Cream Cheese Danish

Need a super simple-quick dessert?  You've come to the right place. 

Cream Cheese Danish

2 pkgs. crescent rolls

2 pkgs. cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. vanilla flavoring

Press out 1 pkg. of crescent rolls in a 13x9 inch dish.  Press all seams together.  Mix the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together until creamy.  Spread over crescent rolls.  Place the 2nd package of crescent rolls over the spread.  Place in oven and cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

4 T. milk

Stir together and pour over crescent rolls while warm. 

This is right after it came out of the oven

Super yummy danish :)

I'm assuming this is just common sense which apparently I was lacking the other day.  But when using crescent rolls or any dough for that fact it's better if it stays in the fridge until you need it.  I got carried away the other day and left ours out.  When I went to use it I had an awful time trying to unroll sticky gooey dough.  :)  Live and learn right?

Cube Steak and Gravy Crock Pot Style

I'm not a girl for cooking steak and gravy on the stove.  To me it's never tender enough or it tastes burnt.  Well about 2 years ago my aunt sent me some recipes that were simple.  I immediately made some dip that was fantastic (I'll have to blog about it later) but I never made anything else in the email.  Well Friday I came across the email again and decided to give it a try. 

Cube Steak & Gravy-Crock Pot Style

4 pcs. cube steak
1 envelope of brown gravy mix
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of water

Flour Steak and brown quickly on stove.  Mix chicken soup, gravy mix, and water-put in crock pot.  When steaks are browned add them too.  Cook on low 5 hours. 

Here is our steaks floured and ready to go in the hot oil

Browning them quickly

I served ours with biscuits, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese, and I used our finest china Ha!

Think maybe I should rename this Fool Proof steak and gravy.  It was super simple and very yummy!



Tea Cakes

I saw a post the other day about tea cakes here and made me think...hmmm I should do my favorite recipe for Tea Cakes.  These are tried and true...the best recipe ever if you ask me, Chris, my dad, or any of our neighbors that we've taken them too.  This is super simple to make and oh so yummy. 

Hazel Jone's Tea Cakes

2 eggs

2/3 cup oil

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups self rising flour

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring

Beat eggs, add sugar, and oil.  Add flour (small amounts at a time).  Add vanilla, mix.  Drop small amounts on a greased Cookie Sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees til light brown.   I think they are better warm...and I like the batter too!



Here is the dough ready to be dropped!



I use a rubber baking mat (makes for easier clean-up and I don't have to use pam)!



Best Tea Cakes Ever!




All packaged up and ready to deliver to our neighbors :)

Just a little side note...if you are taking your child with you to deliver cookies/sweets to your neighbors be sure to take them a bag of the same sweets too, if not your child I might eat all of the goodies before getting there.  I know from experience :)



My Favorite Pot Roast

Three posts in one day?  No I haven't spent all day in the kitchen; I'm just been behind on posts and Corbin is already in bed (amazing since it's not even midnight yet) so I thought I would finish up the recipes I've done lately.  So when I think of comfort food lots of recipes come to mind.  Here is one that I love!  Pot Roast.  I found this recipe a while back in a Campbell's cookbook.  I've tried other recipes but I always seem to come back to this one.  So here is our comfort food for today. 

Savory Pot Roast

1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 pack of Lipton Onion Mix

1 can of sliced potatoes

1 can of carrots

1 3 1/2 to 4 pound boneless chuck pot roast

Place all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low 8 to 9 hours or until roast is done.

(Ok I confess-the recipe really calls for real potatoes and carrots but with a little one around I choose the quick way, canned vegetables.  And when I make it I use two cans of each so I'm sure that Corbin gets his fair share of potatoes and carrots).  When I made it this week Chris added some celery.  It was still yummy!  Hope you add this one to your recipe box too!

Savory Pot Roast

The Best Spaghetti Sauce EVER

So as I've mentioned before Chris is just one of those people that can whip up something.  Well after hearing me complain about how all the jar sauces were too runny or had no flavor he came up with this.  I love it and could eat it with just bread.  Literally it is the best thing I've ever had.  So I figured I would share his secret recipe with the rest of the world.  Hope you love it too!

