Cracked Up Kitchen

Pulled Pork Tacos with Smoky Cilantro Slaw

2012-01-27T18:12:00.000-08:00

One more Pioneer Woman success. I love her. I made this slaw and I have to admit that I had to make a couple changes b/c it wasn't super flavorful, which I'm assuming was my error but after I added my flair we loved it!! I decided to make tacos instead of sandwiches because it seemed like the right thing to do. And it was. As you can see, we like an even slaw-to-pork ratio. Don't let that scare you.

For the kids I made this into quesadillas and layered the pork, slaw, and some cheese in between two tortillas which was also super delicious and they scarfed it down, which is more than I can say for their usual behavior towards anything with the word "slaw" in it.

Smoky Cilantro Slaw
recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

1 head cabbage, sliced
4 green onions, sliced
1 c. cilantro, chopped
1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. mayo
1 Tb. vinegar
1-2 Tb. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of cayenne pepper
2 Tb. adobo sauce (leftover from pork)

Mix everything together and refrigerate an hour before serving.

Pulled Pork Tacos
recipe from Pioneer Woman

3 lbs pork loin roast
1/2 can chipotle in adobo (just toss 3-4 chipotle peppers and drizzle some of the adobo sauce on there)
1 can Dr. Pepper (I used diet, worked great)
1 Tb. brown sugar
1 onion, quartered
corn tortillas

Place the onions on the bottom of a crockpot and put the roast on top of them. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Pour the chipotles and adobo sauce on the top of the roast. Pour in the Dr. Pepper and stir the brown sugar into that. Cook on low heat all day. When the roast easily falls apart with two forks, remove it from the pot and shred. Chop the chopotles up. Skim the fat off of the top of the cooking liquid and discard. Put the shredded pork back & chipotles into the liquid. Keep on warm setting until you're ready to eat. To assemble tacos put a couple fork-fulls of pork onto the corn tortilla. Top with lots of smoky cilantro slaw. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Shrimp & Lemon Vinaigrette

2012-01-25T11:58:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe and it looked amazing. It called for quinoa but I had on hand some "Harvest Grains" from Trader Joes that had Israeli couscous, quinoa and some other stuff and that was really good! So I say, make it with quinoa or Israeli couscous.

I ate some leftover for lunch on a bed of spinach and it was really great, so good that next time I'll serve it as a tossed salad on spinach or arugula. A few things I'll do differently next time: leave out the pomegranate arils (turns out I'm not a fan), add the corn (that I defrosted and left in the microwave), and serve on greens.

I must admit, that as much as I liked this, my family wasn't a huge fan of this salad....kids especially and they pretty much eat everything so maybe not super kid-friendly!

Quinoa Salad with Shrimp and Lemon Vinaigrette
recipe adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

Lemon Vinaigrette:
1/2 c. plus 2 Tb. fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
5 garlic cloves, pressed
dash of sugar
1 Tb. honey
1/2 tsp sea salt
lots of fresh black pepper
1 c. olive oil
dash (or two) of cayenne pepper

Mix everything together in a jar and shake well.

Quinoa Salad:
1 1/4 c. dry quinoa or Israeli couscous, prepared & cooled
2 oranges, peeled, segmented and chopped
1 c. frozen or fresh corn
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-3/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 c. pomegranate arils (optional)
4 green onions, chopped
1 lb shrimp, peeled and rinsed

Toss the shrimp with a few tablespoons of the dressing and refrigerate while you prepare the salad. To make the salad mix cooked quinoa or couscous, oranges, corn, cucumber, black beans, cilantro, pomegranate and onions together in a bowl. Then heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat, add in the shrimp and coook until just pink. Try not to overcook the shrimp. Serve the salad at room temperature or cold, with shrimp on top and drizzle with dressing.

Green Chile & Cheddar Chicken and Cilantro Lime Rice

2012-01-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

We love green chiles. And cheese. And cilantro. This is one of our favorite cominations. I found the rice recipe on Our Best Bites (shocker) and I find that it goes with almost anything. Next time I'm going to try making it with brown rice.

We were lucky enough to be in Flagstaff Labor Day weekend when the farmer's market was roasting and selling fresh Hatch green chiles and we bought a case. I mean a half case or quarter case just wouldn't have been enough...right? This is a great way to use a fresh, roasted green chile OR just use a while green chile from a can.

