Spinach & Artichoke Bake

More like Spinach Bake. I had a can of biscuits I didn't use for the Chicken & Dumplings, so I looked on my Pinterest boards to see if I had anything that called for biscuits and I found this recipe from Oh, Bite It!. We had almost everything in our kitchen; we were missing artichoke hearts, but that didn't stop me from making this.

The smell that fills the kitchen when baking is amazing. My mouth instantly salivated when I opened the oven. This oey-goey meal is so good. I mean come on it has cheese and pillsbury dough, how could it not be good!? What more could I ask for? I guess artichoke hearts. I will definitely make sure I have those next time I make this, because I will most certainly make this recipe again.

Ingredients

1 (8 count) can of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

3 cups of frozen spinach, defrosted

2 cups shredded Mozzarella, divided

1 can of artichoke hearts

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Oven: 350

Grease a 9x9 pyrex oven safe dish.
Chop up the artichoke hearts, place in a large bowl along with the defrosted spinach.
In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, parmesan, salt and paper, and cayenne if desired; add that mixture into the large bowl of spinach and artichokes, fold in 1 cup of Mozzarella.
Next, cut each biscuit into fourth; add them into the bowl and gently mix them into the saucy spinach and artichokes, coating them completely.
Pour everything into baking pan and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake for an hour; halfway through make sure you cover it with foil!
Serve when warm and enjoy.

TATER RATER

Suggestions: If you'd like the top to be nice and golden, broil it for a couple of minutes before serving

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Thank you Brunch Time Baker for blogging this recipe. It was so yummy. It's also super easy; nothing better than an easy recipe. Good thing about this recipe is that it can also be prepared ahead of time. I love quesadillas and luckily so does my roomie. So, when I came upon this recipe we were 100 percent down to make it. If you like heat to your meal, here is a good eat. If you don't like heat to your meal, this you can replace the buffalo and ranch with a BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

2 chicken breast, shredded

1/4 cup Frank's buffalo wing sauce

1 tbsp ranch dressing

1 tsp canola oil

1/8 tsp salt

dash of pepper

2 large flour tortillas

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

sour cream for dipping

Directions

Heat skillet to medium heat.

In a medium bowl, toss chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch, cheese, salt and pepper.

Lightly coat pan with canola oil.

Place tortilla on pan. On one half of tortilla, place 1/2 of chicken mixture and fold.

Allow to cook for 2 minutes and flip for another 2 minutes on the other side.

Remove from heat and repeat processes with the other tortilla.

Cut each quesadillas into 4 portions.

Serve hot and with a side of sour cream for dipping

TATER RATER

Suggestions: We did not have any cilantro, but it would have made a great addition. 

Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings

This is my first time actually having chicken & dumpling soup and let me tell ya, it was fantastic. This recipe is super easy and super delicious. You must try it. Just do not make the mistake I did and buy one can cream of chicken soup and the other cream of celery. It could have tasted so much better if I actually bought the two cans cream of chicken. It was my fault for not checking the cans, but there also shouldn't have been a cream of celery soup with the cream of chicken. I'm not bitter though; the soup still turned out great, but you could taste that celery. I had to put it in there or else the balance of ingredients would have been off. Nonetheless, the chicken & dumplings did not disappoint. I cannot wait to make it again.

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tbsp butter

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 (14.5 oz) can of chicken broth

1/2 onion, diced

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 can of an 8 count Pillsbury Grands biscuits

Directions

Place chicken in crockpot. Plop the butter on the chicken.

Next, scoop the cream of chicken soup and pour chicken broth on top.

Add the diced onions and dried parsley.

Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 8-9 hours.

~I cooked mine on low~

After the chicken is cooked, shred it and put back into the soup.

~I have a small crockpot so I didn't cook my chicken that long, I'm to scared to dry out my chicken~

Cut each biscuit into 9 pieces.

Stir gently into the soup. Cover and turn crockpot to high and cook for another hour.

Serve warm and enjoy!

TATER RATER

"If the cream of celery wasn't there, it'd probably tasted better" -Tater

Suggestions: Ours turned out really thick, so I recommend adding more broth.

Adapted from: freshdreamer 

French Dip Crescents

Yes, I have another crescent recipe for you lovely people. Expect more. I found this recipe from Mama loves food and am happy I did. I halved the original recipe since it's just me and Tater eating, but I wish I didn't; I wanted more. Dipping this into the au jus was no mess at all, I know when ever I have a french dip, half my sandwich ends up in the au jus by the time I am finished. With this recipe, you get to keep all of your food. I am not sure if you can buy a cup of already made au jus, but I made my own from Mama loves food. I have had better crescent recipes, but this one still delicious and worth your time.

