fiesta chicken casserole

i got this from my campbells receipe book. its a favorite at our house! :)

fiesta chicken casserole

1 package of pie crusts
1 jar of chunky salsa
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 cup of sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 package of frozen whole kernel corn
1 can black beans - rinsed and drained
chicken

(i boil my chicken and cut it up into pieces)

heat the oven to 400. let the pie crusts stand at room temperature for 15 min. or until they are easy to handle.

stir the salsa, soup, sour cream, cheese, corn, chicken, and beans in a large bowl. spoon the soup mixture into a 13x9x2inch shallow baking pan.

place the crusts on a lightly floured surface, overlapping about 3 inches in the center. press the seam to seal. roll into a 14x10inch rectangle. trim excess crust. place the crust over the chicken mixture. crimp or roll the edges to seal it to the dish. cut slits in the crust with a knife.

bake for 40 mintues or until crust is golden brown.

ENJOY!

menu monday

monday. tuna steaks & grilled corn

tuesday. stir fried cashew pork w/ rice

wednesday. chicken pockets with baked zucchini sticks

thursday. left overs

friday. spicy orange garlic shrimp

GRAB A BUTTON!

my bff, hayley, made my button and im pretty obsessed with it. so, grab a button people! :)

FUNNY FRiDAY!

have you laughed today??



HAPPY FRIDAY!

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

please note: i suck at taking pictures of food. im working on it. :)

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers (are AMAZING!)
thanks to martinilove (from thenest)

okay, we seriously make these ALL the time! they are fab and def a huge hit with the friends! you must make them!!


Ingredients - Skewers
1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1" chunks
1 lb. Bacon, cut into 3" pieces
1 lg. Pineapple, cut into 1" chunks

Ingredients - Teriyaki Sauce
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 Tbsp. Cold Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp. Garlic, minced
1/2 Tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Pepper

Directions
To make skewers, take one piece of chicken, wrap it in one piece of bacon and slide the skewer through the seam of the bacon holding both pieces of meat on. Follow with two chunks of pineapple. Repeat until there are three pieces of bacon-wrapped chicken and six pieces of pineapple chunks on the skewer. Repeat process with remaining skewers and place in a deep baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper over medium-high heat; mix well. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Carefully spoon the teriyaki mixture over the skewers in the baking dish until they're well covered with the sauce.

Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before grilling.

Preheat grill. Grill the skewers over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes (or until juices run clear from chicken).

Note: If using bamboo skewers, be sure to soak them in water for at least 1 hour before placing on the grill.

life is in session.

so last night a few of my girl friends and i went to see the switch. it was an awesome girls night movie. short version: kassie(jen aniston) wants a baby but isnt married and/or doesn't have a man. wally(jason bateman) is her bff. kassie has a get pregger party and the sperm donor is there. he does his business and its in a cup in the bathroom. drunk wally preforms a little switch of the juices. kassie moves away when she finds out she is knocked up but returns 7 years later. and then the movie gets adorable. mostly because of the darling little kid. he is so funny and WEIRD but amazing. okay, this wasn't short. basically, go see the movie...its fabulously funny.

love.

i saw this quote today and i just wanted to share. meet joe black is full of great quotes but i think this one is the best.

"Love is passion. Obsession. Someone you can't live without. Someone you fall head over heels for. Find someone you can love like crazy, and will love you the same way back. Listen to your heart. No sense in life without this. To make the journey without falling deeply in love, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try, because if you haven't tried, then you haven't lived."
-Meet Joe Black

and i think i have this.

no menu monday.

to be honest, i have no idea what we are having this week other than leftovers tonight. we had friends in town all weekend which means i had 0 time to plan. i do know that we will be having lots and lots of chicken. and probably a lot of rice. but...i do want to share this awesome cake i made for brad's birthday(which was saturday) it was amazing and such a hit! the sand is graham crackers, the grass and ocean are just dyed icing. :)

FUNNY FRiDAY!

watch them in order! happy friday!!

10 years.

