Chicken Pot Pie

With this cold weather upon us, I was trying to come up with a yummy meal using up some chicken breasts that would warm us up. I remembered that I had just bought a Jiffy pie crust mix, so the idea for a chicken pot pie was born! If you have never tried a Jiffy pie crust mix pie crust, you MUST! So easy, so inexpensive, so tasty! They have been slightly hard to find, so when I do find them next I intend to stock up!

Chicken Pot Pie

7-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans cream soup (I mixed cream of mushroom and cream of chicken and I used the low fat variety)
1 Jiffy pie crust mix prepared according to directions on the box

1. Bring a large pot of seasoned water to a boil. Add in chicken breasts and reduce to medium. When chicken breasts are cooked through, remove and allow to cool slightly until able to handle. Shred chicken with 2 forks. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Put shredded chicken, frozen veggies, creamed soup in large casserole dish. Mix until well combined. You may add a splash of milk to thin out the cream if needed.
3. Roll out prepared pie crust and place over top of casserole. Place casserole into preheated oven and bake until mixture is heated through and pie crust topping is a golden brown.

More granola

I had such a craving for more granola, so I looked up a recipe that didn't use pumpkin (I am out for now). I came across this recipe on orangette blog.

Granola

3 cups rolled oats (I used quick cooking)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch salt
6 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used semisweet chocolate chunks, but any chip would do- you could even mix up different flavors of chips)

1. Preheat oven to 300F
2. In small sauepan over medium-low heat, combine honey and oil and heat until runny.
3. Meanwhile in large bowl, combine oats, pecans, coconut, sugar, salt. Pour honey/oil mixture over oat mixture and toss to coat. I use my hands to press together to get a few chunkier pieces
4. Pour mixture onto greased baking sheet and bake at 300F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and toss. Continue baking for 10 more minutes (or until oats are golden).
5. Allow to cool and add in chocolate chips (I added mine in when the mixture was still warm, and the pieces melted slightly allowing granola to stick to them, making a crunchier snack. I prefer it this way. To get the chips to set though, I had to store in the refrigerator).

YUM!

Italian Pulled Beef

I came across this recipe a while ago. A chuck roast was on sale, so I decided to buy it and give the recipe a try. Another success. So easy and so tasty!

Italian Shredded Beef

5 pound chuck roast (I had a 7 bone roast)
29 ounce can diced tomatoes (any kind will do, but I used Hunts diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano)
3 cloves of garlic minced (you may want to use more depending on your preference)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put chuck roast into a slow cooker. Add tomatoes and garlic. Allow to cook 6 hours or until meat is cooked through and shreds.
2. Shred meat and serve.

NOTES-
Now that I have made this, I would probably add a small can of tomato paste to sweeten and thicken the sauce.
Also, I recommend skimming off some fat prior to serving.
You can serve this over pasta or on buns as a sandwich.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Our freezer was completely full and with Thanksgiving coming up, I needed to make space for my turkey. In the freezer was a half bag of frozen chicken breasts, so I decided to start there. Whenever I see a bag of frozen chicken breasts, a few meal ideas come to mind...chicken enchiladas, chicken parmesean, or stuffed chicken breasts. I was craving chicken enchiladas, so I decided to go with those. When I started getting everything together, I realized I didn't have a can of green chilis like the recipe calls for. I did notice though that we had a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilis, so I decided to use them. Usually I do not put tomatoes in my enchiladas, but I had no choice. It turned out delicious! I didn't feel like rolling the enchiladas because I was in a hurry, so I made a casserole. It was a hit!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 can cream soup (we only had cream of celery and it worked fine, but I would recommend cream of chicken and I use low fat)
1 1/2 cups sour cream (I use low fat)
1 - 1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken breasts cubed
1 onion diced
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 package tortillas
2 cups shredded cheese (I usually use sharp cheddar, but a mexican blend would work great as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Saute diced onions over medium heat until translucent. Add chili powder and stir to combine. Mix in cooked chicken and Rotel tomatoes and heat through.
3. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, stir together sour cream and cream soup. Stir until well combined.
4. Add half or 2/3 of sour cream soup mixture to chicken and tomatoes. Stir well until combined. Heat through and remove from heat.
5. Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the dish with tortillas. Cover with chicken/tomato/cream mixture. Top with layer of tortillas. Spread remaining sour cream mixture over top. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is melty.

Au Gratin Potatoes

Mom made us a DELICIOUS ham for dinner and I was trying to think of something to go along with it. We had half of a bag (1.5 pounds) red skinned potatoes left from a dinner last week, so I decided to use them up. I didn't want to make mashed potatoes and risk us being tired of them by Thanksgiving. I decided to go with an au gratin potato dish. It was a hit!
Now my review, it called for a whole onion. While it was very tasty, I would prefer less onion, and I think it would be fine with even no onion. Just something you may want to keep in mind.

