Chicken Bacon Swiss

I love love LOVE the flavor combinations in this dish. What's not to love about juicy chicken, BACON and melty swiss cheese? This chicken goes great with anything, I served it with sauteed asparagus and Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes - so good! I hope you give this a try..you can't go wrong :)

Ingredients:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, rinsed and trimmed of excess fat

8 Bacon Strips, cooked

4 Slices Swiss Cheese

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Paprika

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Mustard

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix all of your herbs/spices together; set aside.

In a oven safe skillet on medium high heat, melt your butter into your oil and then place your chicken into the pan and sprinkle with your seasoning mix. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on that side and then flip it, seasoning the other side now, and cook on that side for another 4-5 minutes, or until the juices inside run clear and then turn off the heat.

Cut your strips of bacon and your cheese slices in half. Top each piece of chicken with 4 strips of bacon (2 whole pieces) and then place 2 halves of the cheese on each piece. Take the whole pan and place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese has completely melted. Remove from pan and serve.

Birthday Cake flavored Lofthouse Cookies

Hiya! I'm so excited about these cookies, they turned out exactly how I wanted them to. They really do taste just like Birthday cake! I'm a fan of all things Birthday cake flavored, and if you are too then you will want to make these ASAP! These would be perfect to give as a gift to someone on their B-day, much easier than making a whole cake! I hope you enjoy! :)

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 Cup (4 Tablespoons) Butter, softened

1 Egg

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Vanilla (white) Dry Cake Mix

1/2 Cup Rainbow Sprinkles, plus more for decoration

Frosting:

1 1/2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

1/4 Cup (4 Tablespoons) Butter, softened

1/4 Cup Shortening

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup Vanilla (white) Dry Cake Mix

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, butter, egg and vanilla; mix well.

In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and cake mix. Gradually add to wet mixture, mixing well after each addition until everything is evenly incorporated. Mix in sprinkles. 

Generously fill a 1-inch cookie scoop and scoop it into your hands and roll the dough into a ball and place on a cookie sheet and being gentle, lightly flatten it with your hand. Repeat until your cookie sheet is full and bake for 9-11 minutes or until the cookies are set. (to check for this I carefully and gently press down in the middle of one of the cookies to see if it is firm or not, if it is, they are done. These cookies will stay blonde when they are done so make sure you don't over cook them) Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat together the butter, shortening and vanilla. In another bowl, sift together the confectioners sugar and cake mix, then add to the butter mixture and mix well. Frost onto cookies once they are completely cool, and sprinkle with sprinkles as soon as you frost so they will stick. Store in a air-tight container for up to 5 days.

Makes 20 cookies.

Creamy Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Helllloo! I'm so excited to share this super creamy, cheesy and dreamy mac & cheese with you! This is comfort food at it's best. Just give me a bowl of this, with nothing else, and I'm a happy girl :) Totally trying to sneak this post in while my daughter naps, so let's get right to it! 

Ingredients:

16 oz Elbow Pasta

2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

2 Cups American Cheese, shredded (i'm not talking about Velveeta here, go to the deli at the grocery store and instead of getting sliced cheese, ask for a 8 oz piece, if they can only do sliced, that's fine - you can just chop it up at home into small pieces)

2 1/2 Cups Whole Milk

4 Tablespoons Butter, plus more for greasing dish

4 Tablespoons Flour

3/4 Teaspoon Ground Mustard

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot add enough water to boil your pasta according to the package directions. When the water comes to a boil, add a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of salt. Cook your pasta until al dente (firm but not hard), check it around 5-7 minutes. Once done, drain your pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside.

On medium heat, in the same pot you boiled your pasta, add your butter, and once melted, add in your flour and whisk constantly for 3-5 minutes, until it turns about the color of sand. 

Slowly pour in your milk, while vigorously whisking at the same time until all of the flour mixture has dissolved in the milk. Bring to a slight simmer.

Reserve 3/4 cup of your cheddar cheese, then add the rest to the pot along with the american and stir it until combined. Stir in the ground mustard, and salt & pepper, making sure to taste as you go so the seasonings are just right for you. 

Dump the pasta into the pout and mix everything together. Get a large baking dish and butter it on the bottom and the sides. Pour your pasta into the dish and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake for 25 minutes , turning the broiler on for the last 3 or so minutes, if desired. *This can also just be eaten straight from the pot without putting it in the oven.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Friday! What a better way to head into the weekend than with cake?! Carrot cake is probably in my top 3 favorite cakes, behind classic chocolate and vanilla of course :) so I figured it was time to make my own! Yes, that's right, it's one of my favorite cakes and i've never even made one from scratch..until now! I'm SO super happy with the results and so thrilled to share it with you guys! Let's get to it...

Ingredients:

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 Cups Finely Shredded Carrots

8 oz. Sour Cream

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

4 Large Eggs

2 Teaspoons Baking Soda

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1/4 Cup Finely Chopped Pecans

Frosting:

8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 Cup (1/2 stick) Butter, softened

4 Cups Confectioner's Sugar

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl, beat together the carrots, sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into wet mixture.

Pour batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before frosting.

For the frosting, add the butter, cream cheese, salt and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat until well blended. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar and mix well until everything is evenly incorporated and the frosting is smooth.

 * I got out 2 small bowls and took a little bit of frosting out and put it in eavh bowl and dyed one of them green and the other orange to make little carrot decorations on the cake after I spread it with the white cream cheese frosting. I pre-sliced the cake as a guide because I wanted a decoration on each piece. I just put the dyed frosting in sandwich bags, snipped one of the corners and piped the carrot by zig-zaging the bag, getting smaller as I went down the carrot, and then just simply doing some lines for the green stems.

Serves 16