Twice baked potatoes make a perfect side dish to go with just about any meal or they can be served as an appetizer for parties. Just like the name says, these potatoes are baked twice. The potatoes are first baked in the oven, then sliced in half and scooped out. The scooped out potato is then mixed with a milk, sour cream and cheese mixture, and spooned back into the potato and then baked again. These go great topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onion. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 large baking potatoes
8 slices bacon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
8 green onions (divided)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour. While potatoes are baking, place bacon slices into a large deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat (turning once) until the bacon is crispy. Drain on paper towels. When the bacon has cooled crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: When potatoes are done remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh (leaving about ¼” of the flesh still inside) into a large bowl. Save the skins. Add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, ½ cup of cheese, ½ of the green onions to the scooped out potato. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy.  Spoon the mixture into the potatoes skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions, and bacon.
Step 3: Place back into the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
(Makes 8 Servings)

I find it interesting to pile all kinds of different ingredients onto hot dogs. Tacos are one of my favorite things to eat so I decided to try putting taco meat on top of all beef hot dogs. The end result was amazing. Once again, I highly recommend using all beef hot dogs because I feel they have better flavor. These hot dogs are topped with taco meat, cheese, salsa, lettuce, and tomato. You can add additional ingredients as well such a guacamole and sour cream. You can cook the hot dogs however you prefer; grilling, boiling, steaming, ect. I cooked them using an indoor grill pan. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
8 all beef hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1lb ground beef
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
Condiments-
shredded Monterey jack cheese
salsa
lettuce (shredded)
tomato (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown ground beef. Drain any excess fat. Add ¾ cup of water and taco seasoning mix. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Stir often.
Step 2: Heat an indoor grill pan to medium high heat. Place hot dogs into the pan and cook until slightly charred on the outside. Remove from the pan. Place hot dog buns into the grill pan and cook until lightly browned.
Step 3: Place hot dogs into the buns. Top each with taco meat, Monterey jack cheese, salsa, lettuce and tomato.
(Makes 8 Servings)

This chicken noodle casserole is yet another delicious casserole that I made recently. I never seem to get tired of casserole recipes. They are so easy to prepare and the variety of things you can turn into a casserole is nearly endless. This casserole combines cooked chicken, with egg noodles and a creamy sauce mixture. The sauce combines two different types of condensed soups; cream of mushroom and cream of chicken. Sour cream is also added into the mix. The casserole is then topped with shredded cheese and crushed buttery crackers. This is also a great way to use up left over chicken. This can be prepared for the Holidays or any night of the year. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons oil (for frying)
6 ounces egg noodles
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
salt and black pepper (to taste)
1-2 cups shredded Colby jack cheese
1 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
½ cup butter

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook, turning once until fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees) and golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Cut chicken into small pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook egg noodles according to package directions and drain. Set aside. In a large bowl mix together cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Add egg noodles and chicken to the sauce mixture. Gently stir together. Place into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.
Step 3: Melt butter in a small sauce pan and remove from heat. Stir in crumbled crackers. Top the casserole with shredded Colby jack cheese and buttery crackers. Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and browned on top.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Chicken marinara is breaded baked chicken breasts topped with marinara sauce and cheese. This dish is usually served with pasta such as spaghetti or linguini. The chicken is first fried in the pan until the breadcrumb coating is browned and then finished off in the oven. I love this method because the chicken comes out of the oven very moist. The best part about this recipe is the homemade marinara sauce. This is an excellent sauce that is made from strewed tomatoes and tomato paste. This recipe might look a little complex because of the ingredients and instructions but it is not bad. It does require a little work but this dish is bound to impress almost anyone! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
2 eggs (beaten)
1 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Oil (for frying)
1lb linguini
Marinara sauce-
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
1 garlic clove (minced)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup onion (diced)
½ cup white wine

