Ashley's Little Kitchen

Teriyaki Chicken

2010-07-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

I’m telling you, this was an EASY weeknight meal! It took a few different ingredients, but most of them I had on hand. All you have to do is cook the chicken, prepare the sauce, and pour it over rice. 2 pots is all it takes to make (since Husband does the dishes when I cook, I’m sure he appreciates these minimal-dish nights).

I found this recipe on Food Network (usually my first-stop when I’m looking for a specific recipe) This teriyaki sauce is much better than what you buy at a store, plus you can adjust the tastes according to your preferences!

Teriyaki Chicken
Adapted from Food Network’s Robin Miller

Cooking spray
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon liquid smoke seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Spray a skillet with cooking skillet and heat to medium high heat.
In a small dish, mix together soy sauce, honey, molasses, ginger, garlic, liquid smoke seasoning, and pepper.
Add chicken and coat in sauce.
Place chicken on skillet and pour remaining sauce over the chicken.
Cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through, turning occasionally during cooking.

Sauteed Greens

2010-07-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was flipping through my Martha Stewart Cooking School and I thought this side dish would be interesting to serve at dinner one night. It would be a great variation as I tend to get stuck in a side dish rut.

She calls it “Sicilian Style Sauteed Greens” but since I’ve omitted and changed a couple of ingredients, I’m not sure if it’s qualified to be called “Sicilian Style.” Thus, I just call them “Sauteed Greens.” I was afraid Husband wouldn’t like them because he’s not a big spinach fan and this has the same texture as steamed spinach. Thankfully, I was wrong and Husband loved them! The nut mixture gives it a good crunch and the lemon gives it a great boost of flavor. I think you ought to try it. You won’t regret it!!

Sauteed Greens
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cooking School

1 head of red leaf lettuce
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 garlic clove, minced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Pull the leafy part off of the head of lettuce. Wash each leaf carefully, making sure no dirt or grit is left behind.
Cut leaves into bite size pieces (about 1-2 inch pieces).
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Cook onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add nuts and cook, stirring about 2 minutes more. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in same skillet. Add greens one handful at a time, stirring to wilt slightly before adding more, then cook until completely wilted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Pour the lemon juice over the greens and season with salt and pepper.
Return nut mixture to pan and stir, then drizzle with a little olive oil.
Serve immediately.

Small Seared Scallops with Bacon and Lemon

2010-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

I love eating scallops in restaurants but I’ve never cooked them at home. I think it’s one of those daunting tasks that I just tend to avoid. I know how they should taste, but since I’ve never cooked one I was afraid they would come out undercooked or overcooked. I did warn Husband that I was cooking something new and there was a possibility that I could mess them up pretty badly. He knew in advance that dinner may result in tears and me sitting on the floor doubting all of my cooking ability. He was well prepared.

I have to say, for my first time these weren’t too bad. Husband really liked them, but I think they were 1 minute overcooked. They were a bit more tough them I’m used to eating them. The reason is probably because I used really small ones and I should have tried the medium ones. The small ones cook REALLY fast so you have to be on top of their cook time. Also, because I didn't pat them dry like the recipe called for, I didn't get a great brown sear. I'll be sure next time to make sure they're really dry. But the flavor was great, no one got sick, and not a single tear was shed. So I think next time I’ll rock those scallops.

Seared Scallops with Bacon and Lemon
Adapted from Food Network Kitchens Cookbook
1 slice of bacon, cut crosswise into thin pieces
1 bag of small sea scallops (about 30 small ones in a bag), patted dry (VERY important)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp and drain on a paper towel. Leave the drippings in the pan.
Season the scallops with salt and pepper.
Increase the heat under the skillet to medium-high, add the butter, and sear the scallops until brown and glossy, about 1 minutes per side (be sure to watch them, if they are browning before the minute, then flip so you don’t overcook them).
Move scallops to a plate and set aside.
Remove pan from heat and add the white wine and lemon juice.
Return the skillet to the heat and stir with a wooden spoon scraping the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the water.
Gently place the scallops back into the sauce with the parsley, and bacon bits and stir once to bring everything together.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve immediately. I served mine over angel hair noodles.

Cranberry and Lemon Muffin Scone

2010-07-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

I made these fantastic muffins by mistake. It’s really a funny story. I wanted to make cranberry lemon muffins. Why you ask? Well I had a bag full of dried cranberries and a pretty lemon sitting on my shelf, and I thought, why not? Sounded like a good combination. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any milk. But I did have a container of half-and-half and in my head, it sounded like the perfect substitute. However, my batter came out really thick and stiff, unlike my usual muffin batter. I figured I’d still cook them and see how they tasted anyhow. Well, they cooked just fine but they were a little heavier than muffins and weren’t fluffy. But they tasted great. Husband and I both said they were more like scones so they adapted the name “Cranberry Lemon Muffin Scones.” Not really sure if you can call something a muffin scone, but we did, and we loved our little muffin scones. They were a great breakfast for the week!

Cranberry Lemon Muffin Scones
Source: Adapted from my Blueberry Muffin Recipe

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar, plus some for sprinkling
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup half-and-half
1 cup dried cranberries
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line muffin cups.
Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder.
In a separate bowl combine the oil, egg, half-and-half and whisk with flour mixture until just moist.
Mix in the cranberries and zest.
Batter should be somewhat thick and stiff.
Fill muffin cups almost all the way to the top.
Sprinkle each muffin with a little sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes, check to see if they are done, if not, cook 5 more minutes.

Chocolate Chip, Pecan, and Coconut Cookies

2010-07-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Recently I ate a cookie at a potluck that had chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut in it. Of course, I had no idea who made it so I couldn’t get a recipe. But I was craving it. I thought about it for a couple of weeks and then finally found a simple solution! I would make chocolate chip cookies using my go to recipe and throw in coconut and pecans! They turned out great and were exactly what I was craving.

Chocolate Chip Pecan and Coconut Cookies
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Cooking School

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
¾ cup chocolate chips
¾ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl mix the flour and baking soda and set aside.
In another bowl, use an electric mixer and combine the butter with both sugars for about 2 minutes.
Add in the salt, vanilla, and eggs and continue to beat until well mixed, about 1 minute.
Add in the flour mixture and mix until just moistened, do not overbeat at this point.
Stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut using a rubber spatula.
Drop heaping spoonful balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are golden around the edges and still soft in the center.
Remove from oven, and let cool completely.

Oreo Muffins

2010-07-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

I’ve recently been on a muffin kick and every Saturday I make a dozen muffins and Husband and I can just grab one on the go for breakfast. I’m not gonna lie, the muffins I’ve been making aren’t really healthy. But I’ve always been the person to grab the oversized chocolate muffin as opposed to the healthier option right next to it. In my mind, if it’s a muffin, then it’s appropriate for breakfast, regardless of the flavor. Of course, I only really think this because I’m an adult. I do see the reasoning of not feeding unhealthy, sugar packed muffins to children for breakfast. So if any of you out there are thinking, “My word, I hope this lady never has children because she’ll stuff them full of sugary muffins and other junk” you can push your worries to the side. I promise I won’t make these fantastic Oreo flavored muffins to little children. However, we currently have a kid free home so I made them and for a few days in a row, started my day with one.

I saw Beantown Baker make Oreo cupcakes and she put a cookie at the bottom of each cupcake liner. I liked this idea so I stole it for my muffins! Then I just used my basic Blueberry Muffin Recipe and subbed out the blueberries for crushed Oreos.

Oreo Muffins

Source: Adapted from All Recipes Blueberry Muffin and Inspired by Beantown Baker

1 ½ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup white sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

About 30 Oreo cookies(I used a store’s house brand of this cookie and didn’t taste a difference).

Topping:

Leftover Oreos (whatever you don’t add to the batter)

1 tbsp butter

Sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Twist apart 12 cookies and lay a cookie half (I used the ones with the most cream) in each muffin liner, cream side facing up.

Roughly crush remaining Oreo cookies.

Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder.

In a separate bowl combine the oil, egg, milk and whisk with flour mixture.

Mix in the crushed Oreos, leaving a few to top the muffins with. *If you don’t think it’s enough Oreos, crush some more, and if you think it’s too many for you, reduce it.

Fill muffin cups almost all the way to the top.

On top of each muffin put a tiny dollop of butter, sprinkle with a little sugar and crushed Oreos. This will give the muffin a nice crispy top.

Bake for 15 minutes, check to see if they are done, if not, cook 5 more minutes.

Cornish Hens with Rosemary and Thyme

2010-07-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last time I cooked a whole chicken it was a massive failure. I kid you not, at one point I was sitting on my kitchen floor sobbing that I couldn’t cook, and didn’t know how to read a simple recipe. I had a shameful pity party. Later, after I returned to some stage of sanity, I reread the recipe and realized that I looked at the cooking times for Cornish hens. Oops. I’ve still been scared away from the idea of roasting a whole chicken but I want so badly to gain that courage back!

So you ask how that’s done? By starting with two itty bitty Cornish hens. I mean, who can be afraid of 1 ½ lb birds? Not me, my friend. Not me. So I perused online for a recipe that I would want to use but really didn’t find anything that I wanted to make, so I decided to keep it simple. I used my favorite herbs and some butter and roasted 2 Cornish hens. I was quite proud of the result!

Roasted Cornish Hens with Rosemary and Thyme
Source: Me

2 Cornish Hens,
Sprigs of rosemary
Fresh thyme
¼ cup butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Put fresh rosemary in the cavity of each hen.
Brush butter all over the skin of each Cornish hen (leave some butter for recoating throughout the roasting process).
Sprinkle thyme, salt and pepper and any other herbs you would like all over the outside of each hen.
Place the prepared Cornish hens in a roasting pan and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until cooked through, occasionally basting with leftover butter to keep skin from drying out.

Weekly Menu

2010-07-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Lunch
Monday: Sandwich-Ham off the Bone, Havarti Cheese, Garlic and Herb Mayo, Lettuce, Poppy Seed Roll, Pear, Chips with Baked Potato Dip, Banana Blueberry Bread
Tuesday: Fried Rice with Veggies, Pear, Chocolate Chip Coconut Pecan Cookie Wednesday: Sandwich Wrap-Maple Cured Turkey, Havarti and Swiss Cheese, Shredded Lettuce, Sliced Tomato, Garlic and Herb Mayo, Spinach Tortilla, Chips and Baked Potato Dip, Chocolate Chip Coconut Pecan Cookie, Watermelon
Thursday: Out to Lunch
Friday: Tomato Basil Pasta Salad with Chicken, Banana Blueberry Bread, Cantaloupe

Dinner
Monday: Chicken Cacciatore, Salad, Bread
Tuesday: Shredded Pork Tacos, Sour Cream Rice
Wednesday: Steak Fajita Chili, Cornbread
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Dinner Party...No plans yet!
Saturday: Green Chile Mac and Cheese, Kiwi Sorbet

Crash Hot Potatoes

2010-07-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don’t have a lot to write about a recipe. Sometimes, I cook something and I like it, so want to share it, but don’t want to write a novel about it. I can be pretty chatty sometimes, so today I’ll do us all a favor and just give the recipe. But please know, that this is a great side dish and I really recommend it!

Crash Hot Potatoes
Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

6 whole red potatoes
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus some to oil your pan
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper to taste
Herb of your choice, to taste (I used Rosemary)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add in the potatoes and cook until they are fork-tender.
On a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil.
Place potatoes on the sheet leaving room between each potato.
With a potato masher or item with flat surface (I used a glass), gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes.
Brush the tops of each mashed potato with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped herbs.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

2010-07-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Summertime screams pasta salads. Actually, it screams 90 degree weather, high humidity, and frizzy hair. It really doesn’t scream pasta salad. It’s more of a whisper. It’s like a whisper 10 feet away saying, “Hey, you. Yeah you, the one with the kinky hair. You’re looking pretty sweaty. I mean it was only one flight of stairs. What’s that? Oh, the humidity is making you wheezy? Well you look awful. But if you do get an appetite sometime soon, why don’t you maybe try a pasta salad? I mean, after all, it is summer. Everyone else is doing it kid, you might as well jump on board.” Yeah. Pasta salad speaks a lot to me.

So I decided to bring pasta salad to a church picnic, and what better way to enjoy a summer time pasta salad, than to eat it outdoors in the hot, humid weather? Man, I heart Texas for sure.

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
Source: Adapted from Chef Mommy

3 large tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
12 oz pasta, your choice
1 cup basil leaves, cut into thin strips

Mix tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl.
Cook pasta as package directs.
Drain and add to bowl with tomatoes and gently mix together.
Let come to room temperature.
Add basil.
Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Kielbasa and Onion Pizza

2010-07-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

I really don’t have a lot to say about this pizza, except that it is really good and really easy. It’s a great weeknight meal and if you chopped the onion and kielbasa the night before, then this dinner would take no time at all to fix! I really didn't make too many changes to this recipe except for the cheese and I didn't use 2 onions like the recipe called for, I only used 1.

Kielbasa and Onion Pizza
Source: Slightly Adapted from Rachel Ray

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1-1 1/2 cups shredded cheese of your choice, I used a combination of Monterey Jack and mozzarella.

Preheat oven according to the instructions on your pizza dough can.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
Add the kielbasa and cook about 5 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Set the kielbasa aside in a bowl or on a plate.
Add the onions and the rest of the olive oil to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low, add salt and pepper and cook until golden-brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the kielbasa and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
Stretch the pizza dough to fit a greased baking sheet.
Arrange the kielbasa mixture on top and sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake pizza according to your dough’s instructions (usually about 15-18 minutes).

Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry

2010-07-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

Stir-fry recipes are great for weeknight meals. These recipes are generally one-pot and easy to assemble. I live by my rice cooker, so when Husband gets home before me, he can start fixing the rice. Then when I get home I just have to stir-fry the main dish.

This Beef and Bok Choy stir-fry came from the Food Network website and I changed it based on the ingredients we had on hand. It was really good and it helped to incorporate a vegetable that we don’t cook with very often.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry
Adapted from Food Network

½ pound flank steak, cut into strips (the amount can vary based on how much meat you want) Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp ginger,minced
¼ cup soy sauce grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 handfuls bok choy, torn into bite size pieces
Cooked Rice

Heat pan over medium high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil.
Season steak with salt and pepper.
Cook steak until no longer pink (but don’t overcook it or it will be too tough).
Remove steak and place on a plate.
Add sesame oil to the pan and the add the ginger and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add soy sauce and bok choy and cook until bok choy has wilted down.
Add steak back in to the pan and stir together.
Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes and Capers

2010-07-09T09:49:00.000-07:00

Some nights I make dinner and it is either so-so, or just a fail. Other nights, dinner turns out great and DH and I can’t stop talking about how good everything tastes. Well, this pan roasted chicken turned out to be one of those really good meals. The chicken cooked in the correct amount of time, it was still juicy and the skin was perfectly crispy.

Pan Roasted Chicken with Tomatoes and Capers
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tbsp capers, drained
3 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, with skin and bones
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
Mix tomatoes, olives, capers, and 2 tbsp oil together in a bowl.
Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat for about 1 minute. Add remaining oil and heat until hot, but you don’t want it to be smoking.
Place the chicken in the skillet, skin side down and cook for about 4 minutes. The skin should be a deep golden brown.
Use tongs to flip chicken, then add tomato and caper mixture to skillet.
Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken until chicken is cooked through and tomatoes have softened and reduced in size (about 16-18 minutes). Serve each piece of chicken topped with tomatoes and capers.

Sour Cream and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2010-07-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes. I’m not claiming these are difficult, unique, or even fancy. But I do know that I like mashed potatoes. Like is really an understatement. I LOVE mashed potatoes. It is literally one of my favorite sides. I never feel like there’s enough, so I make way too much! I made these the other night and figured I should blog it. Maybe you’re looking for a side dish but you’re forgetting the classics? Well my dear reader, I’m here to remind you. Bring out the mashed potatoes! This time I decided to use sour cream to thicken them up and I added fresh garlic to give them a kick. The potatoes rocked. Although, I’m not gonna lie. I’m not the kind of girl who needs fancy potatoes. Give me a bowl of mashed potatoes made with milk and butter and a little salt and pepper and you’ll have a hard time getting that bowl back.

Sour Cream Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Source: Me

3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 ½ pieces
¾ cup sour cream
About ½ cup milk
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter salt and pepper to taste

Fill a pot with water and put potatoes in the water. The water should be a few inches over the potatoes.
Bring water to a boil and continue boiling potatoes until they are fork tender, about 10-12 minutes. S
train potatoes and place into a bowl.
Add the garlic, butter, and sour cream and either using a potato masher or a hand held blender, combine the ingredients.
Slowly add milk until you get your desired thickness, the less milk you use, the thicker it will be. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

2010-07-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

Oreo cookies are possibly my favorite cookie. I like to twist it apart, eat the cream, then the cookie. These are dangerous to keep on hand, so I rarely buy them unless I find an awesome recipe that includes this little cookie. This way, I can snack on them while I bake, and I don’t feel as bad as sitting on the couch with an open bag, tossing back cookie after cookie.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars
Source: Annie’s Eats

For the crust:
23 Oreo cookies
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
12 oz.(about a package and a half) cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. sugar
6 tbsp. sour cream, at room temperature
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
12 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.
Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with foil.
To make the crust:
Crush the Oreos in a food processer until finely ground.
Mix in the butter and continue to process until the cookie crumbs are moist.
Pour the mixture to the baking pan and press the crumbs into the pan.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, and set aside. Do not turn off the oven.
To make the filling:
Mix the cream cheese in a bowl and using a hand-held mixer, beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Mix in the sugar and continue blending until well combined.
Blend in the sour cream, vanilla and salt.
Beat in the egg and egg yolk on medium-high speed until well mixed.
Stir in the chopped Oreos with a spatula.
Pour the batter over the crust.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the cheesecake is set around the edges but slightly wobbly in the center.
Let cool about 1 hour to room temperature.
Cover the pan and refrigerate until well chilled, about 3 hours.
To cut the bars:
Lift the cheesecake out of the pan by pulling up the edges of foil.
Place on a flat surface and slice to desired size.
The knife should be wiped off each cut to keep the edges neat and clean.

Root Beer Float Ice Cream

2010-07-06T09:16:00.000-07:00

I LOVE my ice cream maker. I wanted for a long time and when I first got it (as a fantastic birthday present from my parents) I used it a couple of times. I figured it would be an appliance that I would have on hand when I wanted to make ice cream, but not something that I would use constantly. Well folks, it’s summertime. And that ice cream maker seems to have found a permanent spot on the counter. I use it at least once a week now and I don’t see that slowing down anytime soon (hey, summer lasts a LONG time where I live).

I am a huge root beer fan and when I saw this on Joelen’s Culinary Adventures (I know, ANOTHER reference back to that blog, I’m telling you, her blog is fun to follow!) I knew I wanted to make it for our 4th of July church picnic. Because we were going to a church event where there’s a variety of people, I decided to make a custard base and cook the eggs instead of taking the raw egg approach.

Root Beer Float Ice Cream
Source: Adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventure

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon root beer extract.

Prepare a large bowl of ice and cold water and set aside.
Using a saucepan, combine the eggs, sugar, and milk over medium heat.
Constantly whisk the mixture until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
Immediately stick saucepan in the ice water and keep stirring, this method is to help quickly cool the egg mixture.
Add the cream and extracts and continue to stir until well combined and mixture has cooled. Transfer the ice cream mixture to your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Marinated Roasted Red Peppers

2010-07-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

This dish was a great summer side dish. I made it two days in advance so it was nice and cold. It saved me some time in the kitchen making dinner too since the vegetable was already prepared and ready to go! These would also taste really good in tacos, on salads, or just as a nice snack to have on hand.

Marinated Roasted Red Peppers
Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart Cooking School
2 large red bell peppers
¼ cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar small handful of fresh basil, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place bell peppers on a cookie sheet and roast for about 10-15 minutes (skins should begin to turn black).
Remove from the oven, place in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
Let the peppers sit until cool enough to handle (about 15 minutes).
Rub the skins off, discard the seeds and veins, and slice into thin strips.
Place bell peppers in a bowl with remaining ingredients, stir, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Cheecake Ice Cream

2010-07-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

I will preface this by saying the picture is really, really dark. I know that. But please, ignore the picture and try this recipe anyways! It’s so creamy and tastes just like the name suggests: strawberry cheesecake! Who doesn’t want some of that?

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Source: Sing For Your Supper Blog

Cheesecake Ice Cream
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 lemon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup half and half
2/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt

Strawberry Sauce
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, rinsed and hulled
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

To make the cheesecake ice cream:
Zest the lemon into a blender, and add the cream cheese, sour cream, half and half, sugar and salt and puree until smooth.
Chill the mixture in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

To make the strawberry sauce:
Puree the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth.

To finish the ice cream:
Place half of the ice cream in a container, then spoon in some of the strawberry sauce; repeat layers, then gently mix together.
Store in the freezer until ready to serve.

Pan Seared Steak with Balsamic Sauce

2010-07-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

We don’t have a grill right now. We live on a second floor and the grill has to been 10 feet from the building, etc, etc, etc. Basically, it’s a hassle. So we tend to lose out on hamburgers and steaks, because in our minds, those foods need to be grilled.

Well, I wanted a steak, so I found a recipe in my Martha Stewart Cooking School book for pan-seared steak, and decided to get over my preconceived ideas, and give it a try. I’m almost a little upset that I held on to that idea for so long because it really did taste good and didn’t take much time at all! Now I know it wasn’t the same as a grilled steak, but it still tasted pretty awesome!

Pan Seared Steak with Balsamic Sauce
Source: Martha Stewart Cooking School
1 tbsp butter
2 steaks (I chose a top loin steak)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Rosemary
¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp Butter

Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat until very hot.
Season each steak with salt and pepper.
Add ½ tbsp butter to the pan, and place the steak right on top of it.
Do the same on the other side of the pan with the butter and steak.
Let steak sear for about 2 minutes without moving it. This should form a nice crust on the steak. With tongs, hold the steak and sear the edges for about 10-15 seconds per edge and flip over. Let steaks sit in the pan for 3-4 minutes longer, or until desired doneness.
During the last minute of cooking the steaks, add the rosemary and cook alongside the steak. Remove steaks and rosemary from the skillet and place on a plate.
Pour the vinegar in the pan and scrape the pan for any browned pieces.
Reduce vinegar (about 30 seconds) and add the butter and stir until melted, remove from heat, add salt and pepper, and pour over steak.
Serve each steak with fresh rosemary.

Bacon Pecan Popcorn

2010-06-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

My sister has strict food rules. One of these rules is “serious food does not go with sweet food.” Basically, if a food is normally sweet (like fruit) it cannot go with something serious (like meat). She has other rules too, like food can’t touch, can’t have too soft of a texture, etc. No, she’s not a kid. She’s a grown-up but she’s stuck with these rules her whole life. I have my own rules too, and I’m sure everyone has ways that certain foods have to be served.

However, I do not belong to the school of thought that sweet and serious food can’t mix. In fact, I believe that mixing them together can give a much stronger flavor than serving them separately. I like fruit on my pizza, pineapples with my ham, and sweet sauces on my chicken.

The current trend seems to be that bacon is getting sweetened up, and though some people may be skeptic, I was ready to jump on board and try to make a sweet bacon treat of my own as well!

Rachel Ray had a recipe in her magazine, Bacon Pecan Popcorn Clusters, that she suggested making for parties. Well, Husband and I love popcorn and are always looking for new ways to give it an awesome taste. I figured I could make us some popcorn using this recipe (so glad I have a Whirley Pop), and instead of breaking it into clusters, serve it like I do with caramel corn: in a giant bowl ready for us to share. The bacon and pecans gave the perfect amount of saltiness, but the corn syrup and sugar sweetened it up some. It was a great movie snack (though I wouldn’t claim that it’s even a little bit healthy).

Bacon Pecan Popcorn
Source: Rachel Ray Magazine

Cooking spray
12 slices bacon
10 cups plain popped popcorn
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted.

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Microwave the bacon (for every slice add one minute), pat the grease off of the bacon, and roughly chop.
In a bowl, mix the popcorn and bacon.
In a saucepan, cook the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup over low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Increase the heat to medium and simmer, stirring, for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the baking soda. Add in the nuts.
Pour the nut mixture into the popcorn, stirring to coat (I suggest using tongs to assist with this). Spread the mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 45 minutes.

Lemon Cheesecake Cheeseball

2010-06-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been a fan of cheeseballs. I just think they’re fun and I knew I wanted to try making one. Because I hate bringing new things to parties that I’ve never fixed before, I wanted to make one at home for us to try first.

I found this Lemon Cheesecake Cheeseball on Annie’s Eats and decided this would make a great summer dessert! I served it with graham crackers and shortbread cookies, though next time, I’ll add some fruit to serve alongside it as well.

Lemon Cheesecake Cheeseball
Source: Annie’s Eats

1 package cream cheese (8 oz-10 oz)
2 ½ tbsp sugar
1 lemon, zested and 4 tsp of the juice
3 graham crackers

Mix the cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl.
Stir together until smooth.
Add the lemon zest and juice and continue stirring until smooth.
Scoop the mixture on to a piece of plastic wrap and form into a ball shape. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
Crush the graham crackers and pour into a bowl.
Roll the cheese ball in the crumbs until evenly coated.
Serve with crackers, fruit, cookies.

Orange Milkshake

2010-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

I've had a few Orange Julius drinks in my lifetime, but I hate to admit that I don't really remember the taste all too well. I just remember always liking them. When I saw a recipe in my Food Network magazine for an imitation Orange Julius, I thought I’d give it a try.

Husband and I both agreed it was really sweet but still tasted good. However, since Husband has never had an Orange Julius and I can’t remember what they taste like, I can’t guarantee that this tastes like the real deal (and apparently, the reviewers didn’t seem to think it did). I’m going to have to try one next time I see an Orange Julius restaurant to find out if the recipe was a good knock-off or not. Regardless, it was still pretty good (though I’m going to cut back on some of the sugar next time) and as long as I call it an orange milkshake, I don’t care if it’s the same or not. It was a nice summer night drink for sure!

Orange Milkshake
Source: Food Network Magazine

1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup ice

Mix the orange juice concentrate with 1 cup water.
Pour the orange juice in blender.
Add the milk, vanilla, sugars and ice and blend until smooth.
Serve in chilled glasses.

Panko and Parmesan Roasted Shrimp with Roasted White Wine Tomatoes over Linguine

2010-06-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

I told Husband the other night that I wanted to start creating more of my own meals. I’m great at following a recipe (unless it’s baking, for some reason those are usually pretty big fails) and I like trying new things, but I want to say “Hey! Look what I created!” I challenged myself to creating a recipe or recreating a restaurant favorite without a recipe at least once a month.