I marinate the chicken in a mesquite marinade that I love from Fry's, but any mexican/smokey marinade would be great or you could season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic and cumin.

Green Chile & Cheddar Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c. bottled mesquite marinade
4 whole green chiles, roasted
4 slices sharp cheddar cheese (preferably Tillamook)

Marinate the chicken in the mesquite marinade for several hours. Heat a grill and cook chicken several minutes on each side. When the chicken is almost cooked top with a green chile and slice of cheese. Close the grill just long enough to melt the cheese.

Cilantro Lime Rice
recipe from Our Best Bites

1 c. white rice, cooked as directed
2 Tb. butter
1-2 limes, juiced (taste as you go, I use 2)
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
3/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
salt & pepper

Once the rice is cooked, and still hot, stir in the butter, lime juice, pineapple and cilantro. Serve immediately. Goes great with enchiladas, tacos, or just about anything.

Steak with Onions and Blue Cheese Sauce

2012-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

My husband came home from 12 days in China and requested a big American steak so...I delivered. We wanted blue cheese and I remebered this sauce from Our Best Bites so I whipped it up really quick and it turned out great! (It's also great on burgers which is what they use it for.)

Any kind of steak would be fantastic, we used porter house steaks from Costco--or do the whole thing on a burger too.

Steak with Onions and Blue Cheese SauceBlue Cheese Sauce:
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 c. mayo
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tb. red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. blue cheese

Mix everything together and let refrigerate until you're ready for it.

Caramelized Onions:
2 medium yellow or white onions
2-3 Tb. butter

Slice the onions thinly. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and melt the butter. Add in the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until they are brown and caramelized.

Steaks:
4 small or 2 large steaks (about 1 1/2 lbs)
sea salt
fresh black pepper
granulated garlic

Heat a grill or grill pan. Drizzle steaks with a little olive oil and season both sides liberally. Cook the steaks according to your done-ness preference. We like ours medium-rare so we cook a couple minutes on each side.

Remove steaks from grill and top with lots of onions and serve the blue cheese sauce on the side.

Quick Pesto Marinara

2012-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

I whipped this up the other night to have over spaghetti squash, which is not exactly a complete substitution for actual noodles, but it is better on the daily calorie count so...anyway--this sauce is very good! I don't know why I never thought to put some pesto into the marinara before but it added lots of great flavor.

Next time I'll double or triple this and freeze the leftovers.

Quick Pesto Marinara

1 Tb. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
6 oz can tomato paste
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can tomato sauce
2-3 tsp. italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. sugar
dash of crushed red pepper
2-4 Tb. pesto

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Saute peppers and onions for a few minutes, until soft. Add in garlic and lower heat to medium and cook a minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook a couple minutes until the paste starts to deepen in color. Add in seasoning, sugar, crushed red pepper, tomatoes, sauce and pesto. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Enchilada Soup

2012-01-16T13:58:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe and it looked so great I had to make it! I've now made it five times!! We usually make it vegetarian so I'll include both the chicken and vegetarian version in this post, the picture is of the chicken. I made a few changes to the original recipe and this is now one of our winter favorites!

After much taste-testing I've decided my favorite enchilada sauce is the Market Pantry from Target, super gourmet I know! It is very good and not bitter like some seem to be.

Enchilada Soup
adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

2 10-oz cans red enchilada sauce
15 oz can black beans, rinsed
15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 1/2 c. frozen corn (I prefer Trader Joe's super sweet frozen corn)
1 can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom for vegetarian)
1 1/2 c. milk
2 chicken breasts (sub an extra can of beans of your choice for vegetarian)

In a small saute pan, cook the bell pepper and onion until soft. Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high 3-4 hours or low all day. Before serving, shred the chicken breasts with two forks if using chicken. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheese.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

2012-01-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

My cousin told me about a salad she had at a restaurant and it sounded really good, so we made it the next day. It was good! I think some homemade dressing would be great but I had some Ken's light Caesar on hand and it turned out great.

The recipe isn't very precise, I just grilled some chicken, boiled some pasta and assembled individual salads for lunch so you could easily make a huge family-size bowl for lunch or dinner and adjust as you like it.

