Classic Seven Layer Bars

A couple of months ago I posted my own take on Seven Layer Bars. Alex enjoyed them, but he decided he wanted me to make classic Seven Layer Bars, just like he’d had as a kid. So I decided it was time to try and make a very classic bar recipe. This recipe will feed a small army! Since it is baked in a 9x13 pan it is the perfect dessert to take to a party, potluck or event where you want to wow the crowd.Alex remarked that this recipe was very different from my last one, but just as good. He said it definitely did the job of being exactly what he remembered as a little kid eating these. You can really wow your audience by taking them back to their childhood with these.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:202]Source: Allrecipes.com

Easy Yogurt Pizza Crust

Yesterday I showed you how to make your own Self-Rising Flour, and today here’s a recipe that uses it! This is a very tasty and easy pizza crust. I was surprised by just how tasty it actually was. I wasn’t really expecting much out of it since the ingredients seemed so plain, but it was the perfect type of crust to use for a pizza.This is one of the easiest pizza recipes I’ve ever made. You basically just combine the ingredients and knead until everything is mixed and you have a ball of dough. I wasn’t sure about this working at first so I was actually really surprised when it worked as well as it did. The crust is very soft and fluffy once baked. This is not one for people who like cracker thin crusts or even really big fluffy crusts. Since you’re using self-rising flour it will rise, but not so much as if you’d used yeast.You will need to use plain greek yogurt for this recipe. If you use one of the flavored yogurts your crust will not taste right. However, if you’re making a dessert pizza I would suggest you use something like a vanilla greek yogurt to give your pizza a more complex taste.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:201]Source: The Food Network Magazine, March 2016

Thin Crust Pizza

We decided that we were tired of our typically pizza crust so we want to experiment with a thin crust version. I searched high and low for a version that actually looked easy to make. I really hate letting dough rise, especially when I’m pressed for time. This recipe doesn’t require any time for rising, however it doesn’t hurt especially if you’d like fluffier crust.You can use whatever toppings on this crust you like. Alex and I typically prefer pepperoni and sausage so that’s what I’ve put on. You just want to make sure that you don’t load the pizza up with too many toppings. Since the crust is thin you need to make sure it’s not going to fall apart under the toppings when finished.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:193]Source: Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Easy Ravioli and Chicken

This recipe is super easy and quick to prepare and when you’re finished you’ll have an excellent meal.  I personally love ravioli and this is a great way to enjoy it.I pretty much always use frozen ravioli for this recipe. However, I boil and drain it before I throw together the finished baking dish. I love using a mixture of shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. I really feel like this makes the finished dish pop with flavor. Make certain to cook until the cheese is bubbly and brown.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:187]

Crockpot Lemon and Pepper Chicken

I’d been interested in making a lemon and pepper chicken for a while but it was a tad bit scary looking at working with such a strong flavor as lemon. I wanted to do the flavor combination justice, but I was just really nervous to try. However, I finally just decided it was time and went out and found a recipe. I of course adapted it to fit with my personal tastes and time schedule, but I think it turned out fairly well.This recipe calls for a boatload of lemon juice. I actually used fresh squeezed lemon juice and I think that really amped up the overall flavor of the dish. However, if I were to make this dish again and were using fresh juice, I would decrease it by 1/3 to half since lemon juice is very tart. If you’re using bottled juice you’re going to need the entire ½ cup to get the flavor of the dish to come through.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:184]Source: Adapted from Recipe Critic

Chicken Noodle Soup

Soup is a staple in our house during the cold winter months. I’ve been stuck in a proverbial soup rut though, making the exact same rotation of soups for the last month or two. I decided to break out of this rut by making a hearty chicken noodle soup.This soup is wonderful. It is chock full of veggies, chicken and spices. Alex even complimented the combination of spices in this dish. This soup is also very easy to make and will take you no time at all if you’ve already cooked the chicken. I like to make a little extra chicken in my crockpot whenever I have a dish like this coming up, then have the chicken on hand to just throw in the recipe.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:178]Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker

White Sauce Pizza

So I was looking to do something slightly different for a pizza night and this is what I came up with! I don’t have any specific recipe suggestions for pizza dough, simply use whatever you prefer. If you wanted to include some sort of meat on this pizza both chicken and Italian sausage would complement it very well.The oven roasted garlic is the star of this pizza. It pairs amazingly well with the garlicky white sauce and the flavor of the mozzarella. I’ve used fresh mozzarella slices on this pizza rather than shredded. While it doesn’t cover the entire pizza like you normally would it really makes the mozzarella pop between the other flavors. I would highly suggest using fresh slices rather than shredded cheese for this recipe.If you wanted to make some gluten free substitutions for this recipe you would need to start with a gluten free crust. The other thing you would need to substitute would be the white pizza sauce. Typically white sauce is made with flour, so you will either need to make your own or find a gluten free option at the store. You can find lots of recipes for this on the web.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:176]

Oven Roasted Garlic

Oven roasted garlic is one of the easiest things you can possibly make. You can use it in so many different recipes. I’ve used this recipe for roasted garlic to add flavor to hummus, dips and to use on a white sauce pizza! Come back tomorrow for a recipe using this garlic!Alex and I love the flavor of the finished product. It also smells amazing while you’re cooking it. I guarantee you’ll be salivating while it finishes cooking.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:175]

Sandwich Chili – aka Spicy Sloppy Joes

A couple of years ago I tried making Sloppy Joes for Alex and he absolutely hated them. I decided to try and come up with a Sloppy Joe recipe that Alex would actually like. When I served this to Alex he said “These aren’t sloppy joes. I don’t know what they are, it’s more like chili. Yeah! Chili you can put on a sandwich. Sandwich chili! That’s what you have to call it.”This dish received high marks from Alex. It is really on the spicy side so if you’re not a spicy person you’ll want to make a couple of substitutions. I would suggest using whatever salsa you have on hand that is your favorite. We have several flavors on hand so I’ve combined two different heat levels in order to get the best flavor combination for our tastes.You can serve this dish on either bread or tortillas. You could also spread it over tortilla chips for a different type of dish. I would suggest pairing it with some cheddar cheese if you’d really like a treat.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:174]

Spicy Salmon

I’ve been trying to clean out the freezer and get rid of or eat anything we’ve had in there for a while. I still had two salmon fillets from the last time I made salmon so I decided to try another recipe. As I’m sure you’ve gathered by now if you follow the blog, Alex really loves spicy foods, so I decided a spicy salmon was in order.The blend of spices I tried in this recipe is definitely pretty spicy. If you’re not a huge fan of spicy dishes you’ll want to adapt it to what your taste buds enjoy. This recipe also cooks very easily with very little clean up since the foil you just toss away. If you’re looking for a quick dinner this is definitely one.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:170]Source: Adapted from FoodNetwork

Easy Crockpot Roast

Sometimes you just need an easy dinner you can put in the crockpot and let sit and cook all day long. This is a great recipe you can do that with. Depending on how many people you need to feed you can change amounts you include. I personally make about 1lb of roast with two or three potatoes and lots of carrots. This can easily be changed depending on the amount you are feeding.The combination of herbs is what we prefer on a roast, however, you can change or substitute things depending on your personal preference. Alex loves it when I include some ground cayenne pepper and chili pepper. This makes for a spicier version rather than the savory version below.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:167]

Alex’s Crockpot Chicken with Spicy Rice

Last week I was a very bad blogger. We were in Tech for The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, a Community Theatre show I am directing.  I’ve barely been home in the last few weeks so last week I had to go awol as a blogger since I didn’t have time to post anything! Well, we’ve made it through the first weekend of shows, and I finally have time to do other things.Today’s recipe is actually something Alex found and adapted. Since I haven’t been home much in the last couple weeks he’s been having to make his own dinner most nights. This is one of the recipes he came up with! I asked if I could steal it and post since it was SO easy!While Alex paired this with a spice rice you can definitely serve it over plain white rice if you prefer. Alex really loves spicy food, so he created this amped up rice recipe. He said it was the absolute best part of the dinner![amd-yrecipe-recipe:144]

Crockpot Beef Stew

This recipe is easy. I mean REALLY easy.  Pretty much all you need to do is stick stuff in the crock pot, let it cook all day then come back and add some things at the very end of cooking. My Mom has made this recipe for years and it really is just that easy! It is the perfect warm meal for the upcoming cold winter nights.Every week Alex and I teach a Financial Peace University class and we have everyone over for dinner before the class. This is a recipe I’ve made for them and it received such great reviews I decided I needed to include it here on the blog.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:141]

