Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

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After four days of living in our new place I decided I should probably cook a meal for my family. I didn't want to make anything too crazy so these Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls were the perfect idea. They were so easy to make and my husband LOVED them. I could call these a "Copycat Recipe" because they taste a lot like the ones from Chili's restaurant. Tyson said he even liked these ones better. They were seriously SO easy. Just what I needed! A quick, delicious, easy breezy meal.

I am a huge fan of egg rolls. But I don't like to eat them a lot because most of the time they're fried. (The deep fried egg rolls at the Eastern Idaho State Fair are my FAVORITE!) These egg rolls I made for dinner on Wednesday night are baked so I feel better about eating them. The ingredients aren't high in fat or anything crazy either. It's pretty much a win/win situation!

Egg rolls are great for dinner as well as party food and appetizers. This recipe is a keeper for sure, and I have a feeling I'll be making them regularly at our house!


Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
main image and recipe from Annie's Eats
makes 24 egg rolls

• 2 c. frozen corn, thawed
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 c. shredded Mexican or fiesta blend cheese
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles, drained (Just drain as much as you can. Those are tough to drain! I barely got any liquid out of mine.)
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 egg, beaten (optional - For sealing the egg roll, but you can use water too.)
  
• 1 package egg roll wrappers (Be sure to get egg roll wrappers and not won ton wrappers! The egg roll wrappers are much bigger. They can be found in the produce section with the tofu and usually close to all the greens against the wall.)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix everything well to get it all nice and blended together.

Lay an egg roll wrapper on a clean surface with a point toward you. Place 1/4 cup of the filling right in the middle of the wrapper.

Take the point closest to you and fold it over the filling.

Then fold in the two side points.

Roll up the the wrapper until a small part of the remaining point is still showing. Then dip your finger in water and lightly brush it onto the free corner. You can also use beaten egg for this but water works just fine. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.

Place the egg rolls on a greased cookie sheet. Then lightly spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees or until lightly brown. Turn the egg rolls halfway through baking. Serve warm with salsa or ranch dressing. (My husband likes them with ranch and I like the salsa.)
Enjoy!

{Copycat Recipe} Texas Roadhouse Rolls

Our family has made the move to Utah and we're up and running with the internet! Woo hoo! I was starting to feel lost there for a bit. This last weekend was a busy one trying to get everything from our home in Idaho to our new place in Utah. We had a lot of people helping us this weekend and we really appreciate everything that was done for us to get us here. We have the greatest friends and family ever.

One of my favorite things about Texas Roadhouse is those darn rolls. Wow, those things are deliciously dangerous. There's no way I can eat just one...basket. Seriously though, they're amazing. I'd like to thank the person who came up with the idea to serve those lovelies to the guests as a starter. Bless you. My husband and I treated my mom and sisters to Texas Roadhouse this last weekend for helping us so much with moving. When we sat down with those rolls in front of us I remembered that I have a copycat recipe for them that I've been needing to share. So let's get to it!

{Copycat Recipe} Texas Roadhouse Rolls
recipe and image via Eat Cake for Dinner
makes about 5 dozen rolls

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 c. milk, scalded then cooled to room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter, slightly cooled
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 7-8 c. flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. honey (optional - HOWEVER, I have read the comments regarding this recipe and those who have found the most success with these rolls have added honey. I have never made them with honey though. So it's up to you!)

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water with a teaspoon of the sugar. In a mixing bowl, add the yeast and sugar mixture, milk, the rest of the sugar, honey (if you're using it), and enough flour to make a medium batter. Beat thoroughly. Beat together and let it stand until light and foamy. Add the melted butter, eggs, and salt and beat well.
2. At this point you'll want to add enough flour to form a soft dough. Don't throw all 8 cups in or it might be too much. Sprinkle a small amount of flour onto the counter top and let the dough rest for a few minutes.
3. While the dough is resting, grease a large bowl. Then knead the dough until it is smooth and satiny. If you have a KitchenAid you can knead the dough with the hook attachment for about 4-5 minutes. Then put the dough in the greased bowl. Pick it up and turn it over so it's greased on the other side as well. Cover the dough and let it rise till it is double in size (about 30 to 40 minutes).
4. When it has risen to double get some rage out and punch away at it. It's pretty therapeutic. Put the dough out onto a floured surface and divide it out into portions for shaping. Let it rest for another 10 minutes. Shape the little dough pieces into desired forms. Place on greased baking sheets and let rise until doubled in size.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until golden brown. Baste immediately with butter.

