Andes Mint Cookies

These cookies are AMAZING. I'd go so far as to say they are my favorite cookies ever. They just melt in your mouth and are seriously so easy anyone can make them! My dear friend Jessica made them for us when we left for Disney but they didn't even make it out of our town :) Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff.

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. Don't cook any longer than that! You don't want them to be overdone!
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

They set up a LOT better and are easier to handle once they've cooled a bit-so if you can resist the temptation, try to do that! If not-get ready for a delicious, gooey mess!

Pumpkin Chicken Enchiladas

8 corn tortillas

A few tablespoons of cilantro

Chicken, shredded (maybe a pound)

Optional: roasted green chiles, chopped small

6 oz. of white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Sauce

1 can of pumpkin puree (15 oz)

3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 jalapeno (remove seeds and membranes if you don’t need extra heat)

1 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock or water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, puree pumpkin, jalapeno, chicken stock, garlic, chile powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Place 1 cup of this sauce in the bottom of an 8 inch glass casserole dish. In a bowl, combine shredded chicken with green chiles, cilantro, and/or scallions and season with salt and pepper. Place some of the chicken mixture on each tortilla and then lay the tortilla seam side down in the casserole dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line an 11″- x 7″-inch pan with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, eggs and oil until smooth. Set aside.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, salt and brown sugar. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until passes toothpick test. Cool completely before cutting.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

So. Stinking. Good. And super easy to make a lot ahead of time and freeze. I even threw them in the crock pot right out of the freezer with a can of Marinara for a couple of hours (just ignoring the cooking/tomatoe-y part, basically) and it was perfect!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 large egg
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/4 to 1/2 cup hot sauce (to taste)
3 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 – 4 cups Corn Flakes cereal, crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream cheese and hot sauce, cheddar cheese and green onions. Roll a heaping tablespoon of mixture into a 1½-inch ball and place onto a plate or separate baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture.Place flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, place eggs. In a third shallow dish, Place cornflakes. Dip each chicken ball first into the flour, then the egg and ending with the Corn Flakes. Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm with ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Super Easy Super Yummy Crock Pot Soup

Can of Rotel (any kind)
Can of corn
Can of black beans (drained & rinsed)
2 frozen chicken breasts
8 oz cream cheese
1 packet dry ranch dressing
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Enjoy! (Good with tortilla chips!)

Baked Ziti with Pumpkin and Sausage

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 cups (12 oz.) dry regular or whole-wheat ziti
• 1 can (15 oz.) Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 can (12 fl. oz.)Nestle Carnation Evaporated Fat Free Milk
• 4 links (12 oz.) fully-cooked Italian-seasoned chicken sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 pkg. (6 oz.) or about 4 cups pre-washed baby spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded part-skim or 2% milk reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup (1.5 oz.) shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 425º F. Spray 4-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and set aside for later use. Drain pasta; return to cooking pot.

Meanwhile, combine pumpkin, flour, garlic powder, salt, nutmeg and cayenne pepper in medium skillet over medium heat. Slowly add evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken slightly. Pour over pasta in pot. Add sausage and reserved pasta cooking water; stir well.

Spread half of the pasta mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with spinach. Cover with remaining pasta mixture. Lightly spray piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover ziti with foil, greased side down.

Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Combine mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in small bowl. Remove foil; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Bake, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Veggie Bars

2 packages crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese (8oz each-so 16oz total)
1C mayonnaise
Package of dry Ranch dressing mix
1C chopped carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower (more or less if you want)
1C shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease two 9x13 pans. Press one package of crescent rolls into each pan, pinching the seams together. Bake until golden brown according to the time on the package. Cool. Meanwhile, mix together cream cheese (the softer the better!), mayo, and Ranch. Spread the mixture over the crusts. Chop the vegetables (I've used a food processor before, usually I end up chopping them finely by hand so I don't haul out the processor just for that much) and sprinkle over the mixture, and sprinkle cheese over the vegetables. Press with waxed paper and refrigerate overnight (I keep the waxed paper on until I'm ready to serve).

