Creole Chicken, Red Beans and Rice Soup

I wanted to make red beans and rice, but didn't have everything needed for it, so Bo told me to look up recipe for red beans and rice soup and this is what I found, with a little bit of my own twist...

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast
4 Kiolbassa Jalapeno Beef Sausage links (I added this and got it from Costco, LOVE!)
Creole seasoning
1 yellow onion chopped
1 Tbsp celery seed (or you can do 1 C chopped celery, I just didn't have any on hand)
1 cup diced carrots
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
Pinch crushed red pepper
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed, picked over, soaked overnight and drained
4 C Chicken broth
1 tsp cornstarch
2 C white rice, cooked
1/2 C chopped green onions (green part only, I didn't have onions so I didn't do this part)

Directions:

Boil the red beans the night before for 45 minutes (last time I prepared the beans they were still hard after just soaking them and boiling them the next day, so I took extra time to make sure these turned out right. You may know a better way of preparing the beans, this is just what worked for me) After boiling them, put in a bowl full of water to sit over night. The next day I boiled again for about 10 minutes to make sure they weren't hard.

Cook the rice in a rice cooker or however you usually cook rice. 2 C rice, 2 C water.

In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken with creole seasoning. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, celery, and carrots. Season with Creole seasoning. Saute the veggies for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, pinch of crushed red pepper, red beans, and sausage. (This sausage mentioned above is fully cooked so it really only needs to be warmed. Adding it here was perfect.) Saute for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring the liquid to a boil.  remove some of the broth and mix it with the cornstarch. Once mixed well, add back into the soup to thicken. Reduce the heat to a simmer, uncovered.

Serve with the rice. Enjoy! We really loved it. :)

Find the original recipe HERE.

Maple Cinnamon Ham Glaze

We had some friends over for dinner tonight and luckily I found this glaze, it was about the only thing that saved me from all the other things going wrong. It's super simple too. I KNOW you will like it! :)

1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 C maple syrup

Stir brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until well combined. Pour in maple syrup and stir until smooth. Enjoy over some delicious ham!

You can find the original recipe HERE, thanks!

Chicken Parmesan

Bo wanted some Chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight and had me look up a recipe. This is what I found. If it makes it to the blog, it means both Bo and I liked it. J I did make some alterations, which I noted throughout the recipe.

Hope y’all enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

¼ C extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 Tblsp

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (2 ½ tsp)

2 bay leaves

½ C kalamata olived, pitted (I did without this and it still was great)

½ bunch fresh basil leaves

2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand crushed (I just used diced tomatoes)

Pinch sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (I did 2 chicken breasts and just sliced them in half length wise)

½ C all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. water

1 C dried bread crumbs (I toasted 4 pieces of bread in the toaster and then set them in the oven for a little while it warmed up, just make sure to check it, I almost forgot)

1 (8-oz) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained (I just used shredded mozzarella I had in the freezer and measured the amount I wanted)

Freshly grated Parmesan (Again, just used parmesan from the shaker)

1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions

Coat a sauté pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When oil gets hazy, add onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 mins. Until fragrant and soft. Add olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add tomatoes, cook and stir until liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 450 degree F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken in an assembly line. I sliced the two chicken breasts in half, but you can place them side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them and pound them with a flat meat mallet until they’re ½ inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine eggs and water and beat until frothy. Put breadcrumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large ovenproof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, dip them in the egg to coat completely letting excess drip off, and then dredge in breadcrumbs. When oil is hot, add cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

I then transferred them to a cookie sheet instead of putting the skillet in the oven.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.  We also added some Prego pasta sauce to ours to make it a little more moist.

Thanks for the recipe! You can find the original recipe HERE.

Black Drum or Seared Mahi Mahi w/ Veggie Cream Sauce

Black Drum or Seared Mahi Mahi w/ Veggie Cream Sauce

So I got the original recipe from a chef at my work. He used to be 200+ pounds heavier than he is now and he went to the doctor and they told him if he didn't change his lifestyle he would only have a certain amount of time left to live. He had always wanted to be a chef but his dad was against the idea. Now being placed in one of those "What did I do with my life," kind of moments, he quit his job and went back to school to be a chef. He is now working alongside one of the big wig chefs here in New Orleans (I don't know the guy so the name didn't stick with me...) and has lost about 200 pounds!

Anyways, that's the background of this recipe. I tweaked it a little bit because I didn't have everything, but it was still amazing! I also saw a similar recipe on the back of my Goya Coconut Milk can and added some things from there into my sauce. I put up my concoction and the original recipe below. Feel free to try either!

