Chocolate Chili

I'm not a chili person.
I've never really cared for it.
I'll eat it on Mormon Enchiladas but that's about it.
At chili cook-offs I don't taste test all the kinds.
Sometimes I'll try a couple
but for the most part
I just stick to my Dad's Chocolate Chili!
This stuff is amazing (:
He doesn't like to take measurements,
so Justin & I created this recipe using the essentials from my Dad's ingredient list.

Two things you must remember about this chili:
1. Don't try it expecting it to taste like regular chili. It won't.
2. Don't make chili dogs or Mormon Enchiladas with it. I haven't personally ventured into those uncharted waters, but it's not that kind of chili.

I haven't tried it with sour cream, cheese, or crackers either, but again...
It's not your typical chili.
I HAVE tried it with a tiny spoonful of peanut butter in my own bowl & it was delicious,
but I think that I prefer it just the way it is.

Really this recipe should be called
"Chunky Chocolate Chicken Mole Soup w/ Beans & Spices"
so people don't assume that it tastes like normal chili. (;

2 cans white beans (don't drain)
2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (don't drain)
1 lb Hershey's chocolate bars
2 lbs cooked chicken, diced
1/2 lg sweet onion, chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sage
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
chili powder (to taste)
mole (to taste)

Pour cans of white beans & cans of tomatoes w/ green chiles into crockpot. Break up chocolate bars, add to crockpot & stir in. Place lid & heat on high until chocolate is melted (usually about 30-45 min, stirring halfway through). I like to cook & dice my chicken during this time. Add diced chicken, chopped onion, ketchup, & water. Stir. Add garlic powder, sage, paprika, white pepper, & cumin. Stir. Add chili powder & mole to taste. Stir. Switch to low heat approx 2 hours after turning crockpot on.

Total cook time 5-8 hrs: (2 hours on high, then 3-6 on low)

Note: Sometimes I use chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor

xoxo

Breakfast Balls

These are super tasty
& they are packed full of energy!
I've seen a bunch of different versions of breakfast balls,
but this recipe is a combination of others using ingredients I had on hand (:

1 cup peanut butter

3 bananas

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup coconut

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup craisins

powdered sugar (optional - to coat)

Heat peanut butter, bananas, & honey in a large microwavable bowl for 30 seconds. Mash bananas & stir in vanilla. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate chips, & craisins one ingredient at a time until each is completely coated. Roll into balls 1" or 1 1/2" in diameter. If desired, roll balls in powdered sugar, then refrigerate to set. Makes approximately 35 balls.

xoxo

Southwest Fondue

Justin whipped this together one day

& I absolutely fell in love with it!

He didn't write down the amounts of ingredients he used

so this actual recipe was something I came up with while attempting to recreate it.
This makes a lot, but you could easily half the recipe if you didn't want to make so much.
I keep the leftovers in our fridge & just reheat small amounts when I want some.

3 cups cheese

1 cup salsa

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup ranch

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp chili powder

Use a hand blender to combine all ingredients except for cheese. Add cheese & heat in saucepan over medium heat until cheese is melted. Use hand blender again to help even the texture before serving. Keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally.

So far I have tried it with tortilla chips, pretzels, breakfast burritos, quesadillas & my personal favorite... Chicken Bacon Ranch Taquitos! It tasted amazing with all of them (:

xoxo

Mormon Enchiladas

This dinner is super easy, tasty, & filling...
My grandparents had a friend whose parents were from the Mormon Colonies in Mexico.
They like to make stacked enchiladas out there, hence the name "Mormon" Enchiladas.
The friend made these for my grandparents many years ago,
who started making them for their children.
My dad & grandparents made them for us growing up,
& I introduced them to my husband & our kids.
We have all been enjoying them ever since!

Corn tortillas

Canned chili

Shredded cheese

You can do this one of two ways: Heat the chili prior to stacking or heat the whole thing in the microwave after it's stacked. I usually layer mine first, then just microwave it.

