My Happy Meals

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Wraps

2012-01-09T21:17:00.004-05:00

I actually have made some new, yummy things the last couple months, but with the lack of natural light at dinner time, pictures are just about non-existent right now.

Exhibit A:

But even with no natural light and a crappy photo, this was worth blogging and when spring rolls around I'll update the post with a picture more worthy of this recipe. It's easy. Stupidly easy. It's so tasty. It will easily become a weekly meal for us. Much thanks to Mama G over at Growing Up Geeky for pointing me in the recipe's direction! I took that one and jazzed it up a bit, like the other Buffalo Chicken Wraps I've made in the past. But these ones are a bit healthier as there is no breading and it's not fried.

Ingredietns:
2 Large Chicken Breasts
1/2 c chicken broth
3/4 c buffalo sauce (I use Frank's Buffalo Sauce- you could easily use your favorite Buffalo Wild Wings sauce too!)
3/4 c ranch dressing
4 green onions, diced
1/4c cilantro, chopped finely
2 cups lettuce of your choosing, chopped
Blue Cheese Crumbles

Place chicken in a slow cooker and cover with broth. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Remove the chicken, and shred with a fork. Discard the excess liquid. Put the chicken back in the slow cooker. Combine the buffalo sauce and 1/4c of the ranch dressing, stir into the chicken. Combine the green onions and cilantro in a small bowl.

Lastly , assemble the wraps- chicken, cheese, onion/cilantro mix, lettuce, and top with ranch dressing. You can also fry up the tortillas a bit. Heat a frying pan on med-high, spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray and fry the tortillas one at a time for approximately 30 seconds a side.

adapted from Betty Crocker

Cherry & Apple Handpies

2011-11-09T19:34:00.004-05:00

This is totally a cheater recipe, but they look so cute and rustic that it's easy to look the other way when I say I did nothing from scratch. Of course, you can substitute any of your favorite homemade recipes for dough or pie filling, just follow the general guidelines.

Need:

2 Rolls of refrigerated pie dough
1 Can of Pie filling (I used apple and cherry)
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp water
Crystal Sugar

Do:

Using very cold dough, unroll the dough and cut out six, circles, approximately 6 inches in diameter. I used a medium sized Pyrex bowl- works perfectly. You will have to re-roll the dough since you can only get 2 circles at a time from a 9 inch crust.
Place 2 Tbsp of pie filling in the center of each circle.
Whisk together the egg and water, and brush the mixture on the edges of the pie crust.
Prepare your egg wash by whisking together the egg yolk with a tablespoon of water. Brush egg wash on edge of dough circles, fold filled dough in half and seal the edges with a fork.
Chill hand pies for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove pies from refrigerator and brush with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle on crystal sugar and cut a small slit in the top of each pie to let out steam.
Bake about 20-25 minutes. When done, pies should be golden brown and flaky.
Cool to room temperature before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Yield 6 Handpies

Adapted From

I'm linking up with The How To Mommy for Tasty Thursday!

Simple Apple Pancakes

2011-10-30T21:44:00.003-04:00

This is another one of those "hardly a recipe" type deals. I've made apple pancakes before, but not quite like this. This one just seems genius. I spotted it on...wait for it...Pinterest. The Holy Grail. Anyway, it's simple.

1. Peel, core and slice an apple. I use an apple corer peeler slicer :)
2. Mix up your favorite pancake batter and heat up your griddle.
3. Dip the individual apple slices right into the batter and place them on the hot griddle.
4. Cook as you would a pancake.
5. Enjoy.

Crispy Chicken Over Creamy Pasta

2011-10-24T22:29:00.003-04:00

I found this recipe over at Jamie Cooks It Up. I was intrigued by the new Philly Cooking Cremes, but the only review I had heard was a bad one. This recipe sounded tasty, and I wanted to give it a try myself. I was nervous, but there was no need to be. It was delicious and fairly simple to pull together for a weeknight meal. I'll definitely make it again and am interested in trying some of the other Cooking Cremes too!

Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

3 large chicken breasts
5 C corn flakes
3/4 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 C milk
6 T olive oil
1 12 oz package bowtie noodles (farfalle)

Sauce:
1 10 oz container Philadelphia Cooking Cream (Italian Cheese and Herb Flavor)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 C chicken broth
1/2 C milk
fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

1. In a small food processor crush the corn flakes into crumbs.
2. Add the 1/2 t salt to the 3/4 C flour. Stir to combine.
3. Place the flour, milk and crushed cornflakes each into their own separate pan. Loaf pans work well for this. If you don't have three loaf pans, do not dismay. You could use pie tins, or round cake pans...what ever works for you.
4. Place your chicken breasts in a gallon sized Ziploc bag and seal the top.
Pound the chicken flat with a meat mallet. You will really be thankful for the Ziploc bag in this step. Who wants a bunch of chicken guts flying around their kitchen? Not me...that's who.
5. Take a pair of sharp kitchen scissors and cut each breast in half.
6. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Be sure it gets covered on both sides.
Lay the floured chicken onto a small cookie sheet and slide the sheet into the freezer. Let it hang out there for about 5 minutes.
7. Start cooking your pasta.
8. Remove the chicken from the freezer and dredge each piece in the milkand then immediately into the corn flake crumbs. Again, be sure both sides are covered well.
9. Add the olive oil to a hot skillet.
10. Carefully lay each chicken piece into the hot oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes....
or until the underside of each piece is nice and golden brown. Turn the pieces over. If the bottom of the pan is dry add just a bit more olive oil to the side of the pan. Swirl the pan around a bit to let the oil flow to all sides.
11. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Let the chicken cook for about 7 more minutes, being careful not to burn the bottoms. Burned bottoms are not advised. In any shape or form. Thank you.
12. When your chicken has been cooked through remove it from the pan and place it on a plate. Cover with tin foil.
13. Into the same pan pour your broth. Philly Cooking Creme, Cream of Chicken, and milk. Whisk the sauce around and let it get all warm and bubbly. Should only take about 3 minutes.
14. Slice your chicken into strips and serve over your cooked pasta and sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley if you choose.
Enjoy

Baked Potato Soup

2011-10-18T21:51:00.005-04:00

This isn't the first time I've made this recipe. It isn't even the second. It might be the third. I can't remember. Anyway, I've made it quite a few times, and every single time, Carl gets disappointed when it's gone. You might think, "Well gee Molly, just make a double batch!" And to that I'd say I was already ahead of you, and I make triple batches :/ It's delicious. It's the perfect soup for these cool fall days and I, too, get sad when it is all gone!

I've adapted a bit since that original recipe, so these are actually my instructions.

Ingredients

3 turkey bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (more if you like it thick, less if you like it thinner)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Optional (I don't use the following, I'm more of a purist :) )

Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley

Directions

In a stockpot, cook bacon until crisp (I spray my pan with a little cooking spray since the Turkey Bacon doesn't produce grease). Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the same pot until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. I add the bacon in at this point and stir, but you can also just top the soup with the crispy bacon.

P.S. I apparently cannot photograph potato soup. I promise, I tried. Twice. I gave up.

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

2011-09-27T20:44:00.004-04:00

We're 2 for 2 this week folks. Another one that's hitting the regular rotation list. I spotted these on Foodgawker thanks to Mrs. Regueiro's Plate. I modified it just slightly, but I'll note what I did differently below in purple. Both Carl and I loved these, and it was a quick process. This is a great weeknight dinner!

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces
⅓ cup flour
3 tablespoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (Frank’s Buffalo Wing) , plus extra for garnishment
1 Tablespoon olive oil
10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings:

Shredded butter Lettuce
Diced onions mixed with cilantro- 1 small onion with about 2 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
Avocado slices- I omitted
Ranch dressing
Green onions, sliced thinly
Blue Cheese Crumbles- how do you not have blue cheese with buffalo?? You don't! :)

Preparation:

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the Dutch oven and once it gets hot, add chicken and cook on both sides – about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Once the chicken is done, set it aside in a bowl and toss with ⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce.

Use the skillet from the chicken and fry up the tortillas on medium for about 10 seconds a side.

Assemble 10 tacos, dividing the toppings evenly among each taco.

Chopped Autumn Salad

2011-09-26T20:50:00.002-04:00

You know when you find a recipe, and you think "Oh my goodness, I'm making this every night!"? Yeah, that happened tonight. I won't actually be making it every night, but it most certainly will be making it's way into our regular rotation.

Little story before we get to the recipe though, you can skip it if you don't like reading. I don't mind. Something really weird happened with this recipe/website. When I meal planned on Friday, it included chicken. But today, when I went to make it, gasp, no chicken. My dinner went from a main dish to a side dish, poof! :/ Oops. But no fear! I just sauteed a chicken breast seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic, sliced it and laid it on top. We'll call that a main course. Delish! (I'm still trying to figure out how I thought there was chicken in this salad...)

Ingredients
*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
*2 medium pears, chopped
*1 cup dried cranberries
*1 cup chopped pecans
*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions
*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

*I did not edit any of the recipe write up from the original source, however, I agree with all that she said. The only difference was that I only needed about 3/4 cup of dressing- 1/4 balsamic and 1/2 poppy seed. I also swapped dried cherries and walnuts in, just because that's what we usually use and had on hand. The chicken was most certainly a welcome addition, but it's delicious either way. I used 8 cups of romaine, and there was enough for 4 entree sized salads.

Makeshift Chicago Dogs

2011-09-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

WARNING: This hot dog is an imposter! It is NOT a true Chicago Dog. You've been warned.

I love, love, loooooooooooooove Chicago Hot Dogs. The ingredients seem so strange together, but something about them just works. Delicious. Problem is, some of the ingredients are hard to come by, especially outside of Chicago. I made what I had work. You can try it too. :)

Turkey Dog - It's supposed to be all beef :/
Tomato, sliced
Pickle Spear
Pepperocini Pepper, sliced in half- these are supposed to be the very hard to attain sport peppers
Onions, chopped
Ground celery mixed with Kosher Salt - supposed to be celery salt
Poppyseed Bun
Mustard

Just assemble the dog as shown above. One thing to note is that poppyseed buns can be hard to come by. I just sprinkled some seeds on a plate, brushed the buns with some melted butter and dipped the buns to coat. Worked alright in my opinion!

This is no true Chicago dog, but it definitely works in a pinch when the craving is too much to fight!

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

2011-09-06T22:36:00.002-04:00

I love all things buffalo. It's a delicious flavor. My good friend, Lindsay, sent me this recipe and said I simply must try it. So I did, because I always follow directions. Did we love it? Eh. Was it tasty, absolutely. I think it was a little more rich than I expected. I was hoping for more spice. It was then that Lindsay told me she had doubled the Frank's. Ah....that would definitely help! So, without trying it that way, I hesitantly suggest you double the Frank's.

*Little tip, if you want a quick way to shred chicken, the food processor works in a pinch. Just be cautious with it so you don't puree the chicken. A few quick pulses is all it needs.

Ingredients

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups)
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Sandwiches with Basil Mayonnaise

2011-09-04T14:25:00.001-04:00

Carl wanted a tomato sandwich today. I had no tomatoes, but we were about to leave for the Farmer's Market. Sounded like a win to me. I bought some heirloom tomatoes since mine are not cooperating. Then he took it up a notch and asked if I could make some sort of basil mayonnaise. Sure! Why not? Ina had a perfectly acceptable sounding one, and I had all the ingredients, including basil from the garden, so I got to work.

Uh, yum!!!! We'll be using a lot of this, and if I can figure out how to freeze it, I will. Otherwise, I'll just freeze my basil and use it all year long! Too bad heirloom tomatoes aren't in season all year long. That would rock. I just used some English Toasting Bread I had bought at the market last week. Carl had two sandwiches...that should tell you something.

Ingredients

1 cup good mayonnaise
10 to 15 basil leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 slices country loaf bread
1 heirloom or Israeli tomato, sliced

Directions

Whisk together the mayonnaise, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the top of 2 slices of bread. Place the sliced tomato on top of one

bread slice. Place the remaining slice of bread, mayonnaise side down, on top of the tomato. Cut the sandwich in half and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2011-08-24T07:30:00.001-04:00

Uh yeah. If you like buffalo sauce, go make this. I'm not saying anything else.

Ingredients

1/4 cup cooked shredded chicken, warm
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/2 tablespoon mayo (optional)
1 tablespoon carrot, grated
1 tablespoon celery, sliced
1 tablespoon green or red onion, sliced or diced
1 tablespoon blue cheese, room temperature, crumbled
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, room temperature, grated
1 tablespoon butter.

Directions

Mix the chicken, hot sauce, mayo, carrot, celery and onion in a small bowl.
Assemble sandwich and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Notes: I omitted the celery and mayo. I also used a butter substitute for the bread.

Source

Dried Cherry Buttermilk Scones

2011-08-21T19:06:00.003-04:00

I was looking for ways to use up some buttermilk and came across this recipe for dried cherry buttermilk scones. I love scones. I had dried cherries. Easy decision.

Need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick, or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
2/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the (optional) topping:
2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup turbinado or demerara sugar

Do:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt and sugar. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until you can see small pea-sized chunks of butter. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla and buttermilk, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until almost completely mixed, then add in the dried cherries and mix until the dough just starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat it into a circle, then cut 8-12 wedges, placing them on the baking sheet.

Brush the scones with milk, then sprinkle heavily with the turbinado or demerera sugar and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. They should be golden brown on top and feel light inside, or a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Let cool slightly, then enjoy!

Notes: These are a bit drier than the blueberry scones I make, but still delicious. I froze mine and it took about 20 minutes in the oven from frozen.

*For freezing the scones- flash freeze them (put the scones on a parchment/wax paper lined baking sheet and stick in the freezer) for 20 minutes. Remove, wrap individually with aluminum foil, place in a freezer safe bag and store until ready to bake!

Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins

2011-08-16T20:56:00.005-04:00

I found a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup that I wanted to try (check back tomorrow for that recipe!) and thought I'd pair it with cornbread. A quick search brought me to this recipe for Buttermilk Cornbread. Lucky me forgot that I even wanted to make this, and dinner time arrived without me noticing. I had already made the soup yesterday, so I debated making the cornbread all together. I decided to improvise and just make it into muffins so it would bake faster. I couldn't be happier with my problem solving skills on this one. Definitely a good call on my part!

These are super easy and come together very quickly!

