50 Free Shutterfly Photo Cards!

Hi readers... I almost forgot my password to log into my blog... yes, it's been that long. But I couldn't pass up this opportunity to share this post with you about Shutterfly.

I'll be honest - I've never used Shutterfly in the past. But after browsing through their site, I am totally hooked. They have so many beautiful Christmas photo cards to choose from (how will I ever choose just one?) In fact, they have over 800 designs. With 800 cards to choose from, there's pretty much something for everyone.

Here are a few of my favorite Christmas photo cards:

In addition to Christmas cards, they also have birthday cards, thank you notes, and much more.

So go check Shutterfly out - Christmas cards are so much fun to send out. I love receiving them from friends and family, especially photo cards that include pets and kids.

If you are a blogger, you have an opportunity to receive 50 free holiday cards. All you have to do is visit this site and follow the instructions. I promise, it's super easy.

Well, I am off to check out Shutterfly's designs and try to narrow it down to one. I hope everyone has a great holiday season!! xoxo

Cottage Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Please take my word for it - these are the best enchiladas EVER. Yes, I think they are even better than all the other enchiladas I've posted on here. You need to make these, definitely. Don't let the cottage cheese part throw you off - I promise, these are AMAZING! Recipe from allrecipes.com. I served these with chips and salsa.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (omitted)
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - boiled and shredded (I baked)
* 1/2 cup chopped onion (omitted)
* 1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
* 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix (I used hot and spicy)
* 1/2 cup sour cream
* 2 cups cottage cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 pinch ground black pepper
* 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
* 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used a four cheese mexican blend)
* 1 (10 ounce) can red enchilada sauce (I used a garlic flavored enchilada sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. To Make Meat Mixture: Heat oil in medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, onion and green chile peppers and saute until browned, then add taco seasoning and prepare meat mixture according to package directions.
2. To Make Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl mix sour cream with cottage cheese and season with salt and pepper; stir until well blended.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. To Assemble Enchiladas: Heat tortillas until soft. In each tortilla place a spoonful of meat mixture, a spoonful of cheese mixture and a bit of shredded cheese. Roll tortillas and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, enchilada sauce and remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

NOTE: I made these a little differently to make life easier - I baked the chicken on its own and then just combined the shredded chicken with the cottage cheese, sour cream, taco seasoning, and green chile peppers all into one bowl. Place chicken/cheese mixture on enchilada and top with the shredded cheese, roll-up, and cover with enchilada sauce and some more shredded cheese.

Feta Arugula Chicken Pizza

I love eating different kinds of pizza (i.e. buffalo chicken, bbq chicken) and this pizza was no different. This may be one of my favorite pizzas I've ever made. Recipe from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 unbaked pizza crust
* 6 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
* 3 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (omitted - ew tomatoes)
* 1 (8 ounce) package seasoned goat cheese (I used feta)
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
* 1 cup fresh arugula
* 1 teaspoon olive oil

* Added: chicken breast, cooked and shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven according to pizza package instructions.
2. Dab pesto onto the center of the pizza base, and spread toward the outer edges. Cut the goat cheese into thin coins, and spread or crumble across the pizza. Arrange tomato slices over goat cheese. Sprinkle with garlic. (Add chicken). Brush the crust edges lightly with olive oil.
3. Place pizza directly on preheated oven rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the crust edges are golden.
4. After taking pizza out of the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to set.

5. After a couple of minutes, cover the pizza with a few handfuls of arugula. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-ups

I looooooove lasagna roll-ups and I love pepperoni, so I definitely needed to try this recipe. These were really good! Recipe from Taste of Home.

INGREDIENTS (I doubled the recipe below to make enough for the 2 of us)

* 3 lasagna noodles
* 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon minced chives
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 24 slices pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
* 3 slices Swiss cheese, cut into thirds (I used mozzarella instead)
* 1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
* 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (omitted)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Combine the ricotta cheese, chives, oregano and basil; spread 1/4 cup over each noodle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with pepperoni and Swiss cheese; carefully roll up.
2. Place seam side down in a greased shallow 1-qt. baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
3. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Ricotta Stuffed Chicken Breast

This was a great simple weeknight dinner that was super tasty. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)

* Appx 1 cup low fat ricotta cheese

* Seasoning to taste - I used some dried basil and dried parsley

* Minced garlic to taste

* 1/4 cup dried italian bread crumbs

* Spaghetti sauce to top - flavor of your choice - I used garlic herb flavor

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, seasoning, and garlic.

