Chicken Cacciatore

Original recipe found here.

I have come to a point where I am starting to try recipes of foods that I have never tasted before.  Because of this, I do not know if this tastes the way it is supposed to!  However, I can tell you it was very good.  I was a little hesitant when I made the sauce to put in the slow cooker, the wine taste was extremely strong.  While I was at the grocery store, I had looked up dry wine on my phone.  It suggested Pinot Grigio.  Thankfully, the wine flavor did cook down and the dish tasted fantastic!  

This recipe is a little more time consuming.  Because of this, in the future I would make 2 batches...one for the slow cooker and one for the freezer to have on hand.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup white flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 green bell pepper, chopped

Add flour salt and pepper into a bag.  Throw in chicken cubes, seal bag and shake to coat with flour.  Put olive oil in frying pan and heat.  Add in chicken and stir immediately to avoid sticking together.  Brown on each side and remove with slotted spoon.  Add in slow cooker.

Turn oil down to medium heat, and add in onions and garlic.  Saute until translucent and fragrant.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to blender.  Combine with wine, chicken broth,tomato paste, thyme, and marjoram.  Blend until smooth.  Add to slow cooker. 

Cook on medium high for 4-5 hours.  About 30 minutes before you are going to serve, add in mushrooms and green peppers.  Serve over a thin pasta, I used angel hair.  Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Chili

This recipe is my own.  It has evolved after following a couple different recipes.  The chili is excellent and very easy to make.  I like to put everything in my slow cooker the night before.  In the morning all I have to do is grab it out of the fridge, plug it in and head to work.  The longer is sits and cooks, the better it ends up tasting!  If you want more spice, feel free to add more jalapeno and Tabasco sauce.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey or beef, cooked
2 cans red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans light kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 onion chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
2 tablespoons garlic
1 teaspoon garlic sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
4 tablespoons Chili Powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Sour cream

Cook ground turkey or beef in frying pan.  Saute onions with drippings until translucent, only a couple of minutes.  Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Cook for 2 hours on high, 6-7 hours on low.

Garnish chili with cheese, sour cream and onion.

Mushroom Artichoke Tortellini

There are some days when I have nothing planned to cook and really don't feel like eating out.  When those days come, I try to pull something together out of what I have in the fridge/pantry.  This is one of those recipes.  I threw it together and it ended up tasting really good.  I was surprised at that flavor of the sauce.  This is definitely a quick, easy meal that can be thrown together.  Leave a comment below....let me know what you put together when there is nothing really planned!

Ingredients:

1 cup mushrooms slice, more if you like mushrooms
1 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, mine were halves, so I cut them up into smaller pieces
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 package tortellini
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic, about 2 cloves

Saute mushrooms in olive oil and garlic.  Once tender, add in artichoke hearts, tomato sauce, tomato paste and chicken broth.  Stir to mix everything together.

Cook tortellini according to directions.  Timing is everything with the tortellini.  They only take around 10 minutes to cook and you DO NOT want to over cook them...then they start falling apart and don't look appetizing.

Once the tortellini is a couple minutes from being finished, add green onions to sauce.  Serve sauce over tortellini and garnish with fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese.

Spicy Peanut Butter Pasta with Chicken

Original recipe found here.

In the past I had tried a different Thai Chicken Pasta recipe....it turned out terrible.  The leftovers the next were pretty good, weird how that happens.  I decided to give this another try.  I found a different recipe online and added some of the elements from the other recipe I had tried a while ago.  I know that this combination sounds weird, but it tastes really good.  The sauce has a slight kick and the peanut butter flavor isn't too over powering.  This Thai Chicken Pasta recipe is one that I would definitely make again.

Ingredients:
2-3 chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 big teaspoons chili paste, I used Siracha
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
For garnish - chopped peanuts and cilantro sprinkled over the top at the end

Cook pasta according to directions.  Cook sliced chicken in frying pan with a dash of olive oil.  Fry until browned.  While pasta and chicken is cooking, combine peanut butter, chicken broth, soy sauce, ginger and lime juice in a small pan over medium heat.  Whisk continuously.  As the mixture heats up it will begin to thicken.

Once thickened, combine with chicken.  Drain pasta and serve with sauce over the top.  Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro.

Pumpkin Bars

This recipe came from Williams Sonoma store.  It's one of the samples they have been handing out to get you hooked on their pumpkin butter.  It worked!  The pumpkin butter can be found here.  You have to try these, they are really good.  They freeze really well also, so go ahead and make before the holiday chaos hits!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 eggs
1 jar pumpkin pecan butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease an 8 x 8 baking pan. Reserve 1 cup of the yellow cake mix in a separate bowl. Stir together the remaining cake mix, 8 tablespoons of melted butter and 1 egg.  Pour into prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the jar of pumpkin butter, remaining 2 eggs and milk.  Spread over the cake batter in the baking pan.

Add the flour, sugar, and cinnamon to the bowl with reserved cake mix and stir together.  Add the 4 tablespoons of cold butter.  Use a pastry blender or fork, cut the butter until pea sized crumbs form and the mixture clumps together.  Crumble the mixture over the baking dish.

