Cheesy Garlic Bread

This is the easiest way to make bread and the cheapest! Don't buy anymore of that frozen Texas Toast! It is good, but this is better! :)


Ingredients:
1 loaf French Bread
Butter
Garlic Powder
Shredded Cheese
Basil
Parsley

**Preheat oven to 375 degrees!

I always have a loaf of French bread in my freezer. Whenever, I want to add some bread to a meal I just cut 1/3 of the loaf into slices. Then, I butter one side of the bread, and shake some Garlic Powder, Basil, and Parsley on each piece. Then, I add some shredded cheese on top! Pop in the oven until it looks crunchy and take it out! YOU ARE DONE! One loaf costs less than a $1.50, so you are adding about 8 yummy bread slices to your meal for 50 cents. :) I also like to make a little plate of seasonings, olive oil, and Balsamic Vinegar for dipping! It is an Italian restaurant people! :)

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Alright! This is such a fun recipe to make because you get to use your hands and stuff things. :)

Ingredients:
I package Jumbo Pasta Shells
I container (15 oz) Ricotta cheese (you will find this by the cottage cheese)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 onion
Spinach (1/2 a bag of baby spinach)
Shredded Mozzarella
Ground Beef (one small package)
1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

The first thing you need to do is boil your shells, so they are nice and soft. Then you need to brown your ground beef. Add whatever spices you normally add when doing this. I like to add salt, basil, Italian seasoning, Parsley, etc. The more spices the prettier it will look! Never forget this! In the mean time, sauté some onions and cook your baby spinach in a skillet. You want your onions to be soft and you want your spinach to be cooked. This does not take too long. Once the beef is done, and the onion/spinach mixture, mix them together in a large bowl. Add the entire container of Ricotta cheese. Once, the shells are done, let them cool. The only reason behind this is so that you do not burn your hand while you are stuffing them! Then, stuff the mixture into the pasta shells. Once they are all stuffed, dip them in sauce. Use the remaining sauce to drizzle over all the shells. Then put them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Take them out and sprinkle mozzarella cheese over all of them. Put the shells back into the oven until all the cheese is melted. :) Shake some more spices on top, if you like! ENJOY! Have some bread or salad to eat with it!

Loaded Potato Skins

Alright! Here they are! They are simple and they are spectacular! Loaded Potato Skins! I kind of think these are better than the ones at TGI Fridays, but I am not going to guarantee it!

Ingredients:
4 Red Potatoes
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Paprika
Sour Cream
Green Onions
Real Bacon Bits

The first thing you will do is preheat your oven to 475 degrees. Then you will cut your potatoes. I just cut two potato skins out of each potato. This means I took the red potato and cut two sides off. I kept the insides to make oven baked potatoes later and just cut them in cubes. Then you will mix the spices, parmesan cheese, and vegetable oil in a bowl. Then I brushed it onto the potato skin. I did not have a special kitchen brush, so I just used a clean paint brush! Remember, these are collage courses. :) Then I put them in the oven until the potatoes start to get a little brown. This should only be like 15 minutes or so. Then, remove the potatoes and add shredded cheese and bacon bits. Then put it back in the oven until the cheese is completely melted! Then you can remove the potato skins and top with sour cream and green onions! ENJOY! :)

OREO Balls

Here it is! This is what you have all been waiting for! Oreo Balls! I added a little chocolate covered strawberries to it as well. You might be wondering why I would do such a thing? Well, my roommate got engaged this weekend! So, I had to make a cute little yummy dish! So, this is what I came up with!

Ingredients: 
1 pkg. Oreos
1 pkg. Cream Cheese
1 pkg. Milk Chocolate Almond Bark
Strawberries (optional)

*I doubled the recipe because whenever I make these they are always gone very quickly!

First, you need to open the box of Oreos and crumble them with your hands into a large bowl. Once they have all been crumbled, you can get out a hand mixer and start mixing the Oreos pieces. Then add the softened cream cheese and continue mixing until it has reached a creamy consistency.

Then you can start rolling the Oreo batter into small little balls. It is up to you on the size you want to make them! I usually make them a little bit smaller than a ping pong ball. :) Once you have rolled them all up, put them in the freezer until they harden. This will take less than 10 minutes. They don't need to be frozen, just colder, so they will not fall apart. Once they are cold enough, it is time for the CHOCOLATE! 

So, now you need to melt the Almond Bark! You can do this in the microwave or on the stove. I did it on the stove and used a double boiler. Well, actually I used two pots stacked on the stove (I don't own a double boiler.) I filled the botton one with boiling water, and then the top one with chocolate. Keep it on the stove, until all the Almond Bark has melted. 

Then you will dip the balls into the melted chocolate and cover them with this creamy sensation! When it is completely covered in chocolate, you will place it on a plate. Then you will place it back in the freezer until it is completely dried! 

You can use the extra chocolate to dip anything in. I used strawberries this time! Maybe next time I will use pretzels!

Then once everything is done drying you will have a nice little arrangement like this! :)

Italian Mac and Cheese Bake

Alright! This was my first attempt at making homemade mac and cheese! I would say it was successful! :) I also added Italian sausage and baked it to make a casserole. I also added breadcrumbs, which I may not do in the future. It is a texture that some people love, and others find a bit odd.

