Tonight, for dinner, we had a yummy tortellini recipe I have posted on here before.  Here is the link!  It's a grilled chicken, grilled zucchini, pesto tortellni and it is, quite simply, delicious.  My kids, hubs and I love it.  I did use a bottled marinade tonight because it is labor day and I did not want to labor more than I had to...plus, I was making Lemon Gooey Bars for dessert.  lol

The Lemon Gooey Bars are another Pinterest find.  I will keep my comments simple.  These were good.  I added the lemon zest to make them more tart...will likely zest 2 lemons next time.  I did not use quite as much powdered sugar as it stated...I will likely do the same next time.  And...whether it is my oven or not, I baked at the minimal time and they were a bit overdone.  That said...they were still delicious and there was no complaining from the kids.

Here is the link to the original post!

And here is the recipe:

Lemon Gooey Bars
Makes one 9x13" pan, about 18 bars

Crust:
1 lemon cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg

Filling:
1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract
2 eggs
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, melted
3  3/4 cup powdered sugar
*If desired, you can add the zest of one lemon, or a 1/2 tsp of dried lemon zest. This will make the bars more tart

1. Preheat oven to 350-f degrees.

2. For the crust, mix together the dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg.  Mix well. The mixture will be thick. Press into a greased 9×13 baking pan and set aside.

3. For the filling, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla extract, eggs, and melted butter. (If you are using any zest, add it now) Mix together well and add powdered sugar. Mix until the powdered sugar is fully incorporated.

4. Spread filling over crust and bake for 38-42 minutes, until lightly brown and when gently shaken the center will only slightly jiggle.

5. Cool and cut into small bars.

I came across this recipe on........you guessed it....Pinterest one fine day and I thought.....GROSS, there is NO way this can be good.  I, of course, had to make it and boy was I WRONG!!  This is AMAZING!  We are talking one of my favorite recipes ever...one of the few that manages to make it into a semi-regular cycle.  AND, oddly enough, I do not make ANY changes to the original recipe.  Ok...well, she suggests a rotesseire chicken while I just make my own breasts for it, but otherwise spot on cooking. 

This makes a HUGE pot of pasta...as we were finishing out dinner, I mentioned leftovers.  Sierra said...enough for the two of us to have for lunch tomorrow?  I said...enough for us to have for lunch tomorrow and the following 3 days!!  

Seriously....never would have thought this blend of flavors and pasta would work well together, but I am glad to say they DO!!!  VERY MUCH SO!!!  Here is the website I got it from!  

**I topped with diced roma tomatoes and some sliced green onions!!

Here is the recipe:

CHICKEN ENCHILADA PASTA

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded {or shredded rotisserie chicken…I used the breasts}
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 {4 oz.} can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 {10 oz.} cans green chili enchilada sauce
2/3 cups red enchilada sauce
2 cups shredded cheese {I used colby & monterrey jack}
1 cup sour cream
Penne pasta

Optional toppings

Avocado
Green Onions
Black Olives
Tomatoes
Sour Cream

Cook chicken, drain, and shred {or shred your rotisserie}.  Meanwhile boil pasta according to package and chop the veggies.  The most time consuming part of this recipe is the time spent chopping the veggies. Y’all…it took like, 5 minutes ;) 


Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for about 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic & red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes. 

Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, & enchilada sauces.  Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through.  Now toss in the sour cream, but whatever you do, DO NOT bring to a boil!  Cook on low heat or the sour cream will curdle.  Gross.  Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

O.M.G.   Just wait.  It gets better.  Drain pasta & return to pot.  Pour sauce over pasta and mix well.  Serve and garnish with avocado, tomato, green onion, and a dollop of sour cream.

I, recently, came up with a month planning of meals for my household in an effort to plan ahead, save money, and save time.  It wasn't as hard as I thought it was.  I have not been completely regimented with the schedule...life happens.

One such incidence happened this week.  I saw a recipe for Ham and Cheese Sliders that sounded delicious and, without thinking, put it on the menu.  It occurred to me as the day approached when we would eat the sliders that Sierra has a deep dislike of lunch meat and sandwiches.  Now, I do not revolve my meals around my children, but I respect their likes and dislikes as I wish I my parents had done for me (that's another story).  I had the idea to, instead, make these sliders and have them for Daniel, Matt and I for our lunches for this 3-day weekend.  I had already bought all the ingredients.

Let me tell ya!!  These were delicious.  I tried to get Sierra to try them, but it just wasn't going to happen.  So...the rest of us just ooooooed and aaaaaaaaaaed through lunch and look forward to lunch tomorrow.

I did not follow the directions entirely.  First of all, I used black forest ham.  Secondly, I do not like miracle whip, so I just used Helmann's Mayonnaise.  Also, I forgot poppy seeds for the poppy seed sauce, so skipped it.  AND, I did not measure the ingredients for the sauce...I just melted some butter (real) and added some diced onion, a largish squeeze of mustard, a few shakes of the Worcestershire sauce and some garlic salt and pepper for good measure.

I was surprised out how great they turned out.  Really great...perfect for any of you going to any football parties....not that we will go to any....we don't watch football.  (we are SO unamerican!)!

Here is a link to the original recipe!

And here is the original recipe!

Ham and Cheese Sliders
Source: adapted slightly from the Recipe Club

Ingredients:
24 good white dinner rolls
24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip
Poppy seed sauce 
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. Serve warm.

Note: Sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the fridge ready to bake.