Chicken Pot Pie

Original recipe from Williams Sonoma Comfort Food.

This was an easy chicken pot pie recipe.  I did not line my bowls in a pie crust, I only placed the crust over the top....that made me feel a little less guilty about eating it.  Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped leeks

1/2 cup finely diced carrots

1/3 cup peas, fresh, canned or frozen

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 semi baked potato, cut into chunks

Pie Dough

1 large egg

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat.  Add in leeks and carrots, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender.  Remove from heat and stir in peas and potato.

In a large saucepan, melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter.  Whisk in flour and let bubble gently for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Stir in the shredded chicken and vegetable mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spoon mixture into six 1 1/2 cup oven proof soup crocks or ramekins.

Roll out dough and cut into squares large enough to drape over your bowl.  On the side facing down, lightly coat around the edge with beaten egg.  Press to bowl.  Brush the top with egg as well.  Bake until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Gnocchi

Original recipe found in Williams Sonoma Comfort Food.

This was my first attempt at gnocchi and it was excellent.  I ended up having to add a lot more flour than the recipe called for, about 1 1/2 cups more.  The dough finally started to firm up after adding more.  I am not what caused that, but in the end everything turned out.  Another suggestion would be to double the recipe and freeze some for next time!

 Ingredients:

1 2/3 pounds potatoes

Salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups flour, or as needed

In a large sauce pan, combine unpeeled potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch, cover pan and bring to a boil at high heat.  Reduce heat to medium low and summer until tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold running water until easy to handle.  Peel the potatoes and return them to the sauce pan.  Cook over medium low heat, shaking the pan often, to evaporate excess moisture, about 2 minutes.

Press the warm potatoes through a ricer.  Stir in the eggs and 2 teaspoons salt.  Gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.  Turn dough out on to lightly floured work surface and kneed gently a few times until smooth.  Add just enough flour to prevent sticking.

Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. 

I worked with small balls of dough to roll into strips about 3/4 inch in diameter.  This made the ropes shorter, but a lot easier to handle.  Cut the ropes into 1 inch lengths and transfer to a prepared baking sheet.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add half the gnocchi to the water and simmer until they rise to the surface.  Use a skimmer to transfer gnocchi to a warmed serving bowl and cover to keep warm.  Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

I added pesto and chicken to my gnocchi and served a dinner.  Feel free to add any sauce you want.  Gnocchi will hold up in thicker sauces as well.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is an extremely easy soup to make.  It had a lot of flavor and substance.

Ingredients:

1 can diced tomatoes

2 cans chicken broth

2 chicken breasts, shredded or cut into cubes

1 can black beans

1 small can corn

2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped

1 onion chopped

2 tablespoons garlic

1 jalapeno, chopped

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker or large pan.  Cook on medium for at least 1 hour.  Serve topped with tortilla chips, cilantro and sour cream.

Baked Potato Soup

Original recipe found here .

I don't ever remember having potato soup, but love potatoes.  Especially baked potatoes.  I received this recipe through an e mail and it looked delicious!   Give it a try.  It has excellent flavor and would be great for a cold day!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
4 1/2 cup low-fat or skim milk
1 14oz can chicken broth
4 medium baking potatoes, baked
2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups light sour cream, divided
1/2 cup chopped green onions, divided

8 slices bacon, crumpled

Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.  Add flour to pan.  Slowly add milk a little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.  Whisk until smooth and then add chicken broth.  Bring soup just to a simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Once soup is thickened, turn heat down to medium-low.  Cut potatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scoop out potato flesh into the pot.  Use a wooden spoon to smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.  Add 1 1/2 C grated cheese and salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.  Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4 C sour cream, 1/4 C green onions, and 4 strips of the crumbled bacon.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with each serving with the remaining sour cream, onions, cheese, and bacon.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Original recipe found here.

This recipe was requested by my sister.  I found the recipe online and gave it a try.  The pumpkin pancakes were amazing.  I am not a big fan of pancakes, they don't have great flavor.  Pumpkin pancakes are a lot different.  They have a very subtle pancake flavor, but nothing that is overpowering.  I definitely recommend these pancakes.  I made my dough the night before and refrigerated.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground all spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons vinegar

In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Chicken Parmesan

I don't have a finished photo of this one.  I had forgotten to take one and by the time I remembered it was gone!  This recipe is extremely easy to make, go ahead and get everything together ahead of time, then all you have to worry about it baking it!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/2 cup shredded parmesan

3/4 cup shredded mozzerella

1 can spaghetti sauce, tomato based

If you want your chicken to cook a little faster and go further, pound out the chicken breasts a little bit.  This is a step that I will add the next time I make this recipe.  

Combine bread crumbs and Italian seasoning.  Dip chicken breasts in egg and then coat with bread crumb mixture.  Place into a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray.  Continue until all pieces are coated.  Cover with spaghetti sauce, and then shredded cheeses.  Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is bubbling and golden brown.  Serve with spaghetti noodles.

