Buttermilk Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 pinch salt

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Mix all of the ingredients together until combined, making sure not to over-mix. Melt a little bit of butter in the pan. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles. Cook until golden brown on each side.

I have always wanted to make pancakes from scratch, but never really took the time to do it. I also never thought that I could find a recipe that would just blow us away. This recipe blew us away! They came out soooo fluffy, and the fact that I whipped them together in no time was an added bonus. It is very safe to say that we will NEVER make pancakes from a mix again! When we decided to make the sausage quiche for dinner, I thought that it would be nice to have something else breakfast-like to go with it. Pancakes seemed like the perfect addition. And they really were! The sweetness of the pancakes along with the saltiness of the quiche made for a wonderful dinner. I can't wait to make these again, though next time I will probably make them a little bit smaller so that we have more. This is a personal problem, and has nothing to do with the recipe. I just had the big eye on the size of the pancakes!

Southwestern Sausage Quiche

1/2 lb. sausage
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 oz.) can Rotel tomatoes, drained
2 eggs
1/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk
1 9-inch unbaked deep dish pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, cook sausage until well browned. Drain off grease and set aside. Whisk together eggs, ranch dressing, sour cream, and milk. Add sausage, cheese, and Rotel. Stir to combine. Pour egg mixture into prepared pie crust. Bake 1 hour. Allow quiche to rest 5-10 minutes before serving.

I wish I could explain how fast and easy this recipe was to throw together. I have actually always been afraid to make quiches, mainly because I didn't know how they would taste, and also because I thought that they were extremely complicated to make. There was the small factor of not knowing which one Vann would go for, either. If I was going to make a quiche, it had to be easy, and it had to be something I knew Vann would love, or at least be willing to try. When I told him about this recipe yesterday before he went to work, he was excited about it. I couldn't believe it! I definitely had to give it a whirl.


Seriously, it was so so easy. I just got a Marie Calendar's deep dish pie crust to put it in, and it worked out great! The flavors of this dish are absolutely wonderful. I did add just a little bit of pepper to the egg mixture, only because we like pepper in our eggs, and I wanted to give it the smallest kick, and it was perfect. I also made buttermilk pancakes to go along with this (recipe to come), and the sweetness of the pancakes combined with this was to die for. If you get a chance, head over to Plain Chicken's website (www.plainchicken.com). She has an amazing blog, and I have gotten several recipes, including this one, from her website. Everything she posts will make you drool!

Taco Salad

1 lb. ground beef
1 small pkg. white rice (we use Great Value boil in a bag)
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning with Cheese
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilis, drained
Dash of milk
Tortilla Chips
French Dressing (or whatever dressing you prefer)
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Shredded lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Jalapenos

Brown beef in a pan; drain fat. While beef is cooking, prepare rice according to package directions. To the beef, add taco seasoning and a dash of milk, stirring until mixed together well. Add Rotel, and allow beef mixture to simmer so tomatoes and chilis can warm. (At this point, you can also add some shredded cheese and even a couple slices of American cheese if you wish. We did this the last time we made it and it was wonderful!) To assemble (there is no particular order): Crush desired amount of tortilla chips on a plate. Top with beef, rice, cheese, dressing, and any other toppings you prefer. Mix together. Enjoy!!!

When I was younger, I remember having this dish what seemed like once a week. To me, it is comfort food in the simplest form. I even remember always being so excited when my Mom made this. I don't know why, I just absolutely loved it, and still do! Cheap, easy, and quick to throw together, this is a dish that we now have at least twice a month. I know what you're thinking. "That looks disgusting." Quite understandable. Unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a clever way to make this dish scream delicious. But I promise you, it is! Vann had never eaten Taco Salad before we met, and it was even a couple of years after we were together that I even thought about making it. Once he tried it, though, he was hooked and I was so glad to have it back in my life! And I know that French dressing seems like an odd topping to include in the mix, but it is so good! Vann prefers Taco Bell's Creamy and Bold Spicy Ranchero, which is equally as delicious, so don't feel limited with the dressing options! I have even put both on my salad and it is wonderful. This recipe is perfect for just the two of us, so if you have more mouths to feed, I would definitely double it. This is one that is nice to have when you've had a long day at work, come home starving, and just want something quick and delicious to throw together. Unfortunately that is us almost every night....so....that's why we have it often! Ha! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill both dough and an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in fridge (I put them in the freezer for 10 minutes). Meanwhile, mix 3 Tbsp. sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon together in a small bowl. Scoop 1 inch balls of dough into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