Au Gratin Potatoes

1.5 pounds potatoes (I used baby red potatoes and I left the skin on)- sliced to 1/4 inch thick slices
1 sweet onion (optional, or use less) diced
2 garlic cloves minced
3 Tbsp butter (I used Smart Taste margarine)
3 Tbsp flour
1/2- 1 tsp salt
2 cups milk
1.5 cups cheese (I used a mixture of colby-jack, american, and italian cheese)

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Arrange half of the potatoes in a greased 1 quart casserole dish. Cover with onions and garlic. Cover with the rest of the potatoes.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and whisk to combine. Cooke for 1 minute. Add milk and whisk until thickened (almost boiling- I usually have to turn my heat up, but if you do, make sure to whisk continuously). When thickened, add cheese and whisk until combined.
4. Pour cheese mixture over potatoes. Cover with foil and cook at 375F for 1 hour (or until potatoes are cooked through)

Pumpkin Granola

I had half of a can of pumpkin left over from my previous pumpkin endeavor (pumpkin oatmeal cookies) that needed to be used. I had recently made peanut butter cookies, and was not wanting to make something with lots of butter. I did a search and came across this recipe. Due to it looking so yummy and being low in fat (no oil unlike many granola recipes....who knew granola had oil??), I decided to try it. YUM! So easy and so delicious!

Pumpkin Granola (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod blog)

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans (optional)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used Libby canned pumpkin....NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup applesauce
1/4 maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix ins (optional)- dried cranberries, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, use your imagination

1. Preheat oven 325F
2. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. In large bowl, combine oats, pecans, spices, and salt. Stir well to combine.
4. In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla. Whisk to combine.
5. Add wet ingredients to oat mixture and stir well until coated. Put mixture on prepared baking sheet and spread out. Bake at 325F for 20 minutes, then stir and bake 15 minutes longer (or until browned).
6. When finished baking, add in mix-ins.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Last year at Christmas time, I discovered the MOST amazing oatmeal cookie recipe. It is absolutely my favorite! They are chewy and so delicious! Tonight, I had a can of pumpkin that kept calling to me. I was undecided between making pumpkin blondies and some type of cookie. I asked for my families opinions and they wanted a cookie....so I decided to try making my beloved oatmeal cookie recipe a little healthier by substituting some of the butter with pumpkin. It worked! The cookie is more like a caky texture, but still so yummy!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (I used Libby's canned pumpkin- NOT the pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cup quick cooking oats
Mix ins (optional)- I used butterscotch chips and chocolate chips (I preferred the butterscotch chips, I would probably leave out the chocolate chips or replace them with white chocolate chips)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or medium sized bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the butter and sugars. Cream together on medium- medium-high speed.
3. Add pumpkin, egg, vanilla extract to creamed butter and sugar mixture. Beat until well combined.
4. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon to the wet ingredients. Mixing with low speed, mix until combined. Add in oats and mix until well combined. If using mix-ins, add them in after the oats.
5. Drop dough by Tbsp on greased baking sheets. Bake at 375F about 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden.

Breaded Cauliflower

I just had this craving for cauliflower. When my hubs and I used to live in our own home, I would eat LOTS of veggies (I never had to share with hubby, because he doesn't like them), but now I have to share with the other people in the house who also love their veggies. So, needless to say, I am having less vegetables than I am used to- hence the craving. I have a vague memory of some cauliflower that my Grandma Betty once made that had some bread crumbs on it. I remember it was so yummy, so I decided to try it out. It came out so tasty...I will definitley make it again.

Breaded Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
3 Tbsp butter or margarine (I used Smart Taste butter substitute)- you probably could use olive oil and you may need more of the butter or olive oil depending on the size of the head of cauliflower you use (you basically want it to be coated so the breadcrumbs will stick)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (or more depending on size of cauliflower)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. In medium-large pot, bring water to boil. Add cauliflower to boiling water and cook until desired tenderness. Drain cauliflower.
3. In a large bowl, melt butter (or just add olive oil). Add salt and garlic powder and stir to combine. Add cauliflower to butter mixture and toss to coat.
4. Pour breadcrumbs (I used italian seasoned) over coated cauliflower and stir to coat.
5. Arrange breaded cauliflower onto baking sheet. Bake at 400F until bread crumbs are lightly browned.

Spiced Apple Cookies

My hubby is pretty good at buying something for a snack that he is so excited about, to only turn around a few days later and tell me he is sick of this snack. It generally leaves me to either eat it, throw it away, or use it in a recipe. The most recent snack he bought was a large bag of Honeycrisp apples from Sams. He thought he could finish them all. He was quite disappointed as these apples didn't have as much flavor as the ones they sell at Publix. He ate a few, but with about 5 apples left, he decided he couldn't eat another apple. What to do? Well, I came across a few recipes I wanted to try, but these apple cookies looked different and yummy, so I tried it out. They were AMAZING! My family kept coming back for more. I brought them to work and they were gobbled up there too! Definitley a recipe I will make again.
I modified the recipe on Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog

Spiced Apple Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup finely diced peeled apple- I might use more apple next time
1 cup golden raisins (you can use regular if you'd prefer or none at all)

Maple glaze

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 Tbsp (or more to taste) maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets (I used 2)
2. Cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and milk and beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts, apple and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls one inch apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool prior to glazing.
5. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and milk. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Maple Bacon Pancakes

My brother was home from college this weekend and I wanted to make him a yummy home-cooked meal. It was lunch time so I asked him if he had any requests. He couldn't think of anything, so I asked if he wanted bacon and eggs...no. Waffles....no. Pancakes...maybe. Pancakes with banana...no. Pancakes with bacon...YES!

