Frito Lay Tailgating Kit Giveaway!

The contest has ended! Congratulations Bombtastic Belle!

I love football season! You normally wouldn’t find me in front of the television – it’s not my thing. However, during football season that’s exactly where you will find me! We even have put a television on the patio so I can enjoy the weather while I’m watching (or at least until it gets cold then we will move it into the garage). What’s football without a good tailgating party?!?! Whether we are at home, a friends or at a game, we love us a good tailgating party – food, drinks and a little corn hole!

As we gear up for Sunday’s game (Go Steelers!), I had a thought – what can I make that’s tasty but healthier than the traditional wings and loaded nachos? We know few people go to tailgate parties for the veggie – it’s definitely a time to indulge and enjoy. But it doesn’t have to be a total eating catastrophe. At Frito-Lay, they have portion control sizes make it easy to enjoy all your favorite treats – in moderation. The quickest way to transform a tailgating recipe is to use fat free sour cream and/or fat free cream cheese, lean turkey instead of ground beef, and fat free refried beans instead of regular ones. That’s exactly what I did to make our new favs.

Here’s my recipe:
1 – 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans fat free/sodium free chicken broth
2 pkgs fat free cream cheese
1 bottle Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 bag Baked Tostitos Scoops

Add chicken and chicken broth to crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot and discard chicken broth. Shred chicken breasts and place back into the crockpot. Add cream cheese and buffalo sauce - mix. You will only want to add the amount of buffalo sauce that you can handle. We like ours hot and spicy so we add almost the whole jar (actually, I think last time we did use the whole jar). Make sure crockpot is on low. Enjoy with Baked Tostitos Scoops!

Another favorite:
1 can fat free refried beans
1 jar small jar salsa
1 pkg shredded cheese (usually a cheese blend or 2% mild cheddar)
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 bag Baked Doritos

Brown ground turkey. Drain grease and add other ingredients. Cook until heated and cheese is melted. Enjoy with Baked Doritos.

Overall, fewer penalties, better tailgating...

I want to hear the better-for-you recipes you plan to have at your next tailgate party or game-watching event. There is one requirement: all recipes MUST include Frito-Lay products. What’s in it for you? You could win you’re very own: Frito Lay Tailgating Kit (worth $50!). It’s equipped with Frito Lay products, a foot”bowl” to serve your better-for-you recipe in, and a gift card for purchasing your ingredients.


To Enter:
1) Leave a comment with your better-for-you recipe that contains or uses Frito Lay products.
2) Blog about this contest (come back and leave a link to your post) – you MUST have entered via #1 method to be eligible for the second entry

Contest ends Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 4:15pm – the start of my game: Steelers @ Bengals. Winner will be chosen by random.org.

Recipe: Low Point Bean and Onion Burritos

Here's a recipe for making your own low point burritos. They are only 3 points each. They are quick and easy to make as well. If you don't like onions, you can omit them but you really don't notice them.

Makes 8 servings

• 1 pkg Tam-X-ico's Lo-Carb Wheat Tortillas
• 2 cans Fat Free Refried Beans
  
• 1 can Black Beans
• 1/2 small onion, diced
  

1. Cook refried beans, black beans, and diced onions (until heated through).
2. Add one scoop (less than a half cup - a couple tablespoons) of mixture to each tortilla.
3. Fold tortillas like a burrito and place on baking sheet.
4. Place in freezer until frozen.
5. Once frozen, place each one in individual freezer bags and/or wrap in foil.
6. To reheat, place in microwave for 3 minutes.
   
7. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chicken Fried Rice

Here's the recipe for Chicken Fried Rice that's not quite as fattening as your favorite Chinese restaurant. If I calculated correctly, it's approximately 6-7 points.

Makes 2 servings

• 1 pkg Birds Eye Steamfresh Chicken Flavored Rice
  
• 1/4 cup Egg Beaters
  
• 2-4 tbsp soy sauce
  

1. Cook rice according to package (approx. 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 minutes)
2. Place soy sauce in frying pan over medium heat. Add egg.
   
3. Cook until eggs are done. Break into pieces as you cook it.
   
4. Remove rice from microwave and pour into serving bowl. Add egg and mix.
   
5. Serve.

Recipe: Sesame Chicken

Here's the recipe for Sesame Chicken that's not quite as fattening as your favorite Chinese restaurant. If I calculated correctly, it's approximately 5-6 points.

Makes 4 servings.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
  
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Coat 2-qt baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place EVOO and sesame seeds in bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes (until slightly brown).
   
