Sunday, November 27, 2011
Angel Chicken
Monday, October 10, 2011
Asian Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I had to substitute chili powder)
1/4 tsp curry powder
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (I used ground ginger)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts)
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, cayenne pepper, curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Whisk to combine until the sugar dissolves. Set aside 2 Tbsp of the marinade for grilling.
2. Place chicken in a gallon sized zip-lock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Place in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best. Turn the bag over halfway through the marinating process.
3. Grill for 5-10 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. During the last few minutes of cooking brush a the reserved 2 Tbsp of marinade.
**It had good flavor and cooked really well. We enjoyed it!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Crock Pot BBQ Pork Chops
Ingredients:
1 lb. Pork Chops fresh or frozen
1 tbsp. Minced Onion or 1/4 c. chopped fresh onion
1 c. of your favorite Barbecue Sauce
1/2 c. water
Directions:
Place 1 lb pork chops in crock pot. Sprinkle with onion. Pour BBQ sauce and water on top. Cook for 6-10 hours on low. Serve with your favorite starch and steamed veggies, or let it cool and pull it apart for pulled pork recipes.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Self-Frosting Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola or mild vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 cup Nutella, at room temperature
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. 3. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.
4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. The batter will be thick. It needs to be in order to swirl in the Nutella!
5. Divide the batter between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Drop a spoonful of Nutella on top of each, and swirl through the batter with the tip of a bamboo skewer, knife or other pointy object.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until springy to the touch.
**So delicious, especially if you LOVE Nutella like me!
Feta Dip
olive oil
1 block (1#) of feta cheese
3 Roma tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
1 French baguette
Greek Seasoning (Cavender's)
1 large platter
Directions:
1. Wet the platter generously with olive oil.
2. Dice green onions and tomatoes.
3. Place diced onions and tomatoes on the olive oil.
4. Crumble the feta cheese and place on the platter.
4. Sprinkle the Greek Seasoning on top. (I use about 3 tsp.)
4. Mix it gently all together.
5. Slice the baguette.
6. Serve.
**It's super easy and super yummy!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Baked Pesto Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and fresh ground black pepper for seasoning chicken
1/2 cup basil pesto (I used a little bit more to cover my chicken)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) grated low-fat mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim all visible fat and tendons from chicken pieces, then cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 2 or 3 pieces.
Spray a 9" x 12" (or 8.5" X 12.5") baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup basil pesto over the bottom of the dish. Lay chicken strips over the pesto, then spread 1/4 cup more basil pesto over the chicken.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (or use a baking dish with a tight-fitting lid) and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, just until chicken is mostly cooked.
When chicken is mostly cooked through, remove foil and sprinkle chicken with 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese. Put dish back into the oven without foil and cook 5 minutes more, just until cheese is melted.
**We really enjoyed this chicken dish. It was super easy and very yummy. I served with mashed potatoes, green beans, salad and bread.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Pizza Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (1-lb.) package mild ground pork sausage
2 ounces turkey pepperoni slices (about 30), cut in half
1 (26-oz.) jar tomato-and-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 (8-oz.) package shredded Italian three-cheese blend
Preparation
1. Cook spaghetti with 1/2 tsp. salt according to package directions. Drain well, and place in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain and set aside. Wipe skillet clean. Add pepperoni, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes or until slightly crisp.
3. Top spaghetti in baking dish with sausage; pour pasta sauce over sausage. Arrange half of pepperoni slices evenly over pasta sauce. Sprinkle evenly with cheeses. Arrange remaining half of pepperoni slices evenly over cheese. Cover with nonstick or lightly greased aluminum foil.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted and just begins to brown.
**This was wonderful!! Add a little more sauce than the recipe called for to make it tastier! We will definitely have it again.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
Ingredients:
4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (can still be frozen)
1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)
1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained
Directions:
1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce. Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.
3. Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.
4. Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce. Serve over rice.
Monday, June 13, 2011
The Perfect Margarita
Ingredients:
1 12oz can of frozen limeade (thawed)
1 12 oz bottle of Corona or Corona Lite
1 12 oz tequila
1 12 oz Sprite or Sprite Zero
Directions:
Empty can of limeade into pitcher.
Empty beer bottle into pitcher
Fill limeade can with tequila and empty into pitcher.
Fill limeade can with Sprite and empty into pitcher.