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease an 8x8 pan, or a muffin pan- it makes 12 muffins.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt:
1/2 c butter

Let cool a second, then add:
1/2 c sugar

One at a time, stir in:
2 eggs

Combine and then add to the mix:
1 c buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda

Last, mix in:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Stir until well combined and few lumps remain, then spread into pan and bake 30-40 minutes, or 20 minutes for muffins. It's done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Olga's Bread, Snackers and Cheese Dip

2011-08-11T20:05:00.003-04:00

I <3 Olga's. And if you don't know what Olga's is, then you live in the wrong part of the country. They make the most delicious pita bread. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It's soft and chewy. It's delightful. We've been really cutting back on our restaurant trips (if you couldn't already tell by the surge of blog posts), and so I wanted to attempt to curb my Olga's craving by making their bread. I found a copycat recipe, but I'm not sure if the creator has ever been to Olga's.

I attempted making the snackers as directed and I also tried it as the pita bread. It's not that it was bad, but you know when you are expecting one thing and you get another- it tastes awful? It was kind of like that. Granted, after I got the whole disappointment that it simply wasn't a copycat recipe, the bread tasted delicious with my BLT. The snackers, however, were nothing to write home about. And the cheese dip wasn't on the top of my list either. Carl said it was good, I think I was just overwhelmed that it really not what I was expecting. There is another copycat Olga's bread that I want to try, so I'm hoping that will taste more like the real deal. Otherwise, this bread is perfectly suitable for our BLT nights!

1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 pkg. dry yeast
1 1/2 cups Borden's eggnog, canned
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided use

Combine water, sugar and dry yeast in measuring cup and stir to combine. Let stand to proof until doubled (about 5 minutes).

Meanwhile, beat all of the eggnog with only 3 cups of the flour. Set the remaining 1/2 cup flour aside to use when kneading bread later.

After adding about a cup of the flour, work in the yeast mixture beating well. Work in the rest of the flour until completely mixed. Turn into a large, greased bowl and invert another bowl, same size if you can, over dough so you can see it rising.

After it begins to rise (15-25 minutes) work in the last 1/2 cup flour, kneading well into the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Return to greased bowl and cover again to let rise until doubled (about 90 minutes).

Separate instructions for the snackers and bread below.

For the Snackers:

When doubled, turn out onto floured surface and cut into 8 equal portions; roll each into ball and then flatten each with rolling pin to make a very thin circle. Cut each circle into 6 inch triangles. Place these 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet.

Spray tops with garlic-flavored Pam or use plain Pam and dust with a little garlic powder. Then dust well with paprika and seasoned salt.

Bake at 350˚ about 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch.

For the bread:

When doubled, turn out onto floured surface and cut into 8 equal portions; roll each into ball and then flatten each with rolling pin to make a very thin circle. Heat a skillet on medium-high. Do not spray or coat the pan with anything. Heat each dough round for approximately 1 minute on each side, but keep an eye on it and allow to cook until mottled brown spots appear.

Cheese Dip:

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons sliced green onions
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Stir in the Swiss cheese, 1/3 cup almonds, mayonnaise, onions, pepper and nutmeg. Spoon onto a lightly greased pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees F for 14-15 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Serve warm with crackers.

Sweet & Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

2011-08-10T22:14:00.003-04:00

Simple. Cool. Refreshing. Healthy. This little salad has it all. It would be great paired up with some Panko Shrimp but also paired beautifully with the Thai Chicken Pizza! Definitely loved this one!

Need:

1 cucumber peeled and thinly sliced

1 carrot, matchstick-julienned

1/4 cup of thinly sliced red onion

1/2 cup of rice vinegar

1/4 cup of sugar (or Splenda equivalent for low carb diets)

1 tsp. of thai chili garlic sauce

pinch of salt

Do:

In a microwavable small bowl add rice vinegar, sugar, chili garlic sauce, and salt. Heat the bowl in the microwave for 45 seconds. Stir the vinaigrette until the sugar is completely dissolved. In a medium size bowl add the sliced cucumbers, carrots, and red onion. Pour vinaigrette over the cucumber mixture until well tossed. Cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Thai Chicken Pizza

2011-08-09T22:37:00.003-04:00

I love Thai food. Mostly L2 Chicken Spicy. What? You don't know what that means? Well, what it means, is that I've only ever had Thai cuisine at a restaurant, and that's what I order. I've never dared to make it in my own kitchen, until tonight! The photo looks disgusting, I realize. I made my own dough and it was cold, and too dense, but I'll do better next time. It didn't matter, this tasted awesome! I combined a couple recipes I found, here and here. I'll be back later to discuss that yummy little salad.

Need:

cornmeal, for dusting
Your favorite pizza dough

olive oil for brushing crust

1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 1/2 c. shredded part-skim mozzarella

4 scallions, slivered diagonally

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1/4 c. shredded carrot

3 TBSP peanuts, toasted and chopped

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
Sweet Chili Thai Sauce (found in the ethnic food aisle)

Do:

1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees.

2. Dust working surface with cornmeal. Roll out pizza dough and cover with Sweet Chili Thai Sauce- you'll want a nice even coat, you can always add more later which is what I did. Brush uncovered bordered with olive oil. Sprinkle half the cheese over the sauce, then top with chicken. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the chicken, then top with scallion, bean shallot, and carrots.

3. Place pizza on pizza stone using a pizza peel or large spatulas. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove pizza from oven and top with peanuts and cilantro. Let cool for three minutes, then serve.

Pesto Veggie Manicotti topped with Fire Roasted Marinara

2011-08-08T21:02:00.004-04:00

I've mentioned it on here before that I am not a huge fan of meat in my pasta. I am, however, a huge fan of pesto and veggies in my pasta. I saw this dish on foodgawker and it was screaming my name, especially since I had just made some pesto last week. It uses a fresh fire roasted marinara sauce, which is another one of those "why didn't I do this sooner" types of pantry items.

Need:

15oz ricotta cheese
1 box of manicotti noodles (1/2 box of large shells works too!)
1 bag fresh baby spinach
1/2 medium onion
1/4 cup of grated carrots
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup shredded parmesan/romano cheese
2-4 tbsp of pesto (adjust intensity to suit your tastes!)
mozzarella cheese for topping (go lean or go cheesy!)
to taste: black pepper, salt, parsley, oregano, thyme & garlic powder.
16 oz fire roasted marinara, or your favorite red sauce (recipe to follow)

Do:

Preheat your oven to 350. Gently boil shells for approx 11min or until tender/al dente. Drain & arrange cooked noodles in a glass baking dish with a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Fun fact: if you roll the noodles in the red sauce it will help prevent them from sticking/wilting! Dice and sauté, onions and garlic together with shredded carrots and 1/2 tsp of olive oil. In a large bowl, fold ricotta, parm/romano cheeses, pesto, and torn spinach together with all your herbs and spices. Next, add your veggies to the mix. You are free to use your fingers, but putting the stuffing in a bag with a hole cut in the corner and squeezing is muuuch easier =) Stuff the noodles gently and pour a generous pile of sauce on top. Top with sliced or grated mozzarella/parm cheese and bake for approx 20-30 minutes at 350F

Fire Roasted Pasta Sauce:

Need:
28 oz can diced/crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
approx 4 oz of tomato paste (controls the thickness)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1-2 tsp dried parsley
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Do:

In a blender or food processor, add tomatoes and blend for just a few seconds, until tomatoes look more crushed than diced. Pour tomatoes into your crockpot, season, and walk away! Set crockpot to low if you'll be leaving the house and high if you'll be around the house. No crock pot? Simply add to a sauce pot and cook at low to medium-low on the stove-top.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

2011-08-06T07:30:00.000-04:00

I needed something to pair with the previously posted mushrooms. My original plan was to do some simple lemon, garlic shrimp on the grill, but at the last minute, I changed my tune and wanted to do a scampi of some sort. A quick search brought me to this recipe, Baked Shrimp Scampi. It's an Ina recipe, so, folks, grab your butter! There are a lot of ingredients, but it came together quickly, and would certainly impress your guests! I would love to see this paired with a simple oil and basil spaghetti like I made a few weeks ago. The flavor was so rich that it just needs a simple pairing.

Baked Shrimp Scampi
adapted from Ina Garten, Back to Basics
serves 6 (I cut the recipe in half)

2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 Tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko
lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 425.

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting along the outer curve of each shrimp, and opening like a book. Do not cut all the way through, just deep enough to help them stand up.

Place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, white wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside while you prepare the butter mixture.

In a small bowl, mash together the butter with the remaining ingredients, through the panko. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and mix to thoroughly combine.

Starting from the outside of a gratin dish or pie plate, arrange the shrimp in a single layer, cut side down, curling the tails toward the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Drop the butter mixture over the top by the spoonful, and bake 10-12 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to brown the top, and serve with lemon wedges.

Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Portobellas

2011-08-05T11:30:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a lot of gawking. Foodgawking that is. I saw some bright green goodness in these Spinach & Cheese Portobella Mushrooms and wanted to give them a try. It calls to grill them, but I wanted to do all my cooking indoors, so I cooked them stove top in a skillet on low heat, turned out great! Need:

2 large Portobella Mushroom Caps
3 wedges Laughing Cow Cheese (or ~2.5oz other soft, spreadable cheese)
10 oz package frozen Spinach, thawed and drained (I actually sauteed some fresh spinach in just a touch of olive oil)
S&P
Olive Oil

Do:

Warm grill on medium-high or warm some olive oil in a skillet on medium low.

Wipe down the mushroom caps to clean and scrape out the gills and stem.

Defrost the spinach, and mix together with the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide the spinach mixture in half and fill the mushroom caps.

Brush olive oil on the bottoms and sides of the mushrooms, and place stuffed side up on the grill. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are softened and the spinach is hot and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Or cook on the stove 10-15 minutes.

Remove from the grill and serve while hot.

Thanks to Ketchup & Chutney for the recipe and detailed instructions!

Fresh Roasted Salsa

2011-08-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

You know when you figure something out that is ridiculously easy, or just kind of a no-brainer and you question your own intelligence? Enter homemade salsa.

I got the basic recipe from a fellow January Mom, but tweaked it just a bit from my own experience.

Need:

7-8 tomatoes- I use on the vine, Roma would work too
2 Jalapenos
1/2 Onion- I use one small
2 Tbsp of cilantro- use 1 Tbsp if you aren't a huge fan
1 Tbsp of salt- use a little less if you aren't a salt fan, but that's a weird thing not to like...
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 clove of garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime (roll the lime on the counter a bit before cutting to loosen up the juices)

Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tomatoes, jalapenos and onion in half. If you want a spicier salsa, leave a good portion of the jalapeno insides alone, if you want it milder, pull the seeds and rib meat out. I do a happy medium there. Prep a baking sheet with a little olive oil. Place your veggies, cut side down, on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Let the veggies cool a bit, then put the jalapeno and onion in a food processor. Pulse a few times. For a watery style salsa, add the tomatoes and pulse a few more times. For a heartier salsa, press down on the tomato pieces to drain some of the liquid out, then place them in the processor and pulse a few more times.

Mix together the lime juice, cumin, garlic, salt and cilantro. Pour over the veggies, and pulse a few more times to mix. Yields about 3 cups of deliciousness.

Fall Apart Slow Cooker Cube Steak with Gravy

2011-08-03T21:47:00.000-04:00

I have said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but I am a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I had bought some cube steak at the market this weekend, and made this recipe. I was pretty disappointed in the outcome to say the least. So when I realized I had about twice the amount I actually needed for that recipe, I knew I would have to try something else this week with the remainder. I decided to go with a classic cube steak recipe, however when I was searching around the Internet, I was consistently missing one key ingredient from each one. So, I decided to make up my own thing.

Ingredients:

1lb or so cube steak cut into individual portions
1/2 packet of onion mushroom mix (or whatever mix you prefer)
1 packet of gravy mix (I used Au Jus)
4 cups water, divided
Flour for dredging
Canola oil

Directions:

Heat 2-3Tbsp oil in a skillet on medium-high. Dredge the steaks in flour and let sit for a few minutes. Brown the steaks for 1-2 minutes per side. Place in a slow cooker on low. Mix 2 cups of water with the onion mushroom mix and pour over the steaks. Cook for approximately 7 hours. Mix the remaining 2 cups of water with the gravy mix and pour into the slow cooker. Allow to cook for another 30 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes.

*I made my mashed potatoes with buttermilk, butter, salt and pepper- ah ma goodness. Highly recommend that!

Fiesta Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

2011-08-01T22:03:00.000-04:00

I've made a Mediterranean orzo salad before, and Carl adored it! It's a pretty time consuming side dish, so when I saw this fiesta style orzo salad that seemed a little simpler for a weeknight, I knew I had to try it. Good move Molly, good move. Delicious, easy, weeknight winner.

P.S. My picture sucks. Please don't judge this recipe by it's photo.

The Ingredients:
1 Cup Cooked Orzo
1 Cup Frozen Whole-Kernel Corn- I used a can of corn because I needed it to come together quickly and had originally planned on grilling some corn on the cob
12 Cherry Tomatoes – quartered – I had a bunch of on the vine, so I just diced 2 of those those
3 Green Onions – sliced
1 Can Black Beans (15 oz.) – rinse and drained
1/4 Cup Low Fat Buttermilk
3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Cilantro – divided
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Light Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Canola Mayonnaise
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
2 Garlic Cloves – crushed
1 Peeled Avocado – cut into 8 wedges- I omitted
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Parsley- I omitted...not on purpose. I forgot.

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions – don’t add salt or oil to the water. Drain and rinse. Place orzo, corn, tomatoes, green onions, and black beans into a large bowl and toss.

Whisk together buttermilk, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, fresh lime juice light sour cream, mayo, chili powder, salt, pepper, ground red pepper, and garlic.

Drizzle dressing over salad and mix to coat. You can eat it immediately, or refrigerate it up to a couple days.

Tropical Salsa Topped Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi

2011-07-28T21:37:00.000-04:00

We bought some flash frozen Mahi Mahi at the market last week, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. When we were in Hawaii, I had coconut crusted Mahi Mahi and it came with a side of tropical salsa. Dinner? Check.

This was really light and refreshing. I drizzled some of the liquid from the salsa over the fish. Perfection! For the fish, I based it off this recipe with a few minor changes.

