Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

I was so impressed with this recipe. I was completely expecting it to not turn out--it sounds way too healthy to possibly be good. But oh my! It definitely did not taste like chickpeas. I liked it as is, my husband preferred it chilled, the boys loved it either way. My only change was that I used oatmeal instead of flax seed, just because I ran out of flax seed and forgot to get more. We will definitely be making this again!

Printable Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
from Green Lite Bites

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/8 tsp of salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp of natural peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
2-3 tbsp of oats or whole roasted flax seeds, ground
About 1/4 cup of milk
3 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Put the chickpeas, salt, vanilla, peanut butter, honey and oats or flax seeds in the food processor.

Turn on and drizzle the milk in a little at a time. I used the whole 1/4 cup.

Once smooth, fold in the chips. Reserve some to sprinkle on top.

Serve with graham crackers.

Chicken Quesadillas

Anthony made this recipe up on his mission, and they're another one of my favorites. Do I say that about every recipe on here?  These are so yummy and so easy! Sorry the pictures don't do them justice. I was having trouble figuring out a way to show off their cheesy goodness, so just take my word for it.

Printable Recipe

Chicken Quesadillas

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (large), cubed
Oil
Paprika
10 tortillas
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded


Place oil in frying pan on medium heat. Add chicken. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle paprika liberally on chicken until well-coated. Continue to cook until desired doneness. (Sometimes Anthony likes it a little more blackened, but that tends to set off the smoke alarms and make it hard to clean the pan. It's just as good if you only cook it for another 5 minutes or so.)

In another frying pan, place one tortilla.

Sprinkle liberally with cheese.

Add a spoonful of chicken, spreading it across half of the tortilla.

Cook on low heat until cheese begins to melt.

Fold tortilla in half and cook until cheese is completely melted.

Place in warm oven until all of the quesadillas are finished.


Makes 10 quesadillas.

Serve with: Spanish Rice (we like the Knorr brand), Refried Beans

Braided Spaghetti Bread

Delicious way to make an all-in-one meal. Spaghetti? Good! Garlic Bread? Good? Together? Good!!! I went ahead and made a normal size batch of spaghetti because I was having a hard time figuring out how much to make. Since I was going to have leftover sauce anyway, I might as well have extra noodles to go with it. It made enough for two loaves, if I'd thawed out another loaf of dough. If you have a large family, you might want to make two anyways. I also mixed in a couple vegetable purees (cauliflower and carrots, or you could do sweet potato or squash) into the sauce.

Printable Recipe

Braided Spaghetti Bread
from Rhodes Bake-N-Serv Blog

1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temp. (2 to 3 hours)                

6 oz spaghetti, cooked 

1 cup thick spaghetti sauce (I add ground beef to mine)

8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes      

1 egg white
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes
Garlic Powder

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16-inch rectangle on a Silpat or parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly. Mix spaghetti with sauce.

Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough. Top with cheese cubes.

Make cuts 1 ½-inches apart on long sides of dough to within ½-inch of filling.

Begin braid by folding the strips on one end toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.

Transfer bread to baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, parsley, and garlic powder.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Makes 9 slices

Serve with: Salad

Sesame Chicken

This is by far my favorite recipe (okay, it's a tie with my Chicken Pot Pie recipe, but that's because they're both so amazing). Super easy and delicious! I believe I found it through foodgawker.com. It has just a bit of a kick to it from the red pepper flakes, but it's not really hot or spicy. I made it the first time, and four days later, I made it again. And I never do that. You've got to try this one!

*Updates*

I've made a few changes to this recipe:

I usually use frozen chicken breast, and if you do too, it's best if you get the chicken ready to go a few hours ahead of time. There is a lot of juice/water that needs to drain out of the chicken, and if you defrost and chop the chicken immediately before tossing it with the spices, you're more likely to have gummy chicken instead of a nice coating. Defrost the chicken, cube it, put it in the fridge and drain the juice every so often until you're ready to use it.

The recipe said to place all of the spices for the coating into a plastic bag, but sometimes the flour sticks more to the bag than the chicken. I like putting everything in a large plastic container with a lid and shaking it around in that. It seems to coat the chicken better.