4. Place soy sauce in separate bowl. Add chicken, coating it in soy sauce. Discard remaining soy sauce.
   
5. In resealable plastic bag, add sesame seeds, salt & pepper. Shake to mix.
   
6. Add chicken to plastic bag and shake to coat.
7. Place chicken in prepared 2-qt baking dish.
8. Bake 20-25 minutes
   
9. Remove from oven, serve.

Recipe: Pulled BBQ Pork

Here's our recipe for breaded pork chops. The pork chops can be either fried in oil or baked in the oven. They are great with mashed potatoes and country gravy...YUMMY!

• 3lb boneless pork roast
  
• 1 chopped small onion
  
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
  
• 1 cup water
• BBQ sauce
• salt & pepper
  

1. Rinse pork roast and season with salt & pepper.
2. In slow cooker, combine pork roast, onion, garlic, water and 1/4 bottle of the BBQ sauce.
3. Cook on low for 7-10 hours.
   
4. Remove pork roast and drain liquid.
5. Shred pork and return it to the slow cooker.
   
6. Add remaining BBQ sauce.
   
7. Simmer until ready to serve.

I've cooked this in beef broth and water (enough to cover the pork roast) instead of using BBQ sauce.

Recipe: Breaded Pork Chops

Here's our recipe for breaded pork chops. The pork chops can be either fried in oil or baked in the oven. They are great with mashed potatoes and country gravy...YUMMY!

• salt & pepper for seasoning (couple shakes on each pork chop)
  
• 4-6 pork chops (boneless or bone-in) about 1/2 inch thick
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
  
• 1 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I like to use more)
  
• 1 tbsp water
  
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Vegetable oil (for cooking)
  

1. Heat vegetable oil in deep skillet.
2. Rinse pork chops and season with salt & pepper.
3. In mixing bowl or baking dish, beat together eggs, water, pepper and cayenne pepper.
4. In separate bowl, mix together flour and cornstarch.
   
5. Dip pork chops in egg wash than flour mixture. Set aside.
6. Fry pork chops until golden brown (about 8-12 minutes per side).
7. Remove from skillet and place on paper towel to drain.

Recipe: Buckeyes

These chocolate covered peanut butter balls resemble the nut from the state tree of Ohio. These are good year round but it seems like we only make them at Christmas time. Must be because we make dozens of them!

Balls:

• 2 cups of creamy PB (recommend Jiffy)
  
• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 3 ¾ cup (16 oz.) powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Coating:

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp shortening

1. Line baking sheets with wax paper.
   
2. Beat PB and butter in large mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in powdered sugar until mixture holds together and is moistened. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets. Freeze for 1 hour.
   
3. Melt chocolate chips and shortening in microwave safe bowl.
   
4. Dip PB balls into chocolate using toothpicks. Refrigerate until set and store in covered container in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Baked Ziti

This is recipe that you could make "your own". If you don't like ground beef or sausage, use pepperoni, ground chicken or ground turkey. You could also add some garlic to make a little more Italian...I don't like garlic so it's not in my recipe.

• ½ lb lean ground beef
• ½ lb lean ground sausage
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 (32 oz) jar pasta sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
• 1 (16 oz) package ziti pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, cook ground beef, oregano and onions over medium-high heat until beef is browned.
3. Reduce heat. Add 1 cup of sauce and cooked ziti.
4. Spoon ½ of the ziti mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Top with 2 cups sauce, then remaining ziti mixture and remaining sauce.
5. Cover and bake 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
7. Put back in oven to bake uncovered for 10 minutes. You could also put it under the broiler, if you like it a little brown (my fiancé prefers it under the broiler).

Recipe: Sweet Potato Casserole

I like to keep cooking as simple as possible, especially when I'm cooking a bunch of food. Here's my sweet potato casserole recipe that I will be serving today and tomorrow.

• 2 lg cans cut sweet potatoes, drained
  
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  
• 4 tbsp butter
  
• 4 tbsp pure maple syrup
  
• Chopped pecans
  
• Miniature marshmallows
• Additional maple syrup (optional)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Place drained sweet potatoes in bowl.
3. Cover and heat in microwave for 5-8 minutes.
   
4. Remove from microwave and drain any liquid. Transfer to a 2-qt or 8x8 dish.
   
5. Add syrup and butter (salt is optional). Mix well.
6. Sprinkle with pecans (additional syrup is optional) then top with marshmallows.
7. Bake until marshmallows are melted (usually less than 10 minutes).

Recipe: Pizza Dip

This dip could actually be used as an appetizer or light dinner.