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
makes 2 individual salads

4-6 c. chopped romaine lettuce
1 large chicken breast, grilled with lots of garlic pepper and sea salt
2 c. cooked short-cut pasta (I used rotini)
fresh parmesan cheese, shaved (as much as you like)
1/4 C. Caesar dressing, divided

To make the salads, layer in a bowl 3/4-1 c. cooked pasta, 2 or 3 c. chopped romaine, sliced chicken breast, parmesan shavings and drizzle with as much dressing as you like. Toss to coat.

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup

2012-01-04T13:05:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe on one of my new favorite blogs Skinny Taste, which is super awesome because she makes everything low-fat, low-cal and lists the nutrition facts and Weight Watcher's points...so if you're into counting calories go there!

I did adapt the recipe a bit but overall the basis is the same and it was really good! I think next time I'll add some diced bell pepper with the onions.

Spaghetti & Meatball Soup
adapted from Skinny Taste

For the soup:
2 tsp. olive oil or cooking spray
1 onion, chopped 1/3 c. set aside
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
8 c. chicken stock
4 c. water
2 c. marinara sauce (canned or jarred is great)
1 Tb. dried parsley
1/2 Tb. dried basil
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt & pepper to taste
12.5 oz box thin spaghetti, broken in pieces (I used wheat)

For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 lb. chicken or turkey italian sausage
1/3 c. chopped onion, reserved from above
2 eggs
1/2 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley

In a soup pot heat olive oil or cooking spray over medium-high heat and saute onion for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add in garlic and cook another minute. Stir in stock, water, seasonings. Heat over medium-high heat until it starts to bubble and let simmer for 5 minutes. In the meantime mix together the meatballs and roll into small, 1 inch balls. Drop the meatballs into the broth and let cook 5 minutes. Drop in the broken spaghetti and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Be careful not to overcook the noodles because they will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits. Enjoy with a slice of crusty bread or rolls.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix

2011-12-21T21:14:00.001-08:00

I found this...ahem, on Pinterest. I'm kind of obsessed as I'm sure you've noticed. I found this recipe as a gift idea and after I pinned it, my friend told me she had made it and loved it. Of course that's all the encouragement I needed.

My family has now gone through 3 full batches, my friend demolished her jar and my son's teacher enjoyed it also. I highly recommend this as a last-minute neighbor/mailman/paper boy gift. OR just make some Christmas morning for your family.

The original recipe called for powdered milk and to stir themix into hot water but I really prefer milk so I skipped the powdered stuff and mix mine into hot milk. And then top it off with strong coffee and...well, sometimes whipped cream.

Peppermint Hot C hocolate Mix

adapted from my recipes

1 c. cocoa powder
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c. miniature chocolate chips
1/2 c. crushed candy canes or peppermint discs

Layer ingredients in a jar and tie with a ribbon to gift to a friend. Or stir it all together in an air-tight container and keep on hand for personal use.

To serve--Stir 3 Tb. mix into 1 c. hot milk.

Strawberry Jello Salad

2011-12-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

This is a salad in the loosest sense of the word. I don't get it at all...but I do LOVE it! We actually eat this at holidays on a salad day with our dinner. I mean, that way we don't have to choose between this and pie.

My mom has made this on Thanksgiving and Christmas every year as long as I can remember. I truly don't know any other family that would call something with a pretzel/butter crust, cream cheese/whipped cream filling, and a jello top a "salad" but I'll take it. This would make a great summer dessert!

Make this, if you want to feel like a Midwestern.

Strawberry Jello Salad

2 ½ c. crushed pretzels (about 9 oz.)
¾ c. melted butter
3 tb. sugar

8 oz. cream cheese
½ c. sugar
1 tub Cool Whip, defrosted

6 oz pkg. strawberry jello
2 c. boiling water
10 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed.

Stir together crushed pretzels, sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a greased 9x13'' pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool crust completely. In another bowl cream together softened cream cheese and sugar with a mixer, then fold in the Cool Whip and carefully spread over the cooled crust. Put the pan into the fridge while preparing the last layer. Combine Jello, boiling water and strawberries. Let chill one hour until Jello mixture begins to set (this will prevent the Jello from leaking through to the crust). Pour over cream cheese mixture. Chill a few hours or until Jello is completely set.