Maple Bacon Pancakes

Pancake mix of your choice (or from scratch if you so choose....I usually use Fiber One Pancake mix, but I used Aunt Jemima this time and I followed the recipe on the box for 12-14 pancakes)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 pound cooked bacon crumbled

1. Preheat griddle or pan over medium high heat.
2.Mix ingredients to make pancake mix according to directions on package.
3. Stir in maple syrup and crumbled bacon until well combined.
4. Spray griddle or pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour pancake mix into pan to make pancakes to desired size. Cook until bubbles form on surface and pop and edges look dry, then flip and cook until cooked through.

Yum.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

If you don't have any reason to make cake....FIND ONE. This frosting is SO good, that you will want to make it right now to try it. We were having a farewell party for one of our nursing staff and I came across a recipe for oreo cupcakes . When I heard this nurse liked chocolate cake, I knew this would be the perfect time to try it! Now, it is in the middle of the work week, so I had to used a box cake mix. I used Duncan Hines dark chocolate....YUM!!! I am stocking up next time it is on sale. It is SO moist. I got so many compliments...wish I could say it was my own cake recipe.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

2 cups whipping cream
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 package of chocolate sandwhich cookies (approx 12 cookies) crushed

1. In a large bowl, pour whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip with mixer fitted with whisk attachment on medium high until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Viola- you have made homemade whipped cream. Now to make it cookies and cream flavored...
2. Fold crushed cookies into whipped cream. Carefully fold in the cookies so as not to mash the air out of the cream (or you will end up with milk again).
3. Apply to top of your favorite cake recipe. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cream Pies

I was just searching the web for new and interesting recipes when I came across this yummy looking recipe for oatmeal cream pies. I LOVE the Little Debbie pies, so I decided to try to make these. I didn't love the filling and am on the prowl for a new recipe for the filling, but the cookies were SO good! I had to bring them to work to avoid eating the WHOLE plate!

Oatmeal Cream Pies
From The Amish Cooks Baking Book courtesy of the nest.com

Cookies:
1 and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp boiling water

Filling:
1 egg white
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup shortening, softened

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Grease baking sheet and set aside.
2. Cream the butter, sugar, and 2 eggs. Add in the salt, flour, and baking powder and beat until well incorporated, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Add in the oats and cinnamon and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, put baking soda and boiling water together. Add to batter and mix to combine.
4. Drop dough by the Tablespoon onto greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake at 425F until light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
6. Cream the egg white, vanilla extract, milk, and 1 cup powdered sugar. Add in the shortening and remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat until smooth.
7. When the cookies have cooled, match up with similar sized cookies (using a cookie scoop makes most the same size). Spread the filling on one cookie bottom and put other cookie together to make a sandwich.

YUM! So addicting, but I will work on the filling some.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

So last night I wanted to make a homemade gyro. I needed some type of side dish recipe to go along with it. I knew I wanted to use up some rice I have and I also had 2 zucchinis that needed to be used up. Then I remembered watching 10 Dollar Dinners on the Food Network where she made stuffed veggies (peppers, zucchini and tomatoes). They were super easy and so good!

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

3/4 cup cooked rice (use whatever kind you like)
1 large zucchini cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup baby portabello mushrooms
2 small garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Scoop the seeds out of the zucchini using a spoon. Make a boat in the center of the zucchini to fit the filling. Place the meat and seeds into a food processor. Place the zucchini on baking pan.
3. Put mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper into food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
4. Mix rice and chopped veggies in a bowl until well combined.
5. Fill zucchini boats with filling. Bake at 400F until filling is heated through and zucchini is at desired texture.

Tzatziki Sauce

Since I am now living at my mom's house and have other people besides my hubby and myself, I can make some recipes I have been wanting to try. As you may remember from previous posts, my hubby is a super picky eater. Normally I will make something he likes and add a few twists to make it interesting for me. Now with my brothers and parents here, I can make a more elaborate meal and have Scott help whip up something for him. So tonight I wanted to tackle homemade Gyros. I have made this in the past and it was so yummy. Tonight though, it didn't come out so good, so I am going to only blog about the yummiest parts.....the Tzatziki sauce and in the next post, stuff zucchini.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 6oz container plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
1/2 cucumber peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
2-3 small garlic cloves finely chopped
1-2 tsps red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt to taste

1. Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine drained cucumber, garlic, red wine vinegar, oil, oregano, greek yogurt and salt. Mix well to combine.

So easy and so tasty! Zucchini boat recipe tomorrow!