*Here's what Jenn from Eat Cake for Dinner says about shaping the dough: I shaped my rolls by rolling out the dough into a rectangle, about 1/2-inch thick, then I folded the rectangle in half, making it about 1-inch thick. I used my rolling pin and rolled over the dough, ever so gently, just to seal the two halves together. I then used a dough scraper and cut the rolls into squares and placed those on my greased baking sheet.

Apple Cider Floats

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It is officially fall!!! Woooooo hoooooo! (Can you tell it's my favorite time of year?) I love fall fashion, fall colors, fall food, fall decor...I love it all! And I'm so excited to start bringing out all these fun fall recipes I've been storing.

I'm kicking off this wonderful time of year with a delicious fall drink that is oh so tasty and slightly disguised as a summer treat. There are recipes for this drink all over the blogosphere, but this one comes from the girls at Our Best Bites. This drink is quite a tasty little thing. And it's perfect if it's still hot where you are yet you're trying to get into fall...it's a nice in between drink!

*FYI*
My little family and I are moving away from our families, friends, and our dear Idaho home tomorrow and we're off to Utah to start a new adventure! It may get a little quiet around here until I can get the internet up and running at our new place. Thanks for your patience!! :)


Apple Cider Floats
Our Best Bites

• 1 c. apple cider (Not to be confused with apple juice. Even if it says "cider" on the jug, if it's light in color don't get it. You want the dark stuff!)
• 1/2 c. ginger ale
• 1-2 scoops vanilla ice cream, or a seasonal flavor would be good too: homemade apple pie, cinnamon, and snickerdoodle are all fabulous options!
  
• ground cinnamon and nutmeg, for sprinkling
• 1-2 Tbsp. caramel topping

Directions
(I do not have step-by-step images of making this drink. However, if you want to see pictures of each step just click here!)

1. Start by pouring cider into your glass of choice. You'll want to fill the glass half full.
2. Then add the ginger ale. You'll want to put half the amount of ginger ale as you do cider (a 2-1 ration of cider to ginger ale). If you put in too much ginger ale the flavor of the cider gets diluted. If you add too little it tastes like flat soda.
3. Next, add the ice cream. Then sprinkle some nutmeg and cinnamon right on top of the ice cream. Finally, add a nice drizzle of caramel. Enjoy! It's sooo good!
   

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{Crock Pot} Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

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We are big fans of chicken Caesar at our house! I love me a good chicken Caesar sandwich. And the fact that this one is made in a crockpot makes my day! I love the crockpot. We are good buddies. This sandwich is a nice change from pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches all summer long! (I love pulled pork and BBQ chicken sandwiches, believe me.) It's also a good alternative for chicken salad sandwiches. I seem to be the only person I know that doesn't like chicken salad sandwiches. So change is good! This is a good recipe to feed a group.

Crockpot Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
Sweet Treats and More
image via The Girl Who Ate Everything

makes 12 sandwiches

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken, frozen (breasts, thighs, whatever you want to use)
• 1 bottle of your favorite Caesar dressing OR 1 can of cream of chicken soup and a packet of Caesar dressing mix
• 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• 2 c. shredded romaine lettuce
• 12 french hamburger buns, or whatever bun you prefer (about 2 1/2 inches in size)
• tomato slices (This is my addition to the recipe! I love tomatoes.)

Directions

1. Place chicken in your crockpot and cook covered on low for 6-7 hours.
2. When the chicken is done, remove it from the crockpot (a slotted spoon helps with this part) and place on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken.
3. Place the chicken back in the crockpot and pour the dressing over it. (Or the soup mixed with the dressing packet, whichever you're using.) Also add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. You can use as much or as little dressing as you'd like. If the whole bottle looks like it's going to be too much then you can add less.
4. Cover and cook on high for another 30 minutes to get everything nice and hot. To serve, spoon about 1/4 c. of chicken onto each bun and put some lettuce and tomato on the top. Cover with the other side of the bun and dig in!

