Spinach and Mushroom Stromboli (or pepperoni, or sausage, or whatever!)

This one is a staple in our house. Jeremy and I like different toppings and it's fairly easy to please us both with this one! The recipe below show my preference of toppings, but we usually make it with half spinach for me and half pepperoni for Jeremy. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients:
1 Pillsbury pizza dough (found in the refrigerated section with the cookie dough and biscuits, etc)
1 egg white
1 pack shredded 5 cheese Italian mix (or Mozzarella)
1 bag fresh spinach
1 can mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Italian seasoning
A sprinkle of parmesan cheese
1 can pizza sauce for dipping

What to do:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease a cookie sheet. Spread the pizza dough so that it is stretched over the cookie sheet in the shape of a rectangle.
2. Put on tbsp olive oil into pan. Stir in minced garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach. Cover 1 minute to allow spinach to wilt.
3. Spread half of the egg white onto the pizza dough. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, then spread cheese over entire dough. (leave about half an inch-1 inch around the edge.)
4. Spoon the sauteed mixture over the cheese. Beginning at one of the smaller sides of the rectangle, roll the pizza dough up in a jelly roll fashion. Be careful, the toppings like to fall out!

5. Arrange on the baking sheet, then spread the other half of the egg white over the top of the roll. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese over top.
6. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

**If you prefer other toppings, follow the same recipe, just change out the toppings to meet your needs!

Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili

Ok, before you cringe and run away screaming at the name of this recipe, stop! It's good, I promise! The pumpkin that you think of as having a sweet, cinnamon taste, like pumpkin pie, actually is not sweet at all! It blends perfectly with the beans and seasonings in this recipe to make a thick, delicious chili!

Ingredients:
1 medium red or yellow pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained (makes them lower in sodium and is easier on the tummy)
3 c chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped (optional, I left it out)
1 lb ground turkey or 2 1/2 c cubed turkey or chicken, cooked
1 can solid packed pumpkin
1 can diced tomatoes, juice and all
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning

What to do with it all:
1. In a large skillet, saute the onion and pepper in olive oil until tender.
2. Add the garlic, cook for one minute longer.
3. Transfer to a crock pot, add in remaining ingredients.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until heated through.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Are you ready for the best cookies you've ever eaten? Because these are it. The best. You will want to eat them all as soon as the come out of the oven. Jeremy has affectionately named them The Cookies from Heaven, if that tells you anything. Anyway, here they are. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 c butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
1/2 c mini chocolate chips
10 oreos, crushed
1/2 c white chocolate chips, melted (optional, I didn't use these and don't think it was missing much)

What to do:
1. Beat together the butter and cream cheese until mixed well.
2. Add in sugar and vanilla, mix well.
3. Add in flour, mix on low setting until well blended.
4. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
5. Roll into 1 in cookie balls. Roll each ball in crushed oreos until covered well.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes, or until done.
7. Once cooled, drizzle with white chocolate if desired.

Enjoy with a glass of milk. Yum!

Sausage and Spinach Rigatoni

Here's a simple pasta recipe that's really yummy! It has spinach in it, which is really good for you, but mixed together with the sausage, pasta, and parmesan cheese, the healthy taste is masked with goodness.

Here's what you need:
Smoked Italian Turkey Sausage
-1 box whole wheat rigatoni (or your personal preference) pasta
-1-2 cloves minced garlic (or use 1 tsp of the pre-minced jar, it's a lot easier!)
-2 tsp olive oil
-1/2 c low sodium chicken broth
-1/2-1 bag of fresh spinach (10oz)-varies depending on how much spinach your crew likes
-Shredded Parmesan cheese (not the grated powder stuff)

What to do:
1. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Save 1/2 c pasta water for the end, drain the rest.
2. Cut up sausage into small bites. Cook about 7 minutes.
3. Add in garlic and olive oil, cook about 30 seconds, then add chicken broth.
4. Add spinach into pan, cover. Cook until spinach is wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Pour sausage mixture and the pasta water that you set aside in step 1 into the pasta. Mix together well.
6. Add as much parmesan cheese as you like. I personally like it pretty cheesy, so usually use about 1/2 the bag. It's up to you!
7. Mix together well to melt the cheese. Serve warm with salad and bread.

Lipton's Crock Pot BBQ Chicken and Drop Biscuits

I made this for dinner when we were snowed in last night. It was a big hit!

Ingredients:
3-5 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c BBQ sauce
3/4 c brown sugar
1 packet Lipton's dry onion soup
1/4 c water
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

What to do:
1. Spray crock pot, put chicken breast in
2. In a small bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients.
3. Pour over chicken
4. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is cooked through

Serve with brown rice and Drop biscuits (listed below)

Drop Biscuits:

Ingredients:
2 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c melted butter
1 c milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tarter, salt.
3. Stir in butter and milk. Combine until just moist.
4. Drop batter by the spoonful onto greased baking sheet
5. Cook in preheated oven until golden brown around the edges (8-12 minutes)

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Another amazing cookie recipe for Christmas baking! Can you tell I like the chocolate and peanut butter combo??

Ingredients:

Cookies:
2 eggs
1/2 c vegetable oil
1/4 c flour
1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix

Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 c smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp milk

Directions:

Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly whisk eggs and oil in a small bowl.
3. Mix in flour and cake mix until well blended. Lick the spoon.
4. Roll into 1 inch ball and bake 8-10 minutes.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Frosting:

1. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla.
2. Add in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
3. Add in milk a little at a time and beat until desired consistency. Taste test. It will taste wonderful, but you should just MAKE SURE (wink, wink).
4. Add a spoonful of frosting onto one cookie and top with another cookie. Repeat until all cookies are used.

Muddy Buddy Cookies

Have you ever had Muddy Buddy Mix? (Also commonly know as Puppy Chow or White Trash...) Well imagine this in the form of a COOKIE. That's right, a cookie. Below is the recipe for quite possibly the best cookie you've ever eaten. Get ready!

Ingredients:

For the cookie:
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks butter, softened (no one said they were diet cookies.)
1 c peanut butter
1 c brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar
2 eggs

For the coating:
1 stick butter
2 c chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
powdered sugar for rolling

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 pans or line with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth, then add peanut butter until and beat until well blended.
4. Beat in sugar and then eggs, one at a time.
5. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients.
6. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Use a fork to make criss cross pattern on top.
7. Bake about 12 minutes or so.

Coating:
1. While the cookies are cooling, melt the butter with the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.
2. Stir until smooth, then add vanilla.
3. After cookies have cooled, dunk them in the chocolate mixture.
4. Roll each in powdered sugar.