'Ono Made Easy

Looking for a warm dip for a cold day? Hilah gave me this recipe to try out! Ingredients  4 cloves garlic (*I use about 2 teaspoons of the jarred pre-minced garlic) 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce (**I typically get the roasted garlic flavored Alfredo) 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. If using fresh garlic:  Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins. 3. Mix the garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cream cheese together in a bowl.  Spread in a...

I love Cinnamon Rolls, so when my friend/co-worker brought these tasty little things to work one day, I HAD to get the recipe! Ingredients  2 (8oz) can of refrigerated crescent rolls 6 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened (I used unsalted butter) 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans 1 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2/3 cup powdered sugar 1 Tbsp milk or half and half 1/4 tsp almond or vanilla extract (I used vanilla) 1/8 teaspoon salt Directions UNROLL crescent rolls, and separate each dough portion along the center perforation to for 4 rectangles (2 from each can); press diagonal perforations to seal. STIR together butter and next 4 ingredients; spread evenly over one side of each rectangle.  Roll up jelly roll fashion, starting at the long end.  Gently cut each log into 6 (1-inch) slices, using a serrated knife. Place rolls 1/4 inch apart in 2 greased 8-inch cake pans. BAKE at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until golden....

I like crepes because I think they are like a thinner, more elegant version of pancakes. Mark played with this recipe from Betty Crocker:  http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/strawberry-banana-crepes/beb17f18-b84d-48b9-b06b-d677430fe66e Ingredients   1 cup original Bisquick mix 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs toppings of your choice (we like to use Trader Joe's jams) Directions In a small bowl, blend all ingredients. Grease a skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. For each crepe, pour 2 tablespoons of batter onto the skillet. Rotate skillet until batter covers the bottom. Cook until golden brown. Gently loosen the edges with a spatula. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown. Cover the crepes with your favorite toppings!

Yup. Back to craving something sweet again. Another Pinterest find:  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-Chocolate-Chip-Oatmeal-Cookies/Detail.aspx?crlt.pid=camp.48TflwctfMLi Ingredients  1 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips Directions  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. 2. In a large bowl, blend together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, on at a time, then stir in vanilla. 3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl, then stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. 4. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. 5. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture onto ungreased baking sheets. 6. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. Allow cookies to cool on the baking shee...

Do you ever want something sweet, but you don't haven't much in your fridge and pantry? Yeah. I have that problem quite often. I found this recipe on Pinterest: http://adesiretoinspire.blogspot.com/ Ingredients  1 7oz container Plan greek yogurt 1 T creamy peanut butter 1 T honey 1/4 tsp vanilla extract 1 T mini chocolate chips dash of salt Directions  Mix all ingredients together. ( I didn't measure anything when I made mine. I eyeballed it. I also liked it better without the chocolate chips.)

Mark went to visit a family friend and she taught him how to make a fantastic poached egg. Ingredients  1 egg 1 T red wine vinegar English muffin lemon butter tarragon Directions  1. Put 1 inch of water into a small skillet. Bring the water to a simmer. 2. Shake about 1 T of vinegar over the top of the water ( the vinegar will help the egg stay together) 3. Crack egg and drop gently into the water. 4. Cook for minimum of 3-4 minutes. Cook longer if you prefer a harder yolk. 5. Meanwhile, put your English muffin in the toaster. 6. Remove egg with a spoon with holes in it (so the water can drain). Gently shake egg to remove excess water. Place onto English muffin. 7. Squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the egg. 8. Pour melted butter over egg and sprinkle with tarragon. Directions 

Another one of my favorite foods: Cheeseburgers! Mark found this recipe (adapted) in the book The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Ingredients  1 lb ground lean beef 1.5 tablespoons fresh chives 1 teaspoon basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano a few shakes of chili powder a shake of salt a shake of ground black pepper 4 oz blue cheese, crumbled Directions  1. Gently mix all ingredients except the blue cheese and shape into three patties. 2. Make a pocket in the center of each patty and fill with blue cheese. Cover the cheese with meat. 3. Broil, saute, or grill for 5 minutes on each side. Serve on a bun with Buffalo sauce and a side of french fries. We cooked the burgers on our George Forman Grill, which was ok, but we would probably cook them differently next time because they came out a little too dry.

I just wanted something different for lunch, so I found this recipe for Buffalo Chicken Salad on Pinterest:  http://www.preventionrd.com/2013/04/buffalo-chicken-salad/ Ingredients  5 oz non-fat plain Greek yogurt 1/3 cup Franks Red Hot Wings Buffalo sauce 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 1 1b boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded (cooked) 2 celery stalks, finely chopped 1/2 cup cilantro, minced 1/2 cup (2 oz) crumbled blue cheese Directions  This recipe yields 4 cups of chicken salad. When I made it, I cut everything in half since I was just making it for myself. 1. In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, buffalo sauce, garlic powder and black pepper. 2. Stir in chicken, celery, cilantro and blue cheese. 3. Refrigerate until serving or up to 5 days in the fridge.

I love getting take out Chinese food, but I never feel good after eating eat. So….. I found this wonderful Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken recipe on Pinterest (http://www.preventionrd.com/2014/01/slow-cooker-cashew-chicken-weekly-menu/) . I made a few adjustments to the recipe. Ingredients 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 Tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 2 Tbsp ketchup 1 Tbsp brown sugar 2-3 garlic cloves, minced 1 Tbsp grated ginger 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup cashews Directions  1. Cut chicken into large, 1 1/2 inch pieces. Combine flour and pepper in a ziplock bag, add chicken, and shake to coat with flour mixture. 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. (Note: Do not cook chicken completely.) Transfer chicken into slow cooker. 3. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger and pepper fla...