Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Pintrest Inspired Pizza Casserole (by: The Big Cheese!)

Oh Pintrest, how I love you! You give me such grand ideas and allow me to waste a large amount of time. However, this recipe did not waste my time...not one bit!

This is so good, I made my family not one...but TWO batches to freeze. YummmmmmmO

Originally 'pinned' here: http://formamas.blogspot.com/2011/08/pizza-casserole.html

It looks scary with so many steps, but please do not be afraid. I cannot tell a lie when I say "It is A-MA-ZING".

Ingredients:
1 bag of Egg Noodles
1 extra large can of Ragu sauce {or any tamato sauce you prefer}
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese {or more depending on how much you ♥ cheese!}
1 1/2 lbs hamburger meat
1 package pepperonis

First: Preheat to 350 degrees
Second: Brown the meat, & drain. Boil noodles and drain
Next: Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Second layer is half of the noodles
3} half of the meat
4} half of the sauce
5} rest of the noodles
6} half the cheese
7} rest of the meat
8} rest of the sauce
9} rest of the cheese
10} pepperonis {I only used half the package. saved the rest for next time}

Now cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes

After 30 minutes, remove the foil & bake for another 15 minutes

VOILA!

Once it's done baking, take it out & let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes. {This is to cool it off AND to let everything settle together. If you don't let it sit, it will just fall apart on your fork!}


Shredded Mexican Chicken (from Dessert Diva)

My contribution to this month's Supper Club was Shredded Mexican Chicken. This is a fabulous, versatile recipe that can be used to make tacos, enchiladas, tortilla soup and more! It is definitely a go-to recipe for me now.

Ingredients
1 jar salsa (whatever kind you prefer)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 brick cream cheese
4-6 chicken breasts (really just depends on how much chicken you want)
Tortillas
Enchilada sauce
Mexican cheese

Directions
In a slow cooker, add the salsa, taco seasoning mix and cream cheese. Place the chicken on top. Cook on low for 10 hours. A half hour before it is done, use two forks to shred the chicken breasts. Stir and let cook for 30 more minutes.

At this point, you can serve as tacos or add to another dish. For enchiladas, fill tortillas with chicken mixture, roll and place in a baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and top with Mexican cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until tortillas are warm and cheese is melted.

Leftover chicken freezes easily for use in other dishes. Enjoy!


Friday, January 20, 2012

Blue Cheese and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Our Dinner assignment this month was to get fancy! I found this recipe for blue cheese and pear stuffed pork tenderloin on my favorite meal planning website, Relish!

As complicated as it sounds, it was actually very easy to prepare and did not require a lot of ingredients.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 shallots , thinly sliced
1 Anjou pear , chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees

[1] Heat half of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 6 minutes. Add pear, wine, and thyme; cook 2 minutes. Cool. Stir in nuts, cheese, crumbs, and parsley.

[2] Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves. Place pork between sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch. Top pork with pears; leave 1/2-inch border. Roll, starting with long side; secure pork with picks. Sprinkle with salt.

[3] Heat remaining oil in a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes, browning all sides. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked but still slightly pink in the center. Remove pork from pan, and let stand 5 minutes, slice and serve.


Oh you fancy, huh?




Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pasta Milano by The Big Cheese


This recipe was inspired by Macaroni Grill and found online. One word: yum!

What you'll need:
3 slices bacon, diced
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cloves roasted garlic, mashed
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chicken broth, divided
1 cup heavy cream (or half & half for a lower fat version)
salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces dry farfalle (bowtie) pasta
water for boiling pasta
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

In a large skillet over high heat, brown the diced bacon. Season the cut up chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and saute until lightly browned. Once the chicken is cooked, add the sliced mushrooms and saute until browned. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes and chicken broth to the hot skillet. Allow it come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream and bring to a boil; stirring.Take off heat and add the bacon, chicken and mushroom to the sauce and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add dry pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain, transfer to a bowl.

Pour the chicken and sauce over the hot pasta and toss. Place in a baking dish and top with shredded Parmesan cheese and bake in preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese melts.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

December DTD Meeting

December's DTD theme was of a spherical nature!

We had yummy appetizers...




Popcorn Chicken Balls


Deep Fried Butter Balls (that's right, you heard me)


Cheese balls


Beef and Cheese Ball


Buckeye balls


and wine, of course.





We also had a good variety of meals!

Saucy Diva made Porcupine Meatballs


Gourmet Diva made Slow Cooker Tamale Balls



Cheesy Diva made Sausage and Cream Cheese Balls



Wine Diva made Deep Fried Mac and Cheese Balls (that's right, you heard me again)







and Dessert Diva made Florentine Mac and Cheese with Chicken Meatballs





If you think these sound delish, you can find the recipes on the blog!

This month was also a very special occasion! It was The Little Cheese's first Diva Meeting!





Isn't she precious? Another diva in the making!







Merry Christmas from the Dinnertime Divas!


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Florentine Mac 'n Cheese with Chicken Sausage Meatballs

For our ball-themed Diva month, I always like to try to find a recipe that is just a little bit different. Well, I think I found what I was looking for on Food Network's website. This recipe is courtesy of Rachael Ray. You really get a bang for your buck with it, as you can eat it together as one meal or separate it into two (as I will be doing because there is no way Mr. Dessert Diva will eat this together...he likes to keep his food separate!).

Because this recipe is fairly involved (not difficult...just ingredient-heavy), I am just including the link to the recipe here. I hope you enjoy it!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Cream Cheese Sausage Balls - The Big Cheese


Oh how I love the Divas "ball themed" month! For this year's month of balls, I turned to Pintrest for a recipe. This proved to be very helpful and easy! Thank you, Pintrest and all those "pinners" who pinned this recipe for my viewing/tasting pleasure.

1 lb hot sausage, uncooked
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups Bisquick
4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix all ingredients until well combined.
Roll into 1-inch balls.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until brown.

Sausage balls may be frozen uncooked. If baking frozen, add a few minutes to the baking time.

When I first tried these balls, I served with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes!