Turkey Chili and Cornbread

Football season is here and Fall is just around the corner. You know what that means, right? It's time to start thinking about cooking warmer meals like chili's and soups. Here's my recipe for cornbread and chili. It's super easy and great for serving on football Sunday =)
Ingredients for the chili:
1 can Southern Ranch style beans
1 can Chile beans
1 finely chopped onion
1 package chili seasoning
1 pound ground turkey
1 or 2 cans of tomato sauce (I use 2 but you can use 1 if you like chunkier chili)
2 cans of Chili Fixin's Rotel
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
Directions for the chili:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the ground turkey in the skillet and cook until it's completely browned. Once it's browned, mix in the minced garlic and leave on low heat for just 1 or 2 minutes. Put the turkey in a crockpot. Add all of the other ingredients to the crockpot and stir well. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Ingredients for the cornbread:
1 cup cornmeal
3 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp. baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
6 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp.salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions for the cornbread:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Once mixed, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking oil. Put the mixture evenly into the pan. Cook for 30-35 minutes and serve with the chili.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients for the cake:

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter (softened)
1 egg
1 tbsp. red food coloring
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Ingredients for the cream cheese frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla
8 ounces powdered sugar
Directions for the cream cheese frosting:
In a medium bowl, beat ingredients until light and fluffy. Unitl needed, store the frosting in the refrigerator. Do not ice the cake until the cake is completely cooled!
Directions for the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together ingredients until blended well. Spray a 9 inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper. Pour batter evenly into pan.

Cook 22-28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the middle.

Let the cake cool in the pan for at least one hour. After the cake is cool, carefully drop the cake onto a plate or platter and take off the parchment paper.

Turn the cake back over. Slice an extremely thin layer off the top of the cake (this will be for the crumbs). Crumble the thin layer of cake and set aside.

Ice the top and sides of the cake with the cream cheese icing. Decorate the top of the cake with the crumbs. Slice and serve.

What's for lunch? A Monte Cristo!

This sandwich is perfect for lunch on a day when you want something easy, yummy and satisfying. Ever since I made it a couple months ago, my boyfriend has requested it many times for lunch.
Ingredients:
1 egg
2 pieces of sandwich bread
2 tablespoons of light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of poppy seed
4 slices of ham
2 slices of cheese (Havarti or Swiss)
1 tablespoon of butter
Directions:
Spread half of the mayonnaise on one side of one of the pieces of bread. Put a piece of cheese on top. Top with the ham, the other piece of cheese, the rest of the mayonnaise and lastly the bread. Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of poppy seed in a wide open container. Soak the sandwich in the egg mixture. Make sure the outside of the sandwich is completely coated.

In a skillet, melt the butter on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, put the sandwich in the skillet. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

Remove from heat and cut into halves. Enjoy!

Mexicorn dip

This is the perfect dip to bring to any kind of casual gathering. I made this dip for two dozen people and it was gone within an hour.  Note: If making for a smaller amount of guests, just cut the recipe in half.
Ingredients
4 cups Mexicorn (drained)
1 can Hot Rotel
1 can Chunky Rotel
16 ounces low fat sour cream
1 1/2 cups light mayonnaise
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped bell pepper (color of your choice)
Directions
Mix and refrigerate until ready to serve. This dip is served best with Fritos Scoops! =)

Vanilla Sprinkle Cookies

Do you like vanilla cake mix? What about sprinkles? If you said yes to both, then you should make these cookies the next time you want to wreck your diet.

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla Cake Mix
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1.5 cups sprinkles of your choice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
2 eggs
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the sprinkles. After the ingredients are blended together thoroughly, stir in the sprinkles. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a very lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-14 minutes. If looking to impress, pair the cookies with a scoop of icecream. In the picture below, I made this yummy treat for someone's birthday. In the middle is Girl Scout Thin Mint Ice-Cream, vanilla sprinkle cookies on the side and topped with Hershey's chocolate sauce and more sprinkles! I don't recommend having this one too often unless you're trying to give your system a sugar attack, haha =)

Flavorful chicken tacos

If you would like a recipe for mouthwatering chicken tacos, you have come to the right place!

Ingredients:
3-4 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. cumin
2 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 diced garlic cloves
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can diced or crushed tomato

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat for about 4 minutes. In the last 2 minutes, add the diced garlic cloves.
Add all other ingredients except for the chicken and tomato. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken and tomato. Stir the chicken so it's evenly coated in the spices. Cook for 2 minutes. If you want to cook for longer than 2 minutes so the chicken has more flavor, turn the heat down to low so you don't burn the chicken.

Lastly, put the chicken in either soft or hard shells and serve with the toppings of your choice. I used lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

Pink chocolate chip shortbread cookies

I found a recipe from tablespoon.com for pink chocolate chip shortbread cookies. Even though the picture and video on the website made the cookies look flawless, most people were commenting their cookies were turning out flat. I decided to give the recipe a try and sure enough, that's how mine turned out. However, even though the cookies were flat, they were still really yummy. The part that's screwing everyone up (including myself) is the "softened" butter. If your butter is too soft, your cookies will be flat. In other words, DO NOT MELT YOUR BUTTER!

Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
1 bag Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1 cup softened butter
2 cups chocolate chips
Red food coloring

Directions
With your mixer, beat the softened butter until stiff and smooth. This is the part that presents problems. If it's not stiff and smooth your cookies will be flat.

