Chef Autumn P

Garlic Parmesan Kale Chips

2012-03-15T09:59:00.000-04:00

I've been seeing versions of this all over Pinterest and was super skeptical. How the hell can lettuce turn into a chip? Well it can, and kale does. These were so good! Gary had a couple friends over last night and everyone munched on these over tortilla chips.

Most recipes use sea salt or seasoned salt, but I used garlic salt and Parmesan cheese to season instead. It turned out amazing. I'll definitely be making these regularly.

Here's what you need:

1 bunch of kale, Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cut out the kale stems and cut the leaves into bite sized pieces. Then toss them all into a gallon-sized bag with 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp pepper and 1 tsp garlic salt. Shake it all up to distribute the olive oil and garlic salt evenly. Then just lay them all out on a baking sheet and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes.

Super easy. Super healthy. Super delicious.

Shamrock Shake Copycat Recipe

2012-03-14T09:49:00.000-04:00

St. Patricks Day is coming around this weekend!!! What does that mean besides hitting every bar in a 10 mile radius and getting silly off Irish Car Bombs? Shamrock Shakes! I made these last night after dinner, and let me tell you... Amazing. My boyfriend, Gary, had never had one of these shakes from McDonalds. Crazy right? But once he tried this, he was hooked. I have a feeling I'll be making these again.

Here's what you'll need:

Vanilla ice cream, Milk, Peppermint extract, green food coloring, and whipped cream to top it off.

Just mix 4 cups of ice cream, 1 1/2 cups or milk, 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, and a couple drops of food coloring in a blender. Blend just enough that the ice cream breaks up. The McDonalds shake has a super thick consistency, and if you over blend this you'll end up with a liquidy shake. Top it off with whipped cream, and maybe a cherry and you're all set!

Time Saving Kitchen Tips

2012-03-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

We all know that week night dinners need to be fast and easy. After a hectic day, I just want to relax and watch The Biggest Loser. (Yes, that's my guilty pleasure.) The last thing I want to do is spend 2 hours in the kitchen making dinner. My office doesn't close until 6:00pm so by the time I get home at 6:30, I don't always have dinner ready until 7:30 or 8:00, which is entirely too late for my belly.

The tips below really helped me to cut down on afternoon prep time and get dinner on the table as fast as
possible... and me on the couch in front of Bob Harper as fast as possible ;)

1. Use your crock pot. I mean really put it to use. It's so nice to toss some ingredients in a pot in the morning, then coming home to a hot meal. I use the slow cooker for dinner at least 3 times a week, but when I'm making a meal that doesn't solely rely on the crock pot, I try to employ it somehow to cut down on prep work later. I like to toss a couple chicken breasts in there, season them and top with a cup of broth. And there you have it, I have chicken ready to shred for a casserole, burrito, salad or whatever. You can also cook large batches at once and freeze the shredded chicken in plastic bags.

2. Plan ahead! I can't stress this enough. I plan my meals 2-3 weeks in advance, to minimize grocery expenses and to save time. Before I started planning meals, there were so many days that I didn't pre-thaw the meat and ended up defrosting it in the microwave. This extra step can add 10-20 minutes to your dinner prep time! Taking an hour on a weekend to plan your meals will give you a guide to know what you need that week and what needs to be thawed out.

3. Prepare ahead. This is along the same lines as planning, but if you already know what you're cooking this week, you can prepare ahead. If Monday's dinner and Thursday's dinner require a chopped onion, then chop 2 on Monday and save the second onion for later in the week. Also, employ your weekend. I like to make a big batch of marinara sauce on a Saturday and freeze it in quart sized plastic bags for use during the rest of the month.

4. Use your microwave. Baked potato? Microwaves in about 15 minutes. That sucker would take a whole hour to cook in the oven. The microwave is a great way to steam vegetables as well. Just place them in a bowl with a couple tablespoons of water and microwave in 2 minute increments until ready.

5. Buy frozen veggies. Frozen vegetables are a God send. First, they're pre-cut saving you the hassle of chopping up vegetables. Second, you can buy specific mixes that fit your meal perfectly. I love the stir-fry vegetable mix from Kroger. It's great to toss the veggies in a skillet, and heat them up super quickly, toss with my crock pot shredded chicken and teriyaki sauce and serve over a bed of brown rice. 15 minute meal right there. Third, they have the same nutrients as fresh produce, and because they're harvested in season, they can be of better quality than what's in the produce section. So definitely do not turn up your nose at the frozen vegetables.

What are your favorite time-saving tips and tricks? Leave a comment and share!

No Boil Stuffed Manicotti

2012-03-12T10:59:00.002-04:00

First post!!!

I wanted to start off with a hearty Italian recipe that we always enjoy in my house. Stuffed Manicotti! This recipe takes out the extra step of boiling your cannelloni tubes al dente. Once they're boiled, the manicotti is so fragile and will often split when you're filling them. By cooking them for an hour in the marinara sauce, you can skip the hassle of boiling the pasta. This is a great recipe if you're looking for an easy manicotti.

This recipe makes 14 stuffed cannelloni which feeds quite a few people, so definitely half this recipe if you're only cooking for a few.

Test this one out on your family and let me know how it goes! (Full recipe at the bottom)

You'll need:

Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1 Italian Sausage link, 1 egg, Frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained), Parmesan cheese, Manicotti or Cannelloni, Italian seasoning, Marinara sauce, salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Cut open the ends of the sausage links and squeeze the meat into a large skillet. Brown the sausage and break the meat up into small chunks. Be careful to not crowd the meat!

Place a thin layer of marinara into the bottom of a greased 9"x13" baking dish and an 8"x8" baking dish. For space purposes, I'm only photographing the 9"x13".

Once the sausage has finished browning, combine the ricotta, 6 oz or 1.5 cups mozzarella, sausage, egg, spinach, parmesan, salt, pepper and 1 tsp Italian seasoning.

Once this has all been mixed together well, I empty the bowl into a gallon Ziploc bag. I've seen people use frosting bags for this, but I'm not a baker in the slightest so I never have these on hand! Cut about a 1/2" opening from the bottom corner of the bag.

Take each cannelloni tube and squeeze enough filling that it's just slightly spilling out the ends. If a chunk of sausage gets stuck which happens often) I just push it through with my fingers. Place in your baking dish with enough room for the pasta to expand.

Once completed, pour a lot of marinara sauce over your stuffed manicotti. Remember, these need enough liquid to cook the manicotti thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the dish.

Cover with foil and bake for about an hour.

Voila! Beautiful stuffed pasta!

(Printer-friendly Recipe)

Ingredients:

15 oz ricotta
8 oz mozzarella, divided
8 oz or 2 links Italian sausage, browned
1 egg
10 oz package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
14 Manicotti/Cannelloni tubes
2 jars Marinara sauce
Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Brown Italian sausage in large skillet.
3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, 1.5 cups mozzarella, Italian sausage, egg, spinach, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Pour a thin layer of marinara over the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish and an 8"x8" baking dish..
5. Pour mixture into a gallon Ziploc bag, cut open end and squeeze filling into tubes.
6. Place filled manicotti in the baking dish, leaving space for the pasta to expand.
7. Top with the remaining marinara sauce and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top.
8. Cover with foil and bake for approximately 1 hour.