White Chocolate Pumpkin Cookies

Call the cookie police, I cannot stop eating these!!!!!! These are by far my new favorite pumpkin cookies! My sweet friend Candy brought our family a couple plates full and I am ashamed to admit I ate 9 of the 14 of them. Any attempt at self-control flies out the window with these little babies!!!

2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can ( about 16 oz.) solid-pack pumpkin
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 pkg. (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 container (16 oz.) cream cheese frosting
1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheets.

2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at med speed until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and eggs; beat until we'll blended. Add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and baking powder; beat just until blended. Stir in white chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on to prepared cookie sheets. Bake about  16 minutes or until set and bottoms are browned. Cool 1 min. On cookie sheets. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Combine frosting and brown sugar in small bowl. Spread on warm cookies.

BEST EVER!!! White Chicken Chili

Oh. My. Heck. Seriously. Heaven in bowl right here!! This is so good that I went and bought enough ingredients to make this meal at least 4 more times! My family doesn't really care for chili. I've tried numerous recipes, but unfortunately there has never been one good enough to repeat. Until now! My church was having a Halloween party and asked for people to bring in Chili for the dinner. So I went on a search to find the best chili ever. And I found it on sweetannas.com! I made it for my family a week in  before just to make sure and after my family ate the entire pot in 20 minutes, I knew I had a winner. I also made 2 more batches for the freezer for even less, quicker gratification :) (Note to Wyoming, USA friends: I could only find these beans at Walmart).

3 chicken breasts (raw or cooked), cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans white beans, drained

1 regular can pink beans (pinquitos)

1 large can diced green chilies

1 cup frozen corn

2 cups chicken stock

1 jalapeno, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup finely crushed tortilla chips

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Throw all the ingredients (except for the crushed tortilla chips and cheese) into your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours. During the last 30 minutes, stir in the crushed tortilla chips and the shredded cheese and heat until cheese is melted and the chili has thickened up. Serve with sour cream, chips, salsa or whatever else you want!

Sloppy Joes

Are you a Sloppy Joe fan? If my only introduction to these easy little babies were from the school cafeteria, I have to admit, I'd never eat them again. But thankfully my wonderful mom knew how to make good Sloppy Joes. As in, REALLY GOOD (especially to an Idaho meat and potato every night kind of girl)! With 3 ingredients! To this day I could care less for the "sloppy" part of the Joe that looks like it's from the can, all runny and making my bread soggy. But this way is perfect. And you can give it as much or as little umph as you want. And best of all, this meal is ready in less than 15 minutes!

2 lbs hamburger (or adjust the amount to whatever your family will eat)

BBQ sauce

Ketchup

Here I must say, the brand of BBQ sauce and Ketchup does make a huge difference! If you want some serious flavor, you gotta use Heinz Ketchup and a good BBQ sauce (my fav is Bullseye Carolina Flavor).

Brown your hamburger. Then add your BBQ and Ketchup. (Sorry for the vague amount here... it really is just to taste!). I would say it's 3 parts BBQ to 1 part Ketchup (for less kick and a more ketchupy flavor use 1/2 and 1/2) Start with a smaller amount of each, and stir to see if it coats the meat nicely. If not, add more. These aren't meant to be saucy so less can definitely be more with these!

Pizza Rolls

Not that my picture taking skills are anything to get excited about, but I apologize even more so for this one. Mr. Amazing had the camera for the weekend and all I was left with was my really crappy dumb-phone camera. But it worked, right?! .

In all seriousness, these pizza rolls are incredible!!! My kids snarfed these little babies down so quickly that 3/4 of the pan disappeared within 15 minutes! Then hubby came home, ate his fill, and then kept grabbing another and then another. (Addicting? I think, yes!). I can't wait to try these as a freezer meal! Another dang good recipe makes the menu!! (Recipe from honeybearlane.com)

4 cans store-bought buttermilk biscuit dough

1 package pepperoni

3-4 cups of Mozzarella cheese (or Mozzarella sticks cut into 3rds)

Basil, Oregano, Garlic Salt, Grated Parmesan

Open each can and taking one biscuit at a time, press each biscuit flat. Put in 2 pepperoni's and the desired amount of cheese. Fold up sides into a ball and put into a greased 9x13 pan close together. Brush the tops with oil and sprinkle with seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes. For 10 minutes have them covered with foil and for the last 8-12 minutes remove the foil so they can brown.

Slow Cooker Fajitas

If your fam is anything like mine, Fajitas are a required food at least once a month. Nothing beats the flavor of marinated lime chicken, hot off the grill with fresh peppers and onions slightly sauteed for flavor but still with a perfect crunch, all perfectly placed on a grilled tortilla with sour cream, cheese and fresh tomatoes! 

But unfortunately for us, grilled chicken hot off the grill isn't always an option (Mr. Amazing isn't always home on time :). And because I had a jam-packed day and soccer practices in the early evening, I decided to try a crock-pot version instead!

I made up a marinade from Weber I got on clearance at Smith's and poured it over frozen chicken and strips of bell peppers and onion rings. After 7 hours, the chicken shredded perfectly and was ready for a browned tortilla.

Verdict: It's a keeper. I still say hot off the grill wins by a few points, and in the future I think I will just do the chicken in the slow cooker and then saute the peppers and onions right before we eat! But it's definitely easier and quicker, so I'll definitely be repeating it!

