Anyone that enjoys different types of hot dogs must give these nacho dogs a try. This is another great recipe for game day. These hot dogs are topped with nacho cheese, guacamole, salsa, chopped onions, and pickled jalapenos. The guacamole is made from scratch but you could also buy it in the store if you want to save some time. For the hot dogs, I would recommend getting all beef hot dogs. These can be grilled or boiled, your choice. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 all beef hot dogs
4 hot dogs buns
1 (9 ounce) container nacho cheese dip
¼ cup onion (chopped)
pickled jalapeno slices
salsa
Guacamole-
2 ripe avocados (flesh scooped out and pitted)
¼ cup cilantro
the juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove (minced)
salt (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make guacamole- in a large bowl add avocados. Add lime juice and mash together with a fork. Stir in garlic, cilantro, and salt. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Step 2: Heat an outdoor grill (or in indoor grill pan) to medium-high heat. Grill hot dogs until they are slightly charred on the outside. Heat nacho cheese dip according to package directions.
Step 3: Place hot dog buns onto the grill and grill until lightly toasted. Place grilled hot dogs onto the buns. Top with nacho cheese, guacamole, onion, salsa, and jalapeno slices.
(Makes 4 Servings)

Hamburger sliders are great for game day. If you are not familiar with these they are nothing more than mini-hamburgers. With that being said these make a great addition to any football season party. The best part about this recipe is the Chipotle mayonnaise. This spicy burger sauce combines ingredients such as mayonnaise, chipotle in adobo and lime juice.  Of course every burger needs cheese, so I decided to top these with sliced cheddar. I also topped the sliders with pickles but you could add onion, tomato, or whatever you enjoy on hamburgers.

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs ground chuck
slider buns (or dinner rolls, ect)
salt and pepper
sliced cheddar cheese
dill pickle slices
Chipotle Mayonnaise-
1 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle chili (from chipotle in adobo sauce)
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
½ lime (the juice of)
salt and black pepper (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: to make chipotle mayo- in a food processor combine mayonnaise, chipotle chili, adobo sauce, lime juice, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Step 2: Form ground chuck into small patties. Season with salt and pepper. Place patties into a large skillet and fry until browned on one side (about 4 to 5 minutes), flip and fry for another 4 minutes on the other side or until fully cooked. During the last few minutes of cooking top with cheese slices.
Step 3: Place sliders onto the bottom half of a bun. Top with pickles and chipotle mayonnaise.
(Makes 6 Servings)

When I am looking for something quick and easy to cook in the deep fryer breaded chicken tenders are always one of my best options. The chicken tenders are first marinated in buttermilk and garlic and then rolled in a breadcrumb and flour mixture. You can add additional seasonings as well such a black pepper, paprika, onion power, ect. I also made my own honey mustard sauce to dip these chicken tenders in. The result was delicious. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (sliced into strips)
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil (for deep frying)
Honey Mustard Sauce-
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon honey
½ tablespoon lemon juice

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: To make honey mustard sauce- in a bowl whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, honey, and lemon juice. Store covered in the refrigerator until needed. In a large bowl (or resealable plastic bag) add the chicken strips. In a small bowl combine egg, buttermilk, and garlic powder. Pour the mixture over the chicken strips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Step 2: In a large plastic bag mix together flour, breadcrumbs, salt, and baking powder. Drain the chicken of the buttermilk mixture and discard the buttermilk mixture. Place chicken in the bag with breadcrumbs, seal and shake tossing to coat.
Step 3: Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees. Deep fry chicken tenders in batches until golden brown and the juices run clear (the internal temperature of the chicken needs to have reached 165 degrees). Drain on paper towels.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Hash brown casserole is one of the easiest and most delicious types of casserole you will find anywhere. This recipe combines frozen hash browns with sour cream, cream of chicken soup, and various other ingredients. It is perfect as a side dish, as main course, or it makes a great breakfast dish. This recipe is very simple, just combine all of the ingredients into a baking dish, place into the oven and bake. It cannot get much easier than that. If you are the type of person that requires meat in your dishes, you could add some cubed ham into the mix. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2lbs frozen hash browns
½ cup butter or margarine (melted)
1 (10 ¼ ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
½ cup onion (peeled and chopped)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11 x 14 inch baking dish with cooking spray (or lightly grease with olive oil or butter).
Step 2: In a large bowl combine hash browns, melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, onion, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Pour into the casserole dish.
Step 3: Place into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the top has browned.
(Makes 6 Servings)

There is nothing as good as a simple and easy Chinese chicken stir fry. As you know I am a huge fan of using a deep fryer to fry my Chinese food but nothing beats the convenience of stir frying in a wok. This is a very basic stir fry recipe; it uses few ingredients and will only take a little time to prepare for dinner. You can add any vegetables you want to this stir fry such a broccoli, green pepper, onion, mushrooms or just about anything you enjoy. This recipe uses chicken thighs but you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts as well. The chicken is first marinated and then fried in the wok with the marinade. Oyster sauce is then added at the end of the cooking process. This is a great stir fry recipe for beginners or anyone that enjoys Chinese food. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (cut into 1” pieces)
¼ cup honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
2 tablespoons fresh ginger (minced)
2 tablespoons fresh garlic (minced)
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a large bowl (or sealable plastic bag) combine honey, soy sauce, rice wine, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and black pepper. Add chicken and toss with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to overnight.
Step 2: Heat vegetable oil in the wok over high heat. Add chicken with the marinade and stir-fry until the chicken pieces are fully cooked (about 7-8 minutes).
Step 3: Reduce heat, add the oyster sauce and stir in until the chicken pieces are coated with it.
(Makes 2 Servings)

After doing some searching I have finally found what I consider to be the best baked macaroni and cheese recipe out there. I have tried others that were good but were also extremely expensive. This recipe is very simple and only uses 1 type of cheese, which is cheddar. The process for making this is very easy. The noodles are first boiled in a pot, and while the noodles are boiling a cheese sauce is prepared in the pan. The cheese sauce is basically a combination of cheddar cheese, milk, and cream. The noodles and sauce are mixed, placed into a baking dish and topped with buttered breadcrumbs. If you are searching for an excellent mac and cheese recipe, give this one a try!

Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
½ teaspoon salt
ground black pepper (to taste)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup breadcrumbs (buttered)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook macaroni noodles according to package directions and drain. Set aside.
Step 2: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, salt, and pepper. Use a whisk to stir until well blended. Pour in the milk and cream stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes while stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes while stirring. Add cheddar, a little at a time and stir in until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
Step 3: Add macaroni noodles to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce. Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over the top of the macaroni. Place into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
(Makes 4 Servings)

A good pizza sauce recipe is essential to any good homemade pizza. I have posted a lot of pizza recipes on this blog but never a sauce. This is a tomato based pizza sauce.  It is very easy to make and as simple as combining just a few ingredients. Parmesan cheese is one of my favorite ingredients in this sauce. It gets a little sweetness from honey and a little heat from dried red pepper flakes. This will make enough to cover 1 large pizza. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 ounces warm water
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons honey
¾ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
¼ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt (to taste)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a small bowl combine tomato paste, warm water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt. Make sure to break up any clumps of cheese.
Step 2: Allow the sauce to sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Spread over pizza dough.

Pulled chicken sandwiches are a great alternative to pulled pork. Instead of using the slow cooker, this recipe just calls for boiling the chicken breasts. That means this recipe can be done on short notice. If you would prefer to use a slow cooker you can do that as well. What is really great about this recipe is the BBQ sauce. The homemade bbq sauce uses ingredients such as cider vinegar, and ground mustard to give it an amazing flavor. I always top my pulled chicken sandwiches will dill pickle rounds and coleslaw. This is a great recipe now that football season is here. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 hamburger buns
coleslaw (optional)
dill pickle rounds (optional)
BBQ sauce-
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
½ cup cider vinegar
5 tablespoons light brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
½ tablespoon ground black pepper
½ tablespoon onion powder
½ tablespoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium sauce pan combine ketchup, water, cider vinegar, brown sugar, sugar, black pepper, onion powder, mustard, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer. Cook uncovered , stirring frequently for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Step 2: While BBQ sauce is simmering place chicken breasts into a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken breasts. Bring to a boil and boil until chicken breasts are fully cooked. Remove from the pan and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Using 2 forks shred the chicken breasts.
Step 3: Mix BBQ sauce with the shredded chicken and place onto hamburger buns. Top with coleslaw and dill pickle rounds.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Southwestern spaghetti combines Italian and Mexican cuisine to make an amazing and memorable pasta dish. This is a type of baked spaghetti so the dish is finished cooking in the oven.  Ground beef is cooked in the pan and seasoned with garlic, chili powder, cumin and various additional seasonings. It is then placed on top of the cooked spaghetti noodles, topped with cheese, and placed into the oven. This is a fairly easy dish that doesn’t take very long to prepare. If you are looking for a great dinner recipe give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
8 ounces spaghetti noodles (cooked according to package directions)
½ cup milk
1 egg
1lb ground beef
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl (or in the pot you boiled the spaghetti in) combine the drained cooked noodles with milk and egg. Mix well. Butter a 9×13 inch casserole dish and pour the noodle mixture into the bottom.
Step 2: In a large skillet brown ground beef, onion, green bell pepper, and garlic. Drain. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.
Step 3: Spread the meat sauce over the spaghetti noodles. Top with cheese. Place into the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
(Makes 6 Servings)

Chicken chimichangas require a little work but they are definitely worth it. I actually prefer these over the beef chimichangas.  Tortillas are filled with a mixture, rolled, and then fried in oil. The filling mixture consists of ingredients such as chicken, rice, refried beans, and black olives. After the chimichangas are fried they are topped with a avocado mixture. This mixture is very similar to guacamole. I feel both the sour cream and guacamole mixture are very important to the overall flavor of this dish. If you are looking for an excellent recipe for chimichangas give this one a try. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
½ cup red enchilada sauce
1 ½ onion (diced, divided)
6 (12 inch) flour tortillas
4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 pound Monterey jack cheese (shredded)
1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives
4 cups refried beans
¼ cup vegetable oil
Avocado topping-
3 avocados (peeled and pitted)
½ cup cilantro (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 green onions (diced)
¼ cup jalapeno chile peppers
1 tomato (diced)
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium saucepan combine chicken broth, rice, enchilada sauce, and diced onion. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir in shredded cooked chicken and mix well.
Step 2: Heat refried beans in a saucepan over low heat until they stir easily. Heat tortillas in a large skillet or in the microwave so that they fold easily.
Step 3: Spoon equal amounts of refried beans onto each tortillas followed by equal amounts of the chicken/rice mixture, Monterey jack cheese, and black olives. Roll up the tortillas¸while tucking in the sides. Secure the wrapped tortillas with a toothpick.

Step 4: Heat oil in a large skillet and fry the filled tortillas, turning once, until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Step 5: To make guacamole- in a medium bowl mash together avocados and lemon juice. Stir in cilantro, green onions, jalapeño peppers, and tomatoes. Top chimichangas with cheddar cheese, guacamole and sour cream.
(Makes 6 Servings)