Luau Punch

Luau Punch
1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 liters lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
In an empty gallon milk jug or pitcher, pour pineapple juice and orange juice concentrate.  Shake to mix and pour in the lemon-lime soda. You may need to let the fizz settle and then return to pouring. This will fill up the gallon. Freeze overnight.  Let the punch start to thaw 2 hours before serving. Serve slushy.

Buffalo Chicken Pillows

Buffalo Chicken Pillows
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese, softened
2 cup chopped cooked chicken
3 Tbsp buffalo sauce (Frank's)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup crushed Cheez-Its
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cream cheese and buffalo sauce; stir in chicken and cheddar cheese. Set aside.  Unroll crescent dough, separating into 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/4 of chicken mixture into center of each rectangle; bring corners of each rectangle together over chicken mixture, and twist gently to seal.  Brush packets with 1 tablespoon of melted butter; dredge in crushed Cheez-Its and place on an ungreased baking sheet.   Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Texas Lasagna

Texas Lasagna
1½ pounds ground beef
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 package taco seasoning
1 (14½ oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilis
2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese
2 eggs lightly beaten
12 corn tortillas (6 inch) torn
4 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
crushed tortillas (optional)
salsa (optional)
cubed avocados (optional)
In a large skillet cook ground beef until no longer pink. Add seasoned salt, taco seasoning mix, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chilis. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 15-20 minutes.  In a small bowl combine the cottage cheese and eggs. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.  Layer half of the meat sauce in the bottom of the 9×13 pan. Next, layer half of the torillas, then cottage cheese, and half of the cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with optional toppings.  Serve immediately or before baking, cover and freeze up to 3 months.

Firecracker Chicken

Firecracker Chicken
¼ cup canola oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
Sauce:
⅓ cup buffalo sauce (if you like more heat use hot sauce, like Frank’s brand)
1¼ cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.  In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. I have also found that you can put the cornstarch in a gallon sized bag and shake the chicken to coat.  Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, buffalo sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.  I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.

Caprese Chicken

Caprese Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 thick slices buffalo mozzarella cheese
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar to taste
In a large saute pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and turn to medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add chicken to pan and cook about 10 minutes on each side until no longer pink and cooked through.  Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a medium saute pan. Cook garlic until tender. Add halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes until they start to wrinkle and skin softens. Add chopped basil.  Top cooked chicken with mozzarella cheese and tomato mixture. Allow cheese to melt and splash with balsamic vinegar.

Banana Pudding Cake

Banana Pudding Cake
cooking spray
1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 cup water
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 cups milk
2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant banana pudding mix
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip®), thawed
20 vanilla wafers, crushed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Mix cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a bowl until just moistened; pour cake batter into prepared baking dish.  Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 34 to 38 minutes. Cool in the baking dish for 2 to 3 minutes. Poke several holes into the cake using the handle of a wooden spoon. Be sure to poke all the way through to the bottom of the cake.  Stir milk and pudding mix together in another bowl until smooth. Let pudding rest until it begins to thicken slightly, but is not fully set, about 2 minutes. Pour pudding over cake and spread evenly, making sure to fill each hole completely. Chill cake in the refrigerator until cake is cooled and pudding is set, about 2 hours.  Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle with crushed vanilla wafers just before serving.

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin

Balsamic Roasted Pork Loin
2 tablespoons steak seasoning rub
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
Dissolve steak seasoning in balsamic vinegar, then stir in olive oil. Place pork into a resealable plastic bag and pour marinade overtop. Squeeze out air and seal bag; marinate 2 hours to overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Place pork into a glass baking dish along with marinade. Bake in preheated oven, basting occasionally until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 1 hour. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.