Nutella hot cocoa

Another fabulous Pinterest find...

1 cup milk
2 tsp nutella

Mix/heat over medium heat until warm enough

Enjoy!!!

It is delicious!

Chicken/Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

The flavorings used in this enchilada casserole are similar to the ones I used in my beef enchilada casserole...when I make a chicken enchilada casserole I use more green chiles and sour cream sauce...I thought this looked interesting on Pinterest because it was a mix of the two-

This was a huge hit for all of us!  Danny liked that it wasn't "too saucy."  I would omit the sour cream in the layer you cook- it curdled a bit and I didn't like the texture (and I love sour cream!).  I would just serve it on the side to put on top.

http://www.sweettreatsmore.com/2011/10/chicken-black-bean-enchilada-casserole.html

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything; recipe from Allrecipes

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat (or for extra lazy days use a rotisserie chicken)

½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Savory Shepherds Pie

I love Shepherds Pie...probably stems from my time spent teaching in London... This was a good recipe and easy to make.  I usually make mine with lamb meat, but this time I was cooking for a crowd and making a casserole to freeze, so I used ground sirloin.  I also always leave my frozen veggies uncooked, because we like ours a little crunchy when we eat it.

http://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/meat/savory-shepherds-pie/

Makes:6 servings
Prep: 20 mins Bake: 40 mins at 400°F Stand: 10 mins

View Nutrition Facts

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon dried fine herbs, crushed
• 3 cups cubed cooked beef or lamb
• 1 10 ounce package frozen mixed vegetables*, cooked
• 1 8 ounce can small whole onions, drained
• 1/2 cup rose wine or beef broth
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups seasoned mashed potatoes
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour. Gradually stir in milk and fines herbes. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce thickens and bubbles. Stir in meat, vegetables, onions, wine, and pepper. Pour into a 2-quart casserole. Spoon mashed potatoes around the edge.
2. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with cheddar cheese and bake about 10 minutes more or until mixture is bubbly and potatoes are brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

• Note: * Save some time by substituting a package of frozen peas for the mixed vegetables and omit the precooking. Just stir in the frozen peas.

Crock Pot Baked Apples

Very, very yummy...semi-healthy (at least healthier than an apple pie) and they were a HUGE hit with everyone at our Thanksgiving dinner.  We served them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with some of the leftover sauce in the crockpot. 

I prepared/cored the apples and soaked them in orange juice over night- that only added to the hint of orange you get from the liquor.  Make sure they don't over cook!  I'd say 2 hours in a "newer" crockpot is enough-

http://skinnychef.com/recipes/baked-apples

Makes 6 baked apples

Ingredients

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons trans-fat free margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 Gala or Macintosh apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice or apple cider
2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)

Directions

Preheat a large crock-pot on high heat and preset it for 3 hours. In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, walnuts, margarine, and cinnamon. Fill the apples with the filling and place them in the crock-pot. Pour in the apple juice or cider and the liquor, if using. Cover and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours on high heat until the apples are soft and begin to collapse.

Cinnamon Rolls in the Waffle Iron

http://ahensnest.com/2011/09/waffled-cinnamon-rolls-recipe.html

These were a huge hit!  Very easy and quick to make- the cleanup wasn't as fun, but worth it!  We will try can bisquits next :)

Apple Chips

Another recipe I came across on Pinterest....apple chips!  I have never eaten or even heard of apple chips, to be honest.  Is that crazy?  These are so simple to make, you have got to try them if you like apples!  I really made them to see if my 2-year-old son would like them because he loves apples.  But, I should have known he wouldn't even try them (picky eater!).  I said "Caleb, look - mama made you some apple chips!"  (thinking I'd get him to try them because I called them "chips" - ha!)  No such luck.  He took one look at them at said "Don't like it!!"  (his new favorite saying).  Oh well, more for me!  Seriously, though - he wouldn't even touch them.  He actually ran away from me.  I guess they do look a little odd and not what he is used to apples looking like.

I did not use sugar - only cinnamon.  Also, now that I am reading this again, I forgot to spray mine with canola oil, oops!!  They still turned out delicious!  I baked mine for 2 1/2 hours and found that the ones on the bottom of the oven crisped sooner.  Oh, and 2 large apples doesn't make many chips in my opinion...but it's a start!  My hubby sliced them in the mandoline for me so I did not have to cut my fingers off trying to slice them thin with a knife.  How would you even do that?!

Isn't this a beautiful picture?  I wish I could say that I took it, but I didn't.  I borrowed it from Vittles & Bits, where the recipe came from. 

Apple Chips

• 2 large apples, cored (I used Red Delicious)
• 2 T. sugar (optional)
• 1 t. cinnamon
• canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Thinly slice apples crosswise about 1/8-inch (2 mm) thick with a mandoline or sharp knife. Arrange apple slices in a single layer on two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets, and spray with canola oil cooking spray.

If using sugar, combine in a small bowl with cinnamon. Put mixture into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over apple slices.

Bake in the top and bottom third of the oven until apples are dry and crisp, about 2 hours (mine took a little longer than that to get crisp, but I didn't use sugar). Remove from oven and let ‘chips’ cool completely before transferring to a sealed container for up to 3 days. Makes about 2 cups of apple chips.

Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

This isn't a gourmet meal but it's quick, easy, and yummy.  I had these at my sister's baby shower and knew I would want to make them sometime.  The lady who made me told the basics of what she did so I went on-line and found what I thought was a similar recipe and then made adaptions of what was used for the ones I ate.

I found this recipe here at Tasty Kitchen.

FOR THE SANDWICHES:
8 whole Sandwich Rolls (or 16 Dinner Rolls) *
½ pounds Ham, Any (sliced Thin Or Chopped)
½ pounds Cheese, Any Variety That Melts Well *

FOR THE ONION BUTTER:**
8 Tablespoons Salted Butter
½ cups Finely Minced Onion **
3 Tablespoons Prepared Mustard, Any (the More Flavorful, The Better)**
1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
1 teaspoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Preparation Instructions
To make the onion butter, combine ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat gently just until the butter is melted and all the ingredients are well combined. Cool to a spreadable consistency.

To prepare sandwiches, place roll bottoms, cut side up on a sheet pan. Spread some onion butter evenly onto each of the halves (use about half of the onion butter for this step), top with 1/2 the cheese, next add all the ham, now add remaining cheese, and end with the rest of the onion butter. Top with the roll tops, cover pan with foil, and heat in a 300F oven for 10-15 minutes until the sandwiches are heated through and the cheese melts.

Note: Sandwiches can be assembled up to 2 days in advance, but store them in an airtight container to control the smell of raw onions in your fridge.

* I used Hawaiian rolls, 16 pack and pepperjack cheese.  I split the rolls down the middle put the onion butter on them then layered them with cheese, ham, then more cheese!  I put the top half on then cut them into the rolls and put more of the butter mixture on them.

**  I only prepared half the butter mixture and I felt that was plenty.  I also used 1tsp of onion powder instead of onions and I used honey mustard.

These were tasty both me and hubby liked them.  Our 2 year old son not so much but maybe it was the butter mixture.  They were also good the next day warmed up.  We just ate with chips and a pickle!  Nothing fancy but for some weeknights it does the job and it's better and cheaper than going out to eat!!:)