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Chicken Spaghetti Casserole
Tired of the same of chicken dish for dinner? Then give this casserole a try. A savory one dish meal made up of sautéed vegetables, spaghetti and chicken. While baked in a creamy cheese sauce. Talk about rib-sticking, heart and soul comfort food to the max. YUM-O!
INGREDIENTS
7 ounces thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 (6 ounce) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
Two (10.75-ounce) cans Cream of Chicken & Mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cups sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
2. Cook 1 cut up chicken fryer. Pick out meat to make two cups. Chop and set aside.
3. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth. Cook pasta according to package directions, but only cook it until it’s al dente (you still want a little bite to it). Drain the pasta and set it aside.
4. Melt butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery and bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together milk and soup until smooth. Add this mixture to the vegetables in the pan. Stir in mushrooms and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. Continue to heat the mixture until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth. Add in cooked chicken, pasta and season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese on top.
6. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the casserole is hot and bubbly and golden brown. Serve & Enjoy!
*CHEF’S TIP – Turn this casserole into a day-after-Thanksgiving meal by adding leftover turkey instead of chicken.
Confetti Ice Cream Pops
Beneath the confetti-candy covering of these ice cream pops lies a marvelous surprise: Oreos, M&M’s and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. All swirled together with creamy vanilla ice cream on a Popsicle stick. This recipe is great for all those “mini chefs” to get cooking in the kitchen. Not to mention its a great way for them to get in on all the fun. Perch the pops on a chilled cake stand to give them a longer life during serving.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 package Oreo cookies (12 to 14 cookies) , crushed
15 regular-size Reese’s peanut butter cups, crushed
10 ounces M&M candy (about 1 cup), crushed
1/2 gallon Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
15- 20 (5-ounce) paper cups
Candy Sprinkles or Confetti
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Crush and combine the Oreo cookies, Reese’s peanut butter cups and M&M candy.
2. Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl of a mixer, then pour in the candy-cookie mix. Mix gently with a paddle attachment. Spoon the ice cream into the cups and carefully insert a popsicle sick into each pop.
3. Freeze until the ice cream has solidified.
4. Pour confetti or sprinkles into a shallow bowl and set aside. Peel the cup from each ice cream pop and roll the pops in the decorations to cover completely.
5. Serve Immediately or store in the freezer for up to 3 days.
*CHEF’S NOTE: BYOC (Be Your Own Chef) Mix and match your favorite candy and/or cookie combinations. Not in the mood for candy or cookies? Try fruit. The possibilities are endless.
Infused “Spa” Water
For years, top spas from around the world have touted the amazing health benefits of healthy hydration and strived to create healthier more delicious and aesthetically appealing fruit, herb and floral infused waters to pamper their guests. These naturally infused vitamin waters not only replenish and enhance relaxation but are also beautiful and refreshing!
So do you want to give your home spa the finishing touch? Want to calm yourself in a sip? Or maybe you just need a more interesting way to get the recommended 8 glasses a day. Whatever your motive, infused “spa” water is perfect for this purpose. It’s healthy, tasty, inexpensive, and refreshing too. Try some, your body will thank you!
Infused “Spa” Water FAQ
What size containers do you use?
For an individual serving use a 28 oz ball or mason jar. Try to drink two of mason jars a day to make sure you are properly hydrated. Using measurable containers helps to regulate how much water you are drinking, plus they are cheap and convenient. Want to make a batch for the whole family? Go ahead, knock yourself out and make a pitcher full.
How long should I infuse the water?
Each water recipe is different, but a good rule of thumb is to infuse for at least four hours to get the most flavor. The best way is to infuse waters overnight in the refridgerator.
Can I leave the infused “spa” water out overnight?
Absolutely. Would you be worried if you left a lemon or some raspberries out overnight at room temperature? Probably not. Fruit immersed in water will not change its chemical structure or cause bacteria to grow.
Is it important to use organic fruit and herbs?
If you are infusing fruit with the rind on, such as lemon slices, you should use organic fruit. Otherwise, you could potentially be drinking pesticides – gross! If you don’t have access to organic produce, simply cut the rinds off.
Is there any nutritional value to infused waters?
Yup. Nutrients leak out of the fruit into the water. You don’t get as many vitamins as you would if you were drinking fruit juice, but you don’t get the extra calories or fructose either.
How To Make Infused “Spa” Water
1. Decide what type of spa water you want- here are the main types, but feel free to improvise.
- Lemon Water: Pure, fresh water with crisp lemon slices and maybe a dash of sugar. Best as a healthy alternative to lemonade, or to relax and perk up after a hard day.
- Orange and Lime Water: Clean, mineral enhanced water with a few small slices of lime and orange alternating. Best for spa treatments.
