Heather's Brownie Cake

Ingredients

Brownie Cake

• Box of Brownies
• Box of chocolate pudding (powdered)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 20ish Hershey's Kisses or chocolate chips (milk choclolate if you want it like kisses)
• 1/2 brick of Nestle's Abuelita's Authentic Mexican Hot Chocolate Drink Tablet

Frosting

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/8th to 1/4th cup of butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons cocao
• 1/3 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the brownies, pudding, eggs, oil, oil, water, and sour cream together.  Cut up kisses (or dump in as many chocolate chips as you want) and 1/2 tablet of Mexican chocolate, and add to the mixture.  Put mixture in greased 9x13 pan, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes.  (Until toothpick comes out clean).  While backing, mix all the frosting ingredients.  Pour frosting on top of the cake.  Will take about an hour or two for the frosting to harden.  

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Melts

Ingredients:

• 7-ounce jar of roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry (about 3/4 C)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 cups cooked shredded or (or a few chicken breasts grilled and sliced)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or several slices
• a handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 large french baguette (about 24″ long) or 4 large hoagie buns

Directions: 

Place roasted red peppers, garlic, mayo, and lemon juice (if you don’t have a lemon, sub red or white wine vinegar, or just leave it out!)  in a food processor.  Add a pinch of salt and a few cracks of fresh ground pepper.  Process until smooth and then store in the fridge until ready to use.  You can make the sauce ahead of time.

Slice bread in half to open it up.  Lightly brush with olive oil or butter and place under a broiler until golden brown and toasted.  Remove from oven and spread red pepper sauce on the bottom half of the bread.  Layer chicken on top of it and top with cheese.  Place back in the broiler just until cheese is melted.  Top with basil leaves.  Spread red pepper sauce on other side of bread and put sandwich together.  Slice in to 4 large hoagies, or 8 smaller sandwiches.

Notes:

I like to make these open faced. We have made them about once/week since discovering them last month. Jordan especially LOVES them. I sometimes use rotisserie chicken so I barely have to turn the oven on (it heats up our apartment so badly!). I place the basil under the cheese before I toast it. We have it with fresh fruit and it's a perfect summer meal! 

Recipe and picture from: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/05/italian-chicken-hoagies-with-roasted-red-pepper-sauce/

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Flat Bread/Pizza Crust (We buy packages of flat bread from Costco and just use those)

BBQ sauce

Grilled Chicken (I use 1 chicken breast for 4 flat breads.  I just cut it up in small pieces, cook in olive oil over the stove, season with salt and pepper)

Caramelized onions (I cut up a yellow onion and cook it in butter and brown sugar.  Sorry I dont have measurments, I just do whatever)

Cilantro (Or green onions if you dont have cilantro)

Mozzarella cheese

Cook at 375 for 20 (ish) minutes

Chocolate Mint Cookies

1 box devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
I am guessing you would bake them for about 8 to 10 or so minutes at 375.  I don't even know how many it makes.  My guess is only about 1 dozen.
After you bring them out of the oven place an andes mint on the top and allow it to melt.
We had these at a Zone Conference yesterday and they were yummy.

Heather's Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

• Box of colorful twisty pasta
• 1/2 block motzerella cheese
• jar or can of artichokes
• jar of hearts of palm
• can of olives
• cucumber
• bell pepper of your choice
• grape tomatoes
• can baby corn
• lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• balsamic vinigear
• Italian dressing

Directions:

Boil water with salt and cook the noodels.  While cooking, cube cheese, slice artichoces, hearts of palm, olives, cucumber, bell pepper, grape tomatoes, and baby corn.  Drain the noodels, and run under cool water.  Combine the cut ingredients to the noodels in a large bowl.  Topping should double the size of the amount in the bowl when added to noodels- you man not need full cans or need to cut the entire veggie.  Drizzle olive oil, and italian dressing over the pasta.  Add a dash of balsamic, but not too much or it will over power.  Add some of the juice of the artichokes from the can, and squeeze the lemon in too.  Salt and peper. 

Fills a medium large bowl, and takes about 10 to 15 minutes. 

Notes:

You can buy heart of palm at Walmart, or any grocery store really.  I like to add black beans too, or anything else I have that seems like it would go well.  

Honey Lime Tilapia

Honey Lime Tilapia

Ingredients:

Fish and Marinade:

• 4 tilapia fillets (about 4-5 ounces each)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 large lime)
• Zest of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Coating and Cooking:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and garlic. Place the tilapia in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and pour the marinade on top of the fish. Press the air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate the fish for at least an hour and up to 4 hours. It helps to lay the bag in a flat dish and turn it over once or twice during the marinading time since the marinade won't completely cover the fish.
2. Before cooking, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish like a pie plate. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until rippling and hot. Dredge each tilapia fillet in the flour, coating both sides lightly. Cook the fillets for 3-5 minutes per side without moving the fish while it cooks on each side; this will ensure a more even browning. Adjust the cooking time as needed depending on the thickness of the tilapia and the heat of the skillet and work in batches if necessary so the skillet isn't overcrowded.
3. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

Notes:

We try to have fish once a week. I love salmon but have recently started trying out tilapia. I love these flavors, lime is so refreshing. I also love how quickly fish cooks! I love the crispy coating! Make sure to have it hot enough (but not too hot!) and wait 3-5 minutes per side to ensure the coating stays on and gets nice and crispy. I served with brown rice, steamed broccoli, and watermelon. 

Recipe and picture from: http://melskitchencafe.ziplist.com/souschef?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.melskitchencafe.com%2F2013%2F03%2Fhoney-lime-tilapia.html

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks (I used a finely diced jalapeno)
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
• 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, halved and slivered
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (I left these out as I am not a huge corn fan)
• 3 T heat-safe oil like grapeseed or coconut (I used olive oil)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo
• 2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
• 9-10 corn tortillas, torn/halved 
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Monterey Jack blend)
• optional toppings: sour cream and thinly sliced scallions, avocados or guacamole

directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting. Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8x8x2 or 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.

Serves 4-5

Notes:

I love roasted vegetables! These southwest flavors are so yummy and I especially love the roasted sweet potato - yum! This is a colorful and beautiful dish and my boys didn't mind all the veggies. A tasty and filling meatless meal. Tastes fresh and flavorful! Served with spanish rice and watermelon. I think I will add some black beans next time as well.  Again, can be prepared in the morning and then baked in the evening. 

Recipe and pic from here: http://www.perrysplate.com/2011/03/stacked-roasted-vegetable-enchiladas.html