This opportunity came sooner than I planned since I went to cook Saturday and realized I didn’t have anything the planned recipe called for. So, I rummaged around the fridge, freezer, and pantry and came up with this shrimp and pasta dish (two of our most favorite things to eat). It was fun tasting and adding as I went a long! This has a great fresh taste, and the tomatoes mixed with the white wine gives this a strong flavor. Plus, the breaded shrimp really gives this dish some texture.

Panko and Parmesan Roasted Shrimp and White Wine Roasted Tomatoes with Linguine
Source: Me

¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs (have more on hand, but you probably won’t need them)
¼ cup butter, melted
About 16 medium shrimp (I use frozen so there’s no cleaning involved)
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling,
3 large tomatoes, diced and seeded
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup cooking white wine
1 box linguine

Cook linguine according to package directions.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Put the chopped tomatoes and garlic into a cooking dish and pour the white wine over the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 15 minutes.
Dip each shrimp into the butter, then Panko breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet. Once this is done, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of each shrimp.
Roast the shrimp for 6-8 minutes, shrimp should be heated through and the cheese on top should be slightly browned (I put my shrimp in the oven during the last few minutes the tomatoes were roasting so everything could finish together)
To serve, place linguine on a plate, topped with tomato and white wine mixture, sprinkle with parmesan, and top with 4-5 pieces of shrimp.

Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing

2010-06-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

My family loves Chuy’s. We go there often and I never get tired of it. Although I usually eat so many chips that I usually don’t eat much of my main meal, I don’t complain. Why? Because we order our chips with the creamy jalapeno ranch and I just can’t stop dipping. It’s an addiction. I usually eat so much that 30 minutes after we leave I’m on the floor in a ball complaining about heartburn (it’s really not spicy, I just have a low intolerance for salsas/dips/etc, but don’t worry, I don’t stop eating them). But the next time I’m there, we order our extra dip and I polish off a basket (or two) of chips practically on my own.

Imagine my excitement when I saw a recipe on Big City Cooking similar to this ranch dip! Because it’s a dangerous thing to just have dip around the house, I decided to thin it out by adding more buttermilk and turn it into a salad dressing! It went great with the Taco Pasta Casserole.

Jalapeno Ranch Salad Dressing
Adapted from Big City Cooking

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a bowl mix the mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, chives, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving, I did find out that the longer it is refrigerated the better it tastes.

Taco Pasta Casserole

2010-06-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well Joelen’s Culinary Adventures has been popular in my kitchen lately. I know I’m using a lot of her recipes, but really, when I have so many successes with the food, then I’m not hesitant at all to try more!

I was excited to try this recipe because we love pasta. I make it A LOT and this seemed like a simple meal to try on a weeknight. It’s really not anything fancy, and all of the ingredients are our typical ingredients we use on a normal basis but it tastes so good. The only major change I made was I used elbow noodles instead of penne (it’s what was in the pantry). I also added cheddar cheese with the Colby Jack cheese since I had a bag I needed to use. This made a lot of pasta and since I’m really trying to have more meals on hand for busy nights and nights I don’t feel like cooking, I cut the casserole in half, and stuck the other half in the freezer.

Taco Pasta Casserole
Source: Adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures

1 box elbow noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I used homemade)
3 tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 ½ cup prepared salsa (you choose your own)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup Colby Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
Meanwhile, add the oil to a pan and saute onions until softened.
Add in the ground beef and cook until brown.
Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Continue to cook until vegetables soften. Add salsa then add salt & pepper to taste and continue to cook until salsa is heated (about 1-2 minutes).
In a greased baking dish add the pasta and sauce and mix to combine.
Top with the cheeses and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes before serving so that casserole is more firm and not as soupy.

Baja Chicken Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2010-06-14T09:15:00.000-07:00

I saw these tacos on Joelen’s blog and knew I had to give them a try! I use A LOT of Joelen’s recipes and I have never had a problem with them. So when I saw them, I knew they’d be a hit, and couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen to make them.

Let me tell you, the black bean and corn salsa is a must for these. It adds an enormous amount of flavor. And if you make it the night before, your job will be super easy the next day!

Baja Chicken Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Source: Adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures
Tacos:
6 skinless chicken breasts tenderloins, boiled and cut in bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tbsp Sazon seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
corn tortillas
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Black Bean & Corn Salsa:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 cup dried black beans
2 corn on the cobs
1 avocado diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced

To make the tacos:
Combine the chicken, all of the seasonings, fresh lime juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large bowl. Mix to season all of the chicken.
In a skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the seasoned chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through.
Remove from heat.
Heat tortillas in a skillet.

To make black bean and corn salsa:
This can be done the night before but I would recommend adding the avocado in at the last minute to avoid it browning.
Soak beans overnight, strain, and then add beans to a small pot of water (should cover beans) and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce heat, cover for 20-30 minutes until soft. Strain beans and cool before adding to salsa.
Next, scrape the corn off of the cobs and set aside.
Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl that has a lid.
Cover with lid, and shake until ingredients are well mixed.
In another bowl, mix beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro. Pour lime dressing over the vegetables. Stir to combine.

Fill a tortilla with chicken, salsa, sour cream, and cheese and enjoy!

Homemade Refried Beans

2010-05-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

So I’ve tried not to use so much canned food, and I’m trying to cook with more “fresh foods.” It’s a bit more time consuming, but if I actually plan ahead, I can get things prepared so I’m doing so much the night of.

I have no real reason for doing this. Sure, I like to think we’re eating less preservatives, and yes, Food Rules by Michael Pollan made me realize how much garbage goes into canned food, and of course, I feel better about not consuming as much sodium (although I do still eat out so I’m sure I’m getting more sodium than necessary at those places). I guess my justification is that if I’m cutting it out of my cooking, then at least I’m consuming less than before. But honestly, I do it because it’s a challenge. I like to say, “Yes I made this, and yes, it’s all FRESH ingredients.” Ha, so I suppose it’s for bragging rights. But ultimately, I’m cooking more fresh (I won’t say completely, because that’s not the case) and that has to be good for me!

So this long introduction all to say I made homemade refried beans!! I was leery to try it, but the flavor was so great, and since I used a crockpot, this didn’t consume too much of my time. This is where planning ahead really helped, it’s not something I could decided to make last minute. The pinto beans recipe is all my own, and then I just looked up instructions how to get them to the “refried” state. I found a variety of methods, but integrated them all to come up with my own.

Homemade Refried Beans
Source: My Own Recipe and Google
1/2 cup dried pinto bean
3-4 slices of bacon
Salt to taste (about 2 tbsp)
Garlic powder (about 2 tbsp)
Sazon Seasoning (about 3 tbsp)
Water
2 tbsp oil

Sort through pinto beans to make sure there are no rocks in the mix. Put in a bowl and fill up about 3 inches above and let soak overnight. The next morning rinse the beans and put in a crockpot and cover with about 4 inches of water.

Add the bacon and seasoning and put on low for 6-8 hours.

This is where your taste preferences will be necessary. Taste the beans and add/adjust seasonings as necessary to your taste. I like LOTS of flavor in my beans so I added additional Sazon.

When the seasoning is adjusted, then strain the beans (do not rinse at this point!) and if you see any large pieces of bacon, remove them (I let the small pieces stayed in for texture)

Using a skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the beans and add a little water at a time to keep the beans from drying out. There isn’t an exact measurement, I would just mash and add if it was needed. I used maybe an 1/8th of a cup. I used the back of a spoon to mash, but I imagine a potato masher would be really helpful. Mash until your desired texture (I left some whole beans in mine). Remove from heat and serve warm!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-05-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

I don’t have food-season rules. If it’s cold outside and I want barbecue food, barbecue is what I’ll have. If it’s a hot Texas summer day (those start in about April for those unsure of just how long our summers really are) and I’m craving soup, well then, I’m fixing soup. Husband said the other day that he was going to “miss my soups.” I asked where they going and when I realized he figured hot summers equal less soup, I just laughed and assured him that I don’t believe in soupless summers.

So imagine how happy I was that I found this chicken tortilla soup at the Centsational Girl blog! I sure would be disappointed if I only made soups in the winter because I live in Texas, that may not happen until November.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Source: Adapted from Centsational Girl
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 32-ounce boxes of chicken broth
Homemade Taco Seasoning
1 tbsp taco sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3/4 tsp ground cumin
4 chicken breasts
½ cup water
1 onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 ½ cups carrots, diced
1 ½ cups corn
4 corn tortillas
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded

In a large pot, cook onion, celery and jalapeno in 1 tbsp vegetable oil for about 3 minutes on medium low.
Add chicken broth to the pot and about a ½ cup of water.
Next, add carrots, corn, tomato paste, taco sauce, and cumin.
Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, then reduce heat to low.
While that’s simmering, coat your chicken breasts in taco seasoning.
Put your chicken under the broiler and broil for about 6-8 minutes, or until they are cooked through.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the soup.
Cook soup on medium for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While your soup cooks, cut your corn tortillas into thin strips.
Put in pan with 1 tbsp vegetable oil, and stir on medium heat until lightly browned.
Serve by topping with corn tortilla strips, and shredded cheese.

Peach and Pepper Habanero Sauce Stir-Fry

2010-05-26T07:11:00.000-07:00

I love farmers markets. They’re fun and even though I may pay a bit more to shop there, I like knowing that I am getting fresh, in season veggies, and I know who grew them. I’ve only been to our local one, but Mom and I (she’s my market buddy) plan on going once a month (our schedule doesn’t allow too much more). This last time that I went I bought a lot of vegetables and fruit (they had peaches!!) and I came home and froze them and I’m still getting great use out of them 2 weeks later! I can’t wait for our June shopping trip.

Along with fruits and vegetables I also love buying the salsas and jellies and sauces! It’s great that I get to sample them first so I know that I’m going to love the one I buy. I bought a peach and pepper habanero sauce from there and knew right away that I was going to do a chicken stir-fry. It reminded me a little of a sweet and sour chicken taste with a little bit of spice in it. It turned out fantastic and I know I’m buying more (probably a different flavor-there’s a raspberry chipotle that I’m dying to cook with).

Peach and Pepper Habanero Chicken Stir-Fry
1 bottle of peach and pepper habanero sauce (you can sub this with any sauce you choose to stir-fry with)
½ cup peas
½ cup corn
¾ cup squash, sliced
½ cup carrots, thinly sliced
2 handfuls of fresh green beans, trimmed, and cut into thirds
Any other vegetables you feel like throwing in
2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
salt and pepper to taste
oil for stir frying

Pour oil into skillet and heat on medium heat (I just go around the pan twice with the oil).
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add into the pan. Cook until cooked through. Put chicken aside.
Add the veggies to the same pan and stir-fry until crisp tender (about 4-5 minutes, depending on the amount of vegetables you use).
Pour chicken back into the skillet with the vegetables and add the sauce, continually stir until the sauce is heated through.
Serve over white rice.

Taco Seasoning

2010-05-25T07:21:00.000-07:00

This recipe is super simple, but great to keep on hand! No more buying a package of taco seasoning since it calls for ingredients I have on hand already! Plus, you can adjust the flavor by changing the measurements of the spices you include.

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Source: All Recipes

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all of the seasonings together and store in an airtight container.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchillada

2010-05-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

I’m always very hesitant to cook Mexican food. For some reason I’m just not confident with it (or it could be because of where I live there are plenty of Mexican restaurants to fulfill my craving) but I’m forcing myself to get past that and just try. I found this recipe on Joelen’s Culinary Adventures (I’m a total addict to her blog, go check it out!) and I figured I could give it a try.

It was simple and tasted great, but I may swap out the flour tortillas for corn next time, because I love corn tortillas!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchilladas

Source: Adapted from Joelen’s Culinary Adventure

1 bunch cilantro

1 cup light sour cream

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 large jar of green salsa

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and shredded

12 flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

In a blender mix the cilantro, sour cream, jalapeno and 1/2 of the green salsa and puree. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, onion and the remaining green salsa.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat tortillas in microwave oven until soft.

Pour a portion of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat the bottom.

Place 2 large spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place fold side down in the dish.

Pour remaining sour cream mixture over all and top with shredded cheese.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until dish is heated through and cheese is completely melted.

Roasted Chicken Breast with Balsamic Bell Peppers

2010-05-07T09:23:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on the Novice Chef’s blog (seriously, check this site out, this girl makes AMAZING food and her pictures are oh so pretty).

Husband and I are huge chicken eaters so I’m always on the lookout for new chicken recipes. The flavor of this chicken is amazing and adding the bell peppers on top was the perfect fit. I would love to make these bell peppers just as a side dish because they were so full of flavor it is ridiculous (how many times will I say flavor in this post?)

Roasted Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Bell Peppers
Source: adapted from The Novice Chef
¾ tsp salt
¾ tsp fennel seed (I will probably skip this next time, not a huge fan of fennel)
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced red bell pepper
1 cup sliced yellow bell pepper

1 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 cup chicken broth 1
tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450°.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano in a medium bowl.
Pour 1 1/2 teaspoons oil onto the chicken.
Sprinkle the spice rub over chicken.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan and add the chicken.
Cook the chicken for 3 minutes on one side (or until browned) and turn chicken over, cooking for 1 minute.
Arrange chicken in a well sprayed baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes or until done (mine took about 12 minutes so I would suggest start checking at ten minutes).
Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add bell peppers and rosemary to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.
Add the chicken broth, scraping the pans to lift any brown pieces.
Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Increase the heat back to medium high and stir in the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring often.
Serve bell pepper mixture over each piece of chicken.