- Cucumber Water: Clean, pure water with 3-6, depending on pitcher size, large cucumber slices. Best after working out. Also, if you’re a kid, a less embarrassing way to get your vegetables.
- Peach Water: Just plain yummy! Peach slices in clean water. Also good in seltzer, these are good for parties (spa night, anyone?)
2. Gather your ingredients.
3. Fill a pitcher with cool water, and add a few ice cubes if desired.
4. Slice chosen fruit(s) into desired size- this varies depending on the size of the container you are using. Be careful not to put in too many or too large slices- this will cause the water to be overpowering, and make it seem pulpy and more like juice. Which you don’t want. Spa water should hint at the taste of said fruit, not completely give it.
5. Put the slices into the container(s), shake a little, and wait a few hours or overnight for the taste to set in.
6. Pour a little into a glass and sample it. There should be little to no pulp, just a hint of flavor, and you should feel refreshed
Source(s):
No-Bake Cheesecake
I love me some cheesecake. Cherry, Snickers, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Key Lime, Strawberry, Plain, ANY C-H-E-E-S-E-C-A-K-E! That’s why I can’t wait til my birthday. Anywho, whenever I get the chance to treat myself to something good; my go to is always cheesecake. Try this no fuss, no bake, easy as pie recipe today. It’s sure to please the senses.
Ingredients
for the crust
2 cups Nilla Wafers crumbs, finely crushed
1 stick of butter, melted
1/3 cup of sugar
for the filling
2 (8 oz) packs cream cheese, soften
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Put Nilla Wafers in a large resealable plastic bag, and crush them with a rolling pin until very fine.
2. Pour crumbs into a medium bowl; stir in sugar. Add butter, and stir until well combined.
3. Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan, spreading it 1 1/2 to 2 inches up the side; press flat. Chill crust in freezer at least 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the filling: Using an electric mixer set at medium-high speed, beat the soften cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.
5. Pour the filling into the prepared crust; smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
6. Unclasp sides of pan, and remove cheesecake.
7. Top with your favorite fruit topping or serve plain. Your Choice.
8. ENJOY!
*CHEF’S NOTE – The cookie pie crust can be made with any type of crunchy cookie like Oreos, graham crackers, shortbread, gingersnaps, chocolate chip cookies etc. Be creative & Let your imagination run wild.
Porter House BLT Salad
Usually when we make a salad we just use whatever we have in the fridge. And today is no exception; A classic BLT sandwich turned salad. Delish!
INGREDIENTS
4-6 strips of cooked bacon
1 bag of Dole American Blend Salad mix
1/2 cucumber, peeled & sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheese
2-3 hard boiled eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
Brown bacon until done. Drain on paper towel. Cut into pieces and set aside.
Wash all veggies well (make sure you dry the lettuce when finished). Peel and slice 1/2 of a cucumber, set aside. Next peel and roughly chop hard boiled eggs.
Add salad to a large bowl. Top salad with bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, cheese and eggs. Serve with your favorite dressing.
Porter House Breakfast Burritos
We love breakfast here in the Porter House. So much so that sometimes we have it for dinner. I Know Right. Anywho, Being a Chef, a Baker and a Foodie I loathe the Food Network. And one of my all time faves is Ree Drummond A.K.A Pioneer Woman. So when you combine Ree Drummond + Breakfast together you get AWESOMENESS! That’s where the Breakfast Burrito comes into play. Now dont get me wrong Ree’s recipe is great, but I think it takes a lot of time. So like always I remixed it and you know what Sweetie and I love my version just as much. And it’s quick & easy!
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Mild Pork Sausage
1 Pkg. Simply Potatoes Hash Browns
8 to 12 Large eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 cups of shredded cheese
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 pkg. flour (burrito size) tortillas
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Saute diced onions and bell peppers.
2. Add ground sausage to onion/pepper mixture. Brown until done; Drain on a paper towel.
3. Cook hash browns in the same pan.
4. While the hash browns are cooking – In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper.
5. Now add the browned sausage mixture back to the pan with the cooked hash browns.
6. Next add the eggs to the sausage mixture and cook until the eggs are done, stirring gently.
7. After eggs are done & everything is incorporated – lay a tortilla on a flat surface. Place egg mixture in the middle of tortilla. Top with cheese. Fold both sides inward. Next fold over the end closest to you and begin to roll into a burrito.
8. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or plain. Your choice.
*Chef’s Note – This recipe makes alot of burritos. So for the extra leftovers wrap them individually in plastic wrap and place in a freezer ziploc bag. When you are ready to eat one just take it out and warm it up in the microwave. Perfect for that Breakfast On The Go!
