Crescent Pizza Rolls (Kristi Original)

Ingredients

2 Rolls of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Pizza Sauce

Pepperoni

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

• Unroll each of the crescent rolls 
• Add a spoon full of the pizza sauce and spread it onto the crescents
• Add 3 pepperoni to each
• Top with Mozzarella Cheese
• Roll up each crescent

Bake according to the crescent package instructions.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Shredded Chicken Sandwiches (Kristi Original)

My sister in law has been very very sick for 6 months. I was looking for a meal that would be easy to make for me and easy to rewarm as they needed food. This is what I came up with. Success!

Ingredients

2 Lbs Cooked Chicken Shredded (I did a few pounds)

1-2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Tbsp Bacon Bits - as much as you like

Ranch Salad Dressing (I used Light House Homestyle Ranch) - As much as you need to get the chicken saucy.

Salt and Pepper to Taste

2 Tbsp Butter

Instructions

I cooked the chicken in the instant pot for 20 minutes with 1 cup of chicken broth. Then I shredded the chicken breast, melted in butter and added in all of the other ingredients. It can be used cold or warmed. We ate it on buns. 

Chicken Enchilada Hotdish (Kristi Original)

Tonight my son wanted Chicken Enchiladas, but we did not have any tortillas. Instead I created this hotdish. 

Ingredients

2 Cans of Refried Beans

2 Cans of Enchilada Sauce

2 Cups of Shredded Mexican or Cheddar Cheese (You can do more if you like)

1 Small Can of Sliced Black Olives

1/2 Bag of Tortilla Chips

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies (My son would prefer me to leave out the tomatoes though my husband and I liked them)

2 Cans of Chicken (Or Shredded chicken)

1/2 Onion Diced

1 Tbsp of Butter

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper 

Instructions

1. Saute the Onion with a sprinkle of Cumin in the melted Butter over a medium heat until it is cooked.

2. Take a 9 x 13 pan and layer the following ingredients spread out evenly

• Smash the 2 cans of Refried Beans across the bottom of the pan
• Cooked Onion
• Chicken (Drained and Shredded)
• 1 Can of Enchilada Sauce
• 1/2 of the Cheese
• Tortilla Chips (fill with whatever looks good)
• Black Olives (Drained)
• Tomatoes and Green Chilies (Drained)
• 1 Can of Enchilada Sauce
• Sprinkle with Cumin and Cayenne Pepper
• Top with Remaining Cheese

Bake in the Oven at 350 Degrees for 20 Minutes (Longer if it isn't warm)

Optional: Serve with Salsa, Avacado, Sour Cream and/or Guacamole

NOTE: Vegetarian Option, Removed the Chicken.

Ham and Cheese Egg Bake (Kristi Original)

Ingredients:
12 Eggs
1 Cup of cubed ham
1 to 1.5 cups of shredded cheese
2 slices of processed cheese slices - cut into little pieces
2 Tbsp butter melted or broken up into little pieces
2 slices of bread broken into little pieces (I ripped the bread up)
3 Tbsp of milk
1/4 cup of chopped onions
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Beat the eggs, add milk and seasoning
2. Add the other ingredients
3. Add to a greased 9x13 pan
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Mexican Tater Tot Hotdish

Ingredients: 
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Onion Diced
1 Packet Taco Seasoning
1 Can Green Chiles (4oz)
1 Can Black Beans (15.5oz) - Rinsed and Drained
1 Bag of Frozen Corn (14.4oz)
1 Can Red Enchilada Sauce (10oz)
3 Cups Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese, Divided
4 Cups of Frozen Tater Tots
Cilantro, Optional Garnish
Sour Cream, Optional

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Brown the Ground Beef and Onion - Drain.
3. Add to the Ground Beef/Onions - Seasoning, Green Chiles, Black Beans, Frozen Corn and Enchilada Sauce. Cook.
4. Add 2 Cups of Cheese
5. Pour into 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray.
6. Top with tater tots
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes
8. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 5 more minutes
9. Garnish with cilantro and top with sour cream

Nutrition
Serves 8
Calories 407
Fat 25g
Carbs 28g
Protein 19g
Sodium 932mg
Fiber 3g
Sugar 3g

Recipe from dearcrissy.com

The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes

I just went to a friend's house for dinner. She made these sloppy joes and they were AMAZING. They come from www.thechunkychef.com The Best Homemade Sloppy Joes.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1/3 green bell pepper, minced
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp yellow mustard
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 kosher salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp black pepper
dash of hot sauce

Instructions:
1. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over Med/Med-High heat. Add beef and brown breaking apart into crumbles as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain.

