One of my very favorite things is PF Changs lettuce wraps. If only we had a PF Changs that wasn't over an hour away! So, when I saw lettuce on sale, I thought - hey! I should make lettuce wraps, since I already had some leftover chicken! I did a lot of searching on the internet for a recipe and in the end, I combined a couple different ones. I didn't want to try and re-create PF Changs lettuce wraps, because I knew that we would be disappointed.

So, the chicken part of these turned out pretty good. It turns out that I'm a tard and I bought cabbage instead of lettuce. We both had our second "lettuce wrap" in a tortilla. :)

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. garlic
1 tbsp. ginger
1 lb. chicken, cooked and shredded
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1/3 c. sweet chili sauce
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 c. chopped peanuts
1 c. grated carrots
head of lettuce

Directions:
Heat oil in a pan (or wok, if you have a wok). Stir fry garlic, ginger and carrots.

Add chicken.

Stir in soy sauce and chili sauce.

Add cilantro and peanuts.

Serve. :)

Yield: 2-3 servings

Sources: www.recipegirl.com & www.pillsbury.com

Chicken & Black Bean Flautas

I have been cooking up a storm the last week or so... I just haven't posted anything :) So, get ready. It is my mission today to get caught up, since I will have some Memorial Day recipes to post next week! These chicken and black bean flautas were a quick and easy lunch last weekend. It definitely satisfied my Mexican craving, and it only took a few minutes to make! This is definitely a 30 minute meal - and 20 minutes of that is oven time! And, you could put whatever you want in these, depending on what you feel like eating :)

Ingredients:
1 small can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 c. shredded cheese
4 small flour tortillas
Salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray

Place tomatoes, beans, chicken and cheese in a tortilla. Roll tightly and set seam side down on the baking sheet.

Spray tops of each flauta with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake 10 minutes, then flip and bake 10 more minutes.

Dip in salsa :)

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/

Baked Potato Soup

I hope everyone hates this soup. By the time I got to dicing potato number 3, I wanted to quit. I wanted to throw away the other potatoes. I hope I never have to cut up potatoes again. So, logically, if everyone hates it, I won't EVER have to make it again and therefor, never have to dice up potatoes again.

Quite honestly, it isn't that bad. It's a little bland, but I think you could dress it up with cheese, bacon, sour cream, etc. and it would be great. When I was looking for this recipe, I was purposely looking for something that it didn't have a lot of extra stuff. My sister is pregnant and she keeps saying that baked potato soup sounds good. And I know that, like me, she is picky about her baked potato soup. We don't like big chunks of potato, we don't like onions in it. I know you are totally wishing you had kids just like us.

Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion (I used onion powder)
5 c. chicken stock
1 15 oz. can evaporated milk (I only had a 12 oz. can)
1/4 c. butter (I love butter, so I used a little extra)
salt & pepper

Directions:
Place potatoes, onions (or onion powder) and chicken stock in crockpot.

Cook on low for 9 hours (or high for 5 or so).

Mash potatoes with a potato masher (which I don't have, so I used my immersion blender).

Add milk, butter and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Serve.

Yield: a freaking lot of soup. 6 potatoes worth.

Source: www.dinnersforayear.blogspot.com

How To Host a Superbowl Party On 24 Hours Notice

So, if you read my last post, you know that I had to host a Superbowl party on 24 hours notice. Now, let me preface this by saying - I am NOT spontaneous. I am a planner. I love to plan and organize actually. Spontaneity doesn't do anything for me. So, I was a little panicky. After we had a plan, I calmed down, but it was still kinda stressful. BUT, all in all, everything turned out great. The food was good and the boys were happy. So, here's the menu:

- Party Meatballs
- Ranch Bread Bowl with Veggies
- Pizza Squares
- Buffalo Chicken Dip in a Bread Bowl
- Veggie Tray (No picture)
- Chips and Salsa (No picture)
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Oreo Pie (courtesy of some unknown friend of my sisters! No picture - sorry!)
- Gooey Butter Bars

And, here are the recipes:

First, we have party meatballs. My mom actually made these for a Christmas Eve party and had frozen the leftovers. Being the mooch that I am, I just took them out of her freezer and reheated them in the crockpot. So, no recipe. But basically you put meatballs, spaghetti sauce and grape jelly in a crockpot and just go!
Next, we have a bread bowl with ranch dressing and vegetables. This is one of the easiest party dishes you can ever make. It looks like it took more time than it did, and the serving bowl is edible. I used a sourdough bread bowl, filled it with ranch, and put it on a plate with veggies and the bread from the bowl!

I also made pizza squares. You can find the recipe here. This picture is SO much better!

I also made buffalo chicken dip and put that in a bread bowl too. This is one of my most favorite recipes and it is so easy. I could seriously just munch on it ALL day. Sorry the picture is blurry. I don't know what happened.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. cooked chicken

2 c. blue cheese dressing (I don't measure, I just used a whole bottle)

1/2 c. Tabasco sauce (I used hot wing sauce)

1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Dump everything in the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Cook on high 1-2 hours, until cheese is melted.