S'mores Dip

First of all, what about the sadness that was BYU football on Saturday night? Yikes. I felt bad for them. I was happy for Utah, but BYU...poor guys. One of my problems is that I like both teams. Is it possible to be a fan of the two biggest college rivals in Utah? Correction. Is it possible to be a fan of the two biggest college rivals in Utah AS a resident of Utah?? We're about to jump ship and leave our Idaho home to move to Utah on Saturday so I'm not sure my allegiance to both sides is going to fly. I've tried to choose and I thought the game would help me. But sure enough, as each team was making a run for the end zone, I was cheering. I thought for sure after Utah made the first touchdown my happiness meant that I was a Utes fan. Then BYU made one and I was excited for them too. Crap. Oh well, I guess! We'll see how that works out for us down there and if we can make any friends!

Now onto THIS fabulous recipe...

It's official.
I'm obsessed with the s'more.
What is the deal with s'mores? They're amazing!
I feel like I've made everything into a s'more, or a s'more into everything.
Why not make a dip?
So easy, so delicious.
I love this idea for a party.
Thanks, A Crafty Cook!


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S'mores Dip
A Crafty Cook

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 c. chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, whatever you prefer)
• 1/2 c. marshmallow creme
• graham crackers, for dipping

Directions

1. In a small microwavable bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and condensed milk in 30-second incraments until the chocolate is melted. Stir as you go. Pour into a 9-inch glass pan, spreading evenly.
   
2. Drop the marshmallow creme by the tablespoon over the chocolate mixture. Put the pan in the microwave for 30 seconds or until the marshmallow is softened. (This is why you want to use a glass pan!!)
3. With a knife, immediately make several small swirls through the marshmallow and chocolate, creating a marble look. Serve immediately with graham cracker for dipping.

*FYI*
Erin at A Crafty Cook used the last 1/4 c. of chocolate chips left in the bag and she also used half of a small jar of marshmallow creme. And you know what happened when she put the leftover dip in the fridge? It turned into fudge. So if your plan is to make fudge out of this recipe, do what she did!

Million Dollar Dessert

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My husband doesn't like cake. I know, crazy, right? I guess what he says is that he "isn't a big fan." Either way I'm offended. When his birthday rolls around I ask him what he wants for his dessert, seeing as how he doesn't like cake. Last year he asked for Texas Sheet Cake (delicious!) and this year he wanted Million Dollar Dessert. His mom makes this dessert and it is fabulous. All of the different levels work so well together with all the flavors and textures going on...Yum! My family got to eat this for the first time when I made this for a birthday party for Tyson at my parents' house. And of course it was a big hit. So for all of you kids that don't like cake on your birthday, here is another yummy option for you!


Million Dollar Dessert

What's Cookin'???

• 3/4 c. nuts, chopped fine, plus a little extra pieces that haven't been finely chopped to sprinkle on top (I used walnuts)
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. cool whip, plus extra to spread on top
  
• 1 lg. pkg. instant chocolate pudding
• 3 c. milk
• one 2-pint container of whipping cream (optional) This is for the top layer so you can use the rest of the cool whip leftover in the container or you can whip some cream to put on the top. We use the whipping cream.
  
• 
• Begin by chopping up the nuts. I chose walnuts for this dessert.
  

Mix the finely-chopped nuts, flour, sugar, and butter together in your mixer. Then taste it. You know, just to make sure it tastes ok. You may want a spoonful to really make sure.

Press the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let it cool completely before adding the other layers.

In a mixing bowl mix together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Fold in the cool whip with a spatula or wooden spoon right into the cream cheese and powdered sugar mixture.

Spread that deliciously creamy mixture right over the cooled crust layer.

Onto the next layer! Mix together the box of instant chocolate pudding and milk. Follow the instructions on the box and whisk for as long as it says.

Then spread it over the cool whip layer. Don't let it sit for too long in the bowl or it will set up and be a little tricky to spread on the rest of the dessert.
After the pudding is on, spread what's left of the cool whip over the top, or the whipping cream, whichever you prefer.

