Cheesy Potato, Sausage and Veggie Bake

I inherited some potatoes from someone going out of town this week and needed something to do with them! So I pulled out some different ingredients I had and started cooking and this recipe was born.  It came together fast and has all your comfort food favorites...potatoes, cheese, turkey sausage.  Okay, so turkey sausage isn't really a comfort food but you know what I'm saying :) I can see this being perfect for a really cold day this winter.

It's also made from scratch, so no cream of anything in it.  You probably have a lot of the ingredients on hand already!  Give it a try.

Cheesy Sausage, Potato and Veggie Bake
4 large baking potatoes
1 turkey smoked sausage ring
1/2 cup salted butter
1 orange bell pepper chopped (any color is fine)
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/4 cup chopped green chilies (I used frozen, but canned would work)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese (plus some for sprinkling on top)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus some for sprinkling on top)

Chop baking potatoes into inch sized pieces.  In a large pot, parboil potatoes for about 30 min.  Meanwhile in large saucepan, melt butter.  Saute bell pepper, onion, and broccoli in butter until tender.  Add green chilies and cook for 1 min. more.  Whisk milk and flour together in a small bowl and add to veggies. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened (about 5min) Add onion powder, salt and pepper, and both cheeses.  Stir until cheese is completely melted.  Place potatoes and sausages in a 9x13 baking dish.  Pour cheese and veggie sauce over top.  (I mixed mine around just a little to make sure everything got covered).  Top with extra shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min. 

Cheesy Ranch Chicken (Freezer Meal Friendly!)

My sister Christina used to make this all the time growing up.  It was one of our favorites!  I don't think I'd made it since college and then one day whilst planning my menu I remembered it and that it was pretty easy and that the kids would like it.  And they did! True story...the end.

Cheesy Ranch Chicken
6 chicken breasts (cut into large strips)
1 cup ranch dressing
2 T. flour
1/2 cup shredded parmesan
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cut up chicken into strips (this helps it cook faster and gets more cheesy goodness on each piece of chicken!).  In a medium bowl combine ranch and flour.  Dredge each piece of chicken in ranch mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish.  Cover with cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

For a crispier topping I like to broil on high for 5 minutes at the end.  Give it a try!

Freezer Meal Method:
Cut chicken into strips (or at least in half).  In a small bowl combine ranch and flour.  Dredge each piece of chicken in ranch mixture and place in 9x13 freezer pan.  Spread any extra sauce over the top of the chicken.  Top with both cheeses.  Cover with two pieces of aluminum foil and label.  Freeze flat.

Keep frozen until ready to use. Tent foil over pan.  Cook at 350 degrees for 45 min.  Remove foil, gently separate chicken strips so that they cook more evenly and continue cooking for another 50-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  (Use a thermometer for best indication-larger pieces may take more time) Turn oven to broil and broil on high for 5 minutes to help the cheese crisp up on top.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken (Freezer friendly!)

So as the school year picks up I've been trying out some new recipes in my crock pot.  For this recipe I kind of combined a couple other recipes I had and adapted it for a slow cooker.  It turned out super yummy and my kids even ate it.  It only took about 5 min. to throw together too.  I broiled it at the end just to make it a little crispy.

Teriyaki Chicken (In the crockpot)
1 large package boneless/skinless chicken thighs (about 8-10 thighs)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (regular sesame oil or even canola oil would work too)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (red wine vinegar works well too)
2 T. water
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 T. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 T. sesame seeds (optional)

Place chicken in the bottom of a large crockpot.  Combine all other ingredients and pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours (I did 6).  Drain chicken (reserving 1 cup of sauce)

Shred chicken with fork and place in 9x13 in. baking dish.  Cover with reserved sauce from the crockpot.  Broil on high for about 5 minutes.  Serve over rice.


Freezer Meal Instructions: 
Combine all the ingredients the day before, place in a large ziploc bag and freeze it at this point. When you are ready to cook it just dump it in your crockpot and off you go!  The only change would be to add 2 hours to cook time if you cook it from a frozen state. Then shred and broil as indicated above.

 *This is a great freezer meal to take to someone. It transports perfectly in a bag and lets them use it anytime. Double it, keep some for your family and take a busy neighbor a batch just because! What a fun way to make a new friend :)

Cheesy Zucchini and Rice

My friend Juli gave us some of her extra zucchini a little bit ago and they were huge!! I used some of it to make her zucchini soup recipe which is already on my blog and also fantastic. View it here. Then I put the rest in my food processor and split the rest up between some zucchini bread and this yummy rice!

You can't tell from the picture but there is over 3 cups of zucchini in there.  My kids didn't even notice.  Just gobbled it up with no questions.  It took about 5 minutes to throw together once the rice was cooked and it's totally from scratch. No cream soups or anything like that!  Yum :)

Cheesy Zucchini and Rice
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups rice (uncooked)
3 cups grated zucchini (I used a food processor)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar (grated)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or more...I like garlic!)
salt and pepper (to taste)

In a large saucepan add rice to chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook rice until most of the liquid is dissolved.  (Check the rice packaging for approximate cook time).

Turn heat to low. Add zucchini, butter and milk. Stir until butter is dissolved.  Slowly stir in cheese. Add garlic, salt and pepper.  Serve warm.

Coconut Banana Upside Down Cake

Yes, this tastes as good as it looks! So delicious.  I made it for a potluck and after trying a piece I was a little sad that I had to share the rest.  The caramel like topping melts down into the cake making it super moist and delicious.  You wont even be able to tell it's a boxed mix. If you like coconut, or cake, or sugar in general, you'll love this recipe.

