Stromboli

 1 roll refrigerated pizza crust

Pizza sauce

Pepperonis

Sausage

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese, shredded

1 egg, beaten

Italian seasoning and garlic salt

Roll out crust as thin as you can on large sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread tho  layer of sauce almost to the edges. Layer your favorite pizza toppings in a big rectangle in the middle of the crust. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and half of Parmesan. Start at one side and roll dough, careful that the toppings don’t start coming out of sides. When you get to the end, seal it and put the sealed side on bottom of pan. Brush egg on top and sprinkle with seasonings and rest of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. 

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

 1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c honey

1/2 c peanut butter

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 c oats

1/2 c chopped nuts or seeds (I used cashews and sunflower seeds)

3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

In saucepan, melt coconut oil, peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool for about 10 minutes so it doesn’t melt the chocolate chips. 

In bowl, put oats and nuts/ seeds. Stir in peanut matter mixture until well coated. Mix in chocolate chips. In 9x9 pan, place nonstick parchment paper. Press mixture into pan firmly and evenly. Let chill for 2 hours then cut into bars. I like to keep mine in refrigerator. 

You can easily mix up the add-ins! Any type of nut or seeds (pecans, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, flax, etc) or substitute raisins, cranberries, white chocolate chips. 

Wedge Salad

 Head of iceberg lettuce

Thick cut bacon

Cherry tomatoes

Blue cheese

Blue cheese dressing

Balsamic glaze

Slice the stem out of the head of lettuce. Slice into fourths or eights, depending on how many people you want to serve and portion sizes. Drizzle with dressing first, then blue cheese, bacon, and tomatoes. Drizzle with balsamic glaze last if you want it.  

Lava Cakes

 2 packages Bakers semi-sweet chocolate bars

1 c butter

2 c powdered sugar

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

2 tsp vanilla

12 T flour

Melt butter and chocolate in glass bowl in microwave on 1 minute intervals on high. Keep stirring with whisk until melted. Stir in powdered sugar. Mix in eggs and yolks with mixer for about 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Stir in flour just until blended. 

Butter 8 ramekins well and then sprinkle with unsweetened cocoa powder. Pour batter 2/3 of the way full. Bake at 425 degrees for about 12-14 minutes. 

Serve with ice cream or cool whip. 

Chocolate Bundt Cake

 Devils Food boxed cake mix (the kind with pudding already in it)

1 c cold coffee

1/4 c melted butter

1/2 c sour cream

4 eggs

Beat until fluffy. Bake in Bundt pan according to package directions. 

Chocolate Glaze:

8 T butter

6 T cocoa powder

1 T espresso powder

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 c powdered sugar

Little bit of hot water

In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and whisk in cocoa and espresso powder. Mix on low for a few minutes. Add in vanilla and salt. Whisk in powdered sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of hot water at a time until it is the consistency to drizzle on cooled cake. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

 6 jumbo sweet potatoes

3 eggs

1/2 c milk or cream

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 c melted butter

Wash potatoes, pierce with fork, and wrap in foil. Bake for 1 hour at 400 or until tender. Once cool, peel from skins and use a beater to whip. Mix in other ingredients. Put in pan. 

Topping:

3 T cold butter

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

Mini marshmallows

Cut cold butter into pecans, brown sugar, and flour. Sprinkle on top of sweet potatoes. Bake at 400 for 45 min. Take out and put marshmallows on top and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Watch carefully as marshmallows can go from melted to burnt quickly! 

Chicken Roll-Ups

 6 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped 

6 slices of bacon, crumbled

1 block cream cheese, softened

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

2 tubes crescent rolls

1 can cream of chicken

1/4 c milk

Salt, pepper 

Mix chicken, bacon, cheese, and cream cheese. Unroll crescent rolls. Fill each thick end of crescent roll with. Chicken mixture. Roll up and place in greased backing dish. Mix cream of mushroom, milk and spices in small bowl. Pour over crescent rolls. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.

Jalapeño Cheese Grits

 6 cups boiling water

1 1/2 c quick cooking grits

1 stick butter

1 T salt

1 lb Mexican Velveeta cheese

4 oz can chopped green chiles

3 beaten eggs

Add grits to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Add butter, salt, cheese, and chiles. Let cool, then add beaten eggs. Transfer to 2 qt baking dish and bake at 350* for 1 hour. 

White Chocolate Cake

Cake: 

 1 box white cake mix

1 3 oz pkg white chocolate pudding mix

1 1/3 c water

1/3 c oil

2/3 c egg whites (about 5 eggs)

2 oz white chocolate, melted

Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened

4 c confectioners sugar

6 T heavy cream

2 oz white chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour two cake pans. Beat all ingredients of cake together well. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. 

Frosting: Beat butter and sugar together. Gradually add in heavy cream and white chocolate. 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Batter:
1 box white cake mix (Betty Crocker SuperMoist)
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t cinnamon
15 oz pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1/3 c. milk
2 t vanilla

Snickerdoodle Topping:
6 T melted butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 T cinnamon

Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 c. softened butter
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 t cinnamon
2 t vanilla
3-4 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
Sift cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon in bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake about 15 min or until knife comes out clean.

Melt butter in small bowl. Combine cinnamon and sugar in another small bowl. Once cupcakes are mostly cooled, brush tops of cupcakes with butter then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture for that "snickerdoodle" look.

Beat softened butter and cream cheese. Add cinnamon and vanilla; slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency. Add a tad of milk if it becomes too thick. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Fat Head Pizza Crust- Low Carb

2 T softened cream cheese
3/4 c. almond flour
1 3/4 c. mozzarella or a blend of cheeses
1 egg
seasonings (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper)
toppings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all together in bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds to make it more pliable if necessary. Put parchment paper on baking sheet. *Parchment paper is a must!* Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Then put desired toppings on- tomato sauce, sausage, pepperoni, cheese, etc.