Source: www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

I also made buffalo chicken wings. I used the same method as my Asian Chicken Wings from last week, but these turned out so much better! All the guys loved them!

Ingredients:

4 lbs. chicken wings

2 bottles buffalo wing sauce

Directions:

Marinate wings in 1 1/2 bottles of sauce, preferably overnight.

Dump on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour-ish at 350, basting with remaining sauce.

When the outsides are crispy, put the hot wings in a bowl or on a serving plate and drizzle with the rest of the sauce.

And now for the icing on the cake - Gooey Butter Bars! These are super rich, but they are so good! I was eating the dough and the mix before I even got them into the oven! Seriously, go make these.

Ingredients:

1 package yellow cake mix

3 eggs

2 sticks butter

1 package cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 box powdered sugar

Directions:

Combine cake mix, one egg and melted butter. Pat into a greased 9x13 cake pan.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Spread over cake batter.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Do NOT overbake - it is supposed to be gooey inside!!

Source: Paula Deen

So, that's that. We actually ended up with very few leftovers, which is good. So, after all that, I won't be cooking tonight. Maybe just soup and grilled cheese or a chicken salad sandwich. Something easy!!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Well kids, bad news. I didn't win the chicken wing contest. I didn't even place actually. Oh well. I knew they weren't good! So, tonight, I wasn't in the mood for any major cooking. I poached a big pot of chicken over the weekend, so I have been trying to use it up. I decided to just make a simple quesadilla - one of my favorites! All measurements are approximate, since I didn't actually take the time to measure anything. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. cooked chicken
3 tbsp. your favorite bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 c. shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
2 tortillas
butter

Directions:
Heat skillet on medium heat.

Butter one side of each tortilla. On non-buttered side of one of the tortillas, spread bbq sauce and then sprinkle with cheese and chicken. Place the other tortilla, non-buttered side down, on top of it.

Cook each side in skillet for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.

Cut into wedges. I like to dip my quesadillas in salsa or ranch dressing. Mmmm...

Asian Chicken Wings

Here's the thing. Every month at work, we have a cooking contest. The theme this month is chicken wings. I try to participate every month. If I have a tried and true recipe, I use that. If it is something I've never made before, then it gives me the chance to try something new - kind of like everyone out there who is in Daring Bakers or Tuesdays with Dorie. I know - y'all must think that I work at some insane place. I mean, seriously, what business has cooking contests!? I actually have an awesome employer - we are one of the premier small pre-employment screening companies. Trust me, we are good at what we do. If you work somewhere that doesn't do background checks, or if you aren't happy with who you use, let me know! We truly are one of the best! Okay, so I'll stop sucking up to my boss! On to the chicken wings!

Since I have never made wings before, I wanted to make them the night before. I am also terrified of using a deep fryer (and I don't have one anyway), so I settled on a recipe that called for baking the wings. I probably will not make these again. After they came out of the oven, they didn't taste very good. The only thing that saved them was basting them with some Lawry's Teriyaki Marinade and sticking them back in the oven for a bit. They are supposed to be teriyaki flavor, but quite honestly, they don't taste teriyaki-y to me at all. They taste like soy sauce wings. So, use this recipe at your own discretion!

Ingredients:
3 lb. chicken wings
1/2 c. orange juice
1/4 c. soy sauce
2 tbsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. course salt
5 drops hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:
In a bowl, combine everything except the wings.

Place wings in sauce, cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight. I just used a giant Ziploc bag.

Preheat oven to 350.

Remove from marinade - reserve for basting.

Bake 1 hour, basting with reserve marinade.

Source: http://www.wildforwings.com/

Antipasta Squares (aka Pizza Squares)

Okay, I didn't actually make this today - I had leftovers for lunch. But, this is a great recipe. It is super easy and delicious. My boyfriend has dubbed it Pizza Squares and this is the first thing I made for him that he absolutely raved about how good it was. This is supposed to be an appetizer, but I usually make it for dinner. Go make this. Now.

Ingredients:
2 cans of crescent rolls
1/3 lb. of salami
1/3 lb. of pepperoni
1/3 lb. of ham (I usually sub in turkey because I don't eat ham)
1/3 lb. of swiss cheese
1/3 lb. of provolone cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp. black pepper
3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Spread 1 can of crescent roll dough on the bottom of the dish.

Layer with salami, provolone, ham, provolone and then pepperoni.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl and mix in pepper and parmesan cheese. Pour 3/4 of the mixture on top of the pepperoni and spread evenly.

Spread the second can of crescent roll dough to cover the entire dish. Pour remaining egg and cheese mixture on top and spread evenly.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.

For an appetizer, cut into bite size squares and place a toothpick in center. For a meal, cut into 12 squares.

Source: www.kevinandamanda.com