Stuffed French Toast

Like I said before, I rarely make breakfast. So if I ever post a breakfast recipe on here, chances are my husband made it. This morning he made stuffed french toast. It was so good. I'm usually not a big fan of waffles, pancakes, or french toast. It's too sweet for me first thing in the morning. But with this french toast, the cream cheese in the filling balances out the sweetness of the syrup. I loved it! The fun thing about this recipe is you can try different flavors of cream cheese and different berries so it can be different every time.


Printable Recipe


Stuffed French Toast 
1 loaf French bread
8 oz tub whipped cream cheese (any flavor)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries (or any other fruit you want), thawed and drained
6 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper 


Cut bread into 2 inch slices. In each piece of bread, cut a slit almost all the way through, creating a pocket. Combine cream cheese and berries. Spoon into the pockets in the bread. Combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Dip bread into egg mixture. Cook bread on both sides until done. Serve with syrup. 

"Rushin" Chicken

My six year old started playing t-ball a few weeks ago. He's my oldest and this is our first time with organized sports. His games are in the evenings, any time from 5:00 to 7:00. This makes dinner time a little challenging. We don't want to go out to eat every time but I don't want to come home after the game and make dinner. Crock pot meals are perfect for this. When we come home from the game, dinner is already ready. This has got to be the easiest crock pot recipe ever. There are few ingredients and you just throw it all in the crock pot together. I love simple recipes, especially with my busy life!


Printable Recipe


"Rushin" Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet onion soup mix
1 bottle Russian salad dressing


Place chicken in the crock pot. Top with onion soup mix. Pour Russian salad dressing on top. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. 

Chicken Parmesan

This is one of my husband's favorite meals that I cook. It is so simple. There's hardly anything to it. I think all of the cheesy goodness makes it taste so good. I love it!


Printable Recipe


Chicken Parmesan
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
6 slices swiss cheese
6 slices mozzarella cheese
1 jar spaghetti sauce (any kind)
parmesan cheese


Heat oil in a large skillet. Dip chicken into egg and then coat with bread crumbs. Brown chicken in oil for a few minutes on each side. Spread half of the spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place chicken on top. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of swiss cheese and mozzarella cheese. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until done. Serve over linguini noodles. 

Stuffed Peppers

This recipe came from Mel's Kitchen. My kids are not picky eaters but there is one thing my 6 year old doesn't like. Green peppers. I realized this after I started making these and I felt kind of bad. We have a rule in my house that you have to at least try it before you can say you don't like it. Whatever I make is what we eat. I will not do special orders. So my 6 year old ate all of the filling and a little bit of the green pepper. I think he actually liked it, he just didn't want to admit it. My other kids loved it! I thought it was really good. It was very flavorful. 


Printable Recipe


Stuffed Peppers
4-6 bell peppers
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can tomatoes, undrained
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. basil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup shredded cheese


Cup tops off peppers. Remove seeds and membranes. Chop edible parts of tops. Rinse peppers in cold water. Place in a large pot. Cover with water and 2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add green pepper tops, onion, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine egg, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Add beef, rice and 1 cup of the tomato mixture. Mix well. Stuff meat mixture into peppers. Place in a baking dish. Pour remaining tomato mixture on top of peppers. Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes. Top with cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted. 

Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars

I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe. We went to dinner at my parents' house last night and I made these bars for dessert. It was a big hit. Everyone loved them. They are so good!


Printable Recipe


Chocolate Chip Toffee Bars
2 1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package toffee bits, divided


Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Whisk together flour, salt, and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Add eggs and mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and nuts. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the dough. Press the remaining dough into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly on top. Top with all but 1/3 of the toffee. Place remaining dough on top. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Sprinkle with remaining toffee. Cool completely before cutting. 


Makes 24 bars

Calzones

I love this recipe. They are a little time consuming to make but it's something that is fun to make with kids. They are so yummy!

Printable Recipe

Calzones

1 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

1/2 lb ground Italian sausage

1 can sliced olives

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 green pepper, chopped

pepperoni

mozzarella cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Cut bread dough into 8 equal sections. Roll into flat circles. Place four pieces of dough on a baking sheet. Spoon some sauce into the center. Top with cheese, pepperoni, sausage, green pepper, mushrooms, olives, and more cheese. 

Place the other pieces of dough on top. Pinch the edges so they are sealed.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes. Serve with heated spaghetti sauce.


Makes 4 large calzones

Chicken Fajitas

I LOVE chicken fajitas! I love all Mexican food in general, but especially fajitas. This recipe is pretty simple and it's pretty healthy too. My kids love it! I can always tell how good something is by how much they eat. When they eat as much as I do then I know it's really good.


Printable Recipe


Chicken Fajitas
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 small bell peppers, cut into strips
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup salsa
10 fajita-size flour tortillas, warmed
sour cream
guacamole


Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5-6 minutes until onion is slightly golden and peppers are tender. Stir in chicken, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Stir in salsa; heat through. Serve in tortillas. Top with sour cream and guacamole. 


serves 4-6

Chicken Chow Mein

Printable Recipe


Chicken Chow Mein
2 cups chicken, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup water
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch 
1 (2 oz) package slivered almonds
chow mein noodles
cooked rice


Brown chicken in skillet until cooked through. Remove from skillet. Add onion, green pepper, and mushrooms. Cook for about two minutes. Add water and soy sauce. Cover and simmer for five minutes. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Add to skillet. Return chicken to skillet and stir in almonds. Heat through. Serve with cooked rice and chow mein noodles. 


serves 4-6

Spinach Salad

Printable Recipe


Spinach Salad
1 package spinach
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
8 oz swiss cheese, grated
1/2 lb chopped bacon
1/2 cup purple onion, sliced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced


Dressing: 
3/4 cup vinegar (half white and half apple cider)
1 1/2 Tbsp minced onion
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dry mustard


Mix all ingredients for the dressing. Combine with mushrooms and onions. Marinate overnight. When ready to serve, combine spinach, lettuce, cheese, and bacon. Toss with desired amount of dressing. 

Chicken Spaghetti

Printable Recipe




Chicken Spaghetti
8 oz spaghetti
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can sliced olives, drained
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese


Cook spaghetti until almost done. Combine all ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

This recipe has been moved to The Traveling Circus.

Click the link below for the recipe

Sloppy Joes