Simple, Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

This recipe is simple.  Cheap ingredients, common ingredients, quick to prepare, but BIG on taste.  Every time we make this, we can't believe it's only seasoned with salt and pepper.  I would strongly recommend using a cast iron skillet for this one - you can't beat the browning of an iron skillet. 

From Bon Appetit - 

Simple, Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

Ingredients:

6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds) 
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 475°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.  Transfer skillet to oven and cook 13 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Butterfinger Poke Cake

I'm not a big dessert eater, but my co-workers sure are.  We had a potluck at work recently and I came across this recipe for Butterfinger Poke Cake on Plain Chicken's blog.  The whole thing was gone in no time, much to the dismay of my husband who was hoping to have some of the leftovers.  So I had to make another one the very next weekend when we went to my in-laws' house to celebrate my FIL's birthday!  Again, gone in no time.  If you like Butterfingers, you will love this!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 jar Smucker's caramel ice cream topping
1 (8oz) tub Cool Whip
4 regular sized Butterfingers, crushed 

Bake cake in a 9x13-inch pan according to direction on the package.  While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it's still hot, poke holes in it with a fork or straw. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely.  Sprinkle two candy bars over cake. Spread Cool Whip over the top, then sprinkle the remaining candy bars on top. Chill until serving.

Easy Peasy Sausage Egg Bake

There are a zillion egg bake recipes, but 99% of them are kind of blah and tasteless.  I found this one on Pinterest and it is my new go-to egg bake recipe.  It is full of flavor, simple to make, and takes very little time to bake. When I'm HANGRY (hangry = more than hungry) in the morning, I don't want to wait 2 hours to eat. Nor do my little minions.  Give this one a try, you'll be so glad you did!

Ingredients:
1 (8 oz) can refrigerated crescent rolls (I love those seamless creation ones that Pillsbury has)
1 lb. breakfast sausage
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 C. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Crumble and cook sausage, drain.  Spray 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and line bottom with crescent roll dough. If you don't have the seamless variety, firmly press perforations to seal. Sprinkle with sausage, then cheese.  Combine remaining ingredients in medium bowl until blended, pour over sausage.  Bake uncovered 15 minutes or until set.  Cut into squares and serve.  

The leftovers are good reheated, too!