Clean Mac and cheese

So I love pasta, cheese and all things macaroni. I tried this recipe and it was a WIN! 

Greek marinated chicken

I don't really measure unless I'm baking. So...

I made this new chicken and I loved it.

I mixed 1 cup plain greek yogurt with juice of one lemon and a little bit of the zest, lots of garlic (I assume fresh or not would work), parsley, salt and pepper, about two tablespoons of olive oil and a little bit of oregano.

Put it in a container with chicken, making sure all the chicken was coated. I let it marinate for two days and when I pulled it out it smelled AMAZING. I had to use a spoon to take out the excess and spread it over the chicken.

I baked at 375 (boneless skinless) for 30 minutes and the texture wasn't what I wanted so I turned on the broiler and put it back in for a good 5-7 minutes. It got nice and brown and made the mixture more solid on top of the chicken instead of slippery.

It was awesome! It's supposed to be a good grilling recipe and I don't usually grill with dairy so I'm interested to try it.

Ham delights

These are likely my favorite appetizer and party food!

As you might be able to tell from the cookbook, I've made it a few times! 

Crock Pot Hot Chocolate

I did this for my co-workers at Thanksgiving, and we did a hot chocolate table for Lila's party. Couldn't be easier, and it's delicious! Even reheats well.

Ingredients:


• 1.5 cups whipping cream

• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

• 6 cups milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups of milk chocolate chips



Instructions:

Stir together the whipping cream, milk, vanilla, and chocolate chips in a crockpot.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Stir again before serving. Garnish as desired.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

I made this for wine club on Saturday night and it was a HUGE hit!

2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice


1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced carrots

1 cup finely diced onions

1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano

1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil

4 cups chicken broth

½ bay leaf

½ cup flour

1 cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup butter

2 cups half and half, warmed (or skim milk if you’re trying to cut some calories)

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper



1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.

3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don’t be afraid to always season to taste at the end).

4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.

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I left out the carrots because I didn't have any. Next time, I'd drop the chicken broth from 4 cups to 3 for it to be a thicker soup but this was a super easy and tasty dish. And the roux was BEAUTIFUL. Enjoy!

Baked brie, the easy way

I hesitate to even call this a "recipe" because it's so simple. I LOVE baked brie, it's one of my very favorite appetizers. But I have no patience for puff pastry, phyllo dough, or the other things that make it fabulous. So I ran across this on Pinterest, and it seemed to good to be true.

8 oz can crescent roll dough
8 oz wheel of brie
2 T preserves (I used apricot)
1 egg
Bread/apples to serve with

Unroll the crescent dough and make two sections of squares (keep two triangles together). Push them a little to close the seams. Lay one square flat, and place unwrapped brie (minus the rind) in the middle. Top with the 2T preserves, spreading across. Take the other squares and place it on top of the preserves. Pinch it all the way around to seal. Brush the top with beaten egg.

Bake 22-24 minutes at 350 or until golden brown. Let cool so it can firm up a bit. Note: it's still good, even if you forget it's in the oven and 1/4 of the cheese oozes out the sides. True story.

Mushroom and artichoke dip

I needed a light, not spicy dip to go with Cabernet Savignon for my wine club a few weeks ago and this looked perfect. Next time, I'll cut the recipe in half (or even a fourth!) as it made a whole casserole dish of dip!!

1 tsp olive oil
2 cups sliced shitake mushrooms (4 oz)
1-6 oz package of pre-sliced portobellos, chopped
1/2 cup light mayo (I did half mayo, half sour cream)
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder (I'm always generous with the garlic)
1 tsp black pepper (has anyone ever actually measured pepper?)
3/4 tsp salt
dash of cayenne pepper
14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
2-8 oz packages cream cheese
sliced baguette

*Also, the recipe didn't call for it, but I thought it was SCREAMING for parmesan. So I stirred some of that it, and sprinkled it on top.*

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 2-qt casserole dish with cooking spray

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute 5 mins or until tender. Combine mushrooms and remaining ingredients (except baguette), stirring until well blended. Spoon mixture into prepared dish, bake for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Serve with sliced baguette, toasted or not.

This was a HIT with the wine club, and I will def be making it again!

Tri-level Brownies

This is one of the most high-maintenance recipes I've done in awhile, but it was totally worth it! These brownies are rich and tasty, so they go a long way.

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

This is the first layer. Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl, stir in the above dry ingredients. Stir in butter, and press mixture into the bottom of an ungreased baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

1 egg
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Beat egg with a fork; stir in granulated sugar, the flour, milk, melted butter, melted chocolate, vanilla and baking powder until smooth. Fold in chopped walnuts. Spread batter evenly over baked layer in pan. Bake about 25 minutes (mine was more like 35) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on wire rack to cool while making top layer.

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 tbls butter
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
walnut halves

Glaze is not my strong suit, but this came out well! In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate and butter, heat over low heat until melted. Stir in the powdered sugar and the vanilla. Stir in enough hot water (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make a mixture that is spreading consistency. Spread over brownies. Garnish with walnut halves. Cool in pan on wire rack; cut into bars.

