Watermelon Salsa

Image from here.

Ok, don't be scared. My aunt introduced this recipe to me.  This salsa is incredible. It is sweet but has a little kick to it too. This is great for keeping it healthy and it isn't as acidic as tomatoes. Light and refreshing, you will LOVE IT. 

I have made this recipe many times now, and most people are stunned after trying it to find out that the "red" they see aren't tomatoes! This is a sure crowd-pleaser! 

I hope you find this is a fun alternative to regular salsa and enjoy changing things up for your summer cook outs!






Watermelon Salsa

2.-3 cups diced seedless watermelon
3/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion (I used red)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons brown sugar 
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix and serve chilled with tortilla chips!

Enjoy!

~AMK

Crock Pot Meatloaf

This recipe is probably one of the easiest things to do...ever. honestly, making a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomato is about the same amount of work once you spread some mayo, slice the tomato, wash the lettuce and assemble.  AND the best part, it is unbelievably delicious!

So easy and delicious, what's the catch? NOTHING. It is cheap too!

Here is the goodness:

Meatloaf served with a veggie and potato.
Original recipe found here.

Ok, stop drooling all over yourself and let's get started:)

Crock Pot Meatloaf

What you'll need:
Aluminum foil
2 lbs round turkey or beef
1 packet of dry onion soup mix or savory herbs soup mix
3/4 c. milk
2 eggs (I left out eggs and used 1c. milk and it worked great too!)
3/4 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian style)

Crock Pot Setup:
Unroll some aluminum foil so that it is one long strip, and put into your crock pot so it comes up the edges and forms down into the dish so it makes like a harness shape or "U" shape. It should be going from one side of the crock pot, down the edge, along the bottom, and back up the other edge. You will use the foil to lift out your finished meatloaf later and having the foil come all the way up the sides (one long strip under the meatloaf) makes for easy removal.

Meatloaf & Cooking:
Mix all ingredients together until all the turkey has seasoning on it. Then dump your mix into the crock pot and form the meatloaf into a brick shape so no sides of the meat touch the edge of the crock pot (If you have an oval crock pot, it will be in rectangular brick shape. If in a round crock, make into a circle). The key is the edges shouldn't touch the sides of the crock pot. Then, cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Serve with baked potatoes and asparagus for a hardy meal!

Enjoy!

~AMK

Maple Turkey Cutlets

Calling all cooks, cook-wanna-be, or just those just in need of something different to make!!

This recipe was unbelievably easy. Like, if you are not a cook or you are just starting out, this will work for you. It is cheap and your taste buds will be happy. 

Whatcha Need Is...

1 pack turkey cutlets (about 4-5 in a pack)

1-2 cups baby carrots, rinsed

maple syrup (YUP, the kind you use for pancakes!)

olive oil

1/2 tsp garlic-pepper salt

Whatcha Gotta Do Is...

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 13x9 baking pan, place cutlets and scatter baby carrots. Drizzle maple syrup over everything and lightly sprinkle with garlic-pepper salt. Flip cutlets and stir around carrots. Drizzle with more syrup and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle more garlic-pepper salt again. The syrup and seasoning is not to saturate them, just to give a thin coating to everything. Place in oven uncovered and bake for about 15 minutes then flip chops and stir carrots. Continue baking for another 15 minutes or until cutlets are completely cooked through (no longer pink). 

This is the drizzle....

Ready to bake!

Serve with a plain side like simple mashed potatoes or a salad to keep things light.

Put in cute serving dish and eat it up! :)

Enjoy!

~AMK

Because you asked for it! (Chx Enchilada Dip!)

Are you ready for it?! So each year, my classic dish to bring to parties is chicken enchilada dip. It is a crowd-pleaser for sure...Never any leftovers! That's how I like it! :)

So if you are in need of a new recipe for this holiday season, new year's party, or super bowl party, this will definitely work for you. It isn't expensive, and it is so simple.

 Enjoy!