Layers go as follows: Tortilla, chili, cheese; tortilla, chili, cheese; tortilla, chili, cheese... Do this as many times as you'd like depending on how hungry you are. I usually stick to three tortillas high & top with sour cream. Enjoy!

xoxo

Lazy Day Lasagna aka Quasagna

If you have posts about family friendly costumes,

feel free to link them up at my 2014 Halloween Costume Party

It will be up the entire month of October & the first week of November (:

Lazy Day Lasagna.
For when you want that lasagna flavor,
but you're too lazy to layer it & clean multiple bowls.
My husband likes to call it Quasi Lasagna
aka Quasagna (:

1 pound pasta - cooked

3-4 cups pasta sauce

1 pound ground beef - cooked

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to directions & drain. Pour pasta back into the pot & add pasta sauce, ground beef, ricotta cheese, & 1 cup mozzarella. Stir until well combined & pasta is fully coated. Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella & parmesan cheese. Cover with foil & bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking to lightly brown the top.

Note: We've tried rotini & penne before, but next time I might try broken up lasagne instead to be more true to the name.

Adapted from Sara - Live It Well

xoxo

Grandma's Apple Crisp

I have another nostalgic recipe to share with you!

My Grandma's Apple Crisp (:

It's super easy & definitely delicious!

5 medium apples - peeled & sliced (I use Granny Smith)

1 cube butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup flour

Place sliced apples on bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Melt butter & mix with remaining ingredients. Crumble mixture over apples & place in oven at 350 degrees for 42 minutes.

NOTES:

- Peach slices may be used instead of apple slices. I've even used the topping with blackberries before... It was pretty awesome!

- When my mom makes it she often doubles the topping ingredients & sometimes uses a little less butter than the recipe calls for. I now do the same thing (:

   

xoxo

Sunday Cookies

While growing up, we had this Sunday tradition

of eating roast for dinner after church & chocolate chip cookies for dessert...

My mom STILL makes a delicious roast every Sunday
& then makes these yummy cookies for dessert!

1 cup butter (softened)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter & sugar. Beat in egg & vanilla. Add dry ingredients & combine; stir in the chocolate chips.

Bake with love at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes.

Note: These cookies taste best when you reserve a tiny handful of chocolate chips for each person to eat on the side while they are baking ;)

xoxo

Saturday Dishes Index & Upcoming Themes

Upcoming Themes

October 25th - Halloween
November 8th - Family Recipes
November 15th - Side Dishes
November 22nd - Turkey & Thanksgiving
November 28th - Leftovers
December 6th - Holiday Desserts
December 13th - Appetizers
December 20th - Christmas
December 27th - NO SATURDAY DISHES (Enjoy the holidays with your families)
January 10 - Healthy / Get Fit Recipes
January 17 - Comfort Foods
January 24 - Warm Drinks or Snacks
January 31 - Casseroles
February 7 - Anything Goes
February 14 - Valentine's Day
February 21 - Mardi Gras
February 28 - Chinese New Year
March 7 - Chocolate
March 14 - St. Patrick's Day
March 21 - Potatoes
March 28 - Citrus
April 4 - NO SATURDAY DISHES (Enjoy the holidays with your families)
April 11 - Easter
April 18 - Seafood
April 25 - Anything Goes

Index

- After School Snacks
- Breads
- Brunch
- Cakes
- Cold Summery Treats
- Cookies
- Crockpot / Slow Cooker
- Dips & Finger Foods
- Dutch Oven & Camping
- Freezer Meals
- Fruit
- Garden & Harvest
- Graduation Party
- Memorial Day & Grilling
- Mexican & Hispanic
- Mocktails & Kid-Friendly Drinks
- Noodles
- Pies & Cobblers
- Pumpkin / Squash
- Red, White, & Blue

- Salads
- Soups / Stews

xoxo

Easy Cheesy White Chicken Enchilada Casserole

A few months ago,

my friend Lisa from Pebbles & Piggytails posted a recipe

for Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole on her blog.

We tried it for dinner a while back & absolutely loved it!

My pregnant mind started thinking of different variations of it that we could try since it's so simple...

Hubby even had an awesome idea that I'm going to withhold for now

since I'm sure I'll post about it later!

This dinner was another one of those weird pregnancy thoughts

that turned out to be wonderfully delicious!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole meets Cheesy White Chicken Enchiladas.

They fall madly in love.

Easy Cheesy.