It all started in 7th grade English class. I guess we owe it to Mrs. Davis. (Minus the fact she made us face opposite ways so we couldn’t talk to each other… ☺) Oh, I guess we, too, owe it to our awesome moms who carted us back and forth to each other’s houses constantly…

10 years of friendship. Almost 11. That’s what Hayley and I have together. We have had our share of ups and downs, inside jokes, and lots of laughter. Through all the years we certainly haven’t talked everyday or kept in touch like we should. I believe I can even say we completely grew apart for few years. But somehow, someway we could always pick right back up where we left off. And that’s what we did a year and half ago…we just picked right back up like we had never stopped talking. We have talked every day since. She’s family to me and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for her. I know that I will never meet someone better than her to call my best friend.

So here’s to you Hayley, thanks for always being so freaking amazing.

happy birthday pepper!

our sweet babygirl is 1 today! happy birthday to her!! she will have a delish dog cupcake tonight and trip to the dog park to celebrate! :)

ive given up on baking.

not competely...but i should. ever wonder what cupcakes look like without the flour? of course you dont....who the heck does? but in case i have made your mind oh so curious...here's the answer.



yep. thats my oven. and those were my cupcakes. nice yummy snickers cupcakes. i had to start over. but i had no more vegetable oil. sooo i had to admit to my neighbor what i had done and ask for vegetable oil. in the rain. not my proudest moment.

menu monday

i am making a whole roasted chicken in the crockpot on tuesday so we will be eating lots of chicken this week!  for lunches i am going to make chicken salad with the rotisserie chicken from the crockpot!


monday- blt’s

tuesday- crockpot rotisserie chicken & veggies on the side

wednesday- chicken enchiladas (with leftover rotisserie chicken)

thursday- baked spaghetti

friday- our good friends, tim & spencer, will be here so we will probably go out to celebrate brad’s birthday!

other- beach snacks (not sure what yet) for brad’s birthday celebration on saturday. and birthday cupcakes (again, not sure!) 

FUNNY FRiDAY!

dear blogger

dear blogger,

all i want to do is upload my awesome funny friday. you wont let me. ergh.

chicken crescent pockets

these were so good! quick. easy. delish! try them!
thank you Cooking with LT for this wonderfulness!

chicken crescent pockets

You will need:
-3 oz low fat cream cheese, softened
-1 Tbsp butter, melted (OR spritz olive oil-which I did)
-2 c cooked chicken. diced/shredded (I used 2 chicken breast boiled and shredded)
-2 Tbsp milk
-salt & pepper, to taste
-1 (8 oz) can reduced-fat Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
-1/2 cup seasoned croutons, crushed (I used garlic and onion flavored ones)

1) Heat oven to 350°F.

2) In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened butter; stir until smooth. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and milk. Mix well.

3)Separate dough into 4 rectangles (this is done by keeping 2 crescents together). Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal.

4)Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Gently spray tops of chicken pockets with olive oil (or use butter); sprinkle with crushed croutons. Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

just a quote for today.

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." - Marilyn Monroe

:)

xoxo.manda

menu monday:)

monday- herb chicken bake.

tuesday- blackened chicken linguini with fresh tomato sauce.

wednesday- blt wraps with cucumber salad.

thursday- salsa chicken & rice.

friday- something on the grill. prob hotdogs and grilled veggies.

xoxo. manda

shine that sink!

adapted from flylady!



Shiny Sink 101

Note: Follow this procedure the first time you shine your sink. You do NOT need to follow this method everyday. Just keep up the shine with a little window cleaner.

I want you to smile from ear to ear when you gaze upon your shiny sink.

I have heard every excuse in the world. Even old sinks can look new again with a little elbow grease.

Here is how you do it:

BE SURE AND RINSE WELL BETWEEN EACH STEP OF THE WAY!

Take all the dishes out of the sink.

Run some very hot water into the sink. Fill to the rim. Only do one side at a time. Then, pour a cup of household bleach into the hot water. Let it sit for 1 hour. Now, pull the plug with a pair of tongs. If you don't have tongs, then scoop some of the water out of the sink into the other sink and use your hand to pull the plug (wear gloves and don't get the bleach-water on your clothes).

Rinse your sink well.

Use some cleanser (Comet, Ajax, or Baking Soda) and scrub your sink. Ensure you rinse ALL of the cleanser from the sink.