Cranberry Salsa

2011-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

I spotted this recipe on Pinterest and really wanted to try it. I made a couple changes and we just love this stuff! It's great with tortilla chips on its own, or our favorite is spread over cream cheese with crackers. YUM.

This recipe is so simple and quick to make, I think I'm going to make it for the neighbors for Christmas. Making 10 batches of this would be WAY quicker than cookies. AND if I eat a whole bunch I wouldn't un-do all of my bootcamp hard work.

Cranberry Salsa
adapted from bake-aholic

1 package of fresh cranberries (12 oz)
1/2 c. sugar
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, roughly chopped (I left in some seeds.)
3 green onion, roughly chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp cumin

Pulse everything together in the food processer until chopped to your liking. I left in some chunks. Refrigerate 12 hours before serving. This will stay good in the fridge a long time (up to 2 weeks.) Serve with tortilla chips or over cream cheese with crackers.

Loaded Kettle Chips

2011-11-24T11:04:00.001-08:00

Rob and I went out to dinner the other night to a restaurant in Central Phoenix called the Windsor. (Which we would highly recommend.) They have a delectable treat called "Loaded Chips." We ate every last chip and immediately decided I MUST re-create them.

Today, for Thanksgiving we obviously "needed" some appetizers before our big dinner at 6:00 so I made these Loaded Kettle Chips and I have decided that this is my favorite recipe I've ever invented or re-created myself. A-mazing. It would be really simple to make these vegetarian without the bacon. I did not make my own kettle chips because I didn't feel like it and I had already made an entire Thanksgiving feast with my sister and I was too tired to fry chips. However, if you have a fry daddy all ready it would be super fantastic with homemade chips.

Loaded Kettle Chips
with Caramelized Balsamic Onions, Bacon, Blue Cheese & Chipotle Cream

1 lb bacon, chopped and crisply cooked

Caramelized Balsamic Onions:
3 1/2 medium/large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 Tb EVOO (or reserve some bacon grease...YUM)
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper

Chipotle Cream:
1/2 c. sour cream
1 heaping Tb mayo
1 chipotle, minced
1-2 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle can
1-2 tsp granulated garlic

3/4-1 c. blue cheese crumbles

2-19 oz bags kettle chips

To make the onions: Heat oil or grease in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat until the onions start to soften and brown. Pour in balsamic vinegar and lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 30-35 minutes until onions are completely soft and caramelized. Season with salt & pepper.

To make the chipotle cream: Mix together sour cream, mayo, chipotle, adobo sauce and garlic. Taste and adjust garlic and adobo to your liking. It should be pretty spicy because it is just a drizzle on the top.

To assemble chips: Heat an oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and pour the chips in a layer on the sheet. Sprinkle on the bacon, then the onions, then the blue cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until the blue cheese starts to melt. Remove from the oven and drizzle on the chipotle cream to your liking. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2011-11-21T12:11:00.001-08:00

We had a sandwich like this at a restaurant recently and Rob and I both fell in love immediately. Of course I had to recreate it with my own flare, so I added a balsamic reduction. Rob told me that if he were a vegetarian, he would eat this sandwich once a week.

Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwich
makes four sandwiches

8 slices of sourdough bread
4 Tb softened butter
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
large beefsteak tomato sliced
fresh basil leaves
4 Tb Pesto
Balsamic reduction

To make the sandwiches, butter one side of each slice of bread. Spread 1 Tb of Pesto on one piece of bread, then layer on top Basil leaves, Tomatoes & Mozzarella Cheese. Grill for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Buffalo Wing dip

2011-11-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

I've had buffalo wing dip many times. I've always liked it but some are better than others. This one is really, really good. My friend made this at a party recently and I just loved it. So of course I made it myself...and added a little extra cheese, because--why not?

I made this at my daughter's birthday dinner to go with pizza and we scraped out the crock pot! This dip goes well with celery sticks or tortilla chips. Or pizza crust too. I made 1 1/2 the recipe for 5 adults so I would highly recommend doubling for a party.