I found it on the Girl Who Ate Everything Blog! You can click the blog title to view her recipe. I've also copied it below with a few minor changes I made.  Give it a try :)

It was so easy to make and looks pretty fancy.  Full disclosure though, when I turned it out of the pans only about 5 bananas stayed on the cake.  The rest were easy enough to pull out of the pan though and place back on the cake.  The caramel like topping is still creamy enough that the bananas sink back into place and look fab.  So give it a try!

Banana Coconut Upside Down Cake
1 yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)
3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 water
small box of instant vanilla pudding mix
6-7 bananas (sliced 1/4 in. thick)
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 T. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large stand mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, sour cream, water and instant pudding mix.

Grease two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. (She suggests 8 in. but I used 9 and it turned out fine. If you have 8 in. pans it would probably make the topping thicker)  Layer bottom of both pans with sliced bananas. 

In a small saucepan, melt butter and add brown sugar and lemon juice.  Stir until completely melted and combined.  Pour sauce over bananas.  Top each pan with 1 cup of the shredded coconut.

Divide cake batter in half and pour into each pan.  Spread evenly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Let rest 5-10 minutes and invert on serving plate.  As I said above, many of the bananas might stay in the pan simply pull them out and arrange on cake.  Enjoy!

Make Your Own Pizza Night and BBQ Chicken Pizza

Homemade pizza is one of my kiddos favorite dinners, but I don't always have time to make the crust and sauce and everything that goes into it. Plus everyone has their own favorite toppings and such.  So this is my fast and easy personal sized pizza recipe!

A few years ago my friend, Melissa, gave me the tip to use Rhodes rolls dough for the crust and I've never looked back.  If you haven't used their dough before it comes pre-portioned, frozen, and delicious.  You just let it rise and bake it.  The texas sized rolls also happen to be the perfect size to make a personal pizza! I just let the dough rise in a 9x13 pans according to the package instructions and then roll it out into a pizza crust and let my kids top it however they want.  When they are in charge of making their own food they seem to eat it a lot better. Plus we've done this for several birthday parties, late nighters, etc.  Everyone gets exactly what they want and it provides both an activity and a meal for all your guests :)  Below are a few of our favorite toppings to mix and match.  As well as a recipe for my favorite...BBQ chicken pizza!
 

Hawaiian Pizza

Personal Pizzas (makes 12 personal pizzas)

1 dozen texas size Rhodes Rolls dough
nonstick spray
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups pizza sauce (you can buy it at the store or make your own)
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Toppings of your choice (our favorites are listed below)


Let dough thaw and rise according to package directions. Spray two large baking sheets with non-stick spray and dust with cornmeal. Roll and flatten dough into small pizza crusts (apx. 1/2 in. thick and 6-8 inches in diameter) and place on prepared baking sheets.

 Top with sauce and a handful of cheese.  Choose your toppings and pile those on too.  Sprinkle with a little more mozzarella and a bit of the grated parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown.  I like to broil mine on high for an additional 3-4 minutes to make the cheese nice and toasty! Enjoy!

Topping Ideas:
pepperoni
sausage
ham
pineapple
tomatoes
onions
mushrooms
bell pepper
olives
etc.

BBQ Chicken

BBQ Chicken Pizza (Makes 12 personal pizzas)
1 dozen Rhodes Texas dinner rolls dough
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1/4 cup red onion (sliced paper thin)
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 can pineapple tidbits
2 cups shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
4 slices cooked bacon (crumbled)
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Let dough thaw and rise according to package directions. Spray two large baking sheets with non-stick spray and dust with cornmeal. Roll and flatten dough into small pizza crusts (apx. 1/2 in. thick and 6-8 inches in diameter) and place on prepared baking sheets.

Top with BBQ sauce and red onion.  Cover completely with mozzarella cheese.  Top with pineapple, chicken and bacon.  Sprinkle with a little more mozzarella and a bit of the grated parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown.  I like to broil mine on high for an additional 3-4 minutes to make the cheese nice and toasty! Enjoy!

Note: This recipe would work with any pizza crust you choose to  make.  The instructions above are for personal sized pizzas but the proportions of toppings would also work to make a large pizza as well.

Blondies

So this recipe settled a big debate between my husband and I! A few weeks ago my husband had a hankering for some blondie bars.  I told him I'd make some chocolate chip cookie bars since they were pretty much the same. "Not so" declared my husband and from there the debate began.  Finally we decided there was no to truly settle it without doing a taste test. And, the result was conclusive that blondies and chocolate cookie bars are not at all the same! I was wrong...I was so wrong! I guess there is a first time for everything.  But at least as a consolation prize I got to partake of these delicious, chewy, buttery blondies before they were devoured by my kiddos and husband. You can see my 5 year old couldn't even wait for me to finish taking the picture before she grabbed one above!

I tweaked an old recipe I had a little and also doubled it because, trust me, you're going to want a big pan of these! Give them a try :)

Blondie Bars (9x13 in. pan)
1 cup butter (melted)
2 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
2 eggs
3-4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix melted butter and brown sugar together until completely dissolved.  Add egg, vanilla and salt.  Slowly add flour, stirring constantly.  Mix in chocolate chips. Spread in 9x13 in. baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Inserted toothpick should come out clean.  Let cool 15-20 minutes and enjoy!