Spaghetti Sauce

2 12 oz. cans tomato paste
1 12oz. can water
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 small onion diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tbsp. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. oregano
1 Tbsp. basil
1 Tbsp. parsley
1/2 Tbsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Put in large pot your olive oil, minced garlic, and diced onions and saute.  Then add all other ingredients, bring just to a boil then simmer for at least 30 minutes.   

This makes a big pot but I never let ANY of this go to waste.  If we don't use all of it that night I freeze it.  It's great for lasagna, pizzas, or just a dipping sauce!  What can I say...I married a great cook!

Doesn't this just look soooo good?

Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw

This year we are having Easter at our house.  I'm super excited because I love having people over and I love cooking!  So I've been on the search for a few new recipes to try.  I started looking through my Food & Family magazines for a few ideas.  I came across this one and I've fallen head over heels for it.  Be careful because it makes A LOT!  I cut the recipe in half for me because Chris doesn't like it. 

Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw

1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

2 packages of ramen noodle soup mix (I bought the oriental)

2 packages of 12 oz broccoli slaw

4 green onions, sliced

1/2 cup sunflower kernels

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Mix dressing with seasoning packet from one of the ramen noodle packets.  Discard other one or save it for another use.

Break apart noodles; place in large bowl.  Add slaw, onions, sunflower kernels, and almonds; mix lightly.

Add dressing mixture; toss to coat.

When I first read the recipe I thought it was going to be too hard, I mean not cooking the ramen noodles sounded crazy to me, but somehow it all just blends together.  It's so yummy!  And It's so colorful! 

Perfect dish for a beautiful spring day

Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Style

Ask and you shall recieve.  A least that's what happened the other day when I posted on my facebook wall that I was looking for a good recipe for the Crock Pot.  My elmentary school friend Adrian left me a comment for some Buffalo Chicken in the Crock Pot.  She said that if you love hot wings you will love this!  So I got out my trusty crock pot...



I love this thing!



Then I wrote down the recipe.  Pretty simple if you ask me. 

Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Style

3-4 Chicken Breast

3/4 of a bottle of hot sauce (Frank's is our favorite)

1 pack of ranch dressing mix

Cook in crock pot for 6 hours on low.  At about hour 4 shred chicken and if you want an extra kick add a pinch of cayenne pepper.



We tried a new hot sauce...it's Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce



Hidden Valley Ranch Dip



Here is what it looked like in the crock pot



And this is our finished product.

So I'm kind of up in the air on this one.  Adrian said to serve this on hamburger buns with lettuce and tomatoes.  We did fix sandwhiches but I don't know this was just not my favorite recipe we've tried lately.  It had great taste, but I don't know about eating it on a bun.  It's like you are eating hot wings but then not so much.  I am very thankful for the recipe and I'm glad I tried it but not sure I will make it again.  So if you make this let me know if you liked it or not and how you ate it...maybe that will make a difference.

Mini Cheesecakes

Have you ever craved cheesecake but didn't want to wait all night for it to chill?  Well that's me.  I love cheesecake but it seems as though when I get in the mood for it I want it right then and I don't want to wait.  I got out an old cookbook yesterday and found an excellent recipe for mini cheesecakes.  I've never made anything in this recipe book but I have fallen in love with after yesterday.  Everything in it is super simple.  So here is a great recipe for cheesecake lovers!

Philadelphia 3-Step Mini Cheesecakes

2 packages of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

12 vanilla wafers or Oreos

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs; mix until blended.

Place 1 cookie on bottom of each of 12 paper-lined muffin cups.  Pour batter evenly into muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until centers are almost set.  Cool.  Refrigerate for 3 hours.  Garnish with fresh fruit or pie toppings!  Enjoy!

My new best friend when it comes to cheesecakes

Mini Cheesecakes half with blueberry pie filling; the other half naked

Hope that enjoy this recipe!  Check back later tonight for a dinner recipe.  I've got something great cooking in the crock pot!

