Christmas Tree Monkey Bread (Pull Apart Bread)

I saw this idea in a video online and decided to give it a try. I didn't like their choice in spices so I changed things to our taste. It is very easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand. You can change the spices or the type of cheese. I want to add pepperoni or sausage next time! My best advice with this recipe is preheat your oven and start at the lowest time range and keep your eye on them. If you walk away and let it go to long, you'll have a tray of hollow bites and melted cheese all over the place! You can see that mine already started to melt and hollow.

1-2 packages refrigerated canned biscuits (depending on how big you want your tree)*
1 block mozzarella cheese, cut into small chunks
Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbsp water)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 Parmesan cheese
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t basil
1/2 t oregano
Salt and Pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
Cut mozzarella into 1” pieces. Cut each biscuit in half. Wrap biscuit halves around each piece of mozzarella, forming a tightly sealed ball. Place biscuits seam-side down on the baking sheet in the shape of (any style or size) Christmas tree you would like (biscuits should be touching). Brush brush egg wash on biscuits and bake until golden 12-18 minutes. Watch to make sure the cheese doesn't begin to melt out of the biscuits!
Whisk together melted butter, Parmesan and herbs. Brush on baked biscuits. Serve warm with marinara for dipping.

*This tree took 15 biscuits cut in half.

Lemon Pepper Wings

It is game day here, and the hubby requested Lemon Pepper Wings and Raw Fries! Sounds good to me! Finger food and football! Always a big hit! 

Lemon Pepper Wings

Roast or fry a batch of wings or drummettes. Mix up some lemon pepper sauce. Toss and Serve with Raw Fries. (Recipe for raw fries is linked under the picture below.)

Lemon Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

lemon pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Toss wings in sauce and serve.

Click the link for recipe --->   Raw Fries

Shared on Meal Plan Monday 

Sausage and Spinach Pasta Bake

Pasta, Green Beans, BLT salad and Garlic bread!

1 (12 ounce) package pasta*
1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil

5 cups tomato and roasted garlic pasta sauce
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Place the cooked pasta in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. Toss the pasta with the cooked spinach, egg mixture, and sausage.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish with 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish, and cover with another 1/3 of the pasta sauce. Sprinkle with half of the Cheddar cheese and half of the mozzarella. Layer with remaining pasta mixture, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the Cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.

Bake 45 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

*I used spaghetti pasta.

Cheeseburger Slider Casserole

• We have been having a rough time in the South/Southeast after Hurricane Matthew. North Carolina is continuing to have flooding issues. Here in South Carolina, many people remain in the dark with no power. I am lucky. I have my power back on, but just 2 miles down the road they are still without power. It is possible that they will be without power for a few more days! With that being said, we got a little tired of the grill. I have never missed my stove more! You might think casseroles are boring, but when you even have to grill water, you may understand why a new casserole recipe brings me so much joy!

• 
  
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups diced onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 12 slices cheese (your choice)*
• 12 dinner rolls**

Topping

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons minced Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place hamburger in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned and onions are cooked. Drain off fat. Stir in drained tomatoes and cook until heated through. Season with salt, pepper.

Place bottom half of buns in prepared pan. Top with beef mixture & sliced cheese. Finish off with the top half of the bun.

Mix all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan over medium heat until melted, smooth and combined. Pour over the buns.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

* I used American Cheese.

** Use Plain Dinner Rolls and not sweet dinner rolls.

Taylor's Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I was talking to one of my son's friends last night on Facebook. She asked me if I had tried crinkle cookies. I told her about mine, and she shared the way that she makes them. She mixes in whipped cream! She said it makes them extra light, fluffy and delicious! Wow! I've never seen someone use Cool Whip in cookie batter. I love it when a teenage can teach me a thing or two in the kitchen... ESPECIALLY when it involves BAKING! LOL You rock Taylor! 

1 box of cake mix 

8oz of cool whip (2 cups)

1 egg

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, egg and whipped cream. Form teaspoon size balls or scoop with a cookie scoop and roll in powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased (she lined it with parchment paper) cookie sheet or baking pan about 2 inches apart. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Cool and plate.

Add a glass of milk and 

you have your late night snack!

Thanks for sharing with me last night Taylor!

You rock that oven girl!

Chicken and Pasta with Roasted Tomato, Onion and Garlic

I was looking for a casserole recipe using chicken and pasta. After looking through dozens of recipes and searching my freezer and pantry, this is what I came up with last week. It is very simple and the roasted vegetables add the perfect smokey flavor.

1/2 to 1 pound pasta, spaghetti or linguine
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
4 cloves garlic, left whole
1 yellow onion, sliced thick
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
4 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne*
Salt and black pepper, to taste
4 cups shredded cooked chicken


Lightly grease a casserole dish, and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water. Drain and transfer to casserole.

Place the tomatoes, skin side up on the baking sheet, along with the whole garlic cloves and onion. Broil, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the tomatoes, garlic, and onion are softened and have begun to blacken. Remove from the oven, cool and, dice. Turn the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until well combined and slightly browned. Slowly pour in the milk and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens just a bit. Once the sauce thickens, turn off the heat and slowly stir in 2 cups of cheese, a little at a time, until melted. Stir in the chicken broth until the sauce is the consistency of gravy. Stir in the diced vegetables, along with the cumin, and cayenne. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and stir in the shredded cooked chicken. Pour the sauce into the cooked spaghetti. Cover with the remaining cheeses.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Serve with Garlic Bread and a side salad for a nice complete meal.

*For an added kick add a couple of jalapeno peppers halved and added to the roasting vegetables.

Taco Seasoning Mix

My son loves Tacos... soft tacos. I planned to make him some tonight and did not realize that I was out of seasoning mix. I figured it couldn't be that hard to make some. I researched it and found the ingredients. I adjusted it to my families taste and this is what I came up with tonight. My son was satisfied so I guess it's a keeper! LOL

2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 teaspoon Dried Oregano

Mix seasoning together in a small bowl. Add to 1 1/2 - 2 pounds of cooked, drained hamburger meat and add 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

My hubby liked it too for his salad!