Cheerleader Dip

Big tub of sour cream (biggest you can find)
8oz cream cheese, softened
1 packet taco seasoning

Mix together, top with cheese and, if desired, any other taco toppings. Good with tortilla chips or Fritos!

Bacon Squash Saute

This is NOT on the healthy list. I made this because we had the stuff for it and ironically nothing else to make (I searched for things to make with zucchini and bacon and found this). It was tasty-but I wouldn't make it all the time, just because it's not the best for you I'm sure!

• 6 bacon strips, diced
• 2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I used the 4 zucchini I had on hand-no yellow)
  
• 2 small yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (I omitted)
  

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp; remove to paper towels. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings. In the drippings, saute the zucchini, yellow squash and onion for 6-8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle with bacon.

I took it a bit further and sprinkled cheese on top and popped it back in the oven until it melted. Yum!

Pizza Pockets

This is a fun little thing I've been making since I had a babysitting job way back when... super easy and super fast!

1 can biscuits
Pizza sauce
Cheese
Pizza toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten half of the biscuits, and place on baking sheet. Top with sauce (use sparingly!), cheese, and toppings. Flatten the rest of the biscuits and place on top of the little "pizzas"-stretch them, carefully, and pinch the seams around the edges with a fork-creating a little stromboli effect. Poke holes carefully in the top to vent. Bake 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Zesty Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken

This was pretty good! I was going to make barbecue chicken anyway, so I thought I'd try something just a tiny bit different. It added a little bit of a kick to it-I don't think I'd make it every time because I really like using honey barbecue sauce with my chicken, but it's good for a change! Recipe found here.

• 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbecue sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Taco Potion #19

We started making our own taco/fajita seasoning! Easy and tasty. Sometimes I just don't need as much as is in a packet... and it's just plain fun to make your own stuff. Alton Brown's recipe found here.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons hot smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Put all of the ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

French Fries

We tried a different way than usual. Not the healthiest for sure! Pretty good but nothing mind blowing. Recipe found here. It says that the sugar solution does something to the carbs so that it doesn't soak up as much grease-so they get crunchier and they are a little more healthy.

• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 large russet potatoes - peeled, and sliced into 1/4 inch strips
• 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
• salt to taste

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water. Soak potatoes in water mixture for 15 minutes. Remove from water, and dry thoroughly on paper towels.
2. Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Add potatoes, and cook until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. drain on paper towels. Season with salt to taste.

Asian Beef with Mandarin Oranges

Hands-On Time: 25 minutes

Ready In: 10 hours (LOW) or 5 to 6 hours (HIGH)
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1⁄2-inch strips
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 small green bell pepper, sliced
1 package (about 3 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 head bok choy, cleaned and chopped
1 can (5 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained and syrup reserved
2 cups beef broth
6 cups steamed rice

Directions

1. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add beef, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning to brown all sides. Transfer beef to 4 1⁄2-quart CROCK-POT® slow cooker as it is browned.
2. Add onion to same skillet. Stir over medium heat until softened. Add next soy sauce, salt, ginger, green pepper, mushrooms, bok choy and water chestnuts and cook until bok choy is wilted, about 5 minutes. Spoon mixture over beef.
3. Whisk together corn starch and reserved mandarin orange syrup in medium bowl. Stir in beef broth and pour over ingredients in CROCK-POT® slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 10 hours or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours or until beef is tender.
4. Stir in mandarin oranges. Spoon steamed rice into shallow serving bowl and spoon beef over rice.

Almost Lasagna

This made SO MUCH. I put a ton more vegetables in than was called for-almost an entire bag of spinach, two zucchini, and a red pepper-basically what's in the Farmer's Market Lasagna that we love. There was enough that we ate (large portions) for dinner and lunch the next day, and then had enough to freeze... which we unfroze a few days later when I forgot to take anything else out. That batch was better-the sauce was able to soak into everything, and we made it with cheddar cheese because we had no mozzarella-and that was a good switch (I think we'd use cheddar next time-it makes it different!)