Caramelized Banana Upside Down Bread

During our most recent cruise aboard the Carnival Legend, we had a pretty busy day at one of our stops. We hadn't eaten lunch and by the time we got back on the ship, it was getting near dinner time. We had to pass the buffet to get back to our room, so I decided to pick up a quick treat to get me through until dinner. When I saw this treat, I knew it had to be mine....there was what looked like banana bread (yummy enough in itself) topped with caramelized bananas. OMG! It was one of the top 5 most yummiest things I ate during that cruise....and I ate a lot, so it is really saying something! I had to have another piece, so after dinner I went back up to the buffet, but alas, it must have been a lunch treat, and there wasn't any to be had for dessert :(. I have been dreaming of this treat since we got off the cruise. We had friends over and my brothers were both in town, so I decided to try to recreate it. I found a few recipes and decided to try the following Rachel Ray recipe. I loved the caramelized banana topping, but was not 100% crazy about the banana bread...I think she makes a banana cake, and it was just too soft for me. I will definitley try again and repost, but if you want a banana cake try this one out!

Caramelized Banana Upside Down Cake (bread recipe to follow when I have more people to experiment on/feed)

4 bananas (yellow spotty ones)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp butter
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used applesauce instead)

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
2. Trim both ends off of 3 bananas and place ends in a separate bowl. Slice banana lengthwise into 3-4 long strips.
3. In a heavy skillet, put 1/4 cup of sugar and 2 Tbsp water over medium- medium-high heat. DO NOT STIR. Allow to come to a boil. Cook until water is evaporated and mixture comes to an amber color. Remove from the heat and add in butter. After butter has melted, add bananas cut side down into caramel mixture. Put over low heat for 1 minute. Transfer the bananas to the prepared loaf pan. Arrange cut side down trying to completely cover bottom of pan. Drizzle caramel over bananas.
4. In a medium bowl, mash remaining banana and trimmed edges. Add in 1/2 cup and mix well. Beat in the whole egg, egg white, and vanilla.
5. Mix together dry ingredients -flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt-in separate bowl (I never do this). Add to wet ingredients and add oil/applesauce. Stir until well combined. Pour batter over bananas and caramel in loaf pan.
6. Bake at 325F 50-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes, then invert over a platter.

YUM!!!

Mahi Mahi Tacos with Homemade Salsa

I first had fish tacos at Hooters and they were so yummy. Since having them, I was inspired to try them at home. I have made them a few times, but tonight they came out so good.

Mahi Mahi Tacos

1 lb mahi mahi
1 tsp season all (we use lowry's)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Tortillas
Toppings of your choice (I used cheese, shredded cabbage- or use coleslaw mix with no sauce- sour cream, and the homemade salsa)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Combine all spices with lime juice (will be like a paste) and rub on mahi mahi. Place on baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes or until fish flakes with fork.
3. Put cooked mahi mahi along with toppings in tortilla and enjoy!

Homemade salsa
1 medium-large tomato
1 small piece jalapeno (I cut a small piece off the jalapeno and freeze the rest)
1/4 small onion
1 garlic clove
Small bunch of cilantro
Salt to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and pulse until chopped to desired consistency.

Caramel Corn

We had planned a dinner and a movie date night, but we ended up taking our friend for a pretty big (and delicious) pizza lunch. We decided to make it a movie and dessert night. I decided popcorn might be a yummy snack. Now a few months ago, I bought the Orville Redenbaucher 100 calorie kettle corn snack bags. They have absolutley NO taste. Bleh....so I decided I wanted to use them up some how....I saw a few recipes for caramel corn and was inspired to make this. I decided to trust the amazing Mrs. Paula Deen and was not disappointed. So easy and so tasty! I made only 1/4 recipe and am super glad because it is addicting! (I used 3 snack bags and I think it was a little too much popcorn, so I suggest if you make 1/4 of the recipe, use 2 snack bags) I am going to post the whole recipe in case you want to make a big batch.

Caramel Corn
Courtesy of Paula Deen

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 tsp salt (oops I left this out and it was still great)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp baking powder
8 qts of popped plain popcorn
Melted chocolate (optional- unless you are a chocoholic like I am, then it is mandatory)

1. Preheat oven to 200F. Put popcorn in baking dish
2. Over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Boil for 5 minutes. (Watch that it doesn't get too brown, it burns quickly....don't leave the stove!) Remove from heat and add baking powder.
3. Pour caramel over popped corn. Stir to coat.
4. Bake at 200F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes....I only baked mine 25 minutes because I slightly overcooked the sugar, and it was still great.
5. Drizzle melted chocolate over caramel corn...then enjoy when it has cooled!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese frosting

I had a block of cream cheese just waiting to expire in the refrigerator. It was pushed all the way to the back of the fridge...one of those extra ones I got because I had a coupon. Well I decided to make my stuffed chicken breasts (see previous post for those). That only used half of the block, and it was about to expire, so I decided I needed to use it up somehow. I decided then, a sweet treat was in order. I looked online for something and found a recipe for banana nut cake with cream cheese frosting by Paula Deen. I do have LOTS of leftover bananas in the freezer just waiting to be used....but I made a banana bread and brought it to work and nobody ate it...so I decided to nix that idea. I remembered that a lot of my co-workers love carrot cake and it is typically made with a cream cheese frosting...so that is what I made. This is my FIRST attempt at carrot cake....everyone raved about it. They were fighting over the cupcakes....yup, even mad at me for not making enough of them. One girl asked for the recipe! So here it is....