Finally, sprinkle leftover nuts on the very top. Don't you just love all the layers? Pretty. Keep this beauty in the fridge till you're ready to serve it. Easy and delicious!

Non-Alcoholic Strawberry Blonde and the Birthday Week Winners!

Thanks again to all who stopped by during Cupcake Diaries' big blogiversary week and helped celebrate! It was great being able to share it with you.
Today we have three winners of the giveaways!

$30 to Headchefs winner:

#25 - kimt
who said,
I love all the tools...but I think I would first get the kids spoon, fork, and knife...and the bowls for the grand kids. They are so cute. I also love the spoon and spatula. Thanks for letting us discover the site!

Hello, Cupcake! winner:
#9 - Ray Ball Fam
who said,
I would make cute little cupcakes for all my kids' birthdays! :) We have three in October, it'd save me a bundle!

What's New, Cupcake? winner:
#64 - Amber
who said,
Well I have already thrown a Harry Potter party so that's out ha ha. But I would throw the biggest Halloween party ever!!!

Congratulations to the winners! E-mail me within 48 hours at cupcakediaries1@hotmail.com to claim your prize.

Now on to the recipe for today! When I was a bar tender back in the day at Carino's Italian we had a whole bunch of random drinks we had to make, if you can imagine. And not all of them were alcoholic. We made some fun virgin beverages too, like Italian sodas, strawberry daiquiris, and pina coladas.

One of my favorite nonalcoholic fruity drinks was a mix between a strawberry daiquiri and a pina colada called a Strawberry Blonde. (It could be made with alcohol too but we all loved to make these for ourselves with the recipe coming up.) My friend, Che', (pronounced "chay", who is now my brother-in-law and married to my twin) made the best Strawberry Blondes EVER. So today I bring you his version of one of my favorite drink treats. Making these takes me right back to those fun days with my friends where we were all servers and got to hang out all the time because we all worked together. I miss and love you all! :)

(PS This picture is from a Food Network strawberry daiquiri because I forgot to take a final picture of the drink and couldn't find a picture online that looked like a Strawberry Blonde. The drink is more of a pink color than red! You'll see below.) :)

Non-Alcoholic Strawberry Blonde
Che' Miles
makes 2 drinks, or 1 big drink

• one small bag of frozen strawberries, thawed
  
• one bottle of liquid pina colada mix
• splash of orange juice
• ice

Begin by choosing the glass you want to serve your drinks in. Fill it with ice. This will help you measure so you get just the right amount of beverage in each glass. (You only need to put ice in one cup and just use that.)


Put the ice in your blender then take your pina colada mix and pour it over the ice about halfway up.


Then pour some of the thawed strawberries right over the ice to cover up the other half.


Finally, pour in that splash of orange juice for a little extra somethin'.


Blend it up, serve, and enjoy!
We made these for our FHE treat the other night and Brycen loved watching them come together.

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken

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Summer is pretty much over, let's face it. Is it just me or did this summer cruise right on by? I am happy to say that around here we're still having nice summer weather, which means we can keep our grill out a little longer. We recently used it for Grilled Bruschetta Chicken and I have to say...this dish is SOOOO good! It is one of my favorite things I've made for dinner yet. I could eat it everyday if I could. So while your grill is still out, make this. You're going to love it! Big thanks to Jamie for this picture of the finished product! This picture is just too pretty!

(Don't have a grill? No worries! You can cook the chicken in a saute pan, bake it, or you can use a stove top grill. I need to get me one of those, they're awesome.)

Before I get to the recipe, I just want to say a very late "happy birthday" to this sweet lady:

My wonderful grandma (my dad's mom) turned 81 last week and with all the hustle of the big blogiversary I didn't even wish her a happy birthday. She is one of the kindest and sweetest people you'll ever meet. Totally serious about this.
My little family is moving in less than two weeks and we will be closer to her. I am so excited to be closer to Grandma!
Grandma, if you're reading this recipe today I just want you to know how much I love you and that I hope you had a fabulous birthday! Can't wait to see you more often!

