sweet savory southern

Moving Day!

2008-03-09T22:26:00.002-05:00

Sweet Savory Southern has moved! You can now find me at:

http://sweetsavorysouthern.wordpress.com.

Don't forget to update your links and google reader!

Doughnuts, doughnuts, and more doughnuts!

2008-03-03T20:42:00.008-06:00

Doughnuts. They could possibly be one of the best foods ever invented. I mean, who doesn't love fried dough covered in sugary glaze, chocolate, powdered sugar or filled with cream or berry filling? Now I will go ahead and say that these doughnuts are not as good as Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme, but for a quick doughnut recipe they were pretty darn good! I had seen this recipe a while back on Everyday Italian and have been waiting on an excuse to make them. I had intended to make them and submit them as an entry for a doughnut blogging event that was hosted recently, but sadly I have been so busy and have barely had time to cook. But I decided to make them as a special treat this weekend while my sister was visiting. We both agreed the cinnamon sugar doughnuts were our favorite followed by the powdered sugar and then the doughnut holes. The glazed ones didn't turn out so great. They were a bit soggy. I had planned on doing chocolate ones as well, but we had a sudden power outage just as I finished frying up the doughnuts so I couldn't melt my chocolate. I think the chocolate would have been great, too. If you're looking for a quick sweet treat, give these a shot. But be warned, you'll probably eat them all just like we did.

Italian Doughnuts

Vegetable oil, for frying
Olive oil, for frying
1 pound prepared pizza dough
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamonPour equal parts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a floured 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out doughnut rounds. Using a floured 1-inch cookie cutter, cut out a hole in the center of each doughnut. Gather the dough scraps and re-roll to cut out more doughnuts.

Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl to blend. Set the cinnamon-sugar aside.

When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the doughnuts until they puff but are still pale, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the doughnuts to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly. While the doughnuts are still warm, add to the bowl with cinnamon-sugar and generously coat each 2 times with the cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm.

*Alternately, cool the fried doughnuts to room temperature. Stir 3 ounces milk chocolate and 1/4 cup whipping cream in a heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until the chocolate melts. Set aside until the chocolate sauce comes to room temperature but does not set. Dip 1 side of each doughnut into the chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with finely chopped toasted almonds or crushed espresso beans and set aside until the chocolate is set.

Other variations I made...

Powdered Sugar Donuts

Glazed Doughnuts-I used a simple glaze of milk and powdered sugar for these.

Doughnut holes-Couldn't waste any of that dough!

Girls' Night

2008-03-03T15:01:00.003-06:00

My sister came up for the weekend to hang out and do some shopping. Knowing that Mexican food is her favorite type of food, I decide to make some chicken tacos for dinner the other night. We totally pigged out on chips and salsa and had a lot of fun just laughing and talking. The tacos turned out really good and I made some simple black beans to go along with them. It was such a fun night just hanging out with my sis.

Chicken Tacos

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1/2 an onion, chopped
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
3/4 cup water or chicken broth
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 flour tortillas

Begin by sauteeing the onion in a skillet with the olive oil for about 3-5 min. Next, add the cooked chicken and taco seasoning. Add the broth or water and stir. Let heat through about 5 minutes. Serve on warmed tortillas with your favorite toppings (lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, sour cream, beans etc)

Turkey Meatball Subs

2008-02-26T19:51:00.006-06:00

Nope, this isn't a toasted sub from a chain sandwich place. It's homemade and much better than I've gotten at any chain restaurant if you ask me. My husband always orders a meatball sub anytime we do happen to eat at a sandwich place, so I decided a while back I would start making them at home occasionally since he likes them so much. I didn't have any ground beef in the freezer but I did have some lean ground turkey. I decided to use that for my meatballs tonight along with some whole wheat sub rolls I had in the freezer. They were so delicious and somewhat healthier than regular meatball subs! Healthier if you don't count all the cheese I put on mine.
; ) Subway's got nothing on me!

Turkey Meatball Subs

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

*1 jar marinara sauce
*sub rolls
*provolone or mozzarella cheese-2 slices per sub

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until just combined. Heat a skillet over medium heat with about 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Form the turkey mixture into balls and place in the skillet. Turn the meatballs every couple minutes to brown on all sides. Add marinara sauce to the pan, cover and let simmer over low heat about 15 minutes to ensure the meatballs are completely cooked. Place 4 meatballs on each sub roll that has been sliced lengthwise and spoon the marinara sauce over the meatballs. Top with cheese (I used provolone) and place under the broiler for a couple minutes to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Let the Food Speak for Itself

2008-02-25T18:46:00.007-06:00

I don't have much to say in my post tonight. I could probably come up with some funny or witty little story to throw in here but I won't. This is what we had for dinner tonight and it was great which is why it's in my blog in the first place. ; ) The scalloped potato recipe is my favorite, I haven't made it in a while, so I made it tonight to go with our barbecue chicken and roasted broccoli. So try it, you'll like it. And that's about all I've got to say. ; P

PS: If you're reading this and you have a blog, you know you have posts like this too. And if you don't, you know you want to sometimes. : )

Scalloped Potatoes

5-6 red potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 a large onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or blend of cheeses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. In a dutch oven or other heavy pan melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 3-4 minutes until the onion cooks down a little. Add the garlic and italian seasoning and cook about a minute. Next add the chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper. Place the sliced potatoes into the pan, cover and let simmer about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly tender. Top with the cheese and place the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes. Let sit 10 min before serving.

My Husband is Right

2008-02-25T15:31:00.005-06:00

My husband is right...I don't say that too often, but in this case he is. He tells me all the time that I am spoiled because I always end up getting all these fun, new kitchen gadgets that I want. But I don't think that's any different than him getting every new power tool or electronic gadget that comes out. And besides, I'm much more likely to use my kitchen tools for many more years than he'll use the things he buys. But anyway, back to me being spoiled. I realized today that I really am. I wanted to make some muffins to have for breakfast this week. I was all prepared with my recipe, and then I realized the bowl for my KitchenAid mixer was in the dishwasher (which I had just turned on by the way) along with my food chopper that I was going to use to chop some pecans, and my mandoline that I needed to shred my apples! All things I *needed* to make my recipe! At first I was disappointed because, being spoiled as I am, I couldn't figure out how I was going to make my muffins without my favorite kitchen gadgets. But then a little common sense finally kicked in. I realized that I still do have a hand mixer in the drawer, long forgotten since I got my stand mixer. I also have a hand grater in the drawer that I never use anymore, and as for chopping the pecans, well a plastic baggy and a heavy rolling pin works well for that. So I ended up making my muffins anyway and they turned out to be so delicious. Even my husband liked them and he is not into anything remotely healthy. Thanks to Elly over at Elly Says Opa for the recipe! I had to make some alterations to the recipe based on what I had on hand and I used a little different ratio of whole wheat to all purpose flour. Check out Elly's blog for the original recipe along with her other variations of the healthy muffin recipe.

Healthy Apple Muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce (or vegetable oil, if you're not calorie counting)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk (I subbed 3/4 cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)
1 cup shredded apple (1 large apple)
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Sift together flours, baking powder and soda, salt and spices.

In a seprarate bowl, beat egg with brown sugar until well combined. Stir in vanilla, buttermilk, applesauce and shredded apple.

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts.

Pour mixture into muffin cups and bake approximately 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Veggies Galore

2008-02-12T19:33:00.002-06:00

I've come to the realization we just don't eat enough veggies. I personally could eat veggies all day every day. In fact if I didn't like a good, juicy burger every now and some crunchy bacon from time to time, I could almost be a vegetarian. But my husband, well he's another story. He would eat nothing but meat, bread, potatoes, and pasta if he didn't have a loving wife that insisted he eat other things that are good for him. I don't always bother making all the veggies I like because I would be the only one eating them. But I've become pretty creative at incorporating some veggies into our meals. He's much more willing to eat vegetables if they're in something rather than just piled on a plate screaming "I'm a veggie, I'm good for you!". Ok, so they don't really scream at you but they might as well as far as he's concerned. So tonight for dinner I crammed as many vegetables into our dinner as possible. I made a really yummy veggie rice pilaf to go along with our spicy Cajun shrimp which I just sauteed in some olive oil and garlic, and sprinkled with Cajun spice mix. We also had some steamed yellow squash and broccoli (for me) and corn on the cob (for him). Such a great dinner!

Veggie Rice Pilaf

1/4 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 large green bell pepper,chopped
1/4 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1 large clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup brown rice
salt and pepper

Begin by cooking the rice and set aside. Then finely chop all the vegetables. Heat a skillet over medium heat with about 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chopped veggies to the pan and saute 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and let simmer another 3 minutes or so. Add the pressed garlic and stir. Last, stir in the cooked rice, remaining broth, salt, and pepper. Let cook another 3-5 minutes until some of the broth is absorbed. Serve warm.

The Breakfast of Champions

2008-02-11T09:39:00.001-06:00

I love days when I actually have time to make breakfast instead of just heating up some instant oatmeal or eating a bowl of cold cereal. Everyone knows the breakfast foods that you actually have to cook are so much better than ready made foods. Homemade waffles, pancakes, biscuits, hashbrowns....mmm. Can you tell I'm big on breakfast? Another one of my favorite breakfast foods, or actually anytime foods, is the omelet. You can pretty much add anything you like to it from ham to veggies to various cheeses. The only problem I have with the omelet is that I can never get it to flip right. It never looks as pretty as it does at a restaurant when you go out for breakfast or brunch. But whatever, it still tastes good which is what really matters. And if all else fails, you can have scrambled eggs with stuff mixed in. : ) Today I decided to use up some of the veggies in my fridge and came up with this. Delicious!

Three Egg Garden Omelet

3 whole eggs
2 Tbsp milk or cream
1 Tbsp each finely chopped green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms
2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese, plus more for the top if you like
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

Whisk eggs, milk, and all veggies in a bowl. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Let it cook for about 2 minutes until the edges start to look done. Sprinkle the cheese over the omelet. Test the edges with a spatula to see if the omelet is ready to flip. When ready, fold each side of the omelet to the middle and cook another minute or so. Top with additional cheese and veggies if desired.

Stuffed Shells

2008-02-08T19:52:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but whenever I'm cleaning out or reorganizing my pantry, I always seem to find at least a couple half boxes of pasta that I've had for who knows how long. I mean, with just me and my husband here, rarely do I cook an entire box of pasta at once. Lucky for me, whenever I manage to stumble upon those half empty (or half full if you like) boxes, it always seems to spark a dinner idea. Well last week as I was standing on my tip toes trying to reach something on the top shelf of my pantry, I happened upon a partial box of large pasta shells. Well, naturally I thought of stuffed shells. I haven't made these in so long so I thought I'd add them to my menu for this week. I had forgotten how good these little cheese stuffed shells are. I had planned on having leftovers for our lunches tomorrow, but let's just say it looks like one of us will have to order out for lunch. They were just too darn good!

Stuffed Shells

1/2 box jumbo shells
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4-1/2 cup baby spinach
salt and pepper
4 cups pasta sauce or meat sauce (I used a meat sauce made with ground turkey and jarred sauce)

Preheat oven to 350. Begin by boiling the shells until done (about 8-9 minutes). Drain. Combine cheeses, egg, italian seasoning, garlic powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor. Add baby spinach and pulse a couple more times until the spinach is slightly chopped. In a baking dish, spread 2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of the dish. Next, scoop about 1 1/2 tsp of the cheese mixture into each shell and place them in the dish on top of the sauce. Top with the remaining sauce and additional mozzarella cheese is desired. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 25-30 min.

Do You Believe in Magic?

2008-02-04T20:40:00.001-06:00

I wish I could say that I made this luscious, chocolatey cake from scratch but that would be a lie. Yes folks, it's a boxed cake mix and canned frosting. Sorry, but I couldn't let you go on imagining me slaving away with my apron on, in flour up to my elbows. That just wasn't the case here. Now I rarely make any baked good out of a box anymore since I discovered how easy baking can be and how much more rewarding the results are when you know you made something from scratch. I do however make an exception for this cake. What makes this cake different? Well it's a magic cake! AND, it's baked in the microwave for 12 min. Doesn't get much easier. I was first introduced to this cake a few weeks ago when I had a Pampered Chef party at my house. I had been told about this magic cake, but wasn't too sure about how it would come out. But boy was I impressed! My guests and my husband were impressed too. In fact, my husband who knows nothing about baking, unless you count break and bake cookies stated, "I think I can make that cake," after seeing how simple it was to make. And not only is the cake simple and impressive, it actually tastes really good. Not like "good to be made from a boxed mix" but really, really good! And what makes it magic you may be wondering. Well read the recipe and find out!

Magic Cake

1 boxed cake mix (any kind you like-I used devil's food)
1 can frosting (not whipped-I used milk chocolate)
Pampered Chef stoneware fluted pan

Mix the cake mix as directed on the box using a whisk. Grease the fluted pan with vegetable oil. Pour the batter into the pan, making sure it's even. Scoop the frosting on top of the batter. Put the pan in the microwave and cook for 12-13 min. Remove from the microwave and let set for 20-25 min. Turn the cake out onto a platter and watch the frosting ooze over the cake.

*It is best to use a microwave that has a turn table so the cake cooks evenly. If your microwave does not have a turn table, stop the microwave every 3 minutes and turn the pan a quarter turn to be sure the cake does cook evenly.

*The frosting cooks down through the cake batter and when you turn the cake over onto a platter, it frosts itself!

Source: Pampered Chef

Me: 1 Pizza Dough: 0

2008-02-03T19:21:00.001-06:00

Over the past year I have faced and conquered many of my cooking fears. I made my own meatballs, made my first homemade cake AND frosting, had my first experience with yeast bread, and roasted a whole chicken. Not too shabby for a girl whose weekly grocery list used to include hamburger helper and frozen skillet meals just a couple years ago. One thing I had not yet tried though was pizza dough. I figured what better night to try it than Super Bowl Sunday. I had seen this recipe a while back on Amber's blog and it looked so simple. And really, it is. If you can turn on a food processor, you can make this pizza dough. Not only is it so quick and easy, it's so good too. I may never buy store bought dough again! I'm really happy to be able to mark this one off as another kitchen fear conquered.

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough
(Source: EatingWell.com)

To make 12 ounces dough:
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

To make 1 pound dough:
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120-130°F)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.
3. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet on the lowest oven rack;preheat oven to 500°F or highest setting. Roll and top the pizza as desired(we suggest a 13-inch circle) and bake the pizza until the bottom is crisp and golden, 10 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately

Back to Baking, Sort Of

2008-02-03T19:08:00.001-06:00

Ahh the no bake cookie. These yummy little chocolate bites take me back to my childhood. My mom didn't bake very much, but I do remember her making these cookies from time to time. I also remember my sister and me inhaling them as soon as they had set and sometimes before! Last night my best friend was over and I thought we needed a little chocolate dessert. Well I didn't want to spend my whole night in the kitchen standing by the hot oven waiting on cookies to bake so then I remembered these and how fast they are to make. It was actually the first time I've ever made them on my own. The important thing to remember about this recipe is to have all your ingredients measured out and ready to mix together or you could end up with a big ol' mess. These are not pretty cookies, but they sure are delicious. And yes, I still inhaled a couple as soon as they had set. Some things never change I guess. ; )

No Bake Cookies

1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cool until hardened.

