Getting out of my funk...

Hello girls, hopefully you're still checking here for recipes!

Sorry for no recent posts. I have been in a "funk" lately and haven't felt like doing anything, including cooking. Which for me, is pretty bad! But alas! I've got my second (cooking) wind! My mom gave me some new cookbooks for my birthday and I am going to be experimenting this month. I even went to the grocery store last night which is something I hadn't done in literally weeks, soon so stay tuned. Tonight, I'm making a portobello mushroom wrap with a white bean spread to put on it. I'm really excited! I'll let you know how it turns out! Love!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Oh. My. Gosh. Ya'll, this was so FREAKING AWESOME!!! Chris said it should be my signature meal, he loved it so much. Maybe I was just really hungry, I don't know, but it was the best thing I've put in my mouth in a long time. That's what she said. (he he) Enjoy! And yes Nat, you'll probably want to make half of this. We had a lot leftover but that's good because it's so good, I'm wanting it for breakfast AND lunch! Ha!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

*Dice chicken into 1 inch cubes and coat with flour.
*Heat oil in large skillet and add chicken a few pieces at a time and brown on both sides (they don't have to be completely cooked in the middle because they're going to cook in the oven later).
*Once browned, place in a 9X11 baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
*Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 and make the sauce.

Sauce
1 can pineapple chunks
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 chicken boullion cube
2 green bell peppers, cut in 1 inch square pieces
1 onion, cut in 1 inch square pieces

*Drain pineapple, set aside, pouring juice/syryp into a 2 Cup Measure. Add enough water to make 1 1/4 cups.
*In a large saucepan, combine pineapple juice/syryp, sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger & boullion cube.
*Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. (it's going to get really bubbly and thick because of the sugar and cornstarch so that's why you want to stir it constantly.)
*Pour over chicken in baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
*Add pineapple, pepper & onion, stirring to combine, and bake and additional 20 minutes, or until chicken and vegetables are tender.
*Serve with fluffy white rice.

Sausage-Spinich-Tomato Skillet Pasta

Oh girls!!! You are going to love this! I found this in a cookbook Chris' aunt gave me for Christmas. Stephanie was over that day, wrote the ingredients down and it sounded so good we BOTH had it for dinner that night. It's SO yummy and so easy too! It makes a lot so you can make it for company or you can make it and freeze it. I hope you'll make it soon, you won't regret it!

1 1/2 lbs ground sausage
1 onion chopped
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
10 oz package frozen chopped spinich, thawed and drained
1 1lb box rotini pasta
Salt & pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

*Prepare pasta as directed.
*While pasta is boiling, sautee onion in a large skillet in about 1 tablespoon evoo. (I also added 1 clove of garlic at this point. I can't do anything without garlic!) Cook until translucent.
*Add sausage until browned. Drain excess grease if needed.
*Stir in salt & pepper, marjoram, tomatoes & spinich. Once pasta is finished, combine pasta & sauce mixture, stirring until combined.
*Sprinkle on cheese.

Low Fat Fettuccine Alfredo

Per Natty's request, here is a lower fat recipe of Fettuccine Alfredo. It's AWESOME and you really can't tell the difference at all. Now I'm craving it! Mmmm.

8 oz. fettuccine
1 1/4 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
4 tsp flour
1/3 cup light cream cheese
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp groud nutmeg
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley, fresh or dried

*Cook pasta.
*Combine broth and flour in a saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly with a wisk until cream cheese is melted and mixture boils and thickens.
*Toss cooked, drained pasta with sauce. Sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese if you'd like.
*It's also great to add in some grilled chicken!

Macaroni Salad, per Stephanie's Request :o)

8 oz. Barilla elbow Macaroni
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 cup mayo
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 green onions, optional
Salt, pepper & dill to taste

*Cook, rinse and drain pasta.
*Add tomato & cucmber.
*Combine remaining ingredients in a seperate bowl to make dressing and toss with pasta mixture.

Another Pizza Recipe!

