Grilled Chicken Fajita Burritos

So, here's the story on this. I have an obsession with Chipotle. I don't eat there often, as a matter of fact, I can count my Chipotle experiences on one hand. But I love it. It's so good. Tonight, we're attempting our version of Chipotle's Chicken Fajita Burrito. I normally make a corn salsa to go with it, but tonight I'm just going for straight up corn. Also, instead of making guacamole, I'm just tossing in some avocado slices. Needless to say, I am thrilled about dinner.

Grilled Chicken Fajita Burritos

2 lbs grilled chicken, cut into strips
1 small onion, cut into strips
1 small green pepper, cut into strips
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 chopped tomato
1 can refried beans, heated
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa
sour cream
Cilantro Lime Rice
Corn, cooked and cut off the cob
Thinly sliced avocado

1. Saute onions and peppers with butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Veggies should still be somewhat crisp when done.

2. Warm tortillas in oven just until heated through

3. Top tortillas with a few strips of chicken, and peppers.

4. Top with additional fixing. . .I like em all! Beans, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, corn, rice, and avocado and cheese.

5. Roll up burrito style, and enjoy!

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

I know, this is going to sound weird, but my kids (except for one) HATE cheese. Especially melted, gooey, yummy cheese. My oldest, Justin, will eat NOTHING if he thinks there's even been cheese near it. My middle, Ava, likes cheddar cheese only, but not melted. And then there's the baby, Tessa, who loves all cheese, but holds a special place in her heart for string cheese. It's hands down her favorite snack. Because of all the anti-cheese people in our house, we don't eat grilled cheese very often, but when we do, oooohhhhhhhh it's delicious.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

2 slices of good bread
2 tsp mayo
2 tsp butter
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 slices muenster cheese
2 slices of your favorite deli turkey (I like cracked pepper turkey)
2 slices of ham
Diced onion
Diced green pepper
Diced tomato

1. Butter one side of first piece of bread, and put in small frying pan butter side down.

2. Spread mayo on the other side of bread in pan.

3. Top with 1 piece of cheese.

4. Sprinkle with onion and green pepper.

5. Put the meat on top of the onion and green pepper.

6. Top meat with tomato, and place last piece of cheese on top of that.

7. Spread mayo on bread, and place mayo side down on top of cheese.

8. Spread butter on top of bread piece.

9. Cook sandwich on one side until cheese is melted and sandwich is browned. Flip, and cook on the other side.

Cucumber Salsa

I found this recipe in a magazine, "Simple and Delicious", and had to make it. It looked so good. As a matter of fact, my sister Kim, was paging through the same magazine, and picked out the same recipe! I made it that day. Brought it to my other sister's house for everyone to try. It was a hit. I did make a few changes to the recipe in the magazine, and here you go. For your enjoyment now.

Cucumber Salsa

3 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced into tiny pieces
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced into tiny pieces
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp lime juice

1. Mix together cucumbers, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, and onion.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt, sour cream, lemon, and lime juice.

3. Pour sour cream mixture over veggies, mix, and serve with tortilla chips.

Adrienne's Salsa

I LOVE this salsa. I first tasted it at my brother and sister-in-laws house. I had to know where she got it! It was so fresh, and tasty. Then she told me she made it! I needed that recipe! So here it is, Adrienne's Salsa. It's at almost every family get together, and she and I both make it frequently. There's no salsa better or fresher tasting than this one!

Adrienne's Salsa

2 28 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes
2 or 3 bunches of green onions, thinly sliced
1 sweet onion, diced super small
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, and diced small
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Juiced of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped, fresh, cilantro
Salt to taste

1. Mix together all ingredients and pour into a blender.

2. Blend until no longer chunky, but not liquidy either. Just for a few second to combine all the flavors.

3. Pour into container and enjoy with some chips and sour cream!

Snickerdoodles!

These are one of my favorite cookies! Sounds crazy, but I'd take them over a chocolate chip cookie any day! I love how the outside is crispy and sugary, but upon biting into one, the middle is soft and cake like. Yum.