Fresh Spring Chicken Pot

2010-04-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Aren’t one pot meals wonderful? It saves on dishes and all you have to do is fix some rolls and serve it all in a bowl! I am usually pretty drawn to these types of recipes.

I made this recipe a while back (pre-blogging) so I was excited to fix it again to share with my few readers (thank you to those of you who read this, by the way). Plus, it’s spring so all of these veggies are fresh and ready to be turned into amazing dinners!

Fresh Spring Chicken Pot
Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, cut in half, leave one side in the half and the dice the other half
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp butter
1 baking potato, peeled and cut in small cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 pieces of celery, sliced
2 handfuls of fresh green beans, tips cut off and cut into 2 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
3 tbsp flour
2/3 cup dried white wine
1 ½ cup chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp dried tarragon
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cream

Fill a large pot about half full and boil the chicken and onion half (not the diced ones) until chicken is cooked through.
Remove chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces. Put boiled chicken and onion to the side. Pour out the water and put the pot back on the stove on medium heat.
Add the butter to the pot.
Once it’s melted add the vegetables and stir to combine. Cover the pot for 5 minutes.
After the 5 minutes, add the wine and scrape any brown bits that may have formed and cook for 1 minute.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the flour and stir again.
Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Stir in the tarragon and mustard and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Add the boiled chicken and onion and the milk and cover and cook until milk is heated through. If vegetables aren’t as soft as you would like, cover, and continue simmering. If you start to lose liquid just add more chicken broth.
Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Artichoke Puffs

2010-04-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

I always wanted to make appetizers. I’ve played around with the idea to plan an appetizers dinner for us one night so I can make all of those appetizers I’ve bookmarked and never really made.

I don’t like making new things for parties or potlucks (though I usually do) because it’s stressful and I’m never quite happy with the results. So, I decided, once a week, I’m going to try making an appetizer at home to see if I like the results, if so, I’ll file it away so next time there’s a get-together I’ll have something tasty and finger-foodish to bring!

My first one was Artichoke Puffs that I found in my Google Reader. These were super easy to make, and I loved eating them! The only problem? I halved this recipe and it was still A LOT and we’ll never eat them all (which will be perfect when the time comes to make them for an event). The original recipe made 3 dozen and I halved it and made almost 20!….Looks like I’ll be throwing them out pretty soon.

Artichoke Puffs
Source: Adapted from Jaime Cooks
½ pound phyllo pastry sheets
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup green onions, diced
½ cup Swiss cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together all of the ingredients (leaving a little extra cheese to sprinkle on top).
Cut each pastry sheet into squares (about to 2-3 inches on each side).
I layered a few squares of the pastry sheets together (because they were very thin) and press them into a greased mini-muffin tin, forming little cups.
Spoon in a spoonful of artichoke mixture into each pastry cup, top with some cheese, and bake 5-10 minutes, or until edges begin to turn a golden-brown.
You can eat these hot or cold, I preferred them warm, Husband ate them cold.
For instructions on reheating or freezing, please visit Jaime Cooks.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-04-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

I don’t cook breakfast very often. The main reason is because we both leave at different times during the week, and Husband isn’t too fond of eating too early in the morning. Plus, there is no way I’m waking up early to cook. I just won’t do it. So, I try to make our breakfast days on Saturdays. I can get up at 8:30, make breakfast, and still have time to get everything else done.

This week, I wanted blueberry muffins. So, I found this recipe on All Recipes and got ready to cook. I didn’t do the large muffins, I just did regular sized muffins. I turned on America’s Next Top Model, listened to the rain outside and started cooking. It just felt so nice to cook that morning! I also made extras so I could take them to my parents, but the rain started coming down harder, and then it turned into a flash flood warning, and my mom called and asked me to stay home (their area floods pretty easily). So instead, we snacked on blueberry muffins throughout the day (I really only made a dozen so it wasn’t an outrageous amount).

These are especially good because of the topping I made for the top gave the muffin a crispy top, but fluffy middle!

Blueberry Muffins
Source: Adapted from All Recipes
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup white sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen and thawed them about halfway before using)
Topping:
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease muffin cups.
Combine 1 ½ cups flour, ¾ cup sugar, salt and baking powder.
In a separate bowl combine the oil, egg, milk and whisk with flour mixture.
Mix in the blueberries.
Fill muffin cups almost all the way to the top (otherwise they come out really flat) and top with the topping.
How to make the topping:
Put butter on a plate and pour on the sugar and cinnamon.
Smash with a fork until pretty combined and put a little on each top of the muffin.
This will give the muffin a nice crispy top.
Bake for 20 minutes, check to see if they are done, if not, cook 5 more minutes.

Homemade Tomato Soup with Parmesan Crisps

2010-04-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I asked for an immersion blender and my mom and dad bought me one! Since then I have really been wanting to make some tomato soup and I never got around to doing so.

This week I finally went out, searched for a great recipe, and then put it on our menu. Tuesday night I came home from work, very excited about cooking, and got started right away. My word. I was not disappointed!! It was thick, creamy, and so delicious! I can never go back to the canned soup again!!

For the parmesan crisps that I put on top, I just spread grated parmesan cheese on a baking sheet and baked at 375 degrees for 2 minutes. I let them set for about 30 seconds (enough to harden some) and then I put them into a mini cupcake pan to give them that round bowl shape. It's a great addition to the soup. I got the idea to do this from my Martha Stewart Cooking School book.

Homemade Tomato Soup
Source: Adapted From Food Network

2 cans Plain Diced Tomatoes
¾ cup Olive Oil Salt and Pepper
1 cup Shredded Carrots
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, diced
1 cup Chicken Broth
2 Bay Leaves
2 tbsp Butter
1/2 cup 1% Milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Drain the tomatoes, but keep the juice.
Spread the tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and ¼ cup olive oil and roast for about 15 minutes.
In a saucepan heat remaining oil over medium heat and add the carrot, onion, and garlic and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the roasted tomatoes, tomato juices, broth, bay leaf, and butter.
Bring to a simmer and keep it there until vegetables become very soft, about 15 minutes.
Add basil leaves and cream and puree with an immersion blender (you can pour into a regular blender if you don’t have an immersion) and puree until smooth.
*If it is too thick, add a little more broth, I ended up adding about 1/4 cup more to thin it out some.

Sauteed Shrimp with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

2010-04-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

I’m finally back in the kitchen and finally cooking new meals again! I found this recipe on a blog called The Southern Gourmand a little while ago and was intrigued because it was a “budget bite.” I’m always up for inexpensive meals that don’t taste inexpensive! She said the original recipe called for chicken, but she used shrimp and since Husband and I are huge shrimp lovers, I went this route too.

Sauteed Shrimp with Grape Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Source: Adapted from the Southern Gourmand

½ pound frozen shrimp (already peeled and deveined), thawed
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 carton (about 10 ounces) of grape tomatoes, washed and halved
3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra to sauté with
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp paprika Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper, to tastes
2 garlic cloves, minced

Mix cumin, paprika, oil, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Pour half of it in another medium bowl.
In one bowl add chickpeas, tomatoes and garlic to the oil mix and stir well.
In the other bowl, add the shrimp, mix well, set aside.
Pour the chickpea mixture into a sauté pan and cook over medium-high heat until tomatoes begin to lose their shape and chickpeas are warmed through.
Add the shrimp and continue to cook until shrimp are heated through.
I served this with rice and salad.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

2010-03-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

Husband and I aren’t big seafood eaters. We typically avoid most fish and we never cook it at home. However, (you had to know there was a however coming) we are HUGE shrimp lovers. We love it all ways and we order it whenever we have a chance (and when it’s in our budget of course). So imagine how excited I was when I found this recipe for Baked Shrimp Scampi in my Google Reader! I starred it right away and couldn’t wait until it came up in my rotations to cook. Husband was cute and kept raving about how great they were. I HIGHLY recommend this recipe if you like shrimp at all!!

Baked Shrimp Scampi
Source: adapted from Pink Parsley which was adapted from Ina Garten

1 pound of frozen jumbo shrimp, thawed
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons white wine
salt and pepper
¾ stick of butter
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup minced shallots
1 tsp dried rosemary
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I didn’t half this because I wanted a little more of a bite to it)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 egg yolk
½ cup Panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Butterfly the shrimp (cut along the curve of the back of the shrimp, enough to help them stand up).
Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and add the oil, wine, salt and pepper and toss. Set the bowl aside.
In another bowl mash the butter with the garlic, shallots, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, egg yolk, and bread crumbs.
Using a pie plate, place the shrimp around the edges, standing up with tails curled towards the center. Pour the rest of the marinade over the shrimp.
Using a spoon, drop a spoonful of the butter mixture on each piece of shrimp.
Bake the shrimp 7-9 minutes (or until cooked through) and place in the broiler for 1-2 minutes until butter mixture begins to brown.

Sour Cream Rice

2010-03-22T12:15:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on a blog a few months ago and I bookmarked it. I constantly made a note to make it but I never got around to it. I finally made it this past week and LOVED it!! Husband really liked it too and we were excited that we had leftovers to constantly pull out during the week.

Sour Cream Rice
Source: Carrie's Sweet Life

1 cup uncooked white rice
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream
1 can diced green chiles
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (split in half)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
(She uses cilantro, but I'm not a huge fan so I omitted it, you can visit her blog to see how she used it!)

In a pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes (or until rice is done coooking
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Once rice is done cooking, mix in the sour cream, green chiles, 1/2 of the cheese, and the corn.
Pour into a greased casserole dish and top with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.

M&M's Brownies

2010-03-18T08:11:00.000-07:00

The other night Husband bought me a huge bag of M&M's (one of my favorite candies) and I knew I could sit down and eat them all (which I didn’t want to do). I wanted something sweet for dessert so I pulled out this Basic Brownie recipe and decided to pour the M&M’s in the batter!! This way, I’d eat one brownie and still get some M&M's but I wouldn’t be stuck eating the entire bag (genius right?). These are fun to make and even more fun to look at (so much color!).

M&M's Brownies
Source: Basic Brownie Recipe (Rachel Ray) adapted with M&M's by me!

Basic Brownie Recipe
1 Large Bag of M&Ms.

Make the batter as instructed in brownie recipe.
Mix in the M&Ms, reserving some for the top.
About a minute prior to being finished, sprinkle on the rest of the M&Ms and finish baking. The candy on top won’t sink into the batter so it’ll look awesome when you serve it!

King Ranch Chicken

2010-03-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

I know casseroles seem to be so yesterday but I still love them. First, they’re convenient and I don’t have to make a lot of additional sides. Plus, they usually go a long way. A casserole can last two days for the two of us. And finally, they just taste good. My biggest issue with casseroles? I just can’t seem to take a very good picture of them.

King Ranch Chicken is one of those dishes that doesn’t take a lot of effort, and doesn’t require a lot of extra seasonings, but still tastes so good! I haven’t made it in over a year and I can’t remember why. It’s definitely going in my rotations more often!

There are lot of variations and recipes for this casserole and I got mine so long ago offline that I can’t remember where I found it.

My casserole dish was too big so my casserole came out thin. If you’re following this exact recipe (measurement wise) then I would recommend using a 9x9 dish to get a thick casserole.

King Ranch Chicken
Source: A website ages ago

2-3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ white onion, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can rotel tomatoes
salt and pepper
6-7 corn tortillas torn into pieces (you may need a few more if you run out so have a few on hand)
1/3 cup of Mexican blend cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Saute onions and peppers with salt and pepper for 2-3 minutes.
Add the soup and tomatoes and chicken and cook on medium low for another 2-3 minutes (or until soups are heated through).
Layer a greased casserole dish with a bottom layer of shredded tortillas. Pour 1/3 of the soup mixture over the tortillas. Create another layer of tortillas with another 1/3 of the soup, and one last layer of tortillas and then the rest of the soup.
Top the casserole with cheese and bake, uncovered for 20-25 minutes (or until cheese is melted and bubbly).
I would recommend that you let this sit for at least five minutes, otherwise it will be really soupy.

Vegetable Sushi Rolls

2010-03-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

On my 25 Kitchen Challenges While I’m 25 I listed that I want to make sushi one night. My mom and I always pick up California Rolls whenever we grocery shop and eat them on the way home. I figured they couldn’t be too hard to make and headed to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick up a sushi rolling mat. It only costs four dollars for a mat and a rice paddle (I didn’t need this but it came together) so I picked up some fun chopsticks to eat with too! I didn’t want to do California Rolls (rice on the outside, seaweed on the inside) because that seemed a bit more challenging. I went with more of a traditional roll, minus the fish. Instead, we used cucumber and carrots and they had such a great, light taste! Perfect for the warm weather we had yesterday!!

Sushi Rolls
Source: Based off of many that I have tried and the instruction packet that came with the mat (gave me the basics for rolling).

