Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread Pizza

This Chicken Bacon Ranch French Bread Pizza was a huge hit at both of our houses.  It's a quick weeknight meal that will leave you feeling satisfied!

Head over to OSSS for the full recipe and instructions.

French Toast Bake

If you don't already have a breakfast planned for Christmas morning, this French toast bake is awesome and you can make it all the day before or right before....whichever fits your fancy.  We're sharing the recipe on Rhodes Blog today. 

Head to the Rhodes bread blog to get the full recipe.

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

Cold weather is soup weather. Classic tomato soup and grilled cheese has been a favorite since I was a kid - but my taste buds have changed a lot since then, and although tomato soup is still a favorite - this roasted red pepper and tomato is a perfect combo with a more sophisticated flavor - the sweet, smoky peppers go fabulous with the tomato soup. Mmmm!  We are sharing the recipe on Or So She Says today - find the printable version there too! 

Stay warm and enjoy some soup!

Buttermilk Pie

Do you have all your pie ideas lined up for Thanksgiving this week? If not, or even if you do, you might want to consider this. For us, this Buttermilk Pie is a newly discovered favorite!  We love tradition, food, and family, and we also love to try new things.  This was a pie we tried last year for Thanksgiving and we absolutely fell in love!  For Leesh, as a non-pie lover, this has seemed to convert her!

This custard pie has Southern roots, so you should definitely use a Southern accent when referring to it. It makes me think of one of my dear friends from Alabama when I say it in my head.  It is so easy to make-- Stir and dump! We're talking a short list of pantry-staple ingredients and pouring it all into an unbaked pie crust.  .  You can also make it a couple of days ahead of time which is always a win when you have lots of things competing for oven time during the Holidays.  It's great chilled or at room temperature. 

To me, this pie tastes like the marriage of flan and crème brûlée. The flaky crust compliments it so well!  Rich, creamy, custard-y, and not overly sweet.  It will definitely be showing up again as part of our dessert spread at Thanksgiving dinner this year and most likely fro mhere on our as it keeps winning us over and over again. 

What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?  Have you tried Buttermilk Pie?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think!  

Buttermilk Pie

Printable Version

Ingredients:

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Pastry for 1 pie crust
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons flour
½ tablespoon vanilla

⅛ teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often,  for 5 minutes,  or until all ingredients are melted.

Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the filling is firm and golden.

Allow pie to cool to room temperature before slicing.  Top each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired. It tastes great chilled or at room temperature.

Origianally shared on The Idea Room

Here are a few other Thanksgiving favorites at our houses: 

Cranberry Sauce--2 ways | No-fail Oil Pastry Pie Crust | Cinnamon Banana Cream Pie

Roasted Fall Vegetable Medley

Leesh and her family celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving in October - and she text me a picture of this beautiful and delicious dish.  Needless to say, I was practically drooling on my phone!  I knew I had to make it - and it was a hit!  We loved it!  I absolutely love roasted vegetables and this medley of fall veggies was not just tasty but so beautiful.  Doesn't it just scream fall to you?  It does to me!  Anyhow, if you're in charge of a veggie at Thanksgiving or perhaps just want to mix up your veggie some week night, this is for you!  

We're sharing the recipe on Or So She Says {<<<< Click here to see it} today! Enjoy!

Gratitute Cloverleaf Rolls

I just can't believe it's November already! This entire year has flown by - and especially the last 4 months.  I had a baby in July and I feel like she was just born.....how can it have been 4 months? How can this year be almost over?!?!?  

I love that as the year wraps up we have Thanksgiving to celebrate! We have so much to be thankful for and Thanksgiving for us comes with time off work for my husband, time with the family and time with friends.  I love being able to celebrate that.  

These gratitude rolls are a fun way to incorporate a feeling of thankfulness right into your meal! And we're sharing the how-to on Rhodes Baking Blog today! Check it out!

Creamy Salsa Verde Chicken

Quick tasty meals are what we are all about and all for over here.  This slower cooker meal is 3 ingredients and is seriously delish.  Our families loved it - and we love how simple it is. 

Check out the recipe we're sharing at Or So She Says.  

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot cake is a favorite around here. We love it for fall and we love it for Easter!  This recipe has been on repeat for us the last few years!    

You can bake it in a 9x13 cake pan or in a bundt cake pan if you're wanting something a little fancier.  I love this even more the next day, so if you like to plan ahead you can make it a day or two in advance which makes it a nice option when you have guests to serve.

I'm a bit of a carrot cake purist, and prefer my cake with no nuts or pineapple.  You can totally add nuts in if that's your jam.  I enjoy it chilled, right out of the refrigerator.  I also like to eat any leftovers for breakfast, just so you know.  It has vegetables in it so it's a totally acceptable breakfast food.

If you're on the hunt for a great dessert to serve for a fall gathering or Easter dinner, we hope you'll try this one! 

Carrot Cake

Yield: 1 bundt cake or 1 9x13 cake

Printable Version {CLICK HERE}
Ingredients:

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Cake:

4 eggs

¾ cup oil

½ cup applesauce

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups carrots, grated (also works well to chop into  bits/chunks in the food processor)

1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

½ cup butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt pan or 9x13 pan.

