Cajun Chicken Alfredo

One of my favorite meals ever is fettuccine alfredo. I saw this recipe for Cajun Chicken Alfredo, by Guy Fieri and had to give it a try. It was amazing! I did make a couple changes.  I didn't use sun dried tomatoes and I didn't have any scallions on hand. If you're looking for a good alfredo recipe, try this!

Ingredients

• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup blackening spice (recommended: Paul Prudhomme's Chicken)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.
In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.
When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.
Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Pin It

Bread Machine Cinnamon Raisin Bread

I can't remember if I've ever made raisin bread before, but this recipe from Betty Crocker's website was really good and extremely easy. It uses the bread machine, so basically you just dump everything in and push a button(you add the raisins at the warning beep though). I love that! My kids loved this bread!
Ingredients:

1

cup water

2

tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

3

cups Gold Medal® Better for Bread™ flour(I used half white, half whole wheat flour)

3

tablespoons sugar

1 1/2

teaspoons salt

1

teaspoon ground cinnamon(I used 2 teaspoons)

2 1/2

teaspoons bread machine yeast

3/4

cup raisins 

Directions:

1. Measure carefully, placing all ingredients except raisins in bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Add raisins at the Raisin/Nut signal or 5 to 10 minutes before last kneading cycle ends.
2. Select Sweet or Basic/White cycle. Use Medium or Light crust color. Remove baked bread from pan and cool on wire rack.

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Toffee Bit Cookies

I'm not sure where I originally found this recipe. I imagine I must have got it off of Hershey's website, but I couldn't find it there today. I love all things toffee and everyone in my house LOVES these cookies!
Ingredients:
2 & 1/4 cups four
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 cup butter,softened(1 stick)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teas. vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag chocolate covered toffee bits(found in baking section of store)
Directions:
Mix flour, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs together. Set aside. Mix wet and dry ingredients together. Stir in toffee bits. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Pin It

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

I made these bars for Christmas Eve and I loved them! I love cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies, so this recipe is a perfect combo! It's also simple to make. The original recipe is from Betty Crocker.

1/2	cup butter, softened
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker  chocolate chip cookie mix
1	egg
2	packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1	cup sugar
2	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla

 Make the cookie dough as directed. Press 2/3 of dough into the bottom of an un-greased 11X7 pan. Beat cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla till smooth. Pour over cookie dough mixture. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto the top of the cream cheese. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pin It

Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Clusters

These peanut clusters were really yummy and incredibly easy to make. You can make them with peanut butter chips in place of the butterscotch chips also. I even think they'd be great with salted peanuts. I found the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
bag of butterscotch chips
2 cups of unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions:
Heat chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Cool and remove. Pin It

Pretzel-Topped Sweet Potatoes

So I really loathe this picture, but I just always feel the need to have a picture with the recipe regardless of how bad it looks...Anyway, don't let the picture fool you, this is such a delicious recipe! I love sweet and salty, which is why I love the combo of these sweet potatoes and pretzels. I didn't mash the potatoes I just put them in whole(after I drained them)and added the topping. Amazing!

* 2 cups chopped pretzel rods (about 13)
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup butter, melted, divided
* 1 can (2-1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes, drained
* 1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

* In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, pecans, cranberries, brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter; set aside.
* In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes until smooth. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla and remaining butter; beat until well blended.
* Spoon into a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with pretzel mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

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Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I've always loved Chicken and Dumplings. My daughter, however, does not love the big kind of dumplings that I usually make. She loves the little ones, like the kind you find in the canned chicken and dumplings. Tonight I decided to try a new recipe that would be similar to that. I found a recipe at allrecipes.com that was exactly what I was looking for. It was really easy and we all liked it. Next time I'll use bone in chicken. I just think it has a much better flavor, especially for Chicken and Dumplings. I'll also throw in some celery and 2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter(I did not add butter)
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 onion, finely diced(I did not add onion, but I did add baby carrots)
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces(I used 1 can of biscuits)

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center. 

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