Chicken and Rice Bake

I love comfort foods in the Fall and Winter months. I also love one dish recipes that help to cut down on cleanup. I must admit, cleaning is not my strongest asset. I was in the grocery store the other day thinking of simple ways to make chicken and this one popped into my head. I hope you all enjoy.... Chicken and Rice Bake (Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes) 2 Boxes Chicken and Broccoli Rice Mix, uncooked (I use Rice-A-Roni) 4 Large Chicken Breasts (uncooked and rinsed) 2 cups hot water 1 can Campbell's Broccoli and Cheese Soup 3 T olive oil (enough to coat chicken breasts) Poultry Seasoning Garlic Powder Poppy Seeds Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. In dish add uncooked...

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Posted in: Main Dish Recipes

White Chocolate Cherry Pie

I am always looking for yummy dessert recipes for my kitchen. I love sugar and everything that comes in that blissful world. Though I love sugar, it doesn't love me. It puts on the pounds faster than I can blink an eye. :D The holiday time of year is not the best time to diet or even "cut back" on certain foods. It is hard. With my email and blogger friends it is very tempting to recreate a delicious looking recipe or two. I found an email from Taste of Home for a White Chocolate Mousse Cherry Pie. Sounds super good, right? Super good and packs a whopping 556 cals per slice. OUCH! So I decided to get my tail into the kitchen and whip up a lower sugar/lower calorie version. 281 Calories per serving in my version. Much better. White...

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Posted in: Desserts,Pies

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

I really do enjoy pasta. Especially when it is super simple to throw together. :D Now this recipe isn't "low fat" so you need to watch portion size to keep the calories in check. I will try to experiment with more natural ingredients in the future to see how it turns out. Creamy Chicken Spaghetti 1 box of spaghetti noodles or pasta of your choice 1 tub of Philadelphia Cooking Cream-I used Italian Herb 1 zucchini chopped into bite size pieces 1 small-medium onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup chicken or veggie stock 2 T olive oil 2 T butter (again, not low fat here but tasty!) 1 large can chicken, drained In a large stock pot, bring water to boil for the pasta. Add pasta and a pinch of salt-boil for about 10 minutes. While pasta is cooking-in a large...

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Posted in: Main Dish Recipes

Sausage Jambalaya

One of my favorite go-to meals is Sausage jambalaya. It is a one skillet, minimum prep meal that hits the spot every time. I don't have pics on this one (sorry) but it is an easy enough to follow recipe. Sausage Jambalaya 1 lb of smoked sausage (I use turkey sausage) cut into bite size discs 1 red bell pepper, chopped* 1 green bell pepper, chopped* 1 medium onion, chopped* 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 box of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix 1 T olive oil 2 T butter Heat oil and butter in saute pan until butter is melted (medium heat). Saute onion, bell pepper for three minutes then add garlic and sausage. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water and rice packet; stir mixture. Bring to boil; then immediately lower temperature to low to simmer....

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Posted in: cajun,dirty rice,Jambalaya,Main Dish Recipes,Rice,sausage

Pumpkin Spice Creamer Review

For those of you foodies that do not know me that well yet, I have a secret.....I am a huge coffee fan! Nothing sets off a great cup of coffee for me than a nice flavored creamer. Coffee Mate usually creates interesting seasonal flavors in addition to their standard French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Caramel, etc. I saw the Pumpkin Spice flavor on the shelf at the store but was a bit hesitant to purchase. I usually get either my standard French Vanilla or Hazelnut in sugar free. But I decided to kick it up a notch and get my pumpkin on! :D I first had to smell the creamer to see what I was getting myself and my coffee into. It smelled "spicy" and sweet so I thought, this isnt so bad. I was right! In fact my first sip was heavenly. The pumpkin is mellow...

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Posted in: Coffee,Creamer,Pumpkin Spice,Review

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

Since my last post was all about Paula Deen, I want to continue on that path with a recipe I adapted from Ms. Paula's website. My husband is a huge seafood fan. So any recipe I make with seafood is always a hit with him. After visiting Paula Deen's Buffet in Tunica, MS a few weeks back, I was able to located a few specific recipes on Paula's website that I knew were tasty. I hope you enjoy! Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole Serves 6-8 2 lbs. medium shrimp (peeled and deveined) 1 cup frozen pepper and onion mix 2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 2 cans cream of mushroom soup 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 2 boxes of cooked wild rice, cooked Directions In a large...

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Posted in: Main Dish Recipes

Paula Deen Buffet Review

I love me some Paula Deen Ya'll! For me she is fun to watch and reminds me of great times in the kitchen. I don't currently have The Food Network on cable so I can not watch her shows (which makes me sad) but I do catch her online from time to time if I need my Paula fix. I watch her more often during this time of year because I get bit by the cooking bug. I have never been to any of her restaurants but heard they were pretty good. (Depending on what you ordered). My Aunt visited us recently and we took her to Tunica, MS, for a day to visit, play poker and eat at Paula Deen's Buffet. I decided to write a review of what I found. Before we left on our mini roadtrip, I read several reviews, some good and some not so good about this buffet. My...

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