"Tastes like something you'd pay a lot of money for." - my hubby Bo

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 Onion (I used a red onion, but you can use anything)
3/4 Green Pepper
1 1/2 C Coconut Milk
1/3 C Milk
2 Bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Lemon Pepper
1 tsp. Chicken Bouillon
1 Diced Tomato
Seared Mahi Mahi or Black Drum  (I did Black Drum, that's all they had at the store and I heard it was cheaper)

Turn the oven on to 300 degrees fahrenheit and put fish in tin foil with 1 Tbsp. oil sprinkled over, salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Roll up fish in foil and set in the oven till cooked. (He said it'll only take 15 minutes, but it took me about 35 minutes. I did 15 minutes, then two increments of 10 after and just kept on checking on it.) It will be white and will pull apart easily.

In the skillet, put 1 Tbsp. of oil, garlic, chopped onions, and peppers on Medium heat and soften, do not brown. Add salt and pepper.

Once cooked through, put coconut milk and milk in skillet with veggies. Stir continuously. Add 2 bay leaves, lemon pepper, salt, 1 tsp. powdered chicken bouillon, and diced tomato. After about 5 minutes on Medium, let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with veggie cream sauce on top of fish.

Enjoy! :)

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Original Recipe:

Dende Oil
Clove of garlic
1 Full Onion
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Green Pepper
1 C Coconut Milk
1 C Heavy Cream
Seared Mahi Mahi or Black Drum
Salt
Pepper

In a skillet on medium heat, put oil, garlic, and thin slices of onions and peppers. Soften, but do not brown. Salt and Pepper it.

Once cooked through, put coconut milk and heavy cream in skillet with pepper concoction. Stir continuously.

Throw fish in oven at 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit with dende oil, salt and pepper on it in tin foil form.

Sauce will cook down to a cream and fish will be done. About 15 minutes.

Put fish on a plate serve with veggies and drizzle on cream.

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream Sauce

I was looking for something light to make for dinner one night and this chipotle chicken kabob recipe looked like it would be perfect. The only problem was that none of the grocery stores within 5 miles of my house had chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. (I think I need to have a chat with the grocery manager and give him my list of items the store needs to start carrying because this isn't the first thing I haven't been able to find.) Since I couldn't find the chipotle chilis the night I wanted to make it, I improvised and just used chipotle chili powder instead. We ate the chicken in tacos and it was delicious! I didn't bother making the avocado dipping sauce though. We liked the chicken so much that the next week I decided to make it again when I finally found the chipotle chilis in adobo sauce at another store. The chicken was good with just the chipotle chili powder, but I think the chilies in adobo made it even better. This time I also made the avocado sauce. Yum! I could have eaten that by the spoon fulls!

The only change I made to the original recipe was I used plain non-fat yogurt instead of Greek yogurt because I don't care for Greek yogurt. I made some extra marinade since I had left over chipotle chilies and froze it with chicken. The chicken will marinade as it thaws.

Chipotle Chicken Kabobs with Avocado Cream Sauce

For the Chicken:
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon chili podwer
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2" to 2" inch pieces
Minced fresh cilantro, for serving

For the avocado cream sauce:
1 avocado
1/2 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl or baking dish/pie plate, combine the lime juice, oil, spices, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle. Whisk together to combine. Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and mix well to ensure that they are all coated and mostly submerged. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinade for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium-high and oil the grates. When the chicken is done marinading, thread the pieces onto skewers for grilling. (If using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them in water first to prevent charring/burning.) Dispose of the excess marinade. Place the kabobs on the grill and cook, turning once or twice, until all sides are slightly browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate and let rest 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with minced fresh cilantro, if desired.

To make the sauce, combine avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve alongside the kabobs for dipping.

Enjoy!

PF Changs Lettuce Wraps

I have been in a funk lately when it comes to dinners. Probably because my husband has been working late and is not home for dinner most nights. So I have been looking for new recipes again to get me out of this rut. I came across a recipe for PF Chang's lettuce wraps. It has been a long, long time since I have eaten at PF Chang's. Like when the hubs and I were dating. So I can't really remember what their lettuce wraps taste like, but I do remember that I really liked them. I was not expecting these to taste anything like PF Chang's, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted them and they were super delicious! I made some changes to the original recipe when I made it, only by doubling the sauce since I had a little more than 1 pound of ground turkey. The original recipe follows, if you want to double the sauce you can.

Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground chicken or turkey
1/2 medium onion, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 inch nob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (I used ginger I had frozen and then grated)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil (I used the toasted sesame oil, which I think has a slightly stronger flavor)
2 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
dash of fresh pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, chopped
10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add minced garlic and ginger, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine sesame oil, soy sauce, water, peanut butter, honey, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add to the chicken and stir to combine.

Add green onions and water chestnuts to the chicken mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes more, until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

Serve with cold lettuce leaves.