2. Add onion and bell pepper to the same skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds or so, until fragrant. Add beef back into the skillet and add the tomato paste. Stir Well.

3. Add ketchup, water, brown sugar, mustard, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir well to combine.

4. Cook over MED head for 10-15 minutes, unite mixture has thickened to your liking. Remove from heat and serve over toasted buns.

Lasagna Pasta

I got a Wildtree seasoning pack for a Lasagna Skillet Meal. It was so good, but unfortunately Wildtree went out of business. So I'm copying the recipe from the box and I'll adjust the seasoning later. In addition I made the ground beef in the instant pot and it made this recipe so easy to make.

1 Pound of Ground Beef

2 Cups of Water

2 Cups of Elbow Macaroni or Other Noodles of Choice

1 (14.5 Oz) Can of Tomato Sauce or a Jar of Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese

Seasoning TBD

1. Cook and Drain the meat - Season as you like

2.  Add water, tomato sauce, macaroni and any seasonings to the pan. 

3. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.

4. Once it is boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 11-13 minutes or until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. 

5. Once the noodles are cooked, remove it from the heat, top with cheese and enjoy. 

Note: If the sauce is too think, adjust this recipe with less water or adding a thickening agent like flour.

Cajun Potatoes and Sausage (Kristi Original)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Rings of Kielbasa Sausage
1-1/2 to 2 Lbs of Potatoes
1 Package of White Mushrooms
4 tsp Cajun Seasoning
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
4 Tbsp Butter
Optional: Peppers and Onions (I still need to experiment with additional ingredients.)

Instructions:
1. Cut up the Kielbasa into chunks, the potatoes into cubes and the mushrooms quartered
2. Add Chicken Broth to the Instant Pot
3. Add the butter and seasoning
4. Close and Seal the Instant Pot
5. Set the instant pot to 3 minutes.
6. Once complete, do the quick release, Stir and Serve.

Banana Peanut Butter French Toast (Kristi Original)

I saw banana french toast listed at the state fair, so I thought I'd give it a try. They turned out AMAZING! If you don't like peanut butter or if you have allergies, this would still be amazing. 

Ingredients
White Bread (I used Sarah Lee Artisan White)
Eggs (4-5)
Milk (Splash/Dump) 1/4 Cup
Vanilla (Splash/Dump) 2 tsp to 1/2 Tbsp
Maple Syrup (Drizzle) 1 TBSP
1/2 -1 Very Smashed Ripe Banana
Peanut Butter (1 TBSP)
Cinnamon (Dump - 2 tsp)

Mix all the ingredients together. Dunk each slice of bread fully into the batter. Then grill the bread until it is fully cooked. Top with butter and syrup and enjoy. Yum!

Broccoli Cheese Sauce (Kristi Original)

Growing up my mom would make Velveeta cheese sauce, steamed broccoli and toast. We would put the broccoli on the toast and top it with cheese sauce. Since I hated broccoli I thought it was awful. I thought it would be better with just the cheese on bread. That got me thinking about a new way to do this so my kids might eat it. So I decided to be sneaky blend the broccoli INTO the cheese sauce so my kids would eat it. It turns out I loved it. However the kids still refused to try it. I think if you made it without the garlic, kids could really enjoy this. However I loved the garlic. This cheese sauce tasted great on pasta, as a dip for chips or on toast. 

Ingredients

1/4-1/3 Log of Velveeta cut into cubes

1 Bag of frozen broccoli

1/4? cup of Milk

1 Clove of Crushed Garlic

1-3 slice Fresh Mushrooms

Salt to taste

Optional:

1 to 1/2 slice of onion finally sliced

1 Jalapeno finely chopped

1. Cook the broccoli according to the instructions. (I used steam in the bag in the microwave).

2. Add the broccoli and the rest of the ingredients to the blender. 

3. Blend the the mixture until it is smooth. (Add more milk if the blender isn't bending, it may need more liquid)

This sauce taste great over pasta, as a cheese dip for chips or veggies, over cooked veggies or on toast. 