And finally, make sure you do cook the chicken in two batches. You never want to overload your wok. If you're using a skillet, you probably are okay to do it in one batch, but I haven't tried it that way, so I can't promise anything.


Printable Recipe

  Sesame Chicken

from http://www.letsdishrecipes.com

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into chunks

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Dash of ground cloves
Dash of ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Rice, prepared (about 4-5 cups)


In a large plastic container with a lid (or a large resealable plastic bag), combine flour, black pepper, ground ginger, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, cloves, and cinnamon.

Place chicken into the container, cover, and shake to coat.

In a small bowl, stir together teriyaki sauce, honey and soy sauce. Set aside. (If you use a rice cooker for your rice, this is when I start mine. It's done right about the time the chicken is finished.)

Heat oil in a wok (or large skillet) over medium-high heat.

Place half of the chicken into wok, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.

Remove to a plate (try to leave as much oil as you can in the wok), and repeat process with remaining chicken--you may need to add another tbsp. of oil before adding the chicken.

When the second batch is finished cooking, return all of the chicken to the wok. Reduce heat to low.

Mix in teriyaki and honey mixture and stir until sauce thickens.

Remove from heat.

Stir in sesame seeds and serve immediately over rice.

Serve with: Egg rolls

Caramel-Pecan Brownies

I like to make desserts on Saturdays and Sundays, since everyone's at home. Usually it gets pretty hectic, and having something sweet always seems to help the mood. So welcome to Sweet Saturday!

This is the recipe you've all been waiting for. And you probably didn't even know it! These brownies have TWICE won first place at our church Chili Cook-Off and Brownie Bake-Off. They are truly one of the best brownies I've ever had, and surprisingly quick and easy to put together. I got the recipe from Kraft Foods, but I did have to make an important change at the end. They absolutely have to be refrigerated for several hours before you cut them. The caramel is much too sticky, and it just makes a mess when cutting at room temperature. I've made them multiple times, and I can't see anyway around it. Definitely use the foil like they say, and even better, use the non-stick foil; otherwise, the edges of the brownies will stick where the caramel oozes out, and you will be picking foil out of the caramel. And if you are lucky enough to own an Ulu knife, it is fabulous at cutting through these. The only problem is, every time I use it, I have to wonder if the Native Alaskans that created it are rolling in their graves. Hey, they said it was versatile.

Printable Recipe

Caramel-Pecan Brownies

from Kraft Foods

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

3/4 cup  butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 pkg. (14 oz.) caramels

1/3 cup whipping cream

2 cups pecan halves, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a 9x13-inch pan, place non-stick foil along the bottom; extend foil over the sides to serve as handles. If you are not using non-stick foil (although I really, really recommend you do), grease the foil.

Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler.*

On medium-low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring often, until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add sugar and eggs, and mix well.

Add flour and stir until well blended.

Spread half the batter into prepared pan.

Bake 25 min. or until the top is firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, place caramels and cream in the double boiler on medium-low heat and stir often. (You can also do this in the microwave--do 30-second intervals, then stir.)

When caramels begin to melt, stir continuously until they are completely melted.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of pecans.

Spread caramel mixture over brownie layer in pan; cover with remaining brownie batter. Don't worry if some of the caramel is visible.

Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.

Bake 30 min. or until top is firm to the touch.

Cool in pan on wire rack.

When brownies are at room temperature, refrigerate for 2 hours.

Lift brownies from pan with foil handles before cutting into squares.

Makes 24 servings.

*You can easily make your own double boiler. This is the way I do it--Double Boiler

Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Once again, this is a recipe I've been making for years. It originally came off a free recipe card from Meijer. Hmm, I guess I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. But that doesn't mean I love it any less than the others. So, enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Prep Time: 20 Minutes, Total Time: 1 Hour

1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce, any variety (I use mild Old El Paso)

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (6 oz.)
1 cup sour cream
1 red pepper, sliced and sauteed in olive oil
1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chiles
8 flour tortillas (Burrito-size)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
If desired, chopped avocado

Heat oven to 350°F.

Spread 1 Tbsp. enchilada sauce over each tortilla.

