Feta & Spinach Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts.

This is another one of my most requested recipes...

This dish is easy enough for every night family meals,
yet impressive enough to serve your guests at any dinner party.

It is simple to throw together and it freezes beautifully!
I always make a ton of these suckers to keep in the freezer for those nights that I just don't feel like cooking.
Directions for freezing and freezing photos can be found by clicking --> HERE
You can make it with cream cheese or feta.

Dana's Spinach & Feta Stuffed, Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts.

It's not so much a recipe as it is a technique.

You Will Need...

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts. (as many as you would like to make)
bacon ( prosciutto is really good too!) enough to wrap each breast with one slice.
Feta Cheese (You'll need approx 2 Tablespoons per breast)
Frozen spinach (I mix the spinach and cheese about half-n-half, so eyeball it.)
Salt & Pepper to taste.
Tooth-picks

Directions

*Pound each of your chicken breasts to approx 1/2 inch thick. (or butterfly them open)
*Season each breast with salt/pepper.
*Spread approx 2 tablespoons of the FETA cheese & Spinach onto the widest portion of each breast.
*Roll the breast up around the filling, starting at the widest end of the breast.
*Wrap each chicken roll with one slice of bacon.
*Secure bacon ends with tooth-picks.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for approx 35-40 minutes or until juices run clear.

ENJOY!!

Super Easy Cheerios Bars

This Recipe is my most searched recipe (based on Google.com searches)
I thought It was time to re-post it before it was lost deep deep into the archives.

This snack couldn't be easier!

It has Peanut Butter, Honey , Peanuts, chocolate and the whole Grain Goodness of Cheerios cereal.

Dana's Yummy Cheerios Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

3 cups Cheerios cereal

1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

1/2 cup salted peanuts (optional)

in a small sauce pan, bring the honey & sugar to a boil over med heat. As soon as the sugar is dissolved remove from heat.

Stir in the peanut butter until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine Cheerios, peanuts & chocolate chips.

Pour the peanut butter & honey mixture over the cereal mixture...

Stir until well coated.

spread into a buttered 9x9 pan

let cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

The BEST Cream of Broccoli Soup!

It's Fall!
And that means it's time for soup!
This is a wonderful Cream of Broccoli Soup.
It's thick.
It's creamy.
It's filling.
It'll warm ya up!
It doesn't take long to throw together.
And... if all 5 of my young-folk will eat it, it's gotta be good!
We like this with a nice hunk of crusty bread.

Dana's Cream Of Broccoli Soup

serves 4-6

-- 2 Tablespoons Butter
-- 1 onion , chopped
-- 1 garlic clove, minced
-- 4-5 Cups broccoli, cut into bite size pieces.
-- 1 celery stalk, chopped
-- 2 cans (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth. (I use homemade stock)
-- 3 Tablespoons butter
-- 3 Tablespoons flour
-- 1 1/2 Cups Milk
-- 3/4 Cup (or to taste) Velveeta Cheese, cubed
-- freshly ground black pepper.
-- 1/2 cup shredded carrots. (optional)

1.) Melt 2 Tbs butter in a medium pot.
2.) Saute onion, garlic, celery until tender.
3.) Add chicken broth and broccoli; cover and simmer for 10 min.
4.) Remove from heat.
5.) Puree the soup, with a blender. (I use a stick blender) return to heat.
**(Now is the time to add the shredded carrots if you choose to)
6.) in a small saucepan, over med heat, melt 3 Tbs butter, stir in 3 Tbs flour, & add milk.
7.) Stir over med heat until thick and bubbly, add to the soup pot.
8.) add Velveeta, stir until melted.
9.) season with black pepper and serve.

(We like ours a little chunky, so I often pull out some of the broccoli before I puree the soup, and add it back to the soup when I add the cheese.)

ENJOY!

If I were going to the electric chair tomorrow....

This would be the request for my last meal!

Last night the Man-of-My-Dreams and I went out for our anniversary.
we went to "Pappas Seafood House", our favorite seafood restaurant.
Once a year I get to order their Stuffed Salmon.
(this picture is of my Left-Overs, it was THAT big!)

It is the PERFECT meal in my opinion.

Perfectly cooked succulent salmon.
Stuffed with an absolutely divine seafood stuffing.
Topped with sweet, tender jumbo lump crab meat & BIG ol' shrimp.

I have tried to duplicate this dish at home...
but I just don't get it.. how do they take a HUGE slab-o-salmon that is thin on one side and really thick on the other end, and cook it perfectly on both ends??
I do it and the thin side is overcooked when the thick side is perfect.
Or the thick side is raw then the thin end is perfect!
This is one of the questions that keeps me awake at night!

Papa's Seafood House Stuffed Salmon
Served with grilled asparagus & a Greek salad and of course a hunk of cheesecake is my perfect last meal!

