Cooking Archives | Page 9 of 12 |

Southwest Chicken Spaghetti: With Kraft FreshTake

April 2, 2014

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser. #CollectiveBias

As a busy mom the last thing I want to do at the end of the day is cook dinner. One of my go to dishes has always been chicken spaghetti. At our wedding shower 13 years ago everyone brought their favorite recipe to share with the bride. Someone slipped that chicken spaghetti recipe in there, and I’ve used it ever since! Over the years I’ve played around with the recipe and made different versions of it. Chicken spaghetti is great because it’s a casserole dish & you can put whatever you want in there. When we have friends & family over it’s a great dish to cook for a group because it’s easy and they all love it.

I made southwest chicken spaghetti last night for supper using Kraft Fresh Take Southwest 3-Cheese. Kraft #FreshTake comes in several different varieties including: Italian Parmesan, Cheddar Jack w/ Bacon, & Southwest 3-Cheese. If you’re planning an Easter meal this year consider using Kraft Fresh Takes to jazz up your traditional recipes.

Italian Parmesan -Great seasoning for some Easter egg-shaped meatballs
Cheddar Jack w/Bacon – Use to season twice baked potatoes
Southwest 3-Cheese- Whip up the Southwest Chicken Spaghetti casserole I’m about to share with you!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (I used rotisserie chicken)
16 oz. Monterrey jack cheese
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Kraft Fresh Take Southwest 3-Cheese blend
8-10 Ritz crackers

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
COOK spaghetti
MEANWHILE, cook chicken or debone a rotisserie chicken (like I did)
DRAIN spaghetti.
ADD chicken, 1 cup of cheese, cans of soup, tomatoes & green chilis, & spaghetti in a large bowl and combine ingredients well.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until heated through.

Kraft FreshTake can be found at Walmart in the cheese isle. The Southwest Three Cheese was only $1.98 and if you use the $1.00 off coupon below that brings it to .98 CENTS when you purchase chicken too! You can’t beat that.

Shredded rotisserie chicken

The inside of the Fresh Takes package (seasoning+cheese)

Combine canned goods, cheese, & chicken in a large bowl

To make the crumb topping I used the entire contents of the Fresh Take Southwest 3-cheese seasoning package & about 10 Ritz crackers

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Yummy delicious!

The Fresh Take Southwest 3-cheese seasoning added great flavor to my traditional chicken spaghetti recipe. I’ll definitely be cooking it this way again!

Download the new Fresh Take coupon for $1 off the purchase of fresh chicken and Fresh Take at Walmart!

A Splash of Fun with MilkSplash + Target Gift Card Giveaway!

March 20, 2014

This is a sponsored review written by me on behalf of MilkSplash. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

D7K_5971

I love having fun with food. After school Connor usually has a snack before dinner. I want him to have something that’s good for him, but something that I know he’s going to enjoy as well. We tried some samples of a new product called MilkSplash the other day and OMG soooooooooo good! I’ve always been a fan of flavored milk and Connor loves milk too. It’s an excellent source of protein and calcium for kiddos.

We tried the strawberry and banana flavors after school yesterday. MilkSplash comes in convenient squirt bottles that are so easy to use & Connor did it all by himself! The milk flavor was great and didn’t taste like “fake fruit” like some products we’ve tried in the past. It’s a very refreshing way to add flavor to your milk.

milksplash

Let me tell you a little more about MilkSplash:

MilkSplash is an innovative new milk flavoring that is perfect for busy parents who want their kids to drink more milk. Although this product contains artificial sweeteners, it has zero calories and it allows kids to enjoy milk on their own terms. MilkSplash is also working on an all natural version but for now MilkSplash will be on shelves in a Target near you March 24th and at Walmart in mid-April.

MilkSplash also comes in a chocolate flavor called “Cocoa Loco” and if you read this blog you KNOW I’m going to try that one out 🙂 D7K_5946

Each bottle of MilkSplash makes 24 servings. That’s a lot! This would be a great item to take on trips and easy to store because it takes up little space. I was also thinking MilkSplash would be AMAZING in milkshakes….can you imagine? That’s another recipe I’m going to try this summer.

D7K_5948

I did it all by myself & it was SO good!

To find out more information be sure to like the MilkSplash Facebook page.

D7K_5990

Enter to win one of TWO $25 Target gift cards & a sampling of MilkSplash

Trust. Your kids are going to love this stuff!

Please use the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Best Egg Pan Ever!

March 2, 2014

A few weeks ago I got to test out a new pan called the Ozeri Green Earth Smooth Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan. I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve tried a lot of different pots and pans over our marriage. Some have been good, some not so good and don’t last very long. We eat eggs a lot…and they stick A LOT. So, I thought the best way to try out this new frying pan would be to cook some eggs.

So I tried it out:

Here we go…

Amazeballs! We have been using this little green pan ever since the first try. It’s the perfect size and it’s seamless design makes sure nothing sticks to the pan. I would HIGHLY recommend this! The non-stick quality is better than anything I’ve tried in recent years. You get a lot of bang for your buck in this pan. It can be found on Amazon HERE.

Features:

Unlike other ceramic cookware brands, the Ozeri pan utilizes an ultra-safe ceramic coating derived from nature which is 100% PTFE and PFOA free.
Delivers unprecedented non-stick performance without releasing harmful fumes or toxins at high temperatures.
Features a scratch-resistant 100 percent ceramic coating as found in nature (no heavy metals or chemicals) that is super easy to clean.
Made out of durable heavy-gauge die-cast aluminum with no heavy metals or harmful chemicals.
Boasts a comfortable heat resistant Bakelight handle, and a magnetized induction stove safe base for rapid heat transfer.