Buffalo Wing Dip

2 c. shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1 block cream cheese (neufchatel works great), softened
1/2 c. Franks Buffalo sauce
1/2 c. Ranch dressing
1/2 c. shredded (sharp) cheedar cheese

Mix together all ingredients and either put inside a little dipper crock pot for an hour or bake in an 8'' square pan at 350 for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips and celery.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

2011-11-09T19:46:00.000-08:00

I think I've blogged enchiladas before. Maybe once or twice. And probably you're getting the picture that we love Mexican food. Like really, really love it!

This recipe is based off of the creamy chicken enchiladas that I feel like everyone knows the recipe for, but of course I had to kick it up a notch and I like to use corn tortillas for a few reasons. One, because their much healthier for you. And two, because they hold up much better with filling and sauce without getting soggy. And I just like them.

I made this in my Pampered Chef deep covered baker and cooked it in the microwave (it's unbelievable how amazing stuff turns out in that thing!) BUT, a 9x13 pan would work out great. We ate ours with a few dots of sriracha for an extra kick, because we're punchy like that.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

10-12 corn tortillas, quartered
1 12-oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cooked & chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used reduced fat)
1 c. (heaping) sour cream
1/4 of an onion, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed, minced (You can sub a fork-full of nacho slices)
4 whole roasted hatch chiles, peeled and chopped (or 1 4-oz can chopped green chiles)
salt & pepper to taste
2 c. shredded colby-jack or cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together the chicken, soup, sour cream, onion, garlic, jalapeno and green chiles. Taste and add more jalapeno and salt & pepper if needed. To assemble, pour a little bit of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer the tortilla quarters in a single layer. Spread on half of the chicken mixture, half of the cheese and top with another single layer of tortillas. Spread a little more sauce on top of that. Add the other half of the chicken mixture, the cheese and another tortilla layer. Top with more enchilada sauce. Bake 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (If using the deep covered baker, microwave covered 15 minutes.) Let stand 10 minutes to let it settle before cutting and serving.

Parmesan Italian Chicken

2011-11-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe in a magazine advertizement for Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix a long time ago. I'm pretty sure I (kind of) discreetly tore it out of a magazine in a doctor's office at the time. Over the last several years I've made this many times, especially when I don't have dinner planned and it's somewhat last minute.

In this photo I used chicken breast tenders, but chicken breast halves work well also.

Parmesan Italian Chicken

1/2 c. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 envelope Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or tenders)

Preheat oven to 400. In a pie plate mix together the cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder. Dredge the chicken in the cheese mixture, patting to coat it well. Bake in a 9x13 pan 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (Tenders take less time to cook that chicken breasts.)

Peanut Butter Cheese Ball

2011-11-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Yet another recipe I found on Pinterest. I had all of the ingredients for this so I made it right away for the ladies in our small group and it was a hit. My favorite dipper with this was the granny smith apples, the tart apples with the sweet peanut butter ball was a great combo.

Peanut Butter Cheese Ball
adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c. powdered sugar
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter (not all-natural)
3 Tb packed brown sugar
1 1/2 c. chocolate or mini chocolate chips
Apple slices, graham sticks and/or animal crackers for dipping
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter and brown sugar in large mixing bowl until blended.
Spoon onto a large piece of plastic wrap, bring up all four corners and twist tightly forming into a ball shape.
Freeze for 1 1/2 hours, or until firm enough to keep its shape. Place the chocolate chips on a plate. Remove plastic wrap and roll the ball into the chocolate chips to completely cover, pressing them into the ball if necessary.
Place ball on serving dish; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until almost firm. (Can be made ahead. If frozen overnight, thaw at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.) Serve with graham sticks, animal crackers or apple slices for dipping.

Italian Stuffed Peppers

2011-10-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I just love that site. The original recipe is from Skinny Taste and of course I doctored it up a bit, but we all really loved it and it's very healthful.

