Hawaiian Haystacks

One of my favorite meals growing up was this...Creamy sauce with crunchy noodles and a touch of sweet from the pineapple and other toppings. There was nothing better. I was eating leftovers at work the other day and was shocked to find out that NO ONE had every tried them! I guess because they were a staple in my home I was in shock. I can't wait for my co-workers to give this recipe a shot and see how delish this meal is!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Printable Version

4 Tbs. Butter

2/3 cup flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 tsp. salt

1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken5 cups cooked rice

Toppings:

La Choy noodles (in the Asian foods section)

shredded cheese

green onions

tomatoes

pineapple

peanuts

Melt butter in a large saucepan, add flour, milk, chicken stock, salt, soup and chicken. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve sauce over cooked rice and top with desired toppings. Cheese and La Choy noodles are a must have, the others just make it better from there! Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Reeses Peanut Butter Bars

My cousin is in big trouble for sending this recipe my way. These taste EXACTLY like Reese's Peanut Butter cups, but with TWICE the amount of Peanut Butter...just how I prefer them. I am always so excited at easter and Christmas because they sell the Reese's eggs and christmas trees, which both have double the peanut butter. Now, finally, I have the homemade version and I don't have to wait for those holidays to get what I really want!

Reese's Peanut Butter Bars

Printable Version

2 cubes margarine

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt margarine. Remove from microwave and add peanut butter and powdered sugar. With an electric mixer, mix until combined. Grease a 9x13 pan and spread peanut butter mixture into bottom of pan evenly.

Melt chocolate chips in a microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Pour over peanut butter mixture and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to serving.

Recipe Adapted from Ashley

Cody's Choco-Peanut Butter Delight Frosting

My hubb is pretty great...for my birthday he not only got me an beautiful and amazing crib and dresser for our baby (I am due June 23, and we can't wait!), but he also made me this cake. It is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY. He knew he couldn't go wrong with Peanut Butter and Chocolate, and boy was he right! I couldn't stop eating it, I am so glad he just made a few little portion-sized dishes, because I would have eaten the ENTIRE PAN! (He must have known that and thought to himself, "Do I really want my 4 month only baby to consume an entire cake just because his mom does?" ha! Anyway, this is KILLER, KILLER, and I expect to eat it every birthday for the rest of my life! YESSS!!! (This is just the frosting recipe, he used a box cake and topped it with Resees Peanut Butter Cups and chocolate shavings. For the entire recipe, click here.)

Cody's Choco Peanut Butter Delight Frosting

Printable Version

10 oz cream cheese, softened

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter (or add 1/3 cup more if you really love PB)

In a bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Continue to beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.

Add peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Frosts one 9x13 inch cake.

Baklava

O Baklava, how did I live 21 Christmases without you? I first had Baklava the year that I married Cody at his family Christmas party. His Aunt Jan made it, and I couldn't stay away. It is a Greek dessert that is made with sheets of pastry, way too much butter, your choice of nuts, and is sweetened with sugar and honey. It does take some time, but it O so worth the effort!

Baklava

Printable Version

For the filling:

1 (5-inch piece) cinnamon stick, broken into 2 to 3 pieces or 2 teaspoons ground

15 to 20 whole allspice berries

6 ounces blanched almonds

6 ounces raw or roasted walnuts

6 ounces raw or roasted pistachio

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon rose water

1 pound phyllo dough, thawed

8 ounces clarified unsalted butter, melted

For the syrup:

1 1/4 cups honey

1 1/4 cups water

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 (2-inch) piece fresh orange peel

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the cinnamon stick and whole allspice into a spice grinder and grind.

Place the almonds, walnuts, pistachios, sugar and freshly ground spices into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, but not pasty or powdery, approximately 15 quick pulses. Set aside.

Combine the water and rose water in a small spritz bottle and set aside.