Snickerdoodles!

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Additional Sugar and Cinnamon

1. Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar until creamy.

2. Add eggs one at a time.

3. Stir in vanilla.

4. Add Flour, Cream of Tartar, Salt, and Baking Soda. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

5. Roll dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls.

6. Roll balls in cinnamon sugar.


7. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes.

Cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad

Growing up, my parents spent several summers experimenting with gardening. Not a small garden either, they planted rows and rows of massive amounts of vegetables. We always had cucumbers, and I remember eating this side dish as a kid quite often. Nothing is more refreshing during these hot summer months than Cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad.

Cool and Creamy Cucumber Salad

3 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
3 Tbsp of finely chopped onoion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of Franks Red Hot
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Cucumber Ranch Salad Dressing

1. Put sliced cucumbers in a bowl.

2. Mix together onion, garlic, salt, pepper, Franks Red Hot, Sour cream, and Salad dressing.

3. Pour Dressing mixture over cucumbers and toss to coat.

4. Let Cucumber Salad set in fridge for at least half hour before serving for flavors to blend.

Grilled Marinated Pork and Veggie Kebobs

Well, I guess I'll admit it. I don't grill. I don't know how. . . at all. If you put me in front of a grill, I wouldn't know where to start. My husband, however, has spent years trying to perfect the art of grilling. So when it comes to dinner. . .and tossing it on the grill. I leave that up to him. And honestly, he's rare to disappoint. These Kebobs are SUPER easy, and delicious. Great if your cooking for two, or twenty. We eat them all the time. I LOVE the grilled onions and peppers. Grilling makes the onions so sweet. This is definately a must have meal for us in the summertime.

Grilled Marinated Pork and Veggie Kebobs

1 Onion, cut into wedges and separated into several pieces.
1 Green Pepper cut into squares
1 bottle of Marinade, (I used Lawry's Hawaiian Marinade. Sweet and Spicy!)
Pork! (I buy a large pork loin from Sam's Club or Costco, and cut it into several smaller chunks. I then freeze the pieces to use for meals. For this meal, i used one piece of pork, cut into 1 to 2 inch cubes.)
Wooden Skewers

1. Pour marinade over pork, and refrigerate for several hours.

2. Soak wooden skewers in cold water for about half an hour. This prevents skewers from starting on fire on the grill.

3. Thread the skewers with a pork, onion, and green pepper.

4. Grill to perfection! Pork should be cooked to 170 degrees.

Rainbow Cake!

Well, the name says it all. I saw this on a website and had to make it. How cool does this look!?! No special recipe, just use your favorite vanilla or white cake batter recipe. One thing to remember though, is it must be a more runny cake batter. I made this with a vanilla pound cake recipe, and it was difficult. Beware that this is a long process and is quite time consuming. Well worth the effort to see the kids faces when you cut into the cake!

Rainbow Cake "How To"

White or Vanilla Cake Batter
2 8" or 9" cake pans
Pam for Baking
Gel Food Coloring

1. Mix cake batter according to whichever recipe you'd like.

2. Divide batter evenly into six bowls.

3. Using GEL FOOD COLORING tint each bowl of batter with a different color. I used Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Purple.

4. Spray pans with Pam for Baking Nonstick Spray

5. Using 2 Tablespoon cookie scoop, put 1 scoop of the pink batter directly in the center of each pan.

6. Wait for cake batter to spread out and top with a scoop of orange cake batter.

7. Once orange has spread out, top it with Yellow.

8. Once Yellow spreads out, top it with green.

9. Once Green spread out, top it with Blue.

10. Once Blue spreads out, top it with Purple.

11. Repeat the rainbow pattern until all your batter is gone.

12. Both of your pans should be filled with the rainbow pattern, repeating 3 times.

13. Bake cakes as directed on package of cake mix, or per recipe. Frost as desired.

Minnesota State Fair Australian Fried Potato Copycat Recipe

Ahhh. . .Australian Fried Potatoes. This is a must have for anyone visiting the Minnesota State Fair. I can remember the first time I tasted one of these. My dad got them at the fair, battered, deep fried slices of baked potatoes topped with ranch dressing and nacho cheese. I had a bite. . .and was hooked. My recipe is simply an "adaptation" of the ones at the State Fair. I don't claim to make them as good, but darn close! It's not the healthiest way to enjoy a potato, but it's definitely the best way.