Spicy Chicken Pot Pie (Kristi Original)

Ingredients

1 Unbaked Pie Crust
3 Little Red Potatoes Cooked and Diced (I made mine on the microwave. You could probably use one large potato also)
1 Small Snacking Pepper Diced
3 Mushrooms Sliced
1 Can of Chicken Shredded or 1-2 Chicken Breasts Cooked
1 Can of Cream of Cheddar Soup
French's Crispy Jalapeños
Sriracha
Garlic Powder - Sprinkle
Spicy Shredded Cheese
Optional - Onions

Instructions
Mix the Potatoes, Pepper, Mushrooms, Chicken, Onions, Cream of Cheddar soup and a squirt of Sriracha. Pour into the pie crust. Bake at the temperature of the pie crust. Check it at the time that the crust should be done and adjust the time as needed. About 5 minutes before it is completed, top with the shredded cheese and Crispy Jalapenos. Put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Option - Vegetarian removed the chicken

Pizza Pasta (Kristi Original)

This is so easy to make and yummy! I made it with pepperoni, however if you leave out the pepperoni it would be vegetarian. It would also be fun to try adding vegetables to the recipe. Here's what I did...

Ingredients
1/2 Box of Pasta (I used Elbow Macaroni)
1 Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I used Newman's Own Sockarooni)
1 Jar of Water
Splash of Vegetable Oil
Garlic Salt (Sprinkle)
Garlic Powder (Sprinkle)
1-2 Cups of Milk
1/4 Big Block Velveta Cut into Cubes (8oz)
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni

Instructions
1. Add the pasta, sauce, water to the instant pot and stir (The water should cover the noodles).
2. Sprinkle Garlic Salt and Garlic Powder
3. Determine the cooking time (See my post on perfect pasta in the instant pot)
(Previous Elbow Macaroni 3 minutes cooking, 5 minutes natural release and then quick release the rest. Perfect Pasta!)
4. When the pasta is done add the milk, Velveeta and shredded mozzarella. Stir until the cheese is melted. If you need to, turn on the saute to help the cheese melt. The milk will make the pasta creamy. 
5. Add in the desired amount of pepperoni and serve

Kristi Cordon Bleu (Kristi Original)

I made up this dinner last night and it really had a Chicken Cordon Bleu flavor without having to stuff a chicken. Here's what I did....

Frozen Chicken Breasts
Butter
Dried Up Bread or Crispy Toast
Thin Ham Slices (I used lunch meat)
Alfredo Sauce (I used bacon flavored in a jar)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Pepper
Fiesta Party Mix (Tastefully Simple, We just used on the adult's chicken)

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the chicken on a cookie sheet and top with seasoning, crushed bread (you are making bread crumbs) and pats of butter. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with ham, and pour Alfredo sauce over the ham and chicken. Put back in the oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Spam Burgers - Minnesota State Fair

I can't believe I'm posting a recipe called 'Spam Burger'! But life has a funny way of surprising you. Last summer my family went to the MN State Fair. A thunderstorm rolled in and we didn't have a shelter. We ran to the first place we could find which happened to be right next to the 'Spam Burger' booth. Well we were hungry, so we gave it a try. It turns out my family loved it! So my husband worked to make this at home and here's what we came up with.....A family favorite!

Ingredients:

1 Can of Spam

1 Package of Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

Butter

Cheese Slices

Instructions:

1. Cut the Spam into slices for your sandwich, about 1/4 inch thick.

2. Fry the Spam in butter

3. Put the Spam on the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, top with a cheese slice

4. Eat and Enjoy

Taco Pizza (Kristi Original)

I made this the other day when friends came over. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this tasted. Honestly I couldn't stop eating it!

Ingredients:
1 Trader Joes ready refrigerator pizza dough (found in the cooler by the meats and cheese)
1 Can Refried Beans
1 Taco Seasoning
1 Lb of Ground Beef
1/2 Can of stewed tomatoes with green chilis
8oz Shredded Cheese (I used Mexican cheese)
1 can of sliced black olives
Optional: 1 Small Can Jalapenos

Toppings:
Lettuce
Tomato
Onions
Sour Cream
More Cheese (Can there ever be too much cheese?)

