cake mix cinnamon rolls

I've been craving cinnamon rolls for awhile now. I've also been too lazy to make them. After a teasing week of warm weather, I couldn't help but make them on this snowy day. They were the perfect remedy. Nothing beats eating a cinnamon roll while snuggled in a blanket watching American Housewife. If you haven't watched that show you need to. You can thank me later.

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

(makes 24)

Ingredients

Cinnamon rolls:

1 box of white or yellow cake mix 

2 pkgs of active dry yeast 

2 1/2 cups of warm water 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp salt 

5 cups flour 

Filling:

2 cups of brown sugar 

Cinnamon 

1/2 cup of butter, softened 

Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese, softened 

1/4 cup of butter, softened 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/8 tsp salt (of using salted butter skip this)

1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar 

Instructions 

Head to Six Sisters' Stuff for the baking directions. Once your rolls are out of the oven cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the vanilla and salt. Beat in powdered sugar until frosting is smooth. If you like your frosting to melt onto your cinnamon rolls spread on once the rolls have cooled for 15-20 minutes. If you want the frosting to be firm wait until the rolls are completely cooled. Enjoy!

ham chowder

Mom's Ham Chowder

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup ham, diced
1 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 qt half and half
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, cubed
small carrot, grated
3/4 cup flour
1 can creamed corn

Instructions

In a pot, boil vegetables until tender then drain. In a large pot melt butter, then add flour and stir together on low head to create a roux. Slowly add half and half while stirring making sure to smooth out all the clumps. Add in drained veggies, ham, and cream corn. Heat through and serve when soup reaches desired temperature.

creamy tortellini

Creamy Tortellini

Ingredients

2 jars marinara sauce
1-8 oz cream cheese, softened
1- 25 oz bag frozen tortellini
Pepperonis
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the marinara sauce and the cream cheese. Stir in the frozen tortellini. Pour tortellini mixture in a glass 9x13 pan. Top with pepperoni, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

soft chocolate chip cookies

These are Mister's favorite cookies. Often times when these cookies are available it is because he made them. I am not ashamed to admit that my husband makes better cookies than I do. I love that these cookies stay soft longer than just the day they were made. Get creative with your mix-ins. We love to add Butterfinger, toffee, or caramel bits.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 1/2- 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, sugars, and eggs. Add salt and baking soda. Slowly add flour and mix together in between each cup you add. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop 1" balls of dough onto a baking sheet (12 balls to a sheet). Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges begin to brown.

slow cooker white chicken chili soup

Chicken Chili Soup

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
24 oz chicken broth
1-15 oz can great Northern beans, drained
1-15 oz can black beans, drained
2-4 oz cans of green chilies
1-15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained (I used a pkg of Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup half and half

Instructions

Head over to The Chunky Chef for the baking directions.

mister's birthday

This weekend we celebrated Mister's birthday. On Saturday we went to the Jazz game. We lost, but it was a really fun game to watch. Before the game with ate at Crown Burger. It's our Jazz game tradition. Did you know that you can park at Crown Burger for events? All you need to do is buy $18 worth of food and ask for a parking pass. We figure if we are going to pay for parking we might as well get delicious food out of it.  Sunday night we had Mister's siblings over for some dinner and ice cream cake.

Lately we have been so over winter in our house, and been going through a huge salad phase. Cobb salad is one of our favorites. This time we couldn't get to the grill because of all of the snow. We ended up using our George Foreman grill, and it worked out perfectly. This salad it plenty filling with the grilled chicken, hard boiled egg, and bacon. For those of you who hate de-shelling hard boiled eggs check out this post. 