Thow in some ice and stir.
Enjoy!
*Be warned, these are a little strong!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
5 Cup Salad
Too Much Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.
**This was easy to make and absolutely delicious! A special thanks to my blog friend, Jenn, for the idea!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Cajun Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1 pound Fettuccine
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ cups White Wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Salt To Taste
Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!
Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.
Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.
Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.
With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!
Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.
Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!
The Verdict: Terrible. It needs sauce. Neither one of us wanted to eat it. Two thumbs down.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Pork with Apples and Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 can (21 oz.) apple pie filling
6 boneless pork chops (1-1/2 lb.), 3/4 inch thick
Directions:
1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.PREPARE stuffing as directed on package.
2. SPREAD pie filling onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with chops and stuffing. Cover.
3. BAKE 40 min. or until chops are done (160ºF), uncovering after 30 min.
This recipe was yummy! Fred even said, "You can put this on the list of things I will eat again." Delicious!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Chicken Tamale Casserole
Please forgive my photography. I took the pictures after we'd eaten and I was putting away leftovers.
Ingredients
* 1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese, divided
* 1/3 cup fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup egg substitute
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
* 1 (8.5-ounce) box corn muffin mix (such as Martha White)
* 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
* Cooking spray
* 1 (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce (such as Old El Paso)
* 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
* 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 1/4 cup cheese and next 7 ingredients (through chilies) in a large bowl, stirring just until moist. Pour mixture into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until set. Pierce entire surface liberally with a fork; pour enchilada sauce over top. Top with chicken; sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces; top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream - I only used 1/2 cup
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped - omitted
1-½ pound Fettuccine - I used orecchiette
Preparation Instructions
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately. (Thin with pasta water before adding basil if needed.)
**This was absolutely delicious. I even added some Italian sausage because Fred likes meat in his pasta. It tasted like something from an Italian restaurant. I served it with a spinach, dried cranberry, toasted almond salad. Delish!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Cheesy Baked Pasta
Ingredients:
1 16 oz box campanelle or wagonwheel pasta (but really any shape will work)
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 yellow onion, diced
1 diced green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 jar alfredo sauce (15-17 oz.)
1 large jar spagetti sauce (16-17 oz.)
1 jar salsa (16 oz.)
2 c. shredded mozarella
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Cook pasta al dente according to the package directions.
2. Brown ground beef, sausage, onion and green pepper. Add garlic near end of browning time. Drain well.
3. Mix together pasta and meat mixture in large greased baking dish (at least a 9"x13" or 3 quarts). Mix together all the dried herbs and roll between your hands to crush over the pasta. Mix in alfredo sauce, spaghetti sauce and salsa. Stir together gently to combine.
4. Top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Cover tightly with foil (spray foil with cooking spray so it won't stick to the cheese.) and bake in a preheated 375° oven for 60 minutes.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Spicy Latin Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (takes about 2 limes)
3 Tbsp less-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Spanish or Yellow Rice
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Measure out first 4 ingredients, and put in a bowl, stir to continue.
3. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
4. Arrange chicken, without marinade, in a broiler pan coating with cooking spray. Stick in oven for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, blend the remaining marinade to make it smooth.
6. Remove chicken from oven and flip over. Baste it with half of the sause mixture. Stick it back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, flip again, and baste with remaining sauce. Place it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.
7. Serve over rice.
**We ended up grilling ours because it was such great weather, but I am going to try to bake it one day.
Strawberry Bread
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 & 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 & 1/4 cup veg. oil (You can lighten it by using 1 c. applesauce and only 1/4 c. oil)
2 cups fresh chopped strawberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
Directions:
In large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Add egg and oil; mix well.
Stir in berries and nuts until evenly distributed - batter will be
thick. Grease & flour two 9" loaf pans and divide batter evenly into
each. Bake at 350 approx. 1 hour. Cool in pans 10 min. Invert onto
wire rack to cool completely.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Giveaway: Social Icons
Jamie is super sweet and very talented. She doesn't waste anytime either. She also designed my "Simply Smithwick" layout which I love.
You have until Thursday, February 17 at midnight to enter! Good luck!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Not Your Typical Pork Tenderloin
Mayonnaise
Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning
1 lb. Pork Tenderloin
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500.
