Cheddar Chicken

I've had this recipe for Cheddar Chicken for quite a while (I tore it out of the May 2010 Real Simple).  I finally organized all of my torn out recipes last week and while I was doing so, happened upon this recipe again and decided to make it! It was DELICIOUS! I can't say enough good things about it! And also very easy to make.

You'll Need (for 4 servings):
16 Ritz crackers, crushed
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 chicken breasts
melted butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, combine crackers, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Dip chicken in melted butter, then dip into the cracker mixtue, pressing gently to adhere and place on a foil lined baking sheet.  Sprinkle any remaining cracker mixture and butter onto the chicken.  Bake for 25 minutes.

I served ours with garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob - it was definitely a comfort food night!

I will be adding this to our weekly rotation for sure!

Spring Wreath

After all my bow making, I decided to make a spring wreath like my Halloween one.  I made it much bigger than the Halloween one, so it took more time, but I really like the way it turned out!

It's very bright and fun, and definitely livens up our big, white front door!  I know it's a little early for Spring, but with the warm-ish weather I feel like Spring is right around the corner!

Greek Quesadillas

Another Pinterest recipe - Greek Quesadillas from Annie's Eats.

Source: annies-eats.com via Ashley on Pinterest

These were SO good - W and I both loved them! And they were also super easy to make.

You'll need:
Tortillas
Olive oil
Fresh spinach leaves, chopped (about 2 cups)
Diced red onion (about ½ cup)
Roasted red peppers, chopped
Oven-dried tomatoes (I used sun dried, because that's what I had)
Sliced black olives (I left these out because I hate olives!)
Mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1-1½ cups)
Crumbled feta cheese (about 2/3 cup)
Oregano
Red pepper flakes

Here's Annie's instructions:

• Place tortillas on a work surface. Very lightly brush one side of each tortilla with olive oil and flip over so the oiled side is facing down. Sprinkle the chopped spinach leaves over half of each tortilla, leaving a small rim around the edge. Layer in a similar fashion with red onion, roasted red pepper, tomatoes, olives, cheeses, oregano, and red pepper flakes as desired. Fold over the bare half of each tortilla, enclosing the fillings.
• Warm a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and if needed, lightly oil the cooking surface. Carefully place assembled quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until each side is golden brown and the cheese is melted. Slice into triangles and serve warm.
  
  I also made her tzatziki sauce to go with the quesadillas. The sauce was the most time consuming part of the whole recipe, but it was pretty darn good!

I definitely recommend these!

Sour Cream Enchiladas

This has become one of my favorite enchilada recipes - it is from a co-worker and the first time I had these at work, I talked about them for days afterward - super creamy and delicious.  They are also super easy to make - a win win!

You'll Need:

2 C shredded cooked chicken (I normally use 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled, and shredded)
2 C sour cream           

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz shredded jalapeno jack cheese or pepper jack cheese

8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

4 oz can of chopped green chilis

2 T chopped onions

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fajita size flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all ingredients well (reserving a small amount of cheese), spoon into tortillas, roll, and place in baking pan.  Sprinkle cheese on top [or use a lot, whatever you like! : ) ].  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, then uncovered for 5-10 minutes.  And that's it!  Like I said, super easy!

*This makes enough "stuffing" for about 12 enchiladas...I only had 9 tortillas as you can see above, so I stuffed them REALLY full. And I think these are even better the day after in the microwave, the tortillas get super soft.

February Eve

January was a whirlwind for me and I'm looking forward to the start of a new month...for me, I'm sort of feeling like February is going to be my January this year.  January was so busy, that I'm just now feeling like I'm coming out of the busy, holiday craze (obviously since I just shared my Christmas decor with you!) and starting 2012.  Here's a quick recap:

• New Year's weekend was spent in Dallas for a wedding...being in Dallas means I finally got to see Amy (and exchange birthday + Christmas gifts!). New Year's Eve we had the rehearsal dinner and rang in the new year at the hotel with friends+family...such a fun night!
• I went back to Houston and worked for 2 more weeks at HBU.  It was crazy trying to finish up lots of little things and pack up my office. Not to mention trying to pack in as many lunches as possible with people that I will dearly miss.
• Life at home has been spent trying to get myself organized, get back in to the swing of cooking (I haven't really cooked since June!), lots of errands, etc. I started sorting through months of mail and papers that I brought home from my office...a disaster zone currently, but it will all be filed neatly away soon! (Like I said...it's my January - I'm getting organized!)

I've also been prepping for our first spring Craft Fair with Ribbons and Rickrack, which means making a ton of bows!

• We spent this past weekend in Fredericksburg for another wedding of some good friends.  Fredericksburg was beautiful (but cold!) and the B&B we stayed at/where the wedding was at, was super cute and rustic.

Our huge room complete with living room/kitchenette:

W and me at the reception:

January was great,  but I'm ready to start a new month! : ) Happy {almost} February!

things i'm loving

Haven't done one of these in a while...here are a few new things that I'm currently loving!

I had heard good things about this L'Oreal Paris EverStrong Overnight Treatment, so I picked some up at Target for about $5.  I've been using it every night for about a week now and so far, so good! My hair is VERY dry from daily hair drying/straightening and I've tried a ton of deep conditioning treatments. This is super easy - you just put it in your hair at night, work through, it dries really quickly and your hair feels great the next morning. The instructions say to use 2 pumps, but my hair is so thick that I normally use 4 to 5.

I'm seriously in love with this Kate Spade top...in yellow, my favorite color! Only $275...

I started watching Parenthood on netflix...seriously good!  Not sure how I missed it on NBC when it started a couple of years ago, but I'm hooked.You can watch seasons 1 and 2 on netflix instant, and season 3 is currently airing.

And a sad, favorite thing, but Picnik just announced that it's going away.  You can still use it until April (including all the premium features you used to pay for).  Picnik is by far my favorite photo editing tool, can't believe it's going away!