Skillet Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chilies

Prepare for some one-pot lovin'.  This recipe is simply amazing and scrumptious!  As I am writing this, my mouth is literally watering remembering all the flavors and texture of this dish.  Just like many my meals as of late, this is simple, easy, fast, and healthy!  Make this soon and ENJOY!

Skillet Chili Mac with Corn and Green Chilies
recipe slightly adapted from My Tasty Treasures (who adapted from My Kitchen Cafe, who adapted from Cook's Illustrated)  WHEW, that was a mouthful!

• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground turkey or ground beef
• 1 medium sized onion, minced
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 1 TBSP cumin
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 TBSP brown sugar
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cups water
• 8 ounces (2 cups) elbow macaroni, I used Barilla Plus
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 can (4.5 ounces) chopped green chilies, drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used 2 % cheddar jack but you can use pepper jack or a Mexican shredded cheese blend)

Heat oil in a deep skillet medium heat. Add the ground turkey or beef, onion, chili powder, cumin and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook the meat until it is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat or grease (the amount will depend on how lean your meat is). Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping the heat at a steady simmer, until the macaroni is tender, about 12–14 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, frozen corn, green chilies and cilantro and sprinkle remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top. Cover and let sit off the heat until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes.

This recipe has been linked up at:
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Crazy Domestic
Mommy's Kitchen
Eat at Home

Cinnapple Baked Oatmeal

My kiddos do not like oatmeal.  I think it is a texture thing...we are all big on texture 'round here.  But we all know how stinkin' healthy oatmeal is for us.  This was a quandary for me until I experimented, tweaked, and re-tweaked all the recipes floating around for baked oatmeal and came up with this bad boy!
Tonight, for dessert, my kiddos requested this baked oatmeal.  OATMEAL FOR DESSERT!!!  I love it! 
I have created this form of baked oatmeal and added in lots-o-sneaky, healthy ingredients, cut down the sugar by a lot, as well as eliminated regular oil or butter.  I have a feeling you will be seeing lots-o-varieties of baked oatmeal in the coming months because the possibilities and combinations are endless!
Whether it is for breakfast, snack, or dessert, you can feel good about putting this into your families bellies.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 2 TBSP Agave Syrup (you could use real maple syrup as well)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil....this stuff is miracle oil!
• 1 cup finely diced, peeled apple...about 1 large or 2 small

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 8x8 square baking pan with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, baking powder, salt, ground flax, cinnamon and nutmeg. 
In a separate small bowl, combine Agave syrup, vanilla, milk, yogurt, eggs, and applesauce.
Pour melted coconut oil into dry mixture and stir.  Add rest of wet ingredients, stir to combine.  Fold in diced apple.  Pour batter into prepared baking dish and bake for 30-35 minutes.  You can eat it like a piece of cake, or break up a piece in a bowl and splash some milk on top.  ENJOY!!!

This recipe was linked at:
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Crazy Domestic
Mommy's Kitchen

Bow Tie Lasagna - 15 Minute Meal!

Yes, you saw that right...15 minutes!!!
My dear friend Jill from Sublime Hodgepodge posted this recipe with a RAVE review and I knew I had to try it!
Super simple, fast, and SCRUMPTIOUS!  It has a lasagna taste that would make Garfield proud, without using Ricotta or Cottage Cheese.  Make a salad and add a chunk of crusty bread and you have a fantastic dinner everyone will be sure to love.

Bow Tie Lasagna
slightly adapted from Sublime Hodgepodge, who got it from Tasty Kitchen member Rozanie

• 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage...you could even use ground Turkey
• 5 cups uncooked bow tie pasta
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce.  Make sure you use a good one since that is the taste that will be front and center.  
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, very finely minced
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 cup fresh grated Mozzarella cheese, you could use low fat
• 1/2 cup sour cream, you could use low fat
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan, to taste

Fry meat in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.
After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce. Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheeses, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

This recipe was linked to:
Mommy's Kitchen
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Crazy Domestic

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes with Maple Butter Icing (Syrup)

Once upon a time there was a cinnamon roll who fell in love with a pancake.  Everyone said it couldn't work, that it would never last....yet it did.  Oh yes, they did "it" (((giggle, giggle))) and this is the result.  All the taste of cinnamon rolls with the ease and convenience of a pancake.  A marriage made in heaven I say!
These seriously have to be some of the BEST pancakes I have had in my entire life.  Give them a try, you will NOT be disappointed!

Cinnamon Bun Pancakes
Source:  Tasty Kitchen Member sapeylissy

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 TBSP white sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 TBSP light corn syrup
• ¼ cups butter, melted
• 1 TBSP vanilla

In medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon with a whisk. Whisk well to make sure everything is combined.

In separate large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, corn syurp, butter and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium/low heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. Once bubbles are set in the middle, flip over to brown on both sides.  Top with Maple Butter Icing Syrup (recipe below) OR Liquid Gold Syrup.  ENJOY!


Maple Butter Icing Syrup
Source:  Tasty Kitchen Pioneer Woman

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cups butter, melted
• dash of salt
• 1 TBSP REAL maple syrup (not Mrs. Butterworths)
• 1/4 cup milk (more If Needed)

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, adding more milk as needed.