Next time I think I want to put those crispy rice noodles on them. You know, the ones they serve on the PF Chang's lettuce wraps? I don't know where you can get them, but I did find this recipe on how to make them.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have already posted a Tikka Masala recipe. It is a good recipe, and I have made it a few times. But I really wanted Tikka Masala and I didn't have enough time to make it in the crock pot so I found another recipe on Chew Out Loud. The title was Chicken Tikka Masala - This is IT! And I will tell you what, this is IT! I like it better than the crock pot version because I think it has more distinct flavors that are just amazing! And it really didn't take too much more time than throwing it all in the crock pot. You can click on the link above for the recipe or keep on reading. At any rate, I would strongly suggest you make this recipe!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts - dried well, pounded evenly flat
1 cup plain (unsweetened) whole milk yogurt (I used low fat plain and it turned out just fine)
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 Tablespoon ground garlic

Sauce
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, peeled
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 teaspoons sugar
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
dashes of kosher salt to taste

Directions

For the chicken:
Combine salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of dry, evenly-pounded chicken with spice mixture, pressing in so mixture sticks. Place chicken in single layer and set aside. Whisk yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic together in large bowl and set aside.

For the Sauce (can be made a day or two before, without the chicken):
Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and cook about 3 minutes. Add the rest of sauce ingredients, except for the cream and cilantro, and bring to boil.  Reduce to medium low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lastly, stir in cream and return to simmer a few minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce is keeping warm, place oven rack 6 inches from heat broiler. Dip chicken well into yogurt mixture, coating with thick layer of yogurt. Arrange each piece on wire rack lined with aluminum foil.  Broil chicken about 5-9 minutes, flip over halfway, and broil another 5-9 minutes. The exterior will be lightly browned in spots.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes. Cut into bite size chunks and stir into warm sauce when ready to eat. Do not simmer chicken in the sauce. If sauce needs warming, warm it up first and then toss the chicken in when ready to serve. Lastly, season with kosher salt to taste, toss in fresh cilantro, and serve immediately over Basmati rice.

Enjoy!

Waikiki Meatballs

I have really been trying to be more frugal with purchasing food and using up the leftovers. I noticed we had some rice left over from our Sunday meal in the fridge and decided to make Waikiki Meatballs. I looked up a recipe and tried it out. I absolutely loved it! Tastes similar to Hawaiian Haystacks. It's a rather simple recipe and easy to follow. I added about a teaspoon of garlic as well and only had 1 pound of ground beef, but it still turned out great! I kept all the other measurements the same.  I did, however, use the leftover club crackers we had on the shelf in place of the saltine crackers and used Apple Cider Vinegar instead of White Vinegar. (That's just what we had on hand and I loved it) Take a look at the original link for other suggestions of what people did as alternatives or added ingredients.


Ingredients:

1 1/2         Pounds ground beef                                       (I only used 1 lb.)
2/3 C        Crushed saltine cracker crumbs                      (Can be substituted for several things)
1/3 C        Minced onion
1               Egg
1/4 C        Milk
1 1/2 tsp.  Ground ginger
1/2 tsp.     Salt
1 Tblsp     Olive oil
2 Tblsp     Cornstarch
1/2 C        Packed Brown Sugar
1 (15 oz) can Pineapple chunks - drained, with juice reserved
1/3 C        White Vinegar                                                (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 Tblsp     Soy Sauce
1/3 C        Chopped green bell pepper


Directions:

1.   In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs.

2.   Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

3.   In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through.

4. Serve over rice. ENJOY!



Thanks to allrecipes.com for the recipe!  Click HERE to see the original recipe.

Korean Pork Tacos with Slaw

My husband likes to look over my shoulder as I am perusing Pinterest at night. He happened to see this recipe as I was pinning it. He served his mission in Korean and got super excited when he saw there was a recipe for Korean BBQ. He has talked about Korean BBQ many times before. I have thought about making Korean BBQ for him. I just don't know what would be a good recipe. I had pinned this recipe because I wanted to finally try and make it. My husband said it does not taste like Korean BBQ, but could not describe to me what Korean BBQ tasted like. But none the less, even though it did not taste like Korean BBQ, it was still delicious!

Shredded Korean Pork Tacos with Slaw

3-4 pound pork roast (the original recipe calls for beef, and you could use that as well)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 head garlic, peel (approximately 10 cloves)
1/2 onion, diced
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 Tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar (if you only have plain rice vinegar like me, use 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar and add 1 Tablespoon sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt)
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 whole jalapeno, seeded and de-veined, diced

Place all of the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, or until meat can be easily shredded.

Right before serving, make the coleslaw.

Slaw

1 bag shredded coleslaw
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar (again add sugar and salt if using plain rice vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

Toss together and serve immediately. Coleslaw will become wilty if you make it too early.

