Cookies & Cream Brownies

I love brownies from the box, I mean why fix something if it tastes good already. But recently I found a recipe for Oreo brownies that are made from scratch and I had to give it a try. They were delicious and Oreos are another one of those special ingredients that makes everything better! The Girl Who Ate Everything brought this awesome recipe to my attention.

Mix melted chocolate and butter with sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and flour.

Fold in crushed Oreos, "the good stuff"

Bake for 28-32 minutes. Cool completely on cooling rack.

Beat butter and cream cheese together. Add in powdered sugar, milk, & vanilla. Fold in crushed Oreos. Frost cooled brownies.

Cookies & Cream Brownies

Ingredients:

Brownies:

• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped up (I had semi-sweet on hand so that's what I used)
• 3/4 C butter
• 1 1/2 C white sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 C flour
• 8 Oreos, crushed

Cookies & Cream Frosting:

• 1/2 C butter, softened
• 2 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 1/4 C powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp milk
• 5 Oreo cookies, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 9×9 inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl until butter is melted (~2 minutes).
3. Whisk mixture until chocolate is melted. Stir in sugar. Add in eggs, extract and salt. Gradually add in flour and stir until just combined. Fold in crushed Oreo cookies.
4. Bake for 28-32 minutes; do not over bake. These taste completely different if they are overbaked!
5. Remove to cooling rack.
6. For the frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy with a mixer.
7. Add the powdered sugar slowly, mixing together until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined.
8. Add milk to desired consistency. If your frosting is too thick add more milk and if it's too thin add some more powdered sugar.
9. Crush Oreos and fold them into the frosting.
10. Frost cooled brownies. Makes enough frosting for a 9X9 pan of brownies. Makes around 12 brownies

Benihana Stir-Fry

My family loves Benihana's! It is our absolute favorite restaurant, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. If you are signed up with Benihana then you get a $30 gift certificate to spend on a meal during your birthday month. So Andrew and I went just the other day since I had to use my birthday gift certificate and man was it good! Sometimes my family will make homemade Benihana and just buy the salad dressing and ginger sauce (we love this stuff!!! can be an acquired taste though) from the restaurant and bring it home; much cheaper this way! So this is what Andrew and I did, we ate at Benihana and then got the sauces to go so we could make it the next night too.

*There are no measurements here because you cook as much as you would like*

Cook onions, chicken, & steak tips in olive oil and soy sauce until no longer pink.

In another pan with olive oil & soy sauce, cook squash & zucchini.

I cooked my mushrooms in another pan (with butter) since Andrew doesn't like them.

Before serving add vegetables to chicken & steak. Serve over rice.

Benihana Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• Cooked white rice
• Chicken, cubed
• Steak Tips
• Zucchini
• Yellow Squash
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Benihana Ginger Sauce

Directions:

1. In a pan cook chicken, steak, and onions in olive oil and soy sauce. Cook until no longer pink.
2. In a separate saucepan cook zucchini, squash, and mushrooms in olive oil, soy sauce, & a little bit of butter. 
3. Once everything is cooked, combine into one pan and serve it over cooked rice. Top it off with ginger sauce.

**We served ours with a side salad using Benihana salad dressing. They sell their sauces ~$4/pint.

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ok, so if you are anything like me then you struggle to find a yummy, doable enchilada recipe. I swear all the recipes out there don't taste that great, are too spicy (for my weak taste buds), or way too difficult and time consuming. Well Joyful Momma's Kitchen helped me out (again) and helped me deliver a fast, good-tastin', chicken enchilada! And most of you are probably with the times and have already found this deliciousness on Pintrest but if not here ya go...

In pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.

Add broth and whisk until smooth

Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not let boil.

Meanwhile, combine shredded chicken and cheese. Roll mixture into tortillas.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 22 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes.

                           


White Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 8-10 soft tortillas
• 2 C cooked, shredded chicken
• 2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 C chicken broth (~1 Can)
• 1 C sour cream
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan.
2. Mix chicken and 1 C cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan.
3. In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
4. Stir in sour cream and chilies. Do not let boil.
5. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 22 minutes and then broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese. 

Ritz Ranch Chicken

This Ritz Ranch chicken is the definition of easy! Four ingredients and that is all, can you believe it? I served our chicken with the Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake, great combo!

Put melted butter and crushed Ritz crackers mixed with Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix in separate bowls.

Dip thawed chicken (I used tenderloins) in butter then coat it with Ritz ranch mixture. Place in greased baking dish. Cook for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees.