Sift dry ingredients together (flour, soda, powder, salt and cinnamon) into a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugars, and vanilla until combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix until combined. Fold in grated carrots (and pecans if desired - or you can sprinkle them on the cream cheese frosting as a garnish). Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes for a 9x13 pan or 45-55 minutes for a bundt pan or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool bundt pan for 10 minutes before turning onto plate. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat butter and cream cheese til smooth. Add salt, vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Frost as desired.

Recipe Source:

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Adapted from this recipe on Allrecipes.com

Southwest Jack-o-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

Looking for a fun, filling, and healthy Halloween dinner? Look no further than these adorable jack-o'-lantern stuffed peppers.  They are cute, festive, and delicious!  And the filling can be made ahead!

Grab the full recipe and printable over at Or So She Says and let us know if you make them!

Turkey Bacon Parmesan Panini

We are sharing the recipe for this killer panini over on the Rhodes Out of the Oven Blog today.  It's a favorite and one we never tire of.  

http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/turkey-bacon-parmesan-panini-with-avocado-and-apple

It is  made extra delicious with homemade taste of  Rhodes Bake and Serve bread.  Filled with turkey, bacon, avocado, parmesan, and apple slices this sandwich is sure to satisfy!

Chicken & Veggie Yakisoba

Do you ever get stuck in a rut with dinner? I feel like we do that quite often. And have been more and more with a new baby in the house!  I was anxioius to try something new and Leesh gave me this yummy recipe for Chicken Yakisoba.  We've never had autentic Japenese Yakisoba - so we can't tell you how authentic this is, but we can tell you how delicious it is and that both our families gobbled it right up (even the 18 month old).  

We're sharing the full recipe and printable on Or So She Says. Check it out!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

We love sinckerdoodles!  Lately I can't decide between a fresh warm snickerdoodle and a chocolate chip cookie!!! But sometimes I don't want to take the time to roll out those perfect little balls of delicious dough.  That's where these Snickerdoodles in bar form come in handy. We get the fix without too much work.  And hey, you don't have to hang out around the oven until the last pan of cookies is finished baking either. Win-win!  Snickerdoodles from start to finish in 30 minutes! I'll take it!

Don't you love a good snickerdoodle? I do!  To me a "good snickerdoodle" equals a tangy cookie that is baked to a chewy crisp on the outside and still soft in the middle. Mmmm, these bars give you the best of both worlds.  The outside of the pan gets that nice chewy crisp, and the middle stays perfectly soft.

We thought the cinnamon chips added the perfect touch here.  They are optional, but if you're looking for them, they can be found at most specialty kitchen stores.  They make the most amazing cinnamon chip bread for french toast, too!

Make sure to serve them warm with a glass of cold milk and they'll be sure to hit the spot!

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Yield: 9x9 baking dish (9-12 cookie bars)

Printable Version {CLICK HERE}

Ingredients:

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½ cup butter, melted

½ cup white sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

¾ teaspoon salt

Topping:

1 tablespoon white sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons mini cinnamon chips, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate.  In a separate bowl whisk together: flour, soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, cream of tartar and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the butter/sugar mixture until smooth.  

Line a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish with foil so it slightly hangs over the edges on two ends for easy removal -  and lightly spray grease.  Press the cookie dough mixture into the pan, you can leave a ½ inch space around the edges - as it bakes it will travel to the edge and climb up the edge less if you leave the gap.  

In a small bowl stir together the topping mixture of cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle evenly across the top of the cookie dough.  Sprinkle the top with mini cinnamon chips if desired (they are a fun garnish - but not necessary for the taste).  

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack until completely cool. Lift the bars out by the tin foil onto a cutting board and carefully remove the foil.  Cut into bars. Enjoy with a glass of cold milk!

Recipe Source:

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Originally shared on Eighteen25. Adapted from my favorite snickerdoodle recipe from I Dig Pinterest

Spooky Guacamole Bowl

It's October!!!! I can't believe  the year is winding down. We are looking forward to the upcoming holidays! We shared this recipe a few weeks ago on Eighteen25's Spooktacular September series. Check it out for some fun ideas! We love fun and festive food for any holiday, but oftentimes Halloween food can cross a line that makes it a bit unappetizing.   We're all about making fun festive food that doesn't make you cringe! :) 

We like to "spookify" our favorite foods.  So enter Spooky Guac.  [Sidenote: I did come across a Halloween guac recipe called "Guacamoldy", but even that was too much for me to be able to call it that and still eat it.]  Isn't guacamole the perfect party food and the perfect color for a Halloween spread? And the kids think it's totally awesome to have a spider and her web in the guacamole bowl.

We simply used 2 olives to make a quick little edible spider--a little black spider ring (dollar store) would also work great too! For the web, we just piped some sour cream into circles and dragged a toothpick (or chopstick) from the center to the outside edges to get the spider web effect.  You could use any guacamole, but here's the link to our favorite guac recipe.  

It's fun, cute, and festive and doesn't take too much effort--so add it to your Halloween party menu/celebrations!