What would you request as your last meal before you met Old Sparky?
Leave your meal request in the comment section and we can all drool over them and die happy!
Or... live with really happy tummies!

Amazing Taco Soup!

I have been kinda MIA the past several days because I really think I'm gonna die.....
Well.... maybe I'm not gonna die...
I just have had my moments wishing I could die.
Well... not really, I don't wanna die.
Who would water my garden if I died?
Who would quack to the ducks?
Who would love on the donkeys?
Who would lay on their belly and eat the wild chives in the yard?
ok .. so I agree.. I should not die right yet.

I have a terrible.. Horrible... excruciating Abscessed tooth.
Mt face is swollen. I haven't been able to sleep.
I haven't been able to eat.
I am not happy!

There is nothing I can do cept wait for the antibiotics to kick in.... **sigh**
Thank Goodness for Vicodin, or there would be NO peace at all in this house!
At least it gives me a hour of relief at a time.

After 4 days I decided I really needed to eat something.
I needed something comforting.
I needed something easy to chew.
So Worker #1 made one of my favorite soups of all time!
Yep.. he made it.. it's THAT easy!

Mom’s Taco Soup.

1lb lean ground beef.
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
1, 28oz can tomatoes (un-drained)
1 can Rotel brand tomatoes & green chilies (optional)
1-2 packages Taco seasoning
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
½ cup picante sauce
1, 6oz. Can tomato paste
2, 17oz cans corn (un-drained)
2, 15-16oz cans pinto beans (we use Ranch Style Beans)
2 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste

Shredded cheese (I use cheddar)
Tortilla chips.

Brown ground beef, onion & pepper, Drain.
Cut up tomatoes if using whole (I use diced) add tomatoes, with their juice, to the pot.
Add taco mix, ranch mix, picante sauce, tomato sauce, corn, beans, water, salt & pepper.

Simmer 1 hour.
Makes a large pot (approx 12 servings)

Serve in bowls, sprinkle with chips and shredded cheese.

Yummmmmm!!
This can also be made in the crock pot…. Easy Peasy!

Worlds Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies!

It doesn't get any better than this!
Seriously.... these cookies have three count em 3 ingredients!!
Even if you can't bake, you can bake these!!!

Try it! You'll be glad ya did!

Crazy-Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, it's up to you)
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
sugar for rolling (optional)

Directions
1. ) mix together until smooth.
2.) drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheet 2 inches apart. (if desired, roll in sugar first)
3.) press with a fork making the classic # peanut butter cookie pattern. (you want to flatten them pretty well or you run the risk of the middles not cooking through but if you like em extra-gooey let em go!)
4.) Bake 10-12 min at 350 degrees
Do not brown.. do not over bake.

Yummmmm! My kids have made these with cho chips added to them... or maybe a Hershey Kiss on top.... yummm!

this is a great recipe to get your kids cooking too!!
Have fun in the kitchen with your kids!!

Baby Shower Ideas & Recipes!

"Normal" people might fill a cute diaper holder thingie, maybe a drawer, or the shelves in a cute baby changing table.

Me?

I make a cake!!

My sister-in-Law is gonna have a baby!! I am soooo excited!! Not only because I get to be an aunt again. (she already has the perfect daughter)
But because SHE is gonna have a baby, and I AM NOT!! Whoo hooooo!!
(don't get me wrong.. I love my children... I love having a lot of them **rolling eyes** But I really think I have done my part to populate the world... I'm just glad to be able to share that huge responsibility with others!)

I was very excited to be able to help host the baby shower. I just love doing that stuff!
making cute foods.... cute centerpieces (the diaper cake)
She is having a boy! sooo The fun began with the cute baby blue & toy covered diaper cake.
Then progressed to a punch that looked kinda like used bath-water, complete with rubber duckies swimming around.

Who said you have to serve food on plain old platters?
Go to the toy store and use toys!
Dump trucks hold dip.
A bucket is great to hold food, a Frisbee can hold cookies, a cute place-mat can display your crackers,
Use your imagination! get creative!
Its not a ton of money.. and it'll be a big hit!
This is my sister-in-law....
she is one of "those people"
you know... the kind of woman that is teaching yoga while 8 months pregnant, beautiful hair, amazing figure.....
you know..... the total opposite of me.
To top it all off... she is super sweet, a wonderful aunt to all of her nieces and nephews.
We are blessed to have her in our life.

Look how great she looks at 8 months pregnant! geesh.

The menu included

(Click each to be taken to the recipe)
The world's BEST Spinach Dip in a bread bowl

Chipped Beef Cheese Ball and crackers

Italian salad stuffed pasta shells

Fresh Strawberries & Quick-n-Easy fruit Dip

Berry Blue Bathwater Punch

mini cheese cakes

mints, nuts and cookies

I'll make sure to get each of the recipes posted in the recipe box by the end of the day Monday.
They all turned out GREAT!!! Try em!
You'll be glad you did!!