Food Recipes For Dinner: May 2013

Friday, May 31, 2013

Chicken Enchilada Puffs

I have made these delicious little puffs twice this month already. And the first time I made them my sister came over for a visit. She loved them so much that she made me make some more to take home to her hubby. When you pay a visit to The Recipe Critic you never leave hungry or empty handed. :) I loved how easy these are to make. I was even able to show my sister who isn't very confident at cooking step by step how to make them. You can have them in the oven by the time that the oven is preheated. These puffs are packed with amazing flavor and the cream cheese inside is awesome! This is one of those recipes that is especially great when you want to have a great meal that doesn't require a lot of effort!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Chicken Enchilada Puffs

1 package jumbo crescent rolls
3 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese
3/4 cooked diced chicken (I used Tyson's in the refrigerated section)
1/3 cup enchilada sauce
2 teaspoons enchilada or taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup Mexican shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.

2. Soften cream cheese in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir in chicken, seasoning mix, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup and Mexican shredded cheese until combined.

3. Unroll crescent rolls on pan. Place a heaping tablespoon of chicken in the center of the two short ends of the crescent.

4. Pull outer corners of the crescent roll over the chicken mixture, and then pull the long end over completely enclosing the filling.

5. Sprinkle the tops of the puffs with the Mexican shredded cheese.

6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Adapted from Tidy Mom

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

I don't know what it is about me and strawberries, but I am obsessed! I made a special trip to Costco just to get their amazing strawberries. I love buying strawberries when they are in season and perfectly ripe and juicy. I love using them in recipes, especially homemade jam. That is if they make it to the recipe! I ate one pound all by myself yesterday! They were just so good I kept eating them one by one. Needless to say I had to make another trip to get some more strawberries because we ended up making 3 batches of this amazing strawberry lemonade.

I have always loved strawberry lemonade and I order it wherever we go. Since I didn't grow up on soda I have always preferred strawberry lemonade and it quenches your thirst so well especially on a hot summer day!

Let me just tell you how amazing this turned out. I had a little helper in the kitchen today. We cut the fresh strawberries and squeezed the lemons by hand into the blender. This recipe is the perfect amount of lemon and the perfect amount of strawberries. I sliced up some fresh strawberries and poured the drink into into a glass with ice on top. And oh yum... the froth on top of this made the drink incredible. We will be making this weekly at our house and it also makes such a fun summer drink!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

1 1/2 cup strawberries
Juice of 2 large lemons
1/4 cup Agave Nectar
2 1/2 cups cold water
extra strawberries for garnish

1. In a blender, combine 1 1/2 cup strawberries, juice of 2 lemons, and agave nectar. Blend on high until smooth about 2 minutes.

2. Pour into a pitcher and whisk together with the cold water. Refrigerate until chilled about an hour.

3. Serve with ice and garnish with strawberry. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted From Cooking with my kid

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Grilled Monterey Chicken

This recipe has been in my top 5 recipes of all time. So when my parents wanted to have a BBQ this weekend I couldn't wait to try this on the grill! Of course I already knew that it would turn out perfectly! You can't go wrong when you marinate chicken in an amazing sauce, wrap it in bacon, and then top it with BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese at the end. It was grilled to perfection and the bacon was crisped perfectly. The chicken was perfectly moist and the flavor was amazing. This was a huge hit with my family!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 2 stars

Grilled Monterey Chicken

3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup shredded monterey Jack Cheese
8 slices apple-smoked bacon
8 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1. Mix the honey, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and salt together. I cut my chicken breasts in half making them tenders. Marinate your chicken breasts in this sauce for at least an hour but can be marinated overnight.
2. Wrap each chicken piece in bacon securing the bacon with a toothpick. Place on the grill and cook until no longer pink in the center and juices run clear.
3. When finished cooking, top each chicken breast with BBQ and sprinkle with cheese. Leave on the grill until it is melted and serve!
For the baked version click here

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Monday, May 27, 2013

Time to Sparkle Link Party #11

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!