Ginger-Cardamom Shortbread Cookies

Cardamom is pretty much my new favorite spice. I haven’t baked with it much before this summer, but when I finally tried it, I absolutely love it! It really provides a warm spicy taste and pairs well with lots of other different flavors. These cookies capture fall flavor spectacularly. They are a must try this year!This is a quick and easy treat. When you’re in a time crunch this is a sure way to impress each and every one of your guests without trying very hard. The cardamom and ginger pair excellently together. The cardamom/sugar sprinkle on top lends a lovely extra pop of flavor to these cookies.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:132]

“Box Mix” Brownies

Sometimes you just need an easy dessert, most often I turn to box mixes to fulfil this need. However, I really hate using these since they just don’t taste like homemade. I wanted to fix this. I decided that I needed to create a homemade “box mix” brownies.These are SO easy to make! And when they’re finished they taste great! Everyone who ate them absolutely loved them. You can of course adapt them to whatever you like. The ones I made had semi-sweet chocolate chips in them. However, you can certainly add different chocolate chips or nuts if you prefer.The mix will stay good in the glass jar for several months. These would make excellent gifts come Christmas time, or they can be an easy dessert whenever you need it. You can make these in a large batch and simply put them in the jars (or a ziplock bag) for later.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:127]

Gluten Free Three Cheese Casserole

This is a recipe I make all the time. It is quick, easy and very yummy. The original recipe was something my Mother makes all the time and when I went gluten free this was one of the first recipes I switched over.I realized the other day though, that this was one I hadn’t yet included on the blog! I decided I needed to fix this immediately and post it right away. This is a great recipe for when you need a quick dinner, you can also prep it a few days before and simply bake when you are ready to eat.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:126]

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

 This is a fantastically easy recipe when you need something amazing for breakfast. You can both prep it the morning you need it, and prep it the night before. The cinnamon rolls are full of wonderful cinnamon sugar and carmelized goodness.  These left the pan so quickly I could only get a photo of one on a plate! They are sure to impress your family each and every time you make them.The base for this recipe is prepared dough. I have made this recipe with Rhodes brand prepared dough, but my personal preference is to prep bread in my breadmaker when I decide to make this. You can make this with whatever prepared dough you want. Simply make certain that the dough is completely defrosted and has risen slightly. You don’t want it to rise all the way since you’ll let it finish rising before you bake it.In my opinion the frosting is the best part of these. While I think there is plenty of frosting with the amounts called for, if you REALLY love frosting you can feel free to double the recipe. The consistency is very smooth and will not hold any shape, but it really doesn’t matter since it will just melt over the warm rolls.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:97]

Gluten Free 3 Ingredient Nutella Brownies

I saw this recipe floating around Facebook a couple of weeks ago and decided I had to make it gluten free. Nutella is already a gluten free food so it was very easy to simply substitute gluten free flour for the regular flour called for. I didn’t have any issues with the brownies holding together, but if you’re concerned about it you can always add in a half teaspoon of xanthan gum.These brownies are super easy to make and were a huge hit at game night. They definitely disappeared quickly. With only three ingredients that you probably already have in your cupboards, this recipe is a must try.  If you don’t need to eat gluten free you can simply substitute regular flour for the gluten free flour called for.I used an 8x8 pan to bake these. However if you want to make a larger batch you can easily double the recipe and use a 13x9 pan to bake it. If you wanted thicker brownies you could double the recipe and use a 9x9 or 8x8 pan. You will need to lengthen the bake time by 5 to 10 minutes though. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:89]Source: Adapted from Kirbie Cravings

Quick & Easy Bruschetta

We first had this at a family gathering, Alex’s Aunt made it for us once and I was hooked! It is so quick, easy and yummy. I found all my ingredients at Aldi (grocery store) so it is also really economical to make. You will definitely surprise and excite your guests with this party appetizer.I’ve used premade ingredients for this recipe. You can do the same, or if you have fresh produce from the garden you could make your own. The key is to keep the tomato sauce chunky and full of spices. The sauce really provides much of the flavor for the dish so you do not want to skimp.The Parmesan cheese really provides a salty compliment to the slight sweetness of the tomatoes. You want to make certain you do not skimp on the cheese. It is also key that the cheese has completely melted and has begun to brown before you remove it from the oven. These are best served warm.[amd-yrecipe-recipe:83]