Printable Mother’s Day Tag

Mother's day pictureToday I have the perfect printable for your Mother’s Day gifts. This printable gift tag can be used on any special gift for mom. All you have to do is print the tag out on white card stock or regular white paper, cut it out, and attach it to your gifts. As you can see I attached mine to a mason jar that I filled with lilacs from my yard.    

mother's day picture 2I used twine to attach the tag to the jar.  If you don’t have twine you can use ribbon or any type of string.

Mother's Day Photo 4This gift tag is sure to brighten your mom’s day. Happy Mother’s DayMother's-Day-Tag-2                                          Click here to print the Mother’s Day GIft tag

Easy Chicken Nachos

chicken nachos 2Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Today I am featuring a very special recipe that is a must for your Cinco de Mayo party. It is a cheesy nacho dish featuring chicken, red beans, and peperoncini peppers. Plus you can’t forget about the onions and tomatoes.

Chicken Nachos 1This dish is so easy and you can put it together so quickly that you will have time to enjoy your party. And feel free to add some of your favorite toppings that I may have left out .

Start by rinsing the chicken breasts and then chopping them into bite sized pieces.

chickenThen cook chicken in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter until it is no longer pink and temps at 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.  Then mix 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt into 2/3 of a cup of water.

spicesPour the spices in the pan with the cooked chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up.

cooked chickenNow get out a 9″x13″ baking dish and add one layer of tortilla chips.  

chip layerThen add 1/2 of the chicken on top of the chips.

chicken layerAdd 1 cup of cheese.

cheese layerAdd 1/2 of the onions and tomatoes.

onions and tomatoes

Rinse and add 1/2 of the (15 oz.) can of red beans.

rinsed beansAdd 1/4 of a cup of sliced Peperoncini peppers.

pepper layer Bake the nachos for 7-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

finished nachoesNow you are ready to serve this nacho dish at your party and when the plate is finished you will have enough ingredients to make a fresh batch.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Easy Chicken Nachos

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of your favorite tortilla chips
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2/3 of a cup of water
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup for each batch of nachos)
  • 1 (15 oz.) can red beans ( 1/2 can for each batch of nachos)
  • 1/2 cup sliced peperoncini peppers (1/4 cup for each batch of nachos)
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 tomato chopped

Instructions

  1. Start by rinsing the chicken breasts and then chopping them into bite sized pieces.
  2. Then cook chicken in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter until it is no longer pink and temps at 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
  3. Then mix 1/2 tsp. chilli powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. oregano, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt into 2/3 of a cup of water.
  4. Pour the spices in the pan with the cooked chicken and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce has thickened up.
  5. Then add 1/2 of the chicken on top of the chips.
  6. Now get out a 9"x13" baking dish and add one layer of tortilla chips.
  7. Add 1 cup of cheese.
  8. Rinse and add 1/2 of the (15 oz.) can of red beans.
  9. Add 1/4 of a cup of sliced Peperoncini peppers.
  10. Bake the nachos for 7-10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
  11. This recipe makes two batches of nachos.
https://www.cookingupcottage.com/2015/05/05/easy-chicken-nachos/

Easy Chicken Nachos long pin

Free May Day Printables

May Day Gift Tags 4May 1st is only three days away!  And if you have kids, you probably will wake up and realize it is May Day then look around the house for paper cups and pipe cleaners in a frantic attempt to make May baskets.  I know this feeling since that’s what I usually do.  But this year I have this handy-dandy printable so I am set and so are you.  All you need to have is paper, plastic baggies, and tape.  With each page you print out you will get a printable cone to hold popcorn, candy, or flowers and two gift tags that you can put on the cone, a basket, or the traditional paper cups.  Take a look at the cone image below.

