Cinnabunnies

The cinnamon rolls are in the oven and they smell SOOOO yummy!  I thought I would get a head start on writing this up before I post pictures.  So here you go:

I thought I would post a fun Spring/Easter treat.  They are so easy to make, and could be a great activity to do with the kids.  Oh and did I mention..... Very Tasty!  Who doesn't love a good cinnamon roll?!

Here's the Ingredients:

• Candy to decorate the face
• Thinly sliced almonds for the teeth (if you choose to have them, I chose not to)
• Cream cheese frosting (comes with the cinnamon rolls, but it never seems like they give you enough, so I bought a can of it)
• 10 large Cinnamon rolls (2 cinnamon rolls makes up one bunny, so however you need. I made 5 so I got 2 cans of the Pillsbury ready to bake cinnamon rolls)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to cooking directions on Cinnamon Roll can

2. Grease baking sheet

3. Place a cinnamon roll onto the baking sheet. 

4.  Unroll another cinnamon roll, bending it to look like ears.  Place in baking sheet, barely touching the other cinnamon roll.

4.  Repeat as many times as you can with the cinnamon rolls spaced well on the sheet.

5. Bake until golden brown (follow baking times on cinnamon roll cans)

6. Let cool.

7.  Decorate!  Have fun!!!

Noodle and Turkey Casserole

Every month since December, I have been able to get together with some friends to hang out, eat good food, and exchange recipes.  This month, we did casseroles.  I was kind of at a loss for ideas on this one.  I have never made a REAL casserole before.  It's just Joe and I in the house, so a casserole would be lunch and dinner for several days.  (I'm not exaggerating.  I think this casserole left overs lasted us about a week).

This recipe comes from my mom.  It's very simple to make.  I remember asking my mom to make it for me all the time when I was a kid.  Every year for birthdays we get to pick our birthday dinner and I would also choose this casserole.  Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

1 regular can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 oz)

1 small container of sour cream

1 regular can of corn (14-16 oz)

A couple of slices of bread

Stick of butter

1 package of egg noodles

1 pound ground turkey

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cook and drain ground turkey

2. Cook noodles according to package directions

3.  Mix together cooked noodles, turkey, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and corn together in a small bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

4. Spread in a casserole dish

5. Melt stick of butter in the microwave.  Brake bread slices into smaller pieces and dip into the butter.  Lay onto mixture in casserole dish.

6.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, just until everything is warmed through.  This shouldn't take long since everything is already precooked.

Eating While On Vacation

I feel like such a slacker......  I have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to update this blog.  Earlier this month we went to Vegas, but I haven't been feeling too great, so Joe has been cooking.  He is an excellent cook!  I will hopefully be posting some more recipe finds soon.

While in Vegas, we were able to enjoy some really good food and I thought I would share with you my 2 favs.  We went out to eat a few times, but my favorite place was of course......Mexican food!

If you are ever in Vegas, why am I even saying that, everyone goes to Vegas, but anyway, you should definitely try it.

Macayos.  It was so good.  Pretty much up there with my favorite Mexican places.

Another place we went to: Buffalo Wild Wings.  Joe could does not stop talking about this place.  We went out to dinner last week and when I asked him what he was getting at the restaurant, he said, "I was thinking wings."  He is even contemplating going with my brothers to Idaho, just to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to eat some wings.  They are hilarious!

Overall, our trip was really fun, besides the two of us being sick with colds, but hey, it was a vacation!

What are your favorite places to eat at on vacation?

Man's Best Friend

Man's best friend......yes in deed, this puppy is one of my best friends.  Joe took these pictures and I was laughing so hard!  I left to go shopping for a couple of hours while Joe did some homework.  After I had been gone for about 10 minutes, he started to wonder what happened to our puppy, Cocoa.  This is what he found.

He finally got her to come away from the door, which she then ended up doing this for another 10 minutes:

What can I say?  She LOVES me and I love her cute, furry, little teddy bear face!

This was before her haircut.  Excuse the hidden eyes

Banana Bread

Sorry for the long break from writing.  I had SUCH a busy weekend.  It was my birthday, and I had a great time with family and friends!  (And, ate WAY too much!)  Unfortunately, I didn't cook much this weekend.  I got what I have wanted for a few months now, a Nookbook.  Actually, to be honest, my husband gave it to me a week early!  I know, what a sweetie!  I absolutely love it, but I have to admit, I have been spending way too much time reading and not enough time cooking or crafting.  I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things.


So, when Sunday came and I saw those brown bananas sitting on my counter, I figured it was time to get bakin'.  I normally use a recipe in my Betty Crocker cookbook, but I decided to venture out and find a new one.  I think I might just like this one better too.  The recipe didn't have nuts to be added, but I added some chopped up walnuts to make it taste even better!

Doesn't that just look delish!!!  Trust me it was very good.  I still have lots to eat too!  I can't wait!

The recipe was found on the food network here

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Butter a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.  

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  

In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.  Mix in the milk and cinnamon.  

In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined.  Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.  (I added the chopped up walnuts after this, just a cup, but add however much you want).  

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes.  Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.  

ENJOY!

Chicken, Carmalized Onions, and Tomatoes

Here you go.  

The final thing that was served at our Valentines dinner.  

It was SO good and I will definitely be making it again.  We make so much chicken and it's good to find another way to make it.  I searched for days for the perfect thing to make.  I found this recipe on another cooking blog, For the Love of Cooking.  You can find the recipe here.  I thought the recipe was going to be a hard one to do when I first saw the picture, but it was extremely easy to do and tasted like I worked really hard on it.  Bonus!

I wasn't so sure that I would like the feta cheese that was on top, but it tasted fabulous and I have been putting that cheese on my salads now.  Isn't it great how you try something and end up loving it!

Here's the recipe!  Hope you all like it!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup of red grape tomatoes
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 tbsp of feta cheese

The How to:

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a bit of salt then saute until golden brown and caramelized - about 15-20 minutes.
In large grill pan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat and season the chicken breasts with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. Make sure pan is nice and hot before adding the chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes before turning over. Cook for additional 3-4 minutes to desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat to a serving platter. Make sure to let the chicken rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing so it stays nice and juicy. Slice into thin strips at an angle once it has rested.
In the same skillet as the onions, add the grape tomatoes then season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Add minced garlic, stirring frequently for 60 seconds. Pour the tomatoes and onions on top of the sliced chicken, drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Top with feta cheese and fresh basil.

Since her picture looked better than mine, and shows the basil (which I ended up not using):  here's what it looks like with lots of practice :)

ENJOY!

Artichoke Dip

Excuse the poor picture.  This was a little hard to capture the goodness of the dip.  It really is delicious!

 Joe and I LOVE artichoke dip.  I made it for our Valentines Dinner.  We could did eat it all up ourselves!  We found the best one at the restaurant, The Garden.  The recipe I am going to share is a great comparison.  I got it from a trainer at work and I just can't get enough of it!

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1 package shredded Parmesan cheese

1-2 cans of artichoke hearts (non-marinated)

Red pepper flakes

Garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop up artichoke hearts very finely.  I like to use a food processor.  Put the artichoke hearts and cream cheese in a glass bowl and microwave for 3-5 minutes.  You don't need to mix it together before putting it in the microwave.  Add cheese and spices.  When I add the spices, I basically just sprinkle each one of the spices on top, but you can season it to your own tasting.  Cook another 3-5 minutes, or bake in the oven for 15 mintues at 350 degrees for a crunchy texture.  Serve hot with Frito scoops, or tortilla chips. YUM!  YUM!

Enjoy!