Thanksgiving Turkey Cookies

The kids made these for an after dinner Thanksgiving treat. They turned out super cute and were delicious!

Ingredients:
1 pkg (16.5 oz) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
3/4 prepared chocolate frosting
1/3 cup sliced almonds (we used candy corns instead)
48 premier white morsels
48 semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
24 candy corns
48 pretzel twist pieces for feet

Prepare cookies as directed on package. Cool completely.
Frost cookies with chocolate frosting. Insert 8 to 10 almond slices into frosting for feathers on each cookie (candy corn can be used for feathers as well). Place two white morsels upside down on each as eyes. Adhere mini morsels pupils to white morsels with frosting. Place candy corns as nose and two pretzel pieces for feet on each. Enjoy!

Impossible Pumpkin Pie

Little Princess Guinea Pigs teacher shared this recipe with me, it was so yummy I wanted to share it with you too. It firms up enough that you can enjoy it without the crust, so I made it this way but you're more then welcome to make it in the crust. ;)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp margarine
2 eggs
1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk
16 ounce pumpkin
1/2 cup Bisquick
1 tsp pumpkin spice (or 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp ginger)

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Pour into pie plate and bake at 425º for 15 minutes and 350º for an additional 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Sweet Onion Corn Bake

I found this recipe years ago in a Taste of Home magazine. I've held on to it for 7 years and I just recently got around to trying it. All I've got to say is YUMM-O! I will most definitely be making this one again. Here's a link to their website with picture since I didn't take one: link

Ingredients:
2 large Vidalia or sweet onions, thinly sliced (I did mine in the food processor)
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
4 drops hot pepper sauce (I didn't add this to mine)

In a large skillet, saute onions in butter until tender. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, milk, dill and salt until blended; stir in 1 cup of cheese. Stir into the onion mixture; remove from the heat and set aside.
In a bowl, combine the egg, corn, corn bread mix and hot pepper sauce. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in x 2-in. baking dish. Spoon onion mixture over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 45-50 minutes or until the top is set and lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12-15 servings.

I'm BACK!!

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I haven't been around much this last month! Though I've still been cooking away in the kitchen, I haven't had much motivation to post any updates. Daddy Guinea Pig has been traveling a lot this last month, and Mommy Guinea Pig was feeling a little worn down - you know how that goes, right? LOL! Anyways, here's a few things I've made over this last month. I don't have pictures on a couple of them, but I'm happy to announce that Daddy Guinea Pig got me a new camera, so taking pictures will be much easier now!! :D
Happy Eating!!

Macaroni Tuna Casserole

I made this tonight for the girls and I. If you have kids, I'm sure you'll have all the ingredients you need for this recipe on hand! I topped this with Italian Bread Crumbs before adding the cheese to add a little bit more flavor and I like mine with a little bit more "crunch", so I added a small hand full of crumbled up chips (sour cream and onion) after I dished up my potion once it was done. I also used vanilla flavored Soy Milk in place of the regular milk in both the mac & cheese and in the casserole. We all gobbled it up!

Ingredients:
1 package (7-1/4 ounces) macaroni and cheese
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1 can (6 ounce) tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley, optional

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. Stir in the soup, tuna and milk. Pour into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley if desired. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted. Yield: 4 Enjoy!!

Chicken Milano

I made this dish for a friend who just had a baby and had enough ingredients left over to make it for the girls and I the next night. I've been trying to make healthier choices these days and buy organic when I can. I bought a new organic sauce for this recipe but it wasn't as yummy as the non-organic brand I've used in the past. I'll have to try and new brand next time. ;)

Ingredients:
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4 ounces each) - you'll find a lot of chicken breast are larger then 4 ounces, cut them in half to make smaller pieces or pound them into 1/4-inch thickness, then thinly slice.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350º F. Roll each chicken breast in flour; dip in beaten egg. Roll in bread crumbs to coat well. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken pieces. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes (be sure to keep a watchful eye on them, it doesn't take long for them to burn... ;) ). Mix marinara sauce and half-and-half in a small bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons. Arrange chicken in prepared dish. Mix mozzarella, Swiss and Parmesan cheeses in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken. Top with reserved sauce. Bake, loosely covered, until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Serves 6

I like to make fettuccine noodles and top them with the chicken and sauce.

I decided it would be best to wait on baking this until we got to her home, so I took the picture before I left my house.

Here's a picture of it with the fettuccine noodles. Enjoy!!

Chicken Fajita Pizza

This was soooo yummy but a little too spices for the girls. Little Princess Guinea Pig gave it a try and ate most of hers but Princess Guinea Pig only took a couple bites before she said "no, thank you" and said it was too hot. I think if I used a very mild salsa (instead of medium) in the future they may enjoy it more?
This recipe came with instructions on how to make your own pizza crust but I was being lazy and bought pre-made pizza crust. ;) I'll include the homemade pizza crust with the recipe and put a * on where I started.

Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110º to 115º)
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon sugar

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cups sliced onions
2 cups sliced green peppers
2 teaspoons chili powder (I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup salsa
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese

In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon salt and sugar. Beat vigorously by hand 20 strokes. Cover and let rest about 15 minutes. Divide dough in half; press each portion into a greased 12-in. pizza pan. Prick dough several times with a fork. Bake at 425º for 6-8 minutes. * In a skillet, saute chicken in remaining oil until juices run clear. Add onions, peppers, chili powder, garlic powder and remaining salt; cook until vegetables are tender. Spoon over crusts; top with salsa and cheese. Bake for 14-18 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Yield: 2 pizzas Enjoy!!