IHOP's Fajita Omelette

This is pretty much my favorite thing to order at IHOP and since there are no IHOPs in Europe, we decided to make them ourselves! Sorry for the sour cream globbed picture, my DH took it, lol.

Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half or 6-ounce flank steak
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cumin
Dash garlic powder
Dash black pepper
1/2 green bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 medium Spanish onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 small tomoato, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 tsp butter
5 large eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup salsa
2 Tbs sour cream

1. Pound the chicken breast or flank steak between sheets of plastic wrap until about 1/4 inch thick, then cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
2. Pour the oil into a medium skillet over high heat. Add the meat and saute' it for a couple minutes until it starts to brown.
3. Add the lime juice to the meat. Blend the spices together in a small bowl, then add this mixture to the meat. Mix well until blended in.
4. Add the pepper and onion to the meat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over medium heat or until the veggies begin to turn brown. Add the tomato and cook another 2 minutes.
5. Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of butter to the pan.
6. When the butter has melted, add half of the beaten eggs to the pan and swirl to coat the entire bottom of the pan.
7. Cook the eggs for a minute or so or until the top surface is beginning to get firm. Be sure the bottom is not getting too brown before the top cooks. If you notice this happeneing, turn down the heat.
8. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese down the center of the eggs.
9. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of salsa over the cheese.
10. Spoon 1/4 of the meat and veggies onto the salsa.
11. Fold the edges over the center of the omelette and let it cook for another minute or so.
12. Carefully flip the omelette over in the pan with the seam side down. Let it cook for another minute or two, then slide it out onto a serving plate. Keep this omelette hot in a slow over while you prepare the other one.
13. When both omelettes are done, spoon the remaining meat and veggies over each of the omelettes.
14. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of cheese over the other topping.
15. Add 2 tablespoons of salsa.
16. Then add 1 tablespoon dollop of sour cream to the salsa on the middle of the omelette.

Chili Chip Casserole

This is a recipe of my MIL's that my DH said I had to make after we got married. Mind you, when we got married, I didn't know much about cooking so the simpler, the better! Almost 8 years since we've been married, this is still a staple recipe in our home. We always double the recipe! In the picture you will see little cornbread muffins in Disney shapes. Those are from my Disney Tasty Baker Waffle Maker that I think I'm a little more excited about then my kids are!

Chili Chip Casserole

1 cup corn chips
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (or more!)
1 15 oz. can chili beans (we use turkey chili benas)
1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup celery (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Brown meat, onion and celery. Add chili beans, tomato sauce, half the chips and all the cheese. Top with remaining chips and more cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Upside-Down Deep Dish Pizza

This looked and sounded very strange to me when I first found the recipe but I figured who doesn't love pizza? I'm glad I decided to try it out because it was super yummy! It still looks strange to me but we will be making this delicious yet strange dish again!

The ground beef mixture can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated in the baking dish until assembly time. Just heat it in the microwave until hot before topping and baking.

Yield: Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Cost per serving*: $ 3.44
Cost per recipe*: $ 13.76

* Based on average retail prices at national supermarkets.

Ingredients
1 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli OR spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
1 can (11 oz.) refrigerated pizza dough
1 lb. ground beef
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) Ragu® Old World Style® Sweet Tomato Basil Smooth Pasta Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.
Brown ground beef in 12-inch nonstick skillet; drain and season, if desired, with salt and ground black pepper. Stir in Pasta Sauce and bring to a boil; turn into 2-quart baking dish.
Top with broccoli, then cheese. Place pizza dough over dish, sealing edges tightly.
Bake 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Let stand 10 minutes.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories 630, Calories From Fat 200, Total Fat 23g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 115mg, Sodium 1620mg, Dietary Fiber 7g, Sugars 15g, Protein 47g

Corn Bread Cobb Salad

A fantastic dinner for those hot summer nights! My 5 year old had 3 helpings! Don't mind my picture, I forgot to add chicken to mine and didn't realize it until after I had eaten my salad. :loser:

Ingredients
FOR THE CROUTONS:
2 cups cubed corn bread, preferably day-old
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper
FOR THE DRESSING:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
FOR THE SALAD:
3 hearts romaine lettuce, shredded
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
4 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced red onion (optional)
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) Monterey Jack or Cheddar, shredded
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Instructions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a medium-size bowl, toss the corn bread with the oil, and salt and pepper to taste, until the cubes are well coated. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, turning once with a spatula, about 8 minutes. Set the croutons aside. Tip: Croutons can be made the day before and stored in a ziplock bag until ready to use.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle in the oil and continue whisking until the dressing has thickened. Add the lettuce to the bowl and toss to coat it with the dressing. Transfer the lettuce to a serving platter.

