Two of my new favorite recipes!

Sorry that this post doesn't contain a new recipe from me, but you won't be disappointed!

Last week, I was looking for a good summer meal.  It was hot outside and I had a bunch of strawberries and kiwis cluttering up my kitchen.

I scoured pinterest and my favorite food blogs in search of a dinner that was both easy and delicious.

First up, I found these:  Cheeseburger Quesadillas.

The fried onions, the sauce, the crispy tortilla, and the yummy seasoned burger.  oh my.  The sauce of mayo and salsa?  life changing.  Especially if you have some yummy homemade salsa on hand.  Wow.  I've made them twice since then...  My BFF came over, and she needed to know the amazingness that was these Cheeseburger Quesadillas, so I made them for her too!  They are quickly going to become a go-to meal in my house.

Now, for dessert with our delicious quesadillas, I found this recipe:  Strawberry Kiwi Crisp from my absolute favorite food blog, How Sweet It Is.  Jessica is not only an amazing cook and recipe developer, she is also hilarious, and a great writer.  I can't tell you how much I enjoy her daily blog posts, recipes, and facebook updates. 

But now, about this dessert: (photo by How Sweet It is)

It was the most delicious fruit crisp I have ever had.  As with every recipe of hers that I try, it was amazing.  The tanginess of the fruit and the sweet crispy topping, and the yummy syrup that brings it all together.  Oh my.  We had ours with cool whip, because we had no vanilla ice cream, but it was still amazing.


So make these two recipes.  And check out their blogs.  And if you don't have pinterest yet, get it, you won't regret it!  It's a great place to find new recipes, crafts, and household tips and ideas.

I'll be back soon with some new recipes  -- need to find some new summer recipes around here :)

Slow Cooker Beer Chicken Tacos

Insert apologies for not posting here ....  I've used them all, so instead, I'm giving you an amazing recipe that I think I might be able to eat every single day, that is both easy, and quick!  forgive me?

adapted from How Sweet Eats recipe for Crock Pot Cheddar Beer Chicken Tacos

• 1 can beer (use what you like - different beers add different flavors)
• 1 packet Taco Seasoning
• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 4)

1. Whisk beer and taco seasoning together in a bowl -- watch out, it will foam!
2. Place chicken breasts in the bottom of slow cooker, and pour beer mixture over top.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
4. There's going to be a lot of juice, but it's okay!  Use 2 forks to shred the chicken completely, and stir.  Put the lid back on for 15 minutes to let the flavors get all yummy and delicious together, and the chicken will soak up the liquid.
5. Serve on soft taco shells with your favorite toppings.

We served ours with rice, black beans, lettuce, salsa, cheese, onions, and sour cream.  I think corn, red onions, and tomatoes would be great additions, too, we just didn't have them!

My review:  I'm never making taco chicken meat any other way, ever again.  This was the most juicy, delicious chicken ever, and the beer gave it such a yummy depth of flavor.The hubby raved, and how great is it to have a dinner that doesn't heat up your house, and can

Oven Baked Chili Dogs

Terrible picture, but it's the only one I got in my excitement to enjoy these!

• 8 hot dogs
• 8 hot dog rolls
• 1 can of chili (no beans!)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Cheddar Cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Hot Dog Relish
• Black Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish.  I know the mayo sounds gross, but it will keep your buns from getting dry while you bake the hot dogs.
3. Sprinkle some pepper on top of each one.
4. Add a line of mustard down each roll.. 
5. Add your the hot dogs, and place into a 13x9 pan (they should fit perfectly!)
6. Top hot dogs with chili, cheese, and diced onion. 
7. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

My review:  These tasted amazing!  We were both skeptical about having to wait 45 minutes for hot dogs for dinner, but they were really yummy.  I think they would be a great thing to make if you are having a lot of people over, even possibly for the super bowl.  Even though I don't like relish or mustard on hot dogs, I loved the flavor of these.  Try them!!

Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

(adapted from recipe at SkinnyTaste)


Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 2 celery stalks, diced small
• 15 baby carrots, diced small
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp parsley flakes
• 3/4 cup half & half

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan, cook the bacon on low heat for about 5 minutes.  
2. Add in the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms, and cook for another 5 minutes on low.
3. Add the ground beef and garlic, and turn the heat up to medium high and cook until browned.
4. Drain the grease off, and add in the wine.  Cook for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Add to crock pot. Add tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
6. (If preparing the night before, cover and put in the refrigerator)
7. Cover and set slow cooker to low for 8 -10 hours. 
8. Adjust
   salt and pepper to taste,
   add parsley and half and half.
9. Serve over your favorite pasta.

My review:  This was delicious and made a TON!  I ended up making a lasagna with the leftover sauce - which makes about 4 meals for John and I.  You could make this and freeze into 2-4 meals for your family.  We both really loved the flavor of the sauce, and it's a nice, hearty, healthy meal, with lots of vegetables.

Cheesesteak Pizza

• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 6 sandwich steaks (like SteakUmms), chopped in bite size pieces
• 1 pound pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 cup Steak Sauce
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 6 slices white american cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add mushrooms, peppers, and onions, and steaks.
4. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft (about 8-10 minutes) and steaks are cooked.
5. Drain off any excess grease.
6. Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface.  Put on your pizza pan/stone/cookie sheet.
7. Cover the surface with the american cheese and add the layer of steak sauce.
8. Add the steak mixture and top off with the provolone cheese.
9. Bake 15-20 minutes, until all melty, delicious, and golden brown.

My review:  This was delicious, and better than any that I've had out at a pizza restaurant.  It's nice, because you can control the grease.  We liked it dipped in a little ranch, but it would also be good with more steak sauce.  Yum!

Lasagna Soup

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 (32 oz) box chicken broth
• 2 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups broken lasagna noodles
• 1 (5 oz) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. In a large pot, combine ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic. 
2. Cook until beef is browned.
3. Drain well.
4. Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt.
5. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender.  (If you want, you can boil these separately and then just add in at this point).
7. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
8. Serve in bowls, covered in mozzerella cheese.

My review:  This was delicious!  Tasted just like lasagna, with a little less work!  Serve with crispy baguette slices and a yummy green salad.

Pinterest!

I've not dropped off the face of the earth... I have about 6 recipes waiting to be shared with you, but my camera is holding my pictures hostage.  My SD card is stuck in my camera, and as soon as I figure out how to remove it without killing my camera, you will get some new recipes - most of which my husband claimed were "good as hell" which is apparently his new compliment that means something is really good  -- I think he should work on it, what do you think? ;-) 

In the meantime, I want to tell you about my current obsession:  Pinterest!  It's still in an invite only stage, but if you need an invite, just leave a comment with your email address or email me (address is to the right...) and I will send you one!

Basically, it's this cool social network tool, where you can pin pictures you find on any website to a board, and when you want to go back to the original site, you just click on the picture.  It's like using bookmarks, but you get a picture, and you get to share your bookmarks with other users.

Here's a screenshot of one of my recipe boards...

I love finding new recipes on here, as well as crafty new projects.  I may go broke if I try to do all the crafty projects I've found, but it's a great place to find decorating inspiration, crafty projects, wedding ideas, cleaning tips, fun ideas for kids,  and other things you never knew you wanted to find :-)  You can link up with any of your friends on facebook, and tweet your pins -- it's very cool!