Source: All Recipes

Time to Catch Up

2008-02-03T18:48:00.000-06:00

I've been a little lax with cooking lately which ultimately is the reason for my lack of blog posts. But, now it's time to catch up. After a short hiatus, I'm back in the kitchen and this is the first of a few new recipes I've tried recently! Now, as I've mentioned before, my husband isn't a real big fan of veggies. His idea of getting his veggies is a side of fries with his burger. Surprisingly, I have found that he will eat spinach though. After discovering this I have tried to think of 100 ways to incorporate spinach into our meals so that at least he gets one green leafy vegetable during the week. So I had some baby spinach in the fridge and my favorite cheese, feta, so I figured I would combine these to make a stuffing for some boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It turned out to be very good and we both really enjoyed it.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large clove garlic
1 egg
pinch of salt and pepper

Begin by preheating the oven to 375. Then, make a pocket in the side of each chicken breast using a small paring knife. Don't cut all the way through though. In a food processor, combine baby spinach, feta, garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Carefully spoon the spinach mixture into the pocket you cut into each chicken breast. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken breasts. From here, you can sear the chicken breasts in a skillet and then transfer to the oven to finish baking for about 20-25 min or just pop the chicken right into the oven to bake.

Santa Fe Soup

2008-01-21T14:28:00.001-06:00

This has got to be one of my favorite soups. Not only is it easy, it's so delicious. I first had this at an Auburn/Alabama neighborhood football party my sister-in-law had a few years ago. I couldn't believe how easy it was. It's been one of my favorites ever since. I haven't made it in a long time and remembered the other day how much I love it. So I made a big ol' pot today just for me. My husband turns his nose up to any recipe that includes beans, let alone THREE kinds of beans, so I've got a lot of soup to eat! Of course this will be lunch a few days this week and I'll probably freeze some for later. It's a great hearty soup for these cold winter days. And if you want to make it even better, load it up with some cheddar cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips or serve it with some cheddar and jalapeno cornbread.

Santa Fe Soup
(with my alterations)

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 can chili beans with sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed well
1 can navy beans, rinsed well
1 can or 15 oz frozen corn kernels
1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
a pinch of sugar

*additional salt if needed

Begin by sauteing the onion in a pan with a little olive oil. After 2-3 minutes, add the ground meat and cook until done. Drain if needed. In a small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Then, combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer on med/low for 35-45 minutes. Add additional salt to taste.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips. Also great with cornbread.

*1 packet of taco seasoning mix can be subbed for the spices if desired.

Low Country Boil

2008-01-14T21:12:00.001-06:00

You can't really get more simple or more rustic than this dish. Traditionally, a low country boil is done outside on a hot summer day, in a huge pot over a burner. Once everything is done, the water is drained and the contents of the pot are poured out onto a large table covered in newspaper where everyone serves themselves. I never really liked that part of it because all I could think about was the ink from the newspaper getting on my food. But anyway, I love the simplicity and unpretentiousness of this dish. The key to this dish is really the timing. You have to know just when to add all the ingredients to ensure everything is done at the same time. Unfortunately I overcooked the potatoes a little tonight and they came out sort of mushy. My husband and I still enjoyed it though. While this is normally a dish for a large crowd, I made it on a somewhat smaller scale and it's still a great meal for 2.

Low Country Boil

-5-6 medium red potatoes, quartered (you could also use small red potatoes and leave them whole. It actually works better with the smaller ones.)
-4-6 small ears of corn
-1 lb cleaned, deveined shrimp with tails
-2 links Cajun smoked sausage, sliced diagonally
-2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
-1/4 cup salt

softened butter, sliced lemons, and Cajun Spice mix for serving

Begin by boiling 8 qts of water in a stock pot. Add the salt and Old Bay seasoning. Add potatoes and cook for about 10-12 min. Next, add the sausage and corn on the cob. Cook about 7 minutes and then add the shrimp. Boil another 3-5 min just until the shrimp are pink and heated through. Drain water and pour the contents of the pot onto a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and 2 Tbsp Cajun Spice Mix or additional Old Bay seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges and softened butter.

So I skipped dinner tonight

2008-01-12T18:33:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I've baked anything. Actually, I guess it was before Christmas. Needless to say, I was having baking withdrawals. I've been eating so much better and really making conscious decisions about the foods I eat. I've also been working out 4 days a week. So I decided I deserved a reward. I figured I would bake some cookies tonight to eat for dessert. But as soon as I got home from work, I was itching to bake. So I got started right away. By the time all the cookies were done, I had eaten 3, warm out of the oven and didn't want any dinner. So I just skipped it altogether But I think I'm ok with that. My great-grandmother (Maw Maw) always told me to eat the best first, and that's exactly what I did tonight. (Maw Maw was one smart lady ; ) ) These cookies are some of the best chocolate cookies I've ever had. They have a very chewy texture which I think makes a perfect cookie. I got the idea to make these tonight from Kayte of Kayte's Kitchen. I am sure glad I decided to make these!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa (I used Hershey's regular cocoa)
2 cups white chocolate chips (I used 1 cup white chocolate chips and 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl stir together butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Add white chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly.
For cookies: Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on a baking rack.
For bars: Pat dough into a greased 9 inch square baking pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into squares when cooled

Shrimp Pasta

2008-01-11T18:51:00.001-06:00

If you can't tell from these last two posts, seafood was on sale at the store this week. While I'm not always the biggest fan of seafood, I do love shrimp. Fried, steamed, grilled, all kinds. It's a good thing I love it because I've got a ton of it in my freezer right now. I thought a simple pasta dish would be good for dinner tonight and what better way to use up some of my shrimp. I thought I would throw some spinach in there for good measure, too. So that's how I came up with this easy and delicious dish. Dinner was ready in about 20 minutes. This is a perfect example of a quick and easy dinner with basic ingredients, and just goes to show that dinner doesn't have to be hard!

Shrimp Pasta with a lemon butter sauce
(for 2)

10-12 small shrimp, defrosted if frozen
4 oz vermicelli pasta
1/2 a lemon
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 tsp dried parsley

Begin by chopping the spinach and placing it in a serving bowl. Boil water and cook pasta until al dente (about 5 min for vermicelli). Drain the pasta and place in the bowl on top of the spinach. The warm pasta will help the spinach to wilt down a little. In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter. Add garlic and juice of half a lemon. Cook the garlic 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter over the pasta and spinach and toss to combine. Toss the shrimp in the same skillet and cook about 3 min or until pink. Place the shrimp on top of the pasta and sprinkle with parsley. Squeeze additional lemon juice over the shrimp if desired. Serve warm.

Blackened Grouper

2008-01-08T20:36:00.001-06:00

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. That is really fish in my blog. I have said many times that I'm not a fan of fish. But my husband really likes it. Whenever we go to restaurants, he often gets fish and usually convinces me to try a bite. Most of the time I think it's good, depending on how it's prepared, but wouldn't order it off the menu just for myself. It's just not one of my favorite meals. I really do want to like fish because I know it's so good for you. So, I decided I'd give it another try and make this blackened grouper since that's one of my husband's favorite dishes. It was actually pretty good. Again, not my favorite meal ever but definitely something I can eat. I really enjoyed the Cajun spice seasoning that I made to go on it. It provided great flavor to the fish.

Blackened Grouper

4 grouper fillets
2-3 Tbsp butter
4 Tbsp Cajun Spice Mix (recipe follows)

Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan. Season both sides of the fillets with the spice mix. Place the fish in the hot pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until fish begins to flake. Serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Cajun Spice Mix

Ingredients

3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons ground red pepper
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.

*The remaining spice mix can be stored in an airtight container to use in other recipes.

Source for the Cajun Spice Mix: Cooking Light

Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

2008-01-07T18:47:00.001-06:00

It's funny how you see recipes you want to try and then sometimes just forget about them. That is the case with this recipe. I saw it several months ago and thought it looked great and put it on my list to try. Somehow it got pushed further and further down the list until I had almost forgotten about it. Then I saw the episode of Everyday Italian last week where Giada makes this dish and remembered saving it to try. So I decided I would put it on the menu for the week. It turned out pretty well. The roast was a little tough, but I thought the sauce was great! I really enjoyed it with my pasta. I'm not sure if I would make the recipe again as it is. I will be saving the sauce recipe though. It's slightly spicy and there's a subtle bite from the red wine vinegar that I thought was so good with the roasted tomato flavor.

Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

Beef Roast:

1 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip or chuck beef roast
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2
2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce:

1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on all sides. Turn off heat. Place the seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven. Roast until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees F. for medium rare, 135 for medium, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should rise 5 degrees F more and the juices will redistribute into the roast.

To make the sauce, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from the beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.

To serve, slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.

A Great Anytime Smoothie

2008-01-07T12:33:00.001-06:00

Since I'm trying to eat healthier lately, I've really been trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet. But I often get bored just snacking on an apple or banana. While I was sitting at home this morning I started thinking about what I wanted for lunch. I didn't want a salad or sandwich, and I don't have any leftovers in the fridge so I decided to make myself a smoothie. I had a couple bananas quickly turning on the counter so I decided to use one of those. I also had a variety of fat free yogurt flavors in the fridge. So this is what I came up with. It was so delicious, very filling and under 300 calories. This would a great smoothie for breakfast or a snack as well.

By the way, I just realized, this is my 100th post!!

Banana Peach Smoothie

1 small banana
1 6 oz container fat free peach yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup ice
1 Tbsp whipped topping

Break the banana into chunks and place in a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the ice is crushed and all ingredients are combined. Pour into a glass and top with a dollop of whipped topping if desired.

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-01-05T20:14:00.000-06:00

Well, cooking related things at least. When I first got married, I wasn't much of a cook. We mostly ate frozen dinners and pre-packaged pasta dishes. So I was able to get by with my few pots and pans and thought I'd never need anything else. The more I got into cooking, the more I realized how much I needed more tools and the right tools to create wonderful meals. As I have acquired some of these tools, I have discovered just how much easier and more fun cooking can be. These are my favorite cooking related things of 2007.

First and foremost, my Kitchen Aid mixer. I use it at least 3 times per week to bake, make waffles/pancakes, mash potatoes or anything else that needs mixing.

My husband got me this reversible cast iron grill pan for my birthday last year. It's great for grilling chicken or pork chops when the weather isn't nice enough to grill outside. The flat side is wonderful for making pancakes or cooking peppers and onions for fajitas.

For Christmas this year, my husband and I decided to pick out our own gifts for the most part. I had several things on my list but in the end decided I wanted a whole new set of cookware more than anything. I finally decided on this 10 piece Emerilware set. It's made by All Clad and is really good quality for the price. I love it because it cooks so evenly and can go straight from the stove top to the oven. Plus, it's so pretty and shiny. ; )

The perfect companion to my new stainless cookware set is Bar Keepers Friend. I had never bought this product before I had my new cookware but it is so great! It really keeps my cookware shiny and also my kitchen sink.

Another product I have really come to love is my Pampered Chef round baking stone. It's not just for making pizza. It's great for baking cookies, reheating breads and rolls and my favorite thing, baking fries or roasted potatoes. It makes them crispy on both sides!

So these are some things that have made cooking more fun and a lot easier for me in 2007. Here are a few things I'd like to get in 2008.

Henckels Twin Cuisine 8 pce set

Le Creuset Dutch Oven

Extra bowl for my Kitchen Aid Mixer

A microplane

Cheater Mini Trifle

2008-01-05T19:04:00.001-06:00

Mmm, doesn't this look like a really fattening, high calorie dessert? The truth is, it's less than 300 calories! I've really been trying to watch my calories this week by using sparkpeople.com to track what I'm eating every day. So far, I've done really well. But tonight, I was really craving a rich, chocolatey dessert but didn't want all the calories. So I grabbed some of my low calorie snacks and came up with this yummy dessert for myself. It really satisfied my craving for sweets and I didn't feel so bad about it because I stayed under my calorie limit for the day!

This isn't really a recipe but it's how I made it.

Cheater Mini Trifle

1 fat free Jello chocolate pudding cup (100 calories)
1 package Keebler Right Bite chocolate chip cookies, crumbled (100 calories)
2 Tbsp Cool Whip whipped topping (25 calories)
1 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips and white chocolate chips, mixed (70 calories)

Put a little of the crumbled cookies in the bottom of a wine glass or other pretty dish (makes it feel more like a rich dessert). Next put a layer of chocolate pudding. Then, add 1 Tbsp whipped topping, another layer of cookie crumbles and then a layer of chocolate pudding. Top with 1 Tbsp whipped topping and mixed chocolate chips. Enjoy!

Sometimes when I'm really trying to watch calories I'll add some sliced strawberries and cool whip to my fat free pudding instead of the cookies and chocolate chips. Mmmm, so good and so many fewer calories than brownies and ice cream or some other desserts.

Garlic Fries and Greek Dressing

2008-01-04T20:02:00.001-06:00

Since the new year has started, I've been trying to find some healthier recipes online. I ran across this one by Ellie Krieger today on the Food Network website. I make roasted potatoes all the time, usually with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder or italian seasoning. But this recipe calls for minced garlic. So I decided to make these fries tonight to go with the chicken and green beans I was already making. These are definitely better than my regular roasted potatoes. The slightly crunchy bits of garlic are a nice surprise when you bite into the fries.

Garlic "Fries"

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 large baking potatoes, 12 ounces each
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (I used 1 tsp dried parsley since I didn't have fresh on hand.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Heat the garlic and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Strain the garlic from the oil with a small mesh strainer. Set both garlic and oil aside.

Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch sticks. In a large bowl, toss the oil, potatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the potatoes onto it in a single layer. Bake until golden and crisp, about 35 minutes.

Remove potatoes from the tray with a metal spatula. Toss with parsley, reserved garlic, and additional salt, to taste. Serve immediately.

I also had some greek dressing in the fridge that I made the other day. I found the recipe in a cookbook I received for Christmas, Christmas with Paula Deen. I thought it would be great as a marinade for chicken breasts also. I marinated the chicken for about an hour in the dressing and then pan seared it for a few minutes in a skillet with some olive oil. Then I finished cooking it in the oven for about 15 minutes. It turned out so good!! I highly recommend this dressing for a salad or as a marinade. It was delicious both ways.

Greek Salad Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp sugar (I added a bit more because the lemon juice was a little too acidic)

Place all ingredients in a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Store in the refrigerator. When ready to use, allow the dressing to come to room temperature and shake well. Makes a little more than 1 cup.

A Yummy Find at Williams-Sonoma

2008-01-03T19:20:00.000-06:00

I got a few gift cards this year for Christmas, which I love because then I can go after the holidays are over, shop, and it's like Christmas all over again. Among the gift cards I got this year, were two to Williams-Sonoma. One of my favorite places to browse, but not always purchase from because they tend to be a bit pricey. I often drool over certain items online but can never justify spending so much money on some of the items. Well the good thing about gift cards is you can buy the items you've been drooling over without the guilt because it's not your money you're spending. : )

So I went to Williams-Sonoma with my husband a few days ago, gift cards in hand, prepared to buy something, anything, but exactly what I didn't know. See, that's the problem with gift cards. It gives you endless options which can make for a tough decision. I told my husband not to rush me because I wanted to decide on the perfect gift for myself. Well, he was in the store five minutes and had already found something he wanted. This caramel apple waffle and pancake mix. And, it was on sale. I'm guessing it might be a seasonal item so I told him I'd go ahead and buy it for him with my gift card. ; )

We actually decided to have these waffles for dinner tonight. They were very delicious, a wise purchase by my husband. They have a caramely, cinnamony flavor and little chunks of apple throughout the mix. I had mine with warm syrup and pecans on top. Yummy!

In case you're wondering, I decided on this 8 qt multi pot with pasta insert and steamer basket. I figured it was something I could use for many different things and also something I most likely wouldn't go out and buy for myself. Yes, a very practical gift. : P

Best of 2007

2008-01-02T14:02:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I'll jump on the bandwagon here and do a best of post. Maybe it will help spark some new ideas for people looking for new recipes, and it might even help me remember some dishes I loved and need to make again. So here goes, what I think is the best food that I made in 2007.

January-April

Not yet blogging

May

June

Peanut Butter Cookies

July

Easy Peach Cobbler

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The Infamous Best, Big, Fat, Chewy, Chocolate Chip Cookie

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

August

Crock Pot Meatloaf

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

September

Ham, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Calzones

Three Cheese Ravioli with Chicken and Spinach

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Crock Pot BBQ Pork and Macaroni and Cheese

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza with Feta

Pumpkin Scones

October

Crock Pot Chili

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

Baked Pumpkin Bread

Solid Gold Carrot Cake

Sweet Dinner Rolls

Chicken and Rice Soup

November

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Parmesan

December

Spinach Quiche

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

Happy 2008 to everyone! What better way to start off blogging in the new year than with a really decadent and high calorie dessert. This might be my last truly fattening dessert for a while because like so many others, I'm "trying" to be healthier in the new year. We'll see how that goes but for now that's the intention. So anyway, I made this really delicious pie for dessert on New Year's Eve. My great aunt made it for Christmas dinner and it was so good I just had to get the recipe from her. It's really yummy to be so simple.

Caramel Pie

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1 8 oz container whipped topping
1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 graham cracker pie shell

Begin by removing the paper wrapper from the can of condensed milk. Place the unopened can on its side in a large pot of water, making sure the can is completely covered with water. Boil for 4 hours, rolling the can around every so often in the pot. (Be sure the can stays covered with water the entire time. You may need to add more water to the pot as some evaporates from boiling.) Remove the can from the pot and set on the counter to cool for several hours or over night. DO NOT refrigerate. When you open the can, the milk should be thick and the color of caramel. In a mixing bowl, combine the "caramel" with room temperature cream cheese and 1/4 cup of pecans. Pour into the pie shell. Top with whipped topping and remaining chopped nuts. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

*This would be great with a layer of chocolate in the bottom of the pie crust or with mini chocolate chips added into the filling.

Source: My aunt Gail

More Holiday Baking

2007-12-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

As if my holiday baking list wasn't long enough already, it got even longer yesterday. My sister-in-law called to see if I would be willing to help her do some baskets for a couple people. I said I would, but in my mind I was thinking "how in the world am I going to get this all done??" I still had some last minute Christmas shopping to do last night, I have several gifts that need to be wrapped, not to mention we still have guests staying with us. But I'm a trooper and the kind of person that hardly ever says no, so I figured I would find a way to do it. After I got home from my last minute shopping, which wasn't quite the nightmare I invisioned, I got right to baking. My contributions to the baskets are mini pumpkin bread loaves and these cranberry, white chocolate chip, oatmeal cookies that I saw on Annie's Eats. Well, three hours later my mini loaves were done and I had cookies, cookies everywhere! Seriously, this recipe makes a lot of cookies, but they are so delicious. If I hadn't needed so many cookies I probably would have frozen half the dough. These might just be my new favorite cookie!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

3 eggs, well beaten

1 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 ½ cup flour

½ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine eggs, dried cranberries and vanilla and let stand for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.Cream together butter and sugars. Add flour, salt, cinnamon and soda to sugar mixture. Mix well. Blend in egg-cranberry mixture and oatmeal. Dough will be stiff. Fold in the white chocolate chips. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto un-greased cookie sheet or roll in small balls and flatten slightly on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until

lightly browned.

Source: Unknown

It's the Holiday Season!

2007-12-20T21:50:00.000-06:00

The holiday baking has begun. Yes, I am getting started very late this year. I've been so busy running around trying to get my house ready for guests, Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, holiday partying, etc etc. I just realized a couple days ago, I have so much baking to do!! I'm running out of time and fast! So anyway, I did a little bit of it tonight. As soon as I saw this recipe on Annie's Eats, I knew I wanted to give these a try. I made the dough on Tuesday, covered it and put it in the fridge until I had time to roll it out tonight. I let it sit out for about an hour before working with it. These turned out so great! I used a frosting recipe I've used before and made a few different colors with food coloring. The decorating was made easier with this decorating set that my friend Elly sent me for Christmas. I love it and I love this recipe!

Ella’s White Sugar Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ t. almond extract
1 t. vanilla
1 t. salt
2 ½ c. sifted flour

Directions:
Cream butter. Add powdered sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla, salt and flour. Chill dough until firm. Roll to ¼” thickness on well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 min. Cookies should not brown. Frost and decorate when cool. Yields ~40 cookies.

Source: a family friend of Annie's (Donna)

FROSTING

1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 stick real butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon cream or whole milk

Cream butter, milk and vanilla together.
Slowly add powdered sugar to butter until desired consistency. If
you'd
like, add liquid food coloring for festive cookies
When cookies are cooled, slather this heavenly frosting. For more
texture and color, press the top of the cookie in sprinkles, colored
sugar
or just eat plain!

Source: Joelen from Joelen's Culinary Adventures 
(I believe this came from a co-worker of hers)

Pesto Presto!

2007-12-10T18:55:00.001-06:00

Ok, yeah I know that's a cheesy title, but that's what came to mind so that's what I went with. I haven't been very inspired in the dinner department lately. I think I was trying so many new recipes all at once that I sort of had recipe overload. So lately I've been making easy meals with staple items in my pantry. Tonight was no different. I had some pesto in the fridge that needed using up so I thought what goes better with pesto than pasta and chicken. Plus, my husband is always up for pasta so I knew I'd get no complaints from him. It took no time to make and was really delicious.

Pesto Pasta with Chicken

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
2 cups dry pasta (I used farfalle but any pasta would work)
1/4 cup chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp pesto
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Begin by heating the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pan. While chicken is cooking boil the pasta and drain. Once the chicken is done, add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze it. Make sure to scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan for flavor. Add the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pesto, coating the pasta and chicken. Top with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins

2007-12-10T18:41:00.001-06:00

When it comes to breakfast, I'm a muffin kind of girl. I love just about all breakfast type foods, but muffins are at the top of my list of favorites. I decided today I wanted to bake some muffins to have for a quick breakfast this week. I knew I wanted to make something with oats, but wasn't sure what kind I wanted to bake. I finally came across this recipe and decided to go with it. It turned out very good! Not too sweet and very moist. Perfect for a breakfast muffin. I think this will be a keeper for me as far as basic muffin recipes go. It's a very versatile recipe. Other things I think would be good for add ins are chopped apples, cranberries, chopped pecans, bananas, or chocolate chips. I can't wait to have one in the morning with my coffee!

Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup whole milk with 1 tsp lemon juice mixed in)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

* I also added 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp ground cinnamon.

In a bowl, soak oats in buttermilk for 15 minutes. Stir in egg, sugar and oil (and vanilla). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and sal, (and cinnamon); stir into oat mixture just until moistened. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Source: All Recipes

Let's just call it "Chicken Elly"

2007-12-05T19:32:00.001-06:00

On my quest to avoid the grocery store until the end of the week, I pulled out my last two boneless skinless chicken breasts to defrost this morning. I had no idea what I wanted to do with them but I was determined to use what I had on hand. I figured I'd come up with something fabulous by dinner time. While I was at work today, I remembered hearing a buzz about a chicken recipe on Elly's blog. A lot of people had made it from a cooking board that I frequent. In fact, so many people have made it, it's being called "chicken Elly". So I looked it up and decided that's what I'd make tonight. It was really easy using basic ingredients that I always have on hand. I followed it exactly except for the fact that I used chicken breasts and she made this with leg quarters. I also used skin on red potatoes. It was great! So Elly, how does it feel to be famous? ; )

How I made it:
(I'm copying this straight from Elly's post) : )

First, peel and quarter (or eighth) the potatoes (I use 2 small or medium russets). Then, add some extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon to a baking dish. Add the potatoes and the chicken leg quarters to the baking dish, and turn them around to coat them with the EVOO (sorry) and lemon juice. Then, add salt, pepper and dried oregano to the chicken and potatoes. Flip them, and salt, pepper & oregano the other sides. Add about 1/3 cup of chicken broth to the pan (so it just covers the bottom of the pan, about 1/4" or so standing). Squeeze the rest of the lemon over the whole thing. Bake it for about an hour at 400*. Check on it 1-2 times to add chicken broth as necessary or baste the chicken with the juices.

An Update at Last!

2007-12-04T21:18:00.001-06:00

I know, I know. I have been MIA since Thanksgiving. To be honest, I haven't felt much like cooking and when I have cooked it's been very basic things or things I've made before. So here's my first new post in a while. I wish it were more exciting but this is what I've got. Quiche. It's actually the first time I've made quiche. I planned on making it weeks ago but never got around to it. I've been trying really hard to not go to the grocery store until the end of the week so I decided to use what I had to make dinner tonight. That resulted in me finally making this dish. I thought it turned out really well. My husband didn't like it, but I think it's more of a texture thing for him. He's just not a quiche kind of guy. But for me, it was really tasty. Hopefully I'll be back to blogging in full swing pretty soon and have lots more exciting recipes to post.

Spinach Quiche

1 9" frozen pie shell, defrosted 15 min
2 cups chopped baby spinach, washed
1/4 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1-1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Place pie pan on a baking sheet. Begin by sauteing the garlic and onion together in a skillet with olive oil for about 3-4 min. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir in cheese, onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Place chopped spinach in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour egg mixture over the spinach. Next, place aluminum foil around the edge of the pie shell to keep it from burning. Then, place the quiche in the oven and bake 35-45 min or until set. Remove foil from the edge of the pie pan the last 10-12 min to brown the edge of the crust. Let sit 5 min before slicing.

My Contribution to Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T18:40:00.001-06:00

As much as I love to cook and bake, I did not host Thanksgiving this year. We always have the big meal at my in-laws' house. Of course I always offer to bring something and normally end up taking a main dish and a dessert. Well this year when I asked what I could bring I was told that all the main dishes were taken care of and that I could bring a dessert. Every other year there is always pecan pie and sweet potato pie at the in-laws and then I bring some other dessert. So I decided not to make I pie since I assumed there would be pie. I had seen these apple blondies on a couple food blogs recently and had heard rave reviews from everyone that had tried them. So I figured these would be a good option. Well, there ended up being no pecan pie at Thanksgiving dinner and I was disappointed in that. Safe to say I'll be making one of those soon to satisfy my craving. But the blondies turned out good anyway! I think they are the best blondies I've ever had! I took the advice of others that had made these and didn't make the brown sugar frosting recipe for these blondies. Instead I made up my own frosting recipe. Everyone loved them!

Apple Blondies with Brown Sugar Frosting

Blondies:
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chopped peeled apples
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (i did not add nuts)

Blondies:
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Combine flour, baking pwder and salt. Add to butter mixture on low speed, mixing until blended. Stir in apples, cinnamon and nuts, mixing well. Spread evenly in greased 9x13 pan.

Bake in Preheated oven at 350 degrees until set and golden, 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on rack.

Confectioners' Sugar Frosting
(Icing recipe I made)

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl combine all ingredients and whisk together. Add more milk if needed. The icing should be smooth but thick enough to coat a spoon. Drizzle over cooled blondies just before serving.

*This is the original frosting recipe. Others said it was just too sweet for these blondies so I made a different recipe.

*Brown Sugar Frosting
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil then remove from heat and let cool to lukewarm. Stir in the confectioner's sugar, mixing until smooth. Spread evenly over bar. Let stand until frosting is firm enough to cut. Cut into bars or squares

Herb Roasted Pork with Garlic and Spinach Orzo

2007-11-20T20:00:00.001-06:00

Looking in my fridge and pantry this week, I saw lots of half boxes and bags of things. I hate when I have a lot of random leftover items because I always find it difficult to make a complete dinner out of them. Well there was no way I was fighting the last minute Thanksgiving shoppers at the grocery store so I decided I needed to use up what I had. So out of a pork roast, half a box of orzo, half a bag of baby spinach, 1/4 head of garlic, and 1 cup chicken stock came the idea for our dinner tonight. It turned out really well and was simple and delicious.

Herb Roasted Pork

1.5 lb pork roast
1 tsp dried thyme
1 large clove garlic, chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over med/high heat and add 3 Tbsp olive oil. Rub the roast with salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Place the roast in the skillet and sear on all sides. Place roast in a preheated 375 degree oven and cook for about an hour. Check to make sure the internal temp is 160 or that juices are clear. Remove from the oven and let rest 5 min before slicing. Pour pan juices over sliced pork.

Garlic and Spinach Orzo

1 cup orzo
2 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 Tbsp salt. Add orzo and boil for 9 min, until al dente. Drain the orzo. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 min. Add the orzo and chicken stock and stir. Remove from heat and stir in chopped spinach, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Chicken Parmesan and Buttery Garlic Croutons

2007-11-19T18:39:00.001-06:00

One of our favorite Italian dishes is chicken parmesan. It's such a simple and comforting dish, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand to make it. It always turns out so delicious that I ask myself why I don't make it more often. We had this tonight for dinner with some spaghetti and a salad. Dinner was ready in under 30 minutes. Can't beat that.

Chicken Parmesan

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup italian style bread crumbs (I made my own but you could buy them)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Set up three shallow bowls; one with the parmesan cheese, one with the eggs, and one with the bread crumbs. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breasts. Dip one chicken breast in the parmesan and pat to coat it with the cheese. Then dip it in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Be sure to coat it well. Do this for the other remaining chicken breasts and place them in a baking dish. Bake for 20-25 min until chicken is no longer pink. Broil on each side 2 min for a crispier crust.

Serve with your favorite pasta and marinara sauce. Top with additional parmesan if desired.

I also made some homemade croutons tonight to go on my salad. I had some leftover dinner rolls so this was a good way to use those up. So simple and so good!

