Caprese Salad Skewers

This is a perfect hors d'oeuvre for a party.  It's cheap, easy and delicious.  Not to mention who doesn't love caprese salad?!

Ingredients:

8" skewers or mini forks 

1 pint Cherry tomatoes

1 tub bocconcini (mini fresh mozzarella balls, drained)

fresh basil leaves

balsamic vinegar or olive oil for drizzling

Directions:

I prefer to cut my cherry tomatoes in half as well as the mozzarella balls in half (it makes it easier to eat this way).  You can however leave them whole if you prefer.  

Take a mini fork or skewer and stack on tomato, basil, mozzarella, basil and other half of tomato (if leaving whole just stack 1 tomato, then 1 piece of basil and 1 ball of mozzarella).

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or olive oil.

Easy Spicy Chicken Tacos

I LOVE crockpot cooking and this is one of my favorites because it's so easy and really good.  Thank you Liz O'Donnell for this gem!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos


Ingredients:
2 - 4 chicken breasts (I normally use 4)
1 can of ro-tel
1 package of chicken taco seasoning
Flour tortillas
Any toppings you prefer (I like tomatillo salsa, cilantro and shredded cheese).

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with nonstick spray
put chicken in the bottom
mix together rotel and taco mix in crock pot
Cook for 4 - 6 hours on low
Put in flour tortillas and use your favorite toppings.

Creamy Mac n Cheese

Creamy Mac n Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoon (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sour cream
1   (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
3   eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cup (about 10-ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8 ounce box isn’t quite 2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Add eggs. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 1 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally.  (Watch carefully, so that you don't over cook it.  It is ready with all is melted and looks like picture above).

Artichoke Chicken Goodness

This recipe is seriously SOOOOOOOOOOO easy and delicious.  I have to credit Hailey Hinz for sending this my way.

Artichoke Chicken

Ingredients:

1 can of artichoke hearts - chopped

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese  ( prefer to use freshly grated)

3/4 cup mayo (you can also do 1/2 c. mayo and 1/4 c. sour cream)

Garlic salt and salt and pepper - about 1/2 a teaspoon of each

4 chicken breasts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 

Chop artichoke hearts

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with the artichoke hearts

Spray pan 

Place chicken in pan

Top with artichoke mixture

Bake 30 mins

Top with Paprika if desired

Fancy Fruit Tarts

Fancy Fruit Tarts

This recipe is SOOOO easy and delicious, not to mention they look so pretty!  I made these for a holiday party and these were a huge crowd pleaser.

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerator pie crust dough (or you can use phyllo dough).
Hardening Shell chocolate ice cream topping
Fresh fruit of your choice (I used apples, pears, kiwi and bananas for this batch)

(If using Piecrust)
Unfold one piecrust and place on a floured surface or on wax paper.
Make sure both sides of pie crust are lightly covered in flower
Gently roll over pie crust with a rolling pin.

Using a round cookie cutter, or other fun shape that is mostly round, cut out pieces of piecrust.  Place each cut-out in a muffin pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Prick bottoms of each piecrust with fork, place pan in fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove muffin pan from fridge and bake in for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove and cool for 5 min.

(If using phyllo dough)
Roll out layers of phyllo and place on a floured surface.
Using a round cookie cutter cut out pieces of phyllo.  Place each cut-out in a muffin pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.
place pan in fridge to chill for about 30 minutes.
Follow cooking directions on package of phyllo.  (you can also do these in MINI muffin tins like I did with this batch and they work well).
Remove and cool for 5 min.

Filling:
Remove shells from pan and place on a serving plate.  Spread bottom of each shell with chocolate topping and arrange fruits of your choice on the top.  Drizzle more chocolate over the tops and put in the fridge to chill until ready to serve.