3. Open each chicken breast up and spread the ricotta mixture inside. Fold chicken back over to original shape. Use toothpicks to hold if needed.

4. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Add warm spaghetti sauce on top.

Chicken Enchilada Roll-ups

Sadly I forgot to take a picture of these... but I made them for our annual holiday get together last month. These are SOOOOOO good! I will definitely be making them again the first chance I get. Thanks Macaroni & Cheesecake (originally from Cook Like a Champion).

INGREDIENTS

* 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/3 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
* 1 teaspoon garlic, finely minced
* 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* cayenne pepper to taste
* salt to taste
* 1 large can chunk white chicken breast, shredded (I baked a few chicken breasts and used those instead... I can't stand canned chicken!)
* 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
* 4 green onions, chopped (omitted)
* 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes (omitted)
* 1 package jalapeno cheddar tortillas (I used jalapeno cilantro flavor)

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix cheeses together until well blended.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
3. Place one heaping spoonful onto tortilla.-Spread to edges using a metal spatula.
4. Roll and cut into slices.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

I made these as an appetizer on Thanksgiving and they were a big hit! These are a nice twist to your typical deviled eggs... plus obviously bacon makes everything just a little bit better! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS

* 12 eggs
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 4 slices bacon (I just used real bacon pieces from the bag... much easier!)
* 2 tablespoons finely shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon mustard

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. (Ummm please heat for longer than 12 minutes... I did my first batch for like 15 minutes and when I peeled my first egg, it was still runny! So I started over and let them sit in the hot water for about 22 minutes instead. Much better. Nobody likes runny hard boiled eggs.)

2. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
3. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside.
4. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.

Grandma's Green Bean Casserole

I wish this was my grandma's green bean casserole, but sadly, it's not. This was pretty darn good. I've never been a huge fan of GBC but this was really yummy with the sour cream in it and everyone at our Turkey Day dinner seemed to enjoy it. From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8-10)

* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp white sugar
* 1/4 cup onion, diced (omitted)
* 1 cup sour cream
* 3 (14.5 oz) cans French style green beans, drained
* 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers (I substituted french fried onions)
* 1 tbsp butter, melted (omitted since I omitted the crackers)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.
3. Transfer the mixture to a 2.5 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Three Cheese Manicotti

MMMMMMMMMM cheesy baked pasta. Seriously SO yummy! From allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)

* 8 oz package manicotti shells
* 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
* 2 cups ricotta cheese
* 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 egg
* 2 tbsp dried basil
* 26 oz pasta sauce (I used ricotta parmesan flavored sauce)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add manicotti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
3. In a bowl, mix 3 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, garlic, egg, and basil. Stuff cooked manicotti with the mixture.
Spread about 2 cups pasta sauce over the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti in the dish, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and continue baking 10 minutes, until mozzarella is melted and bubbly.

Baked Pumpkin Pasta

I debated whether to post this recipe or not... because I honestly didn't really like how it tasted. But this is the first time I've ever had pumpkin in my pasta, so I figured it might just be me. Maybe someone else can make it and enjoy it! Recipe from here.

INGREDIENTS

* 12 oz uncooked penne pasta
* 2 tsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced (I omitted)
* 1/2 tsp dried thyme
* 1 tsp dried sage
* 1 15 oz can pure pumpkin
* 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
* 1/2 cup water reserved from pasta pot
* 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to directions on package, less 2 minutes, and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water when done.
3. Meanwhile heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions and garlic for 5-6 minutes, until softened. Stir in zucchini and herbs, and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in canned pumpkin and ricotta cheese.
5. Empty drained pasta plus 1/2 cup of reserved cooking water into skillet and mix well.
6. Spoon pasta into a 11 x 7 baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake for 10-15 minutes.