25-30 corn tortillas

2 cups cooked chicken (diced or shredded)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp chicken base

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 cup cheddar cheese separated (1/2 cup & 1/4 cup)

2 cups monterey jack cheese

Chop tortillas into bite sized pieces. Heat water with chicken base in the microwave 30 seconds at a time until chicken base is fully melted. Mix together heavy whipping cream, sour cream, & chicken base melted in water. Add chicken, green chiles, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, & tortillas then mix well. Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with monterey jack cheese & remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.

xoxo

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls

I made these Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls
for Little Princess' Lilo & Stitch Luau last week...

I had seen a couple different versions of these here & here,
but neither one included the yummy buttery brown sugar glaze
that is on traditional Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.
I was determined to somehow include it.

1 box Yellow cake mix

1 can crushed pineapple (well-drained, but reserve juice)

1 10 oz jar Maraschino cherries (drained)

1/4 cup butter (melted)

1 cup brown sugar

Vanilla frosting (may not need it)

Yellow candy melts

Make cake mix according to directions but substitute reserved pineapple juice for water called for in the directions. Mix in well-drained crushed pineapple last (I used about a cup, but might try more next time) & bake according to directions. Once completely cooled, crumble with hands or food processor. Combine brown sugar with melted butter. It's okay if not all the brown sugar melts. Drizzle warm brown sugar mixture over the top. Combine well. If the consistency is still off, add frosting little by little until the right consistency is achieved (holds together easily, but not too sticky). Form then flatten a ball of dough & place a cherry in the center. Firmly wrap the dough around the cherry to make a ball again. Place cake balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, then refrigerate 10-15 minutes to firm them up for dipping. Use a fork to submerge each cake ball into melted chocolate & carefully tap off any excess chocolate. Carefully slide the balls off of the fork onto the cookie sheet. 

Note: You may have to bake your cake longer than the directions if you didn't drain enough of the pineapple juice, so making sure that you drain them enough is an important step.

Note: You can chop your cherries & mix them in right after the buttery brown sugar if you don't want them whole.

xoxo

Pulled Pork Hawaiian Haystacks

I grew up eating Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner all the time.
You know...
A bed of rice,
chow mein noodles,
almond slivers,
pineapple,
cheese,
coconut,
diced chicken with some sort of gravy sauce that I never wanted to put on mine,
whatever you see fit really.
I've seen plenty of variations online lately
with all sorts of different toppings...

When we lived in California,
we were feeding some LDS missionaries for dinner
& decided to have Hawaiian Haystacks.
One of the elders was from the islands.
He informed us that although the meal was tasty,
the only things Hawaiian about it
were the pineapple, coconut, & the bed of rice.
That has bothered me ever since.

When I was planning Little Princess' Lilo & Stitch party
I instantly thought of Hawaiian Haystacks for dinner.

I started thinking of ways to make it slightly more authentic...
Spam?
Pork?
Fish?
Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes?
Teriyaki?
Poi?

Here's what we decided:

Ignore the blue jello with Swedish fish in the picture.
We didn't eat that on the Haystacks...

Pulled Pork Hawaiian Haystacks
Bed of rice
Crockpot Hawaiian Pulled Pork (recipe below)
Chow Mein noodles
Monterey Jack cheese
Almond slivers
Pineapple tidbits
Shredded coconut
Banana Poi (recipe below)

We tried it both with & without the poi on top.
I liked it both ways.
With the poi it is definitely sweeter,
but you don't need to add that much or it may overpower the other flavors.
A light drizzle should do (:

We served King's Sweet Hawaiian Rolls on the side of the Haystacks.
Hubby tried the pulled pork on those & said it was good too.

I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork over at East 9th Street,
but ended up doing a few things differently...

Crockpot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

3 lbs pork loin, cut into 3-4" pieces (next time I might try 2-3" pieces if using it for Haystacks)

1 cup onion, chopped into small pieces but not quite minced

2/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp salt

1 can crushed pineapple, drained (I only used 1/2 can since I needed the rest for Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Balls, but next time I'm going to try the whole can)

Cut the pork & place in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients & cover. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the pork can be easily shredded with two forks. Shred all the meat in the crockpot & turn off heat.

As for the Banana Poi...

I found the recipe at food.com,

but could not find coconut cream anywhere

so I decided to try it with cream of coconut instead.

I just used whatever was left after making the piña coladas.

