Candy Corn Cookie Bark

Mmmmm this was Soo good! I got it from Your Home Based Mom I made a batch and ate the whole thing myself! Not kidding. Kyle had a tiny bowl full and I devoured the rest. Thank you very much. I am going to make another batch and give it to my visiting teach-ees in celophane or a cute halloween cup (seen below from home based mom).

But for myself, I got a cute cookie jar, tied some halloween ribbon around it and put my Halloween Cookie Bark in, and well, thats my haloween decor haha. But really - You should try this! Be ware - Its addicting!!

Candy Corn Cookie Bark

14 whole Oreos, broken up. I used the Halloween ones with the orange filling but regular will work fine

1 1/2 C pretzels, broken into pieces. I used the small stick pretzels

1 lb. white chocolate, almond bark or melts found in the bulk food section, or white chocolate chips

1 C candy corn

brown and orange colored sprinkles

Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Spread broken cookes, pretzels and about 3/4 C of the candy corn onto the waxed paper. Place white chocolate in a container and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and then microwave for another 30 seconds until melted and smooth. White chocolate melts faster and burns easier than chocolate.

Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookie mixture, spreading with spatula if needed to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the chocolate while it is still wet. Do not let it harden. Place

cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

MMM Yum!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas from Your HomeBased Mom
6 Tbsp honey
5 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1-2 limes)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 – 10 flour tortillas (depending on size)
1 lb of a Mexican blend cheese (monterey jack, colby, cheddar), shredded
1 large can of green enchilada sauce (or 2 small 10 oz cans)

Mix the honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together with the shredded chicken. Allow it to sit for at least 1/2 hour or you could do it hours before and just cover and refrigerate.
Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Place chicken and cheese into middle of a tortilla and spoon about 1 tablespoon of enchilada sauce over it and roll up. Place seam down in the pan. Reserve about 1-2 cups of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Pour enchilada sauce over the top of rolled enchiladas (reserve a little bit to add after they are baked) and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

*Dallas loved these! I put salsa (best salsa ever Aribba Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa, Mild, I get it at Fred Meyers, the best ever!) on mine cause I like my food a little spicier. They were really good. Funny story - I was talking to Candria this morning and she was making the same thing! Except she got her recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. So hers called for some cream. I haven't asked her yet how they turned out. I halved this for us and got 5 out of it.

White Chicken Chili

(I forgot to take a picture, but I copied this recipe out of one of Jans magazines.)

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise then sliced crosswise (yup, that's what the recipe says!)
1 large onion chopped, about 1 cup (it seemed like alot so I just did half)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (I just used the jar minced)
1 can (15.25 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15 to 16 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed (all I could find was simply white beans)
2 jars 8 oz each green taco sauce (I just bought a large jar, it was 15 oz)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh cilantro

Spray 3-4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all ingredients except cilantro. Cover; cook on low for 6-7 hours. Stir well and garnish with cilantro.

I was worried nobody would eat it cause it was kinda tangy? maybe? But Dall and Braden loved it! I topped ours with cilantro, lots of it cause I love it! and some shredded mexican blend cheese. Next time, I think I will stir some sour cream in to mellow it just a bit. The next day, I warmed the leftovers and served them in tortillas, like a burrito. I think it was better that way! Our SuperWalmart sells the uncooked tortillas like Costco, by the cheese. I wonder if yours does? If not, I am so bringing you some next time! They are the best!

Simple Fudge

Now that it has *SNOWED* I guess the only good thing about it is cozy food, and Christmas candy :) So I will try to keep my spirits up, even though it's Freezing outside, by posting a yummy fudge recipe I found on Kelsey Nixon's food blog (Yes the Kelsey Nixon who was on The Next Food Network Challenge, and Yes I found her blog! haha). I love this girl, she was even on a commercial for food storage after conference haha.
I have yet to try this fudge... but it looks Yummy! AND I bet you could substitute the milk chocolate chips for WHITE chocolate, or any other kind of "chip" would be good too. Although I like white chocolate best!
As Kelsey Says , it's "a basic fudge recipe that could act as a blank canvas making it perfect to customize to your liking. Robby would like nuts while I think I would enjoy just a hint of orange zest or crushed peppermint. Stick this one in the holiday file folks."

Servings: 32 bite size servings

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. quality chocolate, chopped
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS
Line bottom of an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paperHeat all ingredients in a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.Pour into baking pan and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 3-4 hours. Run a knife around edges of pan and invert fudge onto a work surface. Remove parchment and cut fudge into bite size pieces. Serve chilled.

Sounds easy enough for me! :) YAY!

