Cooking Classy

How can such an incredibly simple recipe be so fantastically good? I  absolutely love this fruit dip! I got the recipe from my sister whom got it from her mother in law whom got if from I don't know where. Basically what I'm saying is this recipe is not my creation, so if you know who came up with it please let me know because I would love to credit them. They seriously came up with something genius. This recipe literally can be made, ready for dipping in 60 seconds. It doesn't get much easier than that. It's creamy, fluffy, sweet and oh so delicious. It will have you doing the finger swipe to any remaining streaks straggling behind in the bowl. If there's any left the next day (which is very very rare) I always want to eat it for breakfast, well it is served with fruit after all so that's healthy right =)? Enjoy! Oh and if anyone tries this with honey or blueberry cream cheese please let me know if you like it, I've always wanted to try a different flavor b

Are you looking for a wowing and simple grilling recipe for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations? Well, I'm quite certain you've found just what you are looking for. This grilled chicken smothered in a homemade Balsamic Barbecue Sauce simply said, is incredible! It is definitely up there with my favorite grilled chicken recipes. You get a tender chicken breast grilled to perfection that's basted with a flavorful, tangy, not overly sweet sauce that will have you coming back for more. I'd say this recipe is one you most definitely are going to want to try.  Don't be scared by the long list of ingredi ents in the sauce, most of them are pantry staples that you likely already have on hand.  I hope you enjoy and have a great 4th of July!  Grilled Chicken with Bals amic BBQ Sauce Yields about 6 servings Ingredients: 6 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (thighs would work great too) Salt and pepper, to taste Olive Oil for brushing grill 1 Recipe Balsamic Bar

It's good to be home and back in the kitchen! Vacation to Cali was fun but oh how I missed my kitchen and the cooking and the baking =). Call my crazy but the kitchen is one of my favorite places to be. The possibilities of what you can create are endless. It was fun to try new restaurants while vacationing but there's nothing quite like a delicious home cooked meal prepared exactly as you wish.  Anyway onto what's important here - these, melt in your mouth, sweetly spiced, Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookie dough bites. Quite the name eh? I mentioned a while back how I've become obsessed with cookie dough, well it was no lie. That love led me to create these. I've seen Rolo Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookies in the past but why not just make them as cookie dough bites without baking? With these you get less mess, less waiting yet still one indulgent, chewy (thanks to that yummo rolo) cookie dough bite. Simply said, they're Fantastic! Note, if you don't want to in

Smitten Kitchen  in my opinion should be known as one of the greatest food blogs ever. Not only are Deb's (the Genius behind Smitten Kitchen) recipes amazing but her photos are equally amazing. To say they are drool worthy would be speaking lightly. I love how you can always tell each photo is hers, she has her own unique style. Also, she has a way with instantly selling me. I always wish I was holding in my hand, ready to blissfully dive into whatever it is she posts. The  Blueberry Crumb Bars  she posted looked simple yet ever so stunning. I've had them on my to do list for about a year now. Why I waited this long I can never tell you. These things are unbelievable! A dessert so good you will nearly be at a loss for words when describing it's goodness. Yet, I will attempt.  You get a melt in your mouth, buttery and tender shortbread, layered with fresh, sweet, juicy blueberries and then it's sprinkled with more of that delicious, buttery cookie goodness (then here is

Ice Cream so healthy it can be called a nutritious (and so delicious) breakfast! Yes indeed. Officially this is Frozen Yogurt but I'd say it's good enough to be called and compared to Ice Cream. I was amazed with how well this turned out considering I didn't add any cane sugar (other than that of the sugars in the Greek yogurt) and also considering how incredibly simple it was to make. I've mentioned before I like to have dessert every day, so I've decided maybe I should start making some of them a bit healthier (just once in a while =) and more figure friendly. In my opinion this does make an amazing breakfast, I honestly felt great about serving it to my kids for breakfast. After one bite my three year old said "Mom, I need  two  Ice Creams." One just wasn't going to cut it. This is definitely kid approved. I wish I always had these ingredients on hand so I could have this for breakfast or dessert everyday. Enjoy!   I made the swirls using a chop sti

I'm loving the Hawaiian flavors lately. I made Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches a few days ago (which were amazing if I do say so myself =) and I had some left over fresh pineapple so I thought, why not make another Hawaiian inspired dish. These sandwiches are packed with the flavors of the Islands. I tried to think of all foods that remind me of Hawaii when making this recipe (even though sadly I've never been there, what is up with that??). Of course I thought of Hawaiian Pizza, one of my favorites with it's ham and pineapple combo. Then I'd say the first type of nut I think of when I think of Hawaii is Macadamia, and can you have a chicken salad sandwich without some kind of nut? Also, I wanted to add a bit of sweetness to the dressing (but don't worry it's not overly sweet) so I added in the honey and pineapple juice. I don't like a really thick dressing over my chicken salad but if you do you could omit the pineapple juice and add a few more table

Yes. Yes, yes, yes! Doughnuts collide with pancakes to make one unbelievable breakfast (or dessert)! If you want to show someone how amazing you think they are, say for the up coming Father's Day or a birthday then these are a great way to express your love and appreciation for that special someone =). I know I'd feel pretty awesome getting these for breakfast in bed on my Birthday. I'm always trying to think of new recipes, new food ideas and things out of the ordinary. This is a result of one of those random thoughts. I love to create new recipes, you could probably say I'm addicted. It's hard to keep me out of the kitchen basically. These are one of the funnest recipes I think I've made. Who doesn't love a sweet, tender doughnut or a fluffy stack of pancakes? Everyone who tried these thought they were delicious, and the kids faces lit up with utter excitement just upon seeing them. These taste just like cake doughnuts and pancakes in one. They're fluf