Ingredients

12 oz Mahi Mahi

1 cup finely chopped coconut

2 eggs

.5 cup whole wheat flour

Salt, Pepper, Cayeen Pepper (To taste)

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375
Spray a baking Sheet with Pam
Cut Mahi Mahi into 4 equal serving pieces (3 oz. each)
In a bowl or plastic bag, Mix Flour, salt and both peppers until evenly blended.
In bowl, lightly mix 2 eggs
Place chopped Coconut on a paper plate
Dredge fish in flour mixture to cover.
Dip Fish in Egg and then the coconut to cover (may need to press down a bit)
Place on Baking Sheet and spry tops lightly with more PAM. Bake until fish flakes easily with a fork and coc0nut is golden

*I pan fried the filets in about 1 tbsp canola oil for 60 seconds a side first, then put the whole pan in the oven for 8 minutes.

For the Tropical Salsa, I used this recipe. Just mix the following ingredients.

Ingredients

1/4 of a fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine
1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped fine
1 large jalapeno, seeded, deveined, and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tomato, chopped
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon salt (I cut this in half)

Steak Salad with Bacon, Crispy Potatoes, and Blue Cheese Dressing

2011-07-27T21:58:00.000-04:00

Wow. OK, even if you just make the dressing to use on whatever you choose, do it! I used a good Roquefort, and it was Mmm Mmm unbelievable if you like Blue Cheese Dressing.

Ingredients

4 ounces sliced bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used turkey bacon)
8 ounces Yukon gold or fingerling potatoes cut into 1/2 inch wedges
kosher salt and black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds sirloin steak (1 inch thick)
3 ounces blue cheese (such as Stilton or Roquefort), crumbled (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 scallion, chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces (about 8 cups)

Directions

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
Add the potatoes to the bacon drippings, season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to the paper towel-lined plate.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a second large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook 5 to 7 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
In a small bowl, mix together the blue cheese, sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, scallion, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Divide the lettuce among plates, top with the steak, bacon, and potatoes, and drizzle with the dressing.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Broiled Cheesy Tomatoes and Basil Spaghetti

2011-07-24T20:45:00.000-04:00

I saw the broiled tomato and basil spaghetti recipe in a Real Simple magazine, but knew I needed to beef...er chicken it up. So I used a Parmesan Crusted Chicken to make a lighter version of Chicken Parmigiana. Ahh...maaaa.....gosh! Delish!!!

Parm Crusted Chicken:

Serves 4

4 large chicken breasts
3 eggs, beaten (I used egg whites as I had used the yolks to make mayonnaise)
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
fresh lemon to serve

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling-wrap and thin out with a rolling pin or mallet.
Combine the breadcrumbs with the cheese, salt and paprika. Place this in a shallow, wide bowl.
Place the beaten eggs in a similar bowl (big enough to dunk the chicken into).
To coat the chicken, dunk it first into the egg mixture and then place into the crumbs, coating the chicken well and patting down the crumbs.
Place the chicken in the frying pan and allow to fry for 2 minutes per side until the crumbs are crispy and the chicken is cooked through but still moist.
Serve hot with fresh lemon.

Broiled Cheesy Tomatoes over Basil Spaghetti:

Ingredients

12 ounces spaghetti
3 large tomatoes, cut into 4 thick slices
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking sheet
kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more, shaved for serving
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving

Directions

Heat broiler. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the slices with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan, warm the oil with the garlic and red pepper over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the garlic oil, basil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve topped with the tomatoes, additional basil, and shaved Parmesan.

Zucchini Salad

2011-07-20T19:24:00.000-04:00

I was a little apprehensive about zucchini. I've never really been a fan unless it's in zucchini bread, and we all know that bread's flavor has nothing to do with the zucchini. But the tag line under the photo is "not a fan of raw zucchini? This salad....is sure to make you a convert." Done. Let's give it a try.

1 medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (3 oz)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp small dill sprigs
Lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp +1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Toss together zucchini, cheese, oil, dill and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with lemon zest.
Source: Martha Stewart Living August 2011

Turkey-Corn Salad with Pan Dripping Dressing

2011-07-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

So here is where you need the pan drippings from the previously posted turkey breast. This was also in the Martha Stewart Living August edition. This is a seriously light and healthy salad. So much so that I really should have had some bread with it. But if you are on a diet, by all means, scarf down a huge portion of this, because you can't go wrong!

1-2 cups shredded or sliced turkey from Roast Turkey Breast
1.5 cups corn kernels (3-4 ears) *We grill ours in tin foil on medium for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes
1 tomato, chopped and drained
1 small jalapeno chile, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh lime juice (2 limes)
1 small head Bibb lettuce, torn into pieces
3 tbsp fresh cilantro

1. Toss turkey with corn, tomato, jalapeno and onion.
2. Whisk together reserved pan drippings and lime juice. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to coat. Toss in lettuce and cilantro.

The Perfect Roast Turkey Breast

2011-07-20T19:17:00.000-04:00

I don't make turkey nearly as much as I should. Finding this recipe in Martha Stewart Living will definitely change that. It calls for a whole turkey breast, skin on, bone in, but my meat market only had 5-6lb birds, so I bought half of one. It was perfect. We ate it sliced the first night and made it into a salad the next, recipe to follow!

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper (I used black)
1 bone in, skin on turkey breast (about 2.5 lbs)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together oil, salt and pepper; brush over turkey.

Roast turkey on a rimmed baking sheet until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 140 degrees and climbing, about 30 minutes. Let rest at least 15 minutes. Slice turkey as needed. (Reserve pan drippings for gravy, or my next recipe)

*I roasted my turkey for about 35 minutes and it climbed nicely to 160 degrees in 15 minutes.

Orange Chicken: Take Two.

2011-05-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

I tried making an Orange Chicken awhile back. Most likely, I wasn't crazy about it, because I haven't made it since. Perhaps because it was a "healthier" version of Orange Chicken. However, this one from Annie is definitely memorable. Spicy. Sweet. Savory. It's got it all.

I will say, it's a process. This isn't a quick dinner, but the reward is worth the work!

Ingredients:
For the marinade and sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1½ tsp. finely grated orange zest
6 tbsp. white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
½ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water
8 thin strips orange peel (optional)

For the coating and frying:
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 cups peanut or canola oil (I like a combination)

Directions:
To make the marinade and sauce, combine the chicken broth, orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper in a large saucepan; whisk to blend well. Measure out ¾ cup of the mixture and transfer it to a large zipper lock plastic bag. Add the chicken pieces to the bag, pressing out the excess air and sealing well. Refrigerate and let marinate 30-60 minutes, but no longer. Place the saucepan with the remaining mixture on the stove and heat over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth. Add the mixture to the saucepan with the sauce. Continue simmering until the sauce is thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the strips of orange peel, if using.

To prepare the coating, place the egg whites in a pie plate and whisk until frothy. In a second pie plate combine the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne pepper; whisk to blend. Drain the chicken of the marinade in a colander or large strainer; pat dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat. Transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly, shaking off the excess. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

To fry the chicken, heat the oil in a 11- or 12-inch round Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan until the oil reaches 350˚ F. Carefully place half of the chicken pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through cooking. Remove from the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350˚ F and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Reheat the sauce if necessary and toss with the cooked chicken pieces. Serve over rice, if desired.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

2011-04-26T11:25:00.000-04:00

I love lemon poppyseed muffins. I have since I was little. Not really sure why I've never made them in the past. Thanks to the lovely Annie, I finally did it. I found these to be just a touch salty, so I might do a scant 1/2 tsp next time. I doubled the batch and actually got 24 nice sized muffins plus 24 mini muffins. So I'm thinking I also could have gotten 24 big muffins. They were a hit, and will definitely be on my list for any brunch or afternoon gathering. Nice and light with a lot of flavor!

For the muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)

For the glaze (optional):
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Stir briefly to combine. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest and the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in two additions alternating with the yogurt, beating each addition just until incorporated.

Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds full. Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the muffins are still warm, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl to make the glaze. Drizzle a small amount of the glaze over each muffin. Let the glaze set before serving.

Cherry Chicken Salad Croissants

2011-04-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

I love dried cherries. I put them in my salads. I eat them plain. I like finding new recipes to use them. I bought a 20lb bag. :/

With that being said, I offered to coordinate the menu for Carl's family's Easter Egg Hunt. I suggested and said I would bring Cherry Chicken Salad Croissants. Plus, I was hosting a light lunch for Carl's immediate family on Easter day, so I knew I could make a really big batch and use it twice. The only problem was that I had made a cherry chicken salad before, but I didn't love it. I almost just made it again, but wow, am I glad I didn't! I went with this one from The Novice Chef. Perfection. So many compliments and I will search no further!

Ingredients:

4 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, finely diced (I omitted, I like celery but sometimes find it overpowering)
2 medium shallots, minced
3/4 cup dried Michigan Cherries
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup fat free greek yogurt
3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients and adjust any seasonings as needed. You can eat it immediately, but I like to let the flavors develop a little while before eating. So I suggest letting it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes or so before eating!

*Definitely let it sit overnight!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

2011-04-21T19:49:00.000-04:00

I feel like a broken record, but if you are looking for a tried and true recipe...for anything, check Annie's blog. I haven't been disappointed yet. These fajitas have inspired me to try and grow peppers, cilantro and onions in the garden so we make these a very regular dish in our house!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
6 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1½ tsp. brown sugar
1 jalapeño, seeded, ribbed and diced (I omitted as I'm trying to avoid spicy food right now)
1½ tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp. salt
¾ tsp. pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied (6 halves total), about 1½ lbs.
1 large red onion (about 14 oz.), sliced into ½-inch thick slices, rings not separated
2 large bell peppers (about 10 oz. each), stemmed, quartered and seeded
8-12 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lime juice, 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and pepper. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade; set aside. Place the chicken breast halves in the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Brush both sides of the onion rounds and peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, using a large chimney starter, ignite 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes and burn until the coals are fully ignited, about 20 minutes. Empty the coals into the grill, spreading them in a single layer. Place an additional 20 unlit coals over the lit coals on one side of the grill to create a tw0-level fire. Place the grill grate over the coals and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Scrape the grate clean with a grill brush. (For a gas grill, light all burners to high, cover and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave one burner on high and turn the rest down to medium.)

Remove the chicken breast halves from the marinade and transfer to the hotter side of the grill; discard the left over marinade. Place the onion rounds and peppers on the cooler side of the grill. Cook the chicken until it is well browned, 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue grilling until it is no longer pink inside (or an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 160˚ F.) Meanwhile, cook onions and peppers until spottily charred and crisp-tender, about 8-12 minutes, turning once or twice as needed. When the chicken and vegetables are done, transfer them to a large plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In 2 or 3 batches, transfer the tortillas in a single layer to the now empty grill on the cooler side. Cook until warm and lightly browned, about 20 seconds per side. When the tortillas are done, wrap them in a clean kitchen towel or foil.

Separate the onions into rings and place them in a medium bowl. Slice the bell peppers lengthwise into ¼-inch strips and add them to the bowl with the onions. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved unused marinade and toss well to combine. Slice the chicken into ¼-inch strips and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade in another bowl. Arrange the chicken and vegetables on a large platter with the warmed tortillas and serve.

Source: adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Cook’s Illustrated

Lemony Blueberry Scones

2011-04-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

I've made a few things lately, but I either forget to take a picture or don't have time. However, the things I made were good, so they'll get made again and I'll take the photo and blog it then. Promise. These, however, were a priority for me to blog. I think because I knew they would be good. I love scones. They are the perfect, not too sweet, sweet breakfast item. Annie, at Annie's Eats, has been tempting me with these as a featured recipe, and I caved. If you are a scone fan, you should definitely make these. And even if you don't like blueberries, just use this basic recipe and process. Delicious!

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen whole
1½ cups (7½ oz.) fresh blueberries
½ cup whole milk
½ cup sour cream
2 cups (10 oz.) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425˚ F. Grate the frozen butter on the holes of a large box grater. (I like to use my food processor for this – fast and easy.) Place the blueberries in the freezer until needed.

Whisk together the milk and sour cream in a medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Combine the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the grated butter to the flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula just until combined. Transfer the dough to a generously floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and knead with well floured hands, 6-8 times, just until the dough holds together in a ragged ball. Add small amounts of flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Roll the dough into a 12-inch square. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter (a dough scraper really helps with these steps). Fold the short ends of the dough into the center in thirds, to form an approximate 4-inch square. Transfer the dough to a plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Return the dough to the floured work surface and roll into an approximately 12-inch square again. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the surface of the dough, and gently press down so that they are slightly embedded in the dough surface. Using a dough scraper, roll the dough up to form a tight log. Lay the log seam side down and press the the log into a 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using a sharp, floured knife, cut the rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the scones with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar. (If freezing ahead of time, flash freeze on the baking sheet for 20 minutes, then wrap individually and store in a freezer bag until needed.) Bake until the tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Source: adapted from Entertaining from Cook’s Illustrated, Spring 2009

Oven Fried Lemon Garlic Chicken

2010-10-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

Mmmmmm! Stephanie told me I should make this dish and yowsa she was right! It came together extremely quickly with very limited things on hand and smelled divine while it was baking! I strongly urge you to try it out! I'm anxious to try some variations of it too, we'll see how those turn out.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp parsley, dried or fresh
3 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs, boneless
Cooking Spray

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the garlic and lemon. Allow to sit for a few minutes, stirring, and remove from heat once it is completely melted. Place on a hotpad on the counter (no need to dirty another dish here).

Mix the bread crumbs and spices in another bowl. Dredge the chicken in the butter followed by the panko mixture. Place on a greased cooking sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.

Creamy Fiesta Salsa Chicken

2010-10-14T10:14:00.000-04:00

This was recommended as a delicious slow cooker dinner. I am very skeptical on chicken in the crock. For whatever reason it never turns out good. I'm not sure if it's what happens to the texture of the chicken or what, but they always seem kind of blah to me. Last night's though was a real winner! It doesn't look pretty, but don't let that fool you!

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
1 jar salsa
1 can black beans
1 block cream cheese
1 can or bag of corn
Put chicken in with salsa - make sure salsa covers the chicken. Cook all day on low, then, 45 minutes before serving put in the black beans (drained and rinsed), corn and cream cheese.

*my notes: When I got home from work, I just used a wooden spoon to shred the chicken and blend with the salsa. The chicken had been cooking for about 8 hours and fell apart quite nicely. I just made some boxed Spanish Rice with diced tomatoes and served the chicken mix over it. So yummy!

