Food Recipes For Dinner: April 2013

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Summer Giveaway Series! Part 2

Winners of this giveaway can be found {here}

Welcome to part {two} of our Summer Giveaway Series!

We just couldn't let this giveaway end with only one set of awesome prizes- we want the Summer fun to keep on coming...

SO, we're excited to share 3 more fabulous prizes

The ipad mini is everything you love about iPad — the beautiful screen, fast and fluid performance, FaceTime and iSight cameras, thousands of amazing apps, 10-hour battery life — is everything you’ll love about iPad mini, too. And you can hold it in one hand.

Giveaway Details...

It’s so simple to enter!

Giveaway open to readers who 'Like' these Facebook pages:

Then answer the questions in the form below to enter officially:

*This promotion is sponsored by the above specified bloggers and is in no way affiliated with Apple, Cannon, Pinterest, or Facebook. We hereby release Pinterest, Facebook, Cannon, and Apple, Inc. of any liability related to this promotion, the receipt of prize winnings, etc. The giveaway will run from Monday, April 29th at 12:01 AM MDT and ends Tuesday May 7th at midnight MDT. Once the giveaway ends, winners will be chosen using Random.org and contacted via e-mail within 24 hours. Winners will then have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open worldwide except where prohibited by law. Winners must be of full legal age in the jurisdiction in which they live. This group of bloggers are only responsible for sending out the prize. They are not responsible for loss, damage or theft once the prize is shipped. Participants will be responsible for any taxes, tariffs duties, etc. due upon delivery of the prize.

* Thank you to Clean Jewelry and Get Away Today for purchasing the prizes for this giveaway!

Monday, April 29, 2013

Time to Sparkle Link Party #7

Welcome to Time to Sparkle Tuesday Link Party, where you can find all the newest creative ideas from around the web! Stop by every Tuesday, link up your posts, and check out what others are sharing! You'll discover some amazing new blogs and find inspiration for projects, recipes, and more! This party is hosted by four lovely ladies, so your projects will be shared on ALL FOUR blogs!

Each week we will pick our favorite links as features, and share them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

- Make sure to follow our Time to Sparkle Pinterest Board to see all the amazing features! -

Let's see what your hosts have been up to this week:

Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins from The Recipe Critic

Coconut Body Butter Gift In A Jar by The Gunny Sack

Picture Frame Pin Cushion by Love Grows Wild

Brownie Batter Cookie Dough Popcorn by Inside BruCrew Life

Here are the fabulous features from last week's party chosen by Tonia (The Gunny Sack)

True Belgian Waffles from Kristen Duke

Boston Cream Whoopie Pies from The Brunette Baker

Mini Sherbet Pretzel Sticks from Lady Behind the Curtain

Butterscotch Cupcakes from Sweet Southern Blue

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Hummus from The Big Giant Food Basket

Craft Room Reveal from Buhay at Bahay

Book Page Wreath from Clean and Scentsible

How To Make A Chalkboard Window by Twelve O Eight

Chalkboard Bird "Life Is Tweet" by Shaken Together Life

Mint Lime Food Soak by Echoes of Laughter

Grab a button if you've been featured!

Now let's party! It's Time to Sparkle!

Summer Giveaway Series! Part 1

Winners of this giveaway can be found {here}

Summer will be here before we know it...

And an amazing group of bloggers decided to team up together and give away some super awesome prizes to help make this Summer a little more fun!

In fact, these prizes are SO awesome that we need {TWO} giveaways to share all the fabulous-ness with you!

*The Canon 5157B002 includes the EOS Rebel T3 Digital SLR Camera and the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS type II Lens. This camera and lens is perfect for photographers ready to make the move to digital SLR photography. The EOS Rebel T3 delivers beautiful photos and video, speed, simplicity and fun. It features a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS Image Sensor and Canon DIGIC 4 Image Processor for richly detailed images and quick camera response. It has Canon's amazing 63-zone, dual-layer metering for accurate exposures and features Canon's Basic+ function, HD video recording and Live View shooting, plus a convenient in-camera Feature Guide.

Giveaway Details...

It's so simple to enter!

All you have to do is Follow all of the Pinterest pages below:

Then answer the questions in the form below to enter officially:

Stay tuned for part {TWO} of this awesome Summer Giveaway Series...

Friday, April 26, 2013

Churro Cheesecake

I have been trying to watch what I eat lately. Kind of a hard thing to do when you are a food blogger. But I am really trying. Not only that but I am getting back into my normal exercise routine. I made it a goal to run two miles a day. I got home from my morning run and it was time to bake these babies. I knew that my boys would love them. These were so easy to make, within 10 minutes they were already baking in my oven and the cinnamon aroma filled my house. But I was determined to stay strong and resist.