Serve on soft flour or corn tortillas with slaw. You can also add white or brown rice if you would like. I forgot about the rice, so we ate it just with the pork and slaw and it was yummy!

Chicken Stir Fry with Thai Peanut Noodles

I had one of those days a little while ago. You know, the one where you realize it is 4pm and you haven't thought at all about dinner and you really don't have any food in the house. I used to have a whole pantry and food storage stocked with food. But since this move has been creeping closer and closer, (and creeping isn't the right word...it is coming too fast!) our food supply has started to dwindle. I had to come up with something fast. I open my pantry to find linguine noodles and peanut butter, along with a few cans of beans and soup. In my freezer I knew I had some chicken and stir-fry vegetables. And this is what I came up with for dinner.

Chicken Stir Fry with Thai Peanut Noodles

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
frozen stir-fry vegetables
1 box of linguine noodles (or any other long thin noodle)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Cook noodles according to package directions.

Combine peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame seeds in a small bowl and set aside. You can double this recipe if you want more sauce.

Stir fry chicken in a little bit of peanut or sesame oil until browned and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm. Stir-fry veggies until thawed and tender crisp. Return chicken to pan and heat until chicken is warmed through. Toss noodles, chicken and veggies and peanut sauce together.

Enjoy!

The thai peanut recipe was found here.

Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Sandwich

There is this little sandwich shop near my parents' house called The Philadelphian. My dad swears they have the best Philly cheese steaks you can find, in Utah at least.I remember making runs to this sandwich shop on Saturday afternoons to pick up lunch when we had been working in the yard. I found a recipe for a Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Sandwich and immediately thought of my dad and The Philadelphian. I have always been curious what a Philly cheese steak tastes like, since I do not eat beef.I figured I would give this recipe a try. Who knows if it tastes anything like a real Philly cheese steak. All I know is that it was really good, and we will be making it again.

Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Sandwich

2 Tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced
3 chicken breasts, sliced
2 Tablespoons steak seasoning (The blog I found this on says to use Dale's, I just used what I had in my spice cabinet.)
sliced mozzarella cheese
hoagie rolls

Toss chicken with steak seasoning, salt and pepper. In slow cooker add butter, onions and peppers. Then add chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. Broil hoagie roll with a slice of cheese on top until toasted and cheese is melted. Serve chicken on toasted hoagie rolls.

Enjoy!

Caramels

I have never been amazing at making caramels. My little brother, Nathan, makes killer caramel. We use the same recipe, but somehow his ALWAYS comes out 100 times better than mine. Which of course, means that it is all user error. After asking my mom a few questions about her recipe and why my caramel always came out wrong, I realized that my recipe was not entirely the same as my mom's, which is the one my brother uses. I had written down one very important part of the recipe very wrong. I wrote down to heat the caramel to hard ball stage. Does that sound wrong to anyone else? If not, you are not alone. It never crossed my mind that it could be wrong. But if you think about it, you want your caramel to be soft and chewy. It would only make sense to heat it to soft ball stage, right? I changed that one little thing and voilà!
Caramels

2 cups sugar
3/4 cups white Karo Syrup or light corn syrup
1 cube butter (1/2 cup)
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional (I like to use walnuts)

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 glass pan. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. Set aside.

Mix together sugar, butter, corn syrup, and 1/2 of the milk in a large sauce pan. Stir in high heat until boiling. Then add the rest of the milk. Turn to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, to 240 degrees (soft ball stage). Once it reaches  240 degrees, remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into buttered pan. When cool, cut and wrap in waxed paper.

Enjoy!

Two Timin' Pasta

TWO TIMIN’ PASTA BAKE

I LOVE pasta! I could eat it every night. Bo, on the other hand, loves pasta with meat, but I finally found a Pasta that he also LOVES! It’s very simple and eat it with some garlic bread and you have the perfect concoction. I threw in some sun dried tomatoes last time and we loved the new addition, thanks to my friend Archie for the suggestion. (Jess Nelson)

INGREDIENTS:

1 box Penne Pasta

1 (15 oz.) jar Alfredo sauce

1 (24 oz.) jar Marinara Sauce

2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

(Optional) Sun dried tomatoes

Cook pasta according to directions and drain.  Mix the sauces together in a large bowl.

Add the mozzarella and stir to combine.  Toss the penne in until well coated.

Pour pasta into 9x13 baking dish and cook on 350 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. 