Cobb Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes, diced
Hard boiled egg, sliced
Grilled chicken, sliced
Croutons
Bacon, crumbled
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (or dressing of your choice)

Instructions

Placed desired amount of lettuce (I use Romaine) on plate. Top with remaining ingredients and drizzle with ranch dressing. You can also add bleu cheese (we just aren't fans at our house). Enjoy!

slow cooker loaded potato soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

Ingredients

5 lb russet potatoes (washed and diced - not peeled)
1 medium onion (diced)
10 cloves garlic (minced)
64 oz chicken stock or broth
16 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp salt
Garnishes: bacon, chives, cheddar cheese (optional)

Instructions

Head to Mama Loves Food for the cooking directions. This soup was very thick. I thinned it out using some milk and chicken broth until it was the desired thickness. Enjoy!

mom's meatloaf

It keeps snowing. It never stops. I have needed to go to the grocery store for days, but refuse to go in the snow. Luckily I'm a hoarder and we have a overloaded freezer and pantry. Lately, I have refused to make dinner meals focused on what Elle will eat. We have a standing rule in our house that if she won't eat dinner then she just doesn't eat. She doesn't get a snack before bedtime either. Last night I asked her if she wanted to come eat dinner. She responded, "No thank you." At least she was polite, I guess.

Meatloaf sounded so good tonight. A nice comfort food meal for a snowy day. As I was looking at the recipe I realized I didn't have some of the ingredients - that was not going to stop me. The nice thing about meatloaf is that it is really hard to mess up. As long as you have beef, and you make sure it is the right consistency you are probably good to go. Here's how much I deviated: we didn't have sausage, so I left it out. We didn't have eggs, so I substituted 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. We didn't have bread crumbs, so I ground up saltine crackers. We didn't have tomato sauce, so I used ketchup. I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder because I'm obsessed with garlic powder. Guess what, it still turned out great! Elle even ate tonight!

Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sausage
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs (finely ground)
small can of tomato sauce (divided)
3 Tbsp dried onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl combined beef, sausage, egg, half of the can of tomato sauce, onion, and seasonings (I use my hands). The mixture should stick together like you are making a giant meatball. If the mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs. If the mixture is too dry, add more tomato sauce. Press the meat mixture into a 5x9 bread pan. Pour a thin layer of left over tomato sauce on top of meat. Cover with foil and bake for one hour. Half way through remove foil and finish baking. I like to broil my meatloaf at the end for a bit to make sure the tomato sauce isn't liquidy (nice English, I know). If you choose to broil, make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

ice cream cake: take 5

We love birthdays at our house. We can't wait for the opportunity to try another ice cream cake concoction. This one turned out perfect. We decided it is one of our favorite ice cream cakes of all time. The inspiration was a Take 5 candy bar - chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, and pretzels. Try it and see the magic for yourself.

Take 5 Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

20 peanut butter sandwich cookies
1/4 cup butter (melted)
10 oz jar of fudge
5.3 oz bag of Rollos
Moose Tracks ice cream
1 cup pretzel sticks (the skinny ones)
1/2 cup caramel (plus some to drizzle on top)

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse the peanut butter sandwich cookies until they are fine crumbs. Stir in the melted butter until the cookie crumbs stick together. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Microwave the fudge for 30 seconds or so until it is runny. Spread a thin layer on top of the cookie crumb crust. Chop up the Rollos to desired size. Sprinkle 2/3 of the Rollos on top of the fudge. Freeze for 1 hour, or until fudge hardens. Allow ice cream to soften for about 10 minutes. On a clean surface, scoop the ice cream, pretzels, and 1/2 cup of the caramel. Using two large spoons, combine the ice cream mixture making sure to break up the pretzels. Scoop ice cream mixture into the spring form pan and top with the rest of the chopped Rollos. Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with a drizzle of caramel syrup. Enjoy!

cookie "salad"

Asked to bring a salad or dessert? You could just bring both. We jokingly refer to this recipe as a salad because it has fruit in it, but let's be real. It will put you in the  creamiest coma you've ever known. It is a fan favorite, and I always leave with an empty bowl. You better believe it will make its appearance at Thanksgiving dinner.