These are VERY rich so you almost want to cut them into fudge-sized squares. You can always go back for more :-)

Spiced Caramel Apple Dip

This is a great, simple fall recipe that was a huge hit with my friends! It only takes a minute but tastes awesome.

8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp apple pie spice
pinch of salt
pinch of apple pie spice for topping

Cream together cream cheese and sugars, making sure they are well combined. Mix in spices, combine well. Top with sprinkle of apple pie spice (or cinnamon) and serve with apple slices.

That's it! It's sweet without being heavy, with just enough spice to remind you of fall. To keep the apples from browning, soak in Sprite or a similar lemon-lime flavored soda.

Cobbler? Cake? You decide

So I tried out a new recipe last night, but you'd hardly call it a recipe. It was more of a quick toss and bake. Hayden is of course, a huge fan of anything a) going into the oven and b) dessert related. So here's what we did:

I sliced up three fresh apples and tossed them in a greased 9x13. I sprinkled some cinnamon, and brown sugar. Then we poured a package of yellow cake mix on top. It was nothing pretty, but it  already smelled delicious! Then I cut up a stick of butter and tossed it on top. It went into the oven. After about 15 minutes, I noticed some dry spots so I sprinkled about 1/4 cup of water on them. After 35 minutes, we had a delicious smelling dessert! It turns out to be more cobbler-like than cake-like. This is good news for me, as Jay has been asking me to make peach cobbler for 7+ years. I may have found a Jessica-friendly way to do it!

Pumpkin bread

Yup, it's that time of year...all things pumpkin (and other gourds)!

In a mixing bowl, combine 3 cups sugar, 1 cup oil and 4 eggs. Beat until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine 3 1/3 cups flour, 2 t baking soda, 1 1/2 t salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Alternate adding flour mix and 2/3 cup water into sugar/egg mixture. Stir in 15 oz pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!).

Pour into two greased loaf pans and bake at 350 for 65 minutes. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Pumpkin dip

Well I have found my new "let's celebrate fall!" recipe. Thanks of course, to Pinterest. I needed a dish to make for a baby shower and this was perfect. Quick, easy, cheap and crowd-pleasing

1-15 oz can of pure pumpkin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1-5.1oz envelope of vanilla instant pudding
1-8 oz containter of cool whip

Mix together first three ingredients; fold in cool whip. Refrigerate and serve! It's that easy :-)

Crock Pot oatmeal

It's totally okay (and completely likely) that I am the only person ever to be excited about this recipe. But I've tried it a few times and just finally got it perfect. I love my crockpot, I love real breakfast, I love cooking ahead. This recipe combines all that and gives me a week's worth of breakfast that actually fills me up and doesn't leave me wishing I had stopped at Bojangles.

This is a Weight Watchers recipe, packed full of protein and fiber but low in calories and fat, so I feel good about it. And I'm a weirdo that loves the taste of oatmeal, even without all the bells and whistles.

There are two things I cannot stress enough: all crock pots cook differently, and use a crock pot liner unless you want to be scrubbing it for days on end.

Start by placing a liner in your crock pot and then spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Do not skip any of this step.

Mix your dry ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 T brown sugar
1 T ground flax seed
1/4 t salt
Season! (I use anything you find in apple/pumpkin pie...cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice)

Once you've mixed those, add 1 1/2 c water, 1 1/2 milk. Stir and stir. Pour all of that into your crock pot. Next add 2 medium apples, cored and chopped (I don't peel and I use Granny Smith). Stir just a bit.  Add 2 T of butter, chopped into 5-6 pieces. Cook on low.

I've tried this a few times with mixed results. I might suggest you do it on a Saturday or Sunday, when you can check it after 4 hours and see how much longer you want it to cook. Last night I let it cook on low for 5 hours (Yes, I set my alarm for 2 am for OATMEAL when I have a child that sleeps through the night). Then I set it to warm until I went downstairs at 6:30am and it was PERFECT. But I like my oatmeal without any trace of runniness. Seriously, runny oatmeal ruins my life. Steel cut oats have a way different texture than quick cooking or old fashioned oats, but I love them in this recipe. I was able to portion out my breakfast for the week, and eat it on the run because it was more solid than liquid. Win all around!

When I heat up the cold portions, I usually add just a teaspoon or so of milk to keep it from drying out. YUM.

Chicken and mushrooms in a balsamic cream sauce

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1/2 Large Onion - Thinly sliced

1 Package of Whole Mushrooms - Halved (I used Cremini)

1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth

1 Cup Heavy Cream (I used light cream)

5 Tbs. Butter - Divided

1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

2 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Saute onions over medium heat in 2 Tbs of butter until they are nice and caramelized - About 15 Minutes. When they are a nice golden brown, remove from the heat and set aside

In a separate pan, heat the remaining 3 Tbs. of butter over medium-high heat. Place the chicken breasts in the pan. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside (Note - they will not be all the way cooked at this stage)

De-glaze the pan with the chicken stock. Use a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the chicken bits and butter off the pan. This helps to flavor your sauce

Add the heavy cream and the balsalmic vinegar and stir

Add mushrooms and a little S&P, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes

Add the chicken back to the pan, turn heat back up to medium and saute until the chicken is cooked all the way through. About 10-15 minutes

Remove chicken breasts from the pan and plate. Add the Parmesan and caramelized onions to the sauce and keep stirring until the cheese is completely melted in.