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make marinara sauce- In a food processor combine strewed tomatoes, tomato pasta, parsley, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. In a large skillet over medium heat add olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and the white wine. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: While marinara sauce is simmering pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of max paper and pound until they are about ½ inch in thickness. In a pie plate combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. In a bowl beat the eggs together. In a separate pie plate add the flour .Dredge chicken breasts first in the flour, then in the egg and then in the breadcrumb mixture.
Step 3: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sauté until browned on both sides (cook until only browned, do not cook all the way through). Place chicken breasts onto a lightly greased oven safe baking dish.  Spread a thin layer of that marinara sauce over each chicken breast (continue simmer marinara sauce). Place into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). During the last few minutes of cooking top each chicken breast with shredded mozzarella cheese.
Step 4: While the chicken is in the oven, cook linguini according to package directions. Once chicken is done baking, serve with linguini and left over marinara sauce.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Beef chimichangas are one of my favorite Mexican dishes to make using the slow cooker. Although they do require a bit of work, in the end it’s well worth it.  The cooking process consists of a beef roast, beef broth and a few seasonings being added to the slow cooker. The beef is then shredded and placed into flour tortillas with cheese and wrapped up. These can either be baked or fried in oil. I prefer the frying method but baking is good as well. To bake them, simply brush them with butter on both sides, place onto a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes (until golden brown) at 500 degrees. You can serve these with various condiments such as salsa, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. If you would prefer chicken instead of beef, check out my recipe for Chicken Chimichangas. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs boneless skinless chuck roast (trimmed of fat)
1 ½ cups beef broth
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
oil (for frying)
1 cup shredded  Monterey Jack cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a bowl combine beef broth, red wine vinegar, chili powder, and ground cumin.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Place in beef roast and brown on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).  Place beef roast into the slow cooker, and pour the beef broth mixture over the roast. Cover and cook on low until the meat is very tender (about 6-8 hours on low).
Step 2: Allow the meat to cool and then shred it into pieces using 2 forks. Mix with the juices from the slow cooker.

Step 3: Using a slotted spoon, spoon equal amounts of the beef down the center of each tortilla, top with shredded Monterey jack cheese. Roll up the tortillas while tucking in the sides. Secure each of the wrapped tortillas with a toothpick.
Step 4: Heat about ½ inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and fry the tortillas, turning once until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
(Makes 4 Servings)

If you enjoy guacamole on your hamburgers these California sliders are perfect for you. These sliders consist of well seasoned burger patties, pepper jack cheese, and guacamole. The hamburger patties can be pan fried or grilled. You can also add bacon if you want. You can also use your own guacamole if you want, or get it from the store. The serving size will vary but I would say each person could eat about 2 sliders each. This goes great for dinner but could also be served as an appetizer, and this is another great recipe to serve for game day. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb ground chuck
8 slider buns
salt and pepper (to taste)
4 slices pepper jack cheese
butter
Guacamole-
2 ripe avocados (peeled and pitted)
the juice of ½ lime
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
½ teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)
1 dash cayenne pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: in a medium bowl mash avocados together with the lime juice. Stir in cilantro and garlic. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Step 2: Form ground chuck into 8 small patties. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add patties and cook, turning once until the hamburgers are fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees).  Cut the 4 slices of pepper jack cheese into 4 squares. During the last few minutes of cooking top each patty with 2 of the cheese squares.
Step 3: Cut slider buns in half and spread butter on the cut side of each bun. Place cut side down into a skillet over medium heat and cook until golden brown on the bottom.
Step 4: To assemble sliders- place each hamburger patty onto the bottom half of a slider bun. Spread guacamole onto the bottom of the top half of the slider bun and place it over the patty.
(Makes 4 Servings)

A good chicken and mushroom dish that I always enjoy is chicken Marsala pasta. The combination of cream sauce with pasta, mushrooms and chicken is nothing short of amazing. This is a nice change up from most pasta dishes and the Marsala wine gives the sauce amazing flavor. Marsala wine is fairly common and shouldn’t be that hard to find. This dish takes a little work but it is well worth it. The chicken is first cooked in the pan and then sliced into strips. If you do not want to pan fry the chicken, you can bake it or grill it as well. The sauce is a combination of Marsala wine, chicken broth and heavy cream. This is perfect for dinner any night of the week. Enjoy. Adapted from: What’s Cookin’, Chicago?

