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Aldi Grocery Store

We are pretty big fans of the Aldi grocery store!
They have great prices on great food, including amazing produce.
The stores are located all over the country, and more and more are opening up!

They have recently released a line of gluten-free products, and I just want to tell everyone how amazing they are!
I have not had a chance to try everything they offer, but I also have yet to try something that I didn't like. It's very high quality, and very reasonably priced!

Probably their top product for us, is their sandwich bread.
It's amazing! Super soft and just really, really good!
The tortilla wraps are also great, and I have a few recipes that include those wraps, coming out very soon!
Their pasta, crackers, granola cereal, granola bars, and cake mixes are all things that we have tried and loved!
They have some frozen chicken nuggets that we are anxious to try, and we also just got some other flavors of crackers that we are excited to test taste!!

I am not being reimbursed for this post in any way. I just love their products, and wanted to share them with you!
If you try anything out, please let me know what you think!

Click HERE to find the store nearest you!

Chicken Chili:

My Fiance's (ah! I still can't believe I'm saying that!)
sister made this for dinner the day we got engaged.

I was not necessarily thinking completely clearly that day, because I was (and still am) in shock, 

but I definitely remember how good this was!

It smelled so amazing while it was cooking, and tasted even better!

My mom and dad couldn't get enough of it either! And my mom is not crazy about this type of thing, but she loved it! It was pretty much addicting!!

I don't know how to describe it...it's like chili, but could also be a dip, really, and it's just plain good!! So eat it with a chip or with a fork, it doesn't matter!

Rina was super kind and shared the recipe with me! 

Mine did not taste as good as hers, but it was still good, and I really hope you try it out!!

There is no way to take a picture of this and make it look good, much less as fabulous as it actually is! But please take my word for it...it's good!!

2 chicken breasts

1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies), not drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

1 & 1/2 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese

Tortilla chips

Place the chicken in the bottom of a slowcooker.

Top with Rotel, corn, beans, ranch mix, and taco seasoning.

Stir gently to combine.

Top with cream cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring once or twice to blend the cheese.

Shred the chicken before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips!

Note:

-If this recipe is tripled, it will fill a 5-quart crock pot.

-If desired, you can use 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1 teaspoon onion powder in place of the taco seasoning. Feel free to play around with the seasonings to your taste!

Oh my goodness!!!!

So, I have some very exciting news to share............

Yep!! That's right!!

I'm engaged!!

I have had the best year of my life getting to know this awesome, wonderful man, seeing how God has brought us together, and now we're planning our future together!

We are very, super excited and in the process of planning our wedding for later this year!

I said all that for two reasons:

#1 because I just want to tell everyone, basically!!!!

#2 because I will do my best to keep right on blogging as usual. 

But in the event that things get a little quiet around here for any amount of time, 

I'm just a little pre-occupied at the moment!

So please bare with me as I adjust to this new phase of my life!

Quick and Easy Garlic Toast:

I love Garlic Bread....the smell, taste, everything about it just screams comfort food to me!

This recipe is awesome, because you can make it ahead of time, and pull it out of the freezer whenever you need it! You can make this entire batch, you can cut it in half to make a smaller amount...whatever you want!

But I hope you give it a try!!

2 sticks butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 tablespoon garlic powder

dash of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, optional

Slices of bread

In a small bowl, mix together butter, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese, if desired.

I use roughly one teaspoon of the mixture per slice of bread.

Spread evenly, and place slices, butter side up, on a baking sheet.

To freeze:

Place baking sheet in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until butter is firm. 

Place bread in an airtight container or zip-lock bad and keep frozen until ready to use.

To Bake:

Lay frozen slices, butter side up on a baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes, or until light golden brown and edges of the bread are lightly toasted (if baking unfrozen slices, you may need bake 1-2 minutes less)

Serve!!

{Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats}

I have a huge weakness for these Double Chocolatey Chunk Rice Crispy Treats.

I only ever buy them when I am traveling somewhere, so honestly I only have one of these a few times a year. BUT, I always get the one that's like, oh I don't know, 6 inches long or something? Not the short ones, definitely!

I don't know what it is about these crazy things, but I just love them!

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, they are also phenomenal with, ummm......chocolate milk.

Anyways, that's beside the point!!

The point is, that thankfully I don't have to wait until I'm traveling somewhere to have one of these now, because I can make them at home!!!

And so can you!!

I hope you try them out!!

9 cups cocoa pebbles (or any gluten-free chocolate rice cereal)

3 cups chocolate chips, divided

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter

2 (10 oz) packages mini marshmallows

1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place cereal and 1 cup chocolate chips in a large bowl; set aside.

Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with foil. Lightly coat with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, add marshmallows, vanilla and salt. Stir continually until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.

Pour marshmallow mixture over the cereal. Stir quickly, but make sure that all the cereal is well coated.

Pour into prepared pan and press down with a spatula. Then use the bottom of a glass or something sturdy and flat, and press down all over the mixture to make it as even as possible.

Melt the remaining 2 cups of chocolate chips...I do this in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, but you can also use the microwave, if that works for you!

Once completely melted, pour over the rice crispy treats and spread evenly.

Let rest at room temperature until cool and set. Remove from the pan and discard the foil. Cut into squares and serve or store in an airtight container.

Note:

-The heat at which the better and marshmallows are melted is very important. If it's too hot, the better will almost scorch the marshmallows and they will melt too fast. The results are not a smooth and creamy consistency like you want.