I came across this recipe on food.com a couple of days ago, and I saved it to my cookbook. Last night while we were watching tv, I decided that I wanted to make something sweet, but something that I could make with everything I had on hand. I came across a snickerdoodle bread on Pinterest (also going in my Recipes To Try folder), and then remembered that I had this recipe saved. Holy cow!!! I love snickerdoodles, but every single time we have gotten them at the store, they are hard as a rock, and the flavor is always lacking. These were the absolute BEST snickerdoodles I have ever tried! They definitely held true to their name, and straight out of the oven? Gasp and swoon! Vann said that he took some to work today and they went like hotcakes. There is no greater compliment than that! They are extremely easy to throw together, and I promise you that you will not eat just one. The batter alone is addicting. I know, I know...raw eggs, blah blah blah. The threat of consuming salmonella or some other disease did not push me away from trying the batter. It was delicious. If you are looking to make something quick, easy, and sweet, give these suckers a try. You will fall in love :)

Pigs in a Blanket

1 pkg. Crescent Rolls
1 pkg. Chicken Hot Dogs with Cheese
Honey Mustard for dipping (or any other sauce you prefer)

Unroll crescents; separate into individual triangles, then cut each one in half. Remove hot dogs from package and cut in half. Take each hot dog half and place on crescent half; roll. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until crescents are golden brown. Serve with favorite dipping sauce.

I know that this is a ridiculously easy recipe, but it is one that we adore. Great for appetizer nights or football games, these puppies are cheap and easy to make. And they go so fast. Our favorite dipping sauce is Rotel cheese dip, but I have found that honey mustard is a great choice as well. Vann picked up some chicken hot dogs with cheese one night, and we had a few cans of crescent rolls in the fridge, so I decided to whip these up. You can't even tell that they are chicken hot dogs. The cheese adds a nice little kick. Cutting everything in half makes them bite-size, which is great. I would definitely suggest doubling this recipe, especially if you are making them for a crowd. They will not last long at all!

Baked Spaghetti with Cream Cheese

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 large (26.5 oz.) can spaghetti sauce
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. milk
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (we topped it with Italian 6 cheese blend instead)
1 small can French Fried Onions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Brown ground beef; drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to beef and heat. Combine onions, peppers, and butter in a small bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, microwave for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.) Using a 9 x 13" casserole dish, assemble in the following order: 1) Thin layer of spaghetti sauce on bottom of casserole dish 2) Spaghetti 3) Cream cheese/ vegetable mixture 4) Spaghetti sauce 5) Parmesan cheese-amount subject to your own taste 6) French Fried Onions (add during the last 5 minutes of baking). Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried Onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Make sure to not let them burn.

I found this recipe on pinterest, which led me to salad-in-a-jar.com. It just looked so amazing in the picture. So, for my birthday, Vann said that he wanted to make me something for dinner, and this is what I finally decided on. I am so glad that I did! It is amazing! Even better, the leftovers are incredible! Which, in our house, it is a MUST that leftovers are just as good as the meal, if not better, in order for a recipe to stay in constant rotation. I got that from my sister, Christy, and it has been a great rule-of-thumb. A night in the refrigerator (like all pasta dishes) allows for everything to mingle, and it is glorious. The meat-to-pasta ratio was perfect for us, as we love a good sturdy and hearty sauce, not too runny. Once you let it cool for a few minutes, it can been served like lasagna. With a salad and garlic bread, it makes for an outstanding meal. Definitely give it a try! Should you prefer a healthier version, I imagine that it would be great with whole wheat pasta (add a chicken bouillon cube to your water while the pasta cooks, and it makes a huge difference), ground turkey, and low-fat cream cheese. I don't think there is any way this meal could disappoint!

Pizza Crescents

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls
40 pepperoni slices
8 sticks string cheese, each cut in half
Garlic powder
Pizza sauce, for dipping

Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles. Place 5 pepperoni slices on each crescent, then half a stick of string cheese. Roll up as you would a crescent roll. Sprinkle each with garlic powder. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes, or until a light golden-brown. Serve with warm pizza sauce.

I came across this recipe on pinterest a couple of weeks ago, and they just looked so easy and so good. I am game to try pretty much anything with a crescent roll, because it seems to always be delicious. And I am so glad that we tried them! These didn't even take 5 minutes to throw together, and they are wonderful! I did make them with turkey pepperoni over Christmas, and I have to say that we weren't a huge fan. They were good, but there is something about the regular pepperoni that makes it for us (probably the grease. Sad, no?). Anyway, Vann liked these so much that he requested that we have them for dinner one night. And that we did. These make for a great appetizer and will be sure to please!