Trim the sheets of phyllo to fit the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan. Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets of phyllo. Top with 1/3 of the nut mixture and spread thinly. Spritz thoroughly with the rose water. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between each of them, followed by another third of the nuts and spritz with rose water. Repeat with another 6 sheets of phyllo, butter, remaining nuts, and rose water. Top with 8 sheets of phyllo brushing with butter in between each sheet. Brush the top generously with butter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and cut into 28 squares. Return pan to the oven and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for 2 hours before adding the syrup.

Make the syrup during the last 30 minutes of cooling. Combine the honey, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a 4-quart saucepan and set over high heat. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Once boiling, boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and discard the orange peel and cinnamon stick.

After the baklava has cooled for 2 hours, re-cut the entire pan following the same lines as before. Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the baklava, allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan. Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool. Cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving. Store, covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Recipe from Alton Brown

Garlic and Cheese Biscuits

Okay, I am not a big Red Lobster fan, but I would go there just for their Garlic Cheese Biscuits. This recipe tastes just like them...and you don't have to go to Red Lobster to get them! They are super easy, super delicious, and...well, try them!

Garlic and Cheese Biscuits

Printable Version

2 1/2 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup cold whole milk
4 Tbs. cold butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 heaping cup cheddar cheese, grated

For top:
2 Tbs. melted butter
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix bisquick and cold butter with a pastry blender or fork. Do not mix too thoroughly, there should be small chunks of butter, about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk and garlic. Mix, but do not overmix.
Drop 1/4 cup portions of the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops of biscuits are a light golden brown.
While biscuits are baking, combine melted butter, parsley, garlic powder and salt. Brush biscuits immediately after removing from the oven. Serve.

Makes 12-15 biscuits.
Recipe From: Melissa

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Meatballs

This was supposed to be an appetizer, but I whipped it into a meal by simply adding rice! These would be great served with just a toothpick in them as well. I made simple homemade meatballs, but frozen meatballs would be an even easier meal.

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Meatballs

Printable Version

2 pounds fully cooked meatballs

1 cup raspberry preserves

3 Tbs. sugar

3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 Tbs. ginger

Coat crock-pot with nonstick cooking spray. Add meatballs (thawed if pre-frozen). In a small bowl, combine preserves, sugar, vinegar, worcestershire, and pepper flakes. Microwave on HIGH 45 seconds. Stir; microwave 3o seconds or until melted. (Mixture will be chunky). Pour mixture over meatballs and toss gently to coat well. Cover, cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Stir in ginger, if desired. Cook uncovered 15 minutes to thicken slightly, stirring occasionally. Serve with rice for a main dish or toothpicks for an appetizer.

Serves 4 as a meal, 15 as an appetizer.

Recipe From: The Crock Pot Recipe Card Collection

Honey Sauced Chicken

Hi Pinterest visitors! This recipe is delicious, but I have a few others that we LOVE EVEN MORE! 

Click HERE 

to be pointed to my main page with the most recent recipes, or 

Click HERE 

to get to all of our favorite Chicken recipes! Thanks for stopping in!

Oooo this meal was good...probably because it was a piece of cake, and because it was delicious! My hubb took one bite and complimented me, which is a hard thing to get sometimes...well, that immediately anyway! I really loved just throwing this in the crockpot and coming back 3 hours later to a finished meal. However, if you want to make it a 30 minute meal, I think cooking it in the oven would be equally as tasty. (P.S. The recipe actually used chicken WINGS, I substituted chicken breasts).

Honey Sauced Chicken

Printable Version

3/4 pound chicken (of your choice)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup chopped onion (or 1/16 cup onion flakes)

1/8 cup ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot. In a small bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 hours or on high 1 1/2 hours. Chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.

To bake chicken as a 30 minute meal:

Dice chicken and season both sides with salt and pepper, place in 8x8 pan. Pour sauce over chicken and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Serves 2.

Recipe from: Crock Pot Recipe Card Collection