This post has been linked up at:
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Mommy's Kitchen
Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms

ULTIMATE Chocolate Fondue

I know this is the one you have been waiting for, and let me tell you it is totally worth the wait!
The version I make here is far better than any I have had at the Melting Pot....it is like a grown-up, sexy Nutella.  I personally think you should save this one for just you and your love....however, I will state right now that I am not responsible for any trips to the ER dealing with chocolate burns, you are supposed to eat it my friends.  Anywho, I digress.  Make this, eat it, enjoy it!

ULTIMATE Chocolate Fondue
Recipe adapted by:  Tyler Florence

• 16 ounces chocolate (milk, dark or semisweet), broken in pieces – I use a combo of Dove Milk and dark chocolate
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1/2 cup caramel topping (I use Mrs. Richardson’s)
• 3 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur…just buy a shooter of it) or favorite liqueur, but it is the Frangelico that give it the Nutella lusciousness.

Place all ingredients in a double boiler.  I use a glass bowl on top of a pot with 1” of boiling water.  Stir until everything is all melted and smooth.  Do not allow to bubble.  Once done, pour into a ceramic fondue pot or just put into a bowl, it is going to go faster than it can cool and harden anyway.
ENJOY!!!

Things to dip:
Strawberries
Pound Cake cubes
Brownie Bites
Bananas
Marshmallows
Maraschino Cherries
Pineapple
Cheesecake

In case you missed any of the other courses:
Fiesta Cheese Fondue
Coq au Vin Fondue with 2 dipping sauces


This recipe has been linked to:
Mommy's Kitchen
Simply Sweet Home
Tidy Mom
Frou Frou Decor

Coq au Vin Fondue with BONUS - 2 Sauce Recipes

In case you missed the first course of our Fondue night at home, check out the Fiesta Cheese Fondue by clicking HERE and make sure and check back this weekend for the ULTIMATE Chocolate Fondue!

photo courtesy of cleferson

On to the main entree part of our fondue feast!
The Coq au Vin cooking style is my FAVORITE at the melting pot.  You cook a variety of bite sized meats, seafood, and vegetables in this amazing broth. 

Coq au Vin Fondue

• 3 ½ cups vegetable stock
• 2 Knorr vegetable stock bullion cubes
• ½ - 1 (to taste) cup burgundy wine
• ½ cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 TBSP garlic, minced
• 2 green onions, sliced

Things to cook:

• Mushrooms
• Small, bite sized potatoes
• Bite sized steak
• bite sized chicken
• Shrimp

Sauces:

• Teriyaki
• Sweet and Sour
• Cocktail Sauce
• BBQ Sauce
• Peanut Sauce (recipe below)
• Green Goddess Dip (recipe below)

What I usually do is double the recipe and cook in a pot on the stove top. When the mixture comes to a boil, I take out half of the liquid and put it into the electric fondue pot.
Make sure your fondue is cooking at a medium boil! 
I keep the one on the stove top simmering and add some whole mushrooms and quartered red potatoes. Since these veggies take longer than the meats, I like to get those going.
Place bite sized raw meat on separate plates...chicken, steak, and shrimp and serve with a variety of dipping sauces in bowls...sweet and sour, teriyaki, BBQ, peanut sauce (included below), cocktail sauce, etc.
Make sure the kiddos know to cook the chicken all the way through.
As soon as the veggies are tender from the stove, remove with a slotted spoon and serve as well. Green Goddess dip is AMAZING with the veggies (recipe also below) Keep the stock on the stove available for re-filling the fondue pot.

Peanut Sauce
recipe adapted from:  Tyler Florence

• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons red chili paste, such as Sriracha
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, drizzle in the hot water to thin out the sauce, you may not need all of it. Pour the sauce into a nice serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts.

Melting Pot Green Goddess Dip

• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into slices
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons finely sliced chives

In a microwave-safe container, microwave cream cheese and milk for 2 to 4 minutes, whisking after each minute, until cream cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Stir in sour cream, onion, parsley and chives. Refrigerate until cold. Use this dip for cooked veggies.

These recipes have been linked up to:
Simply Sweet Home
Tidy Mom
Frou Frou Decor
Mommy's Kitchen
Eat at Home

Fondue for Valentines Day!

Hello, my name is Sig and I am a fondue junkie. 
I LOVE it!  Birthday's, Anniversaries, or any other special occasion usually finds us at the Melting Pot.  There is just something about having a delicious meal over a span of several hours.  I wanted to find a way to do the entire Melting Pot meal at home so I could share it with my kiddos, and guess what, I did! So now, every year for Valentine's Day, we have Fondue Night.  The kiddos have SO MUCH FUN and we still get to have an amazing meal.  We even make up "rules" like if you drop your food in the fondue, you have to give the person on your left a kiss.  This night is always filled with many laughs and memories!
The meal at the Melting Pot starts with the cheese course.  Since I am not big on the "traditional" Swiss Cheese version of cheese fondue, we always order the Fiesta Cheese Fondue.  So, here is my Copy Cat version.  Stay tuned the rest of the week for a Coq au Vin Fondue recipe with a Variety of Dipping Sauces, and of course, the ever important ULTIMATE Chocolate Fondue!