Italian Stuffed Peppers
adapted from Skinny Taste

1 lb lean chopped turkey meat

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 onion, minced
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste
3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
1 1/4 c. marinara sauce
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
Cooking spray
1/2 c. chicken broth

1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a 9x13'' pan with cooking spray. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with a healthy amount of cooking spray. Add in turkey and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until turkey is cooked through. Drain off any fat. Add in garlic and cook a minute, until fragrant. Stir in marinara sauce and rice, remove from heat. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove stems and seeds. Stuff pepper halves to heaping with rice mixture. Place the pepper halves in the pan, pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan and sprinkle mozzarella on the top of each pepper. Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Classic Bruschetta

2011-10-10T22:11:00.000-07:00

We love bruschetta. So much. This recipe I just threw together and we love it. Very fresh and summery and a great use of the giant bush of basil I now have growing in my backyard!

Last night when I made this I wrote it all down, so here for you is the bruschetta recipe.

Classic Bruschetta
1 baguette
olive oil for drizzling
4 on-the-vine tomatoes or 5 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (measured before chopped)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
2-3 Tb olive oil

Slice the baguette into 1/4'' slices (or so). Drizzle with olive oil and broil for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and toasted. Slice the tomatoes in half and remove all of the seeds. Chop the tomatoes and toss together with basil, salt, pepper, basil, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Serve immediately.

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Bake

2011-09-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I doctored this recipe up a bit (as usual) and we really liked it. My kids will eat spicy food so they liked this too. If you like buffalo chicken and creamy cheesy potatoes, you'll like this.

Buffalo Chicken and Potato Bake
adapted from Holy Cannoli Recipes

1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

1/3 c. Franks buffalo sauce
6 c.frozen hash brown potatoes, defrosted
1 c. ranch dressing
2-3 heaping Tb crumbled blue cheee (optional)
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup (I used reduced fat)
1/2 c. breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Toss chicken and buffalo sauce together and layer on the bottom of the pan. Mix hash browns, ranch, blue cheese, onion, garlic, cheddar, and chicken soup in a bowl and stir to combine. Layer the potatoes over the chicken. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and the chicken is cooked through.

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Caramel Icing

2011-09-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

I found the recipe for these pumpkin cupcakes here. The original recipe called for yellow cake but I felt like a spice cake would be more fall-y, and it was. The only brand of spice cake I could find is Duncan Hines so keep your eyes open for it.

These cupcakes were so awesome and...LOW fat/calories. I highly recommend this 2-ingredient recipe.
For the frosting, I was thinking of using a classic cream cheese frosting until I found this recipe for caramel icing. It. Is. So. Good. These cupcakes would be a great addition to any fall gathering, even your Halloween block party. (I think the burnt butter frosting would be great on these cupcakes too.)

Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)
1 box spice cake mix

Pre-heat oven to 350. Mix together pumpkin and cake mix. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

Caramel Icing

3 Tb butter

1/4 c. heavy cream (I subbed half and half)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt

Melt butter, cream, and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it just starts boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt. Let the butter mixture cool and then stir in powdered sugar. Use to frost the pumpkin cupcakes.

Mediterranean Tuna Panini's

2011-09-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe in Rachael Ray Magazine and it looked so good, yet so different from a regular tuna melt that we had to try it. We loved these sandwiches! My kids were not quite thrilled, but they did eat it. (And what they didn't eat Rob finished off for them.)

I don't have a panini press so I cooked the sandwiches in a cast iron skillet and put another skillet over the top with a bowl in it to weigh them down a little bit but I think just grilling them would work fine to.

Mediterranean Tuna Panini's
adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray

Makes 3-4 sandwiches, depending on how full you stuff them.

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 juicy lemon, juiced

4 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp thyme

black pepper

sea salt

3 5-oz cans tuna, drained and flaked

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

4 tbsp. capers, chopped

3 Tb. parsley, chopped

4 slices swiss cheese

tomato slices

4 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese

8 slices sourdough bread

4 Tb butter

In a small bowl mix together garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, pepper and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl add tuna, onion, capers, and parsley. Pour over dressing and toss to coat. Heat a skillet over medium-high or panini press. Lightly butter the bread. Layer swiss cheese, tuna, tomatoes, and provolone. Grill on each side a couple minutes or until the bread is golden-brown and the cheese is melted. I served these with sweet potato fries.

Chicken Parmesan Bake and Garlic & Parmesan Croutons

2011-09-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine "pinned" this recipe on Pinterest and I saw it and had to make it immediately. The only thing I didn't have was croutons so I made some and I think that's what put the recipe over the top. This is so good. My husband decided he wanted to have this for his birthday.