In medium bowl, mix chicken, Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, red pepper and chiles.

Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla.

Roll up tortillas; arrange, seam side down, in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish.

Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.


At this point, you can cover with foil and freeze for later, or you can cook right away.


Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake 35 min.

Remove foil; bake 5-10 min longer or until hot and cheese is melted.

If desired, top with avocado, lettuce, chopped tomato and additional sour cream.

Makes 8 servings.

Serve with: Spanish Rice, Refried beans

Scalloped Potatoes

These are the potatoes that we had for holiday dinners at my grandparents when I was growing up. They were my favorite part of the meal, so when I was away at college, I begged my grandmother for the recipe. They were a little piece of home. I still love to make them, especially with the Stuffed Pork Chops from yesterday.


Printable Recipe

Scalloped Potatoes

6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt & Pepper
4 Tbsp. butter, divided
4 Tbsp. flour, divided
2 cups milk, divided


Make a layer with half of the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dot with 2 Tbsp. butter, sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. of flour, and add one cup of milk.

Layer again in same order.

Bake at 350 until potatoes are tender and top is brown, about 1 hour.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Love this recipe! When I was a freshman in college, I joined a club where I received recipe cards through the mail. Kind of like the old BMG music club where you bought 1 cd and received 12 free. Should I admit that I joined that one too? No? Moving on. A lot of recipes that are still my favorites all these years later have come from these cards. So quit laughing--it was a good investment! This one is my favorite way to make pork chops. And with my grandma's scalloped potatoes, forget about it!

Printable Recipe

 

Stuffed Pork Chops

4 (1-1/2 inch thick) boneless pork chops

Salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped mushrooms 

1/4 tsp. dried sage

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. water

Preheat oven to 350.

Trim fat from pork chops. Cut a 2-inch pocket in each chop.

Sprinkle inside of each pocket with salt and pepper; set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion and mushrooms; saute until tender. Remove from heat.

Stir in sage, salt, pepper and bread crumbs.

Add enough water to moisten and hold stuffing together. Spoon stuffing into pockets.

Secure pockets with kitchen twine or toothpicks; place chops in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 min.

Remove foil; bake for another 20 min. or until tender.

Makes 4 servings.

Serve with: Scalloped potatoes, Green Beans

Grilled Italian Sausage and Portabellas with Creamy Bow Ties

Quick, easy and delicious. I love using Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage (and I even sneak in that fifth sausage). But I have to admit that I have never used portabellas. I haven't been able to bring myself to pay that much money for fungus, especially when I'm already doing the unthinkable and using jarred Alfredo sauce. If anyone can give me a valid reason to do so, such as, "You will dance on the rooftops from the amazing flavor of portabellas," I'll think about it. You are welcome to do as you see fit.


Printable Recipe

Grilled Italian Sausage and Portabellas with Creamy Bow Ties

from http://www.muellerspasta.com/

12 oz. Bow Ties
3 portabella mushrooms or 8 oz white mushrooms
4 mild Italian sausage links
(1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin--if using portabellas)
2 tsp black pepper, divided
2 cups Alfredo sauce, jarred
3/4 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese, shredded


If you are using regular old mushrooms, clean them, slice them, and then saute them in about a tablespoon of butter. (*As a side note, I remember reading somewhere that you aren't supposed to wash mushrooms because some varieties soak up the water like a sponge. I usually take a damp paper towel and wipe them off.*)

Season the mushrooms with 1 tsp. black pepper--this tastes infinitely better if you use freshly ground peppercorns. We just get the McCormick black pepper grinder in the spice section. Invest.

If you are using portabellas, clean them, and lightly brush olive oil on both sides. Season them with the black pepper as mentioned, and then grill them alongside the sausage links.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat--I use my George Foreman grill. Place the sausage on the grill.

While the sausage is cooking, prepare the bow ties as directed. Drain, and set aside.

Again, if using portabellas, grill the mushrooms for about 2 minutes on each side and remove from heat. Slice.

Grill the sausage until cooked and evenly browned on all sides. Remove from the heat and allow them to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Mix the pasta with the Alfredo sauce and the remaining cracked black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat.

When warm, add the mushrooms and sliced sausage and stir gently. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. 