Take a sharp edge and clean around the rim of the sink, just like you would clean dirt out from under your fingernails.

Clean around the faucets too. You may need an old toothbrush or dental floss.

Now, get out your window cleaner, I use Windex, and give it a good shine.

If you still don't like the way it looks, then you could try some car wax. Just know in your heart that you have cleaned it very well now and it doesn't have to be perfect. Our perfectionism is what got us in this situation in the first place.

Every time you run water in your sink, take your clean dishtowel and dry it out (I lay out a clean one, every night with my before bedtime routine). Before you know it, you will be doing this everytime you leave your kitchen. The rest of the family will too. No more water spots. You will have a clean and shiny sink.

Don't have a fit if someone doesn't take as much pride in your sink as you do. It is very easy to fix. You have already done the hard part. You will never have to go through this process again. Daily maintenance will keep it looking this way all the time. Nasty hurtful word are not as easy to repair. Just be sure and tell your family what you are trying to do. They will think you have gone crazy.

If you don't have a dishwasher, don't worry. A dishwasher is just a dirty dish disposal. Clean out a place under your sink and put a dishpan in there. Teach your family, that instead of putting their dirty dishes and glasses in the sink, place them into the dish pan. Get into the habit of putting your dishes away as soon as they have been washed and are dry. No more leaving the dish drying rack on the counter or in the sink. Put it away under the sink when you have finished. If your old one is nasty, you may want to soak it in the sink full of bleach water at the same time you soak the sink or go buy a new set.

To insure that your family remembers this, put a note in the sink. It will get their attention and remind them where to put the dishes. Be patient! They have never been taught either. It is going to take some practice.

Now if you have a stainless steel sink, I recommend all of the above directions with one extra instruction added: after you soak your sink, rinse well, and use SOS pads to scrub it. This will buff the finish. It will look like new.

If you still can't get it to shine after the Windex, put a light coat of lemon oil or olive oil on it. I mean just a tiny bit on a cloth and rub it. This will make you smile. Some people have had very good results from Bar Keepers Friend.

Go Shine Your Sink!
FlyLady

Last note: ensure you don't mix cleansers like Comet, etc. with Windex (or other ammonia based cleaners), you can create dangerous gases! It is worth repeating: rinse well between each step.

FAB!!

xoxo. manda

pizza stuffed pretzels...YUM!

yesterday all i wanted to do is cook. so thats exactly what i did when i got home last night. while our supper was baking, i made pizza stuffed pretzels. (brad and i are having them for lunch today.) give it a try. if you aren't feeling fancy...im usually not...you can use the already made pizza dough. it might not be as good but its still really delish! i havent attempted making dough yet. still impressive right? hmm. i would show you a picture but its not cute so just use your imagination.


Pizza Stuffed Pretzels
recipe from joelen

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine flour, yeast, salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer to mix fitted with a dough hook.

Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the stand mixer is running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Continue mixing until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes.

Filling:
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup pepperoni slices
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
1 egg slightly beaten
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 cup marinara or pasta sauce (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Cut the prepared pizza dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each out into a rectangle. Scatter the cheese, pepperoni and mushrooms over the dough. Brush the one of the long sides with a little egg wash then, starting with the opposite side, roll the dough up into a log, enclosing the toppings inside. Shape the log into a pretzel and transfer to a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pizza pretzel with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.

While the pizza pretzel is baking, place a medium pot over medium-high heat to heat up marinara or pasta sauce, until warm. Serve the pizza pretzel with the marinara/pasta sauce dipper alongside.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare the pretzels as directed above and do not bake. Instead, wrap prepared pretzels in plastic wrap and foil. Place in a freezer bag and freeze. When ready to prepare, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place frozen stuffed pretzel on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. No need to defrost pretzel before baking.


enjoy!

xoxo. manda

im amazed...

by how much i do not know about music. more specifically...i have no idea who sings what songs. as in, im really bad at name that tune. so let me inform you of my new love, bob seger. did you know he sang night moves? or like a rock? or a million other wonderful songs? i didnt. so heres to you bob seger, i love your music! :)




oh and can we talk about the actress? so melrose place. now, i love night moves EVEN more!

ahhh. im a loser.

xoxo. manda