Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan Bars

November 1, 2013 by

Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan Bars

I love cereal. Like LURVE cereal. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Too bad the husband doesn’t do breakfast for dinner. But that’s another story…

So when I received a few boxes of Vanilla Chex to try out in the mail I didn’t hesitate to jump in and indulge in a bowl (or two). And when my daughter saw what I was doing she demanded that I share. I almost didn’t.

I told her I was going to make something for our playgroup’s halloween party with them and her eyes got big. She was so excited to see what I was going to make. And I’m pretty sure I made her day when I showed her these Vanilla Chex Cranberry Pecan bars I threw together.

They were pretty darn good!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Breakfast, Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Snacks, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Sauté {Quick Dinner Recipes}

October 28, 2013 by

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Saute quick dinner recipes #shop #sauteexpress
I’ve always been a huge fan of quick dinner recipes. Ones that don’t take a lot of time to prepare and just fall together easily. No worrying about if I remembered the vegetables or started the rice. My favorite quick fix meals are easy chicken recipes that my kids will eat.

Since the weekends are usually my time to kick back, relax, and enjoy some family time, I make sure I have some quick dinner recipes up my sleeve to make mealtimes easier. And luckily now I have Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter to help me out.

The caprese salad pasta I made took less than 15 minutes to prepare and all I chopped up were the tomatoes and cheese. Nothing hard or time consuming about that. I didn’t even add salt and pepper before putting the chicken in the pan.

quick dinner recipes caprese salad pasta ingredients #shop #sauteexpress

Quick Dinner Recipes

As a busy mom with two little ones I have a few 30 minute meals up my sleeve that take little to no thinking on my part. Except for the fact that I need to have all of the ingredients on hand.

But now my life has been made easier… finding these Sauté Express® Sauté Starter packages from Land O’Lakes has allowed me to keep making delicious and tasty meals for the family but has cut the cooking time in half.

Another lifesaver? Chicken tenders! They take like a third of the time chicken breasts take to cook and are just as good. Plus the kids love the size.

quick dinner recipes chicken pasta close up #shop #sauteexpress

Caprese Salad Pasta with Chicken Sauté

  • 2 servings spinach linguini pasta
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella, diced
  • 1/2 cup basil pesto
  • 1 Land O’Lakes Sauté Express® Sauté Starter in garlic & herb
  • 1/2 pound chicken tenders

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add spinach linguini and cook until al dente as per the instructions on the packaging.

While water is coming to a boil, cut the cherry tomatoes and toss with the diced mozzarella and pesto in a small bowl.  Set aside.

When pasta is cooking, grab a saute pan and add Sauté Express® Sauté Starter. Cook on medium low heat until bubbling. Add chicken to the pan and cook until browned on each side, about 7-10 minutes. Place cooked chicken on a plate and remove from heat.

Once the pasta is done cooking, add the noodles to the caprese salad mixture (tomatoes, mozzarella, and pesto) and toss well. Serve pasta on a plate and top with sauteed garlic & herb chicken.

quick dinner recipes caprese salad pasta with chicken saute dish #shop #sauteexpress

What’s your favorite quick fix meal?

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Lemon Tartlets

October 26, 2013 by

Lemon Tartlets portrait

Every month I host a playdate at my house for my playgroup. It’s a great way for moms to get together and enjoy each other’s company while the kids play with each other. It also gives newcomers to the group a chance to feel welcomed in without having to search a park or other location for a group they aren’t familiar with.

So when two new friends arrived at my door for our latest playdate and one’s hands were filled with these amazingly delicious lemon tartlets I knew they’d fit right in! And they did.

Of course after polishing off a few of these bad boys I had to ask for the recipe and luckily my friend had no problems sharing it with me. This dessert is so simple to prepare and great for parties and get togethers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Great Turkey Treats for Kids to Make

October 25, 2013 by

great turkey treats for the kids to makeMy kids are finally at that age where they get what Thanksgiving is all about and get excited about joining with family to celebrate what we’re thankful for.

But they also love getting in the festive spirit and making some turkey inspired treats.

