Best Ever Chewy Snickerdoodles

I have never been a huge fan of snickerdoodles- I prefer chewy chocolate chip cookies any day. But my husband is a die-hard snickerdoodle fan so the quest began for a good recipe for him. It must've been my lucky day because, I actually found the perfect one- the very first try! I've made these a few times now and they turn out perfect every time and are SO delicious and chewy! I took some in to my husband's office for his birthday and got so many compliments!

Best Chewy Snickerdoodles
Source: Our Best Bites

What you'll need:
1 3/4 c. sugar, divided
1 T. ground cinnamon
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
8 T. butter at room temperature
8 T. shortening
2 large eggs

What to do:
Prep: Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside.

Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl.

Beat butter, shortening and remaining 1 1/2 c. sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.

Reduce the speed of the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture until well combined.

Roll about 2 T. of dough into balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (Really do this- they spread a lot! And you want them to be larger balls because then they will be nice and chewy.)

Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 10-12 minutes, until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown. Centers will look soft and puffy and look underdone.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Nutella Fudgesicles

I got a ZOKU for my birthday from my sisters and have had so much fun trying out new popsicle recipes already. Yesterday we made these Nutella Fudgesicles and they were so delicious- I think I could eat them every day. And the best part is- the recipe is SUPER simple- it has a grand total of two ingredients- Nutella and Chocolate Milk. My girls absolutely LOVED them. My littlest wanted to be sure to make it a full body experience... lol

You can make these in the ZOKU, or just freeze them in traditional popsicle molds.

So here ya go!

Nutella Fudgesicles
1/4 c. Nutella
3/4 c. Chocolate Milk

Combine the ingredients until smooth and pour in popsicles molds. In the ZOKU, it takes about 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

Chicken Souvlaki - Gyros

My hubby took me to this greek restaurant a little bit ago and I was not excited. I was still calling their main dish, Jy-rohs at the time... He made me try this one gyro with the most delicious chicken I have ever tasted in my life. After that, I was hooked and have been scouring Pinterest for the perfect gyro recipe. Well, I found it.

This has become one of my absolute favorite meals. The marinade for the chicken is so delicious. I can't wait for grilling season to roll around again, since right now, it's too cold to use the grill. But I can't wait until Summer is finally here to enjoy these again- and even eat them outside on our patio!!

For the first time I made them, I actually made the flat bread myself. It wasn't a terribly successful attempt- I think I may be bread-incompetent when it comes to using yeast. It was still good, but I have since then only used store bought pita bread (much easier!)

Chicken Souvlake:
Source: Seemingly Greek

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb. chicken, cubed
4 T. Fresh lemon juice
3-4 T Olive Oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. oregano
1 t. thyme
2-4 cloves garlic
1/4 onion, sliced or cubed
salt and pepper
wooden skewers
green or red peppers, cubed

What to do:
Whisk the liquid ingredients together and allow cubed chicken and cubed onions to marinate for at least 2-4 hours.

Once finished marinating, alternate the chicken pieces, onion pieces and pepper pieces on skewers.

Be sure to let your wooden skewers soak in water for about 30 minutes before skewering all your veggies/chicken.

Depending on how thick your meat is cut and the size, cook evenly over medium  heat on the grill. Feel free to baste it once or twice while grilling as well- using left over marinade.

Enjoy with pita bread, or Naan bread, Tzatziki sauce and fries!

 

Tzatziki sauce

This is the sauce that goes along with the Chicken Souvlaki/ Gyros. It took a bit to get used to it, but once I did- I couldn't get enough of it!!

Tzatziki Sauce
Recipe Source: Seemingly Greek

What you'll need:
1 lb. Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 English cucumber (or a regular once, seeded)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 T. fresh dill
1 1/2 T Olive Oil
1 T. lemon juice
good dash of salt

What do do:
Place the yogurt into a bowl. Chop or grate the cucumber - I used my little food processor to get it nice and fine. Place the cucumber in a strainer to remove any excess liquid- or you can squeeze it in your hand over the sink. Add the cucumber, minced garlic, chopped dill, olive oil,  lemon juice and salt to the top of the yogurt. With a spatula, fold all the ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. Do not stir or beat them together though. Place in refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

Be sure to enjoy with this Chicken Souvlaki Recipe!

 

Mom's Cucumber Salad

Growing up, our mom was all about cooking with fresh fruit and vegetables- usually from our garden in the summer. A lot of those meals were busts...sorry Mom. But I do remember this salad. And quite fondly. She even made it up! Go her and her bad self! You can make it with cucumbers or with tomatoes, or with both. Tonight, I made it with both, took a bite and had a serious walk down memory lane. It was so crazy what those flavors did to me!! It did not disappoint and was just as good now, if not better!

I hope you will enjoy it, I have since I was little. And it's always nice to try a recipe from way back when, that you still like now. :)

Cucumber (or Tomato) Salad

What you'll need:
1/2 c. Plain Greek Yogurt
1/2 c. Mayo
1 clove garlic
1 t. dill weed
1 t. majoram
1 t. spike
1/4 t. white pepper
1 t. basil
1 t. mrs. dash
6-8 peeled, chopped tomatoes OR
2 large peeled cucumbers cut lengthwise in fourths OR
3 peeled, chopped tomatoes and 1 large peeled cucumber cut lengthwise in fourths

There- you have lots of options!

What to do:
Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes/cucumbers until mixed well. Add the vegetables and serve fresh!

This is delicious and pretty darn healthy too! And great for summer when you have oodles and boodles of tomatoes in your garden!

Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

I found these cookies awhile back and they have very quickly become my "go-to" cookie recipe. I LOVE these cookies. Love them. Really, really. I've made them with PB chips and with mini reeses pieces.  Both ways are delicious! These cookies very rarely last longer than a day, but when they do, they are still so good!

Recipe source: Inside BruCrew Life

What you'll need:
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T. honey
1 t. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 sm. box vanilla pudding
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. reeses pieces or PB chips

What to do:
In a medium size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and pudding mix. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, cream the butter, PB and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla and honey and mix again.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, being careful not to over-mix.

Stir in the chocolate chips and reeses chips by hand.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. DO NOT overbake! Cool on pan for 3-4 minutes. Store in a tightly covered container.

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

I was searching for something easy to make tonight and stumbled across this recipe on Plain Chicken. It looked simple enough and called for things I already had on hand- always a bonus!  I boiled frozen  chicken in taco seasoning and then shredded it in the mixer, so that was the the most "difficult" part of the recipe. Other than that- this is super easy and was so good!

I loved the flavor and the bit of kick that it had (I used mild Rotel). I would recommend the sour cream for garnish- it makes it a little more kid friendly. :)  I also fed three hungry boys and they all went back for seconds and complimented me on how good it was. So that is a plus as well!  So if you're in the mood for something easy, Mexican inspired and delish- You'll enjoy this!

What you'll need:
3 c. cooked shredded chicken
1 c. instant rice (uncooked)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles, undrained
1 T. Taco Seasoning
2 T. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 c. crushed tortilla chips or Doritos

Optional:
Sour cream for garnish
tomatoes for garnish

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350.

Combine chicken, rice, soup, Rotel, seasoning, milk and 1 1/2 c. of cheese. Pour into a lightly greased 9x9 pan. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Top casserole with crushed chips and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 5-10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!