Cover the chicken breasts with the sauce, SERVE AND ENJOY!!!

...............

Jay doesn't love a cream sauce, so I think next time I'll add more broth and some flour and omit the cream. But I LOVED it and can't wait to eat the leftovers this week for lunch.

Spicy Thai Noodles

I had been DYING for thai food, so I was super excited to try out this recipe. The recipe itself is simple enough, and I made some modifications including additions. Done in 15 minutes and a hit at the table!

Box of linguine, boiled and drained
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 T crushed red pepper
6 T honey
6 T soy sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup green onion
1/4 cup peanuts
2 T sesame seeds
.........................

In a small saucepan, add oils and crushed red pepper. Cook over low heat (otherwise the peppers will scorch), stirring for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain peppers and reserve oil. To the oil, whisk in the honey and soy sauce. Pour over the noodles and mix thoroughly (there will still be some sauce at the bottom of the noodles). Refrigerate overnight, serve cold with carrots, peanuts and green onion on top.

.........................

I made several changes. Right off the bat, I had no desire to eat this cold. I also read reviews that the peppers were too hot, and since I cut the whole recipe in half anyway, I further cut the peppers. So I did about 1/4 cup peanut oil, half the vegetable oil, and only a teaspoon of peppers. This was DYING to be turned into pad thai, so I added one chopped chicken breast, sauteed in peanut oil with ginger, sesame seeds and zucchini, and I tossed in two handfuls of shrimp to the last minute of the boiling noodles. It was AWESOME.

Key Lime Pound Cake

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sgar
6 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 cup Key Lime juice

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons key lime juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
*when cake comes out, whisk the glaze ingredients together until smooth*

1. . Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.


2. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla, lime zest, and lime juice. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch (12-cup) tube pan.

3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 to 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack.

4. Prepare Key Lime Glaze, and immediately brush over top and sides of cake. Cool completely (about 1 hour).

This didn't last two hours at work!

One-dish Chicken Casserole

This is a recipe I actually found in my Real Simple magazine (not Pinterest!) and tweaked it a bit to my liking. The main thing was cutting it in half, since Jay doesn't like whole, cooked spinach. So I cut it in half initially and then froze three of the portions. I definitely liked the different textures and the twist on a boring casserole, and the absence of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken (which can get old). The original recipe didn't call for mushrooms but was delightful with them. I was also light on sour cream so I added in some ricotta to make up for it.

Chicken and Spinach Casserole



6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk

1 cup sour cream

salt and black pepper

12 ounces egg noodles

4 slices sandwich bread

2 cups shredded cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken

5 ounces baby spinach, chopped

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 cup sliced mushrooms


1.Heat oven to 400° F. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes (do not let the mixture darken). Slowly whisk in the milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the sour cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

2.Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions; drain and return them to the pot. Pulse the bread in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave-safe bowl.

3.Add the milk mixture, chicken, spinach, mushrooms and thyme to the noodles and toss to combine. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch or some other 3-quart baking dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and drizzle with the melted butter.

4.Bake until the bread crumbs are golden and the filling is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

...
 
I also opted for a penne-style noodle as we were out of egg noodles. I think just about anything other than long, flat noodles would work here.

Chicken lasagna roll ups

3 cups cooked chicken
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup feta
1/3 cup parmesan
Salt & pepper
Garlic (of course)
1/4 cup milk
8 lasagna noodles, boiled and drained
Jar spaghetti sauce

***************
Mix chicken, cheeses, spices and milk. Lay lasagna noodles flat. Spread 1/2 cup of mixture end to end, pressing to make it flat. Roll noodle from one end to the other, like a jelly roll. Repeat until all noodles have been used.

Spread 1 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13. Place noodles, seam side down, on top of sauce. Top with additional sauce and parmesan.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
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For this one, I think we'd like sauce on the inside so I'm trying that next time. But still a success!

Pizza appetizer

We are always looking for new appetizers. Our family is a "superbowl food" gathering kind. We love dips and finger foods and anything you can keep warm in the crock pot. I tried out a new, simple one this weekend when my brother and his family came over.

Lay out crescent rolls, add 4 pepperoni and a string cheese (cut in half). Roll up, bake according to directions. That's it!! They were easy and tasty, but next time I think I'll try marinara sauce IN them, or maybe ranch.

Garlic Lemon Chicken and roasted potatoes

Garlic Lemon Chicken and roasted potatoes with green beans

Ingredients


6 tablespoons olive oil

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound trimmed green beans

8 small red potatoes, quartered

4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds)

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Directions

1.Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

2.In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

3.Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

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My variations on this recipe were to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and leave out the fresh green beans (Jay won't eat them). I also added some basil because I thought it was just screaming for the sweet herb. But it was light, delicious and different!