Oreo Poke Cake

I was looking for a recipe to take to small group and came across this cake I had pinned a while back and I had to make it!  It was so good and devoured so quickly! This recipe is from Baking Beauty.

1 Box Chocolate Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make)
1/2 pack Oreo Cookies (crushed)
1 Large Box Oreo Instant Pudding
2 cups Milk
8oz Cool Whip

Mix the cake and bake in a 9x13 baking dish according to directions. While cake is cooling slightly mix together the oreo pudding with milk.  Use the back of spoon to poke holes into the chocolate cake. Pour the pudding on top of the cake and sprinkle with half of the crushed cookies. Place cake in the refrigerator and cool completely. Top with cool whip and the remaining crushed cookies. Refrigerate the cake when not serving.

Crock Pot Greek Potatoes

I love little fingerling potatoes so when I saw this recipe to make them in the crock pot greek style I just had to try them! I was really scared they would get to done but they actually turned out well and we really enjoyed them! This recipe is adapted from Damn Delicious.

3lbs fingerling potatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
sprinkle of parsley

Lightly grease the inside of the crock pot. Stir the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper together.  Stir in the potatoes then place into the crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hour or high for 2-3 hours. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Roasted Chickpea Gryos

We love gyros and chickpeas in our house so when I came across this recipe I knew I had to try it out with our family!  It was so easy to put together and a great new way to make pitas! This recipe is adaptd from Live Eat Learn.

1 15oz can chickpeas (drained, rinsed and skins removed)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 pitas
toppings (tzatziki, lettuce, cucumber, tomato)

Heat oven to 400. Toss chickpeas in olive oil then add the paprika, black pepper and salt and stir. Spread chickpeas on a greased sheet pan and bake for 18-20  minutes. Remove and layer with toppings on a pita and serve. 

Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Y'all this soup! You need to make it right now.  Every single person in my family devoured it and that pretty much never happens.  This recipe is adapted from Baked By Rachel.

1lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup onion
1/2 cup celery
3/4 cup carrots
4 cups russet potatoes
3/4 cup peas
1 cup corn
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup flour

Chop onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. Cut chicken breasts in half.  Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot. Top with the onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, peas and corn.  Season with salt, pepper, thyme and the bay leaf then pour over chicken broth.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.  Remove the bay leaf then remove the chicken and shred.  Return the chicken to the crock pot. In a bowl whisk together the flour and heavy cream until there are no more lumps. Stir into the crock pot and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes.

Easy Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

These were a random creation during the blizzard we had a few weeks ago. Thankfully they turned out great and I will most certainly be making them again.

1 box fudge brownies
ingredients for the brownies
1 8oz block cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven according to directions on the box.  Mix the brownie batter and pour into a greased 8x8 pan.  In a medium mixing bowl using an electric mixer blend together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir in the chocolate chips.  Place spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto the brownie batter. Using a knife swirl the cream cheese into the brownies. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Copycat Cracker Barrel Pancakes

Who doesn't love Crackle Barrel's pancakes?  My little guy is pancake obsessed so I had to try this recipe out for him.  He hate way way too many and kept telling me how great they are. This recipe is from Mirlandra's Kitchen.

2 cups flour 
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
2 1/3 cups low fat buttermilk
butter for cooking

Heat griddle or electric skillet to 350.  In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs and buttermilk then whisk in the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Rub the butter into a circle on the griddle then drop 1/3 cup of batter into the center.  Cook for about two minutes then quickly pick up the pancake add a little butter and flip the pancake back onto the griddle.  Repeat using more butter with each pancake. Top with maple syrup.

Buffalo Chicken French Bread Pizzas

Just typing about these is making me hungry! These little pizzas were so so good. And pretty simple to throw together.

1 loaf french bread
2 chicken breasts
1 cup Frank's buffalo sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup blue cheese dressing

Marinate the chicken in 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce for 1 hour.  Bake the chicken at 350 for 30 minutes or until it is cooked through.  Remove the chicken and cube. Slice the french bread down the center then into 5-6 inch pieces. Top the french bread with buffalo sauce then layer on the chicken and mozzarella cheese. Repeat with the remaining french bread slices.  Bake in the over at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then drizzle with extra buffalo sauce and blue cheese sauce.

Cheesy Beef Burrito Skillet

I had been eyeing this recipes from The Girl Who Ate Everything for a while.  We love tacos and burritos and this seemed like a fun and different way to fix on of our favorites. We ate this entire pan full, it was delicious! And next time I think I will have some lettuce and tomato to go on top too!

1 lb ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup water
1 cup chunky salsa
1 (15 oz) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
4 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
sour cream and guacamole for topping

In a skillet brown the ground beef and drain off the grease. Meanwhile cut the tortillas into strips and set to the side.  Stir in the taco seasoning, water, salsa and black beans. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in the tortilla strips then top with cheese and cover.  After 1 minute remove from heat and let sit until the cheese is melted. Serve topped with sour cream and guacamole.

Cheesy Bacon Potato Corn Chowder

I really love soup weather! I made this chowder with the great blizzard of 2016 hit and left us with over 2 feet of snow.  This recipe is slightly adapted from Averie Cooks.

8 slices Bacon
1 large yellow onion (diced)
1 cup carrots (diced)
1 cup celery (diced)
4 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup flour
32 ounces (4 cups) chicken broth
3 cups milk
3 cups  potatoes (peeled and diced small)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppe
2 cups corn (I used frozen and added it straight from the freezer)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a large pot saute the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pot but keep the grease. Add the onion, carrots, and celery then saute for 9 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the flour and whisk constantly for about two minutes. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk then add the potatoes, thyme oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Let the chowder boil for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir often. Once the potatoes are soft stir in the corn and cook for 5 more minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add back the bacon and stir in the cheese until it is melted. Remove from heat and serve.

Broccoli Cornbread

My mom and her neighbor love to share recipes. They will make something then give the other person half of it to try.  My mom was raving about this broccoli cornbread that Mrs. Annette brought her the other week so I had to make it to see what all the fuss was about.  I have to say I really loved it! It was so moist and just totally different from traditional cornbread but a good different.  It was a great side dish to a big bowl of soup!

1 pkg Jiffy Cornbread Mix
1/2 pkg Chopped Frozen Broccoli
3/4 cup Cottage Cheese
1 stick butter (melted)
2 Eggs

Heat oven to 400. Mix together the cornbread nix and chopped broccoli.  Stir in the cottage cheese, butter and eggs. Pour into a well greased 8x8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Who doesn't love anything mini?  These were pretty simple to put together plus they were very kid friendly to eat.  This recipe is adapted from The Food Charlatan.

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup and 1 tablespoon chicken broth
1/3 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 cup chicken (cooked and chopped)
1 8-ounce can crescent rolls

Heat oven to 375. Grease 8 muffin cups well.  Place the butter in a saute pan and melt, stir in the dried onion and let cook for 1 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. In a large measuring cup or mixing bowl whisk together the chicken broth and milk. Slowly whisk it into the flour mixture until all of the lumps are gone. Stir in the salt and pepper. Add the peas, carrots and chicken then stir until coated in the sauce and remove from heat. Unroll the crescent dough and seal the edges together. Cut into 16 rectangles. Place one rectangle into the muffin tin then add 1/8 of the chicken pot pie filling. Top with another rectangle and seal slightly with your fingers. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Cut a small slit in the top of each muffin.  Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are brown. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing and serving.