I found this baked ziti recipe while surfing Pinterest. We have made a baked ziti before in the crockpot, but it turned out awful. I was slightly fearful that this may turn out the same, but it was exceptionally good. It is a fairly easy recipe too!
All in Recipes
Chicken Philly
Brad loves Philly Cheesesteaks. Me, not so much. Mainly because I do not care for beef as much as he does. I was searching for some new recipes to try in August, and I ran across a crockpot Philly Cheesesteak recipe. I knew I didn't want the steak, so I changed the recipe up some and used chicken. My version is below!
BBQ Pork Chops
I love BBQ Sauce, but we rarely use it for some reason. I guess in my mind, BBQed items are meant for the grill. Well while visiting my parents, they made BBQ Pork Chops (on the grill), and I decided to attempt them myself but in a skillet. I personally don't care to grill. I like food from the grill, but you won't find me using it. I liked this so much, I may try it on chicken sometime soon too!
Cauliflower Tater Tots
So I was trying to find a way to get Melody to eat vegetables. That is truly a struggle of mine. She loves french fries, tater tots, and any other form of potato. I decided to try and make a fake tater tot. I saw on the Today Show where people use cauliflower a lot, so I decided to give it a go. I found an easy recipe online and attempted it. Of course, Melody didn't fall for it. She did eat one, but no more. Brad said it tasted like real tater tots to him. I however didn't care for it. Normally I wouldn't share recipes I didn't care for, but since Brad liked it, I decided to share it anyway.
Broccoli Salad
I found this recipe on Pinterest. I love the broccoli salad from Ruby Tuesday's, but we never eat there anymore. I haven't been to a decent Ruby Tuesday's in years. They are either super slow, super rude, or the food is awful (or a combination). We usually only go if we have a gift card or a really great coupon and want something different. Anyhow, I saw this recipe and had to try it. It isn't quite like what I envisioned, but it was still good. My only complaint was that it was a little too runny. I also didn't include the cranberries like the website recommends because Brad doesn't care for them. I only made 1/3 of the original recipe as well. We didn't need quite that much because I wasn't sure if I would like it enough to save.
White Chocolate Lemon Cookies
I have mentioned it before, but on occasion I like to bake during the week before Brad gets home. It is a nice treat for him. The other day he kept mentioning his love for cookies. I am not sure if that was a hint or not, but I decided to try to find a new recipe. I wanted something with lemon and white chocolate chips. I found a recipe that I happened to have most of the ingredients, so I made it!
Sesame Chicken
We were buying groceries a few weeks ago, and on our menu that week was some form of a frozen meal. I was just going to get something from the freezer section at Walmart. I was thinking Asian, so maybe one of those PF Chang's meals for two. Well as we were looking for some Asian dipping sauces, I came across a PF Chang's Home Menu Sesame Sauce. I decided to purchase that and make my own sesame chicken. I am very glad I did! See what I did below.
Sausage and Cheese
Sausage and cheese seems like an easy enough recipe that a recipe really isn't necessary, right? Well it probably isn't, but this is one I have only made twice, and I love it. I was introduced to this about 4 or 5 years ago at a restaurant called Champy's. It is back in Muscle Shoals, AL, and my family all went there for dinner one night. We ordered a smoked sausage, cheese, and pickle plate. It was so good, my mom would recreate it on occasion for holiday gatherings or just as a snack. Huey's in Memphis also has a similar appetizer. It is just called a cheese and sausage plate there, but it contains similar items as Champy's...sausage, cheese, pickles, pepperoncini pepper, crackers, and dipping sauce. Well one weekend when we smoked ribs, we wanted a light lunch. We decided to make this as a snack that day. See how we made it below!
Hot Fudge Cake
Brad LOVES Shoney's Hot Fudge Cake. We don't have a decent Shoney's nearby, so he rarely gets it. One day, I decided to surprise him and try to recreate it. I found some sample recipes online, and I went with the easiest. It's a great dessert to freeze and eat on for a while too! Check it out below!
Crispitos
My FAVORITE school lunch was crispitos! I loved to cover them in cheese, and their crispy, meaty goodness was amazing! Even after I graduated, we had a Chevron station that still served them. Well then my parents moved from my childhood home to another city, so I never went back to that Chevron. (It actually turns out that Chevron switched ownership and their menu!) Well I have had zero luck in finding these at other gas stations or even Mexican restaurants. The other day I decided to attempt making my own. We had some leftover taco meat and fajita shells, so why not?!? Check out my attempt below.
Quick and Easy Cheese Dip
Not long ago, we had hamburgers for dinner, and Brad wanted the shoe string french fries. I am not a huge fan of those, so I decided to come up with another side for me. We had some chips laying around, so I googled until I found an easy cheese dip recipe. I actually cut this recipe in half, and it was still too much. Mine wasn't as runny as theirs, but that was ok. Check out how I made it below!
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
I found this recipe in the Family Circle magazine. You can find the original recipe here. It sounded really yummy, and I love the lettuce wraps from PF Changs. It doesn't quite taste like those, but they are really good. Next time, I plan to make a sauce to add on top of the lettuce wraps. See what I did below.
Pudding Dessert
On Mother's Day night we were looking for a super easy dessert to make. I had a few things in the pantry, so I did some googling. I found a pudding dessert recipe. I did not use even half of the ingredients that it called for, but I did use the ones I had and wanted. Check out my variation below.
White Chicken Chili
Brad's Aunt Cindy recommended this recipe to me a while back. She found it on pinterest and loved it. Brad isn't a fan of beans, but he did eat around them. The only change I made was instead of black beans, I used kidney beans. It seems like a lot of ingredients, but it is super easy to make! Check it out below.
Oatmeal Cookies
So Mondays tend to be my most productive days around the house. I also plan to cook the most complex meals of the week on Mondays. Some Mondays I even feel the need to make dessert. I usually try to make something that will last all week, and one that Brad can take to work. Brad loves cookies. I knew I had some oats, but I did not have any butter. So I googled until I found a cookie recipe without butter. I made a few tweaks to the original. Check it out below.
Manicotti
Brad absolutely loves manicotti. If we go to a restaurant that serves it, he will usually order it. I had never tried it until I had it with him. His mom also makes it on occasion. Well I wanted to find a semi-easy recipe to make for him. I found one online and decided to give it a try. I did use more spaghetti sauce than the original recipe called for, but I like it with more sauce personally.
Buffalo Chicken
A friend shared this recipe with Brad many years ago. It is really, really easy. The chicken itself tastes really good too. The only struggle I have with this recipe is how to serve the chicken. I have tried it with salad, wraps (below), and hamburger buns. So far my favorite is as a salad, but you may like another way!
Crockpot Chicken Tacos
Most weeks we get together with my best friend and her husband. We take turns cooking dinner for each other. It is definitely easier when we use our crockpot! I love making and eating Mexican food, so I found a super easy recipe for chicken tacos in the crockpot. Check it out below!
