Caesar Shrimp and Pasta

Good morning! It's Friday! :)  Woohoo!  I know sometimes the last thing you want to do when you get home from work is cook a meal.  It would be nice to get home, put the comfy clothes on, and put your feet up!  I want to share the recipe I made last night because it was a cinch!  You could have your feet up in no time, and a delicious meal on the table(please restrain from putting your feet on the table-at least we save that for the couch in my house :))  This meal is simple, and requires very few ingredients.  It's wonderful.  My kind of meal for sure!  Might be yours too, try it out!!

Caesar Shrimp and Pasta

oh YUMMO!

Turkey Meatballs in Cream Sauce

Good morning!  I have a confession...I don't like meatloaf...:( Well I should say I have only eaten it a few times, and made my decision based on that.  I think it's the way it is usually smothered in ketchup??  I like ketchup but only a little bit, once in awhile.  My husband shares the same dislike as me, so thankfully I haven't been forced to make it, BUT I really want to try making it my own way, to give it one last shot.  If you have any amazing meatloaf recipes that aren't smothered in ketchup, and you think I would like, please let me know! :)  For some reason I got a hankering for meatballs the other day, don't ask me why, because I have NEVER made them before(crazy I know!) and have only eaten them maybe twice in my life.  I have always known the base ingredients, so I just went for it.  They turned out AMAZING, and full of flavor! My husband agrees that they were awesome.  I always feel good when I make something for the first time, and hear from my hubby that he loves it.  Makes me feel good.  Makes everyone feel good when their hard work pays off. :)  This recipe can be altered so much to fit every ones taste buds.  I realized that there are so many different spices you could add, and cheeses...I definitely didn't leave out the cheese! I'm a cheese freak! ;)  These meatballs were so simple to make, and the easy cream sauce went perfectly with them! I served them over whole grain noodles.  Enjoy!

Turkey Meatballs in Cream Sauce

Delish!

Chili Cheese Dip

Whenever my family has a get together it always involves food, and you can pretty much bet this Chili Cheese Dip will attend.  It has been in the family for quite some time now, and I really don't know who came up with it, but we all LOVE it!  It is another awesome dip for football parties, and it so simple to make.  If you make it, it may end up being a staple at your gatherings! From my family to yours! 
We always make this dip in the crock pot because it slowly melts all the cheese, and keeps it warm through the entire party.  You can make it on the stove top though, and that is what I did this time because I made this at my friend's house, and we didn't need a large batch, and the stove top is quite a bit faster.  You can do either way, but I will continue to use the crock pot. :)

This dip is so creamy, and delicious! My favorite chip to dip in this are Fritos Corn Chip Scoops! MmmMmm!

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Football Season is upon us, and what does that mean?! Hmm...it means FOOD! Or does is mean FOOTBALL???  Truth is, I don't watch much football anymore, and I think I need to at least pretend I do, so I can go to all the parties with the yummy food!  OR, I can use it as an excuse to just make it at home?!  Yep, okay, I feel better now.  I talked myself right into it. 
My husband is a HUGE chips and dip fan.  I swear he would eat that for every meal.  He is simple though, with his favorite being chips and salsa.  I on the other hand love the creamy dips(go figure) the most.  He LOVES them too, but they take more work then chips and salsa where it's "fridge to face" :) That is how he rolls in the cooking department. Chips and salsa are by far the healthier choice, which is my main reason I very seldom bake creamy dips.  BUT it's FOOTBALL season, so I have an excuse! ;)

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

I'm sorry I don't have any "prettier" photos of the final product.  I made this at my friend's house for our dinner get together, and we were all ready to dig in once this came out of the oven! I even had to tell one of them "hands off!" until I snapped a picture. :) 

Individual Apple Crisps with Brown Sugar Glaze

After I made the Apple Turnovers I was left with three apples.  I need to use them up pretty quick since I have had them in the fridge for a few weeks now.  Last night I was craving some dessert, and I remembered I had those apples, but wanted to make something semi quick, and a small serving, so I came up with Individual Apple Crisps!  This ended up being the perfect size dessert, and it was SO yummy!  This would be a great dessert if you have about half an hour or so before the real sweetness needing stomach kicks in!  It is fun to prepare, and eat.  Mind you that it does get a little messy on your plate, but what good dessert doesn't?!  If you have an extra apple in the fridge give this a go! 

Individual Apple Crisps with Brown Sugar Glaze

Oh man melt in your mouth sweetness.

Super Moist Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

I LOVE me some pumpkin bread! :) Even better when it's whole wheat! I wanted to make a loaf without anything but Pumpkin- no nuts, fruit, or chocolate chips.  I waned PURE pumpkin.  When I make pumpkin, banana, or zucchini bread, I have to make sure it is very moist.  I don't want to have a dry bread that is begging for a topping such as butter.  This bread is so moist and flavorful, that you don't want to spread anything on top, and that is saying something since it is all whole wheat.  You should give this pumpkin bread a go!  You wont be disappointed!

Super Moist Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

My family and I ate more than half of the loaf before I took these pictures, we couldn't wait! ;)

Dinner Rolls

This would be my first attempt at making homemade dinner rolls, and I have to say the end result is awesome, BUT I encountered a couple problems along the way.  I said on here before that I will post a recipe even if it doesn't turn out the best, and let you know if I came up with a solution, or if I need help from you all.  Today was a success and I came up with a solution! Don't expect that very often...;)  Let me explain.  I followed this recipe bread baking, and the recipe is written as "add 1 cup of flour, then add another cup of flour, then add a third cup flour" and because I am new at this ;) I assumed the "third cup of flour" meant a 1/3 cup of flour! I must have been a complete space cadet today, because when I added that 1/3 cup of flour, I was wondering why my dough definitely wasn't ready to be kneaded.  My fault totally! Any other airheads out there today?! :)  So I fixed it, but didn't realize what the recipe REALLY meant until I scrambled to add more flour over and over until it was, what I thought, a good consistency! I did good thought, and am proud of myself, HA!

Dinner Rolls

They turned out beautiful though.  They definitely each have their own personality in shape. :)

Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

Yesterday I had a real craving for some sort of broccoli cheese soup, and I needed to have it ASAP. :)  I have only made it once in my life, but have eaten it from restaurants.  I looked all over the Internet to get a basic idea on how to do it.  It seemed simple enough, so off to the grocery store I went, and picked up a couple things I needed.  I whipped out my own version, and boy was it tasty!!! It is so good and creamy without using processed cheese, or half and half.  Which means it is better for you, and not as fattening.  If you like broccoli cheese soup, you really have to try this! This is for sure my new favorite!

Broccoli Potato Cheese Soup

Oh my this is GOOD!