Mini Garlic Monkey Breads

Tonight I made meatloaf for dinner so I decided to try a new recipe that I found on Pinterest to go with it. The recipe was for garlic monkey bread. The monkey bread was delicious, add some cheddar cheese and they would taste just like Red Lobster's biscuits.

Mini Garlic Monkey Breads

2 (7.5 oz) cans buttermilk biscuits

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

    plus 2 Tbsp. to sprinkle on top

Cut biscuits into 4 pieces and place in a bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients and pour over biscuit pieces.  Gently toss to evenly coat.  Use a greased 12-cup muffin tin and place 6-7 pieces in each cup.  Sprinkle remaining 2 Tablespoons of cheese over the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12-14 minutes.  Serve warm.  Makes 12.  

Salsa Chicken Nachos

I came across a recipe for salsa chicken a couple weeks ago and I have been itching to try it out. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to eat it in a taco, on a salad or by itself, so instead, I decided to make nachos with it. It was great! After trying it with nachos and loving it, I would like to try it other ways also. I love good, easy recipes and definitely found a keeper.

Chicken in the crockpot after I shredded it.

Chicken made into nachos.

Salsa Chicken
3-4 chicken breasts
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 jar salsa
1 jalapeno, chopped
3/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp. cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Makes nachos, salads or tacos.

Spicy Sausage Spaghetti

If we can't decide what we want for dinner, spicy sausage spaghetti is always our first choice. In the short time we have been married, I can't even count how many times we have made this....it's just that good.

Sausage browning on the left and vegetables on the right.

Finished product. So easy and yummy!

Spicy Sausage Spaghetti
1 lb. spicy sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pkg. mushrooms, chopped
1-2 tbsp. butter
1 pkg. spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 pinch salt and pepper

Remove sausage from casing and brown. Saute onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and butter over medium heat until onions become clear. Add spaghetti sauce, seasonings and sausage. Simmer on low for 15 minutes. Serve over spaghetti noodles.

Valentines Day!

Our computer charger broke so I haven't been able to post anything lately....time to catch up since my last post.

This year was our first Valentine's Day as a married couple and it was great! I had a class that I had to take for my job (I'm a high school teacher) until 6pm on Valentine's Day. When I came home my wonderful hubby had cleaned our house, bought me flowers, a card, and champagne and cooked me an amazing dinner.

Picture of the flowers, card and champagne.

Here is a picture of our dinner. Hubby smoked steaks with blue cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, sauteed fresh green beans and made baked potatoes. There was so much food, the baked potato didn't even make it in the picture. Best Valentine's Day dinner EVER!

Baked Cajun Potato Chips

So as we were waiting for our beer can chicken to finish smoking...I decided to make baked cajun potato chips. These were really easy, a little spicy but very good served with ranch.

Baked Cajun Potato Chips

Nonstick cooking spray 
2 large russet potatoes (about 1-1/4 lb. total), unpeeled 
1 Tbs. olive oil 
1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning

1 tsp. Paprika 
1/2 tsp. salt 

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Heat the oven to 400°F. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.
Slice the potatoes into very thin (1/16-inch) rounds. Rinse the potatoes well under cold water, then spread them on paper towels. Dry them completely using more paper towels.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, cajun, paprika, and salt. Add the potatoes and toss to coat evenly.

Spread the potatoes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the potatoes are crisp and browned and release easily from the baking tray, 12 to 30 minutes. Since small variations in slice thickness can make a big difference in cooking time, check the trays after 12 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter to remove any chips that are already done, then return the rest to the oven if necessary. The chips will crisp further as they cool. Once cool, store in a paper bag for up to 3 days.

Triple Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Homemade Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing

So the other day I got this chocolate cream cheese icing recipe from one of the teachers at school and I have been itching to use it since. I figured that Valentines Day was the perfect excuse to try this new recipe. I made triple chocolate fudge cupcakes from a box and then made my own homemade chocolate cream cheese icing. Delicious!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Icing
1 box powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 drop almond extract

Blend all ingredients together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Surprise! Darren turns 25!

For my husband's 25th birthday, I decided to throw him a surprise party. I had his brother-in-law take him fishing at Cocoa Beach on Friday night and Saturday so that I could prepare the house for the party. I spent Friday and Saturday grocery shopping, cleaning, decorating and cooking. I later found out that he had guessed there was a party but nonetheless he still had a great time hanging out with family and friends. The two biggest hits of the party were the buffalo chicken dip and the spiked apple cider.

I wish I had up close pictures of the food but it was too crazy getting everything ready for the party. Here are the recipes!


Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 cup cooked chicken (rotisserie or chicken tenders work best)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4-1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

3-4 dashes hot sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and celery. 

Spiked Apple Cider

1 gallon Apple Cider

3/4 gallon Apple Juice

4 cups sugar

6-8 cinnamon sticks

750ml grain alcohol (or spiced rum)

Mix all ingredients except alcohol in stockpot. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 2 hours. Add alcohol and serve.