I think this recipe is healthier/lower in calories than actual breaded and fried chicken parmesan so that's a plus too AND it's a full-meal all in one. If you wanted to pack in more vegetables you could layer in some fresh or frozen spinach.

Chicken Parmesan Bake
Adapted from About.com

2 tbsp olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lbs skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
salt & pepper
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce, I used homemade but a jar would work great
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (If you don't have easy access to basil sub a couple tsp. of dried basil)
1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2-3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
3 c. homemade croutons, recipe follows

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a 9x13'' pan layer the olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the chicken chunks on top of that and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the marinara over the chicken and sprinkle the basil on top of that. Layer half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and then lay the croutons over the top and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Bake 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. If you check it and the chicken isn't cooked but the croutons are brown and the cheese is melted, cover the casserole with foil and cook longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Garlic & Parmesan Croutons

1 baguette or 3/4 loaf of french bread (about 4-5 c. bread cubes)
5 Tb butter
3-4 garlic cloves
sea salt
1 Tb grated parmesan cheese

Slice the baguette and then chop it into 1'' cubes. Preheat the oven to 350 and cover a cookie sheet with foil. Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour the butter over the bread cubes and toss to coat. The bread should be just coated not completely soaked with butter. Spread the cubes out in one layer on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and parmesan cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes, making sure not to overcook. Let cool and store in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to a week. OR use them on the casserole above!

Just Like Grammy's Potato Salad

2011-09-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

I made another potato salad recently that I love and my sister and I started reminiscing about our Grammy's potato salad. It was simple, yet we all loved it. I can't even imagine how many pounds of potatoes she must've boiled and chopped to fill up that gigantic yellow Tupperware for the family Fourth of July bbq every year, but I took a stab at re-creating it the other day on a smaller scale and it worked out well. I brought this to a potluck and it was gone very fast.

I like to "bake" my potatoes in the microwave for potato salad but baking them in the oven or boiling them works perfectly too so do whatever works for you.

Just Like Grammy's Potato Salad

3 lbs yellow, yukon gold, or russet potatoes, cooked & chopped
4 eggs, boiled & chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 stalks celery, diced
4 dill pickle spears OR 2-3 large dill pickles, diced
2 Tb sweet pickle relish
3/4 tsp seasoned salt
fresh cracked pepper
1 Tb spicy mustard
1 c. mayo (maybe more)
paprika for sprinkling

Add potatoes, eggs, onion, celery, pickles and relish into a bowl and toss together. Stir in mustard and mayo. Taste and add more seasoning or mayo if needed. Pour completed salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle with paprika. Chill at least one hour before serving with just about anything!

Texas Burger with Chipotle Lime Spread

2011-08-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

This burger wasn't a plan. It just...happened. And it was good. The burger, cheese, grilled jalapenos, caramelized onions, bacon, bbq sauce, chipotle lime spread combo just works. And apparently I spilled a dollop of the Chipotle Lime Spread on the plate but a little extra never hurt, right?

We had some frozen burger patties from Omaha Steaks in the freezer so I just grilled up those. You can certainly make your own pattys as I usually do.

Texas Burger with Chipotle Lime Spread

6 burger patties of your choice
seasoned salt, pepper, granulated garlic for sprinkling
6 slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 jalapenos
2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion
2 Tb butter
6 slices bacon, crisply cooked
Bbq Sauce
Chipotle Lime Spread
6 fresh bakery rolls

Start two small skillets heating over medium heat on the stove. (Or you could just cook the jalapenos and onions together.) Slice the jalapenos thinly (remove ribs and seeds if you don't do spicy), slice the onion thinly. In one pan add the olive oil and jalapenos. In the other pan melt the butter and toss inthe onions. Cook both slowly until the jalapenos are soft and the onions are caramelized. The onions will take longer.

Season and grill burgers to your desired done-ness and top with cheese. Toast the buns in the oven, being careful not to burn. Put a dollop of chipotle lime spread on the bottom bun, then the bacon, then the burger, onions, jalapenos and some bbq sauce. This burger would be great with Fresh Corn with Chipotle Lime Spread, Sweet Potato Fries, or Classic Coleslaw.