Here are a few of our other Halloween faves:

Mummy Stromboli | Pumpkin Roll | Spooky 7-layer Dip

Yummy Mummy Dogs

Tootsie Pop Ghosts {in an Egg Carton Graveyard}

Spiderweb Sugar Cookies

Spider PB & Banana Sandwich

Apple Cinnamon Roll Pie

Cinnamon rolls and apples remind me of Fall.  The temperature around here has dropped considerably in the last few days - and Fall is officially here.  Our newly planted trees are starting to change colors - and the nip in the air makes me want to bake!  This recipe is a combination of two of my favorite fall things.  A pie made with cinnamon rolls for the crust.  It's quite simple when you use Rhodes pre-made cinnamon rolls.  Check the recipe that we are sharing out today on Rhodes blog.

Pulled Pork Pepperjack Mac

We love BBQ Pork around these parts. It's great on a bun with a drizzle of BBQ Sauce. And we seem to always have quite a bit of leftovers when we make it.  So when Leesh discovered mac and cheese with BBQ pork on top at a food truck a few summers ago - she realized this was the ultimate way to enjoy mac and cheese.  

And Mac and Cheese is even more adult friendly when it's made with Pepperjack cheese.  You can make it with whatever cheese you desire - for us it was half cheddar and half pepperjack, that way the kids and adults are both in heaven.  Catch the recipe and all the details on Or So She Says, where were sharing the recipe and printable today. 

BBQ Chicken Salad

We're hanging on to summer and grilling season as long as possible!  This salad is a winner. Our family loved it!  The kids prefer to eat each topping in little piles on their plate, rather than it being stacked in a salad with dressing.  Isn't it funny how so many kids don't like their food to touch?  I think I was the same as a kid too.  

Catch the recipe over on Or So She Says where are sharing the recipe details and printable.  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken Caprese Sandwiches

The Caprese trio is a combination we will never tire of!  Pair it with grilled chicken and a toasted artisan bun and you've got us drooling!  We are sharing this killer sandwich recipe over on the Rhodes Rolls Blog today so go check it out!

Fruit & Nut Trail Mix with Dark Chocolate

Are you ever in need of a pick me up snack?  I know I am.  I often get to this point in the afternoon when I'm hangry (hungry + angry).  And as a mom of 3 sometimes it's hard to get a good snack in during a busy day or diapers, stories, and breastfeeding, school drop off/pick up, etc, etc.  This trail mix has been my saving grace the last few weeks. I've had moments when the baby needs to eat and so do I.  This is the perfect snack to hold me over until I get a chance to eat.  My husband has also been enjoying it at work in the afternoon when his lunch is starting to wear off and it's not time to come home yet.  

And with school starting over the last 2 weeks it's been a great snack for my daughter that seems to hardly have any time to eat lunch at school. Does anyone else have kids that don't have enough time to eat?  I mean, I know my daughter is a socializer, but I think the need a few more minutes to be able to eat without snarfing. 

I grabbed a little cup of this trail mix to bring her when she got off the bus and she was really excited to munch on it as we chatted about her day on the walk home.  She hadn't ever had macadamia nuts and asked me what they were.  She liked them a lot - and I'd have to say I did too! It was a great little snack to tide her over until dinner was ready!   

We seriously have loved the flavor combo in this mix!!!! Like a lot! My husband and I have been talking about it all week!  It has the perfect amount of sweet to nut ratio with just a little salt (you can add more depending on which nuts you choose to be salted vs not).  And the bits of dark chocolate seriously take this over the top! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.  

This mix consists of: pistachios, dark chocolate covered pumpkin seeds (found the bulk section of Sprout's Farmers Market - any dark chocolate chunk will do though), dried cranberries, dried mango chunks (I like to buy the unsweetened organic mango strips and then I cut them into chunks with kitchen shears. I really despise the preservative flavor on some dried fruit - so I always check the label to make sure it's just the fruit (sometimes only sugar added, but I prefer nothing)), macadamia nuts, raisins, cashews and pecans. 

{Find the printable recipe below}

Thank you Nuts.com for inviting us to create a trail mix in celebration of National Trail Mix day on August 31st!

Fruit & Nut Trail Mix with Dark Chocolate

Yield: 2 quarts 

PRINTABLE VERSION {CLICK HERE}

Notes:

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I am not a huge salt fan, but I like a little sweet and salty mix. Feel free to choose how much salt you want in your mix by choosing salted or unsalted nuts.  I only had salted pistachios and I thought it was great - although I might choose one more salted nut next time.  

Ingredients:

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1 cup pistachio nuts, shelled (salted or unsalted)

1 cup macadamia nuts (salted or unsalted)

1 cup cashews (salted or unsalted)

1 cup pecans (salted or unsalted)

1 cup dried mango, cut into bite size chunks

1 cup dark chocolate covered pumpkin seeds (pepitas), or other dark chocolate chunks

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup raisins

Directions:

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Mix the above ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl, stir to combine. Store in a cool dry place in 2 quart jars or a gallon size zip lock back.  It makes about 2 quarts of mix.  Scoop out ¼ cup or so for a serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Source:

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By Lu from Leesh and Lu’s Recipe Box