• 6 oz light cream cheese
• ½ cup light sour cream
• 1 tsp oregano
• ½ cup pizza sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup diced red peppers
• ¼ cup diced green peppers
• ¼ cup diced green onions
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine cream cheese, sour cream and oregano until smooth.
2. Spread cream cheese mixture into a pie plate.
3. Top with pizza sauce, Mozzarella cheese, peppers, and onions. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
5. Serve with whole wheat crackers.

Recipe: Enchilada Soup

• 1 1/4 lbs ground chicken
  
• 1 cup chopped red onion
  
• 4 cups fat free chicken broth
  
• 1 cup reduced fat cheese dip
  
• 3/4 cup tomato puree
  
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoon enchilada sauce
  
• Jalapeno slices for garnish (optional)
  

1. Coat frying pan with cooking spray - heat over medium high heat.
2. Add chicken and onion. Cook until chicken is browned, break up any clumps.
   
3. In a large pot, add chicken and onion mixture, broth, cheese dip, tomato puree, chiles, enchilada sauce, and garlic. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Spoon into bowls, garnish with jalapeno slices, and enjoy!
   

Recipe: Breakfast Casserole

This is my version of a breakfast casserole. I couldn't access the recipe I was going to make so I made my own. The whole family loved it.

• 1 (12 oz) pkg fresh breakfast sausage, cooked, drained and crumbled
• 1 pkg Shredded Hash browns
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 (12 oz) cans NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 10 large eggs, lightly beaten
• ½ small onion, diced
• ¼ tsp of pepper or to taste

1. Cook, crumble and drain sausage and onions.
2. Cook shredded hash browns until nearly done.
3. Grease 13 x 9 baking dish.
4. Place hash browns in bottom of baking dish.
5. Combine evaporated milk, eggs, cheese, and pepper in medium bowl. Pour evenly over hash browns.
6. Sprinkle with sausage.
7. Cover; refrigerate overnight.
8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Menu Plan Monday - 9/28/2008

What a busy week we had! I ended up doing a lot of cooking on Monday and Tuesday last week. I make four batches of Stuffed Shells for us, the freezer and two other family members; the Southwestern Casserole was another meal we had this week plus placed one in the freezer. I also made the Freezer French Toast and my own version of Breakfast Casserole. Wednesday night was our Pot Roast night. I made it in the slow cooker since I thought our game was a half an hour away. We made open face sandwiches out of it, thanks to the Bob Evans commercials. It was very similar to their Farmhouse Philly. It was really good!

We have soccer for the next three nights and that will end our regular season. Tournament play doesn’t start for a week and a half after that so I’ll be trying out 2 new Pampered Chef recipes and looking for new ones for next week.

Here’s my plan for this week…

Sunday: Grilled Chicken Club Ring (Pampered Chef recipe re-do or minus a few ingredients) – recipe below

Sunday dessert (our dessert night): Applesauce Spice Cake

Monday: Pepperoni Pizzadillas(Pampered Chef recipe)

Tuesday: Chicken Tenders, Country Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Wednesday: Skyline Chili Spaghetti (at home version)

Thursday: Shredded Chicken tacos/burritos buffet

Friday: Little Caesars $5 Pizza (possibly dinner for mom's birthday)

Saturday: Trying for Date Night again!!

Sunday: Meatloaf (not sure of side items yet)

Visit Organized Junkie for other menu plans.

Grilled Chicken Club Ring

2 packages Crescent Roll Dough - (8 oz. each)
3 cup Chicken Breast – cubed & cooked
6 slices Bacon, cooked crispy - crumbled
1 cup Shredded Swiss Cheese
1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 medium Roma Tomatoes

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a large bowl, mix chicken, bacon, 3/4 cup of the cheese, mayonnaise, dijon and mix well. Set aside.

Open and unroll crescent roll dough, and separate into triangles. Arrange triangles in a circle on a round baking stone (or a greased pizza pan if you do not have a baking stone) with the wide ends of triangles overlapping in the center and points hanging over outside edge, leaving at least a 5-6 inch clear circle in the center of the stone (pan).

Spoon chicken mixture evenly onto dough, onto the wide ends of the triangles. Place tomato slices around the top of the chicken mixture.

Wrap pointed ends of dough around chicken mixture, and tuck under the wide ends of the dough, forming a closed ring with slits around the outside edge, where filling shows through in places.

Lightly brush the top of the crescents with olive oil. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipes: Applesauce Spice Cake

This recipe is very easy. It's just like making the cake as the box instructs but replace the water with applesauce and add a little ground cinnamon. Even my kids loved it!

• 1 pkg Duncan Hines® Moist Deluxe® Spice Cake Mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups applesauce
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 container Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9-inch pan.