Cookie Salad 

Ingredients 

1 package fudge striped shortbread cookies (broken into large chunks)

1 lb strawberries (sliced)

2-3 bananas (sliced)

1 small can Mandarin oranges

1 cup buttermilk 

1 small package vanilla pudding 

1-16 oz container Cool Whip 

Instructions 

Whisk the buttermilk and dry pudding mix together. Fold in the Cool Whip. Slice up strawberries and bananas, and add to  creamy mixture. Drain the can of Mandarin oranges and crush the cookies with your hands (you'll want big chunks). Add the oranges and cookies to the salad and carefully mix it all together. Enjoy!

pita pizzas

Elle loves pizza, or ask she would say, "za-pee." To be honest, Mister and I love za-pee also. These pita pizzas are the perfect solution for those nights that you don't want to make homemade pizza, or spend the money on ordering out. The nice thing about these pizzas is that everyone can make their pizza to their specifications. Mister always wants white sauce, and Elle wants red. I bounce back and forth on which sauce I want.

Pita Pizzas

Ingredients

Pita bread
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Toppings of your choice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pitas on a baking sheet and create your desired pizzas. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted. I like to broil ours for a few minutes after to brown the crust and cheese. Enjoy!

garlic knots

The other night I offered to bring a neighbor dinner since she broke her leg, and was having a hard time getting around. I made my lasagna recipe, garlic knots, and Caesar salad. I decided to make double, so we could have the same meal. While you're making a mess you might as well get the most out of it, right? As I was working on the meal I received a text message from a friend saying her sweet three-year-old broke her leg clean through. It had been quite a day for them, so I decided to make our dinner their dinner. It was a quesadilla night for our family. The next day my friend informed me that the garlic knots were the only thing she could get her daughter to eat, and asked for the recipe. These garlic knots are the easiest and most delicious side to any pasta dinner. All you need is Rhodes rolls, melted butter or oil, and garlic seasoning. My absolute favorite garlic seasoning is  Johnny's garlic spread that you can get at Costco. It is the perfect blend!

Garlic Knots

Ingredients

12 Rhodes rolls

1/4 cup melted butter

Garlic seasoning

Garlic salt (optional)

Instructions

Set out the desired amount of frozen roll dough, and allow to defrost. You just need them to be soft enough that you can mold them. When the dough is soft, mold each roll into a breadstick and then tie into a knot. Place each knot on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Let them rise for about a half hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Brush half of the butter on the dough, and save the rest for when they come out of the oven. Bake the knots for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately after removing them out the oven brush remaining butter on top and sprinkle desired amount of garlic seasoning and salt. Enjoy!

chicken bacon ranch pasta

I love Alfredo. I love chicken. I love bacon. I love ranch. When I came across this recipe on Damn Delicious I knew it was for me. It was so good. My husband loved it, and requested for it to be added to our regular meals. I used a different Alfredo sauce recipe than the website used simply because I didn't have heavy whipping cream on hand. You could probably use bottled Alfredo sauce instead if you were feeling lazy.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

Ingredients

4 slices of bacon diced (I just used bacon bits)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Ranch Seasoning and Salad Dressing Mix
8 ounces rotini
Mozzarella cheese
Alfredo sauce (I halfed this recipe)

Directions

Head over to Damn Delicious for the baking instructions. You can use their Alfredo recipe instead of the one I linked if you prefer. Enjoy!

meatball sandwich and garlic fries

We love meatball sandwiches at our house. They are messy, but delicious. This recipe is easy, and the cream cheese spread makes them out of this world! The garlic fries are a nod to the garlic fries you can get at Safeway Field in Seattle, Washington. I was introduced to them at my first Mariners game, and I fell in love. We love to dip our garlic fries in ranch or honey mustard.