Fiesta Cheese Fondue

• 2 cups of shredded cheese. Your choice...you can do a mixture of Cheddar and Monterey Jack, some Colby Jack, or if you are feeling especially sassy, throw in some Pepper Jack.
• 1 TBSP flour
• Bottle of Mexican Beer. Corona works great.
• 2-3 TBSP salsa or pico de gillo, as hot as you would like it.
• 1/2-1 TBSP chopped jalapenos (optional, if you like some extra oompf)

Take your shredded cheese and add a heaping TBSP of flour, get all your cheese coated. In a double boiler (or in my case, a glass or metal bowl over a pot of simmering water) start by pouring 1/2 bottle of beer. Once that comes to a simmer, add your cheese and stir constantly. Watch your heat so you don't get that funky cheese separation thing, don't allow your cheese to simmer. Add in a couple TBSP of salsa or pico, optional jalapenos, and viola! You may need to play with the cheese/beer/salsa ratio to get the right consistency. I usually start with 1/2 of the cheese and keep adding until it is thick enough to stay on a chip, but thin enough to not break the chip.
When ready to serve, I place it into my dessert fondue pot that is simply warmed with a candle or my mini crock pot.  You simply want to keep it mildly warm.

And here is the cast of characters who like to take a little dip in the hot tub of gooey cheese deliciousness:
Tortilla chips, Granny Smith apple chunks, carrot bites, celery bites, cauliflower bites, and a variety of cubed bread.

This recipe has been linked up to:
Frou Frou Decor
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
Mommy's Kitchen

Blinged-Out Valentine Rolo Turtles Rewind

Ahhh...'tis the season-o-love!

This week, I am going to share with you our Valentine's Day tradition, along with the recipes to go along with it in case you should care to join in the fun.  But, first, I thought I would rewind the clock a year and share a recipe I posted for Valentines Day last year.
Enjoy!

Blinged-Out Valentine Rolo Turtle's

• Pretzels. I use the square waffle ones
• Rolo's - unwrapped, duh
• Pecan halves - toasted or any other choice of nut. Cashews or Macadamia nuts would be AWESOME in this too! If there are nut allergies OR you simply don't like nuts, you can substitute Valentine colored m&m's or even Cupid Corn (pink and red candy corn)
• White chocolate chips
• Decorative sugar or choice of sprinkley sparkly goodies

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toast your pecans. Cover a cookie sheet with foil (easier clean up) and place pretzels individually to form one layer only. Place one Rolo candy on top of each pretzel. Bake at 250 degrees for 4minutes or until the candies are softened and glossy. Immediately remove from the oven and quickly place a toasted pecan half on top of each Rolo and push down to squish the chocolate into the pretzel and flatten. THEN, melt some white chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds - 1 minute with a teaspoon of shortening or a splash of milk. Stir every 30 seconds to make sure it is smooth and melted. Pour white chocolate into a small baggie, snip the corner off with scissors and drizzle over the turtles. While the white chocolate is still melty, sprinkle some decorator sugar or sprinkles. Cool for 20 minutes, then place uncovered in refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set.

This recipe has been linked up to:
Simply Sweet Home
Tidy Mom
Frou Frou Decor
Mommy's Kitchen

Super Bowl Bites

Since puke-fest 2011 has descended on my house with a vengeance, I am a wee late for the Super Bowl food postings...that, and no Super Bowl party for us.  So, I am hosting a "virtual Super Bowl par-tay" and here are the Siggy Spice Top-Ten Bites for Super Bowl!

                                                Mushroom Salsa

                 Creamy Sausage Rotel Cheese Dip

                         Beer Battered Onion Rings

                                    Cookie Dough Pie

                                                       Mango Mojito

                                    A-MAZING Salsa

                               Ham and Swiss Party Rolls

                             Super Simple Sliders

                Cheesy Ranch White Chicken Chili

                                          Taco Dippers

Also, I would make sure to ask my friends to bring THESE dishes (((drool, tummy growl, drool)))


Avril from Baking and Creating with Avril:

photo courtesy of Baking and Creating with Avril

                               Cheesy "Bloomin' Onion" Bread



Jill from Sublime Hodge Podge:

photo courtesy of Sublime Hodge Podge

                      Bourbon Whiskey Meatballs



Amber from This Mommy Cooks:

photo courtesy of This Mommy Cooks

                             Homemade Soft Pretzles



Brandie from The Country Cook:

photo courtesy of The Country Cook

                              Kickin' Wings



Leslie from The Hungry Housewife:

photo courtesy of The Hungry Housewife

                             Beer Cheese Dip



Tina from Mommy's Kitchen:

photo courtesy of Mommy's Kitchen

                             Charleston Cheese Dip

MAN, I love having some friend that can cook!  What is on your spread for Super Bowl??

This post linked up to:
Mommy's Kitchen