2.Combine cake mix, eggs, applesauce and oil in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer for 2 minutes or until mixed well. Pour into bake pan.

3. Bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

4. Cool completely then frost cake.

5. Enjoy!

Things I Love Thursday - Candy Corn

Let me start by saying I love fall, as if you couldn't tell from my Mum pictures. It's my favorite season. I love the cooler temperatures, football, the leaves as they change color, and most of all candy corn. I know you can buy it year round in those little $.99 cent bags but it's not the same. I have a few things that I like to do with candy corn in the fall. I'm sharing them with you today.

PayDay Candy Bar like mix
12 oz bag candy corn
24 oz can dry roasted peanuts

Pour candy corn and peanuts into a bowl and mix.

Butterfinger Candy
12 oz bag candy corn
1 1/3 cup peanut butter
16oz pkg. chocolate candy coating

1. Melt candy corn in microwave on high 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking in 15-second intervals until melted, stirring after each interval.

2. Stir in peanut butter.

3. Spread mixture in a greased 8x8 pan lined with foil. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

4. Dip in melted chocolate candy coating. Lay on waxed paper to set.

5. Chill before serving.

PAYDAY BARS
24 oz dry roasted peanuts
12 oz peanut butter chips
10 oz marshmallows
4 tbsp margarine
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Melt together chips, marshmallows, margarine and milk.

2. Butter the bottom of a 9x13" pan.

3. Put half of the peanuts in the bottom of the pan.

4. Pour melted mixture over the peanuts.

5. Sprinkle remaining peanuts onto the mixture.

6. Press peanuts into the mixture. Refrigerate then cut.

And that's why I love candy corn! Don't forget to check out Things I Love Thursday over at The Diaper Diaries to see things other people love.

Recipe: Candy Bar Brownie Cups

These are yummy! Surprise your kids with their favorite candy bar in the middle of a brownie.

1 box chewy fudge brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
1 bag miniature candy bars (recommended: Snickers or Milky Way)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.

Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies. Fill the cups ¼ full with brownie batter. Place 1 miniature candy bar in the center of the batter in each muffin cup. Cover candy bar with brownie batter. Muffin cup should be approximately half way full.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set. Remove them from the muffin pan and let cool before serving.

Recipe: Stuffed Shells

This is a family favorite. It has meat and sauce variations.

• 1 package jumbo pasta shells
• 1 lb Italian sausage, ground beef or ground chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 oz) jar alfredo sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse in cold water.
3. Cook sausage until brown. Crumble. Drain.
4. In a large bowl, sausage, mix eggs, ricotta, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until well combined. Stuff cooked shells with cheese mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. Pour alfredo sauce over stuffed shells. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

Note: You can use ground beef or ground chicken in place of the sausage. Another substitution would be pasta sauce versus alfredo sauce.

Recipe: M&M Pretzel Treats

When we went on vacation back in June, we had a day assigned to each family to make breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. One of the ladies made these and they were AWESOME! So, I thought I would share them with you. We made them while my fiance's out of town.

Pretzels

Hershey’s Kisses

M&M candy

1. Heat the oven to 170 degrees. Place pretzels in a single layer on a cookie, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss.

2. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the chocolates feel soft. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

3. Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes then place them in the refrigerator to set for a few minutes. You and your kids will enjoy them!

Chile Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups diced cooked chicken 6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup sliced roasted red bell peppers (from 7.25-oz. jar) 1 (4.5-oz.) can Old El Paso® Chopped Green Chiles 1 cup sour cream 1 (10-oz.) can Old El Paso® Enchilada Sauce 1 (11.5-oz.) pkg. Old El Paso® Flour Tortillas for Burritos (8 tortillas) 6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In medium bowl, combine chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, roasted peppers, chilies and sour cream; mix well. 2. Spread about 2 teaspoons enchilada sauce on each tortilla. Top each with 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas; arrange, seam side down, in sprayed baking dish. Top enchiladas with any remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down. 3. Bake at 350°F. for 45 to 60 minutes or until thoroughly heated. If desired, remove foil during last 5 minutes of baking time. If desired, serve with lettuce, tomato, avocado and additional sour cream.

Works For Me Wednesday - Chicken Salad

Lately, chicken salad has been working for me. It's cheap and it's VERY easy to make (right up my alley).
1 can of chicken
Hidden Valley Light Ranch Dressing
salt and pepper (optional)

Open and drain the can of chicken. Put in bowl add two big squirts of Ranch dressing. Stir until well mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can enjoy on crackers, bread or alone.

This is what works for me...simple and quick lunch/snack!! Go over to Rocks In My Dryer to find out what works for others!