Annie's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

2010-10-12T12:17:00.001-04:00

1st, yes, I am alive. And yes, I actually have been eating the last 6 or so months, even though I haven't been telling you about it. To be honest, I haven't tried many new things and when I have, they just haven't been that exciting. But, I think last night might have got me back in the swing of things food-wise!

2nd, I want to live at Annie's house. I would be her maid and she could pay me in food. I love that she makes things that are reasonable and not too far fetched where I can't find the ingredients in my local store.

I had starred this recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup awhile back and this week was finally up to the challenge of making some new meals. I can't really say it's healthy, but you do get a truckload of veggies in your system and it's a super frugal dinner option! Oh and it came together quickly, for a soup especially! I'm enjoying a bowl of it for lunch today and am looking forward to having it for lunch again tomorrow!

Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Printer-Friendly Version

Ingredients:
6 tbsp. butter, divided
¾ cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrot, chopped or shredded
4 cups small broccoli florets
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ tsp. onion salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the carrots to the pan and cook a couple minutes more. Stir in the broccoli, chicken broth, onion salt and garlic powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt remaining butter. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown, whisking constantly. Whisk in the milk and cook until the mixture thickens and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, whisk in the cheese until completely melted. Remove from the heat and add the cheese sauce to the soup pot. Allow to simmer until warmed through and broccoli is tender. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. If desired, puree the soup with an immersion blender for a smooth texture.

Source: Annie’s Eats original

My notes: I used my mandoline with the cheese grater slot to shred the carrots and I just rough chopped the broccoli. I like a chunkier soup though. I also noticed that it needed a decent amount of salt and pepper on the first day- so I added a little to the pot, but day 2 was perfect. No need for any additional seasoning. It easily made enough for 4-6 servings.

Individual Upside Down Black Forrest Cake

2010-03-07T15:08:00.001-05:00

This recipe was in Everyday Food a couple months ago and looked awesome, so I added it to the menu for our dinner party this weekend. The photo is awful. It was dark outside, and I was in a hurry, but I promise, they looked really cute! I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 so I would have enough for 6 4-ounce ramekins.

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter (1/2 stick), room temperature
* 1/3 cup(s) plus 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
* 1 1/2 cup(s) drained jarred sour cherries (1 teaspoon juice reserved)
* 1/3 cup(s) all purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
* 1/4 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarse salt
* 1 large egg yolk
* 3 tablespoon(s) whole milk (I used half and half)
*If jarred sour cherries are not available, frozen sweet cherries, thawed and drained, may be substituted. Substitute 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice for the cherry juice. (Which I did)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon cherry juice in the bottom of each of two 8 ounce ramekins. Microwave ramekins until butter and brown sugar are melted and bubbling, about 1 minute. Arrange cherries in a tightly packed layer in the bottom of each ramekin.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. In another small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stir in egg yolk, then flour mixture and milk. Divide batter between ramekins.
3. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cake comes out with only a few crumbs attached, about 30 minutes (Mine only took about 20 minutes since they were smaller ramekins). Let cool on a wire rack, 20 minutes.

Banana Pecan Bread

2010-02-06T14:20:00.000-05:00

I had some extra ripe bananas just begging to be made into something fantastic. Luckily, I didn't have any walnuts on hand, so it made me search for a new recipe that included pecans, something I did have. This recipe calls this Moist Banana Pecan Bread, and it is! I'm enjoying a warm piece out of the oven now...and you should too!

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 medium overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325. Grease a 9" x 5" loaf pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamed. Beat in eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla until creamy.
In a seperate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add this dry mixture into creamed mixture and mix well. Batter will get thick.
Stir in chopped pecans.
Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 70-80 minutes. (Mine took the full 80 minutes)
Makes 1 loaf.

Beef Rolls with Spring Salad

2010-01-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

I had, oh, about 12 magazines I hadn't even touched. So this past Saturday was a fun game of catch up. I got through about 3 of them. I'm actually going to be reading the magazine while the month that's on the spine is the same that is on today's calendar. Anywaaaaay, Everyday Food had a really delicious looking dinner that not only was quick but healthy! We are trying to focus more on what we eat, so this was really appealing to us. I can't wait to make this in the summer! It's the perfect light dish for eating outside.

I modified it just a touch from the magazine- mostly the amounts of things.

Ingredients:

1 pepper (I used 1/2 of a red and 1/2 of an orange)
1 small onion
olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 c water
3/4 pound braciola beef (I used just a thinly sliced sirloin tip and pounded it a bit thinner)- cut into 4 equal pieces
2 ounces pepper Jack cheese
7 ounces spring lettuce mix
1 1/2 tsp sherry vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high. Add onions and peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 3/4 c water; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and liquid has evaporated, 2 minutes.

2. Pat meat dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place cheese and onion-pepper mixture in center of beef pieces. Beginning with narrow end of meat, roll filling up tightly. Carefully flip meat seam side up and secure with toothpicks.

3. In the same skillet as in step 1, heat to medium high. Place meat rolls, seam side down, in skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until beef browns and cheese melts, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat is beef is browning too quickly. Transfer beef rolls to a plate.

4. Toss lettuce with vinegar and 1 tsp oil; season with salt and pepper. Remove toothpicks from beef rolls; serve with salad.

Enjoy!

Ginger Pumpkin Tart

2010-01-04T18:49:00.001-05:00

I was watching 5 Ingredient Fix and saw this recipe. It looked way too good not to try! (I made a good choice!)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups crushed thin Swedish ginger cookies, (about 55 to 60 cookies)
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, organic if possible
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 large egg yolks
Pinch salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 9-inch removable-bottom fluted tart pan on a baking sheet.

Make the crust by combining the ginger cookie crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl, until well blended. Add the crumbs to the tart pan and evenly press over the bottom and up the sides with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until set and a bit darker in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, condensed milk, egg yolks and salt until well blended. Pour the filling into the cooled crust, return to the oven, and bake until set and beginning to brown on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove tart from the oven, cool to room temperature and then chill in the refrigerator, at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

To serve, carefully remove outer tart shell ring and slice. Eat and enjoy!

NOTE: Any crushed gingersnap cookie will do; just be sure to use 2 1/2 cups crumbs for the crust.

Freezer Ready Chicken Pot Pie

2010-01-04T18:39:00.000-05:00

Back when my sister had her baby in September, I made her 3 freezer meals to help out their tired, hungry bellies. While I was at it, I went ahead and just doubled each recipe and kept one of each for ourselves. I found the recipe here, and it was super easy! Of course I was a bit skeptical as this was my first time making freezer meals...and because this just seemed too simple. I.was.wrong. It was REALLY good! My plan next time is to make about 6 of these bad boys at once. I could easily eat this once every couple weeks. Sorry my picture is awful...I forgot to take one after we cut it, and it was gone really quickly.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie Freezer Recipe

1 pkg frozen peas & carrots
1 8oz can small whole onions, drained
1 small can mushroom pieces
2 cups cooked & cut-up chicken pieces
2 cups chicken gravy
Pie crust (frozen or homemade)

Combine all ingredients well and pour into 9" pie pan. Cover with pie crust, pressing edges into foil pan. Freeze as is for one hour, remove, wrap with freezer wrap and label, then freeze.

On cooking day:
Remove one and a half hours before baking, remove from freezer to thaw. Preheat oven to 450F. Cover edges of pie crust with foil to prevent the crust from burning. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until crust is brown and mixture inside is hot. Remove from oven and allow to sit for ten minutes.

Annie's Benchiladas

2009-11-30T18:50:00.000-05:00

I promise, we are not withering away to nothing over here at Casa de Happy Meals. We are all keeping our pounds right where they are, and then some :) I've got a handful of posts to get caught up on, I've just been busy over at My Happy House. Promise, I'll make more of an effort to stay on top of the food business.

So...onto the good stuff. Meet benchiladas.
I had some chicken thawing, and wanted to do something new. We were getting tired of the regular rotation players. I remembered Lindsay raving about some enchiladas she had made, and that made my decision easy. They come from the wonderful Annie, at Annie's Eats. These are new candidates to the starting line up. Thanks Annie...and Lindsay!

INGREDIENTS

* 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

* 8 oz. reduced fat sour cream (we used fat free)

* 8 oz. ranch dressing (we used light)

* Flour tortillas (10-15)

* Jar of salsa (we used red enchilada sauce instead)

* Shredded mexican cheese - as much as you want!

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook chicken breasts by preferred cooking method until cooked through. Set aside to cool a bit.
2. While chicken is cooling, mix up the sauce. In a large mixing bowl, combine half of the sour cream and half of the ranch dressing. In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and Ranch dressing. Stir both until well combined. Shred or chop the cooked chicken and add to the large mixing bowl. Mix well with sauce.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13″ pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed). Take one tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp. of the sauce from the small bowl. Spread over the tortilla in an even layer. Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla. Top with salsa to taste. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, to taste. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients (usually makes 10-15 enchiladas).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla). Allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

Cranberry Orange Scones

2009-11-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

I had some leftover cranberries from the Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake...well and some oranges. So when I saw this recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles, it was screaming my name. I really love to eat scones, so I thought I'd try my hand at making them. Yummy! This is the perfect sweet bread for breakfast. I'll totally make them again...I'll have to try some variation though!

Makes 8 scones

1½ tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
2½ cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (3.5 ounces) sugar plus 3 tablespoons
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1½ cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse (I usually do this in the food processor)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

2. In a small bowl, toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar. In another small bowl, lightly beat the egg and yolk, then stir in cream.

3. In a food processor, pulse the flour, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, salt, and zest until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl. (You can also just smoosh the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers instead of using a food processor.) Stir the cranberries into the flour mixture. Then gently fold the egg mixture into the flour until just combined.

4. On a well-floured surface with floured hands, pat the dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter). With a 2-inch round cutter or the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling the scraps as necessary. (Or cut the circle into wedges, which is my standard method.) Arrange the scones about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool about 10 minutes, then serve.

*I did however find the dough to be a bit moist, so I just added some flour as I went.

Macintosh Apple Cake

2009-11-02T08:12:00.000-05:00

I had some apples that were quickly going downhill, so I wanted to use them up. Amy over here had an intriguing apple cake recipe. Intriguing because she said it was delicious but it looked ridiculously simple! Well, she wasn't lying. It is reeeeeeally good! I think we each had 2-3 pieces. It was hard to put it away. I'll definitely make it again.

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs beaten

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups apples, peeled sliced -I used Macintosh & an apple peeler corer- which is a huge lifesaver! Once it went through that, I did was cut them into 6 sections for approximately 1 inch pieces

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 300.

Combine oil and sugar, blend in eggs. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to oil and sugar mixture. Add vanilla extract, apples and walnuts. Place in greased 9x13 inch pan and bake for 1 hour, 20 minutes in a 300 degree oven.

Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake

2009-10-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

We normally resort to the family recipe for a Cinnamon Sour Cream Cake when in need of a breakfast sweet, but I wanted to try something different for our upstate trip this past weekend. (Don't go on a search for the Cinnamon Sour Cream Cake recipe...I always forget to photograph it...I'll add it to my list of things to do!) I ran across this recipe, and it sounded like the perfect blend of tart and sweet for breakfast. It was a hit. It's definitely not super sweet, but we really liked the flavor.

Ingredients

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups rolled oats
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. finely shredded orange peel

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan; set aside. In bowl stir together flour, oats, baking powder, soda, and salt.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar; beat until well combined. Add eggs; beat until well combined. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating on low speed after each addition until combined.

3. Toss cranberries with 2 tablespoons sugar; fold into batter with orange peel. Spoon batter into prepared pan; spread evenly.

4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool on rack. Prepare Orange Glaze; spoon over cooled cake. Let stand until glaze is set. Makes 12 servings.

Orange Glaze:In small bowl combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel. Add 2 to 3 teaspoons orange juice to make drizzling consistency.

Pioneer Woman's French Onion Soup

2009-10-12T18:37:00.001-04:00

I wanted to make something new this week, and Lindsay, my official guinea pig, told me I just haaaaaaad to try PW's French Onion Soup. Now, I'm a huge fan of FOS, and PW hasn't done me wrong yet, so it only seemed appropriate to give it a go. I'll warn you the same as Lindsay did- this is not a quick recipe. It takes about 2 hours, only about 30 minutes of hands-on time, but just be warned.

Now that I have appropriately warned you about the time, let me warn you on one other thing. You are probably going to eat way more of this than you need. It is some delicious warmness, and you won't want to put your spoon down. See those three ramekins up there in that picture? I did not make this for Carl, Gibson and me. It was just me.

Alright...now that you are really warned, go buy these ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
4 large or 6 small/medium yellow onions, halved root to tip and sliced thin
1 generous cup dry white wine
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 cups beef broth
2 cloves minced garlic
Worcestershire Sauce
Several thick slices french bread or baguette
5 to 7 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (Swiss, Asiago, Mozzarella, or Romano works, too)

Now do this:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt butter in a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
Place soup pot into the oven with the lid slightly ajar to ensure the onions will brown.
Allow onions to cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring at least once during the cooking process so onions won’t stick and burn.
Remove pot from pan and place over medium heat. Stir pan, scraping all the brown, flavorful bits.
Turn off heat and pour in wine. Turn heat back to medium.
Cook wine for five minutes, allowing it to reduce.
Add broths and minced garlic and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes.
Butter one side of the bread slices and broil over low heat, allowing bread to brown and become crispy.

When soup is ready, ladle into bowl or ramekin. Place crispy bread on top, then sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Note: I cut the recipe in half. It would fill about 6 small ramekins. I made half up tonight and will probably have the leftovers tomorrow. I only did the bread and cheese portion for the 3 ramekins I made tonight. ENJOY!

Super Simple & Delicious Sugar Cookies

2009-10-03T11:29:00.000-04:00

This is Carl's aunt's recipe, and I love it! It's so simple yet so good. If you like your sugar cookies crispy, just roll the dough thin. If you like them squishy, leave it thicker. So versatile. I love it! I picked up pumpkin and leaf cookie cutters this year, and was pretty anxious to try them out. We are going to my brother's house later today, so these will be perfect to bring along!

Cookies:
1 cup salted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbls milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients. Chill at least 10 minutes. Roll out, cut and bake. the thinner, the crispier. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

Frosting:
2 Tbls salted butter
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanila
3 Tbls milk

Blend margarine and sugar. Add vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth. Add food coloring if desired.