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this doesn't add spiciness - just the right amount of flavor)
6 tablespoons olive oil2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta
1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
6 tablespoons
juice from 2 lemons
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Meanwhile, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite-size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to boiling water and cook until tender but still slightly firm (al dente). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, Parmesan, and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This was SO easy and SO yummy! I think I added a little too much Lemon to ours, so dont be TOO generous with it haha.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each) **I buy the thin cut ones, they cook faster and I like them better than the regular ones**
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
Directions:
Sprinkle pork chops with pepper. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook pork over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove and keep warm.
Add the water, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to skillet; stir to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
Return chops to the pan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until meat is tender. Yield: 6 servings.

*I'm not really a big pork person, but I love these! Even Carter and Braden eat them! I made them tonite and served French Bread on the side and I keep dipping the bread in the sauce, its soooo yummy!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

This takes a bit of time, but it is one of our favorites!

1 lb Chicken cut into strips or cubes
3 Gloves Garlic mashed
3 Slices of Ginger root (I actually use store bought ginger in a jar, then you dont get the big chuncks of ginger!)
Sliced Carrots
Green Pepper (I like to add red ones too)
1 can Pineapple Chucks

Mix A
1/2 tsp Salt
1 T Flour
1 Egg yolk
1 T Soy Sauce

Mix B
2 T Flour
5 T Corn Starch

Mix C
1/2 cup Water
1 T Corn Starch
3 T Vinegar (I use white)
1 T Soy Sauce
3 T Sugar
3 T Ketchup
1/2 cup Pineapple Juice

Directions
-Put each separate "Mix" into their own bowl.
-Dice chicken and put in Mix A, let set for 15 minutes (I usually slice my veggies during this time).
- Take chicken out of Mix A and Coat with Mix B then fry in a pan with 2 T of oil (or enough to coat the bottom of your pan. Once chicken is browned, and cooked through, remove from pan. And add garlic, ginger, peppers, carrots, and pinapple to the pan and let them soften a bit. Add chicken back in, and pur Mix C over top. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened to your preference.
*Put over cooked rice... ENJOY!

Beef Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 boneless beef petite sirloin steaks (5 ounces each), cut into thin strips
2-1/2 cups coleslaw mix
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cups cold cooked instant rice
3 tablespoons butter, cubed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon oil until hot. Add eggs; cook and stir over medium heat until completely set. Remove and keep warm.
In the same pan, stir-fry the beef, coleslaw, asparagus and onion in remaining oil for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Add rice and butter; cook and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Add eggs; stir in soy sauce and pepper. Yield: 6 servings.

*This is one of my easy, fall-back recipes. Love it! I usually add more soy sauce to mine. You can tweak it and add more flavor if you want, like with a ginger-sesame sauce. Your spring rolls would probably make a perfect side-dish!

BAKED Spring Rolls

Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
We really liked these. Especially since they were baked and not fried!

Ingredients
For the Spring Rolls:
1 2-ounce piece deli ham, finely diced
4 teaspoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon chopped peeled ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon Asian chili-garlic paste
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
14 square spring roll wrappers
1 large egg white
WE USED SHREDDED BOILED CHICKEN IN STEAD OF CRAB AND HAM (it just didnt sound that great to us)

For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon chopped peeled ginger
1 scallion, finely chopped
(I also added some brown sugar to sweeten it up a bit)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Make the spring rolls: Cook the ham in 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and scallions; cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute.

Toss the cabbage and carrot with the hot ham mixture in a large bowl. Add the crab, cilantro, chili-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon sesame oil,egg white, the soy sauce and vinegar; toss.

Wrap the spring rolls (see right). Pierce each roll with a skewer in a few places to prevent bursting.

Place a rack in a baking dish and brush with vegetable oil. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; lightly brush on rolls. Place the rolls on the rack; bake until golden on top, about 15 minutes. Turn the rolls; bake until golden and crisp, 8 to 10 more minutes.

Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve with the warm spring rolls.

Like I said we used chicken in stead of crab meat and ham. Chicken is what I had on hand, and it just sounded better! I also just used olive oil in stead of sesame. Im sure it would taste better with the sesame but I didn't want to buy a whole bottle of it for one recipe. And the chili garlic paste was no where to be found but I did find chili garlic sauce that was good. It is SUPER spicy though, so be careful with it :)

Raspberry Dream Dessert

This is SO easy and SO refreshing! You'll Love it!

Mix:
1 pkg crushed Grahm Crackers (must use Honey Maid brand or it wont be as good)
1 cube melted Butter
1/4 c Sugar
Sprinkle on the bottom of a 9x13 in pan and reserve 1/4 c to sprinkle on top

Mix:
1/2 Gallon of Vanilla Ice Cream softened
2/3 can of Raspberry Lemonade Concentrate (i have added the whole can, its still good!)
Spread on top of Grahm Cracker crust and then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 c on top.

Cover and freeze until solid. Then Enjoy!