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting
Courtesy of Paula Deen

4 ounces of cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat) at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature
1/2 pound confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a bowl with a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese and butter.
2. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in the vanilla.
4. Store in refrigerator until cakes are baked and cool.

Carrot Cake
Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

2 eggs
1/2 cup all natural, no sugar added applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 cups grated carrots

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Prepare muffin/cupcake tins- either grease them or use paper liners.
3. In a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together eggs, applesauce, white sugar and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots.
5. Pour even amounts into prepared cupcake tin. Sometimes using an ice cream scoop or a measuring cup will allow for more even amounts and therefore more even cooking times.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
7. When cool, decorate or frost with cream cheese frosting.

If you let these sit in the refrigerator overnight they get so much more tasty!

Banana Pudding

So as promised, here is another yummy banana recipe. One of our friends loves banana pudding as do I, so I decided to whip up a batch to use up some of the awesome free bananas I got from the guy at the fruit stand. I love the Publix banana pudding, but on my quick search, I couldn't find a copy cat recipe, so I decided to stick with the original Nilla wafer recipe. Now I used skim milk as this is all I ever have in the house, and I had some issues with the thickness, so I did some tweaking, which I will list below, to make mine into a pudding consistency (vs the liquid I had when I originally started).

Nilla Wafer Original Banana Pudding

3/4 cup sugar (divided)
1/3 cup flour
Dash salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
45 Nilla Wafers
5 ripe bananas (I only used 3)
Additional Nilla wafers and bananas for decoration
***I also had to use 1 Tbsp cornstarch****

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. (Note- this recipe has a meringue topping which is why you will need the oven, I could definitley have skipped the meringue and still had a great pudding. If you decide you don't want the meringue, skip this step.)
2. Prepare a double boiler. In the top of the double boiler, combine 1/2 cup sugar and flour. Blend in 3 eggs yolks and milk. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. ****Now at this point, my pudding was still just liquid. What I did was add 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and then put the pudding into a pot over medium heat. Stirring constantly until it bubbles and is thick.*****
3. Spread a small amount of the pudding onto the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Top with 1/3 bananas and 1/3 Nilla wafers. Top with pudding. Repeat layers ending with pudding.
4. ****Do these parts if you want the meringue topping, otherwise, just start enjoying the tasty pudding.******** Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add in 1/4 sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon on top of pudding making sure it goes to edges and covers all pudding.
5. Bake at 350 F foe 10- 15 minutes or until meringue is browned.
6. Cool. Garnish with Nilla wafers and banana slices before serving.

Grilled Banana Splits

Like most others, we decided to have a family get together for Memorial Day. Of course, since the weather is so warm and sunny here in Florida, we decided to have a barbeque. We had the yummiest burgers, hot dogs, and chicken with all the typical sides- corn on the cob, potato salad, and baked beans. For dessert, I thought why not stick with the grill and make some grilled fruit. I went to my local fruit stand for some inspiration. They keep their spotty bananas in the cooler and mark them WAY down (less than 30 cents per pound). The thing is these bananas are perfect on the inside. The skin is spotty, some of the bananas are mushy, but some are still firm. Well, I bought about 6, and the guy told me to take the whole box for FREE since he was going to toss them! I got about 30 bananas free! SCORE!!! Also, in other words, look for more banana recipes in the near future!

Grilled Banana Splits

10 ripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbps ground cinnamon
Ice cream of your choice
Sundae toppings of your choice

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Leaving skins on the bananas, cut both tips off and cut lengthwise down the middle (like you would see in a banana split).
3. Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon until well blended. Sprinkle generously over bananas.
4. Put bananas skin side up on the grill. Cook approx 3 minutes and turn skin side down (don't let sugar burn, but it will be melty). Bananas are done when they start to pull away from the skins.
5. Peel bananas and top with ice cream and toppings.

The warmth of the bananas with the cold ice cream...So good!

Homemade Pizza

I crave pizza once weekly at least. This week I made a whole chicken and we always have at least 1 chicken part (this time the breast) left over. One of my fave pizza topping combos is chicken and tomatoes....so I got to thinking, I can justify having yummy pizza for dinner if I am using up some leftovers. Came out so yummy. I will list the ingredients for a basic pizza and feel free to use whatever toppings you like!

2 cups flour (I used a combo of bread flour and all purpose)

1 cup warm water (at between 90-100 degrees)

1 package rapid rise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup pizza sauce (use more or less depending how saucy you like it)

1 cup shredded mozzerella (I don't use too much cheese, but you could always put more)

Toppings

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer that is fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour and salt.

2. Add yeast to warm water (make sure water isn't too hot because it will kill the yeast) and allow to rest until yeast looks frothy (about 2-5 minutes). Add water to flour and salt mixture. Turn stand mixer on medium low speed and allow to mix until sticky dough is formed. If too sticky, you can add more flour.

