Jalapeno and Bacon Cheesy Bread

I love spicy, I love cheese, I love, bacon, and I love bread.  Put them all together and it is a dream come true!!!  This bread could be a meal all in itself but it goes perfectly with soup, salad, chicken, whatever.  I think I might even serve it at our next football party.  But it is only May and there is no way I am going to wait that long to make this again!  

Ingredients:

• French Bread Loaf
• 3/4 of a Cup of Shredded Pepperjack Cheese
• 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/2 Cup of Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/3 cup of Bacon Cooked and Crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons of diced Jalapenos (the kind from a jar)
• 2 Tablespoons of Green Onions (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Minced Garlic

Melt butter in small skillet.  Lightly saute the green onions and garlic.  Preheat oven to 375.  In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients.  Add in the garlic and onions and mix together.  Spread the mixture evenly over each side of the loaf of bread.  

Bake for about 6 minutes.  Turn oven to broil for additional 3 minutes or so.  Make sure you keep a close eye on the bread and remove it when the cheese starts to bubble and turn brown.  Slice and serve right away.  YUM!!!!!

BBQ Chicken Potato Skins

When I think of potato skins I think of the days when we used to go out for happy Hour after work.  Now there is no time for Happy Hour  and it is often frowned upon to bring your kids to a bar so we have to make due at home:)  That's okay with us though because these potato skins are even better!  I even serve them with a salad and call it dinner!

Ingredients:

• 4 Potatoes
• Chicken ( I used a leftover grilled chicken breast from the night before and made 8 potato skins)
• About a cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• A Tablespoon or so of Chopped Green Onion
• About a 1/4 Cup of Your Favorite BBQ Sauce (I used Best Darn BBQ Recipe)
• 3 Pieces of Bacon Cooked and Crumbles (or Hormel Real Bacon Pieces)
• Homemade Ranch Dressing

Makes 8 potato skins

Scrub outside of potatoes with vegetable brush.  Pierce potatoes multiple times with a sharp knife.  Cook in microwave for about 7 minutes turning over halfway through.  Cooking time varies because of potato size and the number you are cooking.  You can stick a knife in them to see if they are done.  If the knife goes in easily then they are done.  

Let them cool for about 10 minutes.  Cut them in half lengthwise.  Carefully scoop the insides of the potatoes out.  Make sure to keep the skin intact.  

Place potato insides in a bowl and save for another recipe (I will share my great idea for breakfast with you later).

 Preheat oven to 350.  Dice chicken and toss with your favorite BBQ Sauce.

 Load up your potato skins with chicken and bacon.

 Top with cheese and onions.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  I like to serve them with Ranch Dressing for dipping.

This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus



Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.

Pizza Rolls- all Grown Up

My husband is a hot lunch kind of guy and when he is home for lunch on the weekends the last thing I want to be doing on my Saturday or Sunday afternoon is cooking lunch (because I usually cook breakfast and dinner).  I often make these Pizza Rolls along with Ham and Cheese Calzones to keep in the freezer for those weekend lunches.  I can also take them straight from the freezer and put them in the kids' lunch boxes and they thaw in time for them to enjoy in place of a sandwich at school.  These Pizza Rolls are the perfect addition to Family Movie Night, Game Day, and Parties.

Ingredients:

• Pepperoni
• Mozzarella
• Garlic Salt
• You favorite Pizza Dough Recipe (I will post mine soon)

Flour your counter top and roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  Then layer Pepperoni and Shredded Mozzarella.  Sprinkle with Garlic Salt.

Next tightly roll the dough into a log form.  I recommend making them no longer than 14 inches, because if you make them too big it will take too long for middle to cook and the outside will be too overdone.  Pinch the ends and seam closed with your fingertips.  Brush roll with butter to ensure a nice golden color while baking.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.  I line my baking sheet with parchment paper just in case one of the seams opens up.  Baking time will vary based on the size and thickness of the dough.  Just keep an eye on it.

Serve right away with a side of marinara sauce or let them cook completely and you can put them in the freezer for a quick and easy meal later on or even a late night snack:)

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

This is one of the easiest recipes you will EVER make!  I made my grandmother's potato soup recipe one time and boy was it difficult.  It was way to much work for something I knew I could make in the slow cooker.  So when I came across the original recipe to this potato soup I was so excited to try it.  Our version is a staple recipe in our house.  Perfect for a fall/winter day and it leaves me leftovers for my lunch too!
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 block of Cream Cheese (don't use fat free, it won't melt.  some times I use about 3/4 of a block to make it not so thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 bag of Shredded Hash Browns
• 28 oz of Chicken Broth 
• 6-8 slices of Bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
• Scallions

Combine hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, pepper, onion, and chicken broth in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 5 hours.

For the last hour, cut cream cheese into cubes and place in slow cooker.  Add in crumbled bacon and stir.  I usually stir a few times to help the cream cheese melt and evenly distribute.

Top with a little more bacon, some shredded cheddar, and scallions.

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!