I'm a huge fan of anything that is able to be lightened up that can actually outdo its less healthy, original opponent. This muffin is just that! It is my favorite cornbread, EVER! I adapted it from my Lightened Up Cornbread Recipe . I made these because I needed a shorter cooking time than that of the 8x8 pan version since dinner was close to being done, so I thought muffins would be perfect. Any version of this, muffin or cornbread will disappear in a flash.   I say these are lightened up because your average cornbread uses a whole stick of butter, with this recipe I use some applesauce as a source of moisture therefore requiring less butter. These are my idea of the most moist and tasty cornbread muffins ever! Then when they are topped off with freshly whipped honey butter, awww my mouth is watering. If you are lucky enough to have any leftover after dinner they make an excellent breakfast the next morning. That's one thing I love about these muffins, they are a perfect side

This should be called "The Sandwich of Summer." I made this recipe because I love pulled pork so much so I wanted something similar but entirely its own. Basically I wanted something delicious, out of the ordinary that will make people say "wow." Of course I made it a slow cooker recipe because that's what I love and that's what everyone else seems to love. This Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwich is bursting with the flavors of the islands (especially when served along with fresh, glazed/grilled pineapple). It inspires me to want to host a luau party in my backyard.  Don't be scared by the long list of ingredients, most of them, if not all of them, you probably already have in your fridge and cupboard. If you are looking to try a new dish that is enticingly delicious and fully amazing your going to want to try this sandwich! Share and enjoy! Serve it with or without green onions (I liked it with): Hawaiian BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches Yields about 6 s

I'm officially in love. A giant size chocolate chip cookie, YES! And the whole thing is just for me, YES! Hands off =). This thing is out of this world good, especially when it's served warm with a creamy scoop of ice cream and drizzled with silky caramel and fudge sauce. Words don't describe it's goodness. The recipe I used is  My Favorite Chocolate Cookies , the only things I changed were using softened butter instead of chilled since I was making one big huge cookie I thought I'd give it a head start so it wouldn't be too gooey in the middle, and the cooking method was the other obvious change.  I think I will be making this just as often as I make the individual chocolate chip cookies, yes it is just that good! Warm, chocolaty and decadent with a hint of creaminess (thanks to the coffee creamer powder). This is cookie heaven. If you want to indulge a little more serve it with ice cream and chocolate or caramel sauce.  In the unlikely event that there's 

A great thing happened today, I made a German Pancake for the very first time! I can't believe with everything I've baked in my life that I've never made a German Pancake until now. I think I was just so in love with my traditional buttermilk pancakes that it was hard for me to want to step out of that comfort zone and try something different. I'm so glad I finally did!  German Pancakes are incredibly simple and they taste amazing to say the least. If you've never had one before, I'd say the best comparison would be french toast meets pancakes meets crepes. So really how could they not be good? I make breakfast a LOT in my home (probably more often for dinner than an actual breakfast meal) so I'm incredibly excited to have come across such a simple and delicious breakfast recipe. I can't wait to make my own versions and try so many different toppings. Endless possibilities.  German Pancake Yields about 2 servings Ingredients: 3 large eggs 1/2 cup all-pur

This is one of my all time favorite soup recipes! I got the recipe from my sister a few years ago. Thanks for the recipe sista =)! I changed it up quite a bit to add more flavor. Before it didn't have any spices or green onions, the chicken wasn't grilled and it wasn't served with avocados. Sometimes if I don't have fresh tomatoes I will also use canned but if you use canned I would say omit the sugar (I added sugar to tone down the acidity of the fresh tomatoes). This soup is hearty, healthy, loaded with fresh goodness and full of exciting flavors (and heat if you prefer). This soup isn't your traditional Posole. It's very similar to chicken tortilla soup but with added cabbage and hominy. If you like Mexican food you will love this soup! Chicken Posole Yields about 4 servings Ingredients: 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled and shredded* 1.25 lb Roma tomatoes (about 5) 1/2 large yellow onion 2 green onions 3 cloves garlic 1-5 jalapenos, to taste*

Cheesecake, caramel, apples - love all the above so why not put them all together? I wanted a simple dip for my apple one day and caramel apples are one of my favorite desserts, as is cheesecake, so I thought I may as well combine them all into one quick and ridiculously easy dip. To say this dip is good is speaking much too lightly. I'm totally in love with it! It makes a great last minute treat for a party because, really it can be made in just a few minutes (and if you have an apple slicer things are almost too easy to be true). Serve it with your favorite kind of apples (I think it would also be delicious with bananas and maybe a drizzling of chocolate mmm) and enjoy!  Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip Yields enough for a small crowd (half a recipe would be enough for about 5 people) Ingredients: 2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, chilled 1 cup caramel ice cream topping, chilled (I used Hershey's in the glass jar) 1 store bought graham cracker pie crust, crumbled Directions: Place cream

Chicken nuggets that are still perfectly golden, full of flavor and deliciously crisp without being fried, say what!? These chicken nuggets are utterly amazing. They are the best chicken nuggets I've ever had, and I couldn't believe they were healthy! I love how healthier things can actually taste better than their less healthy opponent. This recipe is true proof of that. This is another Pinterest find (I did change up a few things), it is one of my new favorite recipes. It's quick, it's incredibly easy and it's a crowd pleaser. Chicken nuggets aren't just for kids, adults and kids alike will immediately fall in love with these baked chicken nuggets after just one bite. Enjoy! Baked Chicken Nuggets Yields about 2 - 3 servings Ingredients: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 medium), diced into bite size pieces 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs, white or wheat (I used white) 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs 3 Tbsp finely g