FYI- This is one of those recipes that you need to be focused on. In order to get everything done at about the same time, you need to have a routine down. You will also have the oven preheating and about 3 burners going. :)

Ingredients:
1 bag (elbow noodles or your choice)
2 cups Half and Half)
4 Tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar)
Mild Italian Sausage (I used 5 links)
Salt and Pepper (several shakes)
4 Tablespoons butter

First of all, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In the mean time, fill a pan with water and your noodles. Go ahead and get that boiling and ready. :) In the mean time, put your italian sausage in the skillet and let it simmer and cook. (This will take awhile if they are not already cooked.) It may be a good idea to have these cooked ahead of time, and everything will go at a faster pace.

Now, you are ready to start preparing the cheese sauce. First, melt the butter in the sauce pan. Gradually pour in the flour, while stirring it all with a whisk. Gradually add the Half and Half and stir for about 2 minutes, while it boils. Then you will gradually pour in the shredded cheese, while you stir. You will notice the sauce will start to get thicker! Let it continue to cook for about 5 minutes.

Once the noodles are done, you will go ahead and drain them! Go ahead and add a little olive oil or melted butter during this process. Then add the cheese sauce to the noodles. Once the Italian sausage is done, cut it into bite size pieces and mix it into the noodles. Then put all of this is a casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs (optional). I used Italian breadcrumbs, which was good. However, make sure you sprinkle the bread crumbs and don't pour. Put the dish into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown! Then you are done! :)

White Chili (with a little zest)

My mom always makes white chili at home and it looked pretty complicated with a lot of steps, but I decided that it would be my next dish to tackle. :) To my surprise, it was very easy and not that expensive. I took her recipe and tweaked it. This "tweaking" is what makes you feel more like a cook! Almost anyone can read a recipe and do exactly what it says, but you when start taking risks and trying new things, that is when you stop becoming a "preparer of food," but rather a developing chef! Here is my recipe...

*FYI- This recipe requires a lot of spices, that you may not have in your kitchen, if you are a beginning chef. I have found the best place to buy spices in the largest quantities is Aldis! :) You can get almost any spice for $1.09. The only spices I have ever needed that they did not have was Cilantro and Basil. Their containers are twice the size for less than half the money of Walmart! Spend $10 and bring 10 new spices into your kitchen. Bring a little spice in your life!

Ingredients:

Great Northern Beans (2 cans)

Green Chiles (1 can)

1 small yellow onion (chopped)

2 green onions (chopped)

Grilled Chicken (cubed) Do you like a lot or a little chicken? 

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Oregano 

1 teaspoon Cilantro

1 cup Chicken Broth

First of all, you need to decide how much chicken you want in your chili? I put a fair amount of chicken in my mine. One thing I have purchased, which has never failed me, is a bag of frozen grilled chicken breast strips. Buy a bag for less than $7 at Walmart, and you will have chicken for many meals. It is so easy to throw in! I used the rest of my bag for this meal and I had previously used it in Mac and Cheese, Fried Rice, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and now chili! It goes a long way! You could even throw some in fajitas!

Anyway, dump your frozen chicken or grilled chicken breast in a skillet with the chopped onion. This will allow the frozen chicken to thaw and the onions to soften. Once the strips started to thaw, I took them out and chopped them into cubes. I then put them back in the skillet to cook with the onions. I added a tablespoon of vegetable oil and some Worcestershire Sauce. 

In the mean time, I opened the cans of beans and chiles and dumped them into the pot! I added the chicken broth and all the spices. Once the chicken and onions were softened, I added them to the pot. I then added the green onions last! I stirred it all up, and let it simmer (covered) on the stove for about 10-15 minutes, just to get all spices bonding together and making friendships. :) 

Then you are done! I added some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream and it was splendid. We also made some Jiffy Cornbread to eat along with the chili. I won't tell you how to make that, just read the box! Maybe one day I will make some homemade. :) Also, don't ever be afraid to add to the cornbread. I added a little shredded cheese to the mix! There is nothing quite like Southwestern White Chili with some cheesy cornbread on the side, or mixed in!

Brushetta!

I love Brushetta, and it is so easy to make on your own!

Ingredients:

1/4 teaspoon Basil

1/4 teaspoon Parsley

2 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1 medium sized tomato

1 loaf of french bread

Butter

Green onions (optional)

Shredded Cheese (any flavor)

First of all, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the mean time, cut your french bread into pieces about 1 1/2 inches thick. Then butter both sides of the bread. I use "Smart Balance," which is healthy butter. :) Buttering both sides helps get a softer inside and crunchier outside, which is how I like it!

Cut up your tomato into cubes. You will want to cut out the seeds. Put the tomatoes in a bowl. Then add some parsley, basil, and vegetable oil. Honestly, I don't know how much. A few shakes of basil and parsley and about 2 tablespoons oil. Also, add about a handful of shredded cheese and chopped green onions (for color). Mix all these ingredients together. 

Once the oven is done preheating, put just the bread in the oven for about 3-4 minutes, just to get the butter melted and the bread starting to get a bit crunchy. Then, remove the bread and add a little of the mixture to the top of each loaf of bread. Put in the oven until the cheese has melted and the bread is crunchier around the edges. (The bread will be in the oven less than ten minutes all together.)

Remove from the oven and enjoy! :)