Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

I’m always looking for great casserole recipes because they are so easy to throw together and just toss in the oven while I take care of other things…dishes, vacuuming, manicures…you get the idea.  I’ve tried a few different chicken enchilada recipes and always thought they were either too dry or sort of flavorless.  This recipe solved all of those problems!  It had lots of delicious, creamy sauce and the flavor was amazing!

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

1 can (18.5 oz) Progresso® Traditional Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Soup

1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® hot or mild enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

2 cups shredded cheddar/monterey jack blend (8 oz)

1 medium tomato, diced

10 flour or corn tortillas (6 inches)

2 medium green onions, thinly sliced

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, stir together soup and enchilada sauce. Spread 1 cup soup mixture in ungreased 11×7-inch baking dish.
2. In large bowl, mix 1 cup soup mixture with chicken and 1 cup of the cheese; reserve remaining soup mixture. On microwavable plate, stack tortillas and cover with paper towel; heat on High 1 minute to soften. Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture along middle of each tortilla. Top mixture with diced tomatoes.  Roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish with sauce.
3. Pour remaining soup mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Sprinkle green onions on top. Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly around edges.

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Classy Corn Dogs and Cheesy Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes

What girl doesn’t love summer? Sunglasses pushed back in our hair, different sundress for each day of the week, and of course our favorite pair of sandals lying by the front door… honestly it doesn’t get much better! Some of the funnest days I’ve ever had were spent at the summer fair…and nothing quite says summer like a corn dog right?? But these girls are a bit too sophisticated for just any old corn dog…so we gotta to find a way to dress our old friend up a bit. I mean a corn dog is CENTSIBLE for a low budget , but we need to make him fashionable enough to join us in the high life!

Classy Corn dog

Ingredients:

Italian sausage 1c flour 1c corn meal fine ground 1Tb baking powder 3Tb sugar 1egg 3/4-1c milk (batter should be thick) Bake sausage at 400* for 25 min. Mix all ingredients,  Insert sticks in sausage. Dip in batter and deep fry them just until they are golden brown ( your sausage will already be fully cooked because we baked them) You can use a large sauce pan. Be careful and have fun girls!!!

I had a lot of fun with mine! I even dipped, and fried string cheese also!

I served my corn dogs with a side of:

Bacon Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes

6 large red potatoes

half a stick of butter

2 tbsps whipping cream

4 strips of bacon

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

half a cup sour cream

4 cloves garlic chopped

2 jalapenos chopped

salt to tase

Cut potatoes in fourths, place in saucepan, cover in water and boil until tender. Meanwhile, cook bacon, crumble and set aside. Sautee garlic and jalapenos in 1 tbsp butter just until tender. When potatoes are tender drain water and place in mixing bowl, add remaining butter, whipping cream, sour cream, and salt. Mix until smooth. Now add the garlic and jalapenos and crumbled bacon!! Mix just until combined… try not to eat them all!

Vintage Picture frame

So the other day I found myself browsing around in this totally swanky department store…you know where their price tags make you sure all the sales people are looking at you thinking “Really?….” as they choke back a giggle. I couldn’t even buy a sock in there that’s CENTSIBLE let alone a pair of them!! Nevertheless, there I am browsing all casual, head high, shoulders back…sticker shock hidden carefully behind my poker face! (Don’t worry girls I’d never embarass you). Then it happened…I fell in love!! I found the most fabulous picture frame I had ever seen…at that moment I knew we were destined to be together. The hundreds of dollars listed on that tag could not keep us apart. I left the store in flurry to find the CENTSIBLE solution.

1. Find a frame you like ( I used a basic old wooden frame I found in a thrift store)

2. Paint your frame ( I only dry brushed mine with bronze because I like the vintage look, but you can use any color you like)

3. Find old costume jewelery ( I used pieces from both of my grandmothers, my mom and even some of mine from when I was younger)

4. Use industrial strength adhesive to adhere the bling to the frame! (I used E-6000) put a dab of glue on the back of jewlery and on the spot on the frame where you want it to stick. Wait two minutes to allow adhesive to get tacky, then place jewelery on the frame exactly where you dabbed glue. Hold pressure for two more minutes. Do one piece at a time. Once you are all finished allow it to cure for 72 hours, to be sure its on there nice and tight!

Creative Hints: Overlap pieces slightly, use chains to hang down, don’t be afraid of color or sparkle, let your personality shine through! I also cut up a strand a pearls and glued single pearls throughout each collage to help tie everything together!

If you theme this properly it could be a great gift for bridal shower, baby shower, graduation etc..

Well girls, as it turns out that day in the store what I experienced was just a crush .  My search left me with a frame that I truly love, a frame that’s covered with little pieces of the most important women in my life. A frame thats more beautiful and valuable than anything money can buy!