I havent tried it but you could use any time of concentrated drink like plain lemonade, orange juice (it would taste like an orange creamy!), limeade... the possibilities are endless!

Imitation Cafe Rio!

This tastes super close to the real thing... Mmmm yup I'm craving it right now!

**Cafe Rio Dressing
1 Hidden valley buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make per recipe--so buy the buttermilk and mayo also)
1 Bottle of Green Salsa Verde Salsa
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove minced garlic
juice of 1 lime
Use a food processor to blend all ingredients

**Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Italian dressing
1 T. Chili powder
1 T. Cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
5 lbs chicken breasts
Cook all together in a crock pot for 4 hours, shred meat and cook 1 additional hour.

**Cafe Rio Pork
Cook 2 1/2-3 lbs of pork roast in a crock pot seasoned with
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
Add about 1/3 C sprite.
Cook on high for 4 hours
Drain off water and shred
Add 1 Small can of diced chilies and 1/2-1 C brown sugar
Allow to cook 15 min. longer.

**Cafe Rio Rice
6 C. water
1 small can green chilies -or equivalent fresh
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
3/4 tsp salt
1 T. butter
1/2 onion
3 C. rice
Blend cilantro, green chilies, and onion together in food processor. Bring water to a boil and add all ingrediants, simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Heat flour tortillas and layer on lettuce, the rice, your meat of choice, and any of the following: sliced avacados, black beans, tomatoes, cheese - Then top with the cilantro dressing.

You will LOVE it!

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups leftover cooked chicken breast, cut into 3/4” pieces
2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup unsalted cashews, chopped
Pepper, to taste
1 head of iceberg lettuce, leaves separated into individual cups

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine soy sauce, honey and chili sauce in a small dish and set aside.
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken and season with pepper as desired, cook for approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Lower to medium heat and add garlic, ginger and scallions, cooking and stirring for about 1 minute.
Stir in water chestnuts and half of your sauce mixture. Continue to cook until chicken is heated through.
Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped cashews. Spoon desired amount of the stir-fry mixture into the center of individual lettuce cups and drizzle with extra sauce. Simply hold filled lettuce cups like a taco to eat.

*Okay, so I haven't acutally tried this recipe, but it looks good! I get emails from HomeMadeSimple and this was on there. Even at ten in the morning, it sounds sooo good!

Cobb Salad with Chili Lime Dressing

*For some reason, I can't log into Simple & Delicious so you'll have to make do without a picture, but trust me, this was YUMMY! I love anything with cilantro!

1 can 4oz chopped green chilies, undrained
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsly chopped
2 Tbs lime juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/4 tsp salt
-Place in food processor (or Magic Bullet!) cover and process until blended, chill until serving.

Layer in a large bowl:
1 package romaine lettuce
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup shredded Montery Jack cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 package 7 1/2 oz cooked, diced chicken breast
1 medium avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/3 cup real bacon bits
-Drizzle with dressing. Serves 8.

* I just layered however much I wanted onto our plates. Yummy! It makes a ton of dressing, so I plan on having leftovers for lunch today!

Skillet Lasagna

Another recipe from Foodnetwork Mag :) I'm sure you've seen it haha It was really good!! This is PERFECT for summer, especially if you have a garden because it uses a lot of veggies. Im going to tell Jan about it because she has a ton of the ingredients in their garden.

**Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese (I used Cottage Cheese- its cheaper)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
6 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles
1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
1 zucchini, peeled into ribbons
3 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/3 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

**Directions
Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic; cook until golden, 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until saucy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return 1 cup of the sauce to the skillet and reduce the heat to low; reserve the remaining sauce. (for this, I actually used a can of Italian Stewed tomatoes and blended them and it worked really good!)

Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, egg, parmesan, the remaining 3 tablespoons herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl.

Place 2 lasagna noodles over the sauce in the skillet. Layer half of the carrot and zucchini on top; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with half of the spinach, half of the ricotta mixture, a few pieces of mozzarella and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce. Repeat the layers, ending with noodles. Top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover and simmer until the lasagna is cooked and the cheese melts, 20 to 25 minutes.

Let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with more parmesan and fresh herbs.

Pina Colada Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (10 ounce) can pina colada mix
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (3.5 ounce) package flaked coconut



DIRECTIONS
Bake cake as directed on box for a 9 x 13 inch cake.
As soon as it comes out of the oven, punch holes all over the top of the cake with a meat fork. Mix condensed milk and Pina Colada mix together and pour over cake.
Chill overnight.
Before serving, frost with whipped dessert topping (Cool Whip ™ ) and sprinkle with coconut.

* So I stole this picture and recipe off of Allrecipes.com. I think it sounds yummy! I'm going to make it for my b-day and I think I will use toasted coconut. And probably homemade whipcream, it just tastes better than coolwhip!