3 chicken breasts

3-4 bell peppers, cut in strips 

1 large onion, cut into rings

Tortillas

Sour cream

Cheese

Chopped tomatoes

Put chicken into slow cooker and cover with your fav marinade. Cook on low for 7-8 hours and shred. You can either add the onions and bell peppers with the chicken at the beginning or saute them right before you eat in a pan. Heat up a skillet on medium heat and brown the tortillas on each side. Serve with all your fav toppings!

World's Best Taco Soup

Mr. Amazing does not like Taco Soup. I've tried numerous variations in hopes of converting him. He has to call it Chili to choke it down haha. But when I saw this recipe from iheartnaptime.net, I knew I had to give it a shot!

Well, it didn't work haha. I told him this one had tons more good stuff in it, but when he tried it he said "it tastes like taco soup." Oh well. Can't win them all!

But the rest of us loved it, so it's a keeper! It does taste like Taco Soup, but so much heartier!!! Everyone was stuffed after 1 bowl and it made double the amount of my normal recipe! It would be super easy to make this into a freezer meal, too, either before or after cooking it!

1 lb hamburger

2 tbsp taco seasoning

1 med sweet onion

½ green bell pepper chopped

½ red bell pepper chopped

½ orange or yellow bell pepper chopped

1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can corn

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

¼ cup salsa

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Brown hamburger in a large pan. Add in onion and bell peppers and sauté for a few minutes. Add to slow cooker. Add in remaining ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Top with your favorite toppings and tortilla chips.

Quick Banana Bread

When Grandma showed up with 6 overripe bananas that needed used immediately and with a lack of desire time to whip up a couple batches of banana bread, I decided to try out artsyfartsymama.com's easy version. Although I would have to say this has more of a light cake with banana flavor appeal that actual banana bread, the way my kids ate through 2 loaves in 8 minutes deemed it a keeper! And hands down it is a lot easier and quicker! 

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix everything together and pour into greased bread pans (I find it cooks better if they aren't super thick which is why I do 2 pans. You can do just 1 pan with it being really thick if you want though). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Egg in a Hole

Ree, from thepioneerwoman.com, has some killer recipes that this family loves. And this one has just been added to the list! My kids love (love, love!) over-easy eggs with toast and beg Mr. Amazing to make it for them often (I'm a scrambled eggs only kinda gal so they know who to ask if they want it done right haha ;). So when I found this recipe that combined the two, it was guaranteed to be a keeper. And it is! And with Grandma's hearty whole wheat bread, it only took 1-2 of these babies for the kids to be stuffed! 

1 slice of your fav bread

1 Tbsp butter

1 whole egg

Salt and Pepper to taste

With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread. Next preheat a skillet over medium low heat and melt a tbsp of butter in it. When the butter is spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of the hole. Cook for a good minute or so and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then flip it over with a spatula and cook another minute of so. Let it cook until the yolk feels soft without feeling over-jiggly. If using a griddle to cook (like you cook pancakes on) then butter the bread itself like you would grilled-cheese sandwiches.

Cheesy Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Photo from thecountrycook.net

Her pic is way better than mine and she deserves all the credit for this meal!

So I found this recipe from Brandie at thecountrycook.net, and my mouth immediately began to water. Just the name of it made me want it instantly,  but the picture got my mouth watering! I couldn't wait to try it out on my family the next day, and I have to say, THANK YOU BRANDIE! My family snarfed this down. I kid you not. They ate their fill before soccer practices and when we got back 2 hours later, they finished it off. Mr. Amazing will eat anything I cook and is usually accompanied by a "thank you" and hopefully "that was good." Well this one got me one heck of a kiss and a raving review that included the desire for it to be made again, and soon! This is an incredible make-over on normal tater-tot casserole recipes and it has made the dang good recipe list!

Ingredients:

1 (32 oz.) bag frozen tater tots

1 (3 oz.)bag bacon pieces

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3/4 cup milk

salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Layer half of the frozen tater tots on the

bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the bacon pieces. Now top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Add diced chicken on top.  Season with salt & pepper. Now add 1/3 of the bacon pieces and another 1/3 of shredded cheese. Put the rest of the frozen tater tots on top.

Finish with the remaining 1/3 cheddar cheese and remaining 1/3 of bacon pieces. Pour 3/4 cup milk all over the top. Cover and cook on low about 4-5 hours.

Cowboy Salsa

This is a pretty popular salsa known under many names, but I call in Cowboy Salsa, because I am a die hard Wyoming-ite and therefore, a salsa that is this amazing needs some association with us Cowboys :) (even if I am just a wanna-be cowboy haha). My daughter's fav snack ever, she sees me buy an avocado and she starts jumping for joy...

1 can black beans, rinsed, drained

1 can corn, drained

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch cilantro chopped

1 avocado

1 tomato

Salt to taste

1 pkg Italian Dressing mixed up according to directions. Not a requirement, but it does taste better if you can make the dressing up a few hours in advance and let it refrigerate.

Mix everything together but the dressing. Only add dressing right before serving. Watch the bowl disappear in record time (or hide what is left in the fridge in the furthest part of the fridge for that midnight craving :)