Yields: Approx 20 cookies depending on size of cutter

See? SIMPLE! Happy Fall!

Slow Cooker Oriental Beef & Noodles

2009-09-28T18:48:00.000-04:00

Carl needed an early dinner, and I had spotted this recipe on Cooking This and That last week. I knew it was the perfect time to try it since it would be ready right when I got home from work. It smelled divine all day long, and tasted just as good! It was really easy and really flavorful. We'll definitely make this again. Oh and it was especially nice since the temp didn't even reach 60 today. A nice warm you up meal!

Oriental Beef and Noodles
adapted from Cook Once, Eat Twice Slow Cooker Recipes
Makes 4-6 servings

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 - 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor (I used Kikkoman Stir Fry Sauce)
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, water, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

*After I added the noodles, I added another cup of water to cut down on the sauce. I think it needed it, but it just depends how thick and strong you want it to be.

German Coleslaw

2009-09-27T09:18:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Monica invited us to her Oktoberfest party this weekend. We were invited to bring our favorite Oktober Brew and enjoy in a feast, but I didn't want to go empty handed food wise. I asked what I could bring and we came to the conclusion of German Coleslaw. Her spread was amazing, and the party was fabulous!

As for the German Slaw, it was a big hit. It had a perfect combination of flavors, and it was REALLY easy. It was a great break from a typical creamy coleslaw. It will definitely make my list of party sides.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium head cabbage, finely shredded (I used half green and half purple)
3 green onions, sliced
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 c)
3/4 cup vinegar (I used 1/2 c)
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used 1/2 c)

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine cabbage and onions. In a saucepan, mix sugar, vinegar, celery seed and salt; bring to a boil. Add oil; return to boiling and cook until sugar dissolves. Pour over cabbage; toss gently. Chill.

Apple Cherry Crisp

2009-09-21T19:58:00.000-04:00

I wanted to make something new for dessert on Sunday, and like I said, Everyday Food had tons of ideas! This is actually an apple cranberry crisp, but apparently you can't get fresh or frozen cranberries right now...anywhere! So, I turned it into apple cherry crisp. I assume it was just as good if not better. I'd highly recommend this!

Ingredients

2.5-3 lbs Braeburn or Gala apples, peeled, cored and diced into 1/2 inch dice (I just used my apple, corer, peeler, slicer and then cut the sections into sixths)
1 pound fresh cranberries, rinsed well (I used frozen cherries)
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts (I omitted)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
Vanilla ice cream as accompaniment

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. But a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, cranberries, walnuts, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, and toss well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Blend the butter into the dry ingredients using your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour the fruit mixture into the dish. Sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until bubbly and the apples are tender, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving with vanilla ice cream on top.

Baked Chicken with Onions, Garlic & Thyme

2009-09-21T19:46:00.000-04:00

This month's Everyday Food is chock full of great recipes! This one seemed perfect for a Sunday dinner. So, we invited the in-laws over, and enjoyed a nice Sunday chicken dinner.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (cut into 8 pieces)- I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound new white potatoes, cut in quarters
1 large red onion, cut into eighths
1 head garlic cloves, separated and left unpeeled
6 sprigs thyme
1 lemon, quartered
1/4 c evoo
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
coarse salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken, potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and lemon in a 12x16 inch roasting pan. Whisk together oil and vinegar and drizzle over chicken and vegetables. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Turn chicken skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 50 minutes.

*If you are going to use boneless, skinless chicken like me, I'd suggest doubling the vinegar and oil and start checking it at 40 minutes instead of 50.

Raisin Challah French Toast

2009-09-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful coworker bring me some raisin challah bread. She is celebrating Rosh Hashanah and brought a few of us our own loaves! She highly recommended making french toast with it, so I didn't delay. We enjoyed it this morning!

Not much of a recipe here, but here's what I did:

1. Cut the challah in 1/2 inch slices- I did 4 slices
2. Mix two eggs, 1/4 c milk and 1 tsp of cinnamon in a shallow bowl
3. Heat a pan on med-high and spray a non-stick spray
4. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, flip and dip again
5. Cook the bread on each side for approximately 4 minutes- be sure to check it though of course!
6. Eat it! Mmmm! We sprinkled with powdered sugar, and of course used real maple syrup.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken

2009-09-14T20:26:00.001-04:00

I needed a slow cooker meal that would appeal to the masses, especially our one friend with a delicate palette. I knew chicken would be a good choice, so I went to allrecipes.com and used slow cooker and chicken in my recipe search. This one seemed to be simple enough to appease the picky, but flavorful enough to avoid a boring dish. It did just that! Is this like a flavor explosion in your mouth? No. Was it super easy and a great meal for a group of girls? Yes. I served it with a Betty Salad, yum!

INGREDIENTS

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 5 large chicken breasts)
2 (11 ounce) cans condensed cream of Cheddar cheese soup (I also added one can of cream of chicken soup)
1/2 cup milk (I upped this to 3/4c)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts inside. In a medium bowl mix together soup and milk, and pour mixture over chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garlic powder.
Cook on High for about 6 hours. Note: Do not lift lid while cooking!

Broccoli Slaw

2009-09-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

When I host a party, I usually like to make at least one new recipe and one reliable recipe. This way, I at least know that I have one good salad, side, whatever, but then I get to try something new out on a whole bunch of guinea pigs! This past Saturday, we had Carl's cousins over for a cookout, so I decided to try this broccoli slaw from Smitten Kitchen.

And the results? Guinea Pigs say- Success! I'll definitely keep this one in the rotation! I tripled the recipe, and had enough for our party on Saturday and then some to take to my parents' house on Sunday...and we still have a little leftover.

*My go to recipe was Spaghetti Salad. ALWAYS a crowd pleaser!

Here is the recipe copied from SK:
Broccoli Slaw
Adapted a little bit from family, a little bit from Apartment Therapy

Makes about six cups of slaw

2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Buttermilk Dressing (Adapted from this salad.)
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)

Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops.

Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.

Lindsay's Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken

2009-09-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

Lindsay over at Love Deliciousness did a spin off of the Laughing Cow Chicken- which I happen to love. She used Frank's Hot Sauce and Blue Cheese. Need I say more? No. No, I do not need to say more. That is enough.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED BUFFALO CHICKEN

Ingredients

* 2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)
* Appx 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
* Seasoning to taste (we used "Extra Spicy" Mrs. Dash seasoning)
* 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
* Frank's Red Hot sauce to marinate

Directions

1. Marinate chicken breasts in hot sauce for at least a couple hours - we did ours for about 4 hours.

2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Open each chicken breast up and sprinkle blue cheese crumbles and seasoning inside the middle. Fold chicken back over to original shape.
4. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and turning half way through

Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce

2009-08-19T19:18:00.000-04:00

I wanted something light and easy for tonight since I was dining alone. This recipe in the new Everyday Food magazine caught my eye the other day, and seeing as I could use up some goodies from the garden, it was an easy pick tonight. It was just what I needed. Nice flavor, light and quick! (Granted...that doesn't include the time for roasting tomatoes, but since I didn't have to tend to them while they roasted, I didn't count it towards the actual time)

So...step 1: Cut 10 plum tomatoes in half and lay cut side up on an edged cooking pan. Sprinkle with sugar and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. (I used my toaster oven)

Ingredients:
coarse salt and ground pepper
10 roasted tomato halves, roughly chopped
1/2 c evoo
3 tbsp capers (optional)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3/4 lb spaghetti
handful fresh basil leaves, to taste

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine tomatoes, oil, capers (if using), and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot; toss with tomato mixture. Serve pasta topped with basil.

Feta & Olive Stuffed Mediterranean Chicken

2009-08-17T21:08:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I had to make a deliver some wedding goods to my friend Tricia. I couldn't go empty handed, so of course I brought the most wonderful strawberry rhubarb pie. And as a trade for wedding goods and pie, I was fortunate enough to experience a delightful chicken dinner. I requested the recipe on the spot, but it wasn't until Tricia started her own blog that I decided to give it a go. It was as great as I remembered. Carl loved it. It will become a regular.

I am copying Tricia's exact recipe notes as they are very helpful...and funny.

the goods:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (the bigger the better)
2 oz. crumbled feta (i just buy a small tub)
1 small can of chopped black olives (do not drain)
1 c. fresh salsa (i like to use Chuck and Daves)
1 bag (5 oz.) of baby spinach
1 large lemon
extra virgin olive oil
black pepper

here's what you do:

PREHEAT OVEN to 375F

1. combine can of chopped olives and crumbled feta together in a bowl. drizzle in OO until a paste is made. set aside.

2. after you clean and trim the chicken of excess fat, cut a pocket in the side of the breast. make sure you dont cut all the way through.

**dont panic if you do cut all the way through- it will be ok.

3. stuff as much feta-olive mix in the pocket of each breast of chicken as you can, season with pepper and salt. set the left over feta-olive mix aside.

4. in a large skillet, heat 2 TBS. of OO on med-high heat. brown both sides of the chicken until golden brown (RS says this should take 2min).

**again- do not panic if some of the feta-olive mix falls out of the breasts- if you made the mistake of cutting through the breast- just be careful when turning and transfering.

5. when chicken is just starting to brown, transfer into a baking dish. (i use a glass 9*13). drizzle with OO and top with the remaining feta-olive mix. bake for 15-18min until cooked through.

6. when chicken is about 2min from being done. heat the salsa on the stove until hot, then remove from heat.

7. top chicken with slices of lemon (this really makes the meal in my opinion) alongside the salsa-topped spinach.

* I however did not do the spinach and salsa portion- I just had a side of fresh homegrown steamed green beans and baked potatoes. DELISH!!

OMG: ELEPHANT EARS!

2009-08-10T21:11:00.000-04:00

Why haven't I thought to make these sooner? Seriously? They are my favorite thing to get at a fair/festival/carnival and I was craving one hardcore tonight. Carl said to just make one myself, so after a few minutes of googling, I was off and running. These are seriously easy and seriously delicious! I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

* Refrigerator biscuits - 1 roll
* 1 cup cooking oil
* 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar (I made a mix of 1/2 c sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon)
* Paper lunch bag

Directions:

Place cinnamon sugar in paper lunch bag. Heat cooking oil in large frying pan. Test for hot enough: Drop of water will sizzle.

Separate dough into individual biscuits-"ear". Stretch each biscuit until they just about have holes in them. They do not have to be perfect. Gently drop each "ear" into the hot oil. As soon as one side becomes golden, flip them and let second side get golden. DO NOT WALK AWAY. They burn quickly.

Place "ears" on paper towel to soak up excess oil. Shake "ears" in paper bag of cinnamon sugar. Serve warm with ice cream or just plain. Make lots, they will go quickly.

Cost to make these? Maybe $3 for 5 smallish ears. Much better than $5 for one crappy one at the fair! What are you waiting for? Stop reading, go make these!

Pizza on the Barbie!

2009-08-09T20:39:00.000-04:00

Mmmmm pizza. Mmmmm grilling. Why didn't we do this sooner? I took tips from Lindsay, and it went well. Next time, we'll make the grill a little cooler as it burned the one portion of the crust a little bit, but it was still REALLY good. We will definitely do this again...and again.

Ingredients

* 1 tube pre-made pizza crust (We used a Jiffy mix)
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup pizza sauce (we used more than that...we like it saucy!)
* Meat and veggie toppings of your choice (We did pepperoni, green pepper from the garden and black olives.)

Directions

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for low heat and spray grate with cooking spray
2. Roll out prepared pizza dough to a size that will fit your grill.
3. Place on grill for 5 minutes, or to desired doneness, and flip over. Now add the sauce, cheese, and other toppings.
4. Cover the grill and allow to cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Moist Zucchini Bread

2009-08-06T17:40:00.001-04:00

My boss grows zucchini, and it's coming in faster than she can eat it, so she brought in a few to share. Zucchini is actually one of the things I prefer not to eat, and so at first I was going to decline the offer. But then I remembered! ZUCCHINI BREAD! So I grabbed a piece and headed home. I searched my favorite online site, allrecipes.com and found this one. I made it and took it up north with us, it was perfect, really moist and really flavorful! And don't worry if you aren't a zucchini fan, it tastes nothing like it.

I only have one loaf pan, so I just made one loaf, and then I made 12 muffins. The muffins only took 20 minutes, so if you are in a time crunch, it's a great option. Plus, they are already personal size :) And sorry for the craptastic picture. Like I said, I took it up north, I had to work with what I had.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F ( 165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Mix in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts; stir into the egg mixture. Divide batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until done.

Super Easy and Impressive Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

2009-07-20T20:49:00.000-04:00

One of my top 3 favorite desserts is Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and it is my absolute favorite pie. Yet again, I found myself thinking, why haven't I ever made it before? We were going to Carl's parent's house on Sunday, and we offered to bring dessert. So I decided to try my hand at it, and to top it off, I decided to do a lattice top for the first time.

Wowsa- ok, 1. This pie is phenomenal. I'm not kidding. If you are a fan of the berry and the barb, MAKE THIS! I am already getting ready to make it again on Wednesday. I'm completely serious. 2. It is REALLY easy, even the lattice top. If you've never tried one do it. Youtube a tutorial on it, it was even easier than they made it look. And it's so impressive! AAAAAaaaand now I'm contemplating just making one for myself tomorrow. Hehe.

Now, I cheated. I used refrigerated dough, Pillsbury to be exact. I really find it to be tasty and, well easy. But feel free to try the recipe included below, I found it here.

For crust

3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
10 tablespoons (about) ice water

For filling

3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (1 1/2 pounds untrimmed)
1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preparation

Make crust:
Combine flour, sugar and salt in processor. Using on/off turns, cut in shortening and butter until coarse meal forms. Blend in enough ice water 2 tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball; cut in half. Flatten each half into disk. Wrap separately in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)

Make filling:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Toss gently to blend.

Roll out 1 dough disk on floured work surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter flass pie dish. Trim excess dough, leaving 3/4-inch overhang.

Roll out second dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Cut into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips. Spoon filling into crust. Arrange 7 dough strips atop filling, spacing evenly. Form lattice by placing remaining dough strips in opposite direction atop filling. Trim ends of dough strips even with overhang of bottom crust. Fold strip ends and overhang under, pressing to seal. Crimp edges decoratively.