It’s an EGG-CELLENT pan!

How I Cook Bacon

November 5, 2013

Y’all know I’m from Arkansas and one of my favorite types of meat is BACON! Of course, who doesn’t love bacon? Specifically….Petit Jean Bacon from Arkansas. I married a Texas boy and even though I live here now I’m super excited I can still find my Petit Jean Bacon because they are the Official Bacon of the Dallas Cowboys too! Check out their Dallas Cowboys gift packs .

Last night we made BLT’s for dinner. We love a good BLT sandwich in our house. Even my 3-year-old knows how good bacon is 🙂 We made our BLT’s using the Hickory Smoked Petit Jean Bacon…..sooooooo good! As you can see this is a HUGE package of bacon. One of the things I hate about cooking bacon is the grease and splatter party going on. Also, it takes forever to cook in small batches.
To make things move along a little quicker I take the entire package of bacon and cut the strips in half and just dump them in the pan. They all cook evenly and they are easier to flip that way. Make sure to pull them apart of course….but by cutting the strips in half it cuts cooking time and you can cook more at once.
See they are perfectly cooked and extra crispy! Check out more info on Petit Jean Meats on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

My happy bacon boy 😛

Celebrate the 4th of July with #SeattlesBestCoffee

July 4, 2013

Happy 4th of July Y’all!

I have a great giveaway in store for you! If you’ve been reading for awhile you have heard me talk about my love for Seattle’s Best coffee. It’s SO good! I drink a lot of coffee….so I should know right? I wanted to share some fun coffee tips and a recipe for you to enjoy this 4th of July….and while you’re at it go ahead and enter to win this fab prize pack full of Seattle’s Best goodies.

Okay, so first I’m going to show you this great product called a Melitta coffee brewer. It allows you to make a single cup of coffee with this clever brewing cone. All you need is a filter and you’re ready to go.

Cool huh? It’s quick and easy and tastes just as good as brewing in a machine. Just add hot water.
It’s been crazy hot here in Texas. During the summer time I always drink my coffee iced. It’s pretty much the only way I roll in the Texas summers. I was feeling festive so I wanted to create an icy drink perfect for the 4th of July. I brewed my Seattle’s Best Coffee as shown above, poured in a couple tablespoons of hazelnut syrup, and then I dyed my milk red before I mixed it with my coffee 🙂 Topped it with whipped cream and sprinkles….it was so YUM!

GULP.

Okay ready, set, GO!

Enter to win these great goodies from Seattles Best Coffee:

The Hot Iced gift-set includes:

• One-month supply of Seattle’s Best Coffee® (4 bags!)

• Seattle’s Best Coffee Tumbler for your iced and frozen coffee drinks

• Seattle’s Best Coffee Hot Travel Mug to enjoy our brewed coffee on-the-go

• Melitta coffee brewer and recipe for a totally new way to make a single cup of coffee

• Simple Iced Coffee recipe featuring our go-to cold brew method

• Coffee scoop to measure the perfect amount of coffee

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come Dine With Me

March 28, 2013

Dinner parties need be neither exhausting nor daunting. The key to successful, stress-free entertaining is all in the planning and preparation.

If you’re relaxed and ready to welcome your guests, then your good mood will set the tone for the entire evening. Friends will be buoyed by your good humor and feel at ease in your company, allowing for an enjoyable evening all round. Your menu choice and meal preparation is only part of the battle. Rushing around at the eleventh hour, laying the table and hunting for linen isn’t conducive to a calm and welcoming environment.

It’s often the littlest details that have the biggest impact. Clean table linen is a given but it’s also important to iron your tablecloth and napkins. Don’t spoil the effect of a pristine table with mismatched crockery.

Cilantro Lime Rice {A Minute Rice Recipe}

March 14, 2013

Last night’s dinner was quesadillas and cilantro lime rice. Here in Texas we sure do eat a lot of Mexican food! I love cilantro on everything.

Here is the recipe I used to make my cilantro lime rice:

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Minute® Rice long grain white rice
1/2 lime, juice of
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (or you can buy those tubes of prepared cilantro already mixed in the vegetable isle)
3 tsp vegetable oil

(I add green onions, but you don’t have to…I just love green onions & they add a sharpness)

DIRECTIONS

Add rice, water, 1 tsp oil + salt. boil on high until for about 4-5 minutes. Then, in a medium bowl, combine chopped cilantro, lime juice, rice, 2 tsp oil, & toss until mixed.

This rice is so easy and QUICK to make. I love taking it to potlucks too because you can make a whole lot of it and it has a ton of flavor. You can serve with quesadillas like I did, burritos, or enchiladas. It’s a great side dish for any Mexican meal.

You know I’m always looking for quick and easy meals. Terence and I both work over 40 hours a week and we have a growing boy on our hands. Minute® Rice makes it super easy for me to prepare a wholesome and filling meal for my family. The best part is it doesn’t take up my entire evening and I can do the things I really enjoy!

Minute® Rice is so quick and easy to prepare and is great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what your want with your loved ones.

Leftover rotisserie chicken or veggies from a meal earlier in the week? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal your whole family will love in just a matter of minutes.

Visit Minute Rice to create a great main meal or side dish for your next family get-together or potluck.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice

Tip: I also love homemade salsa & I mix it with sour cream for a sauce….it’s great to poor over the rice too 🙂