Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!

In honor  of 4th Mike and I spent the weekend with family and of course eating. Yesterday we went down to my parents lake house. Despite the 4 inches of rain that dumped down on us over a 6 hour time span we still managed to have a great time. While the sun was out we spent time relaxing in the hammock. When the rain came on we resorted to hanging on the porch swing and playing card games with the kids. Lots of grilling going on! Tonight we grilled out, ate chicken, corn on the cob and cole slaw. For dessert I made a yummy mini apple crisp to share. This was a great treat and while I could have eaten more it was perfect to share with a bit of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Mini-Apple-Crisp

Ingredients

• 1 Servings
• Prep: 5 min. Bake: 35 min.

5 3 40

• 1 medium apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Cream, optional

Directions

• Place apple slices in a small greased baking dish. In a small bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon. Sprinkle over apple slices. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Serve with cream if desired.

Our Go to Dinner

One of our go to dinners is very simple and requires only a few ingredients. Not only that, but there is also minimal cleanup. I've raved about this simple dish to many friends and family. Unfortunately, I've forgotten to send it to those many people. The best part for me is that Mike's kind of taken over making this dinner so the only thing I have to do is the potatoes. So here it is:

Cheesy Chicken-and-Broccoli-Topped Potatoes 

source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cheesy-chicken-and-broccoli-topped-potatoes-10000000479073/

Hands on Time: About 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3/4 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons paprika, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour (depends on size). The actual recipe says to microwave and this is much faster, but we like the flavor of the baked potato.
• While the potatoes cook, combine the chicken, flour, 1 teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat.
• Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture and broccoli; sauté for 5 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil, and cook for 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Add cheese, stirring just until melted.
• Split potatoes open with fork, and fluff pulp. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over potatoes; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon paprika.