On a Scale From One to Ten, I Give These Nachos a "Big 12!"

That time of year that college basketball fans pine for is finally here.. yes, folks--it's almost time for March Madness. So, in honor of the upcoming tournament (and because KU plays this afternoon), I made my delicious game day nachos (or, as I usually refer to them, my "It's too bad I hate the NFL because these would be perfect to eat during a game" nachos). 

Enjoy! And if you are good a choosing teams for March Madness brackets, hit me up (I'm in a bracket pool with 6 guys and wouldn't mind winning the $30 prize..).

Anngredients: 

• 1 bag tortilla chips.
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• 1/2 can black beans (rinsed).
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar but you can use whatever kind you want).
• 1 can Rotel. 
• 1 package (1 oz.) taco seasoning mix.
• 1/4 cup water.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut up chicken into small, bite size pieces.
3. Add chicken, Rotel (juice included), black beans, taco seasoning and water to skillet. Cook on medium high for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Stir continually. 
4. Add half bag of chips to the bottom of 11 x 7 pan. Sprinkle one cup of cheese to top of chips.
5. With spoon, evenly distribute half of the chicken, black bean, Rotel mix to the top of the chips and cheese.
6. Add other half of chips to top of the pan. Add cheese, followed by the chicken, black bean, Rotel mix.
7. Bake in oven for 10 minutes. 

Scrumptious Fruit Pizza

Ah yes, spring is in the air--except here in Kansas, where the high winds are constantly blowing away any inkling of warm, sunshiny happiness... Nevertheless, my recipe today is my favorite warm weather dessert that I think you're going to love!

I actually came across this recipe two years ago when I was going home for Mother's Day and looking for a special dessert to make my mom. At the time, I had the mentality that I needed to lose 10 pounds, so I joined Spark People (I was 5' 6", 140 pounds--two years later, I am still the exact same so that should show you how dedicated I was...). Anyway, long story short, the most I got out of my time with the site was this delicious recipe for fruit pizza. 

It actually isn't the worst dessert in the world for your waistline, so feel free to eat two (or five) slices instead of just one.

Anngredients:

• 1/2 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough.
• 8 oz. of fat free cream cheese.
• 1/3 cup sugar.
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
• Fruit of your choice (I chose raspberries and blueberries this time because they are in season but have used strawberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, peaches, mandarin oranges and several other fruit varieties in the past).

1. Spread sugar cookie dough over a 14-inch pizza pan. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool in the pan. 
2. Let cookie dough cool for an hour.
3. Blend the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until completely mixed. Spread in a thin layer over the cooled crust. 
4. Add fruit to top. 

Parmesan Butter Biscuits

Tonight, my sweet fiance made dinner (chili--it was amazing) which means this girl has the night off from the kitchen! So, for today's recipe, I would like to share with you an easy, garlic-y side that I made up the other night--Easy, Parmesan Butter Biscuits.

Anngredients:

• 1 can (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls. 
• 1/2 stick butter or margarine.
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese.
• 1 tbsp. minced garlic.

1. Put butter and garlic into bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Mix well. 
2. Unroll crescent roll. Brush on butter/garlic mix.
3. Add pinch full of Parmesan cheese.
4. Roll up crescent roll.
5. Brush on butter/garlic mix to the top and add another pinch of Parmesan cheese.
6. Repeat for each roll.
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. 

Protein(y) Linguine

I am one of those people who loves to eat plain, buttered noodles (I am also one of the cheapest people you will ever meet so that could be the reason why). The "bland" taste that everybody complains about with boring pasta just tastes good to me. Eating the noodles is always a little nostalgic for me (when my best friend and I lived together our sophomore year of college, we were dirt poor--we now look back and kid around about our old food staples of buttered noodles, frozen chicken nuggets and generic cereal) but this apparently isn't the case with everyone. My fiance is one of these people.. So, I had to invent a new pasta that satisfies both his taste buds and my wallet. Enter Protein(y) Linguine.

This is one of the simplest, most inexpensive meals I have come across--chances are you already have the ingredients in your cabinet and refrigerator.

Now, you may look at the ingredients list and think "Wow, this pasta seems like a little bit of a cluster f......." but trust me, it.is.good.

Anngredients:

• 1 pound uncooked spaghetti.
• 2 eggs.
• 1 stick of butter or margarine.
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic.
• 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Cook 1 pound pasta in boiling water. Once pasta is cooked, promptly strain. 
2. Once water is strained,  immediately add two eggs, yolk and all (you want to make sure to add the eggs as soon as you strain the water--you don't want to let the noodles cool or else the egg won't cook). Stir egg into noodles for about 2 minutes. You will notice little bits of scrambled eggs on the pasta.
3. Put stick of butter and garlic into bowl, microwave for 30 seconds or until butter is melted. Stir butter and garlic.
4. Add garlic butter to the top of noodles, stir. 
5. Add Parmesan cheese to top and stir in with noodles, eggs and butter. 

Creamy Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

This recipe actually came about by accident.

The year was 2002. I was a 7th grader who loved to cook, leave a mess for my mother to clean up when she got home from work and eat. And eat. And eat (and it showed). One day after school, I was having a craving for cookies. So, I got one of my moms cookbooks out and found a recipe for easy peanut butter cookies (it was an old church fundraiser cookbook--the cookie recipe was right below the submitted instructions for "how to microwave an egg"). It was simple enough: it called for peanut butter, an egg and granulated sugar. Well, I didn't know what granulated sugar was (I was a bright middle schooler..) and just assumed that meant any sort of sugar. So, I grabbed for some powdered sugar in the pantry. My stupidity actually paid off for once. The cookies were delicious--the powdered sugar made them more creamy and decadent.

So, friends, I now present to you these easy to make Creamy Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies. Enjoy!

Anngredients: 

• 1 cup peanut butter (if you want to go the healthier route, use natural peanut butter).
• 1 cup powdered sugar.
• 1 egg.
• 12 Hershey's kisses.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Mix peanut butter, powdered sugar and egg in mixing bowl.
3. Mold mix into small,  1" balls and press with a fork.
4. Bake in oven for 8 minutes.
5. After removing from oven, add Hershey's Kiss to the top. 

Lent Food At It's Finest

Growing up in a Catholic household, I remember eating the same, boring foods every Friday during Lent: cheese pizza, fish sticks or macaroni and cheese (granted, my brother and I were the pickiest eaters ever so our poor mother didn't have a whole lot to work with..but that's not the point!). Since I am an adult living on my own now (and am no longer a terrible eater...), I like to find meatless recipes with a little more pizzazz. This tops them all.

This. Recipe. Is. Money.

While I am typically not a huge Paula Deen fan (love her as a person, dislike her as a chef--I'm not a deep fried crab leg kinda gal), she nailed it with this recipe. But, of course, I did have to make a couple modifications (as you continue to follow this blog, you will quickly learn that I despise onions and will find any alternative to that weird, crunchy, potent vegetable). So, without further ado, I present to you Paula Deen's Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole (Ala Annie).

Anngredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package wild rice
• 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined  
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped  
• 1/2 onion, chopped
  **Annie Modification** Substitute the butter, green pepper and onion with 1 can of Rotel (choose your spice level, I recommend Hot).
• 1 (10 3/4-ounce can) condensed cream of mushroom soup 
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar  

1.  Cook the rice according to package directions minus 1/4 cup water. Drain and cool. 
2. Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tablespoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan and cook the shrimp for 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.  
3. Heat the butter in saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes (FORGO THIS STEP IF USING THE ROTEL!!).
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 
5. In a large bowl, combine the rice, soup, 1 1/2 cups of cheese, shrimp and vegetables. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well. Spray a 9-inch square aluminum cake pan or an 11 by 7-inch glass casserole dish with vegetable spray. Place the mixture in the pan and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.  

Wayyyyyy Better Than Sex Cake

Okay, okay, I know--Better Than Sex Cake is a fairly generic recipe that everyone knows. But ya gotta admit, it is pretty awesome. Well, this is the same recipe you've grown to know and love.. except even more caramel-y and orgasmo.

Here's the secret: immediately after removing the cake from the oven, cut your slices and add the caramel all over the top. The caramel will seep into the cake as well as create a delicious, gooey outside to the cake. You'll then have to set it in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the cake cool before adding the whipped cream--this also helps the caramel set even more.

Anngredients:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix (depends on your taste--you can use regular chocolate, German or chocolate fudge if you're having a bad day).
• 1 (16 oz) jar Caramel topping (to make it a little more guilt free, you can get the fat free kind--it doesn't taste much different and always makes me feel a little better about eating this amazing cake). 
• 1 (8 oz) tub whipped cream (again, I always go fat free to make myself feel better).
• 4 ounces of toffee bits

1. Bake cake as directed on box.
2. Remove cake, follow Annie's secret trick, add caramel and set in fridge for an hour.
3. Spread whipped cream to top of cooled cake. 
4. Sprinkle toffee bits.

So, there you have it. A simple, delicious cake that you can share at dinners and parties, or, if you're like me, when you've had a terrible day and need chocolate.