Ingredients

• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked, (or other similarly shaped pasta-like small shells)
• 1 pound Ground turkey, (or beef, chicken, sausage or tofu crumbles)
• 1 jar Pasta Sauce, (26 ounces)
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 pound Ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 cups veggies , (diced zucchini, matchstick carrots, etc.)
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Brown meat and drain well, if necessary.
2. While meat is cooking, stir together eggs, ricotta, grated Parmesan and salt and pepper.
3. Mix cooked meat, macaroni, sauce and veggies. Add ricotta mixture and blend well.
4. Coat a 9-by-13 baking pan with cooking spray or olive oil and spread half of macaroni mixture evenly over the bottom. Top with a cup of mozzarella and a healthy sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with another cup of mozzarella and another sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with foil.
5. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly.

Spiced Chocolate Muffins

The measurements on this one are dumb-must have originally been metric or something. Recipe from my muffins cookbook.

3 1/2oz butter, softened
5oz superfine sugar (I just used regular)
4oz brown sugar
2 large eggs
5oz sour cream
5 tablespoons milk
9oz flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon allspice
7oz semisweet chocolate chips

Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners. Place the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a bowl and beat well. Beat in the eggs, sour cream, and milk until thoroughly mixed. Sift the flour, baking soda, cocoa, and allspice into a separate bowl and stir into the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix well. Divide evenly into muffin liners, bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

**I think cayenne would be REALLY good in it-I'll try it next time! Also, the chocolate chips all sank to the bottom. Next time I'll stir in half, bake the muffins for a few minutes then sprinkle the rest on top.

Ginger Stir-Fry Marinade

Super simple but our current favorite stir fry marinade :)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root, divided
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, blend cornstarch, garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil until cornstarch is dissolved. Mix in salt and remaining 1 teaspoon ginger.

Pureed Chickpea Soup - Passato di Ceci

Recipe from Food Network (and I copied and pasted it-the chef must have written it herself, it's written in the same animated way in which she talks!) Patrick and Maya were huge fans of it, I liked it but couldn't eat a ton of it because it was kind of like flavor overload. We'll definitely make it again though! (And also-we made grilled cheese with it out of the rest of the loaf of fresh bread which was a huge win!)

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 pound pancetta, cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 2 celery ribs, cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 6 garlic cloves, smashed, divided
• 2 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bundle fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 quart water
• 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
• 5 to 6 (1/2-inch) slices country style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions

Coat a large pot with olive oil, add the pancetta and bring to a medium heat. When the pancetta starts to become crispy, add the onion, celery, carrots, 3 cloves of garlic, pinch of crushed red pepper and season lightly with salt. Sweat the veggies for 6 to 7 minutes or until they become very aromatic and start to soften.

Drain the water from the soaked chickpeas, rinse and add to the pot. Add the chicken stock, thyme bundle, bay leaves and 1 quart of water. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the chickpeas are very soft and falling apart, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn off the heat, season the water with salt and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Fill a skillet with olive oil until it is about 1/2-inch deep, and the remaining 3 garlic cloves, the rosemary leaves and a pinch of crushed red pepper and bring it to a medium heat. Remove the garlic once it is golden; it has fulfilled its garlic destiny. Add the bread cubes and cook until they start to become crispy and golden. (They will absorb a LOT of the oil. That's why they taste good!) Season with salt and remove the croutons from the oil to a bowl, reserving the rosemary oil. MMMMM!

Add the infused oil to the soup. Puree the soup in a food processor, blender, or good old fashioned food mill. Correct the consistency and seasoning, if necessary. If the soup is too thick, cook it a little more to reduce it, or thin it by adding more stock or water. Taste to be sure the seasoning is perfect.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with the croutons and finish with a large drizzle of olive oil.

California Black Bean Chili

Recipe from Kas! Sooooo good.

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey

2 cans (15oz) black beans, drained

1 can (7oz) diced green chilies

1 can (14oz) diced fire roasted tomatoes

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

3 cups diced Zucchini

1 cup frozen onions

1 packet (1.5oz) chili seasoning mix

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Brown turkey in a skillet and throw it all in the crock pot for 4-6 hours. (Our house smelled soooo good when we walked in after being gone all day!)