3. Oil large bowl with olive oil. Place dough ball in oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise (at least 30 minutes) in a warm draft free place.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put pizza stone in oven during preheating.

5. Turn dough out of bowl onto well floured surface. Roll out to desired thickness and size.

6. Take hot pizza stone out of oven and put dough onto stone. Pour sauce in middle of dough and spread to cover pizza. Put toppings and then top with cheese.

7. Bake at 400 F unitil cheese is browned and bubbly. Cut and serve. YUM

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake

Today is my mom's birthday and I knew I wanted to make her a cake. Every year for my birthday she always makes me a special cake. Last year it was a chocolate cake with a super yummy white chocolate frosting. My birthday usually falls right around Thanksgiving which has plenty of it's own desserts, but my awesome mom always goes out of her way to make my birthday special. I wanted to do something nice in return for her. I made this cake and it was a hit! I could probably eat the whole thing (and be awfully sick). This isn't the prettiest photo. It was so tasty, we cut into it as soon as we could.

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake

Cake (recipe from Hersheys.com)

2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used apple sauce)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Prepare two 9-inch round baking pans with cooking spray.
3. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.
5. When cool cut each cake in 2 layers (will be a 4 layer cake)

Raspberry Buttercream
1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam

1. Cream together butter and raspberry jam until smooth with stand mixer or hand mixer.
2. Sift in powdered sugar and continue to beat until smooth.
3. Refrigerate while cake cools


Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup cream (I used half and half)
1/2 cup raspberry jam

1. Bring cream to a bubble over medium high heat. Add to chocolate chips and stir until melted. Add in raspberry jam and stir until well incorporated.
2. Refrigerate while cake cools.

Chocolate Ganache
4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup cream (I used half and half)

Bring cream to a bubble over medium high heat. Add to chocolate chips and stir until melted.



PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
1. Put 1 layer of cake on serving platter. You may want to first put wax or parchment paper around edges to keep serving platter clean.
2. Top 1st layer of cake with half of the chocolate raspberry ganache. Cover with 2nd layer of cake.
3. Spread raspberry buttercream over the second layer of cake. Cover with 3rd layer.
4. Top 3rd layer of cake with remaining chocolate raspberry ganache. Cover with top layer of cake.
5. Pour cooled chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and let it drip over the sides. Frost cake with ganache.

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

So the hubby's doctor has added yet another restriction to his diet....now we are to avoid anything that causes heartburn (caffeine, peppermint, chocolate, greasy foods) and anything with nitrates/nitrites (bacon, ham, deli meats, etc). This along with the fact that he his a super picky eater has really thrown a wrench into our daily meal plans. Since he loves bacon and sausage for breakfast and since these were not allowed on this new diet, I decided to try to make homemade breakfast sausage. This allows me to control how much fat is in the meat and obviously, I won't be added sodium nitrite. These came out so tasty!

Homemade Breakfast Sausage

1 pound ground pork (I buy a pork tenderloin and grind it using my Kitchenaid grinding attachment)
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch cloves
Pinch red pepper flakes

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well to combine.
2. Make sausage patties.
3. Cook patties in skillet.

Lighter Mac and Cheese, with buffalo sauce

My hubs loves buffalo chicken. He gets a buffalo chicken sandwich with cheese on it when we go to Beef O'Bradys. When I saw a recipe for buffalo chicken mac and cheese, I knew I had to try it! Of course, I had to make it low carb to meet his needs and lower fat to meet mine. I left the chicken out and had this mac and cheese as a side to a baked chicken breast dinner. You can also leave out the buffalo wing sauce, and this would make a yummy mac and cheese, but you will probably want to add more salt.

Lightened Buffalo Mac and Cheese
(Printable Recipe)

8 oz of elbow noodles (we used low carb)
1/3-1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (I used Franks)
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk (I used skim)
8 oz shredded cheddar (you could get creative and use any cheese you like, I used 2% sharp cheddar)

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare an 8 x 8 casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until just slightly underdone.
3. In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp butter. Add flour and cook for 1 minute (do not brown). Add milk and hot sauce (which you could leave out at this point and have a yummy cheese sauce). Stir until thickened (about 2 minutes). Add in cheese and mix until smooth. (I put some cheese to the side to melt on top).
4. Put macaroni into prepared baking dish. Top with cheese sauce and stir to combine. Add reserved cheese (if you decided to do this) to top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

French Toast Casserole

Before you read any further, you must know that you will need to refrigerate the uncooked french toast overnight prior to baking, so plan ahead!
We had brunch this year for Easter instead of our usual dinner. Everyone brought along a dish, and I only had to make a few things. I wanted a pancake or french toast dish and found this recipe from Paula Deen on Foodnetwork.com. It is SUPER easy and it got RAVE reviews from the family! People went back for seconds and thirds of this item and left others untouched!

