Nutty Neighbor Christmas Gift

Are you looking for an easy & quick neighbor gift?  I whipped up a batch of Cinnamon Sugar Pecans today in my crock-pot to deliver to our neighbors tomorrow!  They were fairly simple and tasted delish!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

2 egg whites

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 ½ cup white sugar

1 ½ cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp. cinnamon

5 cups pecans

In a medium sized bowl beat or whist your egg whites until they are foamy. 

Add in vanilla and give a stir.

Empty pecans in a bit at a time and coat with egg white mixture.

In a separate bowl combine sugars & cinnamon. 

Mix well.

You can combine your sugar mixture and pecans using either of these two methods:

 Pour pecans in a freezer size ziplock & add in the sugar mixture.  Seal and shake.

OR

Add sugar mixture to bowl of pecans a little at a time stirring to coat.

{We are completely out of freezer ziplocks in our house so I went with the bowl mixture}.

Place coated pecans in your slow cooker and cook on high for 2 ½ hours stirring every 30 minutes. 

When finished “cooking” set out on a cookie sheet and break up any big clumps of pecans.

Place in cellophane bags and voilà!

You will find a free printable to add before delivery here!

Merry Christmas,

Just Add Butter: Recipe 9

There are a few times that I am truly impressed with what I turn out of the kitchen for dinner.  Last night’s meal was one of them!  These chicken Parmesan stuffed manicotti are for sure one of my raving successes.  The recipe makes enough for about six manicotti shells.  Coach Husband scarfed sown three at dinner last night and ate the leftover two today for lunch after church today.  The recipe calls for cooked shredded chicken and thanks to Rebecca that didn’t derail my plans at all!  I’ve started purchasing a whole chicken while grocery shopping and throwing it in the crock-pot when I get home from the grocery store.  Seasoned with some rosemary, thyme and filled with plenty of water the bird cooks all day and provides me with enough chicken for at least two meals and a couple of lunches!  It’s also been a huge money saver on the grocery budget and has no cleanup.  Double win in my book. 

On to the manicotti.

Stuffed Manicotti

Manicotti Shells

1 cup shredded chicken

1 egg

½ cup ricotta cheese

Parmesan cheese

Oregano

pepper

Can Italian style tomatoes

Chopped basil leaves

Cook shells until done & drain.  Handle with care so they don’t tear!

Mix shredded chicken, egg, ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan & a few shakes of oregano in a bowl.  

Stuff shells with chicken mixture gently & place in a greased baking dish.

In a small saucepan heat Italian style tomatoes, 2 tablespoons Parmesan and chopped basil leaves.

Bring to boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer until heated through.

Spoon sauce over shells & sprinkle with more Parmesan and whole basil leaves

Place in an oven (pre-heated to 350) and bake for 25-30 minutes.

I loved how quick this was to make and how filling!  Served alongside a salad and French bread it was the perfect dinner on a cold, rainy Saturday night.

Happy Eating,

Just Add Butter: Recipe 8

These ham & cheese roll-ups were a Pintrest inspiration with a twist to make it more appetizing for us.  Coach Husband was an immediate fan and has asked for them multiple times since.  They’re quick, relatively effortless and quite filling.  I think they would be a great party appetizer but we had them for dinner alongside some steamed broccoli and carrots.

Cheesy Ham Roll-Ups

Refrigerated Pizza Crust

½-3.4 lb. deli ham thinly sliced

12 slices of Swiss cheese

1-tablespoon honey mustard (it can also me made with Dijon mustard...just not really our thing)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup butter

Roll our pizza dough on a cutting board, forming a square

Top with thin slices of ham & cheese slices

Here is the fun part!  Tightly roll the ingredients into a long tube.

Cut the tube into sections (think cinnamon rolls)  You should be able to create about 12 sections. 

Arrange the sections in a 9X13 greased baking dish

In a saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, mustard & Worcestershire sauce

Whisk until the sauce is smooth and then pour over the roll ups

Bake in the oven on 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.

So yum!

Just Add Butter: Recipe 7

School & football practice are back in full swing!  As I sit down to the computer to type this up Coach Husband has informed me he is just beginning the laundry for the day at the field-house.  He should be home within the hour and if I can stay awake that long I will actually see him in the flesh.  Thanks to the craziness of this season of life dinner is not something I’ve been very diligent with.  I made the commitment this week to stick to my planned menu and tried out a new recipe tonight.  Whoa baby.  20 minutes total time and only one skillet to clean means this will totally be a regular rotation in our menu.

Weeknight Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Tablespoon olive oil

4 cups broccoli florets

Beef {I actually found “Stir Fry Beef” in the meat section this weekend}

Rice

Onion

McCormick’s Sesame Stir Fry Skillet Sauce Pouch

Cook your preferred rice in your preferred mode.  I used white minute rice and it was scrumptious.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add beef and onion slices for flavor

Brown over low heat until almost cooked

{I used a paper towel here to sop up the grease from cooking and added a dash more olive oil}

Add in broccoli and stir-fry until tender crisp.

Pour in skillet sauce and bring to boil.  Simmer for 1-3 minutes until cooked through.

Serve over rice!