Stuck on Sandwiches

Whoa, it has been sooo long since I posted a recipe. Too busy thinking about other things, I guess. But, don't doubt for a second I haven't been cooking. I have been on a bit of a sandwich kick lately. I have tried two new ones and had one thumbs up and one thumbs down. I don't like having a thumbs down, but if you don't try something new sometimes you'll get bored, or at least I will. I am going to give you the thumbs down first.

This is a Hawaiian Chicken sandwich. Thought it sounded interesting, but interesting doesn't always mean good. We had layers of deli chicken, canadian bacon, pepper jack cheese, lettuce and pineapple. The family refused the pineapple layer, but I tried it that way. It was just ok.

Next we have the thumbs up. Grilled Vegetable sandwich. MMMMMMMM. Everyone at the table commented how much they liked it. I'll definitely make it again.

I grilled zucchini and yellow pepper slices with some olive oil and salt and pepper and placed it on ciabatta bread with some deli turkey. (The family would not have given it a thumbs up without the meat, although I would have gladly eaten it without.) Next I made a sauce out of mayo, lemon juice, and minced garlic. I slathered this on one side of the bread and sprinkled it with feta cheese. Voila!!!! It was A+++++++!

Lemon Basil Chicken

I made this chicken last night, and decided I will be making it again. So Good! I am sorry I didn't take a picture of it. :( I got this recipe from Taste of Home. The original called for fresh basil, which I didn't have. If you have it, I am sure it would be outstanding.
1 medium lemon
2 tsp. minced garlic, divided
2 tsp. basil, divided
1 whole chicken (3-4 lb.)
2 TBS. butter, melted
salt and pepper
Finely grate the peel from the lemon to measure about 2 tsp. Cut lemon in half; squeeze juice from one half. Set aside.
Rinse and pat chicken dry and put in a roasting pan. Take unsqueezed lemon half and squeeze juice into cavity of chicken, then place the lemon half along with 1 tsp. of basil and 1 tsp. of garlic in cavity.
Combine melted butter, reserved lemon peel and juice, remaining basil and garlic and brush over the outside of chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered at 375* for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until done.
Be sure and let stand 10-15 minutes before carving.

Turkey Bacon Ranch Wraps

This was not a fancy dinner, but it was great! Everyone told me they really liked it, except Jessi who was too busy talking about dance to notice what she was eating.

I just made a basic tortilla wrap sandwich, but smeared some cream cheese mixed with ranch dressing on the tortilla before topping it with deli turkey, bacon, provolone cheese, tomato, and avocado. The fruit with it made it feel like a meal fit for a summer evening. Oh how I wish it was summer!!!

Filled Banana Bars

I received my new Paula Deen magazine this weekend, just in time to find a quick recipe I could try for an Easter finger food. I won't post the recipe because it is pretty basic. I made some banana bread batter and put it in a 9 x 13 pan instead of a loaf pan. Once done and cooled, I cut them into finger sized rectangles and split them in half, spreading the inside with some leftover vanilla frosting I had and sprinkled with chopped pecans. Not bad! The original recipe had a different filling, but I liked the idea so much I just improvised on the filling. Sometime I'll try the recipe as intended with the other filling.

Easter Food Fun

I finished my "masterpiece" tonight and since I won't have time to post this tomorrow, I am putting this on quickly tonight. I am soooo proud of my little project. Mostly because this is one of the rare times my idea actually turned out. Although not perfect, and I do love perfect, this as close as my skills are going to get me. I have to put this little picture in of Jordan who wandered over here with the other girls and watched every step of the cupcake decorating. Occasionally, she snuck a little piece of candy to eat and told me how good it was, and put in her little encouraging words, "That is so cute!" And, look at that face......there is no way I could have done it with out her. :)

Don't you just love these little caterpillars. Ohhhh, sooooo cute!!

And, here are my chicks and chocolate bunnies. Amazingly, I really did this myself. I do not consider myself to have artistic abilities because I have very little patience for intricate work, so be really amazed. The chicks were a bit of work, I admit. Do the process with a friend, it makes it more fun. Thanks for letting me make the mess in your house, Mindee. And, the chocolate bunnies I did with the help of a mold, and then put them on a stick with a ribbon. See, you can do it too. :) Happy Easter!

Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars

Alright, if you never try one of my recipes, then at least try this one. This is my sister's recipe, and I am sooo glad she passed it on because it never fails to impress me. I will give a word of caution, though......I don't make these very often because I will easily eat half the pan. I thought I would post this recipe for you all in case you're looking for something for Easter. I am going to make these and serve them with a few fresh strawberry slices on top. I needed something to go with my daring Easter dessert tray I am planning. (I will post later this week, when I get it made.) I am declaring it daring because many times my grand ideas surpass my abilities, and I get a less than favorable result. We'll see...................
In the meantime.....
Cinnamon Cheesecake Bars
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 TBS. vanilla
1 TBS. cinnamon
1/2 C. butter, melted
Grease lightly 9x13 pan. Press 1 tube of crescent rolls into pan. Mix cream cheese, 1 C. sugar and vanilla together and spread over rolls. Top with second tube of crescents. Pour melted butter over all and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Let cool and then chill in refrigerator before serving. Store leftovers in fridge.

Birthday Cake Disaster

Remember when I told you all that I would not be afraid to post when I have a recipe gone wrong. Well, as is par for my cooking I have had one of those moments. The picture above is Dave's birthday cake. Wow! It is amazing isn't it?
Hannah took a picture of me working on this masterpiece while she and her BFF laughed their heads off. It is bad enough to have this happen, but when it happens in front of an audience it's worse. So, I am going to share with all of you my mistake so you won't follow in my disastrous footsteps.
My hubby loves double layer chocolate cake, so I decided to "kick it up" a notch and make it triple layer, and not only that but make the middle layer marshmallow cream. Yummm!!!! The idea was great in theory, but not in application. I will hate marshmallow cream for a very long time now. As you can see from the picture, it made the cake layers slide and there was no stopping the creamy landslide once it started. In the end I had to scrape off the top layer and try to make something of what was left with the leftover frosting and sprinkles. Yeah, sprinkles cover a multitude of sweet mistakes.
The moral of this cooking fiasco is: NEVER, not EVER use marshmallow cream in a layer cake. :)