Buttery Garlic Croutons

4-5 small dinner rolls (this could be made with regular bread as well)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp garlic powder(you could also use minced garlic but remove it from the melted butter before placing the bread cubes in the pan so it doesn't burn)

Cut the bread into 1"cubes. Heat a pan over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic powder and the bread cubes. Toss the bread around or turn with a spoon every couple of minutes to brown on each side. Once brown and crispy, place the croutons on a plate with a paper towel to drain any excess butter. Allow them to cool and serve on your favorite salad.

Autumn Vegetable Cobbler

2007-11-18T17:13:00.001-06:00

We ate dinner unusually early tonight. As if my husband doesn't work enough hours each week, he has to go back in for a couple hours this evening. Well I couldn't send him back to work on an empty stomach. I've been planning on making this for a week or so now and finally decided to try it out tonight. As I was eating dinner, I was trying to think how I would describe this dish. With each bite all I kept thinking was "sweet, savory, and southern". Very original, right? But really if you break it down, it is. The dish itself reminds me of a rustic, country pot pie. Then there's the combination of the roughly chopped savory vegetables and broth with the slightly sweet cornbread topping. Each component is very different, but the flavors somehow meld together so well. Overall, it was surprisingly delicious. We had this as a main dish for dinner tonight since we're both still under the weather and not eating much, but it would also be a great side dish as well. In fact, a dish worthy of a spot alongside your Thanksgiving turkey or on your Sunday dinner table. I would suggest doubling the recipe though if making this for a large group.

Autumn Vegetable Cobbler

Ingredients

1 small onion, sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 small red potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 medium leeks, halved lengthwise and cut into slices
2 cups chopped fresh spinach*
1 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken broth since that's what I had on hand)
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh so used 1 Tbsp dried parsley)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cornbread Topping -(I used a box of corn muffin mix but you can click on the link to view the original cornbread topping recipe.)

Preparation

Sauté sliced onion in hot oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until tender. Add potato, carrot, and 1/4 cup water; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add leeks and spinach, and cook 3 minutes or until spinach wilts.

Whisk together vegetable broth and flour until smooth. Stir broth mixture, minced parsley, soy sauce, and salt into spinach mixture. Bring to a boil; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon vegetable mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch baking dish. Drop Cornbread Topping by heaping tablespoonfuls onto hot vegetable mixture.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden. (I would suggest checking this around 20 min. Mine turned out very dark brown at 20 min.)

*Chopped kale, collard greens, or turnip greens may be substituted.

*When preparing the leeks, slice and separate them and then float them in a bowl of water. If there is any dirt in between the layers, it will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

Yield

Makes 4 servings

Southern Living, OCTOBER 2001

Source:
Cooking Light

Chicken Noodle Soup

2007-11-15T19:14:00.001-06:00

I've been a little under the weather for the past couple days. And by a little I mean a lot. For the past few days I've been completely and utterly miserable. I haven't felt like cooking or doing much of anything. Today I finally started to feel a tad bit better. Well wouldn't you know my husband is starting to feel sick now. Since I was on my own for dinner tonight, I decided I felt up to making us some chicken noodle soup. I made it pretty much the same way I made my chicken and rice soup but added a few more veggies and of course noodles instead of rice. Hopefully a couple bowls of this will have us both feeling better in no time.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 chicken breasts
5-6 cups water
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp thyme
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 large onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2-2 cups egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling the chicken breasts in a large pot with water and chicken stock. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pot and set aside. Place vegetables, thyme, and chicken bouillon in the pot and simmer for 8-10 min until vegetables start to get tender. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the pot. Add the noodles and let simmer about 8 min until the noodles are done. Add more water as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Puttin' on the Pounds

2007-11-12T18:56:00.001-06:00

I told myself that this holiday season I would not gain any weight. Well, here it is, only the middle of November and I've already been in baking overdrive. Now, this wouldn't be such a problem if I could resist eating all of the things I bake. I've tried and tried each year to have a little will power and have failed. So, I've finally decided that the only logical answer is that I have to work out to counteract my over indulgence of sweets during the last few months of the year. Tonight was not a holiday or special occasion, but I decided I wanted to bake anyway. I had made this pound cake once before but it wasn't in my blog. This cake isn't a soft pound cake but a little more "bread like" and dense. It has a really good flavor though. I really chose to make it because it was quick and easy, and I just wanted some dessert tonight. So here it is. The pound cake that will ultimately be the beginning of me putting on the pounds this year. Hopefully I can talk myself into getting on the treadmill tomorrow to avoid that. We'll see. ; )

EASY POUND CAKE
---------------

2 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 c. butter
6 eggs
1 tbsp. flavorings (almond, vanilla and butter)
(I just use 1 Tbsp vanilla)

When all ingredients reach room temperature place together
in large mixing bowl. Blend for 10 minutes at medium speed.
Pour into greased and floured tube pan or 2 loaf pans. Bake
at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Source: Unknown

Soup for Supper

2007-11-12T18:42:00.001-06:00

I love soup. Vegetable, meaty, creamy, cheesy, with beans, with rice, you name it. I don't think I've ever met a soup I didn't like. One soup that is near and dear to my heart though is broccoli cheese. It's something about this thick, creamy soup that lures me to order it almost every time I visit one of my favorite local restaurants. As much as I love this soup, I had never made it at home. I think that I thought maybe it was too difficult. Well the other day as I sat at a local restaurant enjoying a warm bowl of this soup, I decided I wanted to make it at home. I found this recipe on Amber's blog and decided to go with it. This recipe has potatoes, which I decided to leave in to make it a little more hearty for dinner tonight. It turned out very good and even my husband, who isn't a big fan of broccoli, liked it.

Baked Potato-and-Broccoli Soup
(Source: MyRecipes.com via Southern Living Magazine; Jan 2006)

Ingredients
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 (14 1/4-ounce) cans low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (8-ounce) block 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
7 teaspoons shredded 2% reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
7 teaspoons fully cooked bacon pieces
7 teaspoons chopped green onions

Preparation
Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.
Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

Stir in milk and 8 ounces shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Top each serving of soup with 1 teaspoon cheese, 1 teaspoon bacon pieces, and 1 teaspoon chopped green onions.

(I didn't add bacon because I didn't have any)

Note - We recommend freshly shredded cheese (versus the preshredded variety) for additional creaminess and even melting.

Yield - Makes 7 servings (serving size: 1 cup) (serving size: 1 cup)

Maple Braised Pork Chops

2007-11-06T19:31:00.001-06:00

I really love the food blog community. I get so many great ideas and dinner is hardly ever boring anymore. I can barely keep up with all the great recipes I have saved! Well I've had this recipe saved for a couple weeks but it's been getting pushed back and pushed back because we've been so busy and I haven't been doing as much cooking as usual. So I finally decided I wanted to make this for dinner tonight. Well wouldn't you know I didn't have the brown sugar that the recipe calls for. I get so frustrated when I get ready to make something and then realize I don't have one or more of the ingredients. But I was determined to make it anyway so I improvised a little. It still turned out really good even without the missing ingredient. The great combination of flavors still came through in every bite.

Maple Braised Pork Chops

1-2 lbs pork ribs (I used boneless pork chops)
maple rub (recipe below)

Maple Rub

2 tablespoons real maple syrup
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar(I used a little granulated sugar and extra syrup just for sweetness because I was out of brown sugar)
splash of worchestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste
1/4 cup chicken stock for the bottom of the crockpot

Combine above ingredients in a bowl. Consistency will slightly clumpy and paste like. Coat pork ribs with this paste using your hands - a basting brush isn't as effective.
Place coated pork in a dutch oven or in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees for 3-4 hours OR Place coated pork in your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours.

Prep time: 5-10 mintues

Cook time: Oven: 3-4hrs Crockpot: 5 to 5 1/2hrs

Serves: 4

(I baked my chops in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 min and then broiled for a couple min. I added a little chicken broth in the bottom of the pan. My maple rub was a little thinner than it probably should have been because of the extra syrup. Still good though.)

Adapted from: Tara's Pork Chops
Original Source: Joelen's Blog

Chicken Pot Pie

2007-11-05T18:54:00.001-06:00

Today was my day off and I got a lot accomplished. I cleaned all three of my bathrooms, dusted, vacuumed, and did a ton of laundry. When I finally sat down and the cleaning rush wore off, I started to feel not so good. I've been fighting a little cold for a couple weeks now and I think it's finally catching up with me. I had planned on making chicken pot pie for dinner tonight but wasn't sure if I was up to it. My husband offered to go and pick up something for dinner, but I finally mustered up the energy to get in the kitchen. I figured some warm chicken pot pie would help me feel better and also be good for leftovers this week. While I was cooking dinner, my husband did go to the store and get me some medicine and orange juice. Hopefully with a little chicken pot pie and medication in me, I'll be feeling better tomorrow. Thankfully, my chicken pot pie turned out better than the one I made a couple weeks ago.

Chicken Pot Pie

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1 cup water
1 cup milk, warmed
3 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 large red potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green beans- fresh, frozen, or canned
salt and pepper to taste

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375. In a large pot, add potatoes, onions, celery, carrots, green beans, broth and water. Let simmer for 7-10 min or until vegetables start to get tender. Add in butter and warm milk and stir. Add flour and whisk. Let simmer for a couple minutes until sauce starts to thicken. Add in chicken and salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a baking dish. Prepare the crust by stirring flour, milk and butter together. Pour over the chicken and vegetable mixture. Bake for 35-45 min, until crust is golden brown and mixture is bubbly.

M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies

2007-11-04T08:04:00.001-06:00

Not all chocolate chip cookies are created equal. Some are crunchy, some are chewy and some are soft and gooey. I normally make the Best, Big, Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie, aka BBFCCCC, which has more of a bite to it and is very chewy. But I don't discriminate when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, well, any cookie for that matter, so I decided I wanted to try a new recipe this weekend. I had heard good things about Michelle's chocolate chip cookies so I thought I might just try those. So last night I got in the kitchen and whipped these up. I added M&M minis to mine, just because I have a ton of Halloween candy leftover that I need to get rid of. These turned out really good. They were a lot different from the BBFCCCC that I usually make. Very soft and chewy!

Chelle’s Soft & Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Source: Sugar & Spice)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Microwave butter for 30 seconds, stir and set aside. Do not worry if it is not completely melted.

3. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

4. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and beat until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture, beating just until combined (do NOT overmix!). Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Refrigerate dough for 15-30 minutes.

6. Drop by rounded spoonful (I used a Pampered Chef cookie scoop that holds approximately 2 tablespoons) onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are just brown and middle is not quite set yet. Cool on pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

7. Before adding more dough to warm cookie sheets, place sheet in freezer for 5-7 minutes to cool.

Store in an airtight container. Recipe yielded 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Cupcakes for Everyone!

2007-10-30T20:31:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Halloween so I thought I'd bake some cupcakes to take to work for my co-workers. Of course I forgot half the stuff I needed when I went to the store yesterday so had to run by the store on my lunch break today. Wouldn't you know I couldn't find any cupcake liners on the baking aisle which is one of the things I had forgotten yesterday. I looked high and low and finally found the last two packs in the back of a shelf. One was Barbie and the other these giant foil liners. Well I didn't have time to go anywhere else so I bought the foil ones and a pack of Halloween colored sprinkles. Since I was making the frosting, I thought about making different colors to write words and make different designs on the cupcakes. But I knew they'd just get scarfed down in a matter of seconds so I decided to just stick with the sprinkles. They turned out pretty good. My husband and I were the willing taste testers since everyone knows you can't take food to work without testing it first. : )

For the cupcakes:
(I totally cheated and used a boxed mix)

1 box yellow cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)-prepare as directed on the box.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners and fill each liner about half full with cake batter. Bake as directed. Let cool completely.
Makes 24 regular sized cupcakes or 16 jumbo ones.

For the frosting:
(I used the recipe I used for a chocolate cake I made)

Chocolate Frosting

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, beat margarine and cocoa together until combined. Add milk and vanilla; beat until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Adjust with more milk or confectioners' sugar if necessary.

*After reading the reviews on the website I got the recipe from I made a couple alterations. I used 3 cups confectioners' sugar and 3/4 cup cocoa powder. It made a great frosting!

Frost cupcakes and decorate as desired.

Original source for the frosting recipe: All Recipes

Basic Burger

2007-10-30T20:16:00.001-05:00

Cold weather is fast approaching so there won't be much grilling going on for the next few months. It's still fairly decent weather out, so we can still get a few more uses out of the grill this year. I asked my husband last week to pick two things he wanted for dinner this week. One was burgers and the other, his favorite pasta. So tonight he fired up the grill and I made my basic burger recipe. Very easy and tasty and a nice farewell to summer.

My Basic Burger

1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
5-6 dashes worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Paula Deen's Steak and Prime Rib Rub (a mixture of salt, garlic powder, and smoke flavorings)-goes well with burgers, too

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Form into patties.
Makes 4 large burgers.

Soup for the Soul

2007-10-29T19:11:00.001-05:00

You know how sometimes you just get a craving for something and you just have to have it? Well that's what happened to me last week. I don't know what triggered it. Maybe it was the chilly weather we're having or this little cold I've been fighting off for a couple weeks now. Whatever it was, I was really craving chicken and rice soup. It's funny because I don't usually like chicken soup either. I started looking at recipes online and then just pretty much made up my own based on the things I wanted in my soup. It turned out to be a very good and filling soup. We had this tonight for dinner with the rolls in my previous post.

Chicken and Rice Soup

2 chicken breasts, trimmed
5 cups water
1 cup chicken stock (you could use broth instead)
1 tsp thyme
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 large onion, finely chopped
1/4-1/2 cup celery, finely chopped (I'm not a huge fan of celery so you could add more)
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
3/4 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling the chicken breasts in a large pot with water and chicken stock. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pot and set aside. Place vegetables, thyme, and chicken bouillon in the pot and simmer for 15-20 until vegetables are tender. Shred the chicken with two forks and return it to the pot. Add the rice and let simmer about 20 min until the rice is done. Add more water as needed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Second Time's a Charm

2007-10-29T18:40:00.001-05:00

They say the third time's a charm but in my case the second time was. I first tried making these dinner rolls a couple weeks ago and they were a big flop. If I had posted a picture in my blog, you probably would have thought I was posting about biscuits or possibly hockey pucks. It was really bad. That being said, it was my first time ever making a yeast bread so I guess it was a trial run. I originally saw these rolls on Amber's blog, so I asked her for some tips before I attempted to make them again. Thankfully they turned out very good this time with her help. I was so excited when they actually started looking like rolls and not biscuits!!

Sweet Dinner Rolls
(Adapted from: Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (It only took about 3 1/4 cups flour for me)
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

Directions
- Place water and milk in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute or until liquids reach (110 degrees F/45 degrees C). Pour liquids into mixer bowl; add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add in yeast and let set for 10-20 minutes to proof (the mixture will be foamy).
- Attach the bowl to the mixer and mix on low speed adding the salt, butter and egg. Once well mixed add in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook. With the machine; knead the dough for 5-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into desired shape. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for an hour. (You can place a bowl of very hot tap water in the bottom of your stove and place the rolls in on the rack above it). Gently brush the tops of the rolls with half of the softened butter.

