Enchilada Pinwheels

    These little pinwheels are so good! They're perfect appetizers or could even be a great make-ahead lunch! Oh, and they are so ridiculously easy to make! I use canned chicken breast chunks just to make it that much easier but, you could also use fresh cooked shredded chicken. I whipped this up for my birthday weekend, Frankie really liked them and you will too!

Enchilada Pinwheels

Ingredients:

- 2 (12.5 ounce) cans of chunked chicken breast

- 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

- 1 (10 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained

- 1 package of taco seasoning (about 2 tablespoons)

- 1 cup of shredded Mexican four cheese

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1/4 cup of chopped green onion

- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

- 8 large tortillas

    In a large bowl, mix together everything (except the tortillas lol). Spread the mixture evenly onto each tortilla and roll them up. Place them in the fridge until chilled. Slice into pinwheels and serve!

Asparagus and Green Bean Dijon Potato Salad

    Happy St. Patrick's Day! In the spirit of the holiday, I thought it would be appropriate to blog something green! I am so in love with my whole grain Dijon mustard from Trader Joes. This recipe was perfect for it! Although it gives this recipe a little something extra, it's not a necessity. I have made this salad recipe with regular Dijon mustard and it still tasted good! These pictures are from my birthday two weeks ago, we had a ton of leftovers!

Asparagus and Green Bean Dijon Potato Salad

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

- 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

- 1/2 pound of fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half

- 1/4 cup of olive oil

- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

- 1/2 tablespoon of whole grain Dijon mustard

- 1 teaspoon of minced or crushed garlic

- salt and pepper

- 1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)

- 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

    Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Lightly salt the water and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes start to get tender take off the heat, drain, and set aside to cool. Watch these potatoes closely because you don't want to over cook them or they will become mushy. In another pot, cover the asparagus and green beans with water. Lightly salt the water and bring to a boil. Once, tender, remove from heat, drain, and place in a bowl with ice and water to cool. In a small bowl, make the dressing for the salad. Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic, a sprinkle of salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Toss the cooked potatoes, asparagus, green beans, onion, and walnuts in the dressing and chill before serving.

Bridget's Creamy Coleslaw

    Isn't it the most beautiful coleslaw you've ever seen? I've had this recipe written out on a page from my server book and stuck on our fridge since September. I made it for our hurricane party and for my birthday cookout last weekend! It's so funny because I hated anything with mayo in it growing up. Needless to say, I am now a big fan and I love my coleslaw recipe! I like my coleslaw dressing to be thick and creamy. If you'd like yours to be a little bit more liquid, milk may be whisked in before you toss it. I would stick to whole grain mustard too, it really gives it something extra. This will be perfect for your cookouts all summer long!

Bridget's Creamy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup of whole grain Dijon mustard

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 3/4 cup of mayonnaise

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

- 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar

- 2 tablespoons of milk (optional)

- 1/2 of a large head of cabbage, thinly sliced into bite sized pieces

- 2 large carrots julienned into small pieces  

    First, mix together the dressing. Wisk together the mustard, sour cream, mayo, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and milk (if using). Once combined, toss the cabbage and carrots in the dressing. Let chill and serve cold.

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

    I don't know about you, but I grew up eating shepherd's pie! My mom has been making it since the dawning of time and it fully encompasses everything that I associate with comfort food. I decided to mix it up a bit this week and try something a little different than my childhood favorite. I really liked the way this recipe came out! You can really play with it though! If you like your casserole to be a little bit more moist, you could swap the whole kernel corn for creamed corn. You could even swap the corn entirely for peas! I used mashed sweet potatoes in place of regular mashed potatoes and I replaced ground beef with ground turkey! This recipe is simple and easy, you'll love it!

Sweet Potato Turkey Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

- 2 tablespoons(or more) of butter

- 1/4 cup of milk

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 pound of lean ground turkey

- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 (14 ounce) can of corn, drained

    In a large pot, cover the cubed sweet potatoes with water, salt the water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. Mash the sweet potatoes with the butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, over medium high heat with the olive oil, brown the ground turkey with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spray an 8" casserole dish lightly with cooking spray. Layer the cooked turkey with the corn and top with the mashed potatoes. Bake it the oven for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

Sneaky Peanut Butter Blondies

    I seriously cannot believe that these blondie bars are made of garbanzo beans! I just had one with my coffee for breakfast! I left sugar out of this recipe. Instead, these bars are sweetened with coconut palm sugar and honey. There are no eggs, butter, or flour in this recipe either! If you're looking to make this recipe dairy free, you can replace the milk with almond milk! This is the recipe to make if you're looking to trick your kids into eating something healthier!

Sneaky Peanut Butter Blondies

Ingredients:

- 1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans

- 1/4 cup of honey

- 1 tablespoon of milk

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

- 1/4 cup of coconut palm sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 -1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add the garbanzo beans, honey, and milk to your food processor and puree until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined and pour the batter into a greased 8" baking pan. Add additional chocolate chips to the top if desired. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

    Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! I'm on the lookout for cute and yummy Valentine's treats. Send me ideas! These chocolate cookies are so rich and chocolatey! This is not my first rodeo when utilizing boxed cake mix to make cookies. It's so darn convenient! Just like my recipe for Easy Fluffy Cake Cookies, you could change up the type of cake mix that you are using in this recipe. I thought that these would be perfect as devils's food and rolled in pink sugar for Valentine's!

Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

- 1 box of devil's food cake mix

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 2 eggs

- 1/3 cup of vegetable oil

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- coarse sugar or sprinkles for rolling

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the cake mix, baking powder, and salt. Next, add the eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Mix well until combined. Scoop tablespoon sized cookies, roll them in sugar, and line them on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool and enjoy!

Bridget's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

    As a former Olive Garden employee, I have definitely eaten my fair share of chicken and gnocchi soup! This recipe is superb and is probably the closest that I have come to the original OG version. Trust me, I've been trying for years! While it may not be the most healthy choice of soup, it is worth the extra calories for sure. The key is to make sure to cook the roux before you whisk in your liquids, that's what makes the soup so nice and thick.

Bridget's Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of salted butter

- 1/2 cup of chopped onion

- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic

- 1/4 cup of flour

- 2 cups of half and half

- 2 cups of chicken broth

- 1 cup of milk

- 2 large bay leaves

- salt and black pepper to taste

- 1 cup of diced cooked chicken breast

- 1 cup (2 large carrots) of shredded and chopped carrot

- 1 pound of potato gnocchi

- 1 and 1/2 cup of chopped fresh spinach

    In a large soup pot, heat the butter over medium high heat until it starts to bubble. Sweat the onion for a minute or two and then add the garlic and let it cook for another minute. Next, whisk in the flour. It will resemble dough, keep whisking it around and let it cook for a minute. Be careful to constantly whisk, do not leave this alone, it will burn. Once the bottom of the pot starts to brown, start to gently add the chicken broth, half&half, and milk. Whisk until the liquid starts to thicken and there are no lumps. Then, add the bay leaves and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Also, throw in the chicken and carrot. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally, I used a spatula to stir and made sure to scrape the bottom so it doesn't burn. Keep this up for about 15 minutes. Once the carrots are softened a little, add the gnocchi and let them cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Lastly, mix in the chopped spinach and let it wilt slightly before serving. If at any point your soup looks to thick, you can add more chicken broth to thin it out. Top with grated parmesan and enjoy!