Chicken Enchilada Dip

What You'll Need:
8 oz block cream cheese (I get the 1/3 less fat)
1/2 c. miracle whip (you can add more if you want it creamier)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (shredded or cubed)
2 large cans of chicken (they are about 12 oz cans), drained
4 oz can of diced green chili peppers (not drained)
1 small onion diced
1 glove garlic, minced (or you can use garlic powder)
southwest seasoning (I mix chili powder, crushed red pepper, and a little garlic salt)

Whatcha Gotta Do is:
Put all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for about 3-4 hours. When you season with southwest seasoning, start with less and add more to taste before serving. Stir frequently, if possible.  Serve directly out of the crock pot while on warm with regular or lime tortilla chips.  Enjoy!

Hint: I tried cooking it on high for shorter time, and it didn't turn out quite as good. So cooking it on low for about 4 hours, while stirring occasionally, makes it taste best in my opinion. 

~AMK

Advent of Crazy?

Dear Future Self,

Today, I sit here at my computer feeling like the world is going so fast around me and I am in slow motion. You know that feeling, future self, don’t you?  The feeling that lines are blurring, and you standing there with your life circling around you, and it is going so fast you can hardly keep up. I think the Christmas season is like that for many of us. We have more gatherings, more cooking, more cleaning, and more crafting than we typically partake in for a whole year! The hustle and bustle is so fun, but it sure is overwhelming too.

For this year, our first year being married, we are taking in all things us. We are going to our friend’s parties, we are creating our own traditions, we are enjoying decorating our first place together and are doing our shopping and crafting and preparations with feelings of excitement and newness. Having our first Christmas as a hitched woman is starting off great so far this season. Loving that there is going to be so much time to spend with those we love and care for. And, we are missing all those that we are not able to be with too. But, we will be sending our love and hopefully doing some Skyping too J (Future self, do you still use skype or has teleportation become the latest and greatest?)

So while I am here at my computer, looking at my calendar that is quickly filling and my to-do list is growing with little being crossed off yet, I am trying to focus on how awesome this time of year is. How grateful I am for this holiday season and all the life it brings to us. It stretches us and makes us do more with what seems like less time. So I am getting my list-making skills at the ready because its gonna be a busy but fun ride!

Basking in the holiday cheer,

~AMK

Crock Pot Applesauce

On our honeymoon, KGK and I went apple picking. What a great way to celebrate fall, right?! It was GLORIOUS! I had been wanting to go for quite some time now, so we decided to find a spot to go during our last day of the trip. It was perfect fall weather!

When we got back, we had SO MANY APPLES, I had no idea what to do with all of them. Apple pie is one thing, but we could have made 4 or 5 of them. So it was time to think of something else. So then came...

...


Crock Pot Applesauce !!

This recipe is fantastic!! I found this online through a serious of friend's blogs and some online recipe searching. Not sure where the original credit goes, but I altered a little anyway. Enjoy!!

Don't mind the vase and flower stems in the background:)
I have a ROCKIN' husband who got me flowers!

The Goods:
8 large apples, cubed & peeled
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (really just however much you like)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ready to cook! :)

The How-To:
Cut your apples into cubes and be sure all the skin is off. Put into large crock pot and sprinkle the entire thing with cinnamon (stir and add more if you like more cinnamon). Add your brown sugar and vanilla. Stir. Cook on low for 6-7 hours and stir intermittently. Enjoy!


Cutting & peeling the apples takes the longest time, but once you do, it is SO worth it! I think I may make this again this week! :)


And here are the flowers that were cropped out of the picture above...I'm in love:)

yellow love

~AMK

Make-Shift Dinner: Veggie Artisan Pizza

I know I have posted a LOT of recipes lately, but I have been on a cooking kick! If you liked the chicken & stuffing casserole or the spicy mexican chicken recipe, this one will definitely work for you.

Doesn't this just look inviting? YUM....

Veggie Artisan Pizza---Very Versatile!

Ok, so the run-down you have been waiting for:

Ingredients (But you can alter all you want!):
1 tube Artisan Whole Grain Pizza Dough
Olive Oil (or cooking spray for pan)
3/4 cup chunky pizza or spaghetti sauce
1 c. diced pineapple
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 orange/yellow bell pepper
1/2 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers
1 c. mozzarella cheese
3/4 c. sliced onlion
sprinkle of chili powder (optional- spicier!)
sprinkle of crushed red pepper (optional- spicier!)
sprinkle of Italian seasonings (I used a premixed version, or you can use oregano, basil, parsley, whatever!)

