Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken

Copycat Panera Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Love Panera salads, but your wallet doesn’t? Same… same. This copycat is spot on and waaaaaay cheaper. So your taste buds and wallet will both thank you!

Ingredients

  • 2-3 baked chicken tenderloins, seasoned with your favorite seasoning
  • Leafy romaine lettuce
  • Asian Style Sesame Vinaigrette salad dressing
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Sliced almonds
  • Wonton strips

Directions

  1. Add leafy romaine lettuce to a large bowl. Add all toppings over the romaine lettuce and mix well.
Easy Air Fryer Dry Rub Chicken Wings

Easy Air Fryer Dry Rub Chicken Wings

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I love dry rub chicken wings, but never imagined how easy they could be to make at home in an air fryer! These were a hit with my family and I hope they are with yours as well!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs frozen chicken wings
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp chili pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper

Directions

  1. Mix all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.
  2. Place frozen chicken wings in a large bowl and brush each wing with olive oil.
  3. Sprinkle seasoning on wings until evenly distributed.
  4. Preheat air fryer for 3 minutes on Max Crisp (or 450 degrees F if your air fryer doesn’t have a Max Crisp setting).
  5. Once air fryer is preheated, place wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Cook on Max Crisp (or 450 degrees F) for 12 minutes. Turn wings over with tongs and cook another 12 minutes on Max Crisp (or 450 degrees F).
  6. Remove wings from air fryer and continue cooking in small batches until all wings are cooked.
  7. Serve with celery and ranch dressing.
Instant Pot Turkey and Noodles

Instant Pot Turkey and Noodles

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Every year I tell myself that I’m going to save the turkey broth and leftover turkey and freeze it after Thanksgiving and find some great recipe to use the leftovers, but do I? Nope. Until this year! I found this Instant Pot turkey and noodles recipe and adapted it to use leftover frozen turkey and broth from Thanksgiving. If you’d like instructions on how to save broth from cooking turkey breast in a slow cooker, check out the instructions in my Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs turkey breast, fully cooked or 1 1/2 lbs turkey breast cutlets, raw
  • 1 can cream of chicken soup
  • 4 Tbsp butter
  • 1 quart chicken broth (or leftover turkey drippings/broth from cooking turkey)
  • 1 24 oz bag frozen egg noodles (I prefer Reames)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions

  1. If using raw turkey cutlets, add them to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Spread the soup over the top of the cutlets. Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. If using fully cooked leftover turkey or turkey breast, set aside and add the noodles to the Instant Pot. Cover the noodles with the broth and top the noodles with all seasonings followed by butter and the can of soup. 
  2. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the valve is closed. Cook for 20 minutes on the Manual setting on high pressure.  
  1. Do a quick steam release. Remove the turkey cutlets and shred or if using fully cooked turkey, stir the shredded turkey into the noodles until well incorporated and heated through and serve.
Easy Air Fryer Cinnamon and Sugar Donut Sticks

Easy Air Fryer Cinnamon and Sugar Donut Sticks

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Well, I have fallen into the abyss of the air fryer world. So. Many. Options. If you have a can of crescent rolls, cinnamon, sugar, and butter, you can have fresh donut sticks in 4 minutes. Yes, 4 minutes! I adapted my recipe from allrecipes.

The flavor of these “donuts” remind me of Taco Bell Cinnamon Twists. They’re light, but absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup any flavor fruit jam, chocolate sauce, or cream cheese for dipping (optional)

Directions

  1. Unroll crescent roll dough sheet and pat out to an 8×12-inch rectangle. Cut dough in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter and cut each piece crosswise into 1/2-inch wide “sticks.” Dip doughnut sticks in melted butter and place in a single later in the air fryer basket.
  1. Cook in the air fryer at 375 degrees F until well browned, 4 to 5 minutes.
  2. Stir together sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Remove doughnut sticks from the air fryer and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining dough.
  1. Serve doughnut sticks with jam, chocolate sauce, or cream cheese,
Copycat Moe’s Queso

Copycat Moe’s Queso

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Moe’s was my favorite place for queso and loaded nachos for years until they sadly closed their doors in our area. This copycat recipe comes close, so finally you can get your Moe’s fix!

Ingredients

  • 2-8 oz blocks blocks of Pepper Jack Cheese, cubed
  • 1 lb white American cheese (I used sliced from the deli and it seemed to melt much better)
  • 1-4 oz can diced green chiles (I prefer mild since kids will be eating this, but you can use any heat you like!)
  • 2-12 oz cans evaporated milk
  • tortilla chips, for serving

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. I like to layer the ingredients so they melt together well.
  2. Cook on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir well after one our and continue to cook on low for another hour, stirring occasionally. Stir well until well incorporated.
  3. Keep slow cooker on low to avoid burning or bubbling.

**Note: Make sure to watch the queso carefully as it melts as heating the evaporated milk too quickly could cause curdling. Make sure to stir the dip frequently to monitor how quickly the queso heats. If it begins to heat too quickly, turn the temperature down to low for the remainder of the cooking.

