Honey Sesame "DUMP" Chicken

I found this recipe online and saw a few key ingredients that, for me, scream summer lovin'! Beer, honey and chicken...yes please!

What you'll need:
1/2 cup Beer 3 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
3 Tablespoons Honey
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic -- crushed
1 1/2 Pounds Chicken Pieces

For immediate cooking: Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Place all ingredients into a large baking dish, turn chicken to coat. Bake until chicken juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts). For freezing: Place all ingredients into a 1 Gallon freezer bag. Lay flat in freezer.

To thaw and cook: Take the bag out of the freezer the night before, make sure the baggie is completely closed. Place the Bag on a shelf furthest from the freezer (It works best if the bag is laying flat, although this may not be the best option with a side-by-side fridge/freezer). Preheat the oven to 350 F. Empty the contents of the bag into a large baking dish and bake until the juices run clear (45-60 minutes for chicken pieces, or 20-30 minutes for chicken breasts).

I may even try to grill this one...Enjoy!

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

This may not seem like a "Summer Lovin" dish  to some, but I love seafood pasta dishes in the summer. I especially love them when paired with a nice cool glass of white wine. But, since I am now carrying the next baby diva (coming to a kitchen near you this December) I will have to make due with no wine pairings this summer.  Luckily, this dish is great on it's own!

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo
Ingredients


12 ounces penne pasta

1/4 cup butter2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced2 cloves garlic, minced1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 cup cream

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped parsley


Directions


1.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2.Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.

3.Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

(I originally found this recipe on All Recipes...if you haven't checked out this site, you should!)

We're back!!

It's finally summer break, which means the divas have time to blog again!  Our next monthly meeting is  Monday so stay tuned for July's theme, "Summer Lovin" for some great summer-themed recipes.

The divas have been waiting for today. Today, we once again get to meet Pioneer Woman.


It is not a small task for teachers/administrators to take a personal day the week before spring break, but luckily 4 out of 6 of us have prevailed. Cheesy Diva and Pasta Diva, you will be missed….you have fun at those parent/teacher conferences! (sorry!)
The rest of us will be arriving at our local supermarket early in attempts to adequately prepare for Ree’s book signing. A few of us had the opportunity to meet her at an Ohio book signing last year and we are now officially stalkers. We love all things Pioneer Woman and are so excited for her new book (and to see her again).



Last year we told her about our blog and wrote down the website on a scrap piece of paper. We are once again going to try and pass her our Diva Info, but perhaps in a nicer format. Ree, if you are reading this it means you have come to check us out….THANK YOU! Please leave us a comment so we can officially check this off our bucket lists!
In honor of her new book, we are declaring our April Diva theme as “The best of Pioneer Woman”. Check us out next month to see what recipes we picked.









Check us out tomorrow to see details from our Diva Day Out with (hopefully) some pictures of the Divas and Pioneer Woman! (Or…maybe give us a few days, when we have a day out we go big and are also going to the midnight premiere of the hunger games, so we may be a bit too tired to blog tomorrow).



(Peeta’s a baker, so it’s food related!)

Cheesy Meatloaf (by the Big Cheese!)

I used to HATE when Mom would make meatloaf. Now, I really appreciate the flavors coming together and the stick to your ribs feeling you get after eating the hunk of meat. So, for March 2012 Diva, I was given "something you bake". I couldn't resist the yummy cheesy meatloaf. Num Num Num!!!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
handful of flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground beef chuck
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 cup ketchup

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet or the bottom half of a broiler pan with foil.

Combine all ingredients, minus the ketchup (this is the fun part!) together and mix with a fork or your hands until evenly blended, but don't over mix.

Damp hands with water and pat the meatloaf mixture into a loaf shape on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, the brush ketchup over the top of the meatloaf. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes. Let meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and a fresh dinner roll. Yummy in my tummy!

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!