An easy way to get a flavorful, low budget meal, these Sweet Heat Bacon Wrapped Smoked Chicken Breasts are the way to go. They’re the perfect set it, and forget it kinda deal.
Sous Chef Sundays
Cranberry Orange Rice Krispie Treats
The chewy rice krispies we’ve always known and loved have been given a delicious face lift. Tasty dried cranberries are stirred right in along with a hint of sweet orange, making these Cranberry Orange Rice Krispie Treats a sweet treat for any season.
Pizzadillas
Who would’ve though you could’ve combined cheese & more cheese into one epic lunch? Pizzadillas take cheesy quesadillas and give them a pepperoni pizza perfect make-over for a fun, easy meal the whole family will enjoy.
Sous Chef Sunday: Monster Tongues (Marshmallow Pinwheels)
These may look gross, especially when you consider they’re called ‘tongues’, but they taste great and the kids (especially little boys- hey snails and puppy dog tails, right?) get a huge kick out of them. They’re perfect for a spooky Halloween treat, or even as a crafty snack to accompany one of our boys favorite children’s stories, I Need My Monster. Also, a great read when you’re gearing up for Halloween with its perfect mixture of scare and flair.
But, back to our tongue in cheek treat, perfect for any little monsters you may know. I haven’t met a kid yet who didn’t love these fun treats, even the ones who squealed with equal parts disgust and delight.
And they’re e a s y, a mixture of marshmallows melted and stirred into flavored gelatin, and then is chilled in a pan before being rolled up and sliced into wiggly, giggly little pinwheels, err tongues.
Monster Tongues (Marshmallow Pinwheels)
1, 3 oz, package flavored jello gelatin (NOT pudding), any flavor
1/2 cup warm water
1-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
Directions
- Whisk the gelatin mix and warm water together in medium microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for about 1-1/2 minutes, then whisk again until the gelatin is completely dissolved into the water.
2. Stir in the marshmallows. Microwave everything on high again for another minute, or until the marshmallows are partially melted. Remove the bowl from the microwave and whisk again, this time until the marshmallows are completely melted and stirred into the gelatin mixture. Pour the gelatin mix into an 8-inch square pan sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes, or until set. Run a sharp knife around edges of pan to loosen the gelatin from the pan. Starting at 1 edge, roll up the layered gelatin tightly, like a jelly roll. Cut the roll into 1/2-inch slices. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
recipe adapted from Kraft
Sous Chef Sunday: Copy Cat Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread
Little Caesar’s $5 hot and ready pizzas have saved my butt at dinner time on more than one occasion. Still I think it’s safe to say that they’re crazy bread is pretty much always the star of their show.
Soft and slightly chewy, brushed with garlic butter and sprinkled with a heavy-handed amount of Parmesan cheese. They’re pretty much the best version of a bread stick. Arguably, ever.
I’ve never been good at the whole delayed gratification thing, and even though the closest Little Caesar’s to us is only about 10 miles away, when a craving hits that’s just too far. And that’s one of the reasons I love this make-at-home copycat version so much.
Craving satisfied 🙂
For big and little people alike.
Copy Cat Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread
1 can of refrigerated pizza dough, or one batch of Easy Homemade Pizza Dough
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/8-1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Roll out your pizza dough onto a clean surface, into a roughly rectangular shape (doesn’t have to be perfect or exact).
2. Cut dough in half lengthwise, and then cut 8 strips vertically (making 16 small bread sticks). Place each strip onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.
3. While the bread sticks are baking, melt the butter and stir in the garlic salt. Remove the cooked bread sticks from the oven and brush on the garlic butter mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve warm with marinara sauce for dipping.
recipe adapted from Six Sister’s Stuff
Copy Cat Sonic’s Ocean Water
Need to quench your thirst, and only a particularly sweet brew will do the trick? This copy cat Sonic ocean water is just the thing. It’s sweet, but not overly so, and fizzy with notes of lemon lime & coconut in a pretty blue hue.
Sous Chef Sunday: Big Mac Pizza
A delicious dinner the kids will love and that will call to the kid in all of us is this big mac pizza recipe. It’s fun and it’s easy, and it brings all the flavors of your favorite fast food burger to the table served on a crisp pizza crust.
Wanna add some ‘wow’ into your family’s next pizza night? Our Big Mac Pizza is sure to do the trick.
The sons could not gt over the fact that it tasted just. like. the sandwich. It’s pretty epic. The whole concept combines two of their most favorite things: fast food & pizza.
And Mom’s actually letting them have both? IN THE SAME NIGHT??
They were on cloud 9, and I’m pretty sure if they’d floated any higher they would’ve floated away.
You don’t have to go super fancy just to change things up a bit. This big mac pizza is a fun twist, but it’s still family friendly, and easy to assemble.
And I’ll let you in on a little secret I discovered during the making of this dish. You wanna get the kids in the kitchen fast?