I forgot something! I found an easier pizza dough recipe and I created probably the best pizza I've ever had. I used leftover ingredients from my skillet lasagna so nothing went to waste! Here's the recipe:

Dough
1 package dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons evoo
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

*Dissolve yeast in warm water.
*Stir in remaining ingredients.
*Beat vigorously about 20 strokes.
*Take the dough out and knead a few times.
*Put back into bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise 10 minutes in a warm place. (The top of a preheating oven is the perfect place for this.)
*After rising, roll out on flour cover cookie sheet or pizza stone.
*Bake as usual, using temperature from recipe below.

Topping
8 oz ricotta cheese seasoned with with salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste
2-3 tomatoes, cut into half moon shape
Fresh basil leaves, minced
Mozzerella cheese

*Spread seasoned ricotta on unbaked crust.
*Top with tomatoes, then basil, then cheese.
*Bake until cheese is melted and browned.

You'll love it!!!!!

Two for the price of one!!!

I've been slacking girls, forgive me! So just because of that, I'm posting not one but TWO recipes for your cooking pleasure! And Brandi, I didn't take pictures this time so you can spare me your making fun! :o)

Best Sauce Ever & Turkey Meatballs
Sauce:
1/2 cup evoo
2 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 onion, finley diced
2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic (I buy mine already minced in the jar)
2 bay leaves
Salt, pepper & sugar to taste

*Sautee onion & garlic in evoo until soft and translucent.
*Add cans of tomatoes and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add sugar if you like. I usually add about a tablespoon or so.
*Simmer on low for one hour. If it's too acidic for your taste, you can add a tablespoon of butter at a time, up to 4 tablespoons.
*Serve with your favorite pasta. This is also great for pizza.

Meatballs:
1 lb ground turkey (Brandi, you can use ground beef if you like!)
1/2 cup bread crumbs (I run seasoned croutons through my food processor. It's makes it soo good!)
1 egg
1 small onion, grated
2 heaping teaspoons minced garlic (I buy mine already minced in the jar)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper & Italian seasoning to taste

*Pre-heat oven to 375.
*Combine all ingredients and mash together with your hands until the ingredients are mix thoroughly.
*Roll into meatballs the size of golf balls.
*Sautee the meatballs in 1 tablespoon of evoo until browned on both sides, but not cooked all the way through, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
*Transfer the meatballs to a cooking sheet and bake in the oven until cooked through. I've never really timed this because I make my meatballs while my pasta is cooking. They're usually done by the time the pasta is done.

Yummy!!!!!!!! I have this about 2-3 times a month. Definiately a fave around my house.


Thai Peanut Stir Fry
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
3/4 Cup peanut butter
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
6 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tsp ginger
Vermicelli or Thin Spaghetti Noodles

*Saute chicken in 1 tablespoon evoo until no longer pink. Transfer to plate, cover with foil.
*Combine remaining ingredients in the skillet and cook until peanut butter is melted.
*Add in chicken and continue cooking while pasta boils.
*Boil pasta and when finished, add to skillet with peanut sauce and stir until combined.

Enjoy!

Pancakes!

Here is the recipe for the pancakes. I would have taken pictures, but you saw them!

2 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1) Pre-heart griddle to 350 degrees.
2) Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl.
3) Add wet ingredients into dry; whisk 10 seconds. Don’t overmix.
4) Grease (or spray with non-stick spray) griddle or skillet.
5) Pour on 1/3 cup batter per pancake.

Voila!

Horray!

Caroline says, " Horray for pizza!" She loved it of course.

Pizza!

I made pizza last night and it was SOOO yummy. Much better than any delivery pizza and just a little more difficult than dialing to order one! You'll be able to tell by the pictures, they're pretty funny. The great thing about it is, you can put anything you want on it! I can't wait to experiment some more. Enjoy!

Crust:

1 package dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

3/4 salt

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon oil (I used vegetable but you could use evoo, I was just out)

2 1/4 cups flour

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine yeast and water in a bowl and stir.

2) Add the next 4 ingredients, beating the egg until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

3) Add flour and stir until it forms into a dough ball, then knead. It's probably going to be a little dry so you can add a few splashes of milk until it's wet enough.