Sushi Rice
(this is important because it’s generally more sticky than regular long grain rice). Many recipes called for rice vinegar and sugar as well to make the rice more sticky, but mine was fine the way it was. If you wanted to try it with the sugar and vinegar, you can google “Sushi Rice Recipes” and you can find them there. I did add a little rice vinegar (about 2 tsps) to wet the rice some (I made my rice in the morning and stuck it in the fridge and it was a little stuck together). You can make as much rice as you would like, depending on how many rolls you plan to make. I do recommend making the rice ahead of time since it needs to be cool to work with.
Cucumbers and Carrots, cut into matchsticks (you can use any filling you would like) 1 Package of Flat Roasted Seaweed
Soy Sauce, for serving

Lay Sushi Mat down and place a piece of seaweed on it, rough side up.
Take a few scoops of rice and press it flat onto the seaweed, making sure the rice almost meets the edges.
In the middle of the rice, lay a line of cucumbers and carrots (or whatever you’re using to fill it) down so when you roll it, there are both vegetables peeking out of both ends.
Using your mat roll the seaweed into a tight cylinder.
Remove the mat and cut the roll into smaller roles, the size you choose is up to you. Because this was dinner, I made mine a little thicker.
**Cutting tip: I used a serrated knife and cut in a sawing motion so I wouldn’t put too much pressure on the roll, causing everything to squeeze out.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

2010-02-19T06:39:00.000-08:00

For my birthday my wonderful parents bought me an ice cream maker!! I’ve wanted one for a few months now so I was very excited to unwrap it on my birthday (it was a total surprise, they were just going to give me money to put towards one but instead they bought it for me!) Because I’m a nerd, I can never just start out with plain vanilla. I had to try something better than that (however, now I really want to learn how to do vanilla so I can play with all the different mix-ins!).

After searching for a few days (no joke) I found this chocolate peanut butter ice cream recipe on Annie’s Eats. Oh my word. This was fantastic. I was leery at first because my ice cream maker didn’t seem to be making ice cream correctly. But once I was patient and let it work (patience isn’t my strongest characteristic) it turned out fantastic. The peanut butter flavor was strong and balanced out with the chocolate perfectly. Next time I plan on doubling the recipe. I highly recommend it!!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Source: Annie’s Eats
2 cups Half-and-Half
1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Combine the half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a sauce pan and whisk.
Heat the mixture and bring to a full boil, whisking frequently (Annie says that the mixture will start to foam up which is a perfect way to describe this).
Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter until melted.
Chill the mixture. Once it is no longer warm add it to your ice cream maker and follow the maker’s instructions.

Shrimp Creole

2010-02-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

I haven’t been in the kitchen to cook in FOREVER. I’m not even kidding. It’s been pretty bad. But that’s okay because I was able to cook last night and that made me happy! I pulled out an old recipe that I haven’t used in over a year for Shrimp Creole. I mean, it’s OLD. I have no idea where it originated from or where I found it. But it still turned out great and Husband was so glad to have a home cooked meal in the middle of the week again. Unfortunately, I get to cook Friday and then that’s it until middle of March. But starting in March, I’m back in the kitchen and I cannot wait!

I’m going to blame my lack of presence in the kitchen for this awful picture. We couldn’t wait to eat so the steam interfered and my picture is blurry.

Shrimp Creole
Source: I don’t remember where it started.

Shrimp, I used about 30 already peeled and deveined frozen shrimp
2 16 oz cans of Tomato Sauce
2 16 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
¼ cup of Hot Sauce of your choice (I used a milder one, but if you’re using a really spicy one I would only use about an 1/8 of a cup)
3 stalks of Celery, diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Yellow Onion, diced
½ cup Green Onions, diced
1 clove Garlic, diced
Salt
Pepper
White Rice, cooked (used for serving so you can prepare as much as you’d like)

Combine all of the ingredients except the shrimp in a saucepan and cook on medium high. Bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes.
Lower heat and add shrimp.
Simmer until shrimp are cooked through (since I use frozen I cook until they are no longer frozen, about 3 minutes).
Serve over rice and enjoy!

25 Kitchen Challenges While I'm 25

2010-02-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

I heard from another girl who was making a list for 30 things she wanted to make while she was 30. With my 25th birthday right around the corner, I thought I could do something similar. Here’s my list for 25 things I want to try to make while I’m 25. These are things I haven’t made before but I want to try this year!

1. Pan Seared Scallops
~~2. Sushi Rolls~~
3. Croissants
4. Homemade Cherry Pie
~~5. Homemade Ice Cream~~
6. Biscotti
7. Homemade Rolls
8. Homemade Sandwich Bread
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Banana Bread
11. Black Forest Cake
12. Perfect Roast Chicken
13. Baked Beans
14. Crepes
15. Egg Rolls
16. Fruit Salsa
17. Gingerbread
18. Recreate some restaurant dish
19. Tilapia
20. Cheese ball
21. Perfect chocolate chip cookies
22. Frittata
23. Homemade Pasta
~~24. Create a creative finger food~~
25. Bruschetta with tomato and basil

Chicken Skillet Over Multi Colored Spiral Noodles

2010-02-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago Mom and I stumbled across a recipe for Chicken Noodle Soup without the soup. It was really good and I loved it whenever she made it. A few years back I found a recipe that was sort of along the same lines but it added a can of tomatoes to make it more of a pasta dish but used the same egg noodles. I loved this recipe and used it a lot and each time I would do something different with it whether it was changing the pasta or vegetables. It’s just like a traditional pasta dish and there isn’t anything phenomenal about this dish, except that it tastes great and is simple to make! I served it over multicolored spiral noodles this time because it looked so pretty and colorful!

Chicken Skillet Over Multi-Colored Spiral Noodles
Source: Adapted from DWLZ

Thin Chicken Tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
2 stalks of Celery, diced
2 Carrots, diced
1 Yellow Onion, diced
1 can Diced Tomatoes
1 small can Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 bag of Multi Colored Spiral Noodles

Prepare noodles as directed on package.
Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Once heated, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.
Add in the vegetables (not the canned tomatoes) and sauté until they become slightly soft (about five minutes).
Add in the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Once it begins to boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer until noodles are cooked through and you are ready to eat!

Caramel Corn

2010-01-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

I adore my new Whirley Pop. I have used it so many times and I love coming up with new ideas to flavor my popcorn. Husband has been wanting me to try caramel corn so I found a recipe on Annie’s Eats that seemed simple enough and I gave it a try. It turned out really great!! We ate the entire bowl and both decided that homemade caramel corn is MUCH better than store bought. Since it was just the two of us I cut the recipe in half.

Caramel Corn
Source: Annie’s Eats
1/2 cup Popcorn Kernels, unpopped
1 stick of Butter
¼ cup Karo Syrup
1 cup Lightly Packed Brown Sugar
½ tsp Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Pop the kernels using your usual method. Put popped popcorn in a large bowl.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
While it’s preheating, melt the butter in a saucepan on top of the stove.
Once melted, mix in the Karo Syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, frequently stirring.
Once it boils, let boil for 5 minutes without stirring.
Remove from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla.
Pour the mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat (Annie recommends using salad tongs to assist, and I agree, GREAT help!)
Spread the popcorn in an even layer on parchment lined baking sheets (I had to use two).
Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, check to see if popcorn is crispy. If not, allow 5 more minutes. This shouldn’t be soggy, or soft.
Allow popcorn to cool and then break apart.

Red Wine Chicken Topped With Spinach Leaves

2010-01-25T08:03:00.000-08:00

I had plans of making something different for dinner. I had the recipe and Husband and I were both excited about eating dinner that night. Then it came time to cook and I realized that I bought nothing for it. I had two of the six ingredients. I honestly don’t know how that happened. So I had to wing it. I rummaged through my pantry and vegetable drawer and came up with Red Wine Chicken Topped with Spinach Leaves. It turned out great so I can’t complain about the recipe switch! Plus, this allowed me to create a new recipe for us! I served it with Lemon Pepper Broccoli and White Rice cooked in chicken broth.

Red Wine Chicken Topped with Spinach Leaves
Source: Me

4 Chicken Breasts
Flour for dredging
3 tbsp Olive Oil
3/4 cup Red Cooking Wine
½ cup Spinach Leaves, washed and torn
Salt and Pepper

Season each chicken breast with a little salt and pepper and coat each side in flour.
Heat oil in a skillet.
When heated, add each piece of chicken, cooking until browned on each side (2-3 minutes each)
Pour in red wine and continue cooking until cooked through.
Remove chicken and add in spinach leaves and cook for about one minute.
Scrape the pan and pour sauce over chicken, be sure to get a few pieces of spinach on top of each chicken breast.

Prosciutto Wrapped Green Beans

2010-01-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

A few years back I went to dinner and someone fixed bacon wrapped green beans. They were so good!! But I forgot all about them and never fixed them. Recently I saw a recipe where someone made pancetta wrapped green beans and the memories came rushing back and I remembered I wanted to do some sort of meat wrapped green beans. I knew I didn’t want to do bacon and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try the pancetta ones. I perused the deli and saw prosciutto (I’m currently in love with this salty meat!). I knew right away that this would be perfect! If you do choose to use prosciutto though, I highly recommend that you do not salt the green beans! The meat is salty enough and adding anymore would just be an overkill. I recommend using fresh green beans but my store was all out so I bought a bag of frozen green beans and just thawed them out. They worked just fine.

Prosciutto Wrapped Green Beans
Inspired By: Norfolk Cooking Examiner
1 bag Frozen Green Beans, thawed
1/4 pound Prosciutto, thinly sliced
Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and move a rack to the upper third of the oven.
Take 5-6 green beans, bunch together and wrap a piece of prosciutto around them.
Lay each bundle on a baking sheet, seam side down.
Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven until crispy, usually about 15 minutes.

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

2010-01-11T10:50:00.001-08:00

When I used to work at a daycare back in college we used to make “Puppy Chow” for snack time. Recently, I was craving it and decided to make some for us to have as a snack. The taste is so good and I couldn’t stop grabbing for more!

This is so simple and funny that I’m posting it to my blog, but hey, who says recipes have to be complex or unusual? These are easy to make and can be great for kids or even just for you as a snack to have on hand!

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

Source: Chex Mix

6 cups Chex Mix

½ cup Chocolate Chips

¼ cup Peanut Butter

1/8 cup Butter

½ tsp Vanilla

¾ cup Powdered Sugar

In a microwavable bowl microwave chocolate, peanut butter, and butter until it is completely melted, checking every minute. Add vanilla to the bowl.

Pour cereal into the bowl and stir until completely covered in chocolate.

Pour into a large ziplock bag and add in the powdered sugar. Seal the bag and shake until powdered sugar is coating all of the chocolate chex.

Pour onto wax paper and cool.

Baked Orzo

2010-01-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

Last night was crazy. I worked longer hours than I usually do so I came home and started cooking right away. I usually like to sit for a few minutes but because it was already so late, I had no rest time. That’s where this side dish became really helpful. I prepared it first and popped it into the oven for the 30 minutes that it required. Since that’s all it involved I was able to forget about it and clean up a bit before preparing the main dish. It’s really helpful to have side dishes that I can put in the oven while I cook the rest of the meal!!

Baked Orzo
Source: Adapted from Just Pasta Recipes

1 small box of Orzo, cooked
2 Eggs, beaten
¼ cup Bread Crumbs
¼ cup Pesto
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
¼ tsp Pepper
1 large Tomato, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 cup Chopped Frozen Spinach, thawed and squeezed dried
15 oz can Garbanzo Beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
MIx all of the ingredients together and pour into a greased casserole dish.
Cook for 30 minutes, it should be heated through and the top should be starting to brown.

Chex Party Mix

2010-01-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

I've always like buying Chex Party Mix for a snack. Recently, I've also really liked learning how to make different varieties. I can start with the cereal and by adding different ingredients to it I can change the flavor and style. I can make sweet or savory, full or crunchy ingredients, or even soft ingredients. I made this particular one for New Year's Eve because it travels well and it's great to leave out and munch all night on it.

Savory Chex Party Mix
Source: Adapted from Cooks.com
6 tbsp Butter
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups Chex, any flavor
1 cup Peanuts
2 cups Mini Pretzel Rods
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Heat butter until melted and mix in Worcestershire sauce and Chili powder.
Mix in Chex, peanuts, and pretzels and toss to coat.
Spread on a baking sheet and bake 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Take out of oven and cool

Vegetable Tian

2010-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

Dinner was an experience a few nights ago. I decided to roast my first chicken which was more stress than it was worth. I didn’t plan the meal correctly (I didn’t check the time per pound thing) and all of my sides finished waaaaaay earlier than the chicken. Needless to say I had a breakdown, called my mom terribly upset and then ate dinner. I wasn’t too thrilled to eat the chicken after I stressed so much about it but Husband loved it so that made me feel somewhat better. The vegetables were phenomenal though! It was nice to change things up from the usual single vegetable side dish. I found this recipe in my Martha Stewart Cooking School Cookbook and I was intrigued to try it right away. So I did!

Vegetable Tian
Martha Stewart Cooking School
6 tbsp Olive Oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 small Eggplant, thinly sliced
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
3 Tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 Yellow Onions, thinly sliced
1 head of Garlic, cloves separated and peeled
Fresh Herbs
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of a stoneware cooking dish.
Layer vegetables in the dish, overlapping and layering them.
Scatter garlic cloves and fresh herbs on top.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over vegetables.
Drizzle olive oil over all of the vegetables.
Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, remove from the oven, drizzle with olive oil (can use oil from the dish or fresh oil if you don’t have a way to get the oil, such as a baster).
Put back in the oven and cook for 20 more minutes or until vegetables have wilted down and started to brown (see picture for how vegetables should look).

Peanut Butterscotch Fondue

2009-12-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

While Husband and I were dating I kept obsessing over the idea of having a fondue party. I planned menus, food suggestions, themes, etc. The one thing I didn’t have was a fondue pot. I know this can be done on the stove, but I loved the idea of the fondue pot sitting in the middle of the table with the forks, bowls, and even a little flame lit underneath it. Well, Husband caught on to my not-so-subtle hints and bought an AWESOME fondue pot for Christmas that same year. I’m not going to lie, I’ve used it maybe 3 times since then (it’s been about 2 years) and I’ve never had a fondue party. However, I still love my little pot (even though one of the bowls broke) and I still think that one day, I will have a fondue party…One day.