Minnesota State Fair Australian Fried Potato Copycat Recipe

6 large potatoes
1 12 oz can of beer
2 eggs
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
Oil for deep frying
Ranch Dressing or Nacho Cheese for dipping

1. Wash potatoes and slice, lengthwise, with a crinkle cutter (You don't have to use the crinkle cutter, but it helps to make the batter stick to the potatoes better.)

2. Place potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet.


3. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Potatoes should look partially cooked but still a bit firm in the center.

4. Cool potatoes comepletely.

5. While potatoes are cooling, mix together beer, flour, eggs, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic.

6. Heat oil in skillet or deep fryer. I used a skillet, didn't want to take the fryer out for a few potatoes.

7. Dip each potato into batter, and put directly into pan.

8. Fry for three minutes on each side or until potatoes are crispy and golden brown.



9. Set on large pan lined with paper towels to cool. I like to toss the pan in the oven, at 200 degrees while all the rest of the potatoes are frying to keep them warm and crunchy.

10. Serve with any dipping sauces you'd like. I, of course, go with the Minnesota State Fair combo of ranch dressing and nacho cheese.

Cheesecake Brownies

The only thing better than a brownie. . .is a brownie with cheesecake on top! That's exactly what this is! A gooey, fudgey, chocolate brownie with a thick, dense creamy cheesecake layer on top. It is so good. Believe it or not, I'm not a huge brownie fan. I prefer my chocolate in candy form (Snickers to be exact!) But you toss some cheesecake on top and it's as good as gone!

Cheesecake Brownies

1 box brownie mix plus ingredients to prepare
2 8oz bricks of cream cheese
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp flour
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Prepare brownie mix as per directions on box.

2. Spread brownie batter in a 9 x 13 pan

3. Mix together cream cheese and sugar

4. Add eggs one at a time, mix well after each addition

5. Mix in flour and vanilla

6. Mix cheesecake batter until smooth and creamy.

7. Spoon cheesecake over brownie batter

8. Spread cheesecake evenly over brownie batter forming a solid top

9. With a knife, swirl cheesecake batter with brownie. ( I like to swirl it lightly. I like a thick cheesecake layer on top, versus mixed into the brownies.)
10. Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. Edges should be puffy and lightly browned and middle should be just set.

Never Fails Hard Boiled / Deviled Eggs

Everyone knows how to make a hard boiled egg. . .don't they? Well, if not. . .here's a quick little "How To" session.

Never Fails Hard Boiled

1. Put Eggs in a saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs. (Add salt to water to help with peeling the eggs.)

2. Put pan on burner and turn heat to high.

3. Once water begins to boil, turn heat OFF, and COVER the pan with a lid.

4. Set timer for 20 minutes.

5. At the End of 20 minutes, eggs should be cooked to perfection.

6. Cool eggs down in cold water, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Never Fail Deviled Eggs

12 Hard Boiled eggs
1/4 cup Mayo
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
Just a squirt of mustard (However much you like.)
Dash of Garlic Powder
Salt, and Pepper to taste
Paprika

1. Peel hard boiled eggs.

2. Cut eggs in half, horizontally.

3. Drop yolks into a seperate dish

4. Put egg whites in a egg tray or whatever you'd like to serve your eggs on.

5. Take the yolks and add to them, Mayo, Miracle Whip, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

6. Mix util light and fluffy. Texture should be creamy.

7. Put egg yolks mixture into a ziploc bag, make sure all the air is out, and seal the bag.

8. Cut tip of bag, and pipe egg yolk mixture into whites.

9. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.