Creamy Cheesy Bacon-y Pockets

My brother, who is a genius with a grill and even better with the smoker, has recently been expanding his areas of expertise in the kitchen to include baking.  The moment I had the idea for these delicious pockets I knew he was the person to help make them.  Bacon and jalapenos are two of our favorite things, so it is only fitting that we should collaborate.  The result was amazing!  We hope you like them as much as we did!

Creamy Cheesy Bacon-y Pockets

6  strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
4  jalapenos, diced
1  8oz brick cream cheese, softened
1  tablespoon ranch dressing
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1  tube crescent rolls

Fry bacon over medium heat until crisp, remove from skillet and set aside to cool.  Drain most of bacon grease, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet.  Leaving heat on medium, saute diced jalapenos for about 2 minutes, just until tender.  When bacon has cooled, dice it or place it in a plastic ziplock bag and pound it with a mallet.
Unroll crescent rolls from tube and lay on a cookie sheet.  Stretch the dough a little, be careful not to tear.
Mix softened cream cheese with ranch and garlic powder. Place about a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on the wide part of each crescent roll.  Top with about 1/2 to 1 tsp each of bacon and jalapenos, depending on the size of the crescent roll and how much you were able to stretch it.  Bring all three corners of the crescent roll up to meet over the filling and twist together to seal. Press seams together (I dipped my fingertip in water and ran it down the seams to help seal them).  Top with crumbled bacon.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, or until tops are golden.

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes

I was headed to a family get together this weekend, thinking about what I could bring when I remembered the box of unused cake mix in my pantry.  I’ve never been one to make anything exactly the way it says to on the box…I like to amp it up or add my own touches.  I saw this recipe on Fabulously Frugal, and I had to give it a try. They turned out very light and moist…so yummy!!

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes

Betty Crocker Super Moist Golden Vanilla cake mix (although you could use any flavor you like)
4 eggs (if using a different mix take the number of eggs on the instructions and add 1 more)
1/2 cup butter, melted (substitute melted butter for oil in any cake mix)
1 cup milk (substitute milk for water in any cake mix)

Mix all ingredients together in a large glass bowl.  Beat for 30 seconds on low, then for 2 minutes on medium.  Mixture will be thick and creamy.  Line muffin tins with cupcake liners and fill each liner 3/4 full.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.  Yields 24 cupcakes.

For frosting I used Pillsbury Classic White.  Wait for the cupcakes to cool then frost and decorate as you please.  Enjoy!

Skillet Lasagna

I’m a huge fan of lasagna…who isn’t with all of that creamy, delicious cheese…but I’ve had little success with oven lasagnas.  They are usually too dry, not to mention they take over an hour in the oven, and in these hot summer months who wants that?  When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. In less than 30 minutes I had a delicious, saucy lasagna that is lower in calories than a traditional lasagna.  What’s not to love?!?  I know my picture is not the prettiest thing in the world, but I promise this dish is fantastic!  If you want to see some much better pictures, click here, where I found the original recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans Italian stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
About 6 ounces lasagna noodles, broken into thirds & fully cooked

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until it thickens up a bit, around 5 minutes.
Add noodles to skillet and stir into the mixture well. Add scoops of ricotta cheese over the noodles; add in mozzarella and Parmesan. Cook about 2 more minutes, or until mixture is thick.
Serve immediately with additional basil or parsley.

Easy Italian Herbed Bread

What’s the greatest smell on the planet? If you are anything like me you quickly replied…” the inside of a bakery of course”!! I’ve always loved wandering through a gourmet bakery, chosing fresh bread for the evening’s meal…but you know what I found? It’s just not CENTSIBLE…(partly because the bread is much too expensive and largely because I end up buying eight thousand other things I DON”T need!) So I asked my momma for some help…and as momma’s do… she completely came through for us girls!  But I have to warn you…you may need to rethink your answer to the aforementioned question. I firmly believe the greatest smell on the planet will be your exact address, precisely 16.5 minutes after you pop this masterpiece in the oven…but patience is a virtue!! Our lovely loaf must finish baking ladies. This bread is such a beautiful touch for any dinner, and great for sanwiches too! What’s even better is that I’m sure you already have all these ingredients on your shelf right now…so what are you waiting for? Grab your apron and get busy girls! Oh and by the way throw a lil flour on your face when you’re finished, we don’t wanna make it look too easy to be this amazing!

