Bacon, avocado, and Colby jack paninis

This is another one inspired by Pinterest. I saw a pin of bacon, avocado, grilled cheese sandwiches which sounded heavenly. So I got some avocados, bacon, and Colby jack cheese. I sliced up the avocado and fried the back, and made thick slices of the cheese then threw them together on some sourdough bread (no condiments) and grilled them in our panini press. Super yummy!

Next time I might try more of an avocado spread so there's definitely avocado in each bite but otherwise they were delicious.

Mexican style hotdogs

I got this idea from a local restaurant that we used to have here in town. It was a hotdog place that had a really good "southwest" hotdog. For dinner one night last week, we made our own version...

I wrapped each hotdog in a slice of bacon (got that idea online) and then fried them in a pan. After tossing that into a bun, I added homemade guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded Mexican blend cheese, and topped it with crumbled tortilla chips. My fiancé also added green onions to his. Then on the side we just did super basic nachos and corn. Mmm.

Alfredo chicken (crockpot)

I saw a pin on Pinterest for two ingredient crockpot meals and got the idea for this. It was delicious! Could maybe use a little bit more in the spices category, but it was also great as is.

4 frozen chicken breasts,
6 red potatoes quartered,
Ground black pepper,
Minced onion,
Garlic flavored seasoning salt,
Bertolli Alfredo sauce,
Crockpot on high for 6 hours.

I'd probably do low if the breasts were thawed, but I hadn't preplanned. And the spices were just eyeballed. I added them once (as pictured) and then again once more after 3 or 4 hours (I stirred up the sauce a little bit and then added more). Also, to get all the sauce from the jar, I added some milk and shook it up, then added that in initially - a trick I learned from my mom (with red sauces I just use water).

Oreo cupcakes

I saw this idea on Pinterest a little while ago, and decided to try it out. It's super simple! After laying out your cupcake papers, put one Oreo cookie (I used the double stuffed kind) in each paper and then add your cupcake mix (I used a boxed mix). Bake as normal and then if course wait until cooled to frost them.

I would love to do a chocolate cake mix and get a peanut butter frosting - that just sounds amazing to me.

WFD: August 8, 2011 - Chicken, pasta, asparagus

I wanted to make a nice dinner for my dad (and the rest of the family) to thank him for fixing the latch on the trunk of my car, and this is what I came up with...

First I marinated the chicken (I think it was 6 boneless, skinless breasts) in this:

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper (ground)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup white wine

We don't keep fresh herbs in the house, but we have a TON of dried herbs and spices, so that's what I use.  After marinating the chicken for about 3 hours, I cooked them a bit on both sides (in a grill pan) until they became opaque on those sides, then I popped them into the oven to finish cooking. I had preheated the oven to 370 degrees (Fahrenheit) and baked them for 25 minutes (covered in foil for 20, and uncovered for the last 5), checking them periodically. They stayed really moist which was my goal, and they weren't over or underdone, so hurray!

For side dishes, I just did a rotini pasta with a garlic butter sauce (just butter and garlic powder, honestly) and some veggies in it, and then some steamed asparagus with grated Parmesan cheese on it. The vegetables are all frozen ones.

Normally I'm more of a crock pot person/casserole, so while this isn't a fancy meal, it's not my usual thing. I still baked the chicken versus grilling or boiling or anything, but it went over well.

Pasta for lunch

I need to go grocery shopping. Pretty bad. So yesterday for lunch I threw together a simple pasta dish. I took photos while I was doing it, and since it turned out well, I thought I would share it :)

Ingredients:
1 lb ground, mild Italian sausage
1 can of black, pitted olives cut into fours
1 package of spaghetti noodles
1 jar of vodka sauce
Mozzarella cheese

While my noodles were boiling and my sausage was browning, I drained my olives and cut each one into four pieces

Next I added my browned meat

I added a bit of my vodka sauce to my meat/olive mixture and let that sit for a moment while my noodles finished cooking, and then while I drained them

Added the pasta

Topped it with some cheese, though not too much because my daughter doesn't like cheese

And voila - lunch! (cheese melted in)

Hash Brown Casserole

I brought dinner to my man last night, and opted to try a new recipe; hash brown casserole. It was pretty darn good! I made it late morning at home, and then we reheated it for dinner at his place. I really liked it, but am anxious to try it again where I can eat it fresh out of the oven. Mmm!

The recipe is by Paula Dean, and where she uses 8 cups of cubed French bread, I used a mix of French and wheat bread. I did it for 50 minutes because usually my oven needs 5 more minutes than what most foods suggest, but I think 40 or 45 would have been best.

Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons butter
* 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
* 4 cups frozen shredded hash browns
* 1 pound bulk sausage, mild, hot or sage
* 2 1/4 cups whole milk
* 8 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 loaf French bread, cubed (no crust)
* 5 slices wheat bread, cubed
* 2 cups (1/2 pound) grated Cheddar
* 2 cups (1/2 pound) freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a deep 13 by 9-inch casserole dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan.

Add the onion and saute over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the hash browns and break apart. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.

In a second frying pan, saute the sausage, breaking apart large clumps. When the sausage is cooked through, remove it from pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mustard, briskly to blend.

To assemble, spread the onions and hash browns evenly at the bottom of the greased dish. Place the bread cubes evenly on top of hash browns. With a slotted spoon distribute sausage as the third layer. Pour the milk and egg mixture over these layers. Add Parmesan as the next layer, while then adding the Cheddar.

Save a few tablespoons of Cheddar for the last 10 minutes of baking, where you can add a fresh topping of melted Cheddar.

Bake the casserole, uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.

I didn't get a photo of it cut and served, because I just didn't think about it at the time, but you can see one by clicking here, where you can also find the original recipe.