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 package fresh mushrooms (sliced)
1 onion (diced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
¾ cup Marsala cooking wine
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1lb penne pasta
1 cup parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper (to taste)
½ cup fresh Italian parsley (chopped)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken, turning once until browned on both sides and fully cooked (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). Transfer to a plate and allow the chicken to cool. Once the chicken has cooled slice it into strips.
Step 2: Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet, add garlic, mushrooms and onions. Cook until the onions are almost tender (about 5 minutes). Add Marsala wine, chicken broth and heavy cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is thickened. Add cooked chicken slices to the pan.

Step 3: When the noodles are done cooking, drain and toss them with 3 tablespoons of butter. Dump noodles into a serving dish. Add the mushroom, chicken, and marsala sauce mixture and ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Serve with parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Shrimp parmesan is a very simple and delicious way to prepare shrimp. I have tried a similar version of this at Red Lobster before. I wouldn’t say this recipe tastes exactly like the one at Red Lobster but it is similar. The process is fairly simple, the shrimp are tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. They are then coated with a bread crumb and parmesan cheese mixture and baked. The shrimp are baked at 475 degrees so they do not take very long to cook, only about 10 minutes. These shrimp go perfect served on a bed of pasta with your favorite sauce. I just placed them on top of hot garlic and buttered noodles. You could also use spaghetti or alfredo sauce. If you are looking for a delicious baked shrimp parmesan recipe, give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1lb jumbo shrimp (about 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove (minced)
salt and pepper (to taste)
½ cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees. If the shrimp are not already peeled and deveined, do so but leave the tails on. In a medium bowl mix together olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
Step 2: In a shallow bowl combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Place each shrimp into the bread crumb mixture and coat evenly on both sides.  Arrange shrimp so they are not touching in an ungreased 9×13 inch baking dish. Drizzle the shrimp with the melted butter.
Step 3: Place the baking dish onto the center rack of the oven and bake at 475 degrees for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are fully cooked. Remove from the oven and serve with lemon wedges.
(Makes 2 Servings)

This year our Thanksgiving dessert was none other than pumpkin cheesecake. Not only does this go great for Thanksgiving but it also goes great for Christmas or just about any day of the year. This is a combination of cheesecake and pumpkin pie. Those who love pumpkin pie are sure to enjoy this cheesecake. The crust is mostly like any other cheesecake crust with melted butter and graham crackers, but in this recipe cinnamon and brown sugar are added as well. The filling uses spices such a cinnamon, nut mug and ground cloves to give it that classic pumpkin pie flavor. The cheesecake is then topped with a sour cream and sugar mixture. If you are looking for an excellent cheesecake recipe for the Holidays, this is the one! Enjoy.

Ingredients:
Crust-
1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick salted butter (melted)
Filling-
3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
¼ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping-
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
pecan halves (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine the crushed graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Mix well and press the crumb mixture down flat onto the bottom and part way up the sides of a greased 9 inch spring form pan.
Step 2: In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Add flour and vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.
Step 3: Pour the batter over the crust. Spread out evenly with a spatula. Place into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven (but leave the oven on) and in a small bowl whisk together 2 cups of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Spread the mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake back into the oven and bake for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake for sit for about 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When the cheesecake is ready to serve top with pecan halves if desired.

I never thought that dry ranch dressing mix would make the best chicken strips ever. Maybe it’s not just the ranch but the combination of dry ranch dressing mix, parmesan cheese , and a few seasonings. No matter the reason, these were the best chicken strips I have had in awhile. The best part about this recipe is it requires few ingredients and is so easy to prepare. The chicken strips are rolled in a dry ranch dressing, parmesan cheese, and crushed corn flake mixture. They are either then baked or deep fried. These go great for parties or just for dinner. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into strips)
1 cup corn flakes (crushed)
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 (1 ounce) package hidden valley dry ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
1 egg

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13×9 inch baking dish.  In a shallow dish combine crushed corn flakes, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, black pepper, and dry ranch dressing mix. In a small bowl beat together eggs and milk.
Step 2: Dip each chicken strip into the egg/milk mixture and then roll in the crushed corn flakes/ranch dressing mixture. Repeat until all chicken strips are well coated.
Step 3: Place onto a greased baking sheet and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature has reached 165 degrees). You can also deep fry these. If deep frying the time will be less.
(Makes 6 Servings)