3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Combine 2 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Stir in the water, shortening, parsley, rosemary, and basil. Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Turn mixer to medium, and beat for an additional 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in remaining 1 cup flour; mix until smooth.  Scrape batter from sides of bowl. Cover, and let rise in warm place for 35 to 40 minutes.
2. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. Stir down batter by beating about 25 strokes. Scrape batter into greased pan; pat down with floured hands. Cover pan. Let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Do not allow dough to over-rise.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
4. Bake in preheated oven until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 40 to 45 minutes. Brush top with butter.

Four Cheese Bacon Alfredo

This is one of those recipes that just kind of happened.  I was looking in my fridge thinking I wanted to make Manicotti, realizing that I didn’t have the right ingredients to make it, when an unopened package of bacon on the bottom shelf started calling to me.  I pulled it out, grabbed some veggies and noodles and voila!  My husband rated this a 10 and I have to agree that it was pretty fantastic!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Four Cheese Bacon Alfredo

8 slices of bacon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 of a red pepper, chopped
1/4 of a large red onion, chopped
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 jar Classico Four Cheese Alfredo sauce
8 oz linguini
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook noodles according to package directions.
Fry bacon in a large skillet over med heat until crisp, remove and let cool.  Drain most of the bacon grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.  Add garlic and saute about 1 minute until garlic is browned.  Add red pepper and red onion and saute 3 more minutes until peppers and onions are tender.  Reduce heat to med-low.  Add spinach and saute until just starting to wilt, about 1 minute.  Immediately add sauce (I usually put a little bit of milk in the empty jar, put the lid on and shake it to get all of the sauce out).  Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes and then toss in noodles.  Serve topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese for extra tastiness!

Ooey Gooey Dessert Pizza

Ok I have a confession…we all have guilty pleasures right? You know…things we probably (ok definitely) shouldn’t indulge in? But they are just so incredibly delicious …occasionally we throw up a white flag and joyfully surrender. Well girls this is one of those times!! So throw on your sweatpants, and pull your hair in a pony, Im about to introduce you to my frienemy (thats right…frienemy! We have a bit of a love hate relationship) Mr. OOey Gooey Dessert Pizza…by the way you’re gonna wanna wear your cute sweats for this!!

First make the easiest pizza dough ever! ( This easy yeastless dough recipe yields enough dough to make a gourmet pizza for dinner, and  this amazing dessert pizza for later…now thats CENTSIBLE!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2.5 cups flour

2.75 tsp baking powder

1tsp. salt

1 tbsp oil

1 cup water

Mix all the dry ingredients, then gradually add water and oil. Stir until it forms a ball, if dough is too stiff add more water. the dough should be soft not sticky..knead on floured surface for 2-3 minutes. Roll out to desired thickness, I like mine fairly thin. You can roll up edges to make it even prettier!

Place rolled dough on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 6 minutes

Remove pizza dough from oven

Topping Ingredients:

Creamy peanut butter

Marshmallow cream

Nilla wafers (crushed)

Mini Chocolate chips

Jack cheese ( i know it sounds wierd..but trust me its the secret ingredient)

While crust is still hot spread a thin layer of peanut butter over entire crust, then drop small spoonfuls of marshmallow cream all over pizza, now sprinkle crushed Nilla wafers and mini chocolate chips evenly across dough, finish with a handful of jack cheese just scattered across the top. Place back in the oven and bake for 6-8 more minutes. When you see the chocolate chips melting and the cheese bubbling you’ll know your date with destiny has arrived!!  

Pizza Bagels

I was looking for a recipe that was cheap, easy to make, and would easily meet the criteria of my husband’s favorite foods.  He’s not really picky but his favorites always tend to be the same kind of food a ten year old would like, mac n cheese, hot dogs…you get the idea.  When I found the idea for pizza bagels on this website, I knew they would be a hit!

Pizza Bagels

Here’s what you need:

1 package plain bagels (or asiago, if you’re feeling adventurous and you can find them)
1 package shredded mozzarella
1 jar pizza sauce

Optional toppings:
Pepperoni (my husband’s personal favorite)
Mushrooms
Onions
Peppers
Ground Beef
Italian Sausage
Anything you can think of that will fit on a bagel

We used one bagel for each of us, so we each ended up with two slices of “pizza.”  Slice your bagels in half and lay the halves, flat side up, on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Spread the desired amount of pizza sauce on each bagel half…we used a heaping tablespoon for each.  Sprinkle mozzarella on top of sauce.  This is where it gets fun…if you’re a cheese fan, pile it on there.  Then place your toppings, as artfully as you like.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.

The total cost of the ingredients was $7.61 and since it’s just the two of us, at least until baby girl sprouts some teeth, and we have enough to make this three times, this dinner came to a little over $2.54. I’d say that’s pretty CENTSIBLE!  The best part is they take less than 15 minutes to make!