Last week I was feeling all holidayish and romantic so I cooked an awesome meal of Butter Poached Shrimp, Roasted Lemon Pepper Broccoli, and Parmesan Herbed Orzo. After dinner I made Peanut Butterscotch Fondue and we cuddled on the couch and watched Just Married. I need to remember how much fun fondue is! It makes a regular dessert feel like an occasion. As much as I’d like to proclaim that I will make fondue at least once a month, I know that it isn’t true. I’d like for it to be, but it just isn’t feasible for me (mainly the cleaning up part).

I hope you use this recipe, pull out your old fondue pots (or pots for the stove) and have a nice night in.

Peanut Butterscotch Fondue
Source: Rachel Ray

¾ cup Milk
2 bags of Butterscotch Chips (11 ounce bags)
1 cup Smooth Peanut Butter
Fondue Dippers (I used apples, marshmallows, and pretzels)

Heat the milk on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Stir in butterscotch chips and stir until melted and smooth (takes about 7-10 minutes)
Stir in peanut butter and stir until smooth.
Pour into fondue pot and enjoy!

Parmesan Herbed Orzo

2009-12-22T07:24:00.000-08:00

Dinner was phenomenal. I know that sounds a little conceited but it honestly was one of those meals that I am so proud of myself for making. After the first bite I looked at Husband and said “My mouth is so happy.” No joke. Every flavor came out just right and worked so well with the opposing flavors. It took about 25 minutes to completely cook everything which wasn’t too bad at all.

I plan on putting each dish in a separate entry simply because if you’re searching for a recipe (I like to think that people actually get on my blog and search for a recipe) it’ll make the search easier. I will cheat and put the same picture up for each entry though!

((Link to Lemon Pepper Broccoli, Link to Butter Poached Shrimp))

Parmesan Herbed Orzo
Source: Sunny Anderson
2 ½ cups Orzo
1 clove Garlic, minced
¼ of White Onion, chopped
1 tbsp Dried Parsley
1 Lemon, juice and zest
1 tbsp Olive Oil
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Salt
Pepper

Prepare the orzo according to package.
Combine all other ingredients in a bowl.
When orzo is finished cooking and drained, combine with remaining ingredients, stir to coat well.

Roasted Lemon Pepper Broccoli

2009-12-22T07:16:00.000-08:00

Dinner was phenomenal. I know that sounds a little conceited but it honestly was one of those meals that I am so proud of myself for making. After the first bite I looked at Husband and said “My mouth is so happy.” No joke. Every flavor came out just right and worked so well with the opposing flavors. It took about 25 minutes to completely cook everything which wasn’t too bad at all.

I plan on putting each dish in a separate entry simply because if you’re searching for a recipe (I like to think that people actually get on my blog and search for a recipe) it’ll make the search easier. I will cheat and put the same picture up for each entry though!

((Link to Parmesan Herbed Orzo, Link to Butter Poached Shrimp))

Lemon Pepper Broccoli
Source: Delish Foods

2 cups of Broccoli Florets, chopped into bite size pieces
Olive Oil
2 tsp Lemon Pepper Seasoning (with salt)
2 cloves of Garlic, sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and move a rack to the top 3rd of the stove.
Toss the broccoli, oil, seasoning, and garlic in a bowl and then place on a baking sheet.
Put in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. (The edges will be a little browned and the stems will be crisp-tender).

Butter Poached Shrimp

2009-12-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

Dinner was phenomenal. I know that sounds a little conceited but it honestly was one of those meals that I am so proud of myself for making. After the first bite I looked at Husband and said “My mouth is so happy.” No joke. Every flavor came out just right and worked so well with the opposing flavors. It took about 25 minutes to completely cook everything which wasn’t too bad at all.

I plan on putting each dish in a separate entry simply because if you’re searching for a recipe (I like to think that people actually get on my blog and search for a recipe) it’ll make the search easier. I will cheat and put the same picture up for each entry though!

((Link to Parmesan Herbed Orzo, Link to Roasted Lemon Pepper Broccoli))

Butter Poached Shrimp
Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray

35 or so Shrimp (I used frozen, tail still on shrimp)
1 cup Butter
3 tbsp Water
½ tbsp Dried Thyme
Cayenne Pepper
Salt

Sprinkle the shrimp with the salt and cayenne, and set aside.
In a shallow pan, bring the 3 tbsp of water to a boil and add in the butter. Once melted, add in the thyme and stir together.
Once melted, add the shrimp to the butter mixture in a single layer. Cook on the first side for about 2 minutes, flip them and continue to cook until cooked through (since mine were frozen, precooked, I cooked until they were heated through completely).
Serve alongside the remaining butter sauce.

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-12-17T12:07:00.000-08:00

I had this great post written about my love for these cookies and it's mainly because I grew up with my mom making them and because they're "no-bake." I had cute stories written, funny quotes, great antidotes about these peanut butter and chocolate cookies that take five minutes to make. I wrote amusing bits of advice about leaving enough in the pot for you to eat while it's still warm and melted. I wrote, and I wrote, putting my heart into this entry, and then it got deleted. That's write, without thinking, I closed this out and didn't save it. That entire post is gone. This was 2 days ago. I'm over the grieving process now and decided to let the non-existent post go along with the hopes of recreating it. So here's the recipe. Enjoy it!! It really is simple and really is such a great dessert.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

Source: Many years of mom making these

2 cups Sugar

4 tbsp Cocoa Powder

1/2 cup Butter

1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Peanut Butter

2 tbsp Vanilla

4 cups Oatmeal

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Let it boil for about 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until the peanut butter is melted.

Add in the oatmeal and stir to combine everything.

Drop spoonfuls onto parchment paper, or a greased cookie sheet.

These do harden as they cool, but if they don't seem to be hardening you can place them in the fridge until they are hard and cookie-like.

Oreo Truffles

2009-12-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

These are so popular it's ridiculous. Shockingly enough, I've never made them! After making them this past week I realized why they are so popular: the taste is phenomenal. I'm glad I made these for the neighbors because honestly, I'd eat them all.

Oreo Truffles
Source: Kraft Foods

1 package Oreo Cookies (I used double stuffed)
1 package Cream Cheese, softened
10 squares of Baking Chocolate (I used semi-sweet)

Crush the cookies until fine crumbs. I found using a food processor the easiest method for this.
Mix 2 cups of cookie crumbs in the cream cheese.
Shape into 1 inch balls (this should make about 42).
Dip into the melted chocolate and place on a wax-paper lined baking sheet.
Sprinkle with remaining crumbs.
Place in fridge until hardened.

Fettucine Alfredo

2009-12-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

Fettucine alfredo is one of my favorite restaurant foods. If we go out, and I'm not sure what to order, this is usually my "fall back" food. I know I'll like it and I never have to regret ordering it. Unfortunately, we dont' get to out that often so I figured I needed to learn to make the sauce on my own. I've tried several recipes but after playing around with different ingredients and measurements, I came up with my own recipe that I really enjoyed. Husband even proclaimed "This is way better than any restaurant's alfredo sauce!). Now if I would just go buy a pasta maker we could have homemade noodles and sauce! One day....

Fettucine Alfredo
Source: Inspired my many, many different recipes. Created by me

1/2 cup Butter
1-2 cloves of Garlic
2 3/4 cups Heavy Cream
2 cups Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Flour
Salt and Pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic and saute until slightly browned.
Add in the cream and cook on medium high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils reduce heat to simmer and add in the flour. Whisk until smooth.
Add in the cheese and stir until melted.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve over cooked fettucine noodles.

Cranberry Sauce

2009-12-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

I don’t have a lot to write about this recipe. It was easy to make and was a huge hit. It has a sweet and tart combination which was amazing alongside turkey! I loved it so much that as soon as cranberries went on sale I bought four bags and froze them just in case I get the cranberry craving in the middle of the year.

Cranberry Sauce

Source: All Recipes

1 bag Fresh Cranberries (12 ounce)
1 cup White Sugar
1 cup Orange Juice

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and orange juice and heat until sugar is dissolved.
Add cranberries, stir, and continue to cook until cranberries begin to pop.
Pour cranberry sauce into a bowl and let cool until room temperature.
Put sauce in the fridge until ready to serve (best if left there for at least 4 hours).

Sweet Potato Casserole

2009-12-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

The first time I ever had sweet potato casserole, my grandmother made it for me. I was a bit skeptical to taste them but what young kid doesn't want something topped with marshmallows? I tried them and fell in love. We never really had them again (at least not that I remember) and a few years back, I thought I'd bring back the sweet potatoes. And now every holiday I volunteer to bring the sweet potato casserole. I'm pretty sure this wasn't the same recipe my grandmother used, but it's one I found years ago (so long ago, I don't even remember where) and I've adapted and made my own. It's a staple at every holiday meal and honestly, it's one of the few ways I like my sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Source: Adapted from source I don't even remember anymore

1 stick Butter (I use a little less, depending on how many yams I'm using)

1 cup Brown Sugar plus some to adapt taste
3/4 cup Chopped Pecans
4-5 Sweet Potatoes
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
Marshmallows
White Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Wash and peel and dice yams.
Boil the potatoes in water with a few tbsp of the white sugar until soft and tender.
Mash with a fork, leaving some bite sized pieces.
Melt butter in another pan and combine brown sugar, cinammon, and pecans.
Pour the mixture in with the potatoes and put in a baking dish.
((At this point I taste the potatoes to make sure they are sweet enough, if not, I add a little more brown sugar and white sugar until I get the taste I like. I tend to like different sweetness of different days so this is your personal opinion.))
Top with marshmallows and bake for 15 minutes, or until marshmallows are browned on top.

Cranberry Orange Almond Bark

2009-12-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

I love the holidays. I can justify any addicting sweet treat. So when Thanksgiving rolled around I quickly volunteered to make this cranberry bark. It was Thanksgiving so that means I was able to eat as much as I’d like without the guilt of over eating white chocolate covered snacks. The great thing about this bark is the orange zest. Everyone that tried it loved the orange flavor of the chocolate. It wasn’t a strong orange taste and you can’t really taste it at first. However, it’s one of those flavors that you taste as you’re swallowing leaving you with that craving for yet another piece.

Cranberry Orange Almond Bark
Source: Adapted From Tasty Kitchen

12 squares White Chocolate
½ cup Slivered Almonds
1 ½ Cups Dried Cranberries
Grated Zest of One Orange

Line a cabinet space with wax paper.
Melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl according to package directions. Stir until smooth.
Stir in ingredients a little at a time until you have the amount of ingredients you desire (I liked a lot of cranberries in my bark so I added a little extra, and used less almonds, etc).
Pour mixture onto wax paper.
Using another piece of wax paper press the mixture flat and thin.
I put this in the fridge to harden instead of leaving it out (chocolate has trouble hardening in my apartment if I leave it out).
Once hardened, break into pieces and serve.

Hash Brown Casserole

2009-12-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

As I always state, I LOVE potatoes. Growing up I wasn’t much of a breakfast eater. I enjoyed cereal and pancakes, but eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits were a waste on me. I just didn’t like them. My mom would get up and make a big breakfast and I’d just pour a bowl of cereal. I don’t know why, I just didn’t like all of the other stuff people would crave on Saturday mornings. Of course, there was one exception: potatoes. I loved it when I would smell the hash browns cooking in the skillet. This love is still the same today. I’ll eat eggs and bacon but really, I prefer the potatoes. So imagine my love for this hash brown casserole I came up with while making Husband breakfast!! We even eat if for dinner from time to time.

Hash Brown Casserole
Source: Me

1 Bag Frozen Hash Browns (Either Shredded or Diced)
3 Eggs
1 Onion, Diced
1 Bell Pepper, Diced
3-4 Slices of Bacon Cooked and sliced
Grated Cheese of Choice (I usually use cheddar but only had mozzarella on hand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cook hash browns according to directions on bag.
While hash browns are cooking scramble the eggs and set aside.
Cook bacon to desired crispness and when cooled chop into small pieces and set aside.
Cook onion and bell pepper until softened some and then set aside.
Once hash browns are cooked combined all of the ingredients (except the cheese) into a casserole dish.
Top with cheese and cook until cheese is melted and bubbling (about 10 minutes.)

Pasta Bake

2009-12-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

I created this recipe when I realized one day that I didn’t have groceries to make dinner. Or so I thought. After rummaging through the pantry I found noodles, tomatoes, and I had cheese in my refrigerator. It turned out great and Husband and I both really liked the results. It’s become a joke in our house and we call it “Oh no, I forgot to buy groceries! Pasta.” Because I pretty much use whatever ingredients I have on hand. I’ve added ground beef, different vegetables, and it’s eventually adapted into a pretty consistent recipe. I no longer rummage through hoping I have the ingredients, but instead I buy things specifically for this recipe. It’s a quick fix for a busy night or just for that time when you’re craving pasta.

Pasta Bake
Source: Me

Penne Noodles
Grated Cheese of Choice (I usually use mozzarella but I didn’t have any on hand so I used cheddar in this picture).
Homemade pasta sauce (my personal recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Boil the noodles until al dente.
While the noodles boil, make the pasta sauce.
Once the noodles are boiled and sauce is prepared combine the two in a casserole dish.
Top with cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Blue Cheese Rolls

2009-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Husband fell in love with these rolls a year ago when I first made them. For some reason I never made them again and he periodically asked for them. I recently decided to give them another go and they were amazing. These were EXTREMELY unhealthy though. I wouldn’t recommend fixing these on a regular basis (I’ll probably stick to my once a year routine I have going, haha). They have great flavor and go well with beef dishes. I found these on the Pioneer Woman’s blog and I don’t make too many adjustments to her recipe. Just thought I’d note again, these are not in the least bit healthy. I’m not claiming I made a smart healthy choice making these, but they sure tasted fantastic.