Easy Sweet Potato Fries

Easy Sweet Potato Fries

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I love sweet potatoes and I love fries. Combine them and you get an amazing, filling, and healthy snack, side, or lunch if you’re like me and eat them all in one sitting. No judgement here… they’re healthy, so stuff your face!

Ingredients

  • sweet potato (how many you use depends on how many fries you’d like)
  • olive oil
  • granulated sugar (optional)
  • cinnamon (optional)
  • salt (optional)
  • garlic powder (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Cut sweet potatoes length wise into thin, fry slices (about 1/4″ thick).
  1. Toss sweet potato fries with olive oil and desired amount of seasoning. I like to use a bit of sugar and cinnamon, but garlic powder and salt are also great seasonings for sweet potato fries.
  1. Place sweet potato fries in a single layer evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 10-18 minutes until potatoes are cooked through and begin to brown. Serve immediately.
Easy Mexican Pizzas

Easy Mexican Pizzas

by Engineered Mama ♥ 1 Comment

Taco Bell’s Mexican pizza is back, people! As happy as I am about its return, I always have to customize… it’s what I do! Here is a super simple weeknight meal idea that’s a crowd pleaser for even picky eaters since it can be tailored to everyone’s individual tastes. Ground turkey, ground beef, diced chicken, whatever your family prefers this can be customized accordingly. Grab your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!

Ingredients

  • Corn tostadas
  • 1 lb ground beef, ground turkey, diced chicken, whatever protein happens to be your favorite
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 can refried beans (I prefer vegetarian, but any variety will do!)
  • taco sauce
  • Mexican blend shredded cheese

Toppings

  • chopped cilantro
  • diced green onion
  • diced tomato
  • sliced black olives
  • sour cream
  • black beans

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. While oven preheats, brown ground beef, ground turkey, chicken, or whatever protein you prefer until fully cooked through. Add one packet of taco seasoning to the fully cooked protein.
  1. Place tostadas on a large baking sheet. Spread refried beans, protein, and taco sauce onto each tostada evenly. Sprinkle with cheese.
  2. Place tostadas in the oven for 2-4 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining desired toppings and serve immediately.
Easy Slow Cooker Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken

Easy Slow Cooker Artichoke and Mushroom Chicken

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I love artichoke anything. This recipe is no exception. I found this recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker and it is amazing paired with a vegetable, over noodles, pasta, or rice. Set it and forget meals are my go to on a busy weekday and this one definitely delivers!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp dried basil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 can artichoke quarters, drained
  • 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 16 oz. cream cheese
  • noodles or rice, for serving (optional)

Directions

  1. Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
  1. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, basil and garlic.
  1. Add the artichokes, mushrooms, and onions over the chicken.
  2. Pour over the chicken broth.
  1. Add the 2 blocks of cream cheese on top of everything.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
  3. Shred the chicken breasts with two forks, and then stir the cream cheese and chicken together.
  4. Serve over cooked noodles or steamed rice.
Grinch Cookies

Grinch Cookies

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I’ve made these cookies for several years now after finding them from In Katrina’s Kitchen (see her original recipe here!). They were so cute I couldn’t resist trying them myself. These are made from boxed cake mix, so if you love cake cookies, these are for you! I’ve had trouble finding the heart shaped sprinkle candies in the past, but Michael’s or Hobby Lobby seem to always have something in stock that will work for these cookies. I’ll include the link to the ones I used in the ingredient list. Be sure to leave yourself enough time for prep for these as they must be rolled then refrigerated for 20 minutes prior to baking. Keep a close eye on them because they have a very short window to cook to perfectly cakey without burning or being raw in the middle. Most importantly, HAVE FUN making them! This recipe says that it makes 2 dozen cookies, but if you truly use only 1 tablespoon you will have many more than 2 dozen.

Ingredients

  • 1 box french vanilla cake mix, dry mix only
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • green gel food coloring (regular will work as well-if using regular use only one drop and add from there)
  • 1/2 cup Powdered sugar, or more for dusting
  • heart-shaped sprinkles or candies

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
  1. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together cake mix, food coloring, oil, and eggs.
  1. Drop by tablespoon into confectioners sugar and roll the dough covering the entire dough ball.
  2. Chill dough balls for 20 minutes before transferring to a baking sheet to bake.
  1. Place on baking sheet and press 1 large heart candy/sprinkle. Some people love them in the center and others love them off to the right like the Grinch’s heart. Be creative!
  2. Bake for 8-10 minutes until just set.
  3. Cool 3-4 minutes on pan before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar if desired.
Easy and Healthy Turkey Avocado Burgers

Easy and Healthy Turkey Avocado Burgers

by Engineered Mama ♥ 1 Comment

This recipe has been adapted from a Chicken Avocado Burger recipe from the Laughing Spatula.  It’s a pretty simple recipe and great for a quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 large ripe avocado (cut into chunks)
  • 1 clove chopped garlic
  • 1/3 cup Panko crumbs
  • 1 minced poblano or jalapeno pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss gently.
  1. Shape into desired size patties and grill.

I normally don’t include the peppers, but this recipe is great with our without!  I also keep a jar of chopped garlic in the fridge to make recipes like this even easier on a busy weeknight.  Enjoy!