Baked French Toast Casserole
Courtesy of Paula Deen and Foodnetwork.com
(Printable Recipe)

1 loaf of french bread (I used Challah) sliced into 1 inch pieces
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half (I used fat free)
1 cup milk (I used skim)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I left this out for the hubby)
1/4 tsp ground nutment (I left this out as well)

1. Arrange 20 slices of bread (slightly overlapping) in a buttered 13x9 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, and spices. Whisk well to combine. Pour mixture over bread slices, making sure each piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next day, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until eggs are set and bread is golden.

Yum! So delicious!

Pork Burgers

My hubby made us a delicious dinner last night...Pork Burgers! With this stupid winter being as long as it had, I was itching to get out the grill. Well last night, it seemed like it was warm enough to do so. I was hoping to eat dinner outside and get some fresh air, but the breeze was too chilly.
Now my hubby had a pork burger for the first time at the fair and was amazed at how good it was. I never even thought of making pork burgers until them, but since, we have made them every so often. They are so tasty! The pork itself doesn't have too much flavor, so you can really flavor them any way you like and they would be delicious. You could go asian and add some soy sauce, sesame oil, and other asian spices. You could make them italian with oregano and tomato sauce, topped with mozz cheese. Really whatever you can imagine. We decided to go the bbq route.

Pork Burgers
(Printable Recipe)

1 lb ground pork
Seasonings of your choice (we used McCormick Barbeque seasoning and Lowrys Seasoned Salt)

1. Make pattys with ground pork (we made 6)
2. Season pattys on both sides
3. Light the grill. You will know it is ready when the coals are white.
4. Cook the pattys on the grill until firm to touch, white, clear juices (to temp of 160).
5. Enjoy!

Super easy and super tasty.

Chicken with Cordon Blue filling

So another leftover I had after the party was some cream cheese. I was trying to come up with a quick recipe one night and I remembered how I love the stuffed chicken breasts I had in the past. I wasn't too in the mood for the buffalo version after consuming all of that buffalo chicken dip. I didn't have the right stuff to make the pizza version. I did, however, have some swiss cheese and ham. Viola, chicken cordon blue! I didn't feel like pounding out the chicken, so instead I cut a slit in the side and stuffed it that way. So easy and so yummy!!!

Chicken with Cordon Blue filling
(Printable Recipe)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 oz cream cheese (I used the low fat kind) softened
1/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 oz deli ham, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Make a slit in the side of each chicken breast and cut through to the center (do not butterfly the breast, you are only trying to make a pocket).
3. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, swiss cheese, ham, and garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill the pocket in each chicken breast with this filling. Secure sides of breasts with toothpicks.
4. Coat the breasts with breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish. Add 1/8 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish. Cover with foil.
5. Bake approx 30 min or until chicken is cooked through.

YUM! I served this with rice and brocolli and used the filling that leaked into the pan as a sauce on the rice. It was so delicious!

"Fill in the Blank" Fried Rice

My hubby's birthday was this past weekend and he requested we have him a little party. Well if you have ever been to one of my family's parties, you would know that we tend to go overboard. We had buffalo chicken dip, spinach dip in a bread bowl, ranch dip, chips/bread/pretzels/carrots/celery to dip, jalapeno poppers, ribs, meatballs, pulled pork, coleslaw, cheese fries, and shrimp rings. Needless to say, we had a LOT of leftovers! Mostly the shrimp, carrots/celery, buffalo chicken dip, ribs, and fries. Not to mention all those chips. I know there was NO way we would ever eat it all, so I decided to have friends over to make something with the leftovers. I decided to make shrimp friend rice which would use up the shrimp, carrots, green onions. So alas, this recipe was born!
I call it "Fill in the Blank" Fried Rice, because you could use any meat you like. I happened to have the shrimp, but if I didn't, I would have used the ribs and made pork fried rice. You could leave meat out and have it vegetarian. You could add any veggies you like to this dish. I have seen recipes with bean sprouts, peas, mushrooms, etc. It is so versatile!

"Fill in the Blank" Fried Rice
Printable Recipe

4-5 garlic cloves diced
1/4 lb carrots peeled and diced
1 small onion diced
3 green onions chopped
3 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
3-4 cups cooked rice
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

1. Heat a wok or large pan over medium high heat. Add oil to pan and heat, then add carrots, onions, green onions, and garlic. When veggies are softened, remove from pan (I just put it in a large bowl).
2. Return pan to heat and add more oil. Add 3 eggs and continue to beat while cooking (kind of like scrambling, but a little faster). When cooked through, add to bowl with the veggies.
3. Return pan to heat and add more oil. Cook shrimp until cooked through (opaque). Do not overcook. Add shrimp to bowl with eggs and veggies.
4. Return pan to heat and add more oil. Add rice to pan and turn until slightly golden and heated through. Add rice to bowl with veggies, eggs, shrimp.
5. Add soy sauce over rice mixture and stir everything to combine.
6. At this point, you may need to add some of the mixture back to the pan to heat through.

So yummy....stay tuned for more recipes from the party!