Blue Cheese Rolls
Source: Pioneer Woman

2 cans Flaky Biscuits
1 cup Butter
4 ounces Crumbled Blue Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle all of the blue cheese on to a baking sheet along with the butter.
Put the baking sheet in the oven for a couple of minutes until the cheese and butter have melted.
Open the biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.
Once the cheese and butter have melted pull it out of the oven and stir it. Place biscuits on the baking sheet and stir these around coating each quarter with butter and cheese.
Leave the biscuits on the same baking sheet and place them back in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes until they are cooked (tops will be golden brown).

Italian Mozzarella Wings

2009-11-24T01:00:00.000-08:00

If you regularly follow my blog then you know by now that my pictures aren’t fantastic. But that’s okay. Im not in the least bit of a photographer, but some recipes are so good that I have to share regardless of the recipe. These Italian Mozzarella Chicken Wings are no exception. I found these earlier this year in a Rachel Ray magazine and knew I had to try them. I love chicken wings and I love cheese so I knew that this recipe fit my tastes perfectly. Hopefully you make them. And hopefully you have better luck with the picture. But more importantly, hopefully you love them.

Italian Mozzarella Wings
Source: Rachel Ray

12 chicken wings, tips discarded and wings separated at the joint
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 24 cubes
1 large egg
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt

Preheat the oven to 375°. Cut a slit into the meatiest part of each wing. Stuff each wing with a mozzarella cube and pull the meat and skin back over the cheese.

In a shallow bowl, beat the egg; in another shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan and season with salt. Working with 1 wing at a time, coat each with the egg, then the breadcrumb mixture and place on a greased rack set on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes.

Hoisin Glazed Beef

2009-11-23T01:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to order at Chinese take-out restaurants is the beef and broccoli (well besides the fried rice and Kung-Pao Shrimp). I’ve always been a broccoli lover so if it’s included in a dish, Im usually a fan. I had this great recipe for Hoisin-Glazed Beef Tenderloin in my “Food Network Kitchens Cookbook.” I made it once and was a fan. Well, then I had half of a jar of Hoisin sauce in my refrigerator that I wanted to use again. Following the same idea (glazing beef with it) I came up with the idea to serve it alongside broccoli. Fantastic idea. I ended up cutting mine up and mixing it with the broccoli and it reminded me a lot of my Chinese take-out favorite.

Hoisin-Glazed Beef
Source: Adapted from “Food Network Kitchens Cookbook” and variations by Me

Beef-any sort of cut such as skirt steak, flank steak, etc. (I used Eye of Round this time)
½ Cup of Hoisin Sauce
1 Tbsp Oil

Heat oil in skillet.

When hot, put beef in the skillet. Cook on each side until browned (about 2-3 minutes on each side) and cooked until desired doneness. My cut of beef was very thin so they cooked through very quickly. Monitor your beef depending on the thickness of the beef and desired color of meat.

Once it’s cooked through brush Hoisin sauce on each side flipping once to heat sauce and to create a glaze.

Serve alongside steamed broccoli.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Squares

2009-11-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

I’m a sucker for Rice Crispy treats. I know they’re childish but I don’t even care. I could probably eat one every day (don’t get me wrong, I DON’T eat one every day, but I COULD). While perusing some blogs I came across a similar recipe but instead she used Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. I made it and I was addicted. ((Don’t tell the Rice Crispy people, but this was a little better than my old school treats)). They’re sweeter and they just taste so good. I should’ve brought one to work with me. Man. Now I’m craving them and they’re far away at home. I guess I know what I’m having for my pre-dinner snack!

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Squares
Source: The Milk and Honey Blog

3 tablespoons butter

4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal

Put the butter in a large microwavable bowl and microwave until melted (about 30-45 seconds)
Once melted add the marshmallows and microwave for about a minute removing occasionally and stirring until completed melted.
Add cereal. Stir until well coated.
Press the mixture into a sprayed/buttered baking dish and let cool.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

Husband's Jalapeno Poppers

2009-11-20T06:53:00.000-08:00

If there is bbq then Husband always has to make these poppers. They're so fantastic. I understand the picture isn't too great but we were out having fun, not paying much attention and I quickly snapped a picture without considering that it might be awful (turns out it is). But they smelled so good and tasted so good that I couldn't waste time taking pictures, I had to start eating! Husband can eat like half a plate of these so I have to eat quickly if I want to have one!! Try them and I'm sure they'll become a staple at every bbq you go to.

Husband's Jalapeno Poppers

Source: Husband

Jalapenos (we usually do 15 since that's how much bacon is in a package)

Cream Cheese (We tried fat free once and it was a bad idea. They didn't taste the same).

Bacon

Cut the tops off of the jalapeno and rinse the seeds out.

Stuff each jalapeno with cream cheese.

Wrap a piece of uncooked bacon around each one (make sure to cover the open end of the jalapeno so cream cheese doesn't pour out) and toothpick them into place.

Place on a grill and cook until the bacon is crispy.

Brown Sugar Maple Syrup Ham with Pineapples

2009-11-19T11:34:00.000-08:00

I LOVE sweet ham. It’s really the only way to go. If I cook it stovetop I always do a sugary sauce to cook it in and if it’s going in the oven I have to have a sweet glaze. This recipe was simple to make (perfect for a quick dinner) and had a lot of flavor.

Brown Sugar Maple Syrup Ham with Pineapples
Source: Me
1 Fully Cooked Boneless Ham
Brown Sugar (About a cup depending on the size of the ham)
Enough Maple Syrup to Brush all over the Outside of the ham
Can of Crushed Pineapples

Preheat the oven according to directions on the outside of ham.
Place ham on a foil lined baking dish and brush maple syrup all over the outside of the ham
Generously sprinkle brown sugar all over the ham.
Cook until heated through (mine took about 20 minutes).
During last 5 minutes of cooking, pour pineapples in the dish stirring to mix in with excess syrup and sugar.
Slice and search each piece with a generous spoonful of pineapples.

Chicken With Prosciutto and Provolone

2009-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

I recently bought a cookbook once called The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook. I was actually a little disappointed with this book because it wasn’t a lot of practical recipes, but rather a lot of “fancy” recipes. While it’s nice to have those on hand, our schedule doesn’t allow for too many fancy meals. However, I did fold down a few edges in this book of recipes I wanted to try. I finally tried this chicken and prosciutto recipe and it turned out fantastic. I had to change a few things up do to ingredients and tastes. I’m going to post it the way I fixed it but if you want the actual recipe you can find it in the above mentioned cookbook under “Chicken with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Mushroom Sauce.”

Chicken with Prosciutto and Provolone
Adapted from The Bride and Groom First and Forever Cookbook

Chicken Tenderloins
Prosciutto (one slice per piece of chicken)
Provolone Cheese (Sliced)
Sage (enough for sprinkling some on each piece of chicken)
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Wrap each piece of chicken in the prosciutto and place seam down on a foil lined cookie sheet.
Place on slice of cheese on each piece of chicken (if it’s too big then cut down to size to allow room for melting)
Cook for 15 minutes or until each piece is cooked through

Lemon Orzo

2009-11-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

Side dishes often get neglected in my meals. We have them, but they aren’t nearly as creative or thought out as the main meal. I guess I figure if I’m spending so much time on the main course then the sides need to be quick and easy. Generally, I make a vegetable and an additional side (usually rice, pasta, potatoes). Well recently, (I’m almost embarrassed to say this) I discovered orzo. Don’t get me wrong, I knew about orzo, I’ve even cooked with orzo, and I’ve even had a box of it in my cabinet for awhile. But for some reason, it hasn’t crossed my mind to dress it up a little and serve it on the side. Well finally, I did just that. I looked up orzo recipes and didn't find very many that I really wanted to try. I did find one that used lemon but I didn't want to use all of the other ingredients it called for, so I just took the lemon idea and did my own thing. This recipe was nice because it had a very light lemon taste to it and was simple enough that it didn’t overpower my chicken I made that night. It’s definitely is on my “Use Again” list!

Lemon Orzo

Source: Me

1 Package Orzo

Fresh Lemon
Oil (I used tbsp, but you can eye it to see if yours needs any extra oil)

Cook orzo according to package.
Drain off any excess water.
Toss with a tbsp of oil and lemon juice.
Serve warm.

Best Basic Brownies

2009-11-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

If you read my last post you’d see that I was on a comfort food kick last night (Macaroni and Cheese with Green Chiles) so of course I had to make brownies!! Let me stress this: I don’t bake. When you cook you can change measurements, ingredients, cooking times, etc. according to your tastes. However, I haven’t found that liberty in baking. It’s a lot more focused and if you’ve met me, you’d know that my focus is very short. Anyways, I saw this super easy brownie recipe in my Rachel Ray magazine and figured I couldn’t mess it up. And I boldly stated to Husband “If I mess this up I completely give up trying to bake.” Hey, I can cook fantastic dinner and we can run to the store to pick up dessert right? Well, luckily, I didn’t mess them up. These brownies are foolproof. And super super easy. Did I stress they were easy? I mean sure, I can fancy them up add different things to it, but I’m just not there yet. Let’s stick to the world’s easiest brownie recipe for now.

Best Basic BrownieSource: Rachel Ray

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks melted unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup flour

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 sticks melted unsalted butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk in 3 eggs, 1 at a time.
Stir in 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 cup flour.
Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake until just set, 25 to 30 minutes; let cool.

Macaroni and Cheese with Green Chiles

2009-11-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Husband and I have had a pretty stressful week so far. Hopefully, that stress will go away today, but we’ll see. And it’s funny how when I stress I want comfort food. Thus, I decided not to cook what I had planned but instead decided to make homemade macaroni and cheese. And later, I baked brownies (that’s a separate post). So obviously calories weren’t even somewhat of a concern, and if you think I worked out after dinner, you’re wrong. Because apparently when I stress I eat super heavy food till I’m stuffed then I stretch out on the couch and proclaim that I’m too tired to work out. I make at least ten excuses. Some of last night’s were “my cough isn’t gone yet, that’s makes it too hard to work out” or “We’re so close to finishing ‘Lost’ that we might as well finish it” and even “I need to wrap Christmas presents.” Yes. I pulled out the wrapping paper and wrapped presents. Well only 3 of them. It may be over a month away but if my tree is already up, why can’t there be presents under it? I won’t lie. Last night, I was lazy. And full of empty calories. But man alive, macaroni and cheese can wipe away so many worries.

Macaroni and Cheese with Green Chiles
Source: Rachel Ray

Salt
12 ounces elbow macaroni (3 cups)
21/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch (I actually used 4 tbsp of flour for this instead)
One 4-ounce can mild or hot chopped jalapeños or other green chiles, drained (1/2 cup)
Two 8-ounce packages of mixed shredded cheeses, such as Wisconsin and Vermont cheddars, or American and Monterey Jack

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and stir in the pasta. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander and shake well.
Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.
In a saucepan, heat 2 cups of the milk and the butter over medium-low heat.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and the cornstarch until smooth. When the milk and butter come to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch slurry.
Cook, stirring, until the milk returns to a boil. Stir in the chiles and then the cheeses, reserving a handful of cheese.
Mix the cheese mixture and pasta togethers and pour into a greased baking dish.
Top with reserved cheese and place into broiler.
Cook until cheese topping is melted and bubbling.

Melted White Chocolate Sauce with Mixed Berry Compote

2009-11-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

I love desserts. I just don't really enjoy making desserts. Actually, that's not true. I don't enjoy baking. But if it's a fruit based dessert I'll make it. And that's what I did tonight. I forgot about this recipe until recently and I'm so glad I found it!! This is a Danny Boome recipe from the Food Network and it honestly took 10 minutes to make! Perfect for two of us and didn't create a big mess and luckily, no baking was involved!

Melted White Chocolate Sauce with Mixed Berry Compote

Source: Danny Boome from Food Network

1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups mix frozen berries, defrosted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a saucepan, heat cream to simmering over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium and whisk in chocolate until melted.

Gently simmer sauce for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Make a light sugar syrup by heating the water and sugar together in a medium size saute pan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the lemon juice and berries to syrup and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan gently to coat the berries with syrup.

Add the butter and continue to cook, swirling the berries and butter around the pan, until butter is melted. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Spoon berry compote into ramekins, drizzle with white chocolate sauce and serve.

Cheddar Soup with Tortilla Crunchies

2009-11-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on Krista Kooks (fantastic blog by the way). It was soooo good. I definitely want to add more cheese next time (I feel like I may have been about a cup off) but overall the taste was really good and Husband adored it. The flavor reminded me of queso which is good since I love queso, but it's not the same texture as queso. So no, this isn't a recipe for queso. It's for Cheddar Soup! It was perfect for our somewhat cool Monday evening. The less work I have to do on Monday's the happier I am!

Cheddar Soup with Tortilla Crunchies
Source: Krista Kooks

3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 cups cream
6 cups grated good quality Cheddar
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder, a palm full
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 a palm full
4 cups lightly crushed tortilla chips, blue or yellow corn
2 cups store bought chunky style salsa, any brand or variety

In a medium soup pot, melt butter. Add onions and cook 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and peppers and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add flour and cook 1 minute.
Whisk in stock slowly and stir in cream. Bring soup to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer.
Stir in cheese and season the soup with salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin.
Let soup reduce 10 to 15 minutes over low heat then serve with crushed chips and dollops of salsa.