may basket 2 Below is a picture of the gift tag on a little basket.may basket tag 1You have many options with this printable.  The kids will have so much fun printing them out and filling their baskets.  To make the cone, all you have to do is print out a page on regular paper or card-stock.  Then cut the cone out with sissors, overlap the tab in back and tape the cone together.  I think clear tape works better than glue because you would have to wait for the glue to dry and it may not hold as well.  Then fill up a ziploc or cellophane bag with popcorn and candy as you can see at my house we love the store-bought fluorescent cheese colored popcorn, but feel free to use anything you want to fill the cones. Just make sure not to overfill them.  Fill them in a slim cone shape.

cone and candy bagThen punch two holes in each side of the cone for a handle; I used twine but you could use a pipe cleaner, curling ribbon, or any string.  Then put the bag inside of the cone and tape it to the cone. This makes them easier to transport to your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

taping candy bag inSo here is the printable.  If you are looking for more May Day ideas, I have some in my last year’s May Day post where I made Mini-Apple Pie Baskets and Plant Baskets. Happy May Day!may-day-tag                                       Click here to print May Day gift tag and cone.

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ricotta Stuffed ShellsAre you tired of making the same pasta recipe every week?  Well if you are this is the pasta dish for you.  This Ricotta Stuffed Shell recipe is an escape from the ordinary.  With jumbo pasta shells, mozzarella cheese, ground beef and delicious ricotta cheese, you’re going to love this dish. The pasta shells add a unique and fun flair to the meal while the ricotta cheese simply rewards your senses with its rich taste.  The whole family will find the shells to be a fun change of pace.  So take a vacation from the normal lasagna or spaghetti meal and enjoy this fun and easy shell dish.

ricotta stuffed shells4Start by cooking the shells according to the package directions.  You will need 30 shells to fill a 9″x13″ lasagna pan.  Around 45 shells come in a (12 oz) package of shells.  While the shells are cooking, chop up half of an onion and brown it in a pan with the 1lb. of ground beef.  Season the meat with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.

meat and onionWhile the hamburger is browning, you can start mixing up the filling in a bowl.  Mix 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese with 1 (15 oz.) package of ricotta cheese.

ricotta and mozzarellaNow pour 1 (45 oz.) jar of Prego pasta sauce into a bowl and divide the browned hamburger equally between the two bowls.

adding beef Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the 9″x13″ pan.

adding sauce to bottom of panNow it’s time to stuff the shells.  Fill each shell with a spoonful of the filling.

stuffing shells Repeat with all 30 shells until your pan is full.

stuffed shells in panTop the shells with the remaining sauce.

sauce on shellsThen add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese on the top of the sauce.

cheese on shellsCover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.  And then uncover the shells and bake them for an additional 15 minutes. 

covered shellsNow you are ready to serve.  Enjoy!

full pan stuffed shells

 

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 oz.) package of jumbo shell pasta ( you will need 30 shells out of a 45 shell package)
  • 1 lb. of ground beef
  • 1/2 of an onion chopped
  • 1 (45 oz.) jar of Prego pasta sauce (that is the large jar)
  • 1 (15 oz.) container of ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups of mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Instructions

  1. Start by cooking the shells according to the package directions. You will need 30 shells to fill a 9"x13" lasagna pan. Around 45 shells come in a (12 oz) package of shells. While the shells are cooking, chop up half of an onion and brown it in a pan with the 1lb. of ground beef. Season the meat with 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
  2. While the hamburger is browning, you can start mixing up the filling in a bowl. Mix 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese with 1 (15 oz.) package of ricotta cheese.
  3. Now pour 1 (45 oz.) jar of Prego pasta sauce into a bowl and divide the browned hamburger equally between the two bowls.
  4. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the 9"x13" pan.
  5. Now it's time to stuff the shells. Fill each shell with a spoonful of the filling.
  6. Repeat with all 30 shells until your pan is full.
  7. Top the shells with the remaining sauce.
  8. Then add 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese on the top of the sauce.
  9. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. And then uncover the shells and bake them for an additional 15 minutes.
https://www.cookingupcottage.com/2015/04/24/ricotta-stuffed-shells/

ricotta stuffed shells long pin