Inside BruCrew Life | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

The Gunny Sack | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

The Recipe Critic | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Love Grows Wild | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

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:

Chocolate Glazed Donut Whoopie Pie from The Gunny Sack

Orange Julius Copycat from The Recipe Critic

How To Create A DIY Family Sign With Your Wedding Date from Love Grows Wild

Peanut Butter Snickers Cheesecake Brownie Pie from Inside BruCrew Life

************************************************

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

Kate Spade Inspired Lamp Makeover by Rain On A In Roof

Pink & Black Industrial Chic Pillows by Design, Dining & Diapers

Wooden Herb Markers by Craftivity Designs

Moss Door Sign by Pretty Providence

Washi Tape Bow Cupcake Bunting by Shaken Together

Sonic Grape Limeade Copycat by High Heels and Grills

Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom

Bite Sized Birthday Cakes by Couponing and Cooking

Soft and Chewy Cinnamon Chip Snickerdoodle Cookies by Averie Cooks

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pretzel Bars by Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Grab a button if you've been featured!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thegunnysack.com" title="The Gunny Sack"><img src="http://www.thegunnysack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/150_x_150_Feature_Button.jpg" alt="The Gunny Sack" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.thegunnysack.com" title="The Gunny Sack"><img src="http://www.thegunnysack.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/150_x_150_Party_Button.jpg" alt="The Gunny Sack" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Summer Grillin' Giveaway

Step 1: Pin the image above.

Step 2: Follow all the bloggers listed below on Pinterest.

Step 3: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. For additional entries, follow some awesome new blogs on Facebook! The rafflecopter may take a second to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 24, 2013

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll Ups

I am always trying to think of new recipes to create. Being a food blogger, you are always thinking about food. I was sitting in a blog conference and since we LOVED the Alfredo Roll Ups so much, I thought a chicken cordon bleu version of them sounded amazing! So after experimenting a couple of times I created an amazing cordon bleu roll up! This is combined with chicken, ham, and bacon with a creamy chicken sauce and is topped with swiss cheese. I felt like it represented chicken cordon bleu exactly the way that I wanted it to!

The second time that I made it my little 9 year old had his friend over and asked if he could stay for dinner. I served them up and was in the other room and heard them talking. My little boy's friend took a bite and said, Did your mom make this?! And he said yeah, she is The Recipe Critic. Then his friend said, she should give the recipe to my mom! I won my husband over with my cooking and now my little boys friends... :)

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 4 stars

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll Ups

9 lasagna noodles

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1/2 cup bacon pieces

1/2 cup chopped ham

2 cups shredded swiss cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

4 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with 1/2 cup alfredo sauce.

2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold water and lay them on a paper towel to remove excess water.

3. In a medium saucepan whisk together over medium heat cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, chicken broth, and heavy cream. Whisk together until cream cheese block has melted and turn heat to low.

4. Spread 2 Tbs of the creamy chicken sauce over each noodle. Sprinkle bacon and ham on top. Take 1/9th of the shredded chicken and spread evenly over each noodle and top with about 3 Tbs shredded cheese. Carefully roll up each lasagne noodle and place seam side down in your 9x9 prepared pan.

5. Once they are all in the pan, pour the remaining sauce over the top and top with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until heated through and cheese is bubbly.

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Orange Julius Copycat

It is starting to warm up around here and we are loving it! It is so nice to come out of winter hibernation and enjoy some sunshine. We had a lot of fun this afternoon just running in the sprinklers with our friends and splashing in the kiddie pool. I made everyone some of this amazing homemade orange julius and it is about as close to the real thing as you will get! So refreshing on a hot day and amazingly easy! Orange julius are one of my favorite things and I love that I can make it at home. We will be having this a lot this summer!

Rating: 5 stars Difficulty of Recipe: 1 star

Orange Julius Copycat

6 ounces frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
7-9 ice cubes

1. Put ingredients into a blender and blend for about 2 minutes until desired consistency. You may not need the entire 1/2 cup of sugar depending on how sweet your orange juice is.

Recipe Adapted from Pretty Providence

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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Slow Cooker Kalua Pulled Pork

I went to Hawaii a few years back and got to eat Kalua pork for the first time at a luau. It is so fantastic and so tender. They have a place in Utah that has amazing kalua pork, but I was excited to make my own. You guys. This cooks in your slow cooker for 16 hours! I put it in the night before and when it was ready the next day, it peeled apart. The salt and liquid smoke rub keeps it extremely tender and moist. I don't think I have ever experienced pork that was so tender and moist. I served them with some coleslaw and drizzled BBQ sauce on top. But you could really serve this however you want to! Over rice, use teriyaki sauce, it tacos, the possibilities of this delicious pork is endless. The flavor was perfect and I felt like I was in a Hawaii luau in my kitchen... haha I wish!