This is so simple and so good! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Thanks for the original recipe which you’ll find HERE. J

Key Lime Pie

I got the recipe for the Key Lime Pie from my friend Tenille. She brought it to a BBQ. This pie is so light and decadent. I make this pie for every cookout that we need to bring a dessert to. It is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.
Key Lime Pie

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 large limes, zested and juiced (or 3 small limes) + extra for garnish if desired
1/2 large lemon, zested and juiced (or one small lemon)
1 graham cracker pie crust

With an electric mixer, beat heavy cream until just about fully whipped. Add sweetened condensed milk, lime and lemon and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Spoon into crust. Garnish with extra lime wedges and zest, if desired. This pie can be served immediately or refrigerated until ready to eat.

I personally think the longer it sits in the fridge, the more the flavors develop and you get a stronger lime flavor.

Enjoy!

BBQ Pork Burgers

This is more of an idea, rather than an actual recipe. We have been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the nice weather lately. So have our neighbors. One of our neighbors was grilling one night. He was telling us that they were making BBQ pork burgers. We were intrigued. We don't eat ground beef. We rarely have turkey burgers because I always feel like they lack real flavor. I asked him about his BBQ pork burgers. He told me he just mixes BBQ sauce with his ground pork and slaps them down on the grill. He puts foil down first, just in case the burger falls apart. Which it will if you add too much BBQ sauce.

The other night I decided to make these BBQ pork burgers. I changed it up a little bit because I had some ground turkey that I needed to use up as well. So I mixed together the ground turkey and ground pork. I added some sauted red onion and then the BBQ sauce. They turned out delicious!

Since there isn't an actual recipe, here are some tips and the measurements I used.

I used approximately 1 pound of ground turkey and 3/4 pound of ground pork.
I added half a red onion that I had sauted in a little bit of olive oil. You could add the onion raw, but my husband hates onions unless they are fully cooked.
I added about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of BBQ sauce. Any kind of BBQ sauce will work.
Mix it all together well with your hands and form into patties. I separated my patties with wax paper to make it easy to pick them up and get them on the grill.
Use foil on the grill if you are afraid that your mixture is too wet and might fall apart. I could have done fine without using the wax paper, but it did make clean up really easy.
Add cheese just before removing from the grill and allow it to melt.
Serve on hamburger buns with BBQ sauce, (or ketchup and mustard), sliced onions, tomatoes and lettuce.

Enjoy!

Baked French Fries

Baked French Fries

I made this with the Baked *Fried* Chicken and they were all gone the next day. I had to cook my fries for about an hour and a half. I think I did 3 Potatoes and threw them all on one pan, so that might have had an effect on the cooking time.  AMAZING!!!! :) 

Ingredients:
4 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut potatoes lengthwise into slices that are 1/3-inch thick. Soak potato strips in a bowl of water for 5 minutes. Dry the potatoes with paper towel. 

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.  Toss. Divide the potatoes between 2 baking sheets coated with olive oil spray or lined with parchment paper and spread into a single layer. Bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 50 minutes, turning the potatoes every 10 minutes. 

Place the cooked potatoes in a large bowl and toss with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Thanks TO Shape!

Baked *Fried* Chicken

This chicken is amazing and a lot healthier than fried chicken. I made it the other night with some homemade french fries (see under appetizers). Bo and I loved it!

Prep Time:     25 mins (includes soaking time)
Cook Time:   40 mins.
Yields:          6 Servings

INGREDIENTS

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloin
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp seasoned salt (I used Lawry's seasoned salt)
3/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp paprika
1/4 C butter
Buttermilk (I don't always have this on hand so you can use the buttermilk substitute recipe HERE)
1 gallon-size Ziploc (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place thawed chicken breasts in a bowl of buttermilk and let soak 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Combine and mix thoroughly flour, salt, Season All, pepper and paprika in a gallon-size ziploc bag or bowl.
4. Cut 1/4C of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13-inch pan. Melt butter in preheated oven.
5. Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.
6. Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece in flour mixture. Either shake in the bag until coated or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.
7. Place each piece of chicken in the preheated pan.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Turn each piece of chicken over and continue baking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Bakerette for the recipe!

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

You are probably going to laugh when you hear where this recipe came from, but don't discount it because it has stuck around for 17 years now. Which means that it really is delicious! I got this recipe from my 7th grade home ec/foods class. Yeah, you heard me right. Remember those TLC (Technology, Life and Career) classes? They were my favorite!

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

1 cup Bisquick mix
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
3 Tablespoons milk
raspberry jam (any flavor jam will work)

Cut Bisquick, cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until crumbly. Add milk and mix. Knead on floured surface until smooth. Grease a cookie sheet. Roll dough into rectangle shape, on cookie sheet, about 1/4" thick. Spread jam on the middle 1/3 down the long length of the dough. Cut diagonal slits along both sides that are about 1" thick.  Braid to center. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with icing while warm.

Icing:

2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon butter
dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar

Heat milk and butter in a small sauce pan. Add remaining ingredients and but until smooth and creamy.