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Upon removing the rolls from the oven brush them with remaining softened butter once again.

The yeast beginning to proof.

The dough after I kneaded it a few more times by hand.

Starting to look like rolls!

The finished product

Happy Birthday Sis!

2007-10-28T20:00:00.001-05:00

Another mission accomplished...my first carrot cake! I've been wanting to make a from scratch carrot cake for a long time now. I finally found a recipe on Peabody's blog that looked perfect so decided to make it this weekend. Now a lot was depending on this cake being good since I was making it for my little sister's birthday. She and my mom were up for the weekend so I thought it would be a great time to make this cake. I was a little concerned, not about the recipe, but about my ability to make a wonderful carrot cake and frosting from start to finish. But thankfully, this turned out so great. My sister, mom, and husband loved it! I sent most of the cake home with my mom and sister so they could eat some later and take some to my dad. My dad just called tonight to say it was the best carrot cake he's ever had. This recipe is a keeper!

Check out more great baking recipes at culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

Solid Gold Carrot Cake (with my alterations)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract
2 TBSP finely chopped crystallized ginger (I didn't have any so used 2 tsp ground ginger)
3 cups firmly packed shredded carrots
1 cup walnuts, chopped (I used chopped pecans)

1. Preheat to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch pans or mini muffin pans.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
3. Beat eggs and sugars together on medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. At low speed, add the oil, melted butter, milk, vanilla, and ginger and mix until blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture in three additions, mixing until just blended. Add the carrots and walnuts and mix until blended. Scrape the batter into the prepared pans, dividing it evenly.
4. Bake cakes for 25-30 minutes until they are dark golden brown. For mini cupcakes, it took 15 minutes.
5. Invert cakes onto racks and cool completely. Frost with your choice of frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
PREPARATION:
Directions for cream cheese frosting
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth. Makes enough cream cheese frosting for a 2-layer cake.

Source-cake: Tish Boyle's the Cake Book

Source-frosting: Adapted from Tish Boyle's the Cake Book, 2006

My sister about to blow out the candles. If you look closely, you will see someone else eyeing the cake.

Baked Pumpkin Bread

2007-10-25T22:20:00.001-05:00

Whenever people come to stay at my house, I always like to bake something to have while they're here. My mom and sister are going to be at my house this weekend so I decided I'd get in the kitchen tonight and whip something up for them. The last time they were here, they really enjoyed the pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I made, so I thought pumpkin bread would be a good idea. As I was looking at recipes online, I found that most of them had 1 cup of oil. I thought that was a little too much oil so I kept looking. Now I know you can sub applesauce for the oil but I didn't have any. Well I finally found a recipe that uses no oil. But let me tell you, it is not lacking anything without the oil. This bread turned out so moist and delicious! And so much healthier without the oil.

Baked Pumpkin Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1 cup solid pack pumpkin puree (I used 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 tsp lemon juice)
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Mix in the pumpkin, brown sugar, buttermilk, egg and butter until well blended. Pour into a 9x5 inch loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

*I only baked this for about 40-45 min and it was done.

Original Source: All Recipes

If only it tasted as good as it looks!

2007-10-22T19:42:00.001-05:00

I have been dying to try Paula Deen's Lady and Sons Chicken Pot Pie for a while now. When we were in Savannah, GA this past April, we actually ate at the Lady and Sons restaurant. I didn't get the chicken pot pie there, but I saw several people order it and remember thinking it looked so good. I was very happy when I found the recipe for it on foodnetwork.com. So I finally decided to try it tonight. I followed the recipe exactly, except I cooked it longer than it said to at the end to make sure if was heated through. When I took my first bite, all I could say was "yuck!". It was just too bland and the flavor wasn't all that great either. But I decided to post it anyway to show that not every dinner or recipe always turns out the way you hoped it would. I think it's a very pretty chicken pot pie, but I think I'll stick to my regular old chicken pot pie in the future. Who knows, maybe it was something I did or didn't do. Someone else might have more luck with it than I did. : P

My cooking ventures today weren't a total bust though. I made my own chicken stock for the first time ever. Here's how I made it.

Chicken Stock

1 roasted chicken carcass (bones), skin and meat removed
1-1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 an onion
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
water, enough to cover all other ingredients

Place first six ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with water and chicken broth. Simmer over low heat for about 3 hrs or so. Strain liquid into a bowl and skim fat off the surface. Place pre-measured amounts in individual containers to freeze for easy use in later recipes.

*I froze mine in 1 cup portions. I got about 9-10 cups of stock.

Real Comfort Food

2007-10-17T19:29:00.001-05:00

Tonight's dinner was a huge success for me. I had never made a whole roasted chicken. To be honest, it has always scared me a little. But it really wasn't hard at all. I will admit, when I first took this whole chicken out of the package, it really creeped me out. I can handle boneless, skinless chicken breasts and any other meat, but something about a whole raw chicken is a little icky to me. But I love roasted chicken so I quickly got past that and prepped my chicken. My other worry was how long to cook a whole chicken. I read so many different recipes and finally decided on how I would cook it. I gave my husband specific instructions on when to put the chicken in and at what temp when he got home and crossed my fingers that it would turn out.

When I got home I was pleasantly surprised. My house smelled great and the chicken looked so good! So I whipped up a couple easy sides and dinner was ready. I think I got 2 thumbs up from my husband.

On the menu tonight: garlic and lemon roasted chicken, wild rice, peas, and baked apples.

Garlic and Lemon Roasted Chicken

whole chicken (mine was 5lbs)
4-5 small garlic cloves, peeled, whole
3/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper, mixed together in a bowl (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 stick butter, cut into 1/4" slices (1/4 cup)

Begin by washing the chicken and patting it dry. Place chicken in a roasting pan. Rub a little of the salt and pepper on the inside cavity of the chicken. Place garlic cloves inside. Place a few slices of the butter inside the chicken as well. Rub remaining butter, salt and pepper on the outside of the chicken making sure to coat wings and legs, too. Pour lemon juice over the chicken. Bake at 375 degrees, 20 min per pound. Baste chicken with pan juices every so often. (I roasted mine for about 2 hrs-20 min longer than it really needed just to be sure
; P )

The baked apples I made as sort of an afterthought tonight. I had wanted to make a wild rice, apple, and pecan stuffing for the chicken but then remembered I used the last of my chopped pecans the other day. I wanted to do something with apples anyway so I made some simple baked apples.

Baked Apples (for 2)

1 large apple, cut into 1" chunks (I used Gala because that's what I had)
1/4 stick of butter, cut into 1/4" slices
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Spray ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Place apples in the bottom of each ramekin. In a bowl, mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the apples. Place 3 slices of butter on top of each dish. Bake at 375 for 15-20 min until apples are tender.

Chess Cake?

2007-10-16T21:42:00.001-05:00

I had decided I wasn't cooking dinner tonight because I just wasn't feeling well today. The change in the weather has affected my allergies and I've just been feeling yucky the past couple days. But after dinner tonight, which was leftover beef stew, I was feeling a little better. My husband has been asking me for a while now to make this cake that he loves, so I decided I felt up to making it tonight.

The cake I made is the first dessert my husband ever baked for me while we were dating. Actually, now I that I think about it, it's probably the only dessert he's ever baked for me aside from break and bake cookies. The original recipe was one that he got from his roommate's grandmother. Of course he doesn't have the recipe now so I had to look it up online. Well I finally found a recipe for chess cake. I'm not sure this should really be called a cake, though. It's more like a cream cheese bar or square to me. Whatever you call it, it's a very rich and very sweet dessert. Not a pretty "cake", but still very delicious.

Chess Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
4 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9 x 13 inch pan.
In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/2 cup melted butter. Put into prepared pan.
In another bowl, Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in 1/2 cup melted butter and 2 eggs. Gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Pour over the crust mixture already in the pan.
Bake for 1 hour. Cool.

Cut into squares.

Original Source: All Recipes

Chicken Enchiladas with Chili Gravy

2007-10-10T19:56:00.001-05:00

I finally got around to making enchiladas tonight. This is actually the first time I've made them and they turned out very good. I've had a recipe for chili gravy saved for a long time now and decided to use that as the sauce for the enchiladas. I have no clue where I got the recipe, but I think it was from someone's blog. If anyone knows whose it could be, please let me know! Anyway, we had these tonight with seasoned brown rice. It was all very delicious, although not very healthy.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 a green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chili gravy (recipe follows)
4 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook for about 5 min. Add shredded chicken and stir. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Remove from pan and set aside. Using the same pan, make the chili gravy as follows.

Chili Gravy

Ingredients:
1/4 cup lard (I used vegetable oil)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp powdered garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano (Mexican oregano is preferred if it’s available)
2 T chile powder (either homemade or a dark brand such as Gebhardt’s or Whole Foods)
2 cups chicken broth (or water) (I used half water, half chicken broth)

Method:
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it makes a light brown roux.
Add all the dry ingredients and continue to cook for 1 minute, constantly stirring and blending ingredients.
Add chicken broth or water, mixing and stirring until the sauce thickens.
Turn heat to low and let sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add water to adjust the thickness. Makes 2 cups.

Once the chili gravy is done, add 1/2 a cup to the chicken mixture and stir. Spoon the chicken mixture into the flour tortilla shells and roll up. Spread another half cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and place the rolled tortillas in the dish. Top with the remaining cup of sauce and shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 min.

Original Source: Homesick Texan
(I finally found out where this recipe came from!)

Another day, another pizza

2007-10-08T20:54:00.001-05:00

When I gave my husband his options for dinner tonight, he voted for pizza of course. I should have known what he'd say really. When given the option, he will almost always say pizza. I figured he wouldn't want what I wanted on his pizza, so I decided to do a half and half pizza. That way we would both be happy. It turned out great. Another successful pizza!

1 refrigerated pizza crust (or fresh or frozen dough)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pizza sauce

My half:
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/4 large tomato thinly sliced
salt and pepper, just a little

His half:
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup pork sausage, cooked and drained

Preheat oven according to pizza crust instructions. Brush olive oil on pizza crust. Spread sauce on the crust, top with cheese and remaining toppings. Bake as directed.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2007-10-04T21:54:00.001-05:00

I had about half a can of pumpkin leftover in the fridge from when I made scones earlier in the week. Well I didn't want it to go to waste, so I had to come up with something to make with it. I thought about cookies or bread, but then settled on muffins. My family is coming for the weekend so I thought I'd bake the muffins to have for breakfast while they're here, along with some banana bread. So I skipped cooking dinner tonight and started baking. These muffins turned out so moist and delicious! I made a few changes to the recipe based on what I had on hand and they were still great.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves(omitted)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (omitted)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

*I added 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Original Source: All Recipes

Another Recipe Revisited

2007-10-03T22:12:00.001-05:00

Since I'm going back through some of my favorite recipes, this one had to be on the list of things to make again soon. I think I've only made this once before, but I remembered it being very good and very easy. So it made it's way onto this week's menu. My husband nor I have ever really been big fans of pork chops, at least the way our mothers made them, but this recipe is a keeper for both of us. It really takes no time at all and requires few ingredients to make. Very easy for a weeknight meal.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon wedges, for serving

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve with lemon wedges.

Original Source: foodnetwork.com

Balsamic Chicken

2007-10-01T19:07:00.001-05:00

I'm revisiting some recipes I've made before and saved under my favorites. This is one I tried many months ago and since I've been making so many new recipes, I hadn't gotten back around to making it. I thought it would be a nice change so I put it on this week's menu. I adapted Giada's recipe to use boneless skinless chicken breasts since we don't really eat drumettes. It's simple to make and very tasty. We had this tonight with brown rice and steamed green beans.

Here's the recipe as I made it.

Balsamic Chicken

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
5 garlic cloves, halved
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine the balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic cloves, in a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken to the bag and seal with as little air as possible in the bag. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until it is caramelized and very dark in spots, about 15 min (7 1/2 min per side).

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria). Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Original Source: foodnetwork.com

Crock Pot Chili

2007-09-30T19:12:00.001-05:00

To me, chili definitely means fall is here. Nothing is better on a cold day than a hot bowl of chili with some corn bread or crackers. When I was a kid I couldn't wait until my mom made the first pot of chili of the season. It's also one of the first things I learned to cook, too. Up until now, I've never had an actual recipe for chili. I've made it differently probably every time I've made it. Today, however, I made an effort to remember what I was putting in.

Now my husband and I differ on our idea of the perfect chili. I prefer my chili with beans and he prefers no beans. Normally I make it without beans because I'm not the picky one, or if I'm feeling rebellious I'll add beans and he picks them out. But tonight I made 2 pots; one with beans and one without. It turned out so great!

Here's my recipe:

Crock Pot Chili

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can tomato sauce
1 15 oz can chili beans in mild sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 a large bell pepper finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 a large onion finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup (maybe a little less) chili powder
1-1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by browning the ground beef in a skillet. Add onions, garlic, and bell pepper to the pan as well. Once the ground beef is done, drain the mixture. Add ground beef, peppers, onion, and garlic to the crock pot. Add tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes, beans and seasonings. Cook on low 5-6 hours. Adjust seasonings to taste as it cooks.

Pumpkin, Puppies, and a PSA

2007-09-30T11:09:00.001-05:00

I woke up to a beautiful, sunny Fall day here in Alabama this morning. There was a slight chill and breeze in the air. The perfect day for taking a walk, making a pot of coffee, and of course baking. I have been wanting to make my first pumpkin baked good of the season and figured today was as good a day as any to do that. There's a recipe for pumpkin scones that I've seen floating around several blogs lately that I thought looked really great. I had never made scones, so decided I'd give that a shot. Of course I had my two best helpers in the kitchen with me this morning; my dogs, Tag and Riley. And while they don't really help, they love to be wherever I am and are great company. They love to watch while I'm cooking or baking in hopes that they'll get a little taste. : )

I have to say, this recipe was really easy. So don't be afraid to try this if you've never made scones before. They turned out so tasty, too!

Pumpkin Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup white chocolate chips (optional) (I omitted these)
1/3 cup buttermilk (I didn't have any so used 1/3 cup milk mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice)
½ cup pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk or cream

Preheat the oven to 400° and place a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped white chocolate. In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round. Cut the circle into six equal triangles. Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash.

Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes 6 scones.

*I made 8 scones from this recipe

Original Source: The Joy of Baking

I thought I'd add this in here too as a PSA. Last night my best friend and I were out and about and stopped at Target. I found these on sale 2 for $1 in the dollar bins and bought six. At my store they had cream and a rust color. If you're in need of some ramekins, check out your local Target.

