Simple Yet Gourmet

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you have all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday. Here at my house we decided to get the flu for the whole week before Christmas, what fun for mommy! So that is my excuse for not posting any yummy recipes for you to try over the holiday. Here is one I made for the teachers at school. I used 1 1/2 bags of salted, not buttered microwave popcorn which made it super east and gave it a salty/sweet taste to it, which I really liked. This popcorn has now become one of Mike's favorite treats. He says it tastes just like to caramel corn you get at the mall! I did drizzle the chocolate over the top and it was divine. It is easy to make and stores nicely for a few days after. Enjoy!

I love meals that are delicious, yet simple to make. This apricot chicken takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is very flavorful ! Everyone who has tried this recipe loves it ! I came across this recipe 6 or 7 years ago and it has remained a family favorite. This is perfect for those days when you just don't have a lot of time. The original recipe says to bake this chicken in the oven, but I prefer to make it in the crockpot.

Just in time for Christmas, here is a delicious little cookie that is perfect for neighbor gifts, treats for Santa, or just to enjoy yourself :) These may seem complicated, but they really are pretty simple and fun to do. Basically the recipe makes a crispy chocolate cookie similar to a thin mint. As if that's not yummy enough, you then dip it in chocolate and sprinkle it with crushed peppermints. They are so good!

As you can tell from the last couple of posts, the McCain family really likes Maggiano. Here is another knock off dish that my mom really likes. I didn't have any wine so I just used chicken broth instead. I would have to say I liked it much better without the wine, not so bitter, but feel free to do as you please. I promise to add a bunch of desserts to cook this holiday season in the next few posts, we like those as well!

My mom's good friend Elizabeth shared this recipe with us and it has become one our family favorites. I love having my kids eat spinach in any way I can. They really enjoy the different toppings and the warm dressing that goes on this salad. Its a nice change from the romaine and iceberg salads that we normally serve with dinner. I have made this twice this month for different Christmas parties and a number of people have really enjoyed it, I hope you enjoy it as well!!

As most of you know, when I taste something and like it, I will do my best to try and find a recipe to make it at home. This recipe happens to be one of those yummy dishes I love at our favorite italian place, Maggiano's in Denver. Whenever we happen to have time to go there, this is the dish I always order. This recipe tastes just like the resturant, but cheaper! Give it a try, if you like pesto, you will love this dish!

Pam and I had a wonderful time cooking together over Thanksgiving, so you will benefit from all the new recipes we decided to inflict upon our families! Our family tradition is to always have a bunch of appetizers in the early afternoon to hold us over until the turkey is done. Pam found this yummy cheese ball recipe to share, which was a hit! With all the holiday parties coming up I thought many of you might like to give this a try. This was a hit with everyone that day and my kids continued to eat it the next few days until it was gone. Enjoy, we did!

These rolls have become my new favorite with pasta! They are incredibly soft and have just the right amount of garlic and butter. I also add a sprinkle of salt for a little added flavor to make them absolutely perfect. While making a knot out of bread dough may seem complicated, it actually really isn't that hard. To make it even easier Annie gives a great tutorial over at http://www.annies-eats.com/ . Try these rolls out with pasta in lieu of breadsticks or eat them with you're favorite soup. If you like bread and garlic these rolls are sure to please!