Brush glaze over crust. transfer pie to baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Bake pie until golden and filling thickens, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

* I actually warmed the oven to 400, then before the put the pie in, turned it down to 375. Then after 20 minutes turned it down to 350. It turned out perfectly for me

My First Wilton Cake Sans Training

2009-07-20T09:23:00.000-04:00

I've made my nephew's birthday cakes each year, he turned 5 last week, and his party was on Saturday. The theme was pirates, so when I saw the Wilton mold of a pirate ship, I knew that would have to be it. I've used Wilton molds in the past, but I've never actually used the tips. This year, I decided to up the ante and go all out. Granted, I've never taken a Wilton course (although...I might now). I used a cake mix, but I made my own frosting, so I'll include that below along with my own tips.

Wilton Buttercream Frosting:
1 tsp vanilla
1/4c evaporated milk
1/2 shortening
1/2 butter (unsalted)
1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups)

Mix in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.

My own tips:

Regardless of what your cake says, just double the frosting. It's easier to just double it and have extra rather than have to stop mid-frosting and make a new batch if you run out. I know this by experience...
Buy extra couplers- the white plastic part that attaches the tip to the frosting bag. This way you don't have to wash them between colors. Again....experience only here. :(
Give yourself plenty of time! Luckily I didn't have anything else planned that day, so I could just work on it until I felt it was done.
Make your cake the day before if possible. This way you don't have to wait for it to cool and get burnt out by spending that much more time working on it!
Practice with the tips a little on the back of a cookie sheet to get the hang of it.

Really, I think the classes would be nice, but for simple enough designs, you can totally do it without them!

So, I won't make you wait any longer! Here it is, I'm pretty happy with it. Although, I'm looking forward to perfecting my skills in the future!

Baked Egg Rolls

2009-07-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

For a girl that loves fried food, these baked egg rolls, that I found here, were pretty darn good! Next time I will definitely add more things to the filling such as veggies and maybe mini shrimp to give them more flavor. Otherwise they were great and crisped up well!

You’ll need:

* egg roll wrappers
* a bag of cole slaw mix
* a can of mushrooms
* 1 tsp garlic, minced
* 1/4 tsp ground ginger
* a splash of soy sauce
* salt and pepper
* cooking spray or olive oil in a mister (I use olive oil in a mister)

Optional:

* mung bean sprouts
* can of tiny cooked shrimp
* anything else you think would be good inside of the egg rolls
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Put your cole slaw in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave 3-6 minutes.
2. Chop your mushrooms and put them in a mixing bowl. This is also when you’d put in the bean sprouts, shrimp, or other fillings.
3. Add the soy sauce, garlic and ginger.
4. By now your cole slaw mix should be cooked. Drain it to get out any excess liquid as no one likes a soggy egg roll. Combine it with the rest of the filling.
5. Place a bit of filling in the center of each wrapper. (See that little bowl? That has water in it, which you’ll need for sealing the edges.)
6.Fold in two of the corners.
7. Put a bit of water on the top edges with your finger. Fold up the bottom, and roll as tightly as you can to the edge. It helps if you tuck while you roll.
8. Repeat for the rest of the wrappers, and place the egg rolls on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil (mmm… olive oil). Spray the tops of the egg rolls with the oil, too.
9. Bake 15 minutes, then flip the egg rolls over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving (this will let the wrappers get a little more crisp too).

Orange Chicken Stir Fry

2009-07-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

I had orange shrimp at PF Changs not too long ago, and so I thought I'd try my hand at orange chicken at home. I was a little nervous as Asian fare usually seems complicated, but I found this very easy to follow. I personally would have liked it a little more savory than sweet, so I would add more soy next time. Otherwise it was really good!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup orange juice
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes (I only used one very large chicken breast)
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 cup bean sprouts (optional)
* 1 (6 ounce) package crispy chow mein noodles
*I also used about 2 cups of frozen veggies- I added them in with the chicken

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, orange zest, soy sauce, salt, garlic and brown sugar. Mix well.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. When oil begins to bubble, add chicken. Saute until cooked through (no longer pink inside), about 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Add orange sauce mixture to chicken and cook until sauce begins to bubble. Add flour, a little bit at a time, until sauce has thickened to your liking. Add bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute; serve hot over chow mein noodles.

My Notes: I definitely had enough sauce, but if you are going to make it with 4 pieces of chicken, I would increase the amount, but I like things saucy!

5 Star Rouladen

2009-07-14T20:37:00.000-04:00

This recipe comes all the way from Germany, literally. It came from Carl's great-grandma, who taught it to her daughter-in-law, Carl's grandma. She then passed the recipe to her daughter-in-law, Carl's mom. So naturally, my mother-in-law followed tradition and honored me with this recipe. And now (with a touch of hesitation as I feel as though this is sacred ground I am treading here), I'm sharing it with you!

The first time I had this meal was just a few short weeks into my relationship with Carl. I'll be honest, it didn't look all that appetizing, but my hesitations quickly fled after my first bite. This dish is so tender, so juicy, basically a festival of flavors in your mouth! So, if you have ALL day to cook, and I'm not exaggerating, and you want a guaranteed to please feast, include this one on your menu. It won't fail you!

Start with this cast of characters:

3 lbs sirloin tip- cut as thin as humanly (or bladely...) possible. Call ahead to your butcher. Tell them you need it REALLY thin and mention that freezing it for awhile helps. Trust me on this.
6 white onions, diced
1 lb bacon, chopped very finely, but not cooked
Salt
Pepper
Mustard
1 stick of butter
Small metal skewers- most commonly used for turkey

Make an assembly line of sorts with 3 pieces of meat laid out flat. If there are holes in it, just adjust the meat so they overlap. Give the meat a nice coating of mustard, a sprinkle of onion and bacon and season with salt and pepper.

Starting on the end closest to you start rolling it up and then pull the sides in- secure with a metal skewer. Hard to explain, but the visual should help. Repeat until the sight of meat, mustard and onion make you want to punch someone. Or until you run out of meat...that works too.

Heat up your skillet and melt the butter in it. If you do a full batch, you will most likely need two skillets, electric skillets work the best! Once the butter has melted, lay each of the meat rolls into the pan and cook them on medium until browned, turning once. This should take approximately 20-30 minutes.

Crank the heat down until the liquid is BARELY bubbling. Let it cook for approximately 4 hours. This could vary though, but when the meat is almost falling apart, it's Rouladen!

With the leftover drippings, make a gravy with water and cornstarch. It is a requirement to serve this with mashed potatoes. Trust me. (I've made you trust me a lot with this haven't I? Don't worry....I'm trustworthy)

We are looking at meat, more meat, mustard and onion. How much more German can you get? I plan to make this dish for many years and hope to pass the tradition on some day!

Smothered BBQ Ranch Chicken

2009-07-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

This recipe has apparently been floating around, but I finally saw someone mention it today on this blog. It was REALLY good. I can't wait to make it when Carl is home!

Recipe:
4 chicken breasts (I used 2 large breasts)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce (I used 2/3 c)
3/4 cup fat free ranch dressing (again, 2/3 c)

Mix ranch and bbq sauce together- pour over chicken in frying pan.

Let simmer for 30-35 minutes until cooked. Top it with shredded cheese (I used cheddar), a sprinkle of chopped bacon (I omitted), and a handful of chopped scallions (load it up!).

*Mine only needed about 20-25 minutes and after about 10 minutes I poured in about a 1/4 cup of water to keep it from drying out.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

2009-07-13T08:08:00.000-04:00

Shhh, I'm a little behind on posts. For Carl's birthday, I wanted to attempt his favorite dessert, flourless chocolate cake. Almost every time we go to a new restaurant, he will ask if they have it. But, since I was making him a restaurant style dinner for his birthday, I figured this only seemed appropriate, so I tried a recipe on allrecipes.com. He now says this is what he wants for his birthday cake every year, haha.
*Please note, this is more like a fudge than anything. Very rich! I served it with raspberries and whip cream, which in my opinion, made it perfect!

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 18 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
* 1 cup unsalted butter
* 6 eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease one 10 inch round cake pan and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the water, salt and sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and set aside.
3. Either in the top half of a double boiler or in a microwave oven melt the bittersweet chocolate. Pour the chocolate into the bowl of an electric mixer.
4. Cut the butter into pieces and beat the butter into the chocolate, 1 piece at a time. Beat in the hot sugar-water. Slowly beat in the eggs, one at a time.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Have a pan larger than the cake pan ready, put the cake pan in the larger pan and fill the pan with boiling water halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
6. Bake cake in the water bath at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 45 minutes. The center will still look wet. Chill cake overnight in the pan. To unmold, dip the bottom of the cake pan in hot water for 10 seconds and invert onto a serving plate.

Grilled Turkey, Brie & Apple Sandwich

2009-06-25T19:14:00.000-04:00

So I've told you about Lindsay, right? Well she keeps me sane during the day. Lots of times it's with recipes she finds on other blogs. Well, the other day she found this one. Wowsa. I love simple things like this once in awhile since I'm home alone most weekdays. This was the perfect dinner for me tonight! Thanks Lindsay! And thank you Food Alla Puttanesca for blogging this lovely combination!
Turkey, Apple, and Brie Paninis
High-quality bread (I used homemade.)
Sliced turkey breast deli meat
Thinly sliced green apple
Dijon mustard
Thin slices of Brie

Spread a thin coat of Dijon mustard on each slice of bread. Layer turkey, Brie, and then apple. Heat George Foreman with panini plates or panini press. Spray with cooking spray and cook until bread is browned and cheese is melted. Cut diagonally in half and serve.

*My notes: I just grilled mine since I don't have a panini press- worked wonderfully. Also, be sure to not use too much dijon, it's a powerful flavor and can easily mask the brie.

Cherry Chicken Salad

2009-06-24T12:48:00.001-04:00

I really love chicken salad, and if it has dried cherries in it, that is a huge bonus! I wanted to make my own, so I searched and found this one. I just love allrecipes.com. Mostly because you can search by ingredient.

Anyway, what a great basic chicken salad! I will definitely make this again. I'd love to experiment with it in the future. I think it could be modified just a tad and be spectacular!!

INGREDIENTS

* 3 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, diced
* 1/3 cup dried cherries
* 1/3 cup diced celery
* 1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans
* 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
* 1 tablespoon buttermilk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/3 cup cubed apples (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, dried cherries, celery, nuts, mayonnaise, milk, salt and pepper and apple if desired. Toss together well and refrigerate until chilled. Serve on toasted cracked wheat bread or croissants.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

2009-06-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

When it comes to cake, I love a light and moist white cake with a fresh strawberry filling and fluffy whipped white icing. Carl would rather have a decadent chocolate cake with something just as rich for the frosting. It's his birthday week, so guess what kind of treat I made. Yep, Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter frosting, Ina style. They are for dessert tomorrow, but I had him taste test one. He's impressed. Perfect!

Ingredients

* 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2/3 cup granulated sugar
* 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
* 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
* 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup good cocoa powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
* Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

* 1 cup confectioners' sugar
* 1 cup creamy peanut butter
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Bourbon Braised Chicken & Apple Sausage with Onions

2009-06-17T21:13:00.000-04:00

I bought Emeril's Chicken & Apple Sausage yesterday, but rather than just grilling them, I decided to follow the recipe on the back. To be honest, I felt it was a bit time intensive for sausage. Don't get me wrong, it was really good. The flavor was definitely not what I was expecting, in a good way! Although, the next time I make them, I will try simply grilling them.
Ingredients:

* 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
* 4 links Emeril's™ Chicken & Apple Sausage, whole
* 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 cups)
* 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 3/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
* 2 sprigs fresh thyme
* 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
* 1/2 cup dark beer
* 3 Tbsp. Bourbon

Serving size:

2-4 servings
Directions:

Heat medium-size skillet over medium-low heat for 30 seconds. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter and add onions and brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes until onions are partially browned. Season with salt and pepper and place thyme sprigs in skillet. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is browned, about 15 minutes. Add chopped garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add beer; reduce heat and cook, covered for 15-20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in remaining butter and bourbon. Remove thyme sprigs before serving. Serve sausages and onions in toasted French or Hoagie roll. (I served mine on a pita)

Chicken Penne Al Fresco

2009-06-16T19:33:00.000-04:00

I had full intentions of making a completely different pasta dish tonight, but after I hit my third strike with the ingredient list, it was out. I decided to just go with the trusty allrecipes.com and found this one. I wasn't expecting much and boy was I surprised. What a great, light, easy pasta dish! I HIGHLY recommend you try this! I kind of cut the recipe in half...my notes are below.
INGREDIENTS

* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 4 cloves garlic, sliced (2 cloves)
* 2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 medium tomato, chopped)
* 3 cups penne pasta (1 cup)
* 3 3/4 cups chicken broth (1 can, about 1 3/4c)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
* 1 1/4 cups fresh basil leaves, (1/2 tsp dried +5 small fresh leaves)
* 2 cups diced cooked chicken (1 x-large breast cooked in olive oil)
* 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I probably used even more than that)

1. Coat a microwave-safe casserole dish with olive oil; stir in the garlic and tomatoes. Cover and microwave on High until tomatoes begin to burst, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Remove garlic and tomato mixture from the microwave and crush the remaining tomatoes with a fork. Stir in pasta, chicken broth, salt, and pepper.
2. Cover and return to microwave. Cook on High until pasta is tender, 16 to 18 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Remove pasta from the microwave, then stir in the basil, chicken, and Parmesan cheese.

*1st cook time only took about 3 minutes for me. Second cook time took about 13.

S'MORES COOKIES

2009-06-15T22:19:00.000-04:00

I had my two oldest nieces over on Saturday, and the original plan was to make chocolate chip cookies, but I found this recipe in the back of the newest Everyday Food magazine, and we agreed we definitely needed to try them! They were easy and really yummy!

Ingredients:
1/2 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 c light-brown sugar
1 large egg
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate cut into 30 squares (I used semisweet)
15 large marshmallows halved horizontally

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse oats until finely ground. Add flours, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; pulse to combine. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter an sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, scraping down side of bowl. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture just until combined.

2. Drop dough by tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Top each with a chocolate square. Bake just until lightly golden, 11-13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove sheets from oven; heat broiler. Top each cookie with a marshmallow. One sheet at a time, broil until marshmallows are lightly browned, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes 30 cookies.

Chicken Quesadillas

2009-06-15T22:09:00.000-04:00

I love love love quesadillas. I used to order them all the time at restaurants, but I decided to give them a go at home. One thing to know is that I love cheese...so I loaded that up!