Add desired amount of red food coloring. The more you add, the more pink your cookies will be. Be sure not to add too much unless you want red cookies. I used 7 drops.

Add the powdered sugar and cookie mix. Blend.

Add the two cups of chocolate chips. Mix into batter by hand. The dough should be crumbly not smooth. Thus I reiterate, it all comes down to the texture of your butter.

Just for fun, for my last few cookies I added Andes baking mints. If you would rather use Andes instead of chocolate chips, go for it. Mine turned out delicious.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F for 12-14 minutes.

 That's it! If you decide to try this recipe, please let me know how yours turned out and if you did anything differently.

If you would like to view the original tablespoon recipe, visit the link below.

http://quick-dish.tablespoon.com/2011/10/09/pretty-in-pink/

 

Homemade gifts for your loved ones

Here are two easy and thoughtful Christmas gifts you can make for the special people in your life.

1) Homemade cookies! They show you care and are fun to decorate.

2) Homemade creations in jars. You see the cute ones in the stores, but how many people actually take the time to make them? If you take the time to do it yourself it will really make an impression! Plus, they're easy to put together.

 The first jar is sugar free honey mixed with a little nutmeg and cinnamon. The second jar is a hot cocoa mix that has cocoa, marshmallows, candy cane pieces and andes mint pieces. The third is a mix of cranberries, granola, almonds, trail mix and raisins.

Those are just a couple of my homemade ideas, but there are thousands of other things you can make and give as gifts. For example, you could make a lavender body scrub or cherry pie in a jar. Here is a great website for homemade gifts in jars to get some creative ideas started. Good luck!

48 Homemade Gifts In A Jar

Easy as can be pot roast

For all you pot roast newbies, here's a simple recipe that can be made right in your slow cooker.
Ingredients:
2-5 pound rump roast (depends on how many people you're cooking for)
Cauliflower (cut into small chunks)
2 carrots (cut into thin or chunky pieces)
2 potatoes (cut into cubes)
1 McCormick's savory pot roast seasoning packet
32 ounce 99% fat free chicken broth (I used the great value brand)
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
Mini corn on the cob
Directions
Place thawed rump roast in the slow cooker. Mix the chicken broth, seasoning, water, garlic powder and onion powder together in a bowl. Pour the mixture on top of the roast.

Spread the corn, potatoes and vegetables around the meat.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Dinner is completed. Pretty easy huh? Hope you like it! =)

P.S. If you like slow cooker recipes, be sure to check out the crock pot girls. They have lots of amazing slow cooker recipes on their website. Here's the link:

http://crockpotgirls.com/

Tomato Parmesan Inspired Dish

The recipe you are about to read was inspired by this:

Yep, that's right. I was inspired by a box of tomato parmesan pasta salad and the outcome was great!
Ingredients:
A box of Betty Crocker tomato parmesan pasta salad
Mini corn
Tyson chicken breast tenderloins
Basil leaves
Light butter
Olive oil
Directions:
Thaw the desired amount of chicken breast tenderloins in a bowl of cold water.

Once thawed, take two tablespoons of the seasoning from the packet in the pasta salad box and put in a small dish.

Mix the seasoning with a cup of water. Use this mixture to marinate the chicken. Marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the marinated chicken onto a pan that's lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle basil leaves on top of the chicken.

Cook the chicken for 15-25 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 F. While the chicken is in the oven, cook the corn in a boiling pot of water for about 8 minutes.

Remove the corn and set aside. Take another tablespoon of the seasoning from the packet and put in a small dish. Mix the seasoning with a spoonful of butter and 1/4 a cup of olive oil. Spread the mixture to the bottom of a large frying pan. Once the pan is heated on the stovetop, place the mini corn in the pan. Cook on medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes.

While the corn is absorbing the tomato parmesan flavor, follow the instructions on the box to make the pasta salad. Don't worry that you already used some of the seasoning. The pasta will still have a good amount of flavor.

That's pretty much it. Here is the finished product:

I hope you like my recipe. This dish is perfect for when you need a hearty meal to fill you up. Enjoy!

Easy Apple Cinnamon BBQ Tilapia

Last night I made apple cinnamon bbq tilapia and it turned out awesome. For the sides I just cooked mashed potatoes and brocolli with carrots. It's extremely simple.

Ingredients:
Tilapia filet(s)
Apple cinnamon bbq sauce
Brocolli
Carrots
Mashed potatoes of your choice (I used the boxed kind)

Instructions:
Thaw the tilapia by placing in cold water. Once thawed, put in plastic bag and marinate with the apple cinnamon bbq sauce.

I recommend marinating for at least an hour. The longer you marinate, the more flavor it will have.

After it's done marinating, heat the oven to 400 F. Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray and place tilapia in pan. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the fish has an internal temperature of 145 F. Make the sides while the fish is cooking. For the mashed potatoes just follow the instructions on the box. Here's what I used:

Cook the vegetables on the stove and season to taste.

After the tilapia is done cooking, drizzle a teaspoon of the apple cinnamon bbq sauce on top and give it a pinch of salt for a little extra flavor. Now you're done! Here is the finished product:

This is a healthy low calorie meal with lots of flavor. I woud say this meal is under 450 calories. I hope you like it. If you don't... well, you're weird :)