That's it! So yummy!

Ritz Ranch Chicken

Ingredients (use as much as needed depending on how much chicken you want):

• Butter
• Chicken, thawed
• Ritz Crackers
• Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning packet

Directions:

1. Grease baking dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place melted butter in one bowl and crushed Ritz crackers and ranch seasoning in another bowl combined.
3. Dip chicken into butter then coat it with Ritz ranch mixture. Place in baking dish.
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake

For a vegetable side dish this one is awesome! I love zucchini so this hit the spot! So easy too; toss the ingredients together, put it in a baking dish, and bake, that's it! Hope you like this one as much as I did. Thanks Kalyn's Kitchen for the fun recipe!

Combine yellow squash, zucchini, cheeses, garlic powder, salt & pepper, green onions, and basil. Stir together.

Place mixture in baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Top casserole with remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Easy Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini, cut in slices
• 2 medium yellow squash, cut in slices
• 2-4 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (however much you want really)
• 2 Tbsp sliced green onion
• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 C white cheese, grated (I used a pizza blend, use whatever your heart desires)
• 1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray square baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. Wash and cut zucchini and yellow squash. Wash basil and chop. Cut green onions.
3. Combine squash, basil, green onions, garlic powder, 1/2 C white cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Stir together until everything is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Put mixture in baking dish. Cook for 25-30 minutes.
5. Take casserole out and top with remaining 1/2 C grated white cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and squash is fully cooked.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This soup recipe comes from Favorites cookbook by the Ivory family. I love this cookbook, if you don't already have it I would consider getting it because it has the best recipes; it's one of my "favorites" for sure! Anyway, I thought I would try another tomato soup recipe on another cold winter day. It turned out surprisingly good; I say surprisingly because while I was cooking I wasn't so sure it would turn out so great. My Easy Tomato Soup has more of a sour taste to it and this tomato soup is more sweet and requires a little more work; both pretty good though. 

Saute onion and garlic in butter until soft.

Add in tomato soup and cream cheese.

Whisk until everything is incorporated.

The soup isn't looking to great at this point, does it? 

Add in whole tomatoes.

Puree soup in blender until smooth (I left some chunks in mine). Return to pan.

Add milk and basil into soup.

Gently warm over low heat.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed tomato soup
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans whole tomatoes, undrained
• 1 C milk
• 1/4 C fresh basil

Directions:

1. Using a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat until soft.
2. Add cream cheese and tomato soup. Whisk together until cream cheese and tomato soup is well incorporated. 
3. Add whole tomatoes and their juices.
4. Puree soup mixture in blender (do it in batches if needed), return to pan.
5. Add milk and basil. Warm through over low heat. Serve.

Spaghetti Casserole

Another Joyful Mommas Kitchen success! Spaghetti is my go-to-meal and that isn't the case for Andrew but even he was loving this spaghetti dish. This is also a freezer meal and is easy to double in size. You really can't go wrong...

Boil spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Drain and drizzle with olive oil to keep from sticking together.

 Brown beef with onion. Drain.

Return meat to pan and stir in marinara sauce. 

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream together.

Grease baking dish and layer half the noodles.

Top noodles with 2/3 C Parmesan cheese.

Followed w/ layer of cream cheese mixture.

                                           

Top with remaining noodles.

 Then layer meat sauce on top. Bake for 30 mins, sprinkle 2 C cheese on top then cook for another 15 mins.

Spaghetti Casserole

Ingredients:

• 16 oz spaghetti noddles
• 2 lb jar marinara sauce
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 C chopped onion
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1 C cottage cheese
• 2/3 C Parmesan cheese
• 2 C shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 pan.
2. Boil noodles according to package, drain, then stir with a little olive oil to prevent noodles from sticking together.
3. In a stand mixer combine cream cheese, cottage cheese, & sour cream. Set aside.
4. Brown ground beef and onion until no longer pink. Drain. Add in jar of marinara sauce and stir until combined.
5. Begin by layering half of the noodles in the bottom of your pan.
6. Top with Parmesan cheese.
7. Layer on cream cheese mixture.
8. Top with remaining noodles.
9. Spread marinara sauce with beef over top.
10. Bake for 30 minutes then sprinkle 2 C cheese and return to oven for another 15 minutes.

**If freezing double wrap in foil, thaw overnight, and top with 2 C cheese the last 15 minutes as directed.