I could tell that they turned amazing and I anxiously awaited for my little boy to return home from school. I could tell by his face that they were the bomb and the groaning out of pure delight didn't help in any way. He said mom, try just one little bite! So I gave in. And two squares later these babies changed my life! I was in churro cheesecake heaven. I love cheesecake anyway, but these were amazing! And I think that the fact they were so easy made them just that much better. These were worth every mile I ran that day!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 1 star
Review: I have a confession. I have made this recipe twice this week! My family couldn't get enough of it, and then we had guests over and they wanted a treat! This was so easy to throw together and it is one we will be making again and again!

Churro Cheesecake

2 cans (oz. each) Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls (I used the butter flake kind)
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar, divided
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand mixer or a kitchenaid, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla, partially beaten egg, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth.

2. Mix together the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup) and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Set aside.

3. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle 1/4 cup (or half) of your cinnamon sugar mixture evenly into the bottom of the 9x13.

4. On a piece of parchment paper, roll out your crescent dinner roll dough into a big 9x13 square and press the seams together so the dough is completely sealed. Set the dough in the bottom of your 9x13 baking dish on top of the cinnamon sugar.

5. Spread the cheesecake evenly on top of your dough and unroll the other can of crescent dough and place on top also making sure that the seams are completely sealed.

6. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe adapted from Oh bite it

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Avocado Chicken Salad

I love avocados. Especially the avocados from Costco. What is it with Costco and having the best produce? My little boy loves chicken salad sandwiches for his lunches at school. I decided to add some more ingredients to change it up a little and the result was fantastic! I loved the avocado in this and it made the flavor on the sandwich amazing. I was so excited that this turned out so yummy!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Review: I added these ingredients to my liking. You can always add more and less to what your heart desires. :) I am already excited to make them again!

Avocado Chicken Salad

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (about 3 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon freshly chopped cilantro
1 large avocado diced
2 tsp lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1. Add the above ingredients together. Serve in croissants, pitas, with tortilla chips, whatever you would like!

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins

This is just one of those recipes that you know that you are going to love before you make it. I mean seriously. Have you baked with strawberries before? It is like pockets of jam inside each bite. And then the cheesecake in the middle? BAM! To top this muffin off it is crusted with cinnamon sugar. Double BAM! These muffins were perfectly moist and made the perfect breakfast.... or lunch... or possibly even a midnight snack. I may even be eating one right now! :)

Rating: 4 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 3 stars
Review: Seriously I am obsessed with Costco strawberries. I love that they are coming into season and this makes the perfect muffin. I have already made these twice!

Strawberry Cheesecake Streusel Muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups strawberries cut into small pieces

Cream Cheese Filling

4 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Streusel

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. If you don't use cupcake liners, make sure to grease the pan so they will come out easily.

2. In a mixing bowl for the muffin batter, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, beat the milk, oil, egg and sugar. Stir the dry ingredients in the milk mixture gently but do not overmix. The batter should be slightly lumpy.

3. For the cheesecake mixture beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.

4. For the topping, mix together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. With a fork blend in the butter until it looks like coarse sand.

4. Scoop a tablespoon of the muffin batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Sprinkle a few pieces of strawberries and then add about 1/2 tablespoon of the cheesecake mixture. Sprinkle some of the streusel topping on the cheesecake filling, followed by another layer of the muffin batter. Add a few pieces of strawberries on the top and lastly sprinkle with the cinnamon streusel.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool into the pan for 5 minutes and transfer them to a wire rack.

Recipe Adapted from Joans Food Wanderings

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I had a fabulous weekend attending a snap conference with some of my favorite blog friends. We had so much fun attending classes and staying up late sharing ideas with each other. I learned a lot this weekend and I hope that I can continue to grow as a blogger! I had such a busy weekend and Mondays are always a struggle for me. I like to be able to make something quick and easy. This turned out fantastic and my 9 year old said that it was one of the best things that I have made. I loved how the Ritz crackers gave it a delicious crunch and the cream sauce on top was amazing. This is definitely a meal that will please the family and everyone will love.

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars
Review: I loved how easy and delicious this was and it was probably one of the best things that we had. I was going to add 1/4 cheddar cheese to the sauce but I forgot. I may try to do that next time because we will be making this again and again!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
1/4 t salt
1/8 t pepper
1/2 cup milk
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 t dried parsley

Cream Sauce:

10 ounce can cream of chicken soup
2 T sour cream
2 T butter

1. Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks. Set aside. In a food processor (or I put mine in a big ziplock bag and used a rolling pin), grind up the ritz crackers.

2. In 3 small pans, divide the milk, cheese, and cracker crumbs into each pan. Add the salt and pepper to the Ritz cracker crumbs.

3. Dip chicken first in the milk pan, then roll in the cheese, pressing cheese into the chicken breast, and lastly roll the chicken into the cracker crumbs.

4. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place the chicken into the pan. Lastly sprinkle the top of the coated chicken with the dried parsley.

5. Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

6. While the chicken is baking, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the cream of chicken soup, butter and sour cream until heated through.

7. Once chicken is done, serve the cream sauce over the chicken.

Recipe adapted from Jamie Cooks it up