Whatcha Gotta do:
Roll out the pizza dough. Cook according to dough packaging. Once the dough is lightly browned, add sauce, veggies, pineapple, and seasonings. Bake until golden brown, then add cheese. Bake until melted.

The sauce gets VERY HOT, so be careful, then, Enjoy!

 

Another great make-shift recipe! You can totally use just an olive oil base instead of a red sauce or use BBQ sauce. And the best part is that you can customize to whatever you, and your other eaters you are responsible for, like!

Happy Pizza Eating! :)

~AMK

Make-Shift Dinner: Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

KGK loves chicken casseroles. So he asked recently if we could have one. A suggestion for dinner....SURE! I am always looking for suggestions and this sounded like just the thing to make.

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

This was incredibly easy. Typically, I will use regular chicken breasts to cook, but sometimes using a can of chicken works just as well when you don't have any chicken in the house. From start to finish, you can probably make this in all of 45 minutes, but prep didn't take much time at all!

Here's the breakdown:

Stuffing:
1 box chicken (low sodium) stuffing
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1/4 stick butter

Chicken Mixture:
2 large cans of chicken, drained (or 3-4 regular chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces)
1 can cream of chicken soup, condensed, low sodium
1 can cream of celery soup, condensed
1 c. shredded carrots
1.5 c. green beans
pepper

The How-To:
In a saucepan, pour the chicken broth & butter and bring to a boil (then set aside off the burner after it comes to a boil). While that is coming to a boil, mix together your chicken mixture. Pour chicken mix into a 13x9 pan. Then in another large bowl, pour the dry ingredients of your stuffing. Use a small spoon to sprinkle the chicken broth & butter mixture over the stuffing. NOTE: DO NOT POUR. Once the stuffing gets too wet, you can't go back. It will be soggy. So sprinkling lightly and stirring frequently will help make the liquid mix in evenly. Then, put stuffing on top of the chicken mixture in the pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until bubbly (and if you used raw chicken, be sure it is cooked through. Maybe add about 10 minutes for raw chicken).

(If you want your veggies to be less crunchy, try using frozen carrots and french cut green beans).

"The Goods"

Before adding the stuffing on top & After Baking (ready to serve!)

 Hope you enjoy!

~AMK

Make-Shift Dinner: Spicy Mexican Chicken

For dinner the other night, I needed to create a make-shift dinner. You know the ones...you scrounge in your pantry, cabinets and refrigerator and try to come up with SOMETHING edible. Sometimes you have to add random stuff together to make enough to fill everyone up. That night, was one of those nights.

We had been out to eat a couple times, been to our friends' place for dinner, and had sandwiches some other nights. I felt like cooking, but I didn't really have all ingredients needed for some of our "tried-and-true" or "go-to" recipes. So, time to come up with a new go-to. Thus, the make-shift dinner was created.

Here's what I had to work with, so I ran with it...

Ingredients:
3 frozen chicken breasts
taco seasoning
1/4 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. green pepper, diced
1 can light red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
3/4 block cream cheese
1 4oz. can diced, green chili peppers (not drained)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (not drained)
2 tbsp garlic salt
2 tsps crushed red pepper

 And of course, cooking is much more fun when you have a glass of wine...

...and your faithful sidekick...

Let the cooking, begin!

The How-To:
Boil the frozen chicken breasts until thoroughly cooked through. Take out chicken and cut into bite size pieces. (I used one large saute pan to do this entire dish so it would cook evenly and it was only 1 pan to clean, but you can use whatever will hold all of it). Add all ingredients into pan on medium high heat, except for cream cheese. Come to a boil and stir. Turn heat down to medium and add cream cheese. Bring back to boil so it is nice and bubbly. Stir frequently so it doesn't stick. Once all ingredients are heated through, serve hot with whole wheat soft tortillas or make a taco salad with it. Enjoy!

Add cream cheese last and be sure to stir constantly.

Make sure it gets all bubbly!

Serve with whole wheat soft tortillas and your favorite taco toppings!

Semi-healthy, spicy, and delish!

(If you don't want it as spicy, substitute the fire roasted tomatoes for plain and skip on the crushed red peppers).

Enjoy!

~AMK