Here are a few of our favorite turkey treats for kids to make that are simple and easy to do. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats

October 22, 2013 by

candy corn rice crispy treats halloween

Every year for Halloween I host a party for my playgroup. Something fun, easy, and entertaining for the kids. We enjoy painting pumpkins, creating snack bags, and having a great time while all in costume.

But one of our favorite parts about this get together is the fact that we all come together and bring delicious goodies for everyone to sample. This year I decided to try out some festive rice crispy treats after my husband made a batch and left about 1/2 the pan in the fridge.

So I got out my candy melts and started playing around to create these adorable sweet treats otherwise known as candy corn rice crispy treats. I’m sure the kids will love them! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, Halloween, Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Mini Pulled Pork Sliders

October 20, 2013 by

mini pulled pork sliders

I don’t know what it is about slow cooker pulled pork but it’s one of my absolute favorites to make! From root beer pulled pork, to coke pulled pork, to regular old spiced up pulled pork like this one, a pulled pork sandwich is definitely comfort food in my home.

And if you don’t have time to make homemade buns, simply grab some slider buns from the grocery store and enjoy some mini pulled pork sliders like these. Don’t forget the dill pickles on top though. They definitely add something to this delicious meal.

This meal is perfect for the family or for parties when you have lots of people over. And the leftovers (if there are any) can easily be incorporated into other dishes throughout the week. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dinner, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

12 Totally Terrific Thanksgiving Recipes

October 17, 2013 by

12 Totally Terrific Thanksgiving Recipes

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and in this house that only means one thing… trying out Thanksgiving recipes!

Our family Thanksgiving dinners are great in that everyone pitches in and makes a dish or two to bring. That way no one has the burden of the whole Thanksgiving meal.

Most of the time my brother in law or father in law prepares the turkey (depending on who is hosting), I make a few sides, my mother in law brings the rolls and salad and each of us brings a variety of desserts.

So this year I figured I’d round up a few dishes that are sure to be perfect for your thanksgiving meal. And if you aren’t preparing the whole meal yourself you can pick and choose what recipes you want to try out this year! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Holidays, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

Homemade No-Knead Dinner Rolls

October 15, 2013 by

no knead dinner rolls

For major holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving we always go all out with our meals. And that includes the dinner rolls. No store bought rolls for our family. But that also means that we keep it simple with the ingredients and the process.

So with Thanksgiving right around the corner I thought I’d share my favorite no-knead dinner rolls recipe!

These no-knead dinner rolls are not only easy to make but take hardly any prep time at all! Plus you can keep them in the fridge overnight and bake them up right before dinnertime so they’re fresh from the oven when you need them. [Read more…]

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies with Chestnut Spread

October 10, 2013 by

chocolate chip pretzel cookies with milk

A few weeks back I received a fun delivery at my doorstep. Pretzel Crisps were delivered in just about every flavor and I couldn’t wait to dig in. And boy did we dig in! SO much so that I needed to run out and grab more Pretzel Crisps, stat. Luckily our Costco sells the huge bag of them so we were saved.

But then I realized I was stuck with a HUGE bag of pretzels and no parties coming up. So I decided to bake with them. I was already trying to figure out what to do with the chestnut spread I had in my Try The World box so I figured why not add pretzels AND chestnut spread into a cookie.

Of course chocolate was added to round everything out. But I didn’t just go with your standard semi-sweet chocolate chips. I added some chunks of TCHO dark chocolate. Boy was this flavor combo deliciously good! At first I thought it was a tad too salty but my friends confirmed that they were perfect.

Now if they are more salty than sweet for your taste I have the perfect solution! Grab a scoop of vanilla ice cream and nestle it in between two cookies. Ice cream sandwiches! Yum. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Desserts, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

October 8, 2013 by

Pumpkin Muffins cooling rack

So maybe it’s become an obsession. But I’m pretty darn in love with pumpkin about now. The one thing that makes the cool crisp weather better are these healthy pumpkin muffins with a cup of hot coffee.

Simple to make, tasty, and a favorite amongst my playgroup, these muffins really hit the spot.

I drizzled a simple mix of powdered sugar, milk, and pumpkin pie spice over the top for a little extra sweetness. It definitely made the muffins tastier. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Breakfast, In the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,


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