The Easiest Pear Crisp you ever made.....

This is not a great picture, but this is a great dessert!!! I made it for Christmas Eve, and will be making it again for other occasions. It was so easy to prepare, and delicious.

1 package of oatmeal cookie mix (I found it in a package, next to the cake mix)
1 stick of salted butter room tempeature
6 to 8 fresh pears
1/2 cup sugar

Wash and slice your pears and place in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with sugar and set aside. Mix cookie mix with butter until crumbled. Sprinkle mix over pears and bake on 350 for 30 min. That's it!! So easy and so good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is one of those recipes that I just came up with. We have a local restaurant in our town that has the BEST tortilla soup I have ever had. It really had me stumped though, because it seems so simple. Just chicken and broth of corn and cilantro, but getting that flavor wasn't easy. This recipe almost gets it.

This is what I came  up with, and although it; is exact, it's pretty close.

3 chicken Breast
2 cans of diced green chili's
1 package of fajita seasoning
2 boxes of chicken broth
2 to 3 cups of frozen corn (we like alot)
3 tablespoons garlic powder
Salt to your taste

1 bunch cilantro, a handful of cheese (white american),and tortilla chips for garnishing

Put the 3 chicken breast in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high, with 1 box of chicken broth. Once the chicken in cooked shred it and add all other ingredients (except the garnish). Wait about an hour for it to warm back up, top each bowl with cilantro and chips, and serve.

Creamy Chicken and Rice

This is an easy comfort food recipe for a cold day. I bought big rolls at the grocery store and cut the center out to make a bread bowl, and it made it even yummier!

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped (optional)
1 celery rib, chopped 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoon minced garlic or 3 tablespoon garlic powder
Two cans chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons All Purpose Gold Medal® Flour
3 cups heavy whipping cream
 2 cups chopped, cooked chicken
1 cup cooked  rice (I make it separate, then add to the soup)

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery. Stir and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, seasoning, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and cream until smooth. Stir it into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the chicken and rice and heat through until the soup is creamy. If the soup thickens too much upon cooking or standing, it's okay to stir in a little extra chicken broth. I  throw it all in the crock pot to on low to keep it warm.

Sticky Chicken Legs

Here is one of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes. My kids love these, but be warned you will need lots of paper towels for messy hands and faces.

1 cup teriyaki sauce (I love Very Very Teriyaki from Central Market)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup orange marmalade

1 package of chicken legs, or wings

Salt and pepper chicken and cook in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. While they are baking, add teriyaki sauce, brown sugar, and orange marmalade in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil on stove top for approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Once finished with the sauce just wait until your chicken is finished, pour over cooked chicken, then bake for another 10 minutes on 425. I serve it with rice and a side of broccoli! This is so good and so easy.

Chocolate Mocha Fudge Cake with Chocolate Mocha Mousse Frosting

This has a super long title, therefore you are probably thinking its a super long recipe. Nope, not at all. It's actually really easy, and not really a recipe. I am going to tell you how to make it though, so make sure you read all of this because, it's not really a recipe, it's just me telling you how I made it.

Start with a Duncan Hines chocolate fudge cake mix. Make it according to the package, but instead of 1 1/4 cup of water, use 1 1/4 of brewed coffee. Then once it's all mixed add 2 tablespoons of  instant expresso (see above pic). Then bake according to box. Seriously that's it, but keep reading because the frosting is the best part.

Here is the recipe for the frosting, yes it's an actual recipe, I use it all the time, with or without the espresso.

Chocolate Pudding Frosting:

1 pint heavy whipping cream, very cold
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tbl instant espresso powder
One 3.9-ounce box dry pudding mix, chocolate fudge flavor

In a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the cream at high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and pudding mix and whip until smooth.

Best and Easiest Caramel Sauce for Chocolate Sheet Cake

Everyone out there I'm sure has a recipe for a chocolate sheet cake, and if you don't you know you can always use a chocolate fudge box cake mix right?? ANNNND everyone knows that the best part of a chocolate sheet cake is the frosting right??? Well here is my favorite recipe and easiest way to top a chocolate cake.

Caramel Sauce
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes. Pour over cake or pudding, apple pie and ice cream, warm gingerbread, etc..

Pepperoni Pizza Hamburgers/Sliders

I totally stole this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. I just made mine sliders, and the only reason I made mine sliders is because I happened to have 2 packages of Sweet Hawaiian rolls, and my family happens to love these rolls. However, either way full burger or small burger, buns or rolls, these were yummy.  Very kid friendly, and a different way to serve burgers.

Here's the recipe:

• 1-1/2 pound Ground Beef
• 1/2 pound Italian Sausage ( A Little More Is Fine!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
• 8 slices Mozzarella Or Provolone Cheese
• Pepperoni Slices
• 8 Tablespoons Jarred Marinara Sauce
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 4 whole Kaiser Rolls Or Good Hamburger Buns

Preparation Instructions

Combine ground beef, Italian sausage, and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Knead it together and form it into four large/thick patties or small patties if you are making sliders. Fry the burgers on one side for several minutes, then turn the burgers. Lay 2 slices of cheese on each patty, followed by several slices of pepperoni. Allow burger to cook all the way through while the cheese melts and the pepperoni warms.
Split the rolls and toast them in butter in a skillet until nice and golden and crisp. Spread both halves with marinara sauce and sprinkle the sauce with Parmesan.
Lay the patties on the bottom buns, then top with the top buns.