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

Occasionally I will get a craving for banana pancakes. When I make them, I will also toss in some other things to bring them up a few notches...chocolate chips, granola, blueberries, shredded coconut. Well this time, I decided to put some peanut butter in it. They were SO delicious, so I decided to share the recipe here. Now I buy pancake mix...I don't make it from scratch...it is so much easier. I use Fiber One mix, because I feel like I am maybe eating a little healthier since my pancakes have more fiber.

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes
(Printable Recipe)

(Makes 1-2 servings)

1/2 cup pancake mix (I used Fiber One Buttermilk)
1 very ripe banana
1 Tbsp peanut butter (I used creamy)
1/3 cup water

1. Combine pancake mix and water (you may need to add more depending on consistency you prefer, but wait until all ingredients are added to determine this).
2. Stir peanut butter into pancake mix.
3.Cut banana in half. Mash one half and stir into pancake mix. Slice the other half into coin shapes and stir into pancake mix.
4. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Add about 1/4-1/3 cup pancake mix to pan. When bubbles form on top of pancake and sides look set, flip over. Cook until set. Repeat with remaining mix.

I usually just put syrup on mine and they are SO good!

Chex Muddy Buddies

This is such an easy and delicious snack...albeit, maybe not the most healthy option, but great to satisfy those chocolate/peanut butter cravings. I made my brother a whole batch to share with his girlfriend for Christmas. I couldn't stop snacking on them. I recently made them again (with a slight tweak that I will discuss at the end) for this weekend's upcoming Gasparilla Extravaganza Children's Parade. We are going with our friends and bringing my niece. It will be a long day, so we will need snacks. I also had a bunch of Chex left, so what else to do with them, but to make these? Oh by the way, we always referred to this as "Puppy Chow."

Chex Muddy Buddies
(Printable Recipe)

9 cups Chex cereal (you can use any you like or even combine some)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (see below for a yummy recommendation)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. You can even freeze this recipe.

For my substitution I divided the entire recipe in half and instead of having all chocolate, I used white chocolate for half. My hubs said he thinks he likes the white chocolate better! I thought it was taste funny with the peanut butter, but it doesn't. The white chocolate and peanut butter combo actually tastes a lot like Reese's Peanut Butter Cup peanut butter and very little like white chocolate.

SO GOOD!
Oh here is the nutritional info from http://www.chex.com/

1 Serving (1/2 cup): Calories 220 (Calories from Fat 80); Total Fat 9g (Saturated Fat 4g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 200mg; Total Carbohydrate 30g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 17g); Protein 3g % Daily Value*: Vitamin A 6%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 6%; Iron 25% Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 2 MyPyramid Servings: 1 tsp Fats & Oils *% Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Skyline Chili

There is a restaurant in Clearwater called Skyline Chili. They originally started up in Cincinnati, Ohio and have a few chains around the country. Their chili is really more like a chili sauce which can be served over pasta, fries, hot dogs, etc. My husband LOVES their 3-way chili (more about this in a bit) and has taken me over there for a few lunches throughout our courtship. Yum...that's all I have to say about it. Immediatly upon tasting it, I noticed a hint of a cinnamony flavor...my hubs HATES cinnamon....or so he says. I read over their menu and the original owners (who of course made the recipe) are Greek.
We have had this chili on pasta and on fries....I have had it as a burrito filling...all so good! I found the following recipe on recipezaar.com and tried it at home. Almost exactley the same. It is still missing something, and I can't put my finger on it....but close enough that I would never miss the original recipe. I have made it twice over the past few weeks and we just love it! I hope you try it and enjo! Serving suggestions at the end of the recipe. (PS- some of the ingredients may sound strange, but believe me, combined they taste amazing!)

Skyline Chili knock off
(Printable Recipe)

1 cup onion finely chopped (no chunks in chili at the restaurant- I grated mine with a cheese grater- oh and feel free to use more, the hubby says he doesn't like onion, so I am starting small and putting more in each time)
2 pounds ground beef (I used 90% lean with no problems)
4 cups beef stock
16 oz tomato sauce
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used white)
1/2 oz grated unsweetened chocolate (or substitute cocoa powder- look for conversion on this)
2-4 cloves of garlic smashed or finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste depending how spicy you want it)
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cloves

1. Brown onion over medium high heat. Add broth and ground beef. Seperate ground beef so it is fine (no clumps). Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, assemble spices and other ingredients. (I usely put all the ingredients in 1 bowl and dump in at the same time). After simmering 10 minutes, put all other ingredients into the pot. Allow to simmer uncovered for 1 hour.
3. Skim off fat (if you have any, with 90% lean there isn't even enough to skim).
4. Serve over pasta, in a burrito, over nachos, over hot dogs, on a baked potato, on french fries, on a salad, etc.

Now at the restaurant, their most ordered dish is the pasta...they serve it different ways....3-way, 4-way, 5-way.
The 3-way is the spaghetti, chili, and a heaping amount of finely shredded cheddar cheese
The 4-way is the 3-way with either diced onions or red beans
The 5-way is the 3-way with both red beans and diced onions

I prefer mine with onions and NO beans. I also will sometimes ask for tomatoes. Oh one other thing, they always give you a bowl of oyster crackers with your meal. Yum...hope you like it!