Dessert...aka Cherry Cake

I am working on eating through my food storage in preparation of our move across country in 2 month. As I was cleaning out the food storage I came across some cherry pie filling. My first thoughts were to save it to make a pie. We will be moving long before Thanksgiving, and I would need 2 cans of pie filling to make a pie. I thought a little harder and remembered a cake my mom would make when we were younger. So I pulled out a box of cake mix from food storage and made a cake.

My mom called this cake 'Dessert.' I don't know if that was just for lack of a better name, or if that was really what it was called when she came across the recipe. I refer to it as Cherry Cake when I tell people about it. Regardless of what it is called. It is super yummy! And oh so quick to make.

Dessert aka Cherry Cake

1 box cake mix-either white or chocolate (I prefer white)
1/4 cup water
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 can cherry pie filling

Icing:
powdered sugar
milk
vanilla

Combine cake mix, water, sour cream and eggs. (The batter will be kind of thick. Don't panic, you are doing it right!) Spread on a greased and floured jelly roll pan. Drizzle or spoon cherry pie filling over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool for at least 15 minutes.

For the icing, combine powdered sugar with a little vanilla and just enough milk to make a smooth and slightly runny icing. You want to be able to drizzle the icing but not have it run all over the cake. Drizzle icing over top of slightly cooled cake before serving. Eat warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Eclair Cake

This recipe also came from my sister in law, Jamie. She makes the best desserts!

Eclair Cake

Crust:
1 stick butter
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pudding Filling:
2 packages instant vanilla pudding
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 cups cold milk

Cream Filling:
1 quart heavy cream
sugar
vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
1+/- Tablespoon milk

Crust:  Bring water and butter to a boil until butter melts. Remove from heat and add flour and salt. Beat until it forms a ball. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Spread onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. The crust will be light brown and may have large bubbles. Pierce with a fork to break bubbles and let crust cool.

Pudding Filling: Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pudding and milk and beat until thickened and very smooth. (this will take a while...like 5 minutes or more.) Spread mixture onto crust.

Cream Filling: Beat heavy cream to make whipped cream. Sweeten with sugar and vanilla. Spread whipped cream on top of pudding filling.

Topping: Melt chocolate chips and butter together. Add powdered sugar and milk. Add additional milk as needed to make a thin glaze. Drizzle on top of cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Just as a fair warning...this cake is like crack. You can't stop eating it. Everyone who has had it has loved it. Thanks Jamie for the awesome recipe! Enjoy!


Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

These Rice Krispie treats put all other Rice Krispie treats to shame. You can't stop eating them! And they are super easy to make. Maybe not the most healthy thing to make, but definitely easy to make. Anything that contains 2 1/2 sticks of butter has to be good, right?

Marshmallow Caramel Rice Krispie Treats

2 1/2 sticks butter
3 packages 16 oz mini marshmallows
14 cups Rice Krispies
50 kraft caramels squares or 2 c kraft caramel bites
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bottom layer:  Melt 1 stick butter and 1 package of mini marshmallows together in a large pot. Add 7 cups Rice Krispies. Spread on a large greased cookie sheet.

Marshmallow layer: Sprinkle one package of mini marshmallows on top of bottom layer.

Caramel layer: In a medium sauce pan over low heat, melt caramels, 1/2 stick butter and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir constantly to keep from burning. Pour over marshmallows.

Top layer: Melt 1 stick butter and 1 package of mini marshmallows together in a large pot. Add remaining 7 cups Rice Krispies. Spread over caramel layer.

Enjoy

Creamy Pesto Penne

Noodles and Company has this dish, Pesto Cavatappi, that is super, duper delicious. I order it almost every time I go. I got this brilliant idea that I was going to make it at home. It couldn't be that hard, could it? I found a recipe online from a woman who used to work at Noodles. Her recipe went something like this: 'Reduce 1 oz white wine in a skillet. Then add 1 oz heavy cream and reduce. Then add .5 oz sauteed mushrooms and 1.5 oz tomatoes and 1 oz pesto and 10 oz of pasta. Top with 1 oz Parmesan.' Ok, so I understand measurements and all, but what ever happened to cups and tablespoons? I was doing good with the recipe until we started mixing fluid ounces with weight ounces. So then I just gave up and decided to make up my own recipe. And the crazy part was I decided to serve my concoction to dinner guests that night without ever making it before. Should have thought through that one a little more cuz I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out...or if it would even turn out at all. Luckily, the recipe turned out really good and everyone loved it. It isn't really close to Pesto Cavatappi but it still tastes yummy. I served this with asparagus.

Creamy Pesto Penne
 
1 box penne
1/2 cup white wine (you can also use chicken broth)
2 cups heavy cream
2 ounces cream cheese
3/4 cup pesto
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
parmesan cheese


Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in butter until just tender. Drain and set aside.