(approx 1/2 can)

Because I used cream of coconut instead of coconut cream,

my poi was probably a little sweeter than it would be if I had stuck to the original recipe.

Banana Poi

2 cups very ripe bananas, mashed

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 cup coconut cream (I used roughly 1/2 can cream of coconut instead)

Mash bananas until a smooth paste is formed. Add the lemon juice. Gradually add the coconut cream, stirring constantly. Chill & serve.

If you try this version of Hawaiian Haystacks
let me know what you think...

Do you like it better with or without the poi?

Don't forget to check out the Lilo & Stitch luau!

xoxo

Triple Berry No-Bake Cheesecake

Oh my golly gosh goodness!

I LOOOVE cheesecake (:

I don't care whether or not it's baked,

as long as it's cheesecake...

This recipe certainly does not disappoint!

Someone made this when we lived in Tucson & gave us the recipe.

I lost the recipe & was super duper sad.

I was ecstatic when I noticed this recipe was in my

Kraft Philadelphia 3 books in 1 cookbook.

That cookbook is one of my faves

because you really can't go wrong with cream cheese.

Anywho, this is one of my go-to desserts to bring to potlucks...

Enjoy!

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 Tbsp butter, melted

3 Tbsp sugar

4 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar (I like to throw an extra spoonful of sugar in when I make it)

1 pkg (12 oz) frozen mixed berries, thawed & well drained

1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip whipped topping, thawed

Line 9x13-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides. Mix crumbs, butter and 3 Tbsp sugar; press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling. Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar with mixer until well blended. Add berries; beat on low speed just until blended. Whisk in Cool Whip. Pour over crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve.

Variation: Prepare as directed, substituting 3 cups mixed fresh berries for the pkg of frozen berries and increasing the sugar mixed with the cream cheese mixture to 1 cup.

xoxo

Braided Chicken Roll

I remember having this simple yet tasty meal while growing up.

This year we turned it into a mummy & had it as our Halloween dinner

just by adding a couple olive slices for eyes.

Pretty spooky, huh?

Alright, so it's not that spooky.

But it is delicious.

2 cans crescent rolls
2 cans cooked chicken (or 2 large chicken breasts, shredded)
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup grated cheese
Sliced olives (optional - I usually leave them out since Hubby doesn't like olives, but I'll occasionally put them in my half)

Drain chicken, then shred it in a large mixing bowl. Mix mayo, dill weed, & salt with chicken until well combined. Add grated cheese & olives, and stir until completely coated. Unroll crescent roll dough & arrange flat on a cookie sheet. Pinch perforations together until it is one large, flat piece of dough. Cut inch-wide slits in the dough towards the center across the length of the sheet forming a fringe on 2 sides. Leave a solid 3-4" strip in the middle for the chicken mixture. Spread chicken mixture evenly onto the solid section. Fold the strips over the chicken mixture, alternating strips from each side and pinch to seal. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown & no longer doughy.

xoxo

Simply Watermelon Lemonade

I simply love watermelon.

& I simply love lemonade.
Little did I know that the two flavors combined are simply amazing.

Not too long ago...

We were at a restaurant that offered watermelon lemonade

instead of the traditional strawberry lemonade that you can find almost anywhere.

Hubby ordered one out of curiosity.

It. was. d e l i c i o u s.
They garnished it with fresh watermelon,

but used watermelon syrup instead of fresh watermelon in the drink itself.

I ordered one on my birthday at another restaurant,
and my taste buds were in heaven once again.
Note: This restaurant also used watermelon syrup instead of fresh watermelon.

Hubby bought a container of pre-cubed watermelon just to munch on
since watermelon is such a great summer treat...
Somehow it became buried behind things in the fridge,
and we almost forgot about it.
Thankfully we found it just in the nick of time,
& began eating it while it was still good.
I realized we wouldn't be able to finish the whole container before it went bad,
and was kinda sad about it...
Then I remembered how delicious watermelon lemonade was,
remembered that we had Simply Lemonade in the fridge,
& decided to make some to use up more of the watermelon while we still could.
It was a thousand times better than either restaurant version,
& the best part...
It was simply lemonade & watermelon.
No watermelon flavoring.
All natural.
There were no leftovers.
Didn't have to toss any uneaten watermelon out (:

Without further ado...
The recipe.

