Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

I had leftover chicken that was seasoned with McCormick "Smokehouse Maple" and wanted a quick and easy recipe that also used the broccoli I had in the fridge. I recently upgraded my Wok, so I decided it was time to break it in. :) I ended up adding red pepper, celery, sesame oil and extra soy sauce. The honey was the perfect ingredient for this wonderful stir fry. I also used the rice cooker for Jasmine rice. This one had very little leftover--gobbled up with seconds and thirds. ;)

http://www.dinneratthezoo.com/honey-garlic-chicken-stir-fry/

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dip

Need a go to for parties? This is a great quickie to "whip" up. I used mini vanilla wafers and animal cookies for the dip. When you use the stand mixer and whisk attachment on high, you can take the cream cheese right out of the fridge throw it in the bowl with the other ingredients (minus the chocolate chips) you'll have cookie dip in 2-3 minutes! So addicting--another dam in the clean eating river....;)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-dip

Feta and Vegetable Rotini Salad

I never know what to do with rainbow rotini, but I think a found a winner on Pinterest. I omitted the olives and added bacon. It passed the hubby's inspection--thumb's up. :)

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/05/feta-and-vegetable-rotini-salad.html

The Best Macaroni Salad Ever (Sweet) (Pioneer Woman)

I was looking for a macaroni salad that was sweet. Usually the hubby wants a vinegar, mustard macaroni salad, but this time, I wanted "my" version. The Pioneer Woman wins again! I did end up adding bacon and mustard for extra tang, but the bread & butter pickles (and a few leftover gerkins chopped) hit the spot. :)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/the-best-macaroni-salad-ever/

Mississippi Post Roast--Electric Pressure Cooker

So, I forgot to put the roast in the crockpot this morning. Hmm...well, I decided it was time to get to know the 8 quart electric pressure cooker that I bought a couple of months ago. OMG! This thing is Ah-Mazing. I threw it all in the pot and 60 minutes later---BAM! Dinner. So stoked! This will save a lot of heat an electricity this summer. No more stovetop pots or crockpot dishes. Easy to clean, easy to use. Definitely worth the investment. Also this is my all-time favorite pot roast recipe. Pepperoncinis are delicious and perfect for beef!

https://www.recipesthatcrock.com/mississippi-pot-roast-electric-pressure-cooker/

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

So now that the weather is warming up and cooperating, my blog time is significantly reduced. I made this last week, but it's definitely a keeper--super yummy! I didn't have enough heath to sprinkle on top so I added butterscotch chips. Oh my---"Crack Bars"!  The shortbread bottom, sweetened condensed milk drizzle and topping definitely brought my clean eating to shame. Since the hubby loves heath, caramel and butterscotch, I have a feeling I will be making this one again. :)

http://cantstayoutofthekitchen.com/2013/03/12/chocolate-chip-toffee-bars/

Baked Cod with Tartar Sauce

The hubby recently bought cod which confused me because he doesn't usually like white fish. Then he explained, "I know it's good for me, so I figured I should eat it." After knowing him for 9 years, I know that his favorite is prepared baked and with Panko. I particularly liked this recipe because you marinade the fish first. I used smoked paprika which I feel was essential. I didn't use the tartar sauce in this link but will post the link to the one that I did use. Paired with rice and salad was perfect.

http://www.dolcedolce.com/low-cal-fried-fish/

Million Dollar Spaghetti

So I have leftover spaghetti noodles and sauce earlier this week. I typed in "baked spaghetti" on Pinterest and lo and behold, I found the recipe to beat ALL recipes--at least according to the hubby. :) I only used sour cream and cream cheese; I didn't have cottage cheese at the time. It was super easy. I re-named it "Lunch Lady Spaghetti" but Million Dollar Spaghetti was very appropriate.

http://sugarapron.com/2015/10/21/million-dollar-spaghetti/#more-1197

Watermelon Rice Krispie Treats

Pinterest day--Success! This was my second Pinterest attempt (non-fail). I used miniature chocolate chips instead of chocolate covered sunflower seeds. It turned out super cool-I used more red and green for sharper colors. Kid friendly recipe.

http://www.glorioustreats.com/2012/06/watermelon-krispie-treats.html

Marbled Oreos

Pinterest day! I don't usually do artsy desserts, but the next 2 posts, I knew I could handle (I hoped anyway). Marbled oreos are super easy and a great idea to do with kids. The color combinations are endless too. 1. I used almond bark, but you can buy melting chocolate in the wedding section at Walmart. 2. In the video, the girl mentions "chocolate coloring". It's actually Wilton's Icing color (found in the wedding section at Walmart). 3.You will have to dip your colors in the white chocolate after 3 cookie dips. Repeat every 3 cookies. 4. Use a narrow, deep dish for the cookie dunking if you want to coat at least half.

http://www.sprinklesforbreakfast.com/sprinkles-for-breakfast/marbled-oreos

Best Fried Rice

Thanks to my neighbor, I now have ample supply of eggs for my day-to-day cooking. Yesterday, I didn't feel like thawing out a meat for dinner and everyone had had a big lunch so I decided a vegetarian meal would be ok. I cooked about 8 cups of rice so I doubled the recipe. I also used frozen mixed vegetables and it tasted fine without oyster sauce (which you can just substitute additional soy sauce). It was perfect and hit the spot. 

http://chefsavvy.com/the-best-fried-rice/

Fluffy Lemon Pudding Dessert

Yep-you guessed it, this is another pudding recipe that needed to happen. I won't say this one is my favorite, but then again, lemon pudding isn't either. I ended up adding lemon juice to the pudding mix which helped alot. I also added fresh blueberries to the top. The hubby enjoyed it, although he doesn't plow through pudding desserts unless they contain chocolate ;)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fluffy-lemon-pudding-dessert

Chocolate Chip Heath Bar Cookies

The hubby loves heath and it had been a while (few weeks) since he'd seen these type of cookies in the cookie jar. This was a yummy recipe.We'll see how long they stay in the jar. ;)

http://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Heath-Bar-Cookies.jpg

Pistachio Dessert

So I've been doing a pantry inventory of expiring foods. I had a series of pudding that I've slowly been using up. I think I was planning something with pistachio last year that never made it to the table, so I decided it was time. Pistachio pudding is my favorite, so needless to say, I ended up eating quite a bit of this one (found on Pinterest). You can't go wrong with a shortbread crust and cream cheese. ;)

Creamy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti

Tonight I put on my lunch lady hat and "re-purposed" last night's spaghetti dinner. I ended up with WAY too many noodles and needed to come up with a solution. I also had cooked a whole chicken a couple of days ago (in the crockpot and give the broth to the dogs). So tonight I'm using half of the spaghetti as a mexican bake and tomorrow will be a cold spaghetti salad. I was able to get this one together in less than 10 minutes and bake for 30. Easy peesy. :)

http://www.thecountrycook.net/creamy-cheesy-chicken-spaghetti/