Meatball Sandwich

Ingredients

Hoagie buns

Meatballs

Marinara sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Cream Cheese Spread (for 2 sandwiches):

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan, heat marinara sauce and meatballs until they are heated through. In a small bowl combine cream cheese, mayo, and seasoning. Stir until completely combined. On a cookie sheet, place hoagie buns open and insides up. Bake for a couple minutes until the bread in just starting to toast. They won't even be golden brown, just toasted enough that the bread is starting to crisp (this will keep the sandwich from getting soggy. Pull buns out of the oven, and spread cream cheese mixture on both sides of the sandwich, add meatballs and close up the sandwich. I usually use toothpicks to hold the sandwich together until I am ready to serve. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Place in oven again and broil until the cheese is melted and the sandwich is a toasty, golden brown color. Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Garlic Fries

Ingredients

Frozen fries (unseasoned)

Minced garlic

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Place fries on a cookie sheet. Make sure to keep the fries to one layer so they cook evenly. Spoon minced garlic on top of fries. I usually do a half teaspoon over every couple of fries. The more garlic you use the more flavor you'll get. You can always take some of the garlic off the fries before you eat them if you don't want to eat the garlic straight. Coat with salt and pepper. Bake according to your fries' directions. I like to broil my fries for a bit after they are done cooking to make them a little more crispy and golden brown. Enjoy!

cream cheese chicken roll-ups

These chicken roll-ups are the perfect dinner for a fall evening. They are warm, comforting, and delish. I can't wait to use our Thanksgiving leftovers to make these with turkey. This recipe is simple, and only has five ingredients. For my small family, I half the recipe, and heat up the extra soup with some milk to make a gravy to top the roll-ups with. If your family is too large for that you can always just get a gravy packet and mix it with some milk or water. This recipe is from Six Sisters' Stuff. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Cream Cheese Chicken Roll-ups

Ingredients

4 chicken breast, cooked and cubed
2 packages of crescent rolls
1 - 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened (I use fat free)
1-2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 small can of cream of chicken soup

Instructions

Head over to Six Sisters' Stuff for baking directions. Enjoy!

meatball mummies

I can't  believe how quickly Halloween is sneaking up on us. I feel like it was just the Fourth of July! I really wanted to make this year special for Elle because she's finally at the age where she gets excited about things. Tonight I made meatball sandwiches for Mister and me, and I decided to make something special for Elle. They were really easy to make, and she loved eating them.

Meatball Mummies

Ingredients - per one mummy

3 meatballs

1 Rhodes roll

1 uncooked spaghetti noodle or wooden skewer

Marinara sauce

Instructions

Defrost the Rhodes roll and meatballs (if they are frozen). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stick the three meatballs on the spaghetti noodle or skewer. With your hands form the dough into a very thin rope (about 1/4 inch). Wrap the dough around the meatballs to make it look like a mummy. Carefully take out the noodle or skewer and place the "mummy" on a baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce on the side. Enjoy!

taco pizza - copycat bajio mexican pizza

Life has been a little crazy lately. I haven't even had time for grocery shopping. Normally I use Walmart's grocery pickup. Let me tell you, that program is a lifesaver. I promise I am not affiliated with Walmart in any way. I just like to share with my friends things that make my life easier. 

Grocery pickup helps me meal plan and save money. It keeps me from wandering the aisles looking for new things to buy and try. It also helps my dinners go smoother because I know what I'm making each night. Also, the service is free. FREE! The cons, if you can even call them that, are that you have to order a day in advance if you want a specific time slot, and if they don't have something that you order they substitute it. When they substitute they find something equal or better than you ordered and you don't have to pay the difference. For example, one week I ordered a 20ish ounce bottle of Great Value brand ketchup. They didn't have any in stock, so instead I received a 40ish ounce bottle of Hienz ketchup at no additional cost to me. 

Before they load your car, they tell you any substitutions or omissions there are from your order. If you don't approve of they substitution they will take it back and refund you for the item you originally ordered. You also can select "no substitutions" when you order, and they will omit anything that isn't in stock.

The only problem I've ever had with this service is once I received some fairly under ripe tomatoes. I mentioned this in my review and the next day I received an email from Walmart apologizing and refunding me for the tomatoes. I'm telling you, grocery pickup is heaven sent.

Anyway... sorry for the detour.  We were low on groceries, and I needed to figure out something for dinner. Inspiration hit and I remembered a recipe I made a few months back from the website Barbara Bakes. I was delicious, and I had all the ingredients (minus some tomatoes for a topping). These taco pizzas are so good, and so filling. Elle even ate a slice! 

