Mexican Chop Salad

This is so refreshing and light. I love it. It kind of reminds me of a Taco salad, but yet totally different. It is easy and you can just have a bar of salad items lined up and everyone can make their own.

Mexican Chop Salad

lettuce& romaine ~ chopped

2 cups rice ~ cooked in chicken broth

3-4 chicken breasts ~ cooked and cubed. 

1 tomato ~ diced

1 cup corn 

1 cup olives ~ chopped

1 can black beans

1 can pinto beans

2 cups shredded cheese

salad dressing of choice

Season chicken when you cook it. {I cook mine in a little butter with lemon pepper on it} If you are wanting to make one big salad, toss all ingredients together and add chicken to top. If you choose to have it as a salad bar, set our all ingredients and create salad to liking. Top with desired dressing. {Ranch, Salsa, Honey Mustard, etc.}

Bacon, Egg and Biscuit Muffins

What a fun change to breakfast or having breakfast for dinner! My kids enjoy these because they are different and easy. You can also eat these plain or dip them in a little syrup.

Bacon, Egg and Biscuit Muffins

2 refrigerated biscuit rolls

5 eggs

4 tablespoons milk

1/3 cup shredded cheese

6-8 slices of bacon ~ cooked

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon, crumble and set aside. Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Roll out 1 biscuit at a time until it is slightly bigger than the size of individual muffin tin. Grease muffin tins with cooking spray. Push one biscuit into each cup being sure to it all the way down and against sides. Leave the ridge hanging over edge. sprinkle a little cheese in bottom and then pour a LITTLE egg mixture into biscuit. They will/SHOULD look empty. *Don't pour too much egg in, or it will spill over edges while cooking.* Sprinkle bacon crumbs on top of egg. Repeat steps to all biscuits. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Sweet & Salty Caramel Snack Mix

This is such a fun little treat for kids. You can make it to go with really any holiday that have holiday M&M's. Or you can make them with normal M&M's and enjoy all the colors. We made these for a Valentine treat.It does make a ton, so be prepared to share some with family, friends, or neighbors. My girls took a little bag to their church leaders and friends for Valentines.

Sweet & Salty Caramel Snack Mix

6 cups Golden Graham cereal 

1 cup honey roasted peanuts

1 cup salted cashews or macadamia nuts

1/2 cup butter

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup karo syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups cheerios 

3 cups M&M's of choice

line baking sheet with foil or wax paper and lightly spray with cooking spray. Set pan aside. 

In large bowl, Toss cereals and nuts together and set aside. 

In medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and karo syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until it begins to boil. Allow sauce to boil for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat. Add in vanilla and stir until well combines. Drizzle sauce evenly over cereal and nuts. Stir quickly and make sure all is even coated. Let sit for a couple seconds. When sauce has a cooled a little, pour in M&M's and toss gently to combine. Spread out on baking sheet and let cool completely.

Ham & Cheese Crescent Rolls

This is one recipe that you will definitely get your hands a little dirty. Totally worth it though. They also take a little longer to prepare then most recipes on here, but don't let that scare you away. Give them a try and you will enjoy them!

Ham & Cheese Crescent Rolls

3 cans Crescent Rolls

Deli Honey Ham

Swiss Cheese slices

Unroll crescent rolls, 1 tube at a time as you use them. Divide the rolls in half leaving two triangles together, making a rectangle. Lightly flour them or counter top and a rolling pin. Flatten rectangles out some. Place on a greased cookie sheet and top each with slice of cheese, then couple pieces of ham and then another slice of cheese. Once filled, roll or fold rectangles up. Bake according to package. Continue till all crescent rolls are filled.

Mexican Pizza

These are so yummy. Very filling, but delicious. The nice thing with this these is, you can really customize them to your own liking. Makes for a fun meal prepping as a family.

Mexican Pizza

1 pound ground beef

taco seasoning

1 package small tortillas

2 tablespoons water

1 {16 oz} refried beans

2/3 cup salsa

2 cups shredded cheese

1/4 cup tomato ~ diced

1/4 cup green onion ~ chopped

oil 

Mix together ground beef, taco seasoning and water. In large skillet brown ground beef till fully cooked. Drain drippings. Set ground beef aside. 

Add oil to medium frying pan. Heat and fry tortillas (both sides) for about 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Pop any bubbles that form while frying. Keep tortillas as flat as possible. Remove from pan and set on plate lined with paper towels. 

Warm refried beans. Stack each pizza first by spreading a layer of refried beans, then layer of meat followed by layer of salsa. Now stack another tortilla on top. Layer with cheese and top with tomatoes and green onions. Repeat for all pizzas. 

Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 

Baked French Toast

This is one thing that all kids will love. My kids think it super yummy. They think it is pretty fun to eat it for dinner but also have it for breakfast as well. You can either eat it plain, with a little syrup or with a powdered sugar glaze drizzled on top. All options taste great!

Baked French Toast

1 loaf sourdough bread

8 eggs

2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

Cinnamon Strusel Topping

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar ~ packed

1 teaspoon cinnamon {I always add just a little more}

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter ~ cold and cut into pieces

Grease a 9x13 baking dish and tare bread into bite sized chunks. place bread chunks evenly in greased pan. Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread chunks. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. 

In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together. Mix till well blended. Cut in butter with fork or pastry blender and blend till well crumbly. Cover and refrigerate as well. When ready to bake, sprinkle strusel topping evenly over top of bread chunks. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour to1 hour 15 minutes.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

These are such a fun cookie. Totally different from other cookies out there. My girls wanted to make these for a  friend who was having his birthday. So, we whipped them up and took some over and sang Happy Birthday to him. He thought they were the best cookies. They are very rich, but they sure are yummy.

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

1 chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup shortening butter-flavored

2 eggs

12-18 large marshmallows ~ cut in half

In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs and shortening.  Mix till well combines. Drop batter by the tablespoon onto a non-greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until cookies appear done, but centers are still soft. 

While cookies are baking, cut marshmallows in half. When cookies have baked for the 8-10 minutes, remove pan from oven and place a marshmallow half on top of each cookies. Press down gently.. Return pan to over and back for 2-3- more minutes. Till marshmallows are puffy. Remove pan and let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Right after pulling from over, press marshmallows down a little to flatten them. Repeat precess to all cookies and marshmallows. 

When cookies are fully cooled, frost with Chocolate Cream Frosting.

Chocolate Cream Frosting

1/2 cup butter ~ melted

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Mix till well blended. Slowly add in melted butter, vanilla, and evaporated milk. Beat on medium high till smooth, light and fluffy. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. Add frosting to piping back or frost with knife.