The first time I tried these chicken nuggets is when my mom made these for my sister's high school graduation party back in 2006. Still seems like yesterday!! We loved them right away and made them quite a few times, but somehow, we hadn't really made them again until recently.

I was so excited to make a meal for my family's Sunday dinner, but of course, my chicken-only-eating husband and my sister would not eat what I was going to make. I dug through my chicken recipes and came across this old favorite. It was perfect to make for both of them, because I cut up the chicken in advance, and then I breaded the pieces and placed it in the oven while I worked on some other things for our dinner. So simple!

These chicken nuggets have a delightful hint of sweetness that really set them apart. You can also double the batch and freeze the nuggets after they are baked. Dinner will be so quick next time for those busy nights, and your kids will love how fast dinner comes together!

Total Time: 35 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 cup corn flakes crumbs (You can buy this, usually with the bread crumbs or you can crush your own)
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (This is the secret ingredient!!)
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Sauce for dipping (I love barbecue with these!)

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray very lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large, shallow dish, combine the corn flakes, bread crumbs, brown sugar, salt, black pepper, and allspice.
3. Drizzle about 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil over the crumb mixture and mix well to incorporate the oil throughout.
4. On a plate or other shallow dish, roll some of the chicken pieces in flour. Then, dredge the same chicken in egg, and roll in the crumb mixture. Make sure to cover the chicken completely with the crumbs. Place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Continue with the remaining chicken.
5. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp and browned all over. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Source: Rachael Ray

My favorite kind of food to take to a party is a dip in my mini crock-pot! On Friday night, several of my friends and I went to a canvas painting studio where you can bring food and beverages and you are instructed on how to paint the painting of the evening. 

I am by no means an artist, but I do love to paint, and I had a blast! Especially since there was good food!! :) Here is the painting that I created:

I volunteered to bring a buffalo chicken dip, since that is always my go-to recipe for events like this. Anytime I bring this dip, it is gone! It is so simple to throw together and it doesn't take long in the oven. I will make this dip and set it out in the same pan, or I will make it in the oven and then transfer to my crock-pot on low. Either way, it is delicious!!

Total Time: 40 minutes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Fills a 9x13 baking dish

Ingredients: 

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened*
• 1 cup (or a little less if you don't like too much heat) Frank's red hot sauce (not Buffalo wing style)
• 1 cup blue cheese dressing
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 2 (12.5 oz) cans premium white breast chicken**
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 bags tortilla chips

* Set out the cream cheese for several hours to soften or soften in microwave 1 minute at a time at Power Level 1

** You can absolutely use 3 medium, cooked chicken breasts--I love the premium canned chicken because it saves time, and I really pick through with my fingers to make sure I am using the best pieces of chicken.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of a glass 9 x 13" baking dish. Combine the red hot sauce and blue cheese dressing and pour over the cream cheese. Add the blue cheese crumbles and the chicken. Mix well in the dish. (I take a paper towel and wipe the edges of the dish clean so that it doesn't burn in the oven.)
3. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Serve or transfer to a crock pot on low. Enjoy!!

Source:  My mother-in-law Janet!

On a cold Saturday afternoon, there is nothing quite like a bowl of hot soup to warm you up! 

When I was younger, my sister and I played soccer almost every weekend, whether it was outdoor on a field that was located up to a few hours away or in a sports complex. We loved playing, and we were both pretty decent at it! Okay let's be real...my sister has always been the better athlete and while I wasn't bad, I eventually made my way into the art world. 

I wish I had a way to post a video of my sister playing goalie for her soccer team--she would fly through the air and catch soccer balls like her life depended on it! I was always amazed at how she could do that! Me on the other hand, I would cherry-pick by the goal and score with my left foot on the goalie that wasn't quite as awesome as my super-talented sister :)

What does this post have to do with soccer.......oh yeah! On our occasional Saturdays off, my mom would make one of her delicious soups for lunch. I don't think she realized how excited I was whenever broccoli cheese soup or cheeseburger soup or even taco dip would appear on our kitchen table. I was so excited--it was such a treat! As a child, I used to think this soup took forever to make, because it surely seemed like it whenever I would wake up at noon and begin my day with a delicious bowl of soup! Much to my surprise...and I am in no way undermining my mom's wonderful cooking, :) this soup does not take very long to make!

I was able to make a delightful pot of soup in only a half hour today for my husband and father-in-law! You will love the feel-good taste of this soup!