Taco Pizza

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning

1 - 16 oz refried beans

Soft taco sized tortillas

Salsa

Shredded cheese

Green onions

Tomatoes

Jalepenos

Sour cream

Instructions

Head over to Barbara Bakes for cooking directions. Enjoy!

creamy penne

Today was Elle's 2 year checkup. When we got there Elle was thrilled that they had a tank full of "feesh" and a "show" playing for her to watch. When we arrived at the room for her checkup she immediately backtracked and refused to walk in on her own. The rest was meltdown city. Little did she know that the worst was saved for the end of her appointment. After she was pricked in her legs and she calmed down, we were on our way. She was very melancholy in the backseat until the song "Can't Stop the Feeling!" came on. She immediately asked me to ""nance" with her, so we jammed together on our way to the post office. I just love my little dancer. She's got quite the moves. If you're lucky I'll record it and share it with you some day.

We found a new show that Elle likes to watch on Netflix. Bless Curious George's Boofest for keeping her busy while I cooked dinner. Tonight's dinner was a simple pasta. We tried ground turkey in it, and it wasn't to shabby. This pasta recipe is my go-to when I don't want to think about meal planning. I always have the ingredients in the pantry, and if I don't have any meat I make it meatless. This meal can't fail you. Throw in some quick bread sticks and a salad, and you're good to go.

Creamy Penne

Ingredients

1 jar marinara sauce
1 jar Alfredo sauce
1 pkg penne (or any type of noodle)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Italian Seasoning

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook the noodles according to their package's directions. After draining the noodles, pour them into a 9x13 pan. Pour both sauces on top and stir together. Sprinkle desired amount of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. I always add a bit of Italian seasoning on top for a bit of flavor. Throw in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes - until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

ice cream cake: circus animal cookie cake

In our family we have a tradition of making ice cream cakes for birthdays. We've done all sorts of concoctions. For Elle's birthday I wanted to do something fun. For you Utahans, if you haven't tried Red Button ice cream you are missing out. One of our favorite flavors is  Sprinkled Animal Cookie. Mister and I decided to get creative and use that as the base for Elle's cake. It was quite delightful, and absolutely perfect for a sweet little girl's birthday party. 

Circus Animal Cookie Ice Cream Cake 

Ingredients

1 bag of Circus Animal Cookies, finely chopped (about 3 cups)

1 1/2 cups butter, melted 

1 container of Red Button's Sprinkled Animal Cookie ice cream 

1 jar of marshmallow cream (I used Smuckers)

1 - 8 oz bag white chocolate mini Kit Kats (roughly chopped)

Sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Finely chop the Circus Animal cookies. Combine the cookie crumbs with the melted butter, and press to the bottom of a greased spring-form pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Once the crust has cooled, warm up the marshmallow cream in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Spead marshmallow cream over the crust and top with the chopped Kit Kats. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Scoop ice cream on top and spread with a spoon to evenly disperse. Top with sprinkles. You'll need to lightly press the sprinkles down with your fingers to get them to stay put. Freeze for at least one hour before serving. Serve with leftover marshmallow cream. Enjoy!

baked chicken flautas

Feeding a toddler is hard. Let me rephrase that, feeding a toddler actual food is hard. Elle loves cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, crackers, and apple sauce (sometimes). Getting her to eat the dinner placed in front of her is a marathon. I was thrilled when I tried this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff and she SCARFED it. She.asked.for.more (#miracle). These flautas are delicioso. The combination of spicy, creamy, and sweet is enough to die for. Enough chit-chat, here's the goods.

Baked Chicken Flautas

Ingredients

4 cups cooked & shredded chicken

1 cup salsa verde

1 (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz) can black beans, rised and drained

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained (I used Trader Joe's frozen grilled corn and it was the best!)

1 1/2 cups cheese, divided (we used cheddar)

12-14 tortilla shells (soft taco size)

Directions

Head to Six Sisters' Stuff for the baking instructions. Enjoy!