Grilled Bruschetta Chicken
Jamie Cooks it Up!
makes 4-5 servings

• 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Not big ones, just the medium size or even small ones will work great.)
• 1 c. Italian dressing (I love the Kraft Italian dressing!)
• 1 pint of grape tomatoes (I haven't been able to find grape tomatoes for months so I used two large tomatoes.)
• 3 cloves of garlic (You can use minced instead of you don't like to use fresh. You'll need 1/8 tsp. of minced garlic for every clove.)
  
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (Optional - We are not balsamic fans so we used an extra bit of olive oil instead. My besty Ashlee is going to love this recipe because she loves balsamic vinegar!)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh basil
• 2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 8 oz. spaghetti noodles
• 2 Tbsp butter
  

Put the chicken breasts in a gallon size Ziploc bag with 1 c. Italian dressing. Seal the bag and put it in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours to marinade.

Before the chicken goes on the grill, make the bruschetta:

1. Chop the tomatoes and put them in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Peel the garlic and chop it into rough pieces. Throw that in with the tomatoes.
   
3. Chop up the basil and throw it in with the tomatoes and garlic.
4. Pour in the balsamic vinegar then drizzle the olive oil over top of that.
5. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper then stir it up and taste it. It's delicious, you'll want to eat it by itself! If your tomatoes are lacking in sweetness just add a little bit of sugar.

After the bruschetta is made, grate the cheeses and get your water going to cook the spaghetti. Throw the spaghetti in the water to cook then go out to the grill and cook the chicken over medium high heat.

When the chicken is cooked through, turn the temperature of the grill down to low. Place a disposable 9x13 pan right on the grill and put your chicken into it. Cover the chicken with the bruschetta.

Sprinkle the chicken and bruschetta with mozzarella cheese then cover the grill.
Let it sit there for about 5 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Toss the cooked pasta with butter and put it on a serving platter or dish or portioned out onto plates. Cover the pasta with the chicken and bruschetta. Make sure you get all the juices as well! Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve immediately.

There is still time to enter last week's giveaways! The winners will be announced on Wednesday.

{Birthday Week} What's New, Cupcake? Giveaway

Big thanks to all of you for participating in celebrating Cupcake Diaries' first blogiversary this week! It's been a fun week and I've loved hearing from so many of you!
(And don't forget to enter to win the giveaways from Monday and Wednesday! The winners will be chosen and announced Wednesday, September 14th, at midnight so you have until then to enter.)

My original plan for today's giveaway fell through so I've made a last-minute change!
The winner of today's giveaway will receive a copy of What's New, Cupcake?-from the writers of Hello, Cupcake! So if you don't end up winning the first book the second one may be yours! These two books are so much fun and anything I've ever made from them has been a huge hit at the party.

This book is FULL of great cupcake ideas, just like the first one! Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about:

Goldfish

Pies
(These were the ones we made for a family reunion this summer.)

Apples

(All Cupcake Diaries members are eligible to win! If you're not already a member of this site just click "Join this Site" over in the Guests section on the side panel. Thanks!!)

All you have to do to enter:
If you could throw any kind of fabulous party what would it be? A themed birthday party? Holiday party, etc.? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

And for a second entry:
"Like" Cupcake Diaries on Facebook. You can do a quick click over on the side panel on the left or you can head right over to Facebook and click away. If you've clicked "like" before this giveaway, please leave a second comment saying you did so and get a second entry!

Leave a separate comment for each way you enter. The winners of all three giveaways will be announced Wednesday, September 14th, at midnight.

{Birthday Week} Birthday Party Theme Ideas

As the week goes on we've been able to cover some pretty good ground for a birthday celebration. Today I've compiled a list of birthday party themes that look so cute and fun that I had to share. These women are so creative! I love all their ideas. Hopefully you'll find something that will inspire you!

{And don't forget to enter the giveaways from yesterday and Monday!}

Strawberry party from One Charming Party

Little Pizza Chefs party from Baby Lifestyles

Basketball Party from Love the Day

Ice Cream party from Fete Fanatic

Classic Carnival party from Celebrations at Home

Modern Bumble Bee party from Hostess with the Mostess

Western-Themed Toy Story party from Hostess with the Mostess

Ladybug party from Glorious Treats


Tangled party from Super Mom Moments


Candy party from Glorious Treats