Derby Pie

This has been a highly requested recipe....

So here ya go!

This is my mom's recipe for derby pie....

One of the best!

1 stick of butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup flour

1 cup Chocolate Chips

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer pecans)

1 regular frozen pie crust

Instructions:

*Microwave butter for 30 seconds (soften)

*Cream in 1 cup of sugar

*Add 2 eggs and blend together

*Add pinch of salt and tsp of vanilla extract

*Stir in 1/2 cup of flour

*Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 cup of chopped nuts

*Pour into pie crust

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until it sets in the middle.

Serve with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy a Kentucky Derby tradition :)

Pepper Steak (Delicious and Easy!)

If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, but still want a delicious healthy meal, this dish is just for you!!  Just throw all the ingredients into a crock pot and let it cook!!  

Ingredients:

* Round Steak

* 1 Cup Onion

* 2-3 Garlic Cloves

* 1/4 cup Soy Sauce

* 1/4 cup Olive Oil (I just used enough to cover the bottom of crock pot)

* 1 can chopped Tomatoes

* 1/2 teaspoon Ginger

* Broccoli (I just got a 12 ounce frozen bag-it's really your choice on how much)

* Sugar Snaps (I also got a 12 ounce frozen bag)

* Green Peppers (as much as you want- I just used one)

* Celery

I normally get this started the night before so the meat can marinate.  I cut up the meat into cubes, cut up the onion and garlic, and put into the crock pot with olive oil and soy sauce.  I also season it all with some salt, pepper, and ginger.  Stir it all together and put in the fridge to marinate over night.  

Once I get up in the morning, I add the can of chopped tomatoes and turn on the crock pot.  I let all of that cook on high throughout the day until the meat is tender.  

After the meat is tender (I let it cook for about 5-6 hours) I add all the vegetables.  Let those cook until everything is tender (1-2 hours).

Serve over rice and enjoy :)    

Chicken Fajita Casserole

Perfect for football weekends!

This is a simple and easy meal to make that lasts for about 3 meals between Matt and I.  We love to eat this on football game days.  As a blogger, I found this recipe on another blog and knew we had to try it.  Tonight is our second time making it and I have to admit, it's still yummy!!

Here is what you need:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), sliced
• 1 16-ounce bag tortilla chips
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 2 12-ounce jars salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
• 3/4 cup sour cream (low fat or regular)
• 4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
• 9X13 cooking dish/pan
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• We prepared everything a head of time.  
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• Cut up and sauté the onion and peppers (we used red, yellow, and green bell peppers).
• Boil 2-3 chicken breasts.  Shred and season it (we used salt, pepper, and all season salt).
• Mix together 24 ounces of salsa and 3/4 cup of sour cream.
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• Once everything has been prepared, you start to layer!!
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• First Layer:

Sorry, I didn't take a picture when it was full!  But you get the picture.  Layer this on the bottom of the cooking dish/pan

Second Layer:

Add half of the onion and pepper on top of the tortilla chips.

Third Layer:

Add shredded chicken on top of that.  This was 1 chicken breast shredded.  I shredded the other chicken breast for when we repeat this step again.

Fourth Layer:

OOPS!  I forgot to take a picture :)  Shredded cheddar cheese is the next layer.  

Fifth Layer:

Add half of your salsa mix.

Repeat those steps and use up the rest of your ingredients.  After you add your "second" fifth layer of salsa mix, add more cheese!

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Uncover and cook for another 20 minutes or until it looks golden brown.

Delicious!  Enjoy! :)

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• XOXO
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Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

This weekend, we got a true feel for fall...it's not going to last though.  It'll be back up to the 80's by Wednesday!  Anyway, when trying to figure out what to cook for dinner on a 50 degree night, it hit me!

Soup!  Something warm and yummy!

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder is the ONLY type of soup I like, especially with vegetables, so I thought I would share the recipe.  My mom made this quite a bit while I lived at home and before I got married, I made a copy of the recipe!   

What you'll need:

1/2 cup chopped onion (we used half of a large white onion)

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup celery (we couldn't find any so we left it out, doesn't make a difference!)

3/4 cup carrots, sliced

1 cup cubed potatoes

3 1/2 cup chicken broth (we used 3 cups water and 3 beef bullion cubes)

17 oz canned corn, drained

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

1 tablespoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon paprika 

2 cups (8oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Process:

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil.  Then cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  

While the veggies are simmering, you can make the cheesy mix!

Melt butter in small pot over low heat.  Stir in flour and cook about 1 minute.  Gradually add milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly.

This is what it looks like shortly after adding the milk.

Now it's thick and bubbly, ready to add other ingredients.

Stir in the remainder ingredients (mustard, pepper, paprika, cheese).  Cook until cheese melts and then remove from heat.

It should look similar to this!

Once the potatoes in the vegetable mix are tender, stir in the corn and then add and stir in the cheesy mix until thoroughly heated, but don't boil!

Serve and enjoy!!

We made some cornbread muffins to eat along with the chowder!

Delicious!!!

If I had a dying wish and wanted one thing to eat, this would be it!  Sooo good!!

Enjoy!

Have a great week!

XOXO

Healthy and Delicious Mexican Dinner!

My mother always made this dish in the crock pot.  At the beginning of the summer, Matt and I didn't own a crock pot, but wanted to make this dish.  So, we called his mom up who did it all on the stove, and she gave us her ideas for her recipe.  We combined the two recipes together and found a delicious meal we eat every single week, also under $15!

Chicken Chili:

These are the ingredients you'll need:

·      3 chicken breasts
·      1 white onion
·      1 Green pepper
·      1-2 cloves of garlic

·      2 cans of Great Northern White Beans

·      7oz can of chopped green chili
·      2/3 cups medium salsa
·      4oz sour cream
·      Seasoned Salt or Chicken Bullion
·      Salt and Pepper to taste
·      Shredded Cheese

Prepare: 
(I'll show pics of the process along with the brands of food I get to make  for this meal.  NOTE: I don't have pictures of each ingredient, so be sure to read carefully!)

Boil chicken breasts with 1 cup of water with seasoning or chicken bullion for 15 minutes.

Once chicken has softened, shred the chicken and then put it back in the pot with seasoning/broth.

Chop onion and sauté with garlic cloves on medium-low heat.  Until soft.  Do not brown

Combine sauted onion and garlic, chopped green chilies (don’t drain), chopped green pepper, white beans (don’t drain, makes it thicker), and salsa into the pot with chicken.

Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

  

****After an hour, add 2oz of sour cream salt and pepper.****

This is what it looks like when it's finished cooking (it might be darker depending on how much salsa you use!)

Serve:

Add some shredded cheese and enjoy this meal with some tortilla chips!

DELICIOUS!!!