This past weekend was my mom's birthday, and I was so excited to make her birthday cake! We spent a wonderful weekend in Hidden Valley, which is a ski resort in Pennsylvania. We rented a gorgeous house and used their amazing commercial oven to cook meals for our whole family of 13 people!! It was a fun chance to use a massive kitchen, in comparison to my little basement kitchen :)

On Friday night, my mom made her fantastic lasagna and homemade chocolate chip cookies. The next morning, we had some homemade yeast Belgian waffles (I will be posting the recipe soon!). For lunch, we had a new chicken parmesan dip that we tried out (which was amazing!), along with a taco dip, spinach balls, and homemade pretzels with beer cheese. For dinner (I am still feeling the extra few pounds by the way!), I made Mike's favorite Fiesta Lime Chicken with Honey Cornbread Muffins and rice. We also enjoyed this new take on an old classic cake that I made!! The next morning, my Aunt Mary made a wonderful breakfast of monkey bread and a sausage, egg and cheese bake! Now...to work off all of that food!!

This cake is adapted from my original Chocolate Buttercream Cake with Chocolate Ganache...but 10 times better! It has an extra layer of strawberry cake filling between each layer, along with a row of freshly sliced strawberries around the edge of the cake, and chocolate covered strawberries on top! The cake in this recipe is moist and delicious. You will never look for another chocolate cake recipe after you try this one!

Total Time: 2 hours + 1 hour in refrigerator if desired
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Inactive Time: 1 hour (to let the cakes cool)
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: a 3-layer, 9-inch cake--serves about 12-14

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 3 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 2/3 cups flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

Strawberry Filling:

•  1 cup water
  
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cups sugar

Frosting:

• 3 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (If you don't have a vanilla bean, add another teaspoon vanilla extract instead)
• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I like to use the mini, because I think they melt quicker!)
• 3/4 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup heavy cream

Decorating:

• Approx. 16 fresh strawberries
• Melting chocolate--I love to use the Baker's Dipping Chocolate
• White chocolate chips

Directions:

Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (10-inch) cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. (You could also grease and flour, but I really love to use parchment paper.)
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine brown sugar and oil. Turn the mixer on to low speed and add the eggs, one at a time. Let this mix while you combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Set this dry mixture aside.
3. In another small bowl, mix the vanilla into the milk and set aside. Bring your water to a boil and pour over the cocoa. Whisk until smooth. You should now have 4 different bowls of ingredients. 
4. To the egg mixture, with the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture, starting and ending with the flour. Scrape down the bowl frequently. With the mixer on low speed, add the cocoa. Scrape down the sides and mix until fully incorporated. Don't overmix!
5. Pour the batter into the 3 prepared pans. Bake the cakes about 20 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. When the cakes have slightly cooled, remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. You can also refrigerate cakes to cool.

Strawberry Filling:

1. Whisk water and cornstarch together in a large saucepan. Add strawberries and sugar to the water and stir. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before assembling the cake.

Frosting:

1. Beat butter on medium-high speed with an electric hand mixer until smooth, about 20 seconds. Using a paring knife, remove the "caviar" from the inside of the vanilla beans. Add to the butter and mix on medium-high speed about 15 seconds. 
2. Add the powdered sugar and salt; beat on medium-low until sugar is fully moistened, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.
3. Add vanilla and heavy cream; beat on medium speed for 20 seconds.
4. Increase mixer speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
5. Set in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Ganache/Assembly:

1. Place the first cake on a serving plate. Add a large spoonful of frosting and using an offset spatula, smooth the frosting so that it touches the edges of the cake. Allow the frosting to be slightly thicker around the edges of the cake so that the filling will not drip out. 
2. Place a large spoonful of strawberry filling on top of the frosting and spread around. Continue with the next layer of cake, by doing the same with the frosting and filling, and add the final cake on top. Add the remaining frosting to the top and sides of the cake and smooth.
3. Slice the strawberries into medium-thin slices and place around the base of the cake, the entire way around.
4. For the ganache, in a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate chips and corn syrup. Bring the heavy cream to a full boil and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. If you want the ganache to look extra glossy, run the chocolate through a mesh strainer into another dish. Pour the chocolate over the cake and with a clean offset spatula, smooth the ganache over the top. Let the ganache run down the sides. For best results, place the cake in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to let the frosting and ganache settle.
5. For the chocolate-covered strawberries, melt chocolate in a bowl, or in the Baker's Dipping Chocolate container. By holding on to the green tops of the strawberry, dip into the chocolate almost the whole way to the green, and swirl around gently. Place on a piece of waxed paper to cool. Continue with your desired number of strawberries. Melt some white chocolate, and using a pastry bag with small round tip, drizzle over the dipped strawberries. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to cool. 
6. When ready to serve, place the dipped strawberries on top of the cake in a nice pattern. Enjoy!!

Source: Adapted from Slice-of-Heaven's Chocolate Buttercream Cake with Chocolate Ganache