Ingredients:
2 tortillas
1 large chicken breast
1/4 red onion- chopped to 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 green pepper- chopped to half inch pieces
1/2 package of taco seasoning
1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese

Process:
Cook the chicken in a little olive oil. Add the taco seasoning as instructed on the package- usually includes adding water. Add the green pepper and onion and simmer until liquid evaporates and vegetables soften.

Heat a skillet to medium-high. Spray one side of the tortillas with non-stick cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan, spread 1/4-1/2c of the chicken mixture on one side of the tortilla, sprinkle with desired amount of cheese and fold the tortilla over. Repeat on other side of pan with the second tortilla. Allow each side to cook for 1-2 minutes.

Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

I actually preferred these the second day. I also really liked them with taco sauce as opposed to salsa- yum!

Lemon Parm Pasta with Chicken

2009-06-09T18:21:00.000-04:00

I tend to keep dinner simple when Carl is gone...which is often, but I wanted something better than a sandwich tonight. Luckily I have Lindsay on emergency standby, and she recommended this recipe! And remember...I always trust Lindsay...or at least her taste buds :) It was originally from Spark People.

This was the perfect quick, light and fresh recipe for this warm spring night! I'll definitely keep it in my rotation!
Ingredients

* 1/2 lb. angel hair pasta (I used about a 1/4 lb)
* 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieces (I used one regular sized chicken breast)
* 2-3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2 cloves)
* 2 tbsp butter (1 tbsp butter)
* 3 tbsp lemon juice
* 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese (It's cheese...you know I still doubled it!)
* 1 cup reserved pasta water (I used about 1/2 c)

Directions

1. Bring large pot of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet. Saute chicken and garlic until cooked through.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions.
4. Add lemon juice and Parmesan to chicken shortly before pasta is done.
5. Toss the cooked pasta with the chicken mixture.
6. Ladle in 1 cup of pasta water to extend the sauce.

*My suggestion is to wait until the water is boiling and the pasta is in the pot to start the chicken. Mine cooked up pretty quickly, even with the heat on low.

Prize Winning Baby Back Ribs

2009-06-06T14:01:00.000-04:00

I've been dying to make our own ribs as that is something we've never tackled before. I bought a 2.5 lb slab, and followed this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 tablespoon ground cumin (1/2 tbsp)
* 1 tablespoon chili powder (1/2 tbsp)
* 1 tablespoon paprika (1/2 tbsp)
* salt and pepper to taste
* 3 pounds baby back pork ribs (I used 2.5 lbs.)
* 1 cup barbeque sauce (I used 1/2 c Baby Rays- it was plenty for basting and dipping)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a small jar, combine cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Close the lid, and shake to mix.
3. Trim the membrane sheath from the back of each rack. Run a small, sharp knife between the membrane and each rib, and snip off the membrane as much as possible. Sprinkle as much of the rub onto both sides of the ribs as desired. To prevent the ribs from becoming too dark and spicy, do not thoroughly rub the spices into the ribs. Store the unused portion of the spice mix for future use.
4. Place aluminum foil on lower rack to capture drippings and prevent flare-ups. Lightly oil grate, and lay ribs on top rack of grill. Reduce heat to low, close lid, and leave undisturbed for 1 hour. Do not lift lid at all.
5. Brush ribs with barbecue sauce, and grill an additional 5 minutes. Serve ribs as whole rack, or cut between each rib bone and pile individually on a platter.

*We actually should have brought our time down just a touch, but these were still really really good! I will definitely follow this recipe again!

Chocolate Ice Cream

2009-05-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

I got an ice cream maker attachment for my birthday back in March, so I deserve a slap on the wrist for waiting this long to use it. But I think knowing what I've been missing out on all this time is punishment enough! Wow. I don't think I'll ever have the need to buy ice cream in a carton. This is just too good to not go through the extra effort. I used the "Easy Ice Cream" recipe out of the newest Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine.

Ingredients:
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups heavy cream

Steps:
1. In a medium saucepan, off heat, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until blended. Add in cocoa powder. Gradually whisk in milk.

2. Cook over medium stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard thickens slightly and evenly coats back of spoon. (it should hold a line drawn by your finger), 10-12 minutes.

3. Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl set over ice. Stir in cream. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled. Churn in an ice cream maker for 30 minutes. Transfer ice cream to a resealable plastic container and freeze until firm, about 7 hours. It will keep up to 3 months....yeah right. Trust me, it won't last nearly that long!

Worth Mentioning Again: Mediterranean Orzo Salad

2009-05-26T17:25:00.000-04:00

I made this salad awhile back, but posted it with a couple other items. I really feel as though this deserves it's own post. It's really light and refreshing, perfect for the warm weather months!

1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed and in 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper optional
3/4 c uncooked orzo pasta
1 can garbanzo beans
1 package (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c pitted whole kalamata olives
1/2 c snipped fresh parsley
1/4 c prepared Greek vinaigrette dressing

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine asparagus, bell pepper, onion and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Press garlic into mixing bowl; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Arrange vegetables on a bar pan (or cookie sheet). Bake 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare orzo according to package directions, drain and rinse under cold running water. Place orzo in large mixing bowl, add vegetable mixture, beans, feta cheese, olives, parsley and salad dressing. Toss gently and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

I doubled this recipe for our party on Sunday, and it was a perfect amount. There were about 25 people here. I also recommend more olives...but I really like olives!

Courtesy of Pampered Chef

Grilled Jalapeno Chicken

2009-05-21T18:59:00.000-04:00

(*My pic sucks...I was too excited to eat it and was moving fast!)
I went to look for a recipe on allrecipes.com, and this was the featured recipe. It sounded soooo good, I modified my meal plan to fit it in. I'm really glad I did too, because it was really really good! If you like a little spice, you will love this. Carl just kept saying, this is sooo good! And I agree.

I only made about a 1/3 of the recipe with one extra large chicken breast.

INGREDIENTS

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
* 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
* 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used jarred sliced jalapenos)
* 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
* 6 slices bacon (I skipped the bacon)
* toothpicks (I used turkey skewers...seemed safer than toothpicks)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

Grilled Veggies

2009-05-21T18:26:00.001-04:00

This really isn't a recipe, I just needed a veggie to go with our meal tonight, so I threw together what I had and crossed my fingers.

1/4 of a Red Onion- sliced
1/4 of each a red and orange pepper
6 campari tomatoes
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 tsp rosemary
2 cloves of garlic

Mix all together in a bowl and place in a grill basket. Grill on medium for about 10 minutes. Veggie requirement complete.

BBQ Chili Chicken Thighs

2009-05-20T21:31:00.000-04:00

This was another on the spot meal decision. Chicken thighs were on sale at the store, so I grabbed them. I've never made this cut of meat before, so I figured I'd give it a try. I just searched allrecipes.com for recipes for chicken thighs, and found this one.

I cut the entire recipe in half, and while I did enjoy the crispy chicken skin, I think I'll stick to chicken breast. I just prefer a leaner meat with less work, as does Carl. But we both agreed we WILL try this same recipe using chicken breast. The sauce was really flavorful and great on the grill. You could use this marinade on pretty much anything.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 (12 ounce) bottle chili sauce
* 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
* 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
* 10 cloves garlic, minced
* 4 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the first seven ingredients; mix well. Remove 1/3 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to bag; seal and turn to coat. Chill for at least 2 hours.
2. Drain and discard marinade from chicken. Grill, covered, skin side down, over medium heat for 20 minutes. Baste with some of the reserved marinade. Turn; grill 10 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear, basting frequently.

Grilled Corn on the Cob

2009-05-20T21:22:00.000-04:00

Carl really doesn't even like corn, but I just couldn't help myself when I saw these little guys at the store. I decided to have our entire dinner made on the grill tonight, and the corn was no exception. As we were eating them, Carl said "This was a pretty big risk knowing I don't like corn, but I actually really like it." I really think this is the best way to cook corn on the cob! It keeps it so firm rather than stringy. Yum!

Remove all the husks and clean the ears. Tightly wrap them in double thick aluminum foil. Heat the grill to medium and place ears on the rack. Cook them for 30 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. Enjoy!

I'm Martha's Cooler Younger Sister...

2009-05-19T21:59:00.000-04:00

...Because I don't have all the time in the world to make everything from scratch. I'm far too busy doing other better, cooler, more fun things...like....um...grocery shopping after work? Well anyway, I didn't have time to meal plan this weekend, so I had to wing it while shopping. I remembered a dish I made often while Carl and I were dating, but again another meal we've haven't had since being married. Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, the quick way. There is a much more elaborate way of doing this, but this is my quick fix. It never fails to satisfy!

Ingredients:
1 Center Cut Ham Steak (You'll find this by the ham, sometimes by the deli meat)
1 Box of Scalloped Potatoes (Think Betty Crocker....remember- you are younger and cooler...it's ok to get it them of a box)- Including the ingredients it calls for

Yeah, that's it.

Directions:
Make the potatoes according to the box directions. Each brand is a little different, but basically the same. They usually need to bake between 25 and 35 minutes. While they are baking, trim and cut the ham into 1ish inch pieces. I'm not picky, whatever floats your boat. After the potatoes have been in about 10 minutes and have set up a bit, take them out of the oven and dump the ham in. Give it a quick stir to incorporate the ham. Put it back in the oven for the duration of the cooking time or until golden brown on the top. Eat!

Simple. Fast. Delicious. Take that Martha.

Sloppy Joe's...from SCRATCH!

2009-05-18T19:54:00.000-04:00

Growing up, I think the only way I had Sloppy Joe's was out of a can. And rightfully so, it was a quick and tasty option for dinner, and if you were like my mom and had 6 kids, the former was extremely important. But for me, with no time to meal plan this weekend and some ground beef thawing in the freezer,I had to figure out dinner quick and work with minimal items so I didn't have to stop at the store. We haven't had sloppy joe's together....EVER, so what a great option! And, I found this recipe that sounded great, and I knew I had all the ingredients. It was better than the canned stuff, and really not that much more involved. I highly rec this for your next quick, easy, tasty dinner! I served it with some raw veggies and dip.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1/4 cup chopped onion
* 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
* 3/4 cup ketchup
* 3 teaspoons brown sugar
* salt to taste
* ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Oven Baked Honey Chicken Nuggets

2009-05-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

I trust Lindsay. I trust Lindsay a lot. She's never steered me wrong. So when she said "go make these," I nodded and said uh huh.

She veered off the recipe a little, so I decided to do it just the way it was stated. These were a great, quick, different way to eat chicken. I loved the nugget size and the flavor was great. We dipped them in Baby Rays BBQ Sauce- delish! Thanks Lindsay for yet another great recipe!

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
* Appx 1 lb fresh boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil-lined baking pan large enough to hold all chicken pieces in one layer.
2. In shallow bowl, whisk together honey and vinegar. Set aside.
3. Place bread crumbs in a small saute pan and toast lightly over low heat for about 3-4 minutes until lightly golden brown.
4. Pour bread crumbs a little at a time into separated bowl. Roll chicken pieces in honey mixture, then in bread crumbs; place in pan.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. (Mine were done in exactly 30 min)

Family Spaghetti Salad

2009-05-11T20:49:00.000-04:00

This has been a staple salad at parties in my family for eons. Just the smell of it brings back memories of sandy bare feet running through my parents' house during a bustling party. Love it. Oh, and it's super easy. Really, you can't screw it up.

I doubled this recipe and had plenty for our party of 17 on Sunday. Modify accordingly.

1 lb spaghetti noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed
1 cucumber (I use English seedless), diced in 1 inch pieces
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced small
2 scallions, diced thinly
2 medium green peppers, diced small
1 bottle Wishbone Italian Dressing (not the huge bottle...the normal sized one- I believe it was 16 oz)
1/2 bottle McCormick Salad Seasoning Supreme

Mix together the noodles and veggies thoroughly, then start adding the dressing and seasoning. I recommend tasting it after you've added about half of each. The flavor can get strong, which is the way I like it, but you may like it a little less powerful. You can't screw this one up, trust me! Carl's words (in between bites mind you) "This...is....so...good. Way...better...than...what...you'd....get...at...the...store."

Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes

2009-05-11T20:48:00.002-04:00

I spotted this recipe on Mrs D Loves to Eat's blog. They looked so springy and fresh, I had to add them to the Mother's Day menu, and a good decision that was. Everyone loved them...especially the surprise in the middle!

Lemon-Raspberry Cupcakes
yields 24 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups buttermilk (I used whole milk and lemon juice instead)
zest and juice of 2 Meyer lemons

Filling:
Raspberry preserves

Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. raspberry preserves
24 raspberries

Wash and drain raspberries. Allow to dry on a paper towel. (This will prevent excess liquid dripping onto the frosting.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Continue beating and gradually add sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Gradually drizzle in the eggs, and beat in between additions, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat until batter is no longer slick.

Alternate adding the flour mixture and buttermilk on low speed, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Beat in the lemon juice and lemon zest.

Divide batter between 24 cupcake liners, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a small cone out of each cupcake using a small paring knife. Fill with 1 tsp. raspberry preserves and replace each cone. (You may need to cut a small part of the cone off so it sits evenly.)

To prepare the frosting, in a large mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar until frosting consistency. Add preserves and continue to beat until a pinkish hue and raspberry flavor is achieved. Pipe onto cupcakes as desired. (Smoothing with a knife will not work as well with the cone.) Put a raspberry in the center of each cupcake.

Classic Potato Salad

2009-05-11T20:48:00.001-04:00

Oh potato salad, how you mock me with your unphotographic ways....

Flipping through the newest Food Network magazine I stumbled upon a classic potato salad recipe by Aaron McCargo. I needed a recipe for my Mother's Day menu, and this one looked fresh, and delicious. Oh and it was! I will definitely make this again- most likely the next time will be our Memorial Day party in just a few weeks.

Ingredients

* 3 large Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I actually used regular potatoes)
* 3 large eggs
* 1/2 cup diced onion
* 1/2 cup diced celery (omitted)
* 2 tablespoons sweet relish
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 teaspoon hot sauce
* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 cup mayonnaise
* 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and spread out on a sheet pan to cool. Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs; cook for 12 minutes, then remove to a bowl of ice water to cool completely. Peel the eggs under cold running water, then roughly chop.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, celery, relish, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the mayonnaise. Fold in the potatoes, eggs and scallions. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

Party Punch

2009-05-11T20:42:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love a good punch? I mean really. Raise your hand if you don't like a good punch. See, everyone loves a good punch. So I made a big ol jar full of it to dispense at the Mother's Day party, and it was a huge hit! I thought for sure I would be drinking punch for a week, but it's actually almost gone. I'm enjoying the last glass right now. I found it on Shelly's Blog and apparently her mom is the punch queen. That's a good sort of queen to be in my book. Thanks Momma Gail!