Baked Chicken Toquitos

Original recipe found here.

I had come across this recipe a couple of times and wasn't sure about it.  I had never really had toquitos aside from the ones at a 7-11 a long time ago.  One of my friends tried a recipe and told me I had to try it.  Here is my version.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1/2 onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 can green enchilada sauce, 15 oz size

1/2 teaspoon garlic

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package flour or corn tortillas, the medium soft taco size worked best

Combine chicken breasts, onion, seasonings and enchilada sauce in a slow cooker.  You can let it cook all day, or about an hour of high.  I had to speed mine up and cooked them on high.  Once the chicken in done, shred stir in sauce.  Add in sour cream and shredded cheese.  At this point your mixture should not be runny.  If it is runny, use a slotted spoon for the next step.

Heat 3 or 4 tortillas in the microwave for about 20 seconds, this will make them easier to work with.  If they are cracking, try microwaving a little bit longer.  Put about 1/4 cup of the mixture on the shell, near one side.  Roll up and place on a large baking sheet, seam side down.  Continue with all of the tortilla shells, until completed.

Bake at 350 degrees.  It should take about 30 minutes.  You want the shell to get a little bit crispy.  The recipe I adapted from suggested spraying the shells with a non-stick cooking spray to give it a fried flair.

The toquitos turned out a lot better than I was expecting.  Try serving them with cilantro lime sour cream.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is another pizza idea.  Easy to make, this is my favorite pizza flavor.  I only had a white onion around, try red onion, it tastes a lot better.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Rhoades Bread Dough

2 chicken breasts, sliced and cooked

1 cup barbecue sauce

Thin onion slices, around 6 slices, red onion is best

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Let the Rhoades bread dough thaw and rise.  Stretch out over a round pizza pan.  Top with sauce, add cheese, chicken and onions.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

*Use your favorite barbecue sauce.  I like to mix it up by using something flavored.  On this one I used a maple apple bbq sauce from Williams Sonoma

Potatoes Cooked in Foil

This is just another way to cook potatoes, mix it up a little bit.  I love cooking with potatoes, but baked potatoes, steak fries, mashed potatoes, it gets old fast! Another way, well the best way to cook these is on the BBQ!

Ingredients:

4 Yukon gold potatoes, cleaned and scrubbed
1 yellow onion, cut into quarters
 1 teaspoon Johnny's Seasoning
Pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, optional
1 cup carrots, optional
1/4 cup butter (I use butter spray)

Take out two pieces of foil, about 1 1/2 feet in length.  Place one on top of the other, spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Cut up potatoes into medium size wedges.  Combine potatoes, onions, butter, seasoning, and other ingredients if you are adding.  Place in the middle of the foil and seal by wrapping up around the potatoes and folding foil up.  Cook at 350 degrees in the oven for around and hour.

Chicken Pasta

 This is a recipe I threw together in a pinch.  It ended up tasting amazing and I would definitely make it again!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts cut into small squares
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large cans of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 small cans of mushrooms
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
parsley flakes
1 package thin spaghetti, cook as directed.

Serves 4

Heat olive oil in a frying pay, add garlic and red pepper flakes, saute.  Add chicken and cook thoroughly.  Add diced tomatoes and mushrooms.  Cook until heated.
Cook pasta as directed, drain and add 1 tablespoon of shredded Parmesan and a pinch of parsley.  Coat cooked noodles in cheese and parsley, stir until combined.

Top pasta with sauce.  Garnish with parsley and Parmesan.

The Weekend!

Sorry for the lack of posts at the end of this week!  I will get it organized this weekend and put up posts on Monday!

Stuffed Corn Bread

Original recipe found here

Someone had told me to try a stuffed corn bread recipe.  I had never heard of it and went online to find a recipe and ended up with this one.  It was Emeril's and I figured I couldn't really go wrong with that.  It tasted pretty good.  My only suggestion would be to double the filling.  I was expecting a little more substance.  the taste was excellent!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat an 8 x 8 pan with non stick spray.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon over medium-high heat until brown, about 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Drain all the fat but 2 teaspoons. Return to medium-high heat and add the corn. Cook, stirring, until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and water, and cook until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash with a potato masher to crush some of the corn. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining salt, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the cooled cream corn, bacon, jalapenos, and 1 1/2 cups of the cheese, and mix well.

Pour half of corn meal mixture in the bottom of the pan.  Pour in cream mixture and top with remaining corn meal.  Sprinkle a small handful of cheese on top.  Bake until golden brow, about 30 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

 I am not quite sure where this recipe came from.  In college I decided I wanted to try pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and went online to find a recipe.  They aren't like a normal chocolate chip cookie, they turn out a little more cake-like.  They are excellent and I end up making them a lot during the fall season!


Ingredients:

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, milk and vanilla.  Slowly mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until middle of cookie seems firm when touched.  These cookies are VERY easy to under cook.  They taste fine, but don't look great if this happens.  break one open before you take them out of the oven the first time you attempt the recipe.