Arrange the chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, red onion (if using), and cheese over the lettuce. Season the salad with more salt and pepper, if you like. Serves 6 to 8.


Nutritional Information
Per serving (1-1/2 cups): Calories 381 ● Total Fat 25 g (39% DV) ● Saturated Fat 8 g (41% DV) ● Cholesterol 169 mg (56% DV) ●
Sodium 623 mg (26% DV) ● Total Carbohydrate 14 g (5% DV) ● Fiber 3 g (12% DV) ● Sugars 4 g ● Protein 25 g (49% DV) ● Vitamin A (62% DV) ● Vitamin C (28% DV) ● Calcium (24% DV)

Sausage-Cheese Pizza

This was a recipe I came upon in an Italian magazine and decided to try it out. Afterall, who doesn't love delicious pizza? In the recipe it says to make your own dough to fit a 16X12X1-inch pan but we used 2 premade crusts we bought from our local market. So, you can make 1 big pizza or 2 smaller pizzas. Either way, it is delicious!

To make either 1 large or 2 smaller pizzas:

1 tablespoon dried oregeno, crushed
1 cup canned crushed tomatos or tomato sauce
4 cups shredded mozzerela cheese (16 ounces)
1 pound uncooked sweet Italian sausage, casing removed if present
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Preheat oven at 375 degrees F. Sprinkle oregeno over dough. Spread crushed tomatos or tomato sauce over dough. Sprinkle with mozzrela cheese. Break off quarter-size chunks of sausage and arrange on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Drizzle olive oil over top.

2. Bake about 30 minutes or until crust bottom is crisp and brown. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut and serve immediately.

Pina Colada Muffins

These were absolutely incredible! I am a huge fan of both pineapple and coconut so I knew I would love these as soon as I found the recipe. Using canned pineapple and shredded coconut and not imitation flavors really makes the flavors pop! Just close your eyes and imagine the sound of waves crashing at your feet!

MUFFINS
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice (from crushed pineapple)
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup well-drained crushed pineapple

TOPPING
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

2. Beat sugar, oil and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in large bowl at medium speed 1 minute or until blended. Beat in egg until blended. At low speed, beat in coconut milk and pineapple juice until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until combined. Stir in 1 cup coconut and pineapple.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling three-fourths full. Combine all topping ingredients in small bowl; sprinkle over muffins. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

12 muffins

PER MUFFIN: 260 calories, 13 g total fat (7 g saturated fat), 3 g protein, 34.5 g carbohydrate, 25 mg cholesterol, 230 mg sodium, 1.5 g fiber

Smarter Fettuccine Alfredo

I got this recipe off of www.kraftrecipes.com a few years ago and we love it! It's simple to make and yummy! We love making garlic cheese bread or bruschetta to go with it.

What You Need!1/2 lb. fettuccine, uncooked 1-1/4 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth 4 tsp. flour 1/3 cup PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese 3 Tbsp. KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp. pepper 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley Make It!
COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, beat broth and flour in medium saucepan with whisk until well blended. Add reduced-fat cream cheese, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, nutmeg and pepper; cook 2 min. or until mixture comes to boil and thickens, stirring constantly.

DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add sauce; toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

Tater Tot Casserole

This is a no-fail recipe that is quick, easy and the kiddos love it! Once again, I only use ground turkey but feel free to use whatever you prefer!

1. Brown 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey.
2. Mix it with a can of cream of mushroom soup and a half can of water.
3. Spread half a 32-oz bag of frozen tater tots in an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish, then spread meat mixture over.
4. Top with remaining tater tots.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until top is crisp.

Amazing Food While Traveling Through Europe!

I thought I would share some pictures of some incredible food I had while we were on vacation a few weeks back. One of my favorite things about traveling is being able to try new food and my scale will prove that! Here are some yummy things I got to eat!

Pizza, vino and gelatto in Bolzano and Venice, Italy








I didn't get anything from here and I regret it!


Delicious spinach lasagna and more wine in Salzburg, Austria



42oz margarita at the resort we stayed at!


Schnitzel, schnitzel and more schnitzel all around Germany! Also an amazing schnapps store we found where you can taste test and fill your own bottles you bring yourself!