Mini M&M and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Is there anything more classic than a chocolate chip cookie? This recipe is the one my mom made when I was growing up. The only change I made, is a little less sugar. (Her recipe called for a cup of both kinds of sugar.) It's delicious. Can't go wrong. I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand, so I subbed Mini M&M's and Reese's Peanut Butter Chips.

Mini M&M and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips, or whatever else you may want to toss in there!

1. Cream together butter and sugars.

2. Add eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.

3. Stir in vanilla and baking soda.

4. Add flour and mix well.

5. Stir in chocolate chips.

6. Drop, by tablespoon, onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for exactly 9 minutes!

"Leftover" Summertime Steak Salad

I threw this salad together with leftovers from last nights dinner. It was great, with all the salty and savory flavors, I have to say, the corn is what made this salad. It added that "something sweet" that was needed. It was a hit. . .with Dave and I anyhow. The kids dissected and picked from it what they wanted to eat, and tossed the rest.

"Leftover" Summertime Steak Salad

Chopped Iceberg Lettuce
Thinly Sliced Steak, "Leftover" from last nights dinner
Hard boiled eggs
Grape Tomatoes
Sliced Green Peppers
Sliced Onion
Sliced Cucumbers
Corn, cut off of the cob, "Leftover" from last nights dinner
Shredded Cheese
Seasoned Garlic Croutons

1. Layer lettuce with all the toppings you wish.

2. Drizzle generously with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Seasoned Garlic Croutons

These croutons are SO good! They make any great salad better. They are crunchy and buttery on the outside, and soft and chewy in the middle. It's like taking a bite of garlic toast with with your salad.

Seasoned Garlic Croutons

1 small loaf of French Bread
1/4 cup butter
1 clove chopped garlic
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Cut your bread into small cubes.



2. In a glass dish, melt the butter in the microwave.

3. Toss the garlic, paprika, cheese, salt, and pepper into the butter.

4. Drizzle over the cubed bread and mix to evenly coat the bread 5. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing

Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
3 or 4 Tbsp chopped chives
1 tsp fresh dill
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves chopped fresh garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Whisk all ingredients together.

2. TASTE AS YOU GO! You may need more of one thing than another to suit your own taste. (None of that dipping your pinky into the dressing either, grab a piece of lettuce or a veggie for tasting to get the real deal!)

Steak and Pepper Sandwiches

Steak and Pepper Sandwiches

6 Steak Rolls
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp butter (Plus more for buttering the rolls.)
6 slices provolone cheese
1 Large steak, grilled however you like it. (We used a New York Strip. This steak was just over a pound, and made more than 6 sandwiches. We also prefer our steak pretty rare.)
Mayo
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder

1. I had my husband grill the steaks. While he was taking care of this. . .I made the veggies. Saute pepper and onion with the garlic until tender, but still crisp. Salt and Pepper to taste.

2. Spread butter on rolls and toss on the grill after the steaks for a nice crispy texture. Watch them closely so they do not burn.

3. When the rolls are done, spread may on top and bottom.

4. Thinly slice the steak, and take a few pieces and set on the bottom of the roll.

5. Top with peppers and onions.

6. Place a slice of provolone cheese on top of peppers and onions.

7. Place under the broiler just long enough to melt the cheese.

8. Top with top of roll. . .and enjoy!

Crispy Parmesan Potato Halves

This is actually a recipe I found on another blog. I changed it up a bit. . .and this is what I got. They were great! All my kids loved them. (Though not as much as my husband did!)

Crispy Parmesan Potato Halves

1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
5 potatoes

1. Wash potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise.

2. Pour butter evenly in a 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.

3. On top of butter, sprinkle with pepper, garlic, and cheese.

4. Lay potatoes, cut side down, on top of cheese.


5. Bake potatoes at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

6. When they are done, they will look bubbly and the cheese will be very dark.

7. Let the potatoes cool for about 15 minutes. Pick them up, trim off the edges of extra cheese, and serve with seasoned sour cream.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

Is there a better summer time staple than Corn on the Cob? Not in my house! We eat it a lot, because it's usually inexpensive, quick to prepare, and it just screams summer. Everyone knows how to prepare corn on the cob, however, a lot of people tend to overcook it. Here's a no-fail way to prepare corn.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Once water is boiling, toss in a few tablespoons of sugar. (This is the secret! A tip I learned from my younger sister Kim actually.)