Party Punch
Serves: about 20

Mix together the following:
+1 bottle cranberry pomegranate
+1 can frozen lemonade
+1 can frozen orange juice (I used a large can of orange juice- in the warm juice aisle)
+3 cans water (from juice cans)(I omitted all water)
+1 bottle (can) pineapple juice
+1/2 bottle 7-Up

To keep it cold in the bowl, make a pretty ice ring! Get a cool jello mold or a bundt cake pan and fill with the blended punch or just plain 7-Up. You can add slices of fruit too. Make sure to freeze overnight. Don't make the ring too big to fit in the bowl! Enjoy.

Strawberry Lemon Poppyseed Cake

2009-05-11T19:27:00.000-04:00

I needed something to bring to Mother's Day for Carl's family. I had seen a cake in an issue of Women's Day and just knew I had to make it! It was a big hit and I would definitely make it again.

The recipe called for 8 inch pans, which would allow you to cut them in half and have four layers. I, however, only had 9 inch pans, so mine was only two layers thick. Not a problem for me though, it worked out just fine. I also used a different frosting, but have included the one that came with the recipe. I will also post the one I used at the bottom.

Ingredients:

White Chocolate Frosting
21⁄2 cups cold heavy cream
6 oz white chocolate, chopped

Cake:
2 1/4 c cake flour (I used 1 1/2 + 3 tbsp flour and 1/4 c + 1 tbsp cornstarch)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest
2 tbsp lemon juice
Whites from 3 large eggs plus
1 whole egg
1 c whole milk
8 tbsp strawberry jam
1 lb strawberries (reserve 4 whole berries for garnish), hulled and sliced

PREPARATION

1. Frosting: Pour 1 cup of the cream into a 4-cup glass measure; bring to a simmer in microwave, about 2 minutes; add white chocolate. Let stand 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth; refrigerate while making cake.

2. Cake: Heat the oven to 350°F. Line bottom of two 8 x 2-in. round cake pans with parchment or wax paper; coat pans and paper with nonstick cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, poppy seeds and salt. Beat sugar, butter, lemon zest and juice with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg whites and whole egg until smooth. With mixer on low, alternately beat in flour mixture and milk until incorporated. Continue to beat batter on medium speed for 3 minutes. Divide batter between prepared pans and smooth tops with spatula.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edge of cakes with knife; invert onto the rack and remove parchment paper. Turn cakes right side up. Cool completely.

5. To finish the frosting: In large bowl, beat chilled white-chocolate mixture with remaining 11⁄2 cups cold cream until stiff peaks form.

6. To assemble cake: With a serrated knife, halve cakes horizontally. Place 1 layer on a serving plate, cut side up; spread with 2 Tbsp of the jam. Spread a scant 2⁄3 cup frosting over jam. Arrange one third of the sliced strawberries evenly over frosting. Top with a second cake layer; spread with another 2 Tbsp jam, frosting and a layer of berries. Repeat with a third layer. Brush the cut side of remaining cake layer with remaining jam and place jam-side down on top. Cover cake with remaining frosting. Decorate with reserved berries.

I took 3 strawberries and stood them up slicing them almost all the way through, then carefully spread the sideways- like you would hold playing cards in your hand. I arranged those in a circle and placed a whole strawberry in the middle.

The frosting I used was very light and fluffy...perhaps that's why the name was "Light and Fluffy Frosting" on cooks.com. It was the perfect compliment this the cake which already had a lot of flavors going on!

1 c milk
4 tbsp flour
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c butter
1/2 c crisco

Heat milk and flour slowly, mixing until thick. Cool. Beat sugar, butter and crisco on high speed for 5 minutes. Add cooked milk mixture and beat 5 more minutes.

Chicken Creole

2009-05-04T19:14:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite go to recipes is this Chicken Cacciatore. The things I like most about it is that it's healthy, comes together quickly, I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it's really TASTY! So, when I saw this recipe on Wine a Bit...You'll Feel Better I knew I had to make it! It is really similar to the Cacciatore, but it has a kick to it. The flavor is wonderful. As Carl said, it was "spicy, but then not spicy." It really was a great blend! This meal will definitely make our regular rotation.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one-inch strips (I used 1 lb)
14 oz. can tomatoes, cut up (I used a can of diced tomaotoes)
1 cup chili sauce (I used 3/4 c)
1 large green pepper, chopped up (1/2 large green pepper)
1/2 cup chopped celery (omitted- I didn't have any)
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil OR 1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley OR 1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I used 1/2 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
Non-stick spray coating
Brown rice OR whole wheat pasta (Tisk tisk, I used white rice)

Directions:
1. Spray deep skilet with non-stick spray coating. Preheat pan over high heat. Cook chicken in hot skillet until no longer pink.
2. Reduce heat. Add tomatoes AND THEIR JUICE, chili sauce, green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, herbs and salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

My Grandma's Chip Dip

2009-05-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

I've been eating this chip dip since I was very little. My grandma ALWAYS had it at her house for parties, and still does. It is by far my favorite chip dip. The measurements are approximate simply because that's how my grandma does it. You know, just mix it until it looks right. It should be a very pale pink.

Ingredients:
1 bar of cream cheese- softened (Just let it sit out for about 15 minutes)
~2 tsp Worcestershire
~2 tbsp chili sauce
~2 tbsp chopped green onion (optional)

Mix all the ingredients and serve with regular potato chips for dipping.

Molly's Chicken

2009-04-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

I had some extra tomato sauce from the chicken cacciatore we had last week, so I went to the trusty allrecipes.com and searched for things including chicken and tomato sauce under the healthy tab. What a great resource! Well, when I saw something titled "Molly's Chicken" I knew I couldn't pass it up! This is made in the crock pot and seeing as I swapped in boneless chicken breast for the chicken legs, I should have brought the time down significantly, but I wasn't thinking. I had it on low for 7 hours, and it easily could have been done around 5 hours (I'm estimating). You can see in my photo my sauce was a little dry, as was the chicken- but still not bad. So if you make this with boneless skinless chicken, bring the time down. (I also partially blame my slow cooker...I think it cooks things too fast, even on low, but enough pointing fingers.) Otherwise, the flavor was great and I served it over a bed of veggie fried rice. But how can a meal go wrong with veggie fried rice? I'll answer for you, it can't. It just can't.

INGREDIENTS

* 3 1/2 pounds chicken drumsticks, skin removed (I used 1 lb chicken breast)
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Place drumsticks in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
2. Cover, and cook on Low heat 8 hours.

Aunt Gwen's Exotic Pretzel Jell-O

2009-04-14T18:37:00.000-04:00

In our family, it wasn't a holiday if my Aunt Gwen forgot the "Exotic Pretzel Jell-O." I've seen a lot of recipes that are similar to this, but none that really compared! Now that our immediate family has expanded, we don't see my aunts an uncles very often (I guess I AM the Aunt :) ). So, I took it upon myself to make the jell-o dessert for Easter. I of course forgot to take a picture of it that day, but luckily I took home leftovers.

*I also made Carl's grandma's Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake, which is always a hit, but for probably the 4th time, I forgot to take a picture. I refuse to post without the photo...so you'll just have to wait until I make it again. Don't worry, I'm sure it won't be long!

Ingredients:
*2 Cups coarsely chopped Pretzels
*3/4 Cup melted Butter
*3 Tablespoons Sugar PLUS 1 Cup
*1 - 8 ounce softened Cream Cheese
*1 small carton Cool Whip, thawed
*2 - 6 ounce Raspberry Jell-O
*2 - 10 ounce packages frozen Raspberries
*2 Cups boiling Water

Preparation:
Mix Pretzels, Butter and 3 tablespoons Sugar and press into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool completely.

Beat Cream Cheese and 1 cup Sugar until creamy. Add Cool Whip and spread on cooled crust.

Mix together Jell-O and water. Add frozen Raspberries until slightly jelled. Spread on Cream Cheese mixture and refrigerate until set.

Gruyere Potato Soup

2009-04-14T09:27:00.001-04:00

Yaaaaaaaay! The Gruyere is gone! Please understand, I really love Gruyere, but to avoid freezing it (because I am horrible at using frozen cheese) I just wanted to use the whole bar of cheese. So one last time, I searched for recipes using Gruyere and found a potato soup, but then I kept searching to find one that sounded the best and came across this one. I wanted to make it for our last Friday of Lent, so I skipped the bacon, but it was still really really good! It had a nice light flavor.

Since I left out the pig, I started with a little olive oil to cook the onion. The only other thing I would do different is add some fresh garlic with the onion to give a little more flavor.

I also cut it in half, and that was the perfect amount for the two of us to have it as our main meal. I served it with my Perfect Side Salad.

Ingredients:

* 4 slices bacon, chopped
* 3 medium onions, chopped fine
* 3 cups chicken broth
* 3 1/4 cups water
* 3 pounds boiling potatoes (preferably yellow-fleshed)
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 pound Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
* 1 tablespoon Madeira or Sherry if desired
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Preparation:

In a heavy kettle (at least 5 quarts) cook bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp and spoon off all but 1 tablespoon fat. Add onions and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until pale golden. Add broth and 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.

Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Add potatoes to soup and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together flour and remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth and add to simmering soup, whisking. Simmer soup, covered, 5 minutes.

In a blender purée Gruyère with 3 cups hot soup broth. Stir purée into soup with Madeira, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste and remove soup from heat. Soup may be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead (cool uncovered before chilling covered). Reheat over low heat but do not let boil.

Just before serving, stir in parsley.

Chicken Gruyere with Sauteed Mushrooms

2009-04-06T10:44:00.001-04:00

I had quite a bit of Gruyere cheese leftover from the Au Gratin potatoes we made last weekend, so I just searched allrecipes.com for recipes including Gruyere. I came up with this one. It was really good, and again really easy. Carl also really liked it, not that he's a tough customer :) My only suggestion is to maybe add a little more salt. I felt the chicken could use a little more flavor- or another great substitution (which I'll try next time) is to use 1 part Gruyere and 1 part Parmesan.

INGREDIENTS
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/4 cup butter, divided
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
* 1 pound fresh mushrooms (I used canned- it's what I had)
* 1 onion, sliced into rings
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a shallow dish, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, parsley, and dill. Rinse chicken breasts, and pat dry. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Place chicken into the hot buttered skillet, and fry until brown on both sides. Transfer chicken breasts to a 1 quart glass baking dish. Add remaining butter to skillet, and fry the mushrooms and onion until wilted and lightly browned. Stir in the white wine, and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 3 minutes to blend flavors. Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken in the dish.
3. Cover dish, and bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, remove cover, and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Continue baking for 10 more minutes, or until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Molten Chocolate Cakes Take 2

2009-03-31T09:28:00.000-04:00

Not new...but in my opinion IMPROVED! I am such a fan of fruit with chocolate, so when I made the molten chocolate cakes the first time, I immediately knew I would like them even more if I drizzled some berry sauce on them. Last night, I remember I had some strawberries in the freezer. Carl says he prefers it without the sauce, but he still thought it was great.

So first make these and then make a lovely strawberry sauce.

My strawberry sauce was easy:

1 cup frozen, sugar added strawberries
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp water

Heat strawberries in a sauce pan until defrosted and slight runny. Pour into a small food processor with added sugar and water. Blend until the consistency you desire.

Obviously you could do this with fresh strawberries- just add more sugar and a little more water.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

2009-03-31T09:21:00.000-04:00

I bought a big bag of potatoes and wanted to use some up last night with our Laughing Cow Chicken. I just searched all recipes for roasted potatoes and found this. So easy, so tasty, it will probably take me awhile to ever try a different roasted potato recipe. These were really good.

Since I was making the LCC too, I only had the oven at 475 for the amount of time it took me to assemble the chicken (about 10 minutes). Then I kicked it down to 400 to accommodate the chicken. It actually worked out perfectly, because the potatoes took an extra 10 minutes at the lower temp, and everything was done at the same time. I also left the peels on- if you are offended by them, feel free to peel!

INGREDIENTS
* 1/8 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
3. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

I did it! Laughing Cow Chicken

2009-03-31T09:14:00.000-04:00

Again, a recipe I am now kicking myself for not doing sooner! I technically found this on Monica's blog but she found it on Lindsay's blog. I didn't realize how delicious and easy it would be! I know...I should trust their testimonials! Carl loved this too. This will definitely be in our regular rotation. I served it with roasted potatoes (which will be in the next post) and a side caesar salad. It was the best dinner I've made in awhile.

Laughing Cow Chicken
Serves two

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally 3/4 of the way through (so you can stuff the inside)
2 wedges Laughing Cow light cheese, one per breast (I used garlic & herb instead)
Italian seasoning to taste
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (I used 1/2 regular and 1/2 Italian seasoned)
Handful grated parmesan cheese
Cooking spray

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Open each chicken breast up and spread one wedge of Laughing Cow inside the middle. Sprinkle Italian seasoning inside to taste. (I actually mixed my cheese and Italian seasoning in a bowl before spreading it on the chicken to give a nice even flavor) Fold chicken back over to original shape.
3. Mix together bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a shallow dish. Spray each chicken breast with cooking spray and then dip in bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on baking sheet.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Chicken Caesar Salad

2009-03-30T12:22:00.000-04:00

I probably talked about this salad 3 different times on Saturday. It was just so light and refreshing and really really delicious. Super simple too! You can opt to make your own dressing and croutons, but I found that Newman's Own and the bagged croutons were just great!

And I am absolutely loving the nicer weather. I was able to take the picture outside and wow, what a difference it makes!!

*I cut this in half and used this recipe

4 boneless chicken breasts
Melted butter or oil for basting (I swapped salt & pepper to flavor instead)
8 c. bite-size pieces of Romaine lettuce
1 1/3 c. croutons
Parmesan cheese (I grated fresh Parmesan)
Caesar salad dressing

Grill chicken, turning and basting frequently with oil or butter. Cut meat diagonally into strips. Set aside. (*I flattened our chicken and it cooked perfectly with 4 minutes on each side with the grill on medium)

In a large bowl toss Romaine with croutons and dressing. Put on 4 plates, crisscross chicken strips, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.