Brush roast with the glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

**  Note:  Just before I brushed the roast with the glaze, I drained the excess liquid from the slow cooker.  If you don't have a lot of liquid, don't worry about doing that. 

Enjoy!!

Roasted Tomatoes with Bread Crumbs & Parmesan Cheese

 This is one of my personal favorites.  Especially later in the summer when there are tons & tons of ripe fresh tomatoes to use.  You can use large slicing tomatoes or Roma tomatoes, just pick up any ripe slicing tomato at the Farmers Market or grocery store that you like.  I found this recipe about a year ago and have made it over & over.  I even took pictures to share with you...but that was probably almost a year ago.  And I have no idea what I did with those pics.  So I'll share the pics from the site that I originally found the recipe, Circle B Kitchen.  As usual, mine wouldn't have turned out as beautifully as these anyway.  It sure is a good thing that I can cook because I am definitely not a photographer.  Anyways- my recipe is a little different but the method is same.  And really, this is one of those things that you don't even need a recipe for.  There is no need to measure any of it out.  Just eye ball it, mix it all up, top some sliced tomatoes & bake.  Easy peasy!  It makes for a great side dish but I love then on top of my Spaghetti with Garlic.  Yummmm.  Seriously one of my all time favorite meals! 

Ingredients:
**  See Note Below

1 1/2 lbs Ripe Slicing Tomatoes

1 cup Plain Panko Bread Crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

2 tsp Dried Italian Seasoning

1 tsp Granulated Garlic

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Olive Oil, to drizzle

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4 of an inch thick & lay flat on a sheet pan. (I use a foil lined sheet pan for easy clean up!)

Mix together the Panko, Parmesan, Italian Seasoning, Granulated Garlic, Salt & Pepper.  Evenly top the sliced tomatoes with the bread crumb topping mixture.
Drizzle the topped tomatoes with a little olive oil & bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are nice & golden brown.

* Note: Honestly, I do not measure here. I use about a teaspoon of Panko Bread Crumbs per tomato slice, then add half as much Parmesan Cheese as I did of the Panko.  (If I have 6 slices of tomatoes then I'd use 6 heaping teaspoons of Panko & 3 heaping teaspoons of Parmesan.)  Then I add in the dried Italian season, garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.  You can adjust the amounts according the size of tomatoes that you use. 

 
I usually serve these on top of my Spaghetti with Garlic. 
Enjoy!!

Chicken Tamale Pie

I've had this recipe on my "To Try" list for a while now.  Doesn't it look delicious?!?  It's basically a deconstructed (and much easier to make) tamale.  It doesn't taste exactly like a traditional tamale because, well, it's not one.  But it's got all the flavors there.  I finally made it last week & we all LOVED it.  It was so good, I'm sure it will become a regular in our house.  It's got a yummy corn bread bottom topped with enchilada sauce, chicken & cheese.  Yum!  I think the original recipe came from Cooking Light, but this is the one that I had saved to try.  It's from Pinch of Yum.  I love her photos so I had to share one but I'm also including my finished product too.  I am clearly a less talented photographer/ food stylist, but rest assured it tasted fantastic!!  I'm listing the recipe the way that I made it, which is slightly different than the original so make sure you check it out too.  I used chicken & black beans.  I also used a round braising pan to bake it in.  Pinch of Yum did hers in a pie plate.  But you can use any casserole type dish that you'd like & substitute ingredients per taste!

Ingredients:

1, 8.5oz box Corn Muffin Mix (I used Jiffy brand)

1 egg

1/3 cup Milk

1, 14 3/4oz can Creamed Corn

1, 4oz can chopped Green Chilies, drained

1, 10oz can Red Enchilada Sauce

1, packet of Taco Seasoning, separated 

1-2 cups cooked Chicken Breast, shredded

1, 15oz can Black Beans, drained

1 cup Cheese, shredded (I used a pre-shredded Mexican blend)

Optional toppings:

Avocado, sliced

Sour Cream

Lettuce, shredded

Tomatoes, chopped

Black Olives, sliced

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  (I used a 4 quart braiser.) 

2.  In a medium sized bowl, combine the corn muffin mix, egg, milk, green chilies, creamed corn, & 2 heaping teaspoons of taco seasoning. 

3.  Pour the corn muffin mixture in the prepared dish & bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, until just barely set & golden brown. 

4. While the corn muffin mixture is baking prepare your chicken/ bean mixture.  There are several options here.  You can bake a chicken breast, shred it & mix it with the taco seasoning & black beans.  You could use a store bought rotisserie chicken, shred it, then mix it with the taco seasoning & black beans.  You could use left over chicken.  Or you can do what I did, ahead of time.  I put a large, boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crock pot with a half of a thinly sliced onion, 1/4 cup of chicken broth (or water) & the rest of the taco seasoning.  I cooked it on high for 3-4 hrs, until it easily shredded easily with a fork.  Then I mixed in the black beans. 

5.  After the corn bread mixture has baked, pierce it generously, all over with a fork.  (Don't worry if it sticks a little, no one will see this layer!)  Pour the entire can of enchilada sauce evenly over the top.  Go as spicy as you like here.  I used mild.

6.  Add the chicken & black bean mixture on top of the sauce drenched corn bread & sprinkle the shredded cheese on top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes to set before serving.  I liked mine with sliced avocado.  But the little one love hers with sour cream.  The hubs, of course, drenched his in his favorite Cholula sauce.

This serves 8, or 6 if you have really big eaters.  Enjoy! 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a Hellmann's Mayonnaise original recipe that I stumbled upon on The Enchanted Cook's website.  It has become a weekly staple in our household over the past few months.  It's quick & very easy to make.  Even more importantly, everyone loves it!  It only has 4 ingredients & I bet just about everyone always has them all on hand now.  While I seem to be able to make it about once a week, I have not taken pictures.  So I'm using these lovely ones from The Enchanted Cook.  Besides, she did an amazing job photographing the dish, I see no reason for me redo them!  You should check out her blog as well.  There are lots of yummy ideas over there! 

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup Mayonnaise (Light or Regular)

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

4 tsp Italian Seasoned Dry Breadcrumbs

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise & the Parmesan cheese.

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Spread the Parmesan/ mayo mixture evenly on top of the chicken breasts. 

Lightly season with salt & pepper, then sprinkle the seasoned breadcrumbs over top.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. 

Perfectly crisp, moist chicken every time! 

Yummm!!  Enjoy!