The Cure for a Bad Week

2007-09-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

This week has been just awful. I don't know if it's the full moon or what, but nothing has gone right this week. Work has been crazy; difficult customers, annoying co-workers and it's been insanely busy. To top it off, I burned my meatloaf tonight. Note to self: don't forget to put liquid in the crock pot next time. It's times like these a girl just needs some chocolate therapy. I didn't feel much like baking tonight after my meatloaf disaster, but I wanted some chocolate so I pulled out the mixer. I knew exactly what I wanted too; chocolate chocolate chip cookies. After I got busy in the kitchen, I sort of forgot about my bad week. And when I tasted these cookies, all was right with the world. Sometimes the secret to happiness is a little baking and chocolate.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 c. flour
2/3 c. cocoa
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Mix dry ingredients and stir into sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Shape into balls and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

Adapted from this recipe.

Celebrating our anniversary

2007-09-25T09:05:00.001-05:00

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary! Last night we went out to celebrate since we were both off work yesterday. When my husband asked me where I wanted to go I immediately thought of Buckhead Grill. It's about 45 minutes from where we live, but the food is so worth the drive! So that's where we ended up going.

Buckhead Grill is a locally owned restaurant with a lodge-like atmosphere. A dark wood bar and rustic hardwood floors are the first things you see when you walk in. The dining areas are very cozy with large stone fire places, carved wooden chandeliers, and low lighting. On one side of the dining area that we were in, were full glass french doors that opened up onto a deck, surrounded by trees, with small iron tables and chairs for outdoor dining. Even with all it's rustic charm, it's still very elegant.

The food was phenomenal. My husband and I both got steak, which they are known for. I had a sirloin with sauteed mushrooms and onions, a delicious cheesy bacon and chive stuffed potato, and steamed vegetables. My husband had a sirloin with spicy cajun shrimp. For dessert, we couldn't resist the warm pecan pie with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce. It was absolutely to die for! All we could say was "mmm...mmm" all throughout dinner.

Buckhead Grill is definitely one of my favorite restaurants both for the food and the atmosphere. If you're ever in the Columbus, Ga area definitely give it a try. They have great food that's not at all over priced. You will not be disappointed!

Belgian Waffles

2007-09-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

When you get married in the south, you almost always receive a cookbook from the ladies in your church. I guess it's their way of giving you your first tool for becoming a good wife and cook. It's usually a collection of recipes from the ladies in the church, with all the dishes you'd see at any southern church fellowship. Macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumplings, various casseroles and salads, pecan pie, peach cobbler...There are many tried and true southern recipes in those cookbooks. Well when I got married, I too, got my little cookbook. And until today, I have never actually used it. But I remembered seeing a waffle recipe in the back of the cookbook and thought I'd give it a try.

My husband has been asking for Belgian waffles ever since we got back from Destin, FL where we ate at the Donut Hole for breakfast. With our anniversary coming up on the 25th, I thought I'd be a good wife and make him some for breakfast today. So I went out and bought a waffle maker and found a recipe. These turned out very delicious for a basic waffle recipe. I can't wait to experiment with other flavors though.

Meg's Perfect Every Time Waffles

2 cups self rising flour
1 3/4 cup whole milk
2 tsp sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Begin by separating the eggs. Beat the whites until stiff. Set aside. Beat yolks in a separate bowl with milk and oil. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Add flour and mix until smooth. Lightly fold in egg whites until combined (do not beat). Pour 3/4 cup batter onto the waffle iron and bake as directed.

*It took about 4 min on my waffle iron for a light brown waffle.

Original Source: Heavenly Delights-Gray Hill Baptist Church Cookbook

Dinner in a hurry

2007-09-22T20:56:00.001-05:00

I found out at the last minute today that we would be having my husband's family over for lunch tomorrow. And while they will be bringing the main course and sides, I volunteered to do a salad and dessert. Of course, for a person like me that loves to bake, a cake or pie from the store won't do, so that meant I would be spending tonight with my apron and mixer. With that on my mind, I did not want a complicated dinner. So I thought some pasta and fresh veggies would be good, and I figured I'd add some chicken too, for good measure. This pasta was done in under 20 minutes and was very delicious. I will definitely be making this again for those nights when I'm pressed for time. This made enough for the two of us with a little leftover.

Fettucine with spinach, tomatoes, and chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/3 of a 16 oz box of fettucine (most any pasta would work)
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, washed
1 small tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Begin boiling the water for the pasta. Add pasta to salted water and boil for about 8 min or until al dente. Drain the pasta and place in a bowl with spinach. (The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach down a little.) Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium/high heat with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pan. Cook for about 10 min or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan along with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the chopped garlic. Saute for 2-3 min to cook the garlic. Pour garlic butter over the pasta and spinach and toss in the chicken and chopped tomato. Toss to combine all the ingredients. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

*a squirt of lemon juice right before serving would be good on this, too

All the things I love, on a pizza!

2007-09-20T19:19:00.000-05:00

What do you get when combine pesto, feta, and sun-dried tomatoes? The makings of a fantastic pizza! On their own, all those ingredients are still very good, but together they are unbelievable. I really like using different ingredient combinations on pizza other than the traditional pepperoni or sausage and the usual vegetables, so I thought this would be good way to use up some of the things I had sitting in my fridge. It turned out so great! I had originally planned to put some thinly sliced grilled chicken on the pizza too, but my husband said he'd prefer it without the chicken. I still think it would be good with it so I'll try that some other time.

Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza with Feta

1 pre-made pizza crust (you could also use fresh or frozen pizza dough)
3 Tbsp basil pesto
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, drained
2-3 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven according to your pizza crust/dough. In my case, 450 degrees. Brush the olive oil on the pizza crust. Spread a thin layer of pesto over the pizza crust. Top with shredded mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta. Bake as directed. Slice and serve.

Something's Fishy

2007-09-19T20:12:00.000-05:00

I don't usually eat fish...of any kind. But I did as a kid and one of my favorite things that my mom used to make was salmon patties. I haven't had them in years, but when I saw them on a food blog the other day it made me want to try them again. So I decided that's what we would have for dinner tonight along with rice and steamed broccoli. I didn't find out until I was starting dinner that my husband, who loves fish, doesn't like salmon. Great. I told him if I could try them then he had to try them and if he didn't like them he could eat a grilled cheese sandwich. : P They turned out good but I think I've decided I'm just really not a fish person. I have tried and tried to like it but in the end, it's just not one of my favorite foods. It was different and the flavors were good so I guess if I was a fish lover, I'd call this a great meal.

Salmon Patties

1 can pink salmon, flaked, bones and skin removed
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
olive oil

Begin by sauteing the chopped onions in a pan with a little olive oil for about 5 min. Then combine the onions with the salmon, bread crumbs, egg, and seasonings in a bowl. Form into patties. In a skillet, heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Place salmon patties in the pan and cook on each side for 3-5 min. They should be golden brown. Drain the excess oil off the patties by placing them on a plate with paper towels.

For the rice I just sauteed 1/2 cup chopped onions and 1/2 a chopped green bell pepper in some olive oil. Then I added cooked brown rice to the pan, 1/2 cup chicken broth, and salt and pepper. Let it heat through for a couple minutes.

A vegetable-less dinner

2007-09-17T18:57:00.001-05:00

This never happens but tonight we had dinner without vegetables. I always try to make a balanced meal for dinner; protein, carbs, and at least one non-starchy vegetable, but tonight I was just not feeling the veggies. So I didn't make any. But what we did have was very good... barbecue pork sandwiches, made in the crock pot and homemade mac 'n cheese. So I guess I don't feel so bad about the veggies. Eh, I'll do better tomorrow.

Crock Pot Pulled Barbecue Pork

2 lb pork loin roast
1 jar barbebue sauce (I use a honey bbq sauce for a sweeter flavor)
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups broth or water

Place roast in the crock pot. Add 1/2 bottle sauce, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and garlic on top of the roast. Pour broth or water in the bottom of the crock pot. This helps to keep the roast from burning or drying out. Cook on low for 6-8 hrs. Before serving, take two forks and shred the pork in the crock pot. Turn the crock pot on keep warm and allow the pork to warm in the juices in the bottom of the crock pot for 15 min or so. Remove pork from the crock pot and place in a bowl. Add the other 1/2 bottle of sauce and toss to coat. Serve on buns or rolls.

I'm especially proud of how the macaroni turned out. It was the first time I have made this dish that it turned out well. You would think any proper southern girl would be born knowing how to make a killer mac 'n cheese, but I have never had any luck with it until tonight. This will be my go to mac 'n cheese recipe from now on! I basically just took ideas from several different recipes and came up with this.

Creamy Baked Mac 'n Cheese

8 oz elbow macaroni
6 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Begin my boiling the macaroni in salted water until done. Drain. Heat the milk for about 1 min in the microwave just to get it warm. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add flour and stir in with a whisk. Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 min. Slowly add warm milk to the pan and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzarella, salt and pepper. Stir in macaroni. Pour into a greased baking dish. Top with additional cheddar, mozzarella and bread crumbs. Bake for about 25-30 min or until bubbly and golden brown.

First taste of fall

2007-09-16T18:57:00.001-05:00

When I woke up this morning and took my dogs outside, I shivered as I stood on my back porch in my pajamas. This is the first day it's been chilly in the morning so that always means one thing to me...fall is on it's way! Yes, it still ended up being in the 80's today but the chill in the air early this morning made me want to make soup and bake anyway. So that's just what I did today. I was on my own for dinner tonight and decided soup would be the perfect thing to make. I normally make vegetable beef soup, but my ground beef was frozen so I just made vegetable soup tonight.

Vegetable Soup

1/2 large white onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
8 oz beef broth
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar (just trust me)
2 1/2-3 cups mixed vegetables (frozen, fresh or canned) Mine was a mixture of potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, and green beans

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add chopped onion and cook for about 5 min. Add beef broth and canned tomatoes. Next add the mixed vegetables. Add seasonings and stir to combine. Cover and simmer on low for about 35-45 min, stirring occasionally.

*I add the sugar to bring out the savory flavors in the soup.
*Sometimes I add half lb cooked lean ground beef and 2 chopped garlic cloves to make vegetable beef soup.

I also got to break in my new KitchenAid mixer today. I made a recipe that my husband's co-worker sent home with him. Apparently everyone knows I love to cook and bake because I get recipes from people all the time. I'm very glad I tried this one. It's delicious!

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake Bars

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup self rising flour
2 cups chopped pecans (I only used 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I added this, not in the original recipe)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, beat all four eggs with a mixer. Add sugar and mix with eggs to combine. Next add the butter and vanilla and combine with other ingredients. Add flour and cinnamon and again combine well with other ingredients. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-35 min. Be careful not to over cook. The top will be golden brown, but the inside will still be a little sticky when a toothpick is inserted. It will set up as it cools. Slice into bars once cool.

*The outside is slightly cakey and the edges crusty from the sugar that crystallizes as it cooks, but the inside is gooey like pecan pie filling. Delicious and perfect with coffee!

More with Chicken...

2007-09-13T21:18:00.000-05:00

Here's yet another yummy dinner idea that came about as I was perusing some of my favorite food blogs. I saw a recipe on Joelen's blog for Giada's garlic and citrus chicken and thought the flavor combo sounded good. I didn't have a whole chicken to make the recipe exactly as it stated so I decided to turn it into a marinade for boneless skinless chicken breasts and grill them instead. They turned out really great! The citrus in the marinade really came through in the flavor of the chicken and also caramelized nicely to create a golden brown "crust" as it grilled. We had these for dinner tonight with roasted red potatoes and green beans steamed with garlic cloves.

Here's how I made the marinade

1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
4-5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano

Place chicken breasts (I did 2) in a bowl. Combine juices and chicken broth and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with oregano and garlic. Refrigerate, covered, for a couple hours or over night, turning chicken in the marinade periodically. Remove from marinade and grill or bake until done.

Happy Early Anniversary to Me!

2007-09-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's real! I really have one now! I couldn't believe it either. I have been wanting one for so long and now I finally have it! My wonderful husband got me this as an early anniversary present yesterday. We typically don't do much for our anniversaries so I was shocked to find out that I was getting a KitchenAid mixer. I think he must be the best husband ever...that or either he wants me to bake more so he can eat more sweets. ; P Anyway, I'm very excited to finally have my mixer. Now, what to make first?

Breakfast for Dinner

2007-09-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

Breakfast foods are probably some of my favorite foods and some days there's nothing better than breakfast for dinner. Ever since we went on vacation a few weeks ago and I had the best sweet potato pancakes ever, I have been wanting to try and make them at home. I was planning on saving this for a weekend morning but thought it would be a great dinner too. So tonight was my first attempt at sweet potato pancakes and I'm happy to say they turned out so well! I will go ahead and confess that I used Bisquick for the pancake batter. I used to only make homemade pancakes, but they never turned out any better than when I used a baking mix so I switched back. I had read several different recipes online, all different, and finally decided to just come up with my own. At any rate they were very light and fluffy and not overly sweet potato-y. Very delicious! We had these tonight with smoked sausage links and warm maple syrup.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 cups baking mix like Bisquick
1 3/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 small sweet potato, cooked and pureed
cooking spray

Combine baking mix, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Add milk, eggs, melted butter and pureed sweet potato. Stir until batter is mostly smooth. Heat a grill pan (or skillet) over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Pour batter onto hot grill pan. When the batter starts to bubble, flip the pancake over and cook on the other side until golden brown. It only takes about 35 seconds per side depending on how hot your pan is. Repeat for desired number of pancakes. This recipe makes about 10-12 large pancakes. Serve with warm maple syrup.

*I baked the sweet potato wrapped in foil at 425 degrees for about an hour and 15 min. I refrigerated it over night until I was ready to use it tonight and then pureed it.
*Next time I make these I'd like to add some toasted, chopped pecans to the batter. I think they would be even better with that addition.

Adventures with Wonton Wrappers

2007-09-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

So here's one more thing I can mark off my list to try-cooking with wonton wrappers. I've always been afraid to use them because for some strange reason I thought they would be difficult to work with. They really weren't though. I figured they had to be easier than making my own pasta dough. It was a little time consuming filling each ravioli but once that was done they cooked up quickly. My husband and I both thought they worked out really well for this dish. I bought them specifically to make this ravioli but can't wait to try them in other dishes!

Three Cheese Ravioli with Chicken and Spinach

1 cup shredded chicken (I had some left over chicken in the fridge that had been baked with garlic.)
3 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley flakes or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 package wonton wrappers

Combine the first nine ingredients in a bowl for the filling. Lay wonton wrappers out on a dry surface. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton skin. Using your fingers or a brush, moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper with water. Place another wonton wrapper on top and press the edges all around to seal, pushing the air out around the filling as you go. Repeat to make desired number of ravioli. Working in batches, place ravioli in a pot of boiling, salted water and boil for about 2 min. Remove and drain off excess water. Be careful not to overcook these as they cook very quickly. Serve the ravioli with your favorite marinara sauce.

*This recipe makes a lot of filling. It can be frozen by itself or you can make additional ravioli and freeze those. The unused wonton wrappers can be frozen too.