In a large skillet reduce wine then add cream and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add pesto and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. (You can also add more garlic if you want.) Add tomatoes, mushrooms and pasta. Cook until warmed through. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Marshmallow Cake

This recipe is one the most delicious cake that you will ever eat. That is the good news. The bad news is that it took me 4 hours to make start to finish. Truth be told, I could have done it in less time had I thought ahead and made the custard before the cake and let it cool. It also takes time to bake the cake and wait for it to cool before you can cut it up and assemble it. In actuality, the cake should only take about an hour to make if you don't count the bake and cooling time. But when all is said and done, this cake is totally worth all the time and effort. It is so decadent and moist...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

*Special note: You can use store bought custard instead of making your own and it will cut a large chunk of time out of making the cake. I made my custard because I had so many left over egg yolks from the marshmallow part of the recipe.

Lemon Marshmallow Cake

Cake:

2 1/2 cups cake flour (it is important to use cake flour otherwise the cake will be really dense)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 large egg
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Lemon Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Filling:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2/3 cup lemon curd (see below)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves or jam, stirred to lossen (I used homemade raspberry jam with seeds)

Marshmallow Topping:

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon Curd:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon Curd:

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium-low heat; remove from heat and stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, egg yolks and salt.

Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and your finger leaves a path on the back of a wooden spoon when you draw across it. Do not allow the curd to boil. Curd will thicken as it chills.

Strain curd through a sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly against surface of curd. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold and thick. (Will keep in fridge for 3 weeks and in freezer for 3 months.)

Cake:

Heat oven to 350°. Coat (2) 8" round cake pans with non-stick spray; line bottom of pans with parchment or waxed paper.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Beat butter, sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl with paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes; beat in egg, then egg whites and vanilla, until blended. With mixer on low, alternately beat flour mixture and buttermilk until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and continue to beat batter for 2 minutes, until very smooth. Divide batter between pans and spread tops until level and smooth.

Bake 33 to 35 minutes, until pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cakes in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of cake with a knife and unmold onto rack; remove paper, invert cakes and cool completely on racks.

Lemon Syrup:

While cakes are baking, combine sugar and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice.

Filling:

Beat cream and sugar in mixer bowl with whisk attachment until stiff; with billowy peaks forming when beaters are lifted. Place lemon curd in a medium bowl and stir 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into it to loosen; then fold in remaining whipped cream until combined.

To Assemble:

Cut each cake layer in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Place one layer on a cake plate protected by strips of waxed paper; brush all over with lemon syrup, then spread one third of the jam (about 2 1/2 tablespoons) over to cover. Top with one third of the lemon cream and gently spread over jam layer. Top with another cake layer, brush with lemon syrup, then spread with jam and more lemon cream. Repeat with the third layer. Brush the cut side of the last cake layer with lemon syrup and place cut side down on top of the cake. Brush the top and sides of the cake with any remaining syrup. (At this point the cake can be covered and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead before finishing with marshmallow topping.)

Marshmallow Topping:

Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tarter in a large metal bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmer water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are very warm to the touch, about 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to bowl of a stand mixer. Beat 5 to 7 minutes, starting on low and gradually increasing to high until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Spread over top and sides of cake with  metal spatula in decorative swirls. Using a handheld butane creme brulee torch, lightly brown the marshmallow topping. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days.

ENJOY!

Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

I was watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network the other day and she was making Toasted Coconut Marshmallows. It was so easy I had to give it a try. These things are to die for!
Toasted Coconut Marshmallows

7 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water, divided
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
powdered sugar for dusting

In a large skillet, over medium heat, toast coconut until lightly browned; stir frequently. Remove immediately from pan and set aside. (If you don't remove from pan the coconut continues to toast and can burn.) Sprinkle half of the toasted coconut on the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine 1/2 cup cold water and gelatin. Mix with a spoon just until gelatin is moist. Let sit while you prepare the syrup.

In a medium sauce pan combine 1/2 cup water, 1 1/2 cups sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Raise heat to high and cook until syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.

With the mixer on low, slowly pour the syrup into the dissolved gelatin. (my gelatin had started to gel, this is ok.) Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Pour marshmallow into pan over the toasted coconut. Smooth top of marshmallow with damp hands. (this keeps it from sticking to you.) Sprinkle with remaining toasted coconut and allow to dry uncovered, overnight.

Remove marshmallow from pan and cut into squares. Roll the sides of each marshmallow in powdered sugar. Store uncovered at room temperature.

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

When I was home visiting family once, my mom was ranting and raving about this soup. My whole family loves it. She was so adamant that I had to try this soup that she made it for me for lunch and finished it just before I walked out the door for the airport. I am so glad that she made it for me. It is DELICIOUS! I loved it so much that I made it for my husband shortly after I got home. My favorite is the homemade tortilla chip strips.

