Rolo Stuffed Sugar Cookies

I said in an earlier post that I only ever take one bite of my treats before I pack them up for my husband to take to work.  Well, I take it back I ate lots of these!!!  Luckily I ended up putting to many cookie balls on my cookie sheet so I had some ugly ones to eat for myself.  These are simply DELIGHTFUL.  I saw a picture of these on pinterest and I knew I had to make the ASAP.  I still haven't looked at the recipe online because I knew exactly how I was going to make them. 

Ingredients:

• 1 package sugar cookie dough
• 24 rolo candies
• Cinnamon and sugar mix

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Unwrap rolo candies and mold sugar cookie around the rolo into a ball.  Coat with cinnamon and sugar mix.  Repeat until finished.  Place on cookie sheet and bake for about 11 minutes or until edges are light brown.

Scents of Fall

My Nephew Enzo

 

Fall is right around the corner and I could not be more excited.  Don't get me wrong I love summer but something about fall just gets me so excited.  I love everything about fall and I mean everything.  I love the crisp chilly air, the changing leafs, the memories of piling up all of the fallen leaves to jump in them, the colors of fall, the thought of all the kids getting ready for Halloween, and so many other things.  When I think of fall the first thing that pops in my head are the scents of fall.  When I think of fall I think of four specific scents. 

The first scent I think of is apples.  I love apples and baking with apples is my all time favorite thing.  They are so delicious and they make everything better.

The second is cinnamon.  Obviously cinnamon compliments apples in everything I bake so its a no brainer.

The third is Satsumas.  The scent of a fresh peeled satsuma is to die for.  I think my love for these came from every Christmas my stocking always had two satsumas in the bottom!  Whenever I see and smell satsumas I think of Christmas and I am instantly filled with joy.

The fourth and final smell is worchestershire.  I know this was probably the last thing you were thinking but its true.  Every year my Mom and I make batches of chex mix and I love the smell of butter and worchestershire melting together.  No matter what time of the year whenever I cook with worchestershire I think of fall and all the wonderful memories of baking with my Mom. 

For all of you who read this post what are your favorite scents of fall???

Overnight Breakfast Eggs

 

This is another recipe my Aunt Kathy made while we were on vacation in Iowa.  My husband loved it as did he love all of her cooking!!  He has been asking me every week since we have returned to make this.  I love that you put it together the night before and all you have to do is preheat the oven in the morning.  I however made this for dinner so I made the sausage the night before and assembled in the morning letting it sit until dinner time.  The recipe I am going to post serves 12-15 so feel free to half the recipe.  The picture below is half the original recipe considering I cook for two!

 

Ingredients: (Servings 12-15 half recipe if needed)

• 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 2 lbs ground breakfast sausage (I substitute for ground breakfast chicken)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 10 eggs
• 2 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 package hash browns
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

 

Directions:  Prepare this the night before you serve this.  Put croutons in a 9 by 13 buttered baking dish.  Brown breakfast sausage and onion and drain fat.  Spread over croutons.  Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese.  Mix eggs, 2 1/4 of milk, dry mustard and salt.  Pour over cheese/sausage.  Then spread hash browns over top.  Mix cream of mushroom and remaining milk and pour over hash browns.  Top with remaining cheese.  Cover and refrigerate over night.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 

 

Apple Pie Cake Glazed Muffins

 

THE BEST MUFFINS I HAVE EVER MADE!!!!! I love baking with cake mix because it eliminates so much time and I have had a can of apple pie filling in my pantry that has been screaming use me for many months now.  This is such a simple recipe and it makes your house smell so wonderful.  Fall is just around the corner and this is a must try recipe.

 

Ingredients for Muffins:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 can apple pie filling (1 pound)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

 Ingredients for Glaze:

• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons hot water

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Add apple pie filling to mixing bowl and beat until the apple pieces are broken up into diced pieces.  Add cake mix, yogurt, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until everything is mixed though out.  The batter should only have the apple chunks left.  Pour into muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes.  In separate bowl whisk together melted butter sugar, vanilla, and hot water until smooth.  Dip muffin tops into glaze and let harden. 

 

 

 

 

 

Salsa Verde Pork Quesadillas

I have not mastered cooking for two so I always find myself with lots of leftovers.  Last nights dinner was Salsa Verde Pork Tacos so tonight we are having Salsa Verde Pork Quesadillas.  Whenever I make any kind of taco it never fails that my lunch or dinner the next day is a quesadilla.  This pork is so tasty and this go to meal is DELICIOUS.

Ingredients: ( I am not putting amounts for the ingredients because everyone seems to differ in the amounts of cheese and goodies they put inside.)

• Salsa Verde Pork
• Tortillas
• Cilantro
• Black Beans
• Tomatoes
• Cheese

Directions:  Heat pan or griddle over medium heat.  On a seperate plate place all ingredients on top of 1 tortilla starting with cheese.  Once you have all the ingredients on the tortilla sprinkle with more cheese then add second tortilla.  I always add cheese to both sides so it melts on the tortilla holding it all together.  Spray pan/griddle with non stick spray and add quesadilla.  Brown on both sides until cheese is melted. 
Directions

Crock Pot Salsa Verde Pork Tacos

This meal really made me wish I had invited someone over so I could show off my amazing cooking skills.  The pork is so tender and the flavor is amazing.  I love food blogs and I love the blog I found this recipe at.  Like I said before I am not really a big pork person and I always find myself at the grocery store wishing for great pork recipes because its always on sale.  This one is for sure a keeper and I will be making it many times to come!!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb pork sirloin
• 1/2  jar salsa Verde ( I used La Victoria 16oz jar)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 can green chilies (I didn't have any on hand so I threw in 2 jalapenos from the garden)
• Cilantro
• 1 lime
• salt
• Tortillas

Directions:  Spray crock pot with non stick spray or olive oil.  Sprinkle pork with salt and place in the bottom of crock pot.  Pour salsa over pork and add chilies or jalapenos.  Sprinkle with cumin and cook on low for 8 hours.  Shred pork and let cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add meat to tortillas and serve with any additional toppings you prefer.