Taco Salad Bowls

2007-09-04T20:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight's dinner needed to be simple. We had some errands to run after work so I thought I'd keep dinner short and sweet. Or I guess I should say spicy! Taco salad is always a fast and yummy meal. Typically I serve crumbled tortilla chips on top of the salad greens, spicy taco meat, and cheese but tonight I made it a little different. I've been seeing these taco bowls on lots of food blogs lately and it occurred to me that I had never made it that way before. I think the crunchy tortilla bowl makes this common salad even better. We had this tonight with mexican rice.

Taco Salad Bowls

1/2 lb lean ground beef or turkey
2 cups lettuce or enough for 2 salads
1/2 cup chopped tomato (I used sliced grape tomatoes)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cheddar or mexican cheese
taco seasoning (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup water or beef broth
2 10" tortillas
cooking spray

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each)

Combine all ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make two balls out of aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. (You could also use ramekins.) Place tortillas over aluminum foil balls and spray with cooking spray. These should bake for about 10 min or until brown. Meanwhile, heat a skillet on the stove. Add chopped onion and ground beef. Cook until beef is done and drain. Add taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water or beef broth. Stir to combine. Let this cook another couple minutes to heat through. Place salad greens in the taco shell. Top with beef, cheese, tomatoes and all your favorite toppings. Other toppings that would be good are black beans, corn, salsa, or sour cream.

Basil Pesto Chicken

2007-09-03T18:27:00.001-05:00

My husband says I never make the same thing twice which is really not true. I do try to mix it up and try at least a couple new recipes every week so it may seem like I never make the same thing twice to him. Tonight I proved him wrong. When he was plating his chicken at dinner he asked "haven't we had this before?," as if he couldn't believe I would actually make it a second time. The truth is, we've had this probably 3 or 4 times before. It's just been a while. It's a simple recipe with lots of flavor from the garlic and pesto. A nice change from boring old chicken.

I originally came up with this when I saw a recipe somewhere online for pesto chicken rolls. The recipe seemed a little bland to me so I took the idea and just changed it up a bit. We had this tonight with my garlic mashed potatoes and a garden salad.

Basil Pesto Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp italian seasoning
2-4 tsp prepared basil pesto (either homemade or jarred)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Sprinkle chicken breasts with italian seasoning. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic and cook 1-2 min. Add chicken to the hot skillet. Sear on each side to add color as well as seal in the juices of the chicken. Place chicken breasts in a baking dish. Top each piece of chicken with 1-2 tsp of pesto, depending on the size of each chicken breast. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese each and place in the oven. Bake for about 25 min or until juices run clear.

"I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eats me spinach..."

2007-09-02T18:40:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm not Popeye and would never eat spinach straight from a can, but I do love spinach! I could eat it every day. In salads, in wraps, on pizza, you name it. Luckily, it's also one of the few vegetables my husband will eat too. So when I found this calzone recipe online I knew I had to put it on my menu for the week. It combines two of my favorite foods-calzones and spinach! Along with some other tasty ingredients too.

Well I was so tired today after getting home so late last night from the first college football game of the season (War eagle!), I thought this might be a good night to try it since it doesn't take much time to make. I'm going on record as saying this was the best calzone I've ever had. The creamy ricotta and fresh taste of the spinach and sun-dried tomatoes went so well with the smokey ham and mozzarella. If you are at a loss for new pizza or calzone ingredient ideas, give this one a try. You won't be sorry.

Oh and check back later this week for more recipes with spinach. I've got a whole bag to use up!

Ham, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Calzones
(recipe with my alterations)

3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz sliced ham
6 sun-dried tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 can refrigerated pizza dough
2 Tbsp olive oil
Cooking spray

Preheat oven as directed on pizza dough. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic. Cook for a minute and then add the spinach. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until spinach is wilted down and remove from heat. In a bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, italian seasoning, ham, sun-dried tomatoes, and cooked spinach and garlic. Divide the pizza dough in half and stretch each half into a circle. Spoon half of the mixture onto half of each circle and fold the other side over, pinching edges to seal. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place calzones on the sheet. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. Bake as directed on the pizza dough. Serve with marinara for dipping.

Original source of inspiration for these calzones: Cooking Light

I'm noticing a trend

2007-08-29T20:28:00.001-05:00

As I was looking through my blog I noticed that all the baking I do is on nights when my husband is working late. I never feel like cooking when it's just me, but yet I always want to bake. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because I'm bored or maybe I have too much time on my hands to look at recipes online. Whatever the reason, that's just what I do. Well tonight was no different. After I ate my dinner and the dogs and I were just sitting here staring at each other, I decided I had to get up and bake something. As usual when I start to bake I have no real idea what I'm going to make. I saw this recipe and thought it would be something a little different that my usual peanut butter cookies or brownies. After reading all the reviews of this recipe online I finally decided to just half-heartedly take the reviewers' advice. This is easily the most success I've had with oatmeal cookies. They really did turn out chewy on the inside and slightly crunchy on the edges. I ate way too many too. I guess it's a really good thing my husband doesn't work late very often or I would be baking and eating a lot more sweets!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
(I made some alterations based on recipe reviews as well as what I had on hand.)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I added about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I added about 3/4 tsp)
1 teaspoon salt (I added 1/2 tsp)
3 cups quick-cooking oats (I added 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup chopped walnuts (Omitted)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

(I baked these for about 15 min)

Original Source: All Recipes

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

2007-08-27T18:20:00.001-05:00

I saw this recipe on Cooking Light a few weeks ago and it looked so good to me. But as soon as I read "zucchini" my first thought was "my husband won't eat it." He's not a vegetable person at all. If it's not a potato or corn he probably doesn't want it. I decided to make it anyway, hoping he would like it. After all, zucchini is such a mild tasting vegetable. When dinner was ready tonight, my husband's first question was "what's in it?" When I started rattling off ingredients, he automatically gave me a look when I said zucchini, as I expected. But he gave it a try and said he actually liked it even though he thought he wouldn't. That just goes to show you should always try something before assuming you don't like it. I happened to love this recipe. It was easy and a very tasty combination of flavors. It's a keeper for me!

Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil (I used olive oil)
12 ounces chicken breast tenders
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup green salsa (I used 1/2 cup red salsa)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided (Omitted, not a fan of cilantro)
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas (I used 2 10" tortillas)
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used mexican cheese)

Preparation

Preheat broiler.

Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Yield

4 servings

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 398(30% from fat); FAT 13.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 32.5g; CHOLESTEROL 75mg; CALCIUM 236mg; SODIUM 799mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36.7g

Original Source: Cooking Light

Bustin' Out the George Foreman

2007-08-24T20:06:00.001-05:00

I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've used our George Foreman grill. Someone gave it to my husband before we got married almost 3 yrs ago. Since we moved in our house it's been shoved in the back of a bottom cabinet in my kitchen collecting dust along with all the other random small appliances I have and don't use like our milkshake maker. Well I finally found a use for the old Foreman grill tonight. I had some leftover grilled chicken from a couple nights ago when I attempted, unsuccessfully, to make chicken alfredo. The alfredo part turned out just awful but the grilled chicken was actually very good so I managed to salvage part of that dinner. Anyway, I also had half a loaf of Italian bread leftover as well. I decided grilled chicken paninis might be a good way to use up those two things. Since I don't have a panini press, I thought the George Foreman might do a good job. It worked quite well actually. The bread toasted very nicely and the cheese got all melty and gooey. It turned out to be a really good dinner. I made some oven fries to go along with our paninis too.

Here's how I made the paninis.

Grilled Chicken Paninis with Smoked Ham, Provolone, and Honey Mustard

1 chicken breast, grilled and cut into slices (I had seasoned it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder when I grilled them)
2 slices smoked ham
4 pieces provolone cheese (swiss would be great on this too)
4 pieces day old Italian bread, about 1/2" thick
2 Tbsp honey mustard (recipe follows)
a couple pats of butter

Honey Mustard

1/3 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup honey
6 dashes worcestershire sauce

Whisk to combine.

Begin by spreading a little of the honey mustard on one piece of the Italian bread. Layer one piece of cheese, 1/2 of the grilled chicken, one piece of ham, and another piece of cheese on the bread. Spread more honey mustard on a second piece of bread and place on top of the layers of meat and cheese. Butter both pieces of bread on the outside and place in the grill, panini press, or on your stove top griddle. When both sides are toasted and the cheese is melted, remove from the grill. Repeat to make another sandwich. Cut on a diagonal and serve warm.

Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers

2007-08-23T19:31:00.001-05:00

I had never made stuffed bell peppers before tonight and now that I think about it, neither did my mom when I was growing up. But it's always been a dish I really like. I had some ground beef in the freezer and thought this might be a good use for it tonight. So I started pulling spices and things out of the cabinet and sort of made it up as I went. And what I came up with was a very delicious concoction. Oh and I almost forgot to mention, we also had corn bread muffins with dinner tonight that my husband "made". Actually they were Jiffy cornbread muffins from a box, that I mixed together and he spooned into the muffin tin. But he wanted me to be sure to mention that he "makes a mean cornbread." Yes, that was an exact quote.

Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 bell peppers (I used green but you could use any color)
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bag of quick cooking white rice
1/2-3/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup beef broth
3/4 cup shredded mexican cheese (I used the pre-shredded bagged kind)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

(You can adjust the spices according to your taste to make it more or less spicy)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Begin by prepping all your ingredients (chopping the onions, garlic, cut the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds). Boil the water for the rice. Once you have the rice cooking, heat a skillet over medium/hi heat and add a little olive oil (about 2 Tbsp). Add the onion to the pan and let cook for about 5 min. Add garlic and ground beef. Cook until the ground beef is done and drain. Put the ground beef mixture back into the skillet and add chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Next add the beef broth. Drain the rice once it's done and add that to the skillet with all other ingredients. Add corn and stir to combine. At this point add the salt and pepper to taste. Stir in mexican cheese until melted. Place your bell peppers on a baking sheet and fill with the beef and rice mixture. Top with a additional cheese if desired. Bake for about 25 min.

Where have you been all my life?

2007-08-21T22:08:00.000-05:00

Nutella, one of my new food loves. I can't believe I had never had it up until a couple months ago. I've tried it on a couple things so far; toast, strawberries, cookies, a spoon. ; ) But I figured it had to be good baked into things too so I started searching for a recipe to make with my beautiful Nutella. I came across this recipe and gave it a try tonight. All I can say is that it didn't disappoint. They turned out fluffy, chocolaty and hazelnutty just like I'd hoped they would.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

2-1/4	cups flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1	cup butter
3/4	cup brown sugar
1/4	cup white sugar
2/3	cup nutella (1/3 cup for cookies 1/3 cup for dizzle)
2	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	cup hazelnuts (measured ground and toasted)
2	cups chocolate chips
	teaspoons milk (2-3 tsp) Cream together butter and both sugars. Add eggs, 1/3 cup nutella and vanilla. In seperate bowl whisk to combine flour and baking soda and toasted hazlenuts(grind the hazelnuts and toast them in a frying pan on medium low heat stirring constanly about 10 minutes, cool). Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar. Add chocolate chips, careful not to over mix. Measure one tablespoon of dough (flaten just a little) on a ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 9 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for one minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Once cooled make drizzle for the top. Combine the remaining 1/3 cup nutella with 2-3 tsp of milk over simmering water (double boiler). I used a plastic ziplock bag and poked a hole in one corner with a toothpick, Squeeze a zig zag design on top. Cool completely. Can be stored in a air tight container, with wax paper between layers and frozen. * I baked for about 12 min and also didn't do the hazelnut drizzle on top. I read that it didn't set up well so decided not to do that step. I also omitted the hazelnuts since my husband doesn't like nuts in cookies. I think they would have made the cookies even better though. Original Source: Recipe Zaar

Ahh vacation!

2007-08-21T20:53:00.001-05:00

My husband and I took a little weekend vacation to Destin, FL this past weekend. We needed some time to just get away and relax for a couple days. We did a little shopping, went to the beach, and did a lot of eating! When we're out of town we really enjoy trying out the local places in whatever town we're in. It gives you a feel for the area and often times you find the best food!

Our first stop on our trip was brunch at the original Donut Hole in Destin. It's known for what else, donuts! But besides some awesome donuts they offer a wonderful breakfast and lunch menu. They serve everything from belgian waffles and omelets to cheeseburgers and taco salad. On most any day of the week there is a long line out the door of this local favorite. We were lucky that there wasn't a long line that day and decided to order off the menu and take our time before a long day of shopping. I ordered the sweet potato pancakes with a warm pecan praline sauce and a side of thick cut bacon. I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing those pancakes were with that thick, sweet praline sauce on top. It was pure heaven on a plate. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to take a picture of my sinfully delicious brunch but I promise, it is as good as it sounds.

After a long day of shopping at the outlets in Destin, we decided to check out a seafood restaurant right on the beach. Pompano Joes is an open air dining restaurant specializing in fresh seafood. I decided after such a heavy brunch I should order something a little lighter for dinner so I got the jerk shrimp salad with mango. It was served with warm crusty bread and a garlic vinaigrette. I did manage to get a picture of this!

We spent most of the next day at the beach soaking up the sun and enjoying the ocean. Later that night we went to dinner at The Back Porch. My husband used to eat at the Back Porch with his friends in Gulf Shores, AL when they would go on deep sea fishing trips. I had been hearing about this restaurant for years now and how good it was. So we just had to eat at the one in Destin. It's another open air dining restaurant right on the beach. I ordered the surf and turf; a new york strip steak with fresh gulf shrimp. This also came with a wonderful mushroom rice pilaf and fresh grilled corn on the cob. It was entirely too much food for me to eat by myself but I enjoyed trying!
I couldn't get a picture of my dinner due to the low lighting but I did manage to get a picture of the sunset over the ocean which was the view from our table. It was a very romantic dinner by candlelight with the breeze coming in off the ocean.

So now we're back home from vacation a few pounds heavier and a little sunburned but very relaxed. If you ever get a chance, you should visit Destin, FL. It has some of the most beautiful beaches and some great local food to enjoy.

Mmm Meatloaf

2007-08-16T20:20:00.001-05:00

Meatloaf, nothing fancy about it. I've made it plenty of times but it never turned out quite right. It was always too dry or too plain for my taste. I saw the recipe for this meatloaf on a website that I visit often. It sounded really good so I figured I would give it a try to see how it compared to my previous mediocre meatloaves. I knew I'd be busy tonight trying to do a hundred things to get ready to go on a weekend trip so I started this cooking in the crockpot this morning before I went to work. Well I'm so glad I gave this recipe a try. It was moist on the inside with a slightly chewy crust on the outside and the sauce was sweet and tangy. My husband said it was "wonderful!" which always makes me feel good. If you are looking for a good meatloaf recipe you should definitely give this one a second look. I served this with mashed potatoes and peas.

