Cracker Crunch

This is not really a recipe per say,  but this is a fun little snack you can throw together fast....Heck, sometimes we even eat this for a light dinner.

Ingredients:
Ritz Crackers
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Nalley Cheese Chili

                     





 
 
Directions:
Lay crackers on a plate in a single layer.
Top with cheese.  Put in microwave for 30 or so seconds to melt cheese.
Put chili in a bowl and warm up.
Dip crackers in chili.

Rate It!
Jen 7
Kile: 6.5
Kiley:
Madee: 7
Destrie:  10

Ramen Noodle Salad

 Recipe and Photo found on Pinterest.



 Ingredients:

1 pkg of cole slaw mix
2 pkgs of chicken ramen noodles (could also use beef)
4 ozs of sliced almonds
6 ozs of sunflower seeds
3 green onions chopped

Dressing for the salad:
1/2 cup of oil
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tbls of vinegar
2 chicken packets that came with the noodles

Directions:
Mix the ramen noodles, almonds sunflower seeds, and green onions together. Then add the slaw.
In another bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad mix and toss.
Best served 1/2 hour after mixing it up.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile: 8
Kiley: 7
Madee: 8
Destrie: 5

Our Version of a Texas Twister

It's Fair Week where we live, and every year, I get my mouth watering for a Texas Twister Drink.

 Well, I got the great idea that I would try and re-create this drink at home.  I think we came pretty dang close....  Yummy Stuff!!!



 Ingredients:
4 oranges
4 lemons
4 limes
1 bottle Maraschino Cherries (juice also)
1 can Hawaii's Own Passion Punch Frozen concentrate
2 liter Diet 7-Up

Directions:
Juice 3 oranges, 3 lemons, and 3 limes.
Rinse last orange, lemon, and lime....cut in to slices...add to pitcher with juices.
Dump in cherries...juice and all.
Add Hawaii's Own frozen concentrate.
Add 7-up and stir to combine.
Serve over a glass of crushed ice.

Rate It!
Jen: 9.5
Kile: 9.5
Kiley: 8
Madee: 7
Destrie: 10  I loved it!! 

Crockpot Honey and Parmesan Pork Roast

 
 Photo from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients
1 (2-3 pound) boneless pork roast
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup cold water

Directions
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place roast in slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the cheese, honey, soy sauce, basil, garlic, oil and salt; pour over pork. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

Remove meat from crockpot and shred.  Return to juices.
Serve on hard rolls.

Rate It!
Jen: 8
Kile:
Kiley:
Madee: 7
 Destrie: 7

Summer Chicken Salad

 Recipe and Photo from: The Pioneer Woman
 

Ingredients
Salad:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil, for drizzling
4 ears fresh corn (or use 2 if on the large side)
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill, plus more for serving
3 stalks celery (inner light green stalks and leaves), finely diced
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Dressing:
3/4 cup crumbled feta, plus more for serving
1/4 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
For the salad: Put the chicken breasts into a large plastic storage bag. Pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten to 1/4-inch uniform thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a grill and drizzle with the olive oil. Grill the chicken on both sides until done, about 7 minutes per side. (Rotate halfway during grilling each side to ensure pretty grill marks.) Set aside to cool.

Grill the corn for a few minutes, until still crunchy but colored. With a very sharp knife, shave the kernels off each corn cob. Combine with the dill, celery and onions in a large bowl. Set aside.

For the dressing: Mix together the feta, half-and-half, mayonnaise and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Stir, and then taste. Add more salt if necessary.

Slice the chicken on the bias to create flat, randomly shaped pieces. Throw into the bowl with the celery, onions and corn. Stir to combine. Pour half of the dressing over the ingredients and toss gently. Add more as desired, but don't overcoat the salad; it should be light! At the end, toss in the blueberries to lightly coat them in the dressing.

Forgot to get Ratings.....
*Everyone ate it with no complaints...it was really good !

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

Recipe and Photo from: Life as a Lofthouse

For the Bacon:
8 slices bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty tinfoil. Arrange bacon in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the bacon evenly with the brown sugar. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until bacon is crispy and sugar is caramelized. Remove from oven. Immediately remove bacon, using a pair of tongs, and place onto a cutting board. (DON'T USE PAPER TOWELS, the bacon will stick to them!!) Let bacon cool, and then chop into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

For the Waffles:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups buttermilk


Directions: Preheat waffle iron.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar. Whisk together to blend. In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold in. Once mixture is almost fully incorporated, add bacon bites. Stir. Try not to over-mix the batter, it can make the waffles tough. The batter will be lumpy!

Cook waffles according to your waffle iron instructions. Serve with maple syrup and strawberries.


Rate It!
Jen: 7.5
Kile: not home
Kiley: 7
Madee: 7
Destrie: 10

Bacon Cheddar and Ranch Potato Salad

Recipe and photo from Jamie Cooks It Up!

8 large russet potatoes
1 (16 ounce) package bacon
1 C mayonnaise
1 C sour cream
2 (1 ounce) packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix
1 C celery, chopped
1/4 C green onions
1 C cheddar cheese

1. Grab 8 large russet potatoes. Wash and peel them.
2. Chop them up into pieces that are relatively similar and toss them into a large pot. Run cold water over the potatoes and then drain the water off. Fill the pot with hot water and set it on the stove top.
3. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When you have a nice rolling boil, lower the temperature to medium high and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.
4. Cook the bacon, either on the stove top or in your oven.
5. Dump the potatoes and hot water into a colander you have placed in your sink. Run cold water over the top to cool the potatoes down, then pour them into a large mixing bowl.
6. Into a small mixing bowl place 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 cup of sour cream and 2 packages Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix. Stir everything around to combine well.
7. Wash and chop about 1 cup of celery. Add it to the potatoes.
8. Chop up a little more than 1/4 cup of green onions. Add 1/4 to the potatoes and reserve some to sprinkle on top.
9. Take  bacon and crumble it up into small pieces. Save a handful to sprinkle on the top of the salad before you serve. Put the rest of the bacon along with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese into the mixing bowl.
10. Pour the Ranch/Mayo mixture over the top and stir it all in, making sure everything is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
11. Just before serving add a few chopped green onions, a bit of bacon and a little cheddar cheese over the top.

* This was really good!  I loved the "Ranch" taste.  My kids don't love potato salad, so I didn't ask for ratings from them.  Kile liked it, but wanted the green onions left out- he's weird like that....just kidding!  I highly recommend it for a different twist on Potato Salad.