Baked Feta Pasta

 If you haven't tried this trendy meal yet, we recommend it! It's so delicious, easy and quick!

INGREDIENTS

  

• 16 oz Cherry tomatoes  
• 4-5 Cloves Fresh chopped garlic
• 4-5 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Dried Italian seasoning   (We used half Trader Joe's Salute 21 Seasoning)
• Salt and pepper To taste
• 1/2 Cup Tomato sauce
• 2 TBSP Grated parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil  
• 4-5 Cups Cooked pasta
• 9 oz Feta Block  

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
• In a 9" x 9" baking pan, add your feta block (drained) in the center.
• Add the tomatoes around it.
• Sprinkle your chopped garlic over feta and tomatoes.
• Drizzle 2-3 TBSP of olive oil all over the cheese and tomatoes.
• Sprinkle seasoning on top.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese feels soft.
• While baking, boil water and cook your pasta then drain.
• Take out your feta tomato dish lightly mash with a fork or potato masher. Add your drained pasta.
• Optional: add your fave tomato sauce, drizzle with more olive oil, add fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

NOTES

If your garlic is toasting too much on top of the feta, cover with a piece of foil.

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

I got an instant pot for Christmas and so am trying out new recipes with the instant pot. We enjoyed this chicken meal tonight!

Ingredients

• 6 lbs chicken drumsticks 
• 1 tablespoon paprika 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt 
• 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce divided 
• 1 1/2 cups water 

Instructions

In a small bowl combine the paprika, cumin, and garlic salt. Stir to combine. Sprinkle over the drum sticks and rub all over.

Pour the water in the Instant Pot. Make sure you use the rack that came with the Instant Pot to keep the drumsticks from touching the bottom. Place the lid on top and set the valve to pressure. Set the pressure to 15 minutes. Do a quick release to release the pressure.

When finished place the chicken on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Brush half of the BBQ sauce on the drum sticks. Broil for 1-5 minutes until it begins to brown. Remove from oven, flip the drumsticks, and brush with the remaining bbq sauce. Broil another 1-5 minutes until brown. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Three Layer Oreo Pie

We made this twice for holiday events last month, and it always received rave reviews! I love when things are easy, quick, AND delicious!

Ingredients

• 32 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided 
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 
• 2 cups cold milk 
• 2 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling 
• 1 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided 

Directions

Finely crush 24 of the cookies; mix with butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.

Pour milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 minutes or until well blended. (Mixture will be thick.) Spoon 1-1/2 cups of the pudding into crust.

Gently stir 1/2 of the whipped topping into remaining pudding; spread over pudding layer in crust. Chop remaining 8 cookies; stir into remaining whipped topping. Spread over pie. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs

We tried this recipe from Our Best Bites and really like it! We will definitely make it again. Click HERE for the recipe site.

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs 
• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons) 
• rice krispie cereal 
• Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 
• lemon pepper
• garlic powder 
• onion powder 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry and use a clean pair of kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat. Melt butter in a shallow dish. Pour several cups of rice krispy cereal in a separate dish. Use your hands to very lightly crush the cereal just a few times.

Dip each chicken piece in butter on both sides and then dip the top side in the cereal. Use your had to press a little more cereal onto the top and then place on a baking sheet. When all chicken pieces have been placed on the baking sheet, sprinkle all pieces with each spice (seasoning salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.) If there is any extra butter in your dish you can gently drizzle it over the chicken.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 and also the cereal is golden brown and crisp.

Notes: You can make as much or as little chicken as you like! I included measurements on the chicken and butter so you know that I usually use 1 stick per about 8 thighs. When it comes to the cereal and seasonings, it’s not hard to eyeball and the exact amount will vary depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

Tender BBQ Drumsticks

These baked chicken drumsticks are delicious! I found a recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it to better fit out family's tastes. The meat falls right off the bone with this slow cooking method, and you can add any seasonings of your choice. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• cooking spray 
• 5 pounds chicken drumsticks 
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 
• 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute instead)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste 
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup barbeque sauce 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (120 degrees C). Grease a baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange chicken drumsticks on the baking pan. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper over chicken. Sprinkle flour on top. Spray cooking spray over chicken. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 2 1/2 hours. Uncover and spread barbeque sauce evenly over chicken. Continue baking, uncovered, until chicken is tender and falling off the bone, about 30 minutes more.

We served with corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and biscuits. Yum!

Yummy Beef Enchiladas

Our family loves these delicious and easy beef enchiladas!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef 
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped 
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley 
• 1 tablespoon taco seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
•  2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 8 flour tortillas 
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained 
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cook and stir ground beef with onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain grease. Stir 1 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, parsley, taco seasoning, oregano, and black pepper into the ground beef until cheese has melted. Mix in enchilada sauce, chili powder, garlic, and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Lay a tortilla onto a work surface and spoon about 1/4 cup of meat sauce down the center of the tortilla. Top meat sauce with 1 tablespoon black beans and a sprinkling of black olives. Roll the tortilla up, enclosing the filling, and lay seam-side down into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon any remaining meat sauce over the enchiladas and scatter any remaining black beans and black olives over the top. Sprinkle tortillas with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese topping is melted and enchiladas and sauce are bubbling, 20 to 22 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Alfredo Ravioli Bake

This is a delicious meal that will leave everyone wanting more! I love how versatile it is: you can use all different kinds of ravioli, meats, and sauces. If you want, throw in some spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, or whatever else you have on hand. It's an easy and fairly quick recipe. It can also be made ahead of time and baked at dinnertime for busy weekdays. Serve with crusty garlic bread and salad, and you have an excellent meal to serve your family or even guests.

Ingredients

• 1 (25 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (You could also substitute a different meat or make this meatless.)
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 
• 1 (16 ounce) jar prepared Alfredo sauce (or other pasta sauce, if you prefer)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
• salt and ground black pepper to taste 
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

• 1 bottle Italian salad dressing (Jennifer's addition, optional)
• sauteed mushrooms (Jennifer's addition, optional)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil; boil the ravioli until it floats and the filling is hot, 6 to 8 minutes; drain.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet, season with the Italian seasoning, and cook and stir until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle, about 15 minutes. (Instead of seasoning with the Italian seasoning, I chose to marinate the chicken all day in the Italian Salad dressing and then cooked it.)

Spread about 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange enough ravioli over the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish completely. Top the ravioli with about half the cooked chicken. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the chicken; season with salt and pepper. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used.

(Jennifer: I also sauteed some mushrooms, following this recipe, and added them in as a layer in the middle. I loooooooooove mushrooms!)

Bake in the preheated oven until heated through completely and the mozzarella cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top of the dish; return to oven to cook another 5 minutes before serving.