Makes 4 servings

Barbecue Chicken Chinese Style

We really enjoyed this marinade. Instead of just sitting on top of the chicken, each bite was infused with flavor. Yes, infused. I found it originally in a DVO newsletter.


Printable Recipe 

Barbecue Chicken Chinese Style

from http://www.dvo.com

1 cut up frying chicken (or 5 to 6 legs and thighs)
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper


Mix oil, ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce, dry mustard and pepper.

Place chicken in a large baking dish, and pour the marinade over the chicken.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The longer you can let it marinate, the better the flavor will be. If you leave it overnight, it will be amazing!

Place chicken on a roasting pan (I recommend lining the bottom with foil for quicker clean-up).

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes (or for crispier skin, cook for 60 minutes).

Every 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the drippings (don't skip this step!).

After 50 minutes, turn the oven to 450 degrees for another 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie

Without a doubt, this is my absolute all-time favorite (ok, depending on my mood, it's tied with Sesame Chicken--they're both so darn good in their own ways!). Oh, I can't even explain how much you are missing out if you haven't tried this! This recipe takes some work, but please, please don't let that scare you away. You will be ever so grateful in the end. Take my word for it--this is a winning recipe every time.

A couple side notes:

Make sure you allow a good amount of time for prep work before it goes in the oven. I don't know exactly how much (45 minutes? Every recipe takes forever with three boys that always need something, so I have no idea what it is in real world time), but like I said, it will be so worth it.

Do not try to shortcut the pastry and use pre-made, refrigerated dough. I've tried several, and they're either too sweet, or just come across as being "off". Take the time to make the pastry. 

Do not skip the egg wash. The top will not brown the right way, and it won't taste right.

And for the filling, I never add the celery (ick!), and I just use black pepper. I've never even seen white pepper for sale. I've also tried substituting frozen peas and carrots, but I don't recommend it unless necessary. It's SO much more flavorful if you use fresh carrots.

My husband says the chicken cutouts are necessary. That's up to you.


Printable Recipe

Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie
 from Southern Living

Pastry for Crust

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. celery seeds (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup butter or shortening
4 to 6 Tbsp. cold water

Combine flour, celery seeds, and salt; cut in butter with pastry blender (or two knives) until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) evenly over surface; stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened.

Shape dough into a ball; chill.

Filling

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1-1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup scraped, chopped carrot
3/4 cup frozen English peas
3/4 cup peeled, chopped potato
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
Pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. half-and-half or milk


Cook chicken and onion in butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes.

Stir in mushrooms and next 8 ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Combine cornstarch and water, stirring until blended; add to chicken mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil.

Remove from heat; stir in soup, sour cream, and cheese.

Roll half of pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Fit pastry into an ungreased deep 2-quart casserole (It must be at least 2 quarts, or you'll have lots of filling left over--I actually use a 2-1/2 qt. dish because I add extra potatoes and vegetables).

Spoon chicken mixture into prepared pastry. Roll remaining pastry to 1/8-inch thickness, and place over chicken mixture; trim, seal, and flute edges. Re-roll pastry trimmings, and make chicken-shaped cutouts. Dampen cutouts with water, and arrange on top of pastry. Cut slits in pastry.

Combine egg yolk and half-and-half; brush egg wash mixture over pastry. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Shield pastry with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

Makes 6 servings.

*Filling can be made ahead and frozen for later use, or you can make and bake like normal, allow to cool and then freeze. When ready to serve, thaw first then bake at 350 until heated through.

Why start a blog?

I decided two things today.

1) I don't have nearly enough to keep me busy.

and

2) There aren't enough recipe blogs out there.

Obviously neither are true, but I had to make something up as to why I felt the need to start my own recipe blog. No, I don't plan on making money from my blog. No, I don't intend to publish my own cookbook or become a famous blogger. And if no one wants to read it, that's okay too. I just have so many recipes that I've collected over the years, and I like to share! I'm still working on the details (such as copyrights), but I wanted to get started. Pictures may also be hit and miss for awhile. I have to remind myself to take them before we eat, and our lighting in the house is poor, to say the least. So bear with me while I get the kinks out.