3. Toss in your corn, and boil for only 3 or 4 minutes. This helps keep the corn crisp, yet tender, hot, and sweet!

4. Butter it, salt and pepper it, and dive right in!


Here's another little Tip: If you have leftover cobs of corn, cut the corn off the cob, and save it! It's tastes just as fresh and crisp the next day. We like to top our salads with extra corn, make some corn salsa, or toss it in some soup.

Lemony Almond Chicken

I've made this dish many times. I read the original recipe in a magazine, but never wrote it down. I gathered the ingredients that I could remember, and came up with this. I have a son who hates "sauces" and "nuts" but he LOVES this chicken.

Lemony Almond Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/2 inch thick. (I used boneless, skinless, chicken breast tenders. Better portion size for the kids.)
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce (I used Lawry's)
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup chopped or slivered almonds

1. In a shallow bowl, mix together flour, salt, and pepper.

2. Dredge chicken in flour mixture coating well. ( I like to toss all the chicken with the flour and let it sit, soaking up as much flour mixture as possible while I melt my butter.)

3. Melt butter in a skillet and turn heat to medium.

4. Add chicken to melted butter and fry on both sides until golden brown and juices run clear.

5. Remove chicken from pan, set aside, and keep warm.


6. In the same pan, reduce heat to low, and add teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, honey, and garlic.

7. Use a wooden spoon or whisk to stir, loosening up all the bits on the bottom of the pan.

8. Once mixture begins to simmer, add chicken back in and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes on each side.

9. Top with chopped almonds, plate, and enjoy!

Cheesy Parmesan Garlic Bread

Is there anyone who doesn't like Garlic Bread? I mean c'mon! Chewy, salty, cheesy, melty, deliciousness. It's a must have at our house with a lot of meals.

Cheesy Parmesan Garlic Bread

1 loaf of your favorite french bread
1/4 cup of butter
1 or 2 cloves of fresh garlic (depending on how "garlicky" you like your bread.)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Pepper

1. Cut bread in half lengthwise and set on a cookie sheet. Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan melt the butter with the garlic. Drizzle the garlic butter over the bread.

3. Sprinkle bread with both cheeses and pepper to your own taste.

4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melty and bubbly.

Chocolate Mousse Confetti Cups

This dessert is super easy and super fun for kids. My kids sat and watched in amazement as we made this colorful treat.

Waffle Cups

1 Package of Keebler Waffle Bowls (Comes as a package of 10)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp of vegetable oil
Sprinkles! Lots and lots of Sprinkles!

1. Melt chocolate chips with oil. Put about 2 Tbsp of chocolate in each waffle bowl.

2. Here's where the kids can have fun. . .Take a paint brush and paint the inside of the waffle bowl as well as the top edge.

3. Dip edge in sprinkles. Let Chocolate bowls cool in the freezer to harden.



Chocolate Mousse

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 small package of Jello instant chocolate pudding
2 Tbsp of cocoa
2 Tbsp of powdered sugar

1. In a larger mixer combine all ingredients on low speed until combined. Once combined, gradually turn to high speed and whip until very thick. (You can turn this into an adult dessert by adding a shot or two of a flavored liqueur.)

2. Fill chocolate cups with mousse. Garnish with Chocolate covered berries and marshmallows.

Chocolate Covered Berries/Marshmallows

1/2 cup chocolate chips
10 Strawberries (patted completely dry)
10 Marshmallows
Additional sprinkles.

1. Dip berries in chocolate and set on foil lined pan for chocolate to harden.

2. Then dip marshmallows in chocolate and dip chocolate covered end in sprinkles.

3. Cool and set atop mousse cups.