Top Eleven Recipes of 2011

It has been really fun to go back through all the recipes from 2011 and remember what was made this year. Gray and I set down and talked about the different recipes and this is the list we came up with for our top Eleven recipes of 2011.

11. Durkee's Chicken

10. Mini Toffee Rolls

9. Cream of Tomato Soup

8. Self Frosting Nutella Cupcakes

7. Bruschetta Chicken Bake

6. French Dip Sandwiches

5. Black Bean Hummus

4. Creamy Chicken Lasagna

3. CocaCola Cake

2. Quick Beer Pizza Crust

1. Panko Crusted Salmon

I'll be back at the start of 2012 with some great recipes!!! Thanks for all your support this year friends. I love having this blog and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Spinach, Mushroom, Sundried Tomato Boursin Pasta

The idea of this recipes came from Baked Bree but I gave it a big makeover based on what we had and what sounded good for us. Hints the slight name change. This was awesome pasta!!! I love boursin so I had very little doubts that it wasn't going to be great.

1 package bowtie pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag baby spinach
1 package Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp dried dill
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
fresh pepper

Cook the pasta according to the directions. In a pot saute the spinach in olive oil with garlic and place in a bowl. Combine the milk, chicken broth and boursin in the pot. Once it's melted add sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, dill, fresh pepper and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir well. Stir in pasta and spinach. Let the mixture sit together for 5 minutes. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

BBQ Chicken Crescents

The recipe for these babies came from Plain Chicken. They are so quick and fun! We had them for dinner one night but they would be perfect for a party!

8 fully cooked fried chicken fingers
4 slices provolone cheese, cut in half
1 can crescent rolls
1 cup BBQ sauce

Heat oven to 375. Roll out the crescent rolls into triangles. Put bbq sauce in a bowl. Dip a chicken finger into the bbq sauce. Top the chicken finger with half a piece of cheese. Roll up the crescent and place on a greased cookie sheet. Continue until all the chicken fingers and crescent rolls are gone. Bake for 18 to 2o minutes.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I love love love Broccoli Cheddar Soup but I am kinda picky about it. This soup was amazing! Warm, cheesy and filling! The recipe is from Cassie Craves.

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion (chopped )
1/4 cup AP flour
2 cups half-and-half
3 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot (diced )
2 1/2 cups grated sharp white and/or yellow cheddar cheese (plus more to top with)

Melt butter in a pot, saute the onion until tender. Add the flour and whisk it in, cook until golden brown. Slowly whisk in the half and half until smooth. Add the broth, bay leaves and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Add broccoli and carrot, simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaves. Place soup in blender and puree until smooth. Add it back to the pot. Add cheese and stir in. If soup is too thick, add water to thin it out. Pour into bowls and top with cheese.