Source: Pioneer Woman
Put The Lime In The Coconut Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
for the Key Lime curd:
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Key Lime juice, fresh or bottled
4 TBSP unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks
for the coconut cupcakes:
1 box white cake mix
1/4 c. oil
3 eggs
1 (8 oz.) carton sour cream
1 (15.5 oz) can cream of coconut
for the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
4 TBSP milk
Angel Flake coconut
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Key Lime curd:
In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk and sugar for one minute. Whisk in the Key Lime juice until well combined.
Place the mixture over medium-low heat and whisk constantly until thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter, one chunk at a time until melted and incorporated.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Let cool slightly. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the curd and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Make the cupcakes:
Line 28-30 muffin cups with liners. Preheat oven to 350.
With an electric mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 minutes.
Scoop into cupcake liners and bake 18-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes spring back when touched lightly with a finger. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire racks.
Make the frosting:
In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until softened and fluffy. Add 5 cups of powdered sugar and the milk. Beat on low until combined, then on medium until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too thin for spreading, add the remaining cup of powdered sugar. Set aside.
Fit a pastry bag with a medium-size tip, such as a Wilton 4B star, and fill with the lime curd. Press the tip into the cooled cupcakes and squeeze. You’ll see the cupcakes plump up…that’s what you want. Stop squeezing, remove the tip and repeat for the rest of the cupcakes.
Top each cupcake with a generous amount of frosting and smooth with an offset spatula. Sprinkle on the coconut. Serve immediately, or store the cupcakes in the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for several minutes before serving.
*CHEF’S NOTE – The lime curd will fill about 16-18 cupcakes; Leave some unfilled for people who are afraid of “curd.”
Source: Huffington Post
Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
This recipe takes me back to a time when I was a little girl and my mom would buy these Sara Lee Coffee Cakes. We would warm it up and eat it for breakfast or as a after dinner treat. Oh the memories. How I hold them so close and dear to my heart. Love You Mom!
Ingredients
CAKE
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
CINNAMON TOPPING
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE GLAZE
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk (may need more)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Step 1: Cake
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Beat in milk and eggs. Stir in melted butter. Pour the cake batter into a greased 9 X 13 inch pan. Set aside
Step 2: Cinnamon Topping
In a medium bowl, mix together all of the cinnamon topping ingredients until creamy. Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon topping mixture on top of the batter. Use a knife to swirl the cinnamon mixture into the batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Step 3: Cream Cheese Glaze
Make the glaze by mixing all of the glaze ingredients until silky. You may need more milk or more powdered sugar to reach a desired glaze consistency. Insert a toothpick into the cake part to check for doneness. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle on the cream cheese glaze. Serve warm.
* CHEF’S NOTE – This coffee cake goes perfect with your morning cup of Joe, Hot Chocolate or OJ (my fave). This would also make an excellent brunch dish too! Feelin’ nutty? Just add a cup of finely chopped pecans to the cinnamon filling.
Source: Divas Can Cook
Porter House Italian Salad
Who doesn’t love the Olive Garden? Not anybody I know. Any time we get the chance to go there it is one thing in particular we REALLY look forward to. That lovely bowl of fresh salad and warm garlic breadsticks. Oh I can just taste it now. That’s why I googled the recipe until I found a close replica that I could make at home. May not be exact but it’s pretty darn close. Divertiti! (Enjoy!)
Ingredients
Salad:
1 large head romaine lettuce
slices red onion
black olives
4-6 banana peppers
2 small tomatoes, quartered (I actually used grape tomatoes, cut in half)
½ c. croutons
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salad Dressing:
½ c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 Tb. corn syrup
2 Tb. Parmesan cheese
2 Tb. Romano cheese
¼ tsp garlic salt – or one clove garlic, minced
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp parsley flakes
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 tsp white sugar
Instructions
Mix all dressing ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal tastes, add a little extra sugar, but don’t overdo it!
Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Put lettuce in bowl. Place on top of lettuce red onions, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Salad Dressing on top
* CHEF’S NOTE – Using fat-free mayo and light corn syrup, this dressing is only 34 calories for 2 tbs of dressing!
Source: Vittles Divine
Porter House Broccoli Salad
I absolutely love broccoli. It is definitely my favorite vegetable. So when I was first introduced to this salad it was at our wedding shower; I instantly fell in love. And then it showed up again at a baby shower we attended. That was it; I had to know the recipe. And the rest is history.
Ingredients
8 slices bacon, crumbled
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and crumble.
In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, cheese, bacon, raisins and onion. Now in a small bowl prepare the dressing by whisking together the red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, salt, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Combine dressing with salad and toss until it is well coated. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Serve & Enjoy!
* Chef’s Note – Want a little crunch? Add in some of your favorite nuts!
I Am Lady Fab 