Ingredients

1 package of 8 count crescent rolls

Package deli roast beef (about a pound)

4 slices swiss or provolone cheese

optional: horseradish sauce

optional: Au jus for dipping

Directions

Oven: 375

Unroll crescents onto a large cooking sheet

If you have horseradish sauces, spread a small dab on each crescent.

Then, place a slice of roast beef and cheese on each crescent.

Roll crescents starting from wide.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until golden color. 

Serve Au Jus and enjoy!

TATER RATER

"I don't think anything can beat those sloppy joes" -Tater

Suggestions: Make Au jus first!! I made the mistake of not making it before I baked the crescents. It takes 35 minutes too cook the Au Jus.

Lemon Obsession

I am obsessed with anything lemon. If you say something has lemon in it, I am 110 percent on board. When I say I have a lemon obsession, I am not joking. I literally pinned this recipe three different times without realizing it. ~this must have been before Pinterest started telling you that you have already pinned it, which I find awesome.~ So of the three pins, I got this recipe from Becky Charms.

These were gone in a matter of days. They are so great and worth making. 

Ingredients

The "Brownie" Batter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt  ~sea salt~

1/2 cup ~1 stick~ unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs

2 tbsp lemon zest

2 tbsp lemon juice

Tart Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp lemon juice

8 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp lemon

Directions

Oven: 350

In an 8x8 baking dish, grease with cooking spray and set aside.

Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.

In a bowl, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.

Pour into flour mixture and beat until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges.

~insert a toothpick into the center of the brownies to make sure it comes out clean~

Allow to cool completely before glazing.

When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze.

Sift the powder sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients.

Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies. 

Let glaze set.

Spread the remaining glaze over the bars and let it sit once more.

~this glaze does not harden like most~

Cut into bars, and serve!

TATER RATER

Salmon Patties with Sriracha Mayo

Doesn't this look delicious? Well, it was. There is so much flavor in these patties. I love fish, so when I came across this yummy recipe, I knew I had to make it. The thing is, Tater does not love or even like fish - I knew something had to be wrong with her, no one has that good of a roommate- so, I knew I had to change that. A few weeks after our first semester together I made some baked fish. She had mixed feelings about that. Since she didn't necessarily hate fish, I thought I'd give this recipe a try. She actually liked this recipe! It wasn't too fishy of a taste since there are other flavor factors, which was perfect for her. I think I'm starting to convert her! This was a good recipe to do so; everything about it was fantastic: from the flavorful patty, to the Sriracha mayo, to the fresh avocado. So many flavors that complement each other and the different colors that make the meal more appetizing. The original recipe calls for a bed of arugula, but I chose not to have. If you want the original recipe, which specifies the healthier options of the ingredients, visit Gina's Skinny Recipes. 

These patties can be made the night before or earlier in the day. You're going to have to prep before the actual cooking process since you have to refrigerate the patties. This is so they stay firm during the cooking process. I cooked these patties on a George Forman grill and they turned out great. The grill cooked both sides at once which made it cook faster, which was great because they were done sooner rather than later.  

ENJOY

Ingredients

Spicy Sriracha Mayo

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp

Salmon Patties

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper

6 tbsp panko

1 garlic clove, minced*

1 lb wild salmon fillet

1 large egg

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1 avocado

Directions

Combine mayo and Sriracha, set aside.

Remove the skin from the salmon. 

With a knife finely chop the remaining salmon. 

~In all honestly, I sometimes just used my hands to pull apart the salmon~

In a medium bowl, combine the salmon with the bell peppers, panko and garlic.

In a small bowl, combine egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt.

Add to salmon mixture, tossing gently to combine.

Form mixture into 4 patties and refrigerate at least one hour.

~this will help the patties become firm and hold together during cooking~

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with cooking spray or oil.

Place over medium- high heat until hot.

Cook the patties 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Top each salmon patties with Sriracha mayo and avocado slices.

TATER RATER

This is a good rating for someone who is not a seafood person.

Suggestions: Tater and I LOVE garlic. So, I would recommend maybe even 2 garlic cloves.

*If you have a jar of minced garlic, like we do, here are the measurements: 

1 tsp = 2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp = 1 clove of garlic