Chicken Cheese Tortilla Soup

(10) 6" corn tortillas - cut into 1/4" thick strips
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
15 oz. can tomato puree
4 cups chicken broth
+/- 1/4 cup hot sauce, to taste - add a little at a time, sampling as you go. You can always add more later.
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, minced (optional)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder (I used half chili powder, half chipotle powder.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup flour mixed with 1/2 cup water
1 pound chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
8 oz. Velveeta cheese, cubed
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped - for garnish

Spray tortilla strips with non-stick cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees F until crispy; lightly salt if desired.

In a large pot, over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic in oil until soft. Add the next 10 ingredients to the pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Whisk flour/water mixture into soup. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken and continue to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add heavy cream, sour cream and cheese to pot; stir until cheese has melted.

Pour into soup bowls. Top with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Sour Cream Raspberry Ice Cream

The best homemade ice cream...ever!
 
Sour Cream Raspberry Ice Cream

2 packages (10 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed and crushed*
4 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream
6 eggs beaten
1 (5 1/3 oz) can evaporated milk
1 quart heavy whipping cream
5 teaspoons vanilla

Combine berries, sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Combine berry mixture, eggs, milk and cream in a freezer can. Mix. Churn freeze**.

*You can also add a mashed banana or 2 if you want with the berries.
 
**You may have to move the ice cream into another container and put in the freezer at the very end to get the ice cream to set up hard. Since the ice cream has a high fat content it will only freeze to soft serve in the churn freezer.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

I had signed up to feed the missionaries once while my husband was working nights and we would not be able to actually have them over for dinner. I just took dinner to their apartment instead. I needed a recipe that would travel well and found this lasagna recipe that I wanted to try. I really should try recipes before I just make them and serve them to other people but then that takes the fun out of it. And if it turns out really horrible then there are less left overs that I have to feel guilty throwing away. Luckily, this lasagna was great! It is a perfect freezer meal idea.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

9 Lasagna noodles
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1-4 cloves garlic, minced (Depends on how much you love garlic. The original recipe calls for only one clove but I added 4 and thought it was great. I think one just isn't enough.)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (I boiled my chicken with seasoned salt, celery salt and poultry seasoning.)
1 pound bag fresh spinach, de-stemmed, steamed and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (I used approx. 1 teaspoon dry parsley)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water until just softened. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth, wine and milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with basil, oregano and black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine ricotta cheese and spinach and set aside.

In a 9x13 baking dish layer as follows:
1/3 sauce
3 noodles
1/2 ricotta/spinach mixture
1/2 chicken
1/3 sauce
1/3 cheese
3 noodles
1/2 ricotta/spinach
1/2 chicken
1/3 cheese
3 noodles
1/3 sauce
1/3 cheese

Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees F.

I am pretty sure I got almost every dish in the kitchen dirty making this. But that is how it always is when I make lasagna.

Garlic Chicken with Orzo

I love finding new recipes that are yummy. This Garlic Chicken with Orzo is one of the recipes that I found on Allrecipes and thought it sounded good. The original recipes is a little bit different than my recipe. I like to make things up as I go sometimes. My favorite part of Allrecipes is that people leave comments about the recipe; how to improve it, what they changed, etc. I like to read the recipes along with the comments and then make the dish following the recipes and incorporating all the comments that I like. This is what I came up with:

Garlic Chicken with Orzo

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 chicken breasts, cubed
salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon oregano
feta cheese for topping
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, brown orzo in butter. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring frequently, until orzo is al dente and broth is absorbed. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and red pepper until fragrant and garlic is golden brown. Stir in chicken, season with salt, and cook until lightly browned and juices run clear. Reduce heat to medium, and mix in the parsley and cooked orzo. Stir in spinach, tomatoes and oregano. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted. Stir in lemon juice and lemon zest. Serve sprinkled with feta.

The red pepper gives it a little bit of a kick and the flavors are just amazing. The fresh lemon juice and zest add a whole other dimension of taste. I served this with asparagus

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

This recipe has become one of our favorite dinners. The thing that makes this dish amazing in my opinion is the homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
2 (15.5 oz) cans red beans, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 diced green bell pepper
1 diced yellow or red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon sherry
6 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
homemade buttermilk ranch dressing*

In a large skillet, brown sausage and onions; drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce, bell peppers, garlic, oregano and thyme. Reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in sherry during the last 5 minutes. Serve over rice. Garnish with green onions. Serve with homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.

*I use Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing mix and follow the dressing recipe that calls for mayo and buttermilk.

Enjoy!