Instructions:
1. Using the taco seasoning instructions, make the taco meat (taco seasoning and ground beef above)
2. Make the pizza dough according to instructions
3. Spread refried beans over the pizza crust as 'sauce'
4. Top the refried beans with taco meat, black olives, stewed tomatoes with green chilis, black olives and if you want jalapeños. Finish it off with cheese.
5. Bake the pizza according to the pizza dough instructions.
6. Once it comes out, top it with the your desired toppings and enjoy!

Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Bacon Burritos (Kristi Original)

Ingredients:

4 - 8 inch flour tortillas

1 - 12.5 oz Can of Chicken or Shredded Chicken

5-6 pieces of cooked bacon cut into small pieces

1/2 a block of cream cheese (4 oz)

1/2 bottle of Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (Robert Rothschild)

1 - 8oz bag of Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

(https://www.robertrothschild.com/products/raspberry-chipotle-sauce?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=18295535747&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrJmK0JWV2AIVnrbACh25hAVQEAQYASABEgJWYfD_BwE)

Instructions:

In a bowl mix together chicken, most of the bacon, warmed cream cheese, 1/2 cheese and 1/4 bottle of sauce. Fill the tortillas with the mixture and put them into the pan. Top with 1/4 bottle of the sauce, remaining cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes. 

Thanksgiving Bake / Holiday Dinner Repurposed (Kristi Original)

This year after Thanksgiving I used my leftovers in a hot dish (The Minnesota way. Haha!). My family loved it, so I'll be making this again.

Ingredients:

Stuffing 

Turkey cut up in bite size pieces

1 Can of Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 Cup of Mayo

Mashed Potatoes

Shredded Cheese

Garlic Powder

Instructions

Mix the turkey, soup and mayo in a bowl.

In a square baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 pan) layer the following ingredients. 

1. Stuffing (I used whatever I had left over, about 2 cups. It ended up being about an inch deep.

2. Turkey mixture

3. Mashed Potatoes, sprinkle with garlic powder

4.  Shredded Cheese

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it is warm and the cheese is bubbly. 

Sensational Burritos (Kristi Original) My kids named this one

I made up these burritos one night and my kids surprised me and tried them. They loved them and wanted to name them. So they are named 'Sensational Burritos'. 

Ingredients:

4 - Medium size flour tortillas (8 inch)
1 - 12.5oz Can of Chicken (Costco large can)
1 - 8 oz bag of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 - Bottle of Robert Rothschild Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (Link Below)

1. Drain the chicken, put it in a bowl and shred it.
2. Add 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese (1 Cup) and 1/2 bottle of the Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and mix.
3. Spoon the mixture into the flour tortillas. Roll up like an enchilada and put in a pan
4. Top with remaining cheese and remaining Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. 
5. Cook at 350 Degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

https://www.robertrothschild.com/products/raspberry-chipotle-sauce?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=18295535747&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrJmK0JWV2AIVnrbACh25hAVQEAQYASABEgJWYfD_BwE

List of Easy Meal Ideas

There are some meals our family makes that we don't need recipes for. However we sometimes forget about these meals. I'm going to put down a list to try to remember. 

1. Tacos
2. Enchiladas
3. Breakfast - Eggs, French Toast, Pancakes
4. Soup and Grilled Cheese
5. Spaghetti
6. Macaroni and Cheese and Hotdogs
7. Pizza
8. BLT's
9. Chili
10. Quesadillas
11. Hamberger Helper
12. Roast
13. Burgers/Brats/Hotdogs
14. Meatball Subs
15. Turkey Roast
16. Sloppy Joes
17. Chicken in the oven and Butter Noodles
18. Chicken Nuggets
19. Fish
20. Corn Dogs

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Biscuits (Kristi Original)

Ingredients:

Adjust the quantity based on your family or the size of your crock pot.

3 potatoes cut into cubes

5-6 Sliced mushrooms

1/4-1/2 Onion finely chopped

4-5 Frozen Chicken Breasts (depending on the size, fill the crock pot to feed your family)

1 Can Campbell's Cheese Soup

1 Can Cream Chicken Soup

1-2 Cans of Large Refrigerator Biscuits

Add all of the items, except the biscuits, to the crock pot and top everything with the soup. Add a little water to the crock pot, 1/2 a can. Cook on medium heat all day. Shred the chicken and return to the crock pot. Stir. Cook the biscuits following the package instructions. Top the biscuits with the creamy chicken in the crock pot. Easy meal your family will enjoy.