1.75 liter bottle of Simply Lemonade (you will have some left over)

4-5 cups watermelon chunks

Fill blender with 4-5 cups of watermelon chunks. Pour Simply Lemonade in the blender over the watermelon chunks until the 6 cup mark. Blend until smooth. Taste, then add more watermelon or lemonade to your liking if needed. Enjoy!

Featured at:

xoxo

Monte Cristo French Toast

I'm really missing Disneyland right now...

It's my birthday week,

and for the first time in a long time

I won't be able to go to the Blue Bayou

and eat a scrumptious Monte Cristo.

Super sad.

I wrote a guest post about it,

which you should check out over at A Peek Into My Paradise!

I wanted to do something about this craving of mine,

so we had Monte Cristo French Toast for breakfast today...

It's not the same as the deep-fried deliciousness that we always get at the Blue Bayou,

but it definitely hit the spot.

I saw a pretty easy recipe here & modified it a little...

14 slices of ham

14 slices of turkey

7 slices Swiss cheese

14 slices of bread

butter (softened)

3 eggs

1/3 cup milk

1/8 tsp salt

powdered sugar

blackberry preserves

- Arrange cheese, ham, & turkey on plates so they will be easier to grab when putting the sandwiches together. This step will also bring them closer to room temperature so they won't take as long to heat up while cooking. I decided to do this on two separate plates so that the cheese doesn't soak up the moisture from the meats.

- Butter one side of each slice of bread, placing 2 slices of ham, 2 slices of turkey, and 1 slice of Swiss cheese on the unbuttered side of one slice, then placing another slice of bread on top making sure the buttered side is out. Repeat until you have made all 7 sandwiches with the buttered sides out.

- Cut into halves diagonally and secure with toothpicks. I broke each toothpick in half so that they weren't sticking up so high, and used 3 toothpicks per triangle.

- Beat eggs with milk and salt. Dip sandwich halves into egg mixture quickly and fry on a lightly greased hot skillet or griddle over medium heat until egg mixture is fully cooked & sandwich is lightly browned.

- Remove toothpicks before serving. 

- Sprinkle with powdered sugar & serve with blackberry preserves on the side.

xoxo

Saturday Dishes - Salads

I am so thrilled to be guest-hosting my very first link party today!

Saturday Dishes is a themed recipe link up that is co-hosted on the blogs of these lovely ladies:
- Savannah from Hammock Tracks -
- Paula from Call Me PMc -
- Linda from The Tumbleweed Contessa -

Check out their blogs & give them a follow or like in some way, shape, or form.
You'll be glad you did.
They're always sharing lots of great recipes & other fun things!

You don't have to follow my blog or grab my button,
but stay a while & check out my about section if you have time to see if we have something in common...
It makes me so happy when I find new friends (:

Last week's theme was Memorial Day...
There were plenty of yummy recipes that caught my eye,
but my taste buds were begging me to check out these three first:

Logan County Hamburgers (aka: Hamburger Grilled Cheese) from The Best Blog Recipes
How delicious would that be on sourdough?!

this Sweet Mandarin Salad from Posed Perfection

You really can't go wrong with mandarin oranges!

and this Classic Jello Salad from Yesterfood
I can taste the nostalgia!

This week's theme is all about Salads.
Lettuce salads.
Fruit salads.
Potato salads.
Pasta salads.
If it's a salad, please share it!
If you don't have a salad recipe to share, check out the list of upcoming themes to see what you may be able to share in future weeks, but sit this one out so that the link party can stay nice & refreshing!

On to the linky...

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Cheesy Chicken Bacon Ranch

Cheesy CBR.
Parmesan Chicken meets Chicken Bacon Ranch.
They fall in love.
So do my taste buds.
It's quite the love triangle.

4 Tbsp butter (melted)

1 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 dry ranch packet

4-5 large chicken breasts

bacon bits

grated cheese (I use cheddar & monterey jack)

Melt butter in small microwaveable bowl. Combine parmesan cheese & 1/2 of a dry ranch packet in another bowl. Dip chicken in butter, then coat with parmesan ranch mixture on both sides. Place coated chicken into glass 9x13 pan. Sprinkle generous amount of bacon bits & grated cheese on each piece of chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.

Featured at:

xoxo