Want them to actually want to help you fix dinner? WITHOUT complaining?
Put the words ‘big mac’ in the name of whatever you’re having. Problem solved 🙂
If you’ve tried this BIG MAC PIZZA, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Big Mac Pizza
This fun homemade pizza has all the flavors of the classic fast food burger that you love. It's delicious and sure to be a hit with parents & kids alike!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time25 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 231kcal
Ingredients
- pizza dough homemade, store-bought, or pre made will all work
- Olive oil if you’re using fresh dough
- Thousand Island salad dressing
- 6-8 slices of yellow American cheese
- 1/2 – 3/4 lb. ground beef
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- Shredded lettuce
- grape tomatoes thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium sized skillet, brown the ground beef. Season the meat with salt and pepper, to taste. Drain the cooked beef and set aside.
- For pizza dough, lightly grease a pizza pan or large cookie sheet. Pat or roll the dough out into pan and lightly drizzle some olive oil over the top of the crust and then bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Top the pizza crust with Thousand Island salad dressing and just like you would with sauce, use a lade or the back of a spoon to evenly spread the dressing out over the crust all the way up to the crusts edges. Top the spread dressing with the American cheese slices, and don’t worry if they don’t completely cover the entire pizza. Top the cheese with the ground beef. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over top of the beef.
- Bake the pizza at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and allow the pizza to cool slightly, about 2-3 minutes, before cutting it into slices.
- To serve, top the cooled pizza with shredded lettuce, tomato and additional Thousand Island, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
recipe adapted from Love Bakes Good Cakes
Nutrition
Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 702mg | Potassium: 69mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 581IU | Calcium: 533mg | Iron: 1mg
Cuban Hot Dogs or Cubano Dogs
Did you think a hot dog in a bun was complete with a bit of ketchup and/or mustard? Reinvent the classic staple with these Cuban Hot Dogs. Melted Swiss cheese and ham sit in a bun stuffed with a hot dog, crisp dill pickle spear, and tangy slices of red onion, complete with a drizzle of yellow mustard.
Crockpot Ham & White Bean Soup
This Crockpot Ham & White Bean Soup is an easier, set it and forget it, variation of the classic. It’s super simple with a very short ingredient list. It makes it quite a delightful surprise when you first dig in and discover just how incredibly flavorful it is.
Sous Chef Sunday: Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs Garlic Bread Sub
The Sons’ are at it again, bringing the masses another recipe they’ve knocked out of the park.
Garlic Bread meets Spaghetti and Meatballs meets the Meatball Sub and the result is out of this world!
This recipe will leave your house smelling like a heavenly Italian restaurant and you’ll be lucky if you can keep your family from devouring it before it makes it to their plates. I think the Sons were worse than our pug that night, loitering around the kitchen and watching for any missed speck of this recipe while they waited for me to plate everything up for them.
Savory, buttery, crispy garlic bread stuffed with delicious spaghetti and meatballs… it’s a match made in heaven. How could I blame the little scroungers?!
I’m always watching the sons turn their spaghetti and garlic bread into an open faced sandwich (I’ll admit it freaked me out slightly the first few times), so I knew this would be right up their alley. And oh boy, were they sure on to something…
(The apron says it all)
Son # 2, just like his Daddy 🙂
He could easily (and quite happily) eat spaghetti and meatballs every night of the week. Which is why he nominated himself to oversee this particular meal.
It may not be the prettiest presentation, but it delivers 100 % on flavor. All the sons and the hubs gave it two thumbs up. Just make sure you have some napkins handy, because it is messy. But man, you can’t go wrong with Garlic Bread meets Spaghetti and Meatballs meets the Meatball Sub! Enjoy!
Homemade Spaghetti & Meatballs Garlic Bread Sub
recipe adapted from The Cards We Drew
frozen, or homemade, meatballs (we used about 1/3-1/2 of the package)
Parmesan, and/or Mozzarella cheese, to taste (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles
1 loaf of Italian bread
garlic butter (either store bought or homemade)
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
Directions
1. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
2. Cook meatballs according to package directions.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the meatballs with the spaghetti sauce until evenly coated. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and then set the aside.
4. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
5. Cut your bread loaf in half length wise, and liberally coat both sides of the inside with garlic butter.
6. Place bread in a baking dish, or on a baking sheet, with the insides facing up and bake it until the butter is melted and inside is lightly crisped.
7. Once the bread has baked, top the bottom half with the cooked spaghetti, top the spaghetti with the meatball and sauce mixture, and then sprinkle some parmesan, and/or mozzarella cheese on top.
8. Put the loaf back in the oven until the cheese is nice and melty and the sauce is heated through. Slice loaf into individual sandwiches and serve with salad for dinner.
UPDATE: The Sons’ found this gem and declared it a must share. Son # 1 putting his spaghetti on a baked potato! Bleck!!
Welcome to my life 😉