Baked Potato Dip

2009-11-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

This dip is addicting. If someone asks me to bring a bag of chips you can expect to get this dip to go alongside it.

My wonderful sister-in-law gave me this recipe this past summer and I fell in love with it. She even suggested putting it on top of a baked potato! I haven't done it yet but I'm tempted!!

Baked Potato Dip

Source: Sister-In-Law

1 Carton Sour Cream (the big one)

1 Package Ranch Dressing Mix

Real Bacon Bits

Grated Cheddar Cheese (For this I use the bag kind because it's a little thicker than fresh grated cheese)

Combine the ingredients and eat with chips or on top of a baked potato! *I add the bacon and cheddar to taste, no real exact measurements for these*

Baked Chicken with Zucchini and Couscous

2009-10-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

This recipe I used (Martha Stewart's Roasted Chicken Thighs with Zucchini and Couscous) called for chicken thighs with the skin on. I however used chicken tenders with no skin. Thus, the color wasn't quite as pretty as hers turned out!! I don't like the taste of chicken thighs alone (it has to be mixed into a soup) so I substituted my chicken. By doing so though, I substituted a lot of color out of my meal! It was very boring looking.

Don't let that stop you though, the taste was fantastic!! Roasting the zucchini alongside the chicken was perfect because it soaked up so many of the pan juices. Next time I plan on using chicken breast with the skin so I can get the golden brown color. Plus, Husband liked the couscous so I was really excited to have something else besides rice!

I'll use the chicken thigh part in case you're wanting that perfect color and if you don't like the thigh, just substitute it out!

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Zucchini and Couscous

Source: Martha Stewart

8 chicken thighs (I used chicken tenders)
2 zucchini (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, with rack in upper third. Season chicken with salt and pepper; place, skin side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes.
Remove sheet from oven, and turn chicken, skin side up. Scatter zucchini around chicken, and season with salt and pepper; toss with pan juices. Return sheet to oven, and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh (avoiding bone) registers 165 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and stir in couscous. Cover, and let stand until all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork. Stir in parsley, vinegar, roasted zucchini, and 2 tablespoons pan juices; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with zucchini and couscous.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

2009-10-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to cook in a very long time. And I won't be able to cook next week either. So this morning I took advantage of finally being home and made pancakes! I didn't want ordinary pancakes and had a can of pumpkin pie filling that I wanted to use. Thus, the creation of pumpkin pie pancakes. The pumpkin helped keep the pancake really moist and topping it with pecans made it feel like fall!! I used an Easy Homemade Pancake recipe from Tasty Kitchen and added in my pumpkin pie ingredients.

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes

Source: Tasty Kitchen and Me

1 Cup Flour

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 Tsp Ground Cloves

1 Tsp Cinnamon

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup Milk

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

Combine the dry ingredients.

In a seperate bowl combine the wet ingredients.

Combine the two leaving some lumps.

Measure out about a fourth of a cup per pancake and pour on the skillet.

When lightly browned, flip the pancake and cook until the other side is lightly browned. The pancake will puff up some when it's finished.

Continue doing this until all of the batter has been used.

Top with pecans, powdered sugar, and maple syrup.

Vegetable Soup

2009-10-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

Fall is fantastic because I get to make soups. I love soup and bread, soup and rolls, soup and cornbread. Soup is just great. Plus, it's a one-pot meal so dishes aren't too bad afterwards. And I never cut the recipe in half so there's always plenty for Husband and I to eat on for awhile!

I found this recipe for vegetable soup on Disney Family (ironic right?). They call it Italian Vegetable Soup but I made a couple of small changes so I just call it Vegetable Soup. Here's the link if you want the original recipe: Italian Vegetable Soup.

Did I mention this soup is pretty? It really is!! It's full of a lot of color, different shapes, different textures. It's just pretty! Plus it didn't take too long to make so that's always a plus!

I gave you the link to the original recipe, so I'm just going to write what I did for this soup. Again, it's barely any changes but I feel it's necessary to post what I did!!

Vegetable Soup

Source: Adapted from Disney Family

1 Chopped Onion

1 Cup Chopped Carrots
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

Handful of Snap Peas

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Can Condensed Tomato Soup

1 Can Kidney Beans

2 Cups of Water (Plus more on hand in case soup starts to dehydrate)

Oregano (Just estimated)

Parsely (Just estimated)

Basil (Just estimated)

Sea Salt (Again, estimated)

Fresh Black Pepper (Estimated)

Chopped Cabbage (Used about 2 handfuls)

2 Cups Frozen Corn

Fresh Green Beans (About 2 handfuls)

1 cup dried macaroni noodles.

Combine the canned ingredients with the onion, snap peas, carrots, garlic, and water together and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and continue cooking until vegetables start to become tender (About 15 minutes). This is where the extra water was important. I started losing a lot of water so I had to add extra. This is where you would need to adjust the seasonings to make sure you have a lot of flavor.

Add seasonings, cabbage, corn, green beans, and macaroni and cook until macaroni is al dente.

Enjoy a hot cup of soup!!

Chili

2009-09-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's the fall. And something about grey fall days (we don't have many here in Texas) makes me want chili. I like my chili "hearty" so I don't use a lot of liquid in mine, just enough to be considered "chili". This recipe came about with a recipe I found online but got home I realized I had zero of the ingredients. So I made do with what I had on hand and made up my own chili recipe. For awhile Husband and I called it "Make Do Chili." Well, now I've made it enough that it is finally just called "Chili." I have 2 beautiful pans of this in the freezer waiting for another rainy day!

Chili

Source: Me

Ground Beef (I used 1 lb of 93% lean)

2 Cans Kidney Beans

1 Can Pinto Beans

1 White Onion, chopped

1 Red Onion, chopped

2 Green Bell Peppers, chopped

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1 Can Tomato Paste

Cumin

Chili Powder

Salt and Pepper

Hot Sauce

Combine the onions and bell peppers and saute until cooked. Put to the side.

Cook ground beef.

Combine all of the ingredients (except spices and hot sauce).

Add in spices/sauces one at a time until you find the taste/heat that you like. I use a different amount every time. I usually start with one tbsp at a time. As for the hot sauce I probably used a little less than 1/4 of cup because Husband isn't crazy about super spicy.

Heat until it boils then lower the heat and keep cooking until ready to eat (generally 30 minutes).

When it's done I taste it again and adjust the spices/seasonings until correct.

**I have done this in the crockpot, just put everything in the crockpot on low for about 6-8 hours**

Potato Soup

2009-09-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's not shocking that this is yet another post about potatoes, but I promise that this is by far one of my favorite meals. Something about potato soup and rolls that makes me feel cozy. I don't know where I found the original recipe but I've changed it up and don't follow the exact recipe so I'll post what I do.

Potato Soup
(4 points for 1 cup serving)

Flour ( I use about 1/3 cup)

1 Box of Chicken Broth (not sure how many ounces that is. It's sold next to the cans)

3 Large Potatoes, peeled and cubed (I do leave a little skin on them)

2 Large Handfuls of Broccoli Florets

1 Onion, chopped

1 1/2 Cups of Milk (I use 1%)

1 Block Cheddar Cheese, shredded

6-7 Slices of Bacon, cooked and chopped (For this I just buy the microwavable kind)

Green Onions

Use a whisk and combine flour and 1/3 cup of chicken broth. Put to the side

Combine rest of the broth, potatoes, broccoli, and onion in a large pot.

Bring to a boil and cook until pototoes are tender (no longer than 10 minutes)

Stir in the flour/broth combination and cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and cheese (pour milk slowly until you get the liquidy result you want; you may not need all of the milk).
Cook, stirring, until cheese melts.

Mix in bacon and onions and serve!

Italian Vegetable Stir Fry

2009-09-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

Pasta is one of my favorite things to cook. There are so many varieties on how to cook it; the possibilities are endless. Last night I wanted to go a little bit lighter with my pasta and wanted something a little more fresh feeling. I found a recipe for Italian Stir Fry Veggies on CD Kitchen and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted. Husband and I ate a salad with this and it was perfect.

I checked the exact recipe on my WW calculator and it is 5 points. Not too bad for dinner. But I didn’t use the oil, instead I stir-fried my vegetables in chicken broth (a healthier opportunity) and I checked that on the WW calculator hoping to make a difference, but it didn’t. Either way, it’s 5 point. Oh well , I felt better about it! I’m posting the recipe with the broth swap, but I’m posting the link so if you want to fix it with the oil please visit their site!

Italian Vegetable Stir FryAdapted From CD Kitchen

8 ounces linguine --cooked
1 medium zucchini --sliced
1 medium onion --chopped
2 medium tomatoes --chopped seeded
1 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
2 cloves garlic --minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese --grated

Cook pasta according to package directions. Keep warm.
Slice zucchini. Chop onion and tomatoes.
Heat just enough broth to cover pan. I keep the rest on hand in case this dries out.
Press garlic into skillet. Stir fry 15 second.
Add zucchini and onion. Stir fry 2 - 3 minutes, until crisp tender.
Add tomatoes, parsley and seasonings to skillet. Gently stir 1 - 2 minutes, until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.
Stir in warm pasta and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

This is where the cat sleeps while we eat dinner. She's a sweetie.

Potato Bundles

2009-09-15T08:34:00.001-07:00

In a previous post I wrote about my love affair with rice. I also mentioned that if I was only allowed to eat two foods I would pick rice and potatoes. Two very dangerous foods!

While perusing The Pioneer Woman’s Blog I came across Potato Bundles. ((Again, I haven’t started WW at this point when I made these)). They looked beautiful, and who doesn’t love a good hot potato?? Now I did change her recipe some since I didn’t want to use heavy cream and butter ((we had a late night dinner and didn’t want to go to bed with tons of cream and butter in my belly!!)). I’m posting the recipe that I used but please visit her site to see the actual recipe.

When they came out of the oven, Husband asked how we were supposed to eat them and my response was “Straight out of the foil! This is camping food Baby!” Hah, I don’t quite know why I said that. Clearly, we weren’t camping, but eating amazing potatoes out of foil almost made me wish we were.

Potato Bundles
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Russet potatoes, cut into chunks

Yellow or white onion, cut into chunks

Olive Oil (enough for drizzling)

Kosher salt

Mrs. Dash Seasoning Mix (Original)
Seasoned Salt
Garlic Powder

Freshly ground black pepper

Place potatoes and onions on a square of foil.
Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle on salt, paprika, and black pepper.
Wrap bundles tightly and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until extremely tender.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

2009-09-15T08:28:00.000-07:00

I made Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken, which I found in the Novice Chef Blog. I saw the picture and read the reviews and knew I had to try it right away. I’m not crazy about thick chicken breast but it’s all I had so I used it. Oh my word, for someone who’s not a chicken breast fan, I quickly became one. The flavor was unbelievable. It wasn’t super sweet, but at the same time, it wasn’t super garlicy. It had this perfect balance. Thank you Novice Chef for a great recipe!

Garlic Brown Sugar ChickenAdapted from The Novice Chef

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Chicken Breasts (I used 3)
Coarse Salt (I used Kosher)
Fresh Ground Pepper
6 tablespoons packed brown sugar (I didn’t measure this out, I just put on what I thought was an appropriate amount it was probably less than this).

Heat the oil in a pan.
Add garlic and allow to slowly brown and then add chicken tenders to garlic and butter. Cook thoroughly, adding salt and pepper to taste.
When chicken is fully cooked, add brown sugar on top of each breast.
Allow brown sugar to melt into the chicken (about 5 minutes).

Homemade Pasta Sauce

2009-09-10T09:28:00.001-07:00

I have always had jarred pasta sauce for tomato sauce on my spaghetti. And to me it honestly tastes fine. However, one day when I wanted to make spaghetti I realized I didn’t have any jarred sauce on hand, just an over abundance of canned tomatoes (diced, whole, sauce, etc) and decided to try to make my own pasta sauce. It was so much fun I couldn’t believe it! While jarred pasta sauce isn’t repulsive, and I actually enjoy it, I love to make my own. It’s the only way to do it now. I can change the flavor depending on my mood, what veggies are left in the fridge, and what seasonings I feel like playing around with. Because of this, I don’t have a set recipe. I can give suggestions on what to add but unfortunately I can’t even give measurements. I basically dump stuff in until I like the taste. So, here goes my list of how I most recently made pasta sauce. Just have fun with and add and adjust flavors until you go “My word. That’s good sauce.”

Homemade Tomato SauceSource: Me!

1 Can Diced Tomatoes
1 Can Whole Tomatoes
1 Can Tomato Sauce
Ground Beef, Cooked
Rosemary
Chopped Onion
Chopped Garlic (about 2 cloves)
2-3 Bay Leaves
Oregano
Basil
Red Pepper Flakes (new addition and I loved it)
About a tablespoon or so of white sugar
Mrs. Dash seasonings (I vary between the yellow top and blue top)
Chopped mushrooms (if I chop them really small I can use them, but if Husband can see them then he won’t eat them).

Parmesan Cheese for sprinkling

If the meat hasn't been cooked yet then do so.

Add in the onion and garlic until it is cooked through.

If you are doing this on the stovetop then combine the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan with the meat and onions until heated through and flavors are adjusted.

If you are doing this in a crockpot then combine the cooked meat mixture with all of the above ingredients in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours.