Hubby's Frozen Pina Colada



My husband has got to make the best frozen Pina Coladas I have ever tasted! They are one of my favorite drinks; although, I prefer them with no alcohol!

These drinks are perfect for the pool side or for a "safe" get-together. Cool, refreshing, and oh so yummy! I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!






Ingredients:

1 cup of Pina Colada Drink Mix (Any will do)

6-8 scoops of Blue Bell Homeade Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups of Crushed Ice

Slice of Pineapple (Optional)

Cherry (Optional)


Directions:

1)  In a blender, combine the drink mix, the ice cream, and the crushed ice;

2)  Blend until smooth;

3)  Garnish with pineapple and cherry, if desired.

That's it!  If it's a bit too thick, you can add extra liquid.  If it's too thin, add a bit more ice cream.

Enjoy!


(Photo courtesy of http://yahoo.com)

Dirt Cake

Yes, you read it right! I said "Dirt Cake"! I'm sure many of you have heard of it and have already tried it! And...if you have, you know how yummy it is! I won't say it's necessarily good for you, but you're tummy will love it!

 

This is one of my daughter's favorite desserts! And what's really fun is that you can easily incorporate it into any type of party setting - birthdays or especially Halloween! Just add some Nutter Butter Cookies and with Chocolate icing, write "RIP" on them, and voila! You have little tombstones sitting in your pudding cups!

So how do you make it? Easy as "pie"!

 

Ingredients:

 

2 small boxes of Instant Chocolate Pudding (You can use Vanilla if you prefer)

 

1 package of Oreo Cookies

 

1 small container of Cool Whip

 

Gummy Worms (Optional)

 

Plastic Cups (Optional)

 

 

Directions:

 

1)  Chop Oreos really fine in a blender: (Like dirt!)

 

2)  Mix pudding according to package instructions;

 

3)  Fold Cool Whip into pudding;

 

4)  Serve in cups and sprinkle heavily with Oreos, and add gummy worms cuz the kiddos love 'em!

 

(Some recipes vary as some like to layer the pudding with the oreos.  Your choice, of course!)

 

Enjoy!

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Yahoo)

 

Crockpot Fajita Tacos

I've actually been making these fajita tacos for years.  My friend, Sherri, introduced them to me long ago.  Thank you for that, Sherri!  They've always remained a family favorite!

I've just made one small change - I now cook my chicken in the crockpot instead of boiling it on the stove top.  The chicken is so much more moist and tender, and it shreds so much easier.

And simple...these are so simple and so delicious! 

Serve with a side of Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, and Guacamole, or just gobble 'em up all by themselves!





Ingredients:

3-4 Boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Taco Bell Fajita Seasoning Packet (You might like 2 if you want more flavor)

Wheat Tortillas

Grated Cheese

Lettuce

Tomato

Avocado (Optional)

Light Sour Cream (Optional)

Guacamole (Optional)


Directions:

Place chicken in crockpot;

Pour Fajita seasoning in a small bowl;

Fill packet with water twice and mix well;  (This way you get all of the seasoning out of your packet)

Pour over chicken;

Cook on low for 4-6 hours; (Depending on your crockpot)

When done, shred chicken;

On a wheat tortilla - add chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and any other toppings you might like;

Fold or roll tortilla, and savor these delicious tacos!

Devilled Chicken

OMGoodness!  If you have not tried this one - do it now! 

 

I found this recipe on All Recipes.com, and it's got to be one of the best I've tried! 

 

Once again, I changed it up just a bit, but my family absolutely loved it!  My hubby stood up, rubbed his belly, and said "Eeelicious!"  *smile*

 

My youngest daughter is already asking for it again, and I just fixed it this past week!

 

It's kind of like "Devilled Eggs" meats "Chicken"!  And so the story begins...

 

Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

½ cup of Mayonnaise

2-3 T. Yellow Mustard

2-3 drops Tabasco Sauce

Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese

Mrs. Dash Original

Black Pepper

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees;

Cut chicken breasts into filets or cutlets;

In a shallow bowl or on a plate, combine the mayonnaise, mustard, and Tabasco sauce;

In a deeper bowl, combine your bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, Mrs. Dash, and Black Pepper;

Coat both sides of your chicken with the mayo/mustard mixture;

Then coat with bread crumb mixture;

Place on sprayed cookie sheet covered with foil;

Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes, depending on your oven;

Eat up and enjoy!

Santa Hat Brownies

Wouldn't these cute little brownies just be the hit of any party!  And you know they'll be delicious, too! 

Haven't tried them yet, but I bet the kiddos would love them for their Christmas party at school!

And they look easy enough!  Will you be trying these this Christmas?  Bet Santa would love it if you saved him one or two!  *smile*







Ingredients:

Brownie Mix

Cool Whip (I prefer light or fat-free)

Fresh Strawberries

Directions:

Bake brownies according to box instructions.

Once brownies are cool, add a touch of cool whip.

Top it with a strawberry, and add one more dollop of cool whip.

That's it!  Oh wait!  And don't forget to eat 'em up!  *smile*



(Courtesy of http://www.punchbowl.com/)

Nana's Stir-Fry

Years back when I was still working outside the home, a friend of mine made this for me.  I loved it so much that I started making it myself.

Over the years, I've changed the recipe up a bit.  She used frozen veggies, while I love using fresh ones.  And with a few more changes here and there, I've revised this recipe to my own personal liking.

It's one of my personal favorites, and I never get tired of it!  And...it's pretty healthy for you, too! 

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


Ingredients:

1 Lg. box of Zatarain’s Yellow Rice

2 T. of Olive Oil

2-3 Chicken Breasts (Cut into bite-size pieces)

1 Bunch of fresh broccoli

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Yellow Bell Pepper

1 pkg. of fresh sliced mushrooms

2 T. Minced Garlic

Teriyaki Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

1)  Cut raw chicken into bite size pieces – about the size of your thumb, then set aside;

2)  Cut vegetables into bite size pieces.  (You can leave the broccoli stems, if you like, or just use the crowns.)  Set veggies aside;

3)  Cook rice as directed on the box for the serving size you wish;

4)  Pour oil into skillet or wok, and mix in your garlic;

5)  When oil is hot, add chicken, and a bit of Soy and Worcestershire Sauce (Use to your liking);

6)  When chicken is no longer pink and lightly browned, remove from pan;

7)  Add veggies, mushrooms, and enough Teriyaki and Worcestershire Sauce to stir fry in.  Add a little water, if necessary;

8)  Add the chicken back to the pan, cover and simmer until veggies are tender.  (Unless you prefer them crisper.)  Serve over rice.

(Note:  I have also tried this recipe with a little brown sugar added; both are yummy!)

Bourbon Chicken

Now here's a little recipe I've been wanting to try for awhile! I found this little jewel at All Recipes.com.

We have a restaurant here called "Golden Corral", and they serve Bourbon Chicken there. Let me tell you, that is some good chicken! Unfortunately, our nearest Golden Corral closed down.

So I've been bound and determined to get the recipe and give it a try.

 

Now I don't think my chicken taste just like theirs, but it is definitely good! And it's definitely worth a try! My family fell in love with it!

Hope you enjoy it, too!

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Chicken Breasts (Cut into bite-size pieces)

1-2 T. Olive Oil

1-2 T. Minced Garlic

¼ t. Ginger

¾ t. Red Pepper Flakes

¼ cup of Apple Juice

1/3 cup of Brown Sugar

2 T. Ketchup

1 T. Cider Vinegar

½ cup of Water

1 T. Cornstarch (If thick sauce is desired; my family prefers it)


Directions:

1)Heat oil in a large skillet;

2)Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned;

3)Remove chicken;

4)Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until well blended and dissolved.

5)Add chicken back to the mixture, and bring to a hard boil;

6)Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.

Serve over yellow or brown rice.

Enjoy!


Nana's Strawberry Pie

This is one of my Janna's fave desserts!  I would go to the bakery to buy her one cuz, to be honest, I don't have lots of confidence in my own cooking.  But I finally got tired of spending $15. just to get this pie that, personally, I didn't think was that great. 

So I started searching for recipes, but most were more complicated than I wanted to deal with.  If it gets too complicated or has to many ingredients, lots of times, I won't even try it.  I like things simple and easy so I don't over-work my itsy bitsy brain. 

So I finally came up with my own little version of a strawberry pie.  And guess what?  It's super simple and so easy to make!

Last Christmas, I found, to my delight, that my niece, Haley loved it, too! 

So...here ya' go! 

Ingredients:

Fresh strawberries

Strawberry Gelatin (Premade in the produce section)

1/4 cup Sugar (Optional)

Fat-Free Cool Whip

Pet Ritz Pie Shell (For less fat, try the Keebler Reduced-Fat Graham Cracker Crust)


Directions:

Combine sliced strawberries with gel and sugar.  (Save some of the strawberries if you'd like to garnish your pie with them.);

If using a frozen pie crust, bake per directions on package.

 Spread strawberry mixture evenly in crust;

Cover top of pie with cool whip, and garnish with strawberries;

Refrigerate.

Oh yeah!  Eat up!

Crusted Parmesan Chicken

I originally found this recipe on All Recipes.com, and I tried it out on my family this past week. 

Oh!  It was so moist and yummy!  Of course, I put my own little spin on it and changed it up just a bit.  I try to always make things a little healthier if I can.

I served it with my oven roasted potatoes and a dinner salad! 

I hope you enjoy it as much as my family and I did!

Ingredients:

3-4 Chicken Breasts (Cut into cutlets or filets)
(This feeds my family of four)

2-4 T. Olive Oil

2 T. Minced Garlic

1 cup of Bread Crumbs

Grated Parmesan Cheese (I use the kind in the canister)

Mrs. Dash Original Blend

Season Salt (Optional)

Black Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees;

Cut chicken into cutlets or filets;

In a medium size bowl, mix your oil and garlic together;

In another bowl, mix your bread crumbs, cheese, and seasonings together;

Dip your chicken into the oil mixture, and allow any excess to drip into bowl;

Now dip the chicken into the bread crumb mixture and coat well;

Place chicken onto a sprayed, foil-covered cookie sheet;

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.

Enjoy!

Nana's Oven-Roasted Potatoes

Here's a healthy side dish for you, and boy is it delicious!  My family loves my Roasted Potatoes! 

I've run across numerous potato dishes like this, but I decided to make mine a little "healthier".  So here goes my version...







Ingredients:

Small Red Potatoes (I use a small bag normally for my family of four)
Fat-Free Cooking Spray
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Mrs. Dash Original
Black Pepper
Sea Salt or Seasoned Salt (Optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350;

Cut potatoes into quarters;

Spray small roasting or cake pan with cooking spray;

Place potatoes in pan and spray them well with cooking spray;

Sprinkle with seasonings - Parmesan, Mrs. Dash, and Black Pepper (Sorry, I don't really measure these, I just season to my liking.);

Mix well with hands (Or if you'd like it less messy, you can always throw all of the above into a baggy and toss - I don't mind getting my hands dirty *smile*);

Cover with foil, and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours.  (I like them really tender!)

Enjoy!


(www.nanas-cottage.com)