Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

Once again, the picture isn't great. Sorry. :)

This is another recipe I got from Our Best Bites. And oh boy, is it good. I honestly felt a little guilty eating it for breakfast because it definitely tasted more like dessert. Of course, normal maple syrup is pretty sugary-sweet too, so it shouldn't have. Basically, it's like pouring caramel sauce on your French toast (or pancakes, or whatever). It was so good.


Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) real butter (I cheated and used margarine and it still tasted divine)
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine buttermilk, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda in a large pot. (I used a huge 5 quart pot and it was a little bit too big. Make sure it's at least a 3 quart, though, I would say.) Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and cook, still stirring frequently, for 8-9 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Skim the foam off the top (optional - I just stirred it in really well) and serve.

Refrigerate any leftovers.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I just discovered the Our Best Bites website a couple of weeks ago. I'm in love. So is everyone else in the food blog kingdom, I think, because they're crazy popular. And I can see why. I tried this Creamy Chicken Taquitos recipe from their site and am seriously impressed. They're so, so good! The hubby and I both love frozen taquitos but they're expensive and let's face it... I really have no idea what really goes into those babies. This homemade version is actually quite healthy. And they don't taste healthy - the best part. :)

The only downer was that they do take a bit of time to make. Of course, I cooked and shredded my own chicken, so that may have been the problem. If you used canned chicken, it would probably be much easier.

Oh, and the corn tortillas? Total pain. Make sure you microwave them the whole 30 seconds AND use the paper towel method. Those babies will crumble if you don't.


Creamy Chicken Taquitos

1/3 cup (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 cup green salsa
1Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp sliced green onions
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas (the recipe says flour ones work good as well)
kosher salt
cooking spray
Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. (30. Do 30... trust me on this.) If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 Tbsp of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.
Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Great dipped in salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Red and White Pasta

This is another really easy throw-together dish from Real Mom Kitchen. And since it only requires five really simple ingredients, chances are good I'll have what I need in my pantry.

The only change I made from her original recipe was to use less cheese. Three cups total seemed like a lot to me (although I'm sure it would have been nice and gooey and cheesy). I reduced it to just dividing the two cups of mozzarella and it still turned out really good.

Red and White Pasta

4 cups penne (or similarly sized) noodles

1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce

1 (24 oz.) jar marinara sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Fresh parsley (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook and drain pasta according to package directions.

3. Mix Alfredo and marinara sauces together in a large mixing bowl. (By the way, don't use a white plastic bowl for this... it stains big time. I may or may not speak from experience. :))

4. Add mozzarella cheese (I did about 1 1/2 cups) and combine. Add drained pasta

5. Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and bake 25-30 minutes until bubbly. Sprinkle Parmesan (or the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella) on top and bake for another 5 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Corn

I'm kinda picky when it comes to my caramel corn. The crunchy stuff just doesn't do it for me. It's probably because I grew up eating this recipe, which is about as ooey-gooey, sticky, and messy as you can get.

Basically, it's awesome.

(It also makes a ton. I have a giant mixing bowl that I use just for this that says it holds 32 cups. The bowl is about 3/4 full when it's finished, so you do the math. :) It might be good to half the recipe if you're just making it for a few people.)

Ooey-Gooey Caramel Corn

3/4 cup unpopped popcorn kernals*
1/2 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup

Pop kernals in a popcorn popper, making sure you use your largest bowl; set aside.

In large saucepan, combine butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, and corn syrup and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Let boil until mixture reaches soft-ball stage - about 235-245 degrees. (Or, if you don't have a candy thermometer - like me - just place drops of the liquid in a cup of cold water. If they form into any semblance of a soft little ball instead of just dissolving into the water, it's done.)

Drizzle over the popcorn, mixing well until kernals are coated.

Serve immediately. (It's definitely yummiest when it's fresh - still pretty good for a day or two after, though, if you keep it covered.)

*I have a hot-air popcorn popper that is perfect for this. However, if you don't have one of those, you could use another method or just microwave popcorn. You'll just need about 15-20 cups of unsalted, unbuttered popped popcorn.

Nat's Famous Banana Bread

Okay, maybe famous is a bit of an exaggeration. But out of all my recipes, this one has probably sparked the most compliments. (Of course, that totally might be because I give this one away and people are just being nice - but let's just pretend that's not it, shall we? :))

I think what sets this recipe apart from normal banana bread recipes is the streusel topping. Yum. It's crumbly and sugary and just... yum. But enough of the rambling. Here's the recipe (from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook - in case you were wondering):


Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil OR melted butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional - I don't put them in because I don't like nuts in my bread)
1 recipe streusel topping (below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch pan; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in ceter of flour mixture; set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil/butter. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel topping over batter.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. (Yeah, right. I eat this baby just as soon as it looks like it won't fall apart. Warm, fresh banana bread... heaven!)


Streusel Topping

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (again, I don't use the nuts. I like it better without, but it's a personal preference.)

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana

Pretty much everything Pioneer Woman cooks is amazing. Thing is, sometimes her recipes are a little too "gourmet cook" for this time-strapped momma. But when I found this one, I thought it looked do-able. And, like every recipe I've ever tried of her's, it turned out amazing. The only thing I'd change a second time around is less sugar. It was really sweet. I usually like my pasta sauce a little on the sweet side, but this was too much for me.

Oh, and I obviously didn't include the wine. I know, I know - the alcohol cooks out. But, shockingly enough, I didn't happen to have an extra bottle of wine sitting in my kitchen cupboard. Like I said... no gourmet cooking in this house! :)

The changes I've made to her original recipe are below.

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Parmigiana

4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat

1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cups olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

1 medium onion, chopped (I only used a half)

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used about a tsp. of garlic powder - mincing garlic is something I rarely do)

3/4 cup wine (My magic substitution: 3/4 cup chicken broth. Tasted great.)

3 14.5-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp. sugar (Like I said, I'd use less - like maybe a little less than 1 Tbsp.)

Chopped fresh parsley

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (I used the pre-shredded Italian blend you can buy from the grocery store)

1 pound thin linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm. Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine (or chicken broth :)) and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine/broth to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. (I was out of time by this point and only let it cook for 10 minutes - still great.) Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated cheese. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Quick Pasta Carbonara

This is one of my favorite "no-meat" meals. Okay, technically it still has meat (bacon). But I get really tired of cooking hamburger or chicken for every meal and this is a nice break.

I got the recipe from Real Mom Kitchen, one of my favorite recipe sites. I made a few changes to it, the biggest being that I used turkey bacon. It was way cheaper, so I decided to try it. It was actually pretty good - especially mixed into something like this.


Quick Pasta Carbonara

1/2 lb. medium-sized pasta (my 2-year old really likes the twirly ones seen above)
4 slices bacon, chopped
4 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I like to use more like 1 tsp.)

Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanshile, cook bacon in large skillet until crisp; remove with slotted spoon to paper towels, reserving 2 Tbsp. drippings in skillet.

Add remaining ingredients to drippings; cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended and heated through.

Drain pasta; place in large bowl. Add cream cheese sauce and bacon; mix lightly.