Cheesy Asparagus Puffs

1 can crescent rolls

16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed

4 slices provolone cheese, sliced in half

4 slices cheddar cheese, sliced in half

1 T. dry Italian seasoning

olive oil

Preheat oven to 359. Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly spray and set aside. Unroll cresent dough and separate each triangle. Lightly brush with oil and lay half slice of provolone sheese and half of cheddar cheese on the large side of the triangle. Top with 2 asparagus spears. Roll up and lay on baking sheet. Repeat for remaining triangles. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven, Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Cheesy Taco Sticks

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pkt. taco mix

1 tube refrigerated Pillsbury pizza dough

5 colby jack cheese sticks, cut in half

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. dry parsley

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a large baking sheet. Brown ground beef in skillet over medium heat. Drain and rinse. Add taco seasoning mix and stir well. Remove from heat and set aside. Lay the pizza dough out flat. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 5 equal rectangles, to form 10 rectangles. Spoon cooled taco meat down center of each rectangle, then top with half colby cheese stick. Roll the pizza dough up over the meat and cheese and pinch closed to form a breadstick. Place the taco sticks on the baking sheet. Combine butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Generously brush over top of taco breadsticks. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot. 

Easter Basket Cookie Cups

 16 oz. sugar cookie dough, or your favorite homemade dough

16 oz. vanilla frosting

1/2 c. shredded coconut

green food coloring

Cadbury mini eggs

M&M eggs

edible grass

Use a mini muffin pan with mini cupcake liners and fill each well with 1 square of sugar cookie dough. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350, or until just golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, fill wach cookie cup with frosting. In a small bowl, add 1-2 drops green food coloring & 1 t. water. Stir. Add in shredded coconut and stir to evenly coat. Sprinkle each cup with green coconut and top with 3 egg candies. Cut edible grass and form to make a basket handle. Serve and enjoy!

*May use any flavor cookie dough

**May dye frosting green and skip using the coconut

Breakfast Sliders

2, 12 oz. rolls pork sausage

12 Hawaiian dinner rolls

8 large eggs, scrambled

6 slices pepper jack cheese

8 slices American cheese

1/2 c. butter, melted

1/4 c. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350. Warm skillet over medium heat. Form sausage into 12 patties, slightly larger than one dinner roll. Add sausage to skillet and cook until completely cooked through. Drain. Using a serrated knife, cut rolls in half lengthwise, without breaking apart. Place bottom half of rolls in sprayed 9x13 baking dish. Set tops aside. Scoop scrambled eggs onto bottom rolls, top with pepper jack. Place sausage on top of pepper jack and top with American cheese. Carefully place top buns on top. Combine melted butter with maple syrup in small bowl. Brush over tops of rolls, allowing sauce to drip down the sides and into bottom. Use all. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and melted. Serve hot.

Easy Chicken and Tomatoes

3-4 chicken breasts, cubed

2, 14 oz. cans Del Monte diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained

1 envelope Lipton savory herb and garlic soup mix

16 oz. bowtie or penne pasta, cooked and drained

1 large can sliced mushrooms, drained, optional

shredded parmesan cheese

Combine soup mix and tomatoes. Place in lined crockpot. Add chicken and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked pasta or mix all together if desired. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. I serve with a Caesar salad.

*The first time I made this, I made it without the mushrooms, but I will add them next time. We love mushrooms.

1st pic: ready to eat, before parmesan cheese added; 2nd pic: after cheese added.

Crockpot Ham, Macaroni, and Cheese

1 lb. elbow noodles, boiled until almost done, drained

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 stick butter, sliced, divided

1 egg, beaten

5 c. cheese, 1/2 sharp, 1/2 mild (or your choice), divided

2 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

ham chunks

Place liner in crockpot. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into small pieces and place in bottom of crockpot. Add noodles. Stir in evaporated milk, rest of butter, egg, milk, ham, and 4 c. cheese. Cook on low for 4 hours. One hour before time ends, add remaining cheese on top.

Super Fudgy Brownies

1 1/2 sticks butter

2 T. oil

3/4 c, cocoa powder

1 1/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

3/4 c. SR flour

1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in bowl. Add oil and cocoa. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in sugar until evenly incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla. Add flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Prepare 8x8 pan with spray. Add batter and spread evenly. Bake 30-35 minutes. Brownies will be soft and moist. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Slice and serve. (Cutting them with a plastic knife while they are warm will keep them from tearing.)

These were almost gone before I remembered to take a picture!

Sloppy Joe Casserole

1-2 lb. ground beef

1 c. diced onion

24 oz. Manwich sauce

15 oz. Manwich sauce

12-16 oz. bowtie pasta, cooked

8 oz. mild shredded cheese, velveeta if you can find it, I just used mild cheddar

8 oz. colby jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 dish. Brown meat and onion on medium high heat. Drain and rinse. Return to skillet. Add both cans of Manwich, the cooked pasta, and shredded velveeta. Stir until combined. Pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with colby jack cheese. Bake 25 minutes. Serve with Caesar salad and garlic bread.

1st pic: everything mixed together and in the dish. 2nd pic: topping of cheese and ready for the oven. 3rd pic: ready to eat. Yum!

Pistachio Cake with Icing

1 yellow cake mix

2, 3.4 oz. pistachio instant pudding mix

4 eggs

1/4 c. oil

1/8 c. water

1 c. sour cream

2 T. sugar

1 t. cinamon

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. melted butter

1 t. almond extract

1 t. vanilla extract*

chopped pistachios, optional

Combine first 6 ingredients until well combined. Set aside. Spray 2 loaf pans (I used 1 heart shaped one and one regular loaf pan.) Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top of spray. Pour 1/2 the batter into each pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Let cool. Combine powdered sugar, melted butter, almond extract and vanilla extract *I just used 2 t. almond extract. Add a little milk until desired consistency is reached. Invert cakes from pans. Drizzle or ice with powdered sugar mixture. Sprinkle with pistachios if desired. Serve and enjoy!

**Can also be made in muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

1st pic: iced cake, 2nd pic: ready to serve and eat!

Crockpot Beef and Broccoli

1 lb. boneless beef, sliced into thin strips, I use 2x14 oz. frozen fajita beef strips

3 1/2 c. beef broth

1/2 c. soy/teriyaki sauce*

1/2 c. brown sugar, optional

2 T. sesame oil, I used olive oil

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. cornstarch

1/2-1 c. sauce from crockpot, after cooking

Fresh broccoli florets, I use 2x10.8 oz. bags Birdseye steamfresh broccoli, cooked

hot cooked rice, plain, jasmine, or fried rice

Place beef in crockpot. Combine broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low 6-8 hours. When I use the fajita beef, it is already cooked and doesn't need to cook as long...about 6 hours. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce from the crockpot until smooth. Add to crockpot. Stir well to combine. Add broccoli. Stir to combine. Cover and cook 30 minutes on high (I cooked on low and it thickened just fine) to thicken sauce. Serve over hot rice. It was yummy!

*I use Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce which has garlic in it

1st pic: meat looks tender and ready; 2nd pic: broccoli and sauce added; 3rd pic: ready to eat over rice.