Copy Cat Olive Garden Italian Dressing!! So Yummy!!!

So I just so happened to stumble across this recipe a couple days ago and I am so glad I did.  I have never had that much success with copy cat recipes but this one is GOLDEN!  I made this last night and had it for dinner tonight on my salad and I have to say I could have drank it.... I am not kidding!  If you like Olive Garden's Italian Dressing you will love this.  So here is the recipe, I am going to marinate some chicken in this tonight for dinner tomorrow... see I love it!  Enjoy.

Italian Dressing

·         1/2 cup olive oil

·         1/4 cup white wine vinegar

·         1 teaspoon dried Italian spices

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         black pepper

·         1 teaspoon sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·         1 tablespoon mayonnaise

·         3 tablespoons water

·         3tbs Parmesan Cheese

·         2 envelopes Good Seasonings Italian Dressing, prepared

1.  Combine all ingredients in a blender on high until combined, about 30 seconds.

2.  Pour into small bowl and cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3.  Stir before serving.

4.  **Don’t forget, add your 2 prepared recipes of Italian Dressing from the envelopes (I used Good Seasonings Brand) to this. Yes, yes, it makes a ton of dressing. Put it in the fridge, you’ll drink it later.

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Crock Pot Bake

First let me start off by saying Happy New Year!  I hope you all had a great holiday.  I took a little break from blogging but now I am back.  I wanted to share a recipe with you that I am making tonight for dinner, I think it sounds amazing and oh so easy!  I will let you know how it was and if you make it please let me know what you think.

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Crock Pot Bake

•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
Ingredients

1.   1 (32 ounce) bags tater tots

2.   0.5 (3 ounce) jars bacon bits ( I used real bacon) 

3.   5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

4.   1 1/2 cups grated colby cheese

5.   1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack pepper cheese

6.   3/4 cup milk

7.   salt and pepper

Directions

1.   Grease the bottom of the crock pot.

2.   Layer 1/2 the tater tots on the bottom of the pot.

3.   Sprinkle with 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits.

4.   Combine the two cheeses, and sprinkle 1/3 of it over the bacon and tots.

5.   Top cheese with the chicken breasts.

6.   Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste.

7.   Top chicken with another 1/3 of cheese.

8.   Sprinkle with another 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits.

9.   Add remainder of the tater tots.

10.               Top with final 1/3 of the cheese.

11.               Pour milk over the top.

12.               Set crock pot to high and cook 3-4 hours.

Pumpkin Smoothie!!

Pumpkin Smoothie

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/10/pumpkin-smoothie/

Added by Ree on October 30, 2011 in Drinks, Smoothies

Servings 8

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

• 1 can (15 Ounce) Pumpkin Pie Filling
• 3 cups Whole Milk (more If Needed)
• ½ cups Vanilla Yogurt (up To 1 Cup)
• A Few Dashes Of Cinnamon
• Cinnamon Graham Crackers, Crushed

Preparation Instructions

Well ahead of time, place pumpkin pie filling into a freezer-safe container. Freeze for a few hours or until frozen solid.
To make the smoothie, add milk, and yogurt to a blender. Drop in the frozen pumpkin pie filling and blend until the frozen filling is completely pulverized. Add more milk or yogurt as needed to get it the consistency you’d like.
Pour into individual glasses and sprinkle the tops with graham cracker crumbs. Serve immediately!
*Note: Make a lower-calorie smoothie by using unsweetened/unflavored pumpkin puree, nonfat plain yogurt, and the sweetener of your choice.
*Can also sprinkle with cinnamon and/or nutmeg instead of graham cracker crumbs

jingle bell bracelets

I think these are so cute, I am going to try these with my kids because it is so easy, sorry I did not have a picture of these but if you use the link you can watch a video on how to make these. So cute!!

http://familyfun.go.com/how-to-videos/familyfun-jingle-bell-bracelets-762339-v/

These jingle bell bracelets will help your kids ring in the holiday season.

You'll need bells, beads, and wrist or ankle size pipe cleaners. To create a basic bracelet, just thread beads and bells on a wrist or ankle size pipe cleaner. We use the bumpy type here. Then form it into a circle and make a clasp by looping together the ends of the pipe cleaner. For a fancier look, thread on four or five bells, then coil additional pipe cleaners around the first between each bell. Finally, form it into a circle. For our even more elaborate version, start with a bumpy pipe cleaner threading one bell onto each bump. Form a single pipe cleaner into a circle, then twist the bumpy pipe cleaner around it so that each bell faces outward. These bracelets make the perfect gift for friends, teachers and family.

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy

http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/12/worlds-easiest-christmas-candy-recipe.html

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy

1 sleeve Saltine crackers
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips
On a baking sheet, spread out Saltine crackers. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until gooey. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, or until bubbly.
Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let sit for a few minutes until chocolate chips begin to melt. Then, spread over crackers evenly with a spatula.
Stick in the freezer for an hour, or until chocolate hardens. Break into small pieces and put into gift containers or baggies. Store in the freezer until ready to eat or give away.


My mother in law makes this and it is sooo good...a favorite for sure!!

Warm and Yummy..White Chicken Chili from the Rachael Ray show!!

I have to say I really like chili.... I seen this recipe several years ago on the Rachael Ray show and tried it and loved it and so did my family.  My daughter Lily even ate it and she is picky.  I made this last night and it hot the spot, you should try it, it will warm you up and it is amazingly EASY!!

Mandi Forester’s White Chicken Chili

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/mandi-foresters-white-chicken-chili/print/#

Ingredients

• 1 32-ounce box chicken stock
• 3 cans white beans, left undrained
• 5 cups cooked chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
• 1 16-ounce jar salsa
• 1 8-ounce block pepper jack cheese, grated
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Black or white pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup finely crushed corn chips (optional, if you like your chili thicker)
• Sour cream, for garnish

Yields: 6 servings

Preparation

Place all ingredients except the corn chips in a crockpot. Cook on high until the cheese is melted.

Chili may also be cooked on the stovetop over medium-high heat until cheese is melted.

When the chili is ready, add the crushed corn chips, if using, and simmer for 10 minutes to thicken. Garnish with more chips, cheese and/or sour cream and serve.

Wonderful Five Layer Bars!!

I just love these bars, I had some over the weekend and they make me happy!! I like how you can do these up in a jar for a gift too.  It makes a great gift for a teacher or the mail delivery person... and your kids can help.  But most important they are good for you to eat all by yourself!!! Hope you enjoy!

Five Layer Bars

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_278341_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

Ingredients

Five Layer Bar Mix:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup butterscotch morsels
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 jar Five Layer Bar Mix
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

In a decorative jar, layer pecans, butterscotch morsels, coconut, and chocolate morsels. Spoon graham cracker crumbs into a small plastic or cellophane bag and place on top of the layers.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove graham cracker crumbs from jar. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining ingredients of mix over crumb mixture. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the layers. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into bars.