Salsa Chicken

We've hit the jackpot...well at least that's how I feel when I find a new recipe that Chris and I both love!  A friend of mine posted this recipe a few days ago and when I saw it I knew I would have to try it! You can follow her blog here. Chris and I love Mexican food.  I used to make Mexican food ALL the time but since we've fallen in love with La Hacineda I just prefer to go there instead of wasting my time in the kitchen and hey I deserve a break every once in a while.  But anyway back to the recipe.  So Chris doesn't usually like a big meal before he goes to work because it makes him sleepy but I couldn't resist today.  So here is the newest recipe to be added to our favorites

Salsa Chicken

4 chicken breasts (boneless/skinless and honestly the only way I buy chicken)

Taco seasoning mix

Salsa

Cheddar Cheese

Sour cream optional

*I didn't use measurements because I think it's better to judge this one on your own taste*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 pan and place chicken breasts in pan.  Sprinkle with taco seasoning then flip chicken and do other side.  Pour a jar of salsa over chicken and bake until juice runs clear.  Took mine about 35 minutes but they were bigger pieces of chicken.  Once chicken is done top with cheese (again use your own judgement, we love cheese so I added a LOT!) Bake again until cheese is bubbly about 3-5 minutes.  Then top with sour cream if you want. 

Before it went in the oven

Right out of the oven

When I find a new recipe I often wish it would say what sides it would go great with so here is what we had today.  The salsa chicken, Spanish rice, and refried beans.  And I made homemade guacamole but I forgot to put any on my plate!


So this recipe is definitely going on our menu for good.  And tonight as I was eating leftovers I thought about how good this would be to chop up and make tacos with!  YUM!  That's like two different meals but only cooking once; so next time I think I'll double the recipe and save myself from cooking twice!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

Second blog entry and it's another appetizer.  Guess you can tell what we love to eat already huh?  Snack foods.  Some nights I only make appetizers for dinner and it's the best meal ever or at least we think so!  So tonight's recipe is for Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos.  Who would thought that four ingredients could be so good? 

The recipe is as follows:

1 package of cream cheese softened

1 pound of sausage (I use Jimmy Dean Hot)

Jalapenos

Bacon

Cook bacon crumbled.  Drain.  Add cream cheese and mix well.  Half your jalapenos and scrap out the seeds.  Fill each half with your sausage mixture then wrap with bacon. 

Bake at 375 degrees until the bacon is done.

Here they are all wrapped up and ready to go in the oven

 I didn't say how many jalapenos or how much bacon, I will leave that up to you.  This does make quiet a few.  We love bacon so I take the back and spilt it down the middle and use a lot on each one and then I leave some without the bacon just because I like a little variety. 

And now they are done...and I'm hungry enough to eat them all but I will put away some for Chris :)

So I hope that you enjoy these!  They are so yummy! 

Hot Wing Dip

So together Chris and I decided to start a blog about what we love...FOOD!  Chris came up with the name Menu Maybes because maybe these recipes will make it on our menu. Chris and I both love to cook and we LOVE to eat!  Chris is the one that gets in the kitchen looks around to see what we have and he can whip up something tasty within a few minutes.  Me?  I need a recipe and time to prepare.  We love to find new recipes which is why we started this blog.  We've found a few really good recipes lately so I thought why not share them with everyone.  I love finding new recipes someone has already tried and commented on.  So here is our blog, hope you enjoy it and hope you find something that you will love and make over and over again. So with all that out of the way here goes our first recipe!  Enjoy.

So the other day while at the dollar store I found a little recipe book with lots of coupons.  I saw a recipe for Hot Wing Dip and I just knew Chris would love it! 

Here is the recipe:

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup ranch or blue cheese dressing (I used ranch)

1/2 cup hot sauce (we use Frank's red hot sauce)

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1 can chicken (we use Tyson)

Combine all the ingredients and mix well.  Place in dish and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly!

Here is the mixture before I added it to the dish



Here is how it looked when it came out of the oven.

So you might wonder what you would eat with this?  Well it says serve with crackers, which we did last night but we ate ours with pizza.  It was just like eating Hot Wings and Pizza!

Hope you enjoy this recipe; we sure did!