We have made traditional with sausage and pepperoni, BBQ pizza with jalapenos and banana peppers, and also mini breakfast pizzas with scrambles eggs, cheese, and chopped bacon! Use your imagination. I often double it and make two.

Skillet Cookie

1 roll of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
8 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
10-15 regular sized marshmallows
vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In cast iron skillet, smush half the cookie dough roll on bottom of cast iron skillet. Arrange peanut butter cups and marshmallows on it then smush other half of cookie dough on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it is just under cooked. Serve with Vanilla ice cream while cookie is still warm.

I used Reese's this time. Next time I will try some kind of caramel candy. Maybe chopped Twix bars would be good!?

Crockpot Meatballs

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 onion, chopped finely
garlic powder, salt, pepper
1 egg
3/4 c. milk

Mix all ingredients in bowl and mix with hands. In pan, heat some olive oil and sear each meatball on each side. Put in crockpot when done. I had to do mine in batches. Then add sauce on top.

Sauce:
Jar tomato sauce or favorite spaghetti sauce
lots of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
jar of mushrooms, drained

After you sear all meatballs in pan, add cherry tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. Transfer on top on meatballs in crockpot and add mushrooms also. Add sauce. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. You can serve with pasta, spaghetti squash, or just by themselves.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Burgers

2 lb. ground beef
4 oz. cream cheese
1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
3 jalapenos, seeded and chopped finely
bacon
buns
condiments of choice

Microwave cream cheese until soft. Stir in cheese and jalapenos. Divide meat into 8 portions. make a patty out of 4 of the ground beef portions. Put a big blob of cheese mixture on each patty. Put other 4 patties on top of cheese and seal in edges of burgers. I did mine in the cast iron skillet to save any cheese that oozed out instead of the grill. Sear both sides of burger on med high heat then put in 400 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.

Low Carb Breakfast Burritos with Egg Crepe

1 lb. breakfast sausage
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 lb. thick sliced ham, cut into bite sized pieces
big handfuls of chopped spinach
1 c. shredded 4 cheese blend
10 eggs

Brown sausage in big skillet. Drain sausage on paper towel. Saute onion and bell pepper in skillet. Add in ham until browned some. Add sausage back in. Add spinach until wilted. Mix in cheese. There is your filling.

If you are doing low carb and don't want a tortilla, I found some egg crepe things that you can make. Super simple! Just get a small, nonstick skillet warmed up. Mix 1 egg in a small bowl. Melt a little butter in your skillet first, then pour in egg. Move pan around until egg makes a circle shape. Cook for about 1 minute on first side. CAREFULLY flip! Cook for another 20 seconds on other side. Make about 10 of these, draining grease on paper towel after each one.

Store sausage mixture and egg crepes separately in fridge and just warm in the mornings. Eat like a burrito.

Chicken Enchiladas

4 shredded chicken breasts

Corn tortillas

16 oz shredded pepper jack cheese

8 oz cream cheese

1 can green enchilada sauce

Onion powder 

Put green sauce in bottom of 9x 13 pan. Mix together chicken, cream cheese, onion powder, and half of pepper jack cheese. Take 1 tortilla at a time and coat with green sauce. Add a glob of chicken/cheese mixture to each tortilla and roll up. Top with remaining pepper jack cheese and rest of green sauce. Cook at 350 degrees for 30 min. 

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 cans cream of chicken
2 cans chicken broth
1 bag frozen carrots
dash of parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper
1/2 bag of frozen peas
2 cans refrigerated Grand's Junior biscuits

Put chicken, soup, broth, carrots, and seasonings in crockpot. Cook on High for 3 hours. Add in peas. Cut biscuits into fourths or smaller. They will puff up. Add biscuits in and cook for another hour. Enjoy!

Blueberry French Toast Casserole with Blueberry Syrup

Casserole:
1 1/2 loaves french bread, cubed
2 pints blueberries
1 bar cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
8 eggs
2 c. half and half
2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla extract

Blueberry Syrup:
2 pints fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. water
1 T lemon juice
2 T honey
1 T cornstarch/ 1 T water

Grease a 9x13 dish and spread half of bread cubes. In bowl, mix cream cheese and powdered sugar. Spread half of cream cheese mixture over bread and sprinkle with half of blueberries. Spread other half of bread, cream cheese, and blueberries next. In bowl, beat eggs, half and half, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture over bread and blueberries. Press down with hands to soak all bread in egg mixture. Let soak for a few hours or overnight. Bake for about 30 minutes, covered, then another 15-20 minutes, uncovered.

Syrup:
In saucepan, bring blueberries, syrup, water, lemon juice, and honey to a light boil for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. If it needs to be thickened, add a little cornstarch/water mixture to it and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

Almond Punch

1 small package lemon gelatin
2 c. boiling water
2 1/2 c. sugar
5 c. cold water
1 large can unsweetened pineapple juice
1 c. lemon juice
1 10 oz. bottle almond extract
2 liters gingerale

Dissolve jello in boiling water, then add all other ingredients (except gingerale) and stir well. Pour mixture into 2 gallon size ziplock freezer bags. Freeze until ready to use. Thaw 2-3 hours before serving punch. Mix with gingerale in punch bowl. It should be "slushy."

Watermelon Slush

Frozen watermelon (cut into chunks, then freeze)
2 cups water
Half of a crystal light lemonade packet
1 T sugar

Blend all in blender until smooth.