Zucchini Bake

I have so much Zucchini so I am trying lots of recipes to use it up.  This was easy and great.  The recipe I found online called for parmesan cheese however, I only had mozzarella so I changed it up.  I am going to post the original recipe because it would have been so much better with parmesan. 

Ingredients:

• 2 large Zucchini cut
• 1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:  Spray baking dish with olive oil and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Layer zucchini, breadcrumbs, and cheese.  Repeat until all zucchini is gone.  Layer with cheese and bread crumbs.  Bake for 20 minutes uncovered.

Orange Marmalade Pork Tenderloin

For the Fourth of July this year we spent the week in Iowa for a family Reunion and my Aunt Kathy made this dish and it was fantastic.  My husband is not a big fan of pork and he was begging me to make this.  I am not sure exactly how my aunt made it but she did tell me the ingredients so I tried it and it was fantastic. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Pork Tenderloin
• 1 jar orange marmalade
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Directions: Mix orange marmalade, worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, and cayenne pepper in a pot and heat over medium heat stirring frequently.  In a gallon Ziploc bag add pork tenderloin.  When sauce is heater should look runny pour half over tenderloin in bag and marinate for 2 hours.  Add tenderloin to baking dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and additional cayenne pepper if desired.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes covered and uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes.  Depending on your oven it might take less time so check meat when uncovering it. Re-heat glaze and pour over meat and enjoy!

Fast Tuna Melts

Don't know why I am posting this because I am pretty sure most everyone already knows how to make this dish.  Its an easy 15 minute dinner that is good and fast.  My husband is a fan of these and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  It is nothing special, but having a simple low key dinner is a nice change of pace.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans tuna of your choice
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon relish of your choice
• 2 slices cheese of your choice.  I usually use pepper jack
• salt and pepper to taste
• margarine
• 4 pieces bread

Directions:  In bowl mix tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, and salt and pepper together.  Butter one side of all four pieces of bread.  Add mixture to two pieces of bread and add the cheese on top.  Place the left over pieces of bread on top butter facing outward.  Heat on skillet until cheese is melted and tuna is warm.  Serve with soup, salad, or chips.  You can also add plain coleslaw mix into mixture to add more texture.

Cookers Note: I love making these with Jalapeno Cheese Bagels. SOOO GOOD!!

Zucchini and Chicken Penne

I saw this recipe on pinterest today and I thought I would try it with Zucchini.  So simple and delicious and best of all I was able to use fresh veggies from the garden.  I made a couple changes from the original recipe and it turned out fantastic.  Really inexpensive as well!!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cooked chicken breasts cubed
• 1 box penne pasta
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 package mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 cups Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• olive oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium skillet saute chicken until fully cooked.  Remove chicken and add about 1/2 tablespoon of oil to skillet and saute mushrooms with chopped garlic clove.  In a large pot boil water and add penne.  Add zucchini to pot for the last 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse then return to pot.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir.  In a small bowl add milk and whisk in egg.  Pour over pasta and add chicken, 2 cups cheese, and mushrooms. Mix together and add to 9 by 13 baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Cookers Note:  There is a lot of pasta with this recipe so I also made and extra freezer meal for a later time.  I always keep extra baking tins in the house for recipes that call for a lot of food.

Zucchini and Cheese Stuffed Shells WIth Meat Marinara

I was really nervous about trying these because it was a first for me.  All I have to say is first time is a charm!!  They were really good and best of all I have four more meals in the freezer for future weeks.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE freezer meals and whenever I make a meal that freezes well I always quadruple it.  I did not take any pictures of putting these bad boys together so I will direct you to The Pioneer Woman who gives step by step instructions.  PS her recipes are amazing.  *This recipe can make two full cake pans or 4 full pie pans.  If you are not making extra freezer meals 1/2 the recipe.* 

Ingredients:

• 1 box Jumbo Shells
• 1 Pound Ground Italian Sausage ( I usually get ground Italian chicken)
• 1 Pound Ground Beef
• 1 Medium Zucchini chopped
• 2 cups Italian Blend Cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 2 bottles of your favorite Pasta Sauce
• Olive Oil

Directions:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil shells for about 9 minutes or until al dente.  Drain and rinse.  Return shells to pot and add a little olive oil to prevent them from sticking together.  Add enough pasta sauce to cover the bottom of baking pan.  Fill shells with Zucchini and cheese stuffing and place on top of sauce.  Cover shells with meat marinara and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 5 minutes. 

Meat Marinara:  Brown ground Italian sausage and beef then add to the remaining pasta sauce.  Heat together until warm.

Zucchini and Cheese Stuffing:  Saute zucchini with olive oil and red pepper flakes over medium heat until tender.  Add zucchini and pepper flakes to a mixing bowl.   Mix in 2 cups of Italian style cheese and eggs until smooth.