Crockpot Meatloaf

2	beaten eggs
3/4	cup milk
2/3	cup fine dry breadcrumbs
2	tablespoons grated onions
1	teaspoon salt
1/2	teaspoon ground sage
1 1/2	lbs lean ground beef
Sauce
1/4	cup catsup
2	tablespoons brown sugar
1	teaspoon dry mustard
1/4	teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine eggs with milk, bread crumbs,onion,salt,and sage,and meat.
Mix well and shape into a 9x5 in.
rectangle or oval.
Carefully place into slowcooker pot.
Cook on low for about 6-7 hrs.
Combine sauce ingredients and pour over meat loaf and cook on high for about 15 minutes.

I added chopped green and red peppers, 2 cloves garlic, some red pepper flakes and parsley flakes in the mix too.

Original Source: Nestie tbrp2005 (Trisha)

* I pretty much halved this recipe, except for the sauce, and it was the perfect amount for 2 people with just a little left over. I also didn't add sage because I didn't have any. I added a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce to the sauce as well.

Dinner for One

2007-08-14T19:12:00.001-05:00

When my husband isn't home for dinner I like to make foods that he normally won't eat. I had some leftover shredded chicken in the fridge and thought chicken salad might be good for dinner tonight. I was going to just have it on toasted wheat bread but then remembered I had some tortilla shells in the cabinet. So I made a wrap with lettuce and sliced tomato. It was very tasty and the best part is I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1/4 cup lite mayo
1 1/2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (I only use the whites)
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately or chill before serving.

*Other ingredient ideas: chopped grapes, raisins, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, onion, apple

Baked Ziti and something new for my kitchen!!

2007-08-13T19:26:00.000-05:00

Last week while watching tv I saw Robin Miller making baked ziti on the Food Network. That's what started my craving. I decided we'd have that for dinner one night but I didn't copy her recipe. I sort of made up my own. I had a little help by using jarred sauce but added a few fresh ingredients. Oh gosh I just realized I sounded like Sandra Lee on Semi-Homemade. A reference to Robin Miller and Sandra Lee all in the same paragraph! Ahh! What's gotten into me? Sorry, I really don't care for their style of cooking. Well anyway, it turned out pretty good if I do say so. We had this tonight with a garden salad. I can't wait to eat the leftovers!

Baked Ziti

1/2 lb ziti
1 jar Bertolli Five Cheese Pasta Sauce
1/4 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Cook ground beef in a skillet until no longer pink. Drain. Saute the onion and garlic in the pan for about 5 min. Add the ground beef back to the pan. Add sauce and chopped tomato. Cover and simmer while preparing the pasta. Boil the water for the pasta and cook the pasta until done, about 8-10 min. Drain. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Add a layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of ziti. Add another layer of sauce and then 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of ziti and another layer of sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 min. Then remove foil and bake an additional 15 min, until the cheese is golden and bubbly.

My husband and I were both off work today and decided to stop by a local antique mall. We like to go and browse the aisles when we have some time to kill. It's one of those places where people have booths set up to sell all their old junk as well as valuable antiques. While we were looking around I spotted a baker's rack that I really liked. I have been looking for one for a couple years now. Well I couldn't believe it when I saw it was only $35. I told my husband I had to get it!! We brought it home and it's the perfect place to store my cookbooks, aprons and other knick-knacks. I just love it! It fit perfectly in my kitchen.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2007-08-06T21:20:00.001-05:00

I like to bake on my days off so we'll have something to have for breakfast or snack during the week. Well the baking bug bit me tonight but I couldn't decide on what to make. My old standby is cookies because they are easy and there are 17, 458 different kinds you can make. But I didn't want cookies. As I stood there, hand on my hip, staring at the ingredients in my cabinets, I saw a half bag of chocolate chips. So I decided chocolate chip muffins would be good. Well you know I had to taste one after they were done to make sure they were good and they were! Very moist thanks to the alterations I made to the recipe.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup white and 2 Tbsp brown sugar)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (I used 1 cup)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a small bowl, beat egg, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Original Source: Allrecipes

Spicin' It Up

2007-08-01T20:01:00.001-05:00

I ran across this recipe a week or so ago. I had a few shrimp left in the freezer that I needed to use up so I decided to give it a try tonight. It was good but REALLY spicy! I will admit I coughed and sneezed my head off trying to cook the ginger and red pepper flakes. Even my husband was coughing and he was in the other room. LOL! I made a couple alterations based on the recipe reviews and it was still very hot. So, if you like spicy, you'll like this one. I served it over rice and with some steamed broccoli. It was an easy and fairly healthy dinner.

Honey Ginger Shrimp

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (I only use 1/2 a tsp and it was very spicy)
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon honey
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Heat the olive oil and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and honey; cook and stir until fragrant. Add the shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as needed, until shrimp are pink and opaque. Deglaze the pan with chicken broth. Serve immediately.

Original Source: Allrecipes

Fried Chicken...sort of

2007-07-31T21:19:00.001-05:00

I just got back from visiting my family in south Georgia. Every time I'm there I'm reminded of a simpler way of cooking. Simple ingredients, no measuring, and full fat foods. Since I've been home, I've been craving some southern fried chicken. Well, I don't fry foods and I'm trying to eliminate calories wherever I can so I started looking for a recipe that would come close without all the fat. I found this recipe online and it turned out so, so good! While it doesn't compare to my grandma's skin-on, deep fried chicken, it is a really good alternative. It turned out very moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. My modifications are in italics.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 (2 to 3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used 2 boneless, skinless
chicken breasts)
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika (I didn't have any so I used 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup light mayo and 1/2 cup milk, whisked together)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl or gallon size resealable plastic bag, mix together the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme and paprika.
Coat the chicken pieces with mayonnaise (mayo/milk mixture). Place chicken pieces in bowl/bag with bread crumb mixture and coat/shake until well coated. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until juices run clear.

* I baked at 375 for 30 min and then broiled each side of the chicken for about 2 min per side to make it crispier. By the way, for those of you who do not like mayo, this didn't taste at all like mayo. It just made it moist on the inside.

Original Source: Allrecipes

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

2007-07-25T19:40:00.000-05:00

Forget recipe sites, I've gotten tons of ideas from other blogs lately. This time I borrowed a recipe from my friend, Elly. My husband was a little skeptical when I told him what was for dinner tonight. He's not a fan of tomatoes of any kind but I convinced him that he had to try this sauce on his chicken. Well he did try it and he really liked it! So did I. This is definitely one that I'll be making again. We had this tonight with parmesan roasted potatoes and green beans steamed with garlic.

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Sundried Tomato Sauce

2 chicken breast halves (I slice right through 1 breast horizontally so the halves are thin)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped and drained, if they are oil-packed
2 ounces herbed goat cheese (this is what I had on hand; if you have plain you may want to saute a clove of garlic and add a fresh herb like basil to the sauce)
salt and pepper

Sprinkle chicken breast halves with salt and pepper.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.

When oil is hot, add chicken breasts. Cook through, about 4-6 minutes per side depending on how thin they are. Set aside and keep warm.

In the same skillet, add wine. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by half, being sure to scrape up the browned bits from the chicken.

Add chicken broth and reduce that by about half, too.

Add in sundried tomatoes and heat through. Take skillet off the heat and stir in goat cheese.

Pepper Steak over Rice

2007-07-25T19:27:00.000-05:00

I was checking out some of my favorite foodie blogs a few weeks ago and came across this recipe on Mary Ellen's Blog. I've had it on my "list to make" for a while now but hadn't gotten around to making it. Well we finally had this for dinner last night and I thought it was fabulous; a very quick but delicious week night meal. My husband liked it too. Thanks Mary Ellen!

Pepper Steak over Rice

Ingredients
- 1 pound lean steak sliced into thin strips
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 red pepper cut into strips
- 1/2 green pepper cut into strips
- 1/2 yellow onion cut into strips
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 package dry gravy mix, mixed with 1 c cold water

Directions
- Marinate your steak in the soy sauce and Worcestershire for a few hours. If you don't have time to marinate, just add these sauces when cooking.
- Add steak to a hot saute pan. Cook about halfway draining some of the excess fat.
- Add the garlic (pressed), red and green peppers, onions, and red pepper flakes. Cover and let cook for about 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the gravy, stir, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Serve over rice.

This dinner takes about 25 minutes to cook, about 35 minutes including prep time.

Crock Pot Lasagna

2007-07-23T18:48:00.000-05:00

Mmm, lasagna. One of my favorite foods to eat. Not a favorite food to photograph. It's difficult to take a good picture of a big mound of cheesey, tomato-ey pasta on your plate. But don't let my photo deter you from trying this recipe. It is awesome! I was first introduced to this recipe by my nestie friend, Mrssisler. It has become my favorite lasagna recipe. It's so easy to make because it's done in the crock pot. Also, the crock pot gives the noodles the perfect texture when done and gives you a combination of gooey cheese with the golden brown, chewy cheese edges that everyone loves about lasagna. You should definitely give this one a try! We had this for dinner tonight with a romaine and baby spinach salad with balsamic dressing and buttery garlic bread.

Crock Pot Lasagna

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 lb. ground beef
* 1 large onion, finely chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
* 1 large jar spaghetti
sauce (such as Ragu in the
1 lb. 10 ounce
jar)
* 1 package (8 ounces no-boil
lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 lb. ricotta cheese
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan/Romano cheese
* Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Brown the beef, onion, and garlic in a little
oil in a frying pan. Drain off
any grease.

Add the spaghetti sauce into the browned meat
mixture. Mix well.In a separate bowl, mix the
ricotta cheese, milk, and egg.
Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth.
Then mix in the mozzarella
cheese and the grated cheese, so that all the
cheeses are combined.

Grease the slow cooker/Crock Pot with some
vegetable shortening on thebottom and sides.

Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the
bottom of the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Put a layer of
noodles on top of that (break or cut them
if needed). Put about 1/3 of the cheese mixture on
top of that. Then repeat with sauce, noodles, cheese
for another 2 layers. Top with meat sauce.
Cookon low for 4-6 hours or until noodles
are tender.

*I use regular lasagna noodles (not the no boil
kind). Also,my crock pot cooks this in 3 1/2 hrs on
low so you have to watch it to be sure it doesn't
burn.

The Name Says It All

2007-07-18T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ok, this isn't a new recipe. In fact I've probably made these a dozen times. But when I decided to bake my favorite chocolate chip cookies tonight, I realized they aren't in my blog! Well now they are. These truly are the only chocolate chip cookies that I have been able to make successfully every single time I make them. The name describes them perfectly!

Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

* I bake mine at 350 for 15-17 min. I found at 325 it took at least 20-22 min. Also I only use a cup and a half chocolate chips.

Original Source: All Recipes

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

2007-07-16T21:38:00.001-05:00

What could be better than pizza? How about adding some goat cheese! This pizza doesn't have a traditional red sauce but it's definitely not lacking in flavor. It's a tasty combination of garlic, spinach, mozzarella and goat cheese all on a crispy crust. What could be better than that? It's one of my very favorite pizzas to make!

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

1 store bought pizza crust (you could also use fresh or frozen pizza dough and make your own)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup baby spinach
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Saute garlic in olive oil for 1-2 min. Brush garlic and olive oil onto pizza crust. Add baby spinach and top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the crumbled goat cheese evenly on top. Bake as directed on the pizza crust. The cheese should be golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with italian seasoning. Cut into triangles and serve.

Frozen Key Lime Pie

2007-07-16T12:27:00.001-05:00

Here's another recipe I've been meaning to make for quite some time now. I found it a while back online and thought it would be a perfect summer dessert. It requires almost no baking, which is great on these hot summer days in Alabama. Actually in my case, it did require no baking since I used a store bought pie crust. I highly recommend this recipe for an easy and cool summertime dessert.

Frozen Key Lime Pie

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

(I used store bought pie crust)

For the filling:
6 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons grated lime zest
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (4 to 5 limes)

For the decoration:
1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Thin lime wedges

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the sides and the bottom are an even thickness. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks and sugar on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for 5 minutes, until thick. With the mixer on medium speed, add the condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour into the baked pie shell and freeze.

For the decoration, beat the heavy cream on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm. Spoon or pipe decoratively onto the pie and decorate with lime. Freeze for several hours or overnight.

Original source: Barefoot Contessa

My Pasta Creation

2007-07-16T12:09:00.003-05:00

I made up this pasta dish a while back and it's my husband's favorite dish. He requests it at least once a month. However, I don't necessarily make it every month because it has way too many calories. But it's a nice treat every once in a while. I decided to give in and make it over the weekend just for my hubby.

Penne with Chicken in a Cream Sauce

1 box penne pasta (farfalle works nicely too)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta as directed on package. While it's cooking, heat olive oil in a pan and saute chicken. Add salt and pepper. When chicken is done, remove from pan and set aside. Melt butter in the same pan and cook garlic for about 2 min making sure not to burn it. Add chicken broth, heavy cream and italian seasoning. Stir to combine. Add chicken to the sauce and let simmer for 5 min. Add parmesan cheese to help thicken the sauce. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Next add drained pasta to the pan and let heat through for another 4-5 min.

*If the sauce doesn't thicken enough, add a little flour and stir before adding the pasta.

My Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2007-07-14T21:44:00.001-05:00

One of the simplest but most comforting foods is mashed potatoes! But not just plain ole mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes. I made up this recipe a couple years ago and they are the only mashed potatoes I ever make now. It's also one of my husband's favorite side dishes. A word of caution about this recipe though...I don't really measure anything. The measurents are my estimation on how much of each thing I actually put in. I mostly go by look and taste. We had these potatoes tonight along with barbecue chicken breasts and green beans. It was a wonderful meal.

My Garlic Mashed Potatoes

4-5 medium red potatoes, washed and cut into cubes, skin on
1/4-1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1-1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain water off and place potatoes in a bowl. Add milk, butter, lemon juice, and garlic powder. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or a mixer to remove any lumps. Add grated parmesan cheese and parsley and stir into the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Spicy Shrimp Tacos

2007-07-13T20:02:00.000-05:00

A few years ago when we were in New Orleans, Louisiana, we had the best shrimp tacos at this little restaurant in the French Quarter. It was spicy, blackened shrimp and rice inside a tortilla with salsa, lettuce and tomato. Well tonight I made my version of a spicy shrimp taco. I didn't have any blackening seasoning so instead I "kicked it up a notch" with Emeril's Bayou Blast .
It's a quick meal that's great for summer since you don't have to heat up your whole kitchen by turning on your oven. They turned out really great!

Spicy Shrimp Tacos for 2

1/2 lb small frozen shrimp-defrosted and tails removed (you could also use fresh)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 white onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Emeril's Bayou Blast
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
4 tortillas
1 bag white or brown Minute Rice
1/4 cup chicken broth

Cook rice as directed on the package and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over med/hi heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 min. Add shrimp and Bayou Blast seasoning, tossing with shrimp to coat. Cook 3-5 min or until shrimp are pink and heated through. Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and also to add moisture so the rice doesn't dry out. Add cooked rice to the pan. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine all ingredients.

Serve on warm tortillas with salsa, lettuce, or your favorite taco ingredients.

*You may want to taste the rice when it's combined with the shrimp to be sure it has enough spice for your taste.