2. Coat tenderloin with mayonnaise and seasoning. Just cover enough to coat the tenderloin.3. Cook in oven for 10 minutes.4. Once the 10 minutes are up, turn the oven off and let tenderloin finish cooking inside the oven. (Our's took about 30-40 extra minutes)
5. When tenderloin is done, remove from the oven and serve.
**This was so tender and juicy and didn't need any sauce. We really enjoyed it and will be having it again soon.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Spicy Cashew Chicken Bundles
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
3 tablespoons sliced green onions (omitted - Fred's not a fan)
3 tablespoons chopped cashews
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (found on the Asian aisle of grocery store)
1 can (8 oz) can crescent rolls (used Reduced Fat)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Chop cashews up into smaller pieces
3. Slice green onions
4. Add cashews, green onions, chicken, carrots, onions, cashews to a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp ginger.
5. Add 1/2 cup Hoisin sauce. And stir.
6. On an ungreased cookie sheet, separate the dough into 4 rectangles...
7. Then, pinch the seams together to blend well
8. Spoon about 1/4 of the mixture onto one side of the dough.
9. Pinch the seams together
10. Use a fork to press the edges together
11. Poke a hole in the top of each with a fork to allow the steam to escape
12. Bake 13-18 minutes.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Cheddar Baked Chicken
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1Tbsp milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup crispy rice cereal
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
2 Tbsp butter, melted (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In three separate bowls, or containers, mix the following together:
Bowl 1 - flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder
Bowl 2 - egg and milk
Bowl 3 - cheese, breadcrumbs, cereal
3. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into a baking dish to coat
4. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. Then dip in the egg mixture. And press into the cheese-cereal mixture. You'll start to hear snap-crackle-pop!!
5. Arrange them in the baking dish.
6. Optional: pour over 2 Tbsp melted butter before baking
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and juices run clear.
**This was so easy and so delicious. The next time I would add a little bit of spice to spice it up, but it was great as is. I served with green beans and a baked sweet potato.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts--boil in water to cook and then cut up into small pieces (or I cooked mine in the crock-pot for a few hours covered in Rotel then shredded)
8-10 oz. of spaghetti--cooked in water that chicken was boiled in (I broke mine into 3 inch pieces)
1 can Rotel
1 lb. Velveeta (1/2 a block)
3 tbsp. worcheshire
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of butter
Directions:
Mix all the above ingredients together and bake at 350 degrees for 30 mins or until bubbly.
**This was super easy and very delicious. We will be having this again. :)
Beef & Cheese Foldover
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
Garlic powder, to taste
Salt & pepper
1 cup frozen corn (I used canned Whole Kernal Corn)
1/4 cup ketchup
2/3 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
1 pie crust
Cooking spray
1 cup Mexican style shredded four cheese blend
1/2 tsp parsley flakes
Optional toppings: salsa and sour cream
Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 375. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray and carefully unroll the dough in the center.
2. Chop the onion.
3. Season the beef with garlic powder, salt and pepper (as much as you like).
4. Add the onions and cook until no longer pink.
5. Combine the barbecue sauce, ketchup and corn in a large bowl.
6. Drain the ground beef.
7. And stir into the bowl.
8. Spread into the center of the dough, allowing room for you to fold the edges up around the sides.
9. Bake for 20 minutes, spread with cheese, and bake for 5 more minutes.
10. Sprinkle with parsley flakes.
**The pie crust makes this amazing! Fred also topped his slice with Ranch dressing. We really enjoyed this.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Spicy Chicken Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken
2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 eggs, beaten
12 lasagna noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained - I used 9 noodles ...because they come 18 to a pack and I had made lasagna before...if you use 12 what are you going to do with the other 6?!?! But I did not adjust the other ingredients and it worked out just fine
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix first 3 ingredients; combine 1/2 cup (I put about 3/4 a cup with the other ingredients) with chicken, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs. Spread 1/4 cup onto each noodle; roll up.
3. Spread 1/2 cup of the remaining sauce mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish (I used a 9x9 square baking dish since I only had 9 roll ups); cover with lasagna rolls (seam-sides down), remaining sauce mixture and mozzarella.
4. Bake 25 min. or until heated through.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Chicken Taco Soup
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)
Directions:
1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
**It was absolutely amazing. I used the "Hot" rotel and "Hot" taco seasoning to make it spicier. Very easy and very good!