4) Cover and let sit for 45 mins - 1 hour. *Note: the longer you let it sit, the thicker the crust will be. Also, if you sit it on top of your stove as it's pre-heating, it helps it rise.*

5) After it's finished rising, get it out of the bowl to prepare to roll it out. If it's too sticky as you're getting it out of the bowl, sprinkle some flour on it to make it more manageable. Dust cookie sheet/pizza stone that you're using with flour. Roll out into the desired size.

6) Add toppings:

*Best sauce ever

*Anything you want! I used:

* Sauteed green pepper and red onion

*Pepperoni (Turkey pepperoni is just as good as the real thing!)

*Mozzerella cheese

7) Bake at 450 until cheese is melted and crust is done, anywhere from 20-45 minutes, depending on the crust.

Easy Cheesy Tuna Casserole

I know it's not all that glamorous (flossy, flossy! Ha!), but it's one of my favorite recipes. I remember eating this as a kid and my kids will do the same.

2 cans tuna

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 onion, diced

Salt, Pepper & Garlic Powder to taste

3 cups rice, cooked

Cheddar cheese

In a casserole dish, combine first four ingredients. Use as much seasoning as you like. Fortunately, all the components of this dish are already cooked so you can taste test to make the seasoning as you like. **Note: if you have any celery salt, it's a great substitution for regular salt. Just a different flavor, but really yummy.**

The stir in rice until well combined. Top with cheese and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and a little brown on top. Enjoy!

Chicken & Summer Veggies over Rice

I made this Monday night for dinner and it was yummy! And good for you too! There are a ton of different ways to make this. The warmer (and drier!) it gets, you could grill all of this, excluding the rice of course.

Chicken

I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder & Italian seasoning and I cooked it on medium low in 2T of EVOO (If you're using a non-stick sklliet then you can leave that out) until it was no longer pink inside.

*Tip* If you're having to cook more than one batch of chicken at a time, put the cooked pieces on a plate and cover it with foil. It will keep it warm, but it will also keep all the juices in!

Veggies

1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
1 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Onion

I marinated the veggies in same thing I used on the chicken:

2-3T EVOO (depending on how big your veggies are)

1 tablespoon minced garlc or garlic powder would work too

Italian Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Cut the zucchini and squash into coins and then cut those in half, so you have half moon shapes.

Cut up bell pepper & onion to sort of match the shape of the zucchini & squash so that they'll all cook at the same time.

Toss all these in a bowl with the marinade. I let them sit in a bowl while I was letting the chicken defrost and preparing the rice. It doesn't have to sit long.

Then just toss them into a non-stick skillet and cook until the veggies are tender. Yummmm.

*Tip* Feel free to use any seasonings for this. Creole seasoning, Montreal Seasonings, whatever!

Rice

I know rice is not rocket science so this is more of a tip. I cook my rice in chicken broth instead of water. It gives it just a little bit more flavor.

Enjoy girls!

Skillet Lasagna

I can't really take credit for this recipe. I got it from one of my favorite shows, America's Test Kitchen. It is amazing! Tastes JUST like lasagna without near as much time or effort.

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
Water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion , minced
Salt to taste
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound groud beef (I have used beef and ground turkey and they are both great)
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles , broken into 2-inch lengths
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus 2 additional tablespoons
Ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Pour tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart (4 cups).

2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering (Note: I used a non-stick skillet and it worked fine, I just added little bit more oil so the noodles wouldn't stick). Add onion and a dash of salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally to break of the noodles, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

Yum-o! Enjoy!!!

My Recipe Blog!!

Hello friends! This is all for you!

You all know how much I love...adore...am obsessed with food/cooking and so I thought it might be fun to keep track of my recipes that you occasionally ask for, so you can have access to them whenever you want them! I hope to maybe even takes pictures of them as I make them, just like an actual cookbook! :o) I hope you all enjoy these!

Love you girls!

P.S. If you guys have any that you can think of that you want on here, just let me know k!