Quick Weekend Dinners and Sewing

Just wanted to make a quick post and show you what I’ve been up too. I really should be sewing Christmas gifts but for those of you that know me personally you know that I tend to have Craft ADD ;). Anyway I made a peasant dress for my daughter this week using this tutorial. I was super easy to make and turned out super cute. Next time I make it I will be increasing the flare and making it long sleeves so that she can wear it this winter.

I also whipped up a cute skirt using a headband that I bought at WalMart for $1 and some orange polka dot fabric that I had in my stash.

For dinner this weekend I wanted something quick easy and good. Every weekend the kids request pizza but this week I decided to make pan pizza. So good and easy. The only problem is the pizza is limited to the size of cake pan that you have. I used a 9″ cake pan for one pizza and then I made a hand tossed pizza so that we would have extras for lunch the next day.

I used these recipe for the pizza dough and the sauce. The only change is that you oil your 9″ cake pan, I used extra virgin olive oil, and preheat your oven to 400°.  Stretch and press the dough into the pan covering the bottom and up the sides. Top with sauce and toppings and bake for 30-35 minutes.

On Saturday night we had BBQ Chicken Taquitos. These are so good. I tried the original but wasn’t impressed but once I found the BBQ version over at Pink Parsley I was hooked. You can use pork or chicken. I used leftover rotisserie chicken. I think it would be good with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving too.

 

 

 

Baked BBQ Pork Taquitos
inspired by these Baked Chicken Taquitos (which are from Our Best Bites)

3 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature (reduced-fat is fine)
1/3 cup bbq sauce1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (I omitted this, I didn’t have any on hand)
pinch red pepper flakes
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup diced onion
3 scallions, thinly sliced (I omitted this, I didn’t have any on hand)
2 Tbs minced fresh cilantro or parsley (I used a sprinkle of dried parsley, because I didn’t have either of these fresh on hand)
hot sauce (optional)
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked pork or chicken
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (I used Colby Jack)
8-10 (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
cooking spray ( I used Extra virgin olive oil spray)
Ranch Dressing and/or BBQ Sauce, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese with the bbq sauce, paprika, garlic powder, mustard, brown sugar, liquid smoke, chile powder, red pepper flakes, cilantro, scallions, onion, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.  Fold in the pork and cheese.  Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Add hot sauce if you like things spicy!

Take 8-10 (6-inch) flour tortillas, wrap them in plastic wrap and microwave for about 30 seconds, just to make them pliable.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the lower third of each tortilla, and roll tightly.  Place seam side-down on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Spray the taquitos lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until the tortillas are crisp and golden-brown.  Serve with bbq sauce and ranch dressing for dipping.

Hope that everybody had a great weekend. Now I have to head back to my sewing room and get going on all the Christmas gifts that I have to make.

 

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Alfredo, Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

I have made this recipe for years. It simple and delicious. Great for a make ahead meal and using leftover chicken or even Thanksgiving Turkey. I noticed that my sister posted this a while back and it has gotten over 48,000 pins, that’s crazy. So I thought that I would get it pinned a couple more times 😉 Originally this recipe was supposed to be for stuffed shells.  They are good but a lot of work. And lets face it some days you don’t want to have lots of work in the kitchen, so I decided to throw it all together in a baking dish. Still tastes just as good without the hassle of stuffing darn shells. Enjoy.

Alfredo, chicken and broccoli casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound box of shell pasta ( I use a little over half a box)
1 1/2 – 2 pounds bone-in skin on chicken breast ( chicken or even turkey works great)
1 – 14 ounce bag frozen broccoli florets
1 – 16 ounce jar alfredo sauce
1  – 8 ounce block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated(I’ve used colby jack too)
salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting chicken
lemon pepper or Mrs. Dash

Directions –

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts then season them well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 – 35 minutes. Let the chicken cool until you can safely handle it, then shred it  and set it aside.

Cook pasta according to package and drain.

Steam the broccoli in the microwave by dumping the bag in a microwave safe container. Add a little water then cover tightly with plastic wrap – don’t forget to poke a few holes to let steam out. Cook for 4-5 minutes– they don’t have to be completely cooked through.

Get a large bowl out and put pasta, shredded chicken, cheese, broccoli and alfredo sauce, then season well with lemon pepper and mix well. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray and pour the pasta mixture then sprinkle the top with more cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Another Halloween pillow

I listed another Halloween pillow in my etsy shop. I had fun making this one. It’s hand embroidered with an envelope closure and will fit a 12×12 inch pillow form. I am still offering free shipping in the United States. Thanks for checking it out.

It’s Fat Quarter Friday

Every Friday over at the Fat Quarter Shop’s Jolly Jabber they customers the opportunity to “Build a Bundle” for their shop. One of the employees picks the feature fabric and you hop on over to the shop and find awesome fabrics to go with the chosen one. One day I will be lucky enough to win. The prize is a one yard of each fabric that you designed. How cool is that? Here are my submissions for this week. Wish me luck.

I could do this all day but I have to clean the house before I have to pick up the kids from school. Have a great weekend everybody. Happy Crafting. Did I mention there was no limit on how many you can create. Cool right?!