Oven Hot Dogs

8 hot dogs
8 hot dog buns
1 can of chili (I used the actual "hot dog chili"--they sell it at WalMart)
1/2 an onion, diced
cheddar cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
sweet relish

Line inside of hot dog buns with mayonnaise and sweet relish. Evenly add mustard. Fill with hot dogs and squish (Yes, they will all fit) into a 13×9″ baking pan. You say, "Mayonnaise? On a hot dog?" I say, "Yes, just do it."

Top hot dogs evenly with chili, cheese, and diced onion. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

You will think that these are messy and you thing you'll need a fork. You can keep a fork handy, but if you carefully remove them from the pan with a spatula, surprisingly enough, they come out pretty dang good. This is a new favorite at our house!

Creamy Grilled Chicken Piccata

Growing up, one of my favorite dishes that my mom made, was chicken piccata. While this recipe isn't a true piccata, it sure is delicious!

Chicken
Juice of 1 lemon (3Tbsp)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil or oregano
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Pasta
1 lb. box of dried penne pasta
2 Tbsp butter
Juice of 2 lemons (6 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup half and half (or heavy cream)
2 tsp dried basil
2 Tbps capers
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

For the chicken, combine the first 6 ingredients and mix well. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. When ready, grill until done. Allow chicken to rest for a few minutes and then slice into strips to serve over pasta.

While the chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to directions (10-12 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain. In same sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in garlic and lemon juice. Pour in half and half and whisk until hot. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Add the parmesan cheese, basil and capers, and heat until cheese is melted. Check the consistency of the sauce and add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if necessary. Toss in desired amount of pasta. I didn't use all of mine, because I like our pasta a little bit more "saucy".

Southern Pecan Pie Cake

Run, don’t walk, to the grocery store to get the ingredients for this yummy dessert. Trust me, you won’t be sorry! If you love pecan pie and you love trifles, then you will love this.  I think the title is a little misleading, because it comes together more like a trifle.  However, I can't come up with an alternate title to replace it with.  Just make it, you'll see.  It's AMAZING!

2 sticks Butter
2 cups Sugar
1-½ cup Self-Rising Flour
4 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Chopped Pecans
1-16 Oz. Package Whipped Topping
1-14 Oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
8 ounces of cream cheese

Cream butter and sugar; add flour, eggs, vanilla, and pecans. Stir by hand until well combined. When it's all combined, you might be a little confused because it doesn't really look like cake batter.  And you'll double check the recipe because you think you missed an ingredient.  But don't worry, you didn't.  It will be okay!  Spread the batter into a greased, glass 9 x 13 dish and bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

While the cake is cooling, mix together whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk, and cream cheese until combined. Crumble cake. Layer half of the cake crumbs, followed by half of the frosting mixture. Repeat. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve