Recipe Swap : Thanksgiving Desserts

Yum. Yum. Yum.  If I had to rank it, my favorite parts of Thanksgiving are as follows:

1. Homemade Stuffing
2. Being able to eat as many Mashed Potatoes as I want.
3. DESSERTS!
4. Day-drinking wine

I am not a huge sweets person, but one way or another, my hidden sweet tooth comes out to play on Turkey Day.  I was thrilled when I got Jaida from Sweet Beginnings, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares.  I have really gotten into Pumpkin this year, as did FI.  I actually get excited when I see the canned pumpkin on sale at the grocery store...true story.


Thank you, Jaida for an awesome recipe!  They were so moist in the middle, almost like a cupcake, but still had that "cookie bar" feel.  I've tried a good amount of pumpkin recipes this season (including Pumpkin Pancakes...FAIL), and this by far was one of my favorites!  The entire pan was gone in 2 days...there are only 2 of us...what does that tell you!


Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Squares

Source:  Jaida @ Sweet Beginnings



 


















Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Pumpkin Spice No-Bake Cheesecake

I am not a huge pie/cake dessert person at all really...never have been.  I'm the girl who who would just have the "a la mode" with a large amount of coolwhip on it and skip the pie.  So when I came across this recipe from Skinnytaste, I was ecstatic!  Such a tasty fall treat that is so light and fluffy, it doesn't leave you with that full feeling after eating a piece...or 3. It was around the end of October that I first tried it and I've already made this 3 times....some may call it an obsession.


Pumpkin Spice No-Bake Cheesecake
from Skinnytaste

• 7 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin (canned is fine)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, unpacked
  
• 8 oz Cool Whip Free, thawed
  
• 9 inch reduced fat Graham Cracker Crust

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese, pumpkin, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add Cool Whip and whip until smooth. Spoon mixture into pie crust and chill for a few hours, until firm.



A few things I've noticed from making this obsessively the last month or so is that it really helps to bake the cracker crust for a few minutes until brown and letting cool before spooning the mixture in.  This really helps the crust from being so prone to crumble into a million pieces, which will happen-I promise.  Also, the cheesecake never really gets that "firm" mold, but stays together quite well!  I've noticed that it needs a good 6 hours to refrigerate to be best.


Sidenote: I've followed the recipe as is, made it once with fat free cream cheese and cool whip and once with regular fat for both.  Honestly, I can't tell a difference in any, and either can anybody else eating it!  The full fat ingredients did make the mixture a bit firmer.

Nestie Recipes Swap : One pot meal

LOVED this one!  I have really gotten into this cooking thing and I've learned very quickly that the kitchen has the ability to go from spotless to a train wreck in the matter of seconds...literally.  I've started a love affair with my crockpot for this reason.  When I got Mel's Lentil, Kielbasa and Garlic Stew for the recipe swap, I thought  "one pot AND done in under an hour?! Perfect!" 

With a few little changes, I made this awesome stew and everybody LOVED it! (yes everybody because I realized that at the end of the recipe is says "serves 10", so I had some family over!)  It was so flavorful, so filling and had everybody going back for seconds! I didn't really have any experience with lentils, so I was a little nervous, but everything went great! The lentils almost gave it the texture of a meat sauce and I will def be making this again!

Lentil, Kielbasa & Garlic Stew

from I was Born to Cook

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds turkey kielbasa, cut into bite size chunks (I ended up using chicken because I couldn't find turkey!)

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups baby carrots, cut into small chunks

4 medium stalks celery, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

6 cups water

2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth (or homemade)

2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes

1 1/2 bags (16 oz) lentils, picked over and rinsed

Heat oil in a large pot, then add kielbasa (divide if necessary).  Cook until brown, then then transfer to plate.

Add onion, celery and carrots to pot and cook until golden.  Add garlic and cook another minute.  Add water, broth, tomatoes and lentils to pot and bring to boil.  Reduce to medium-low and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender.  Stir in kielbasa and heat through.  Serve.

Serves 10.

Thanks Mel for an awesome, flavorful recipe!

"Almost" Boston Market Creamed Spinach

My love/hate relationship with Boston Market

 

 

Oh Boston Market....your macaroni and cheese and creamed spinach used to be my favorite.

 

 

I'd skip ordering a sandwich or type of meat and just order a large side of each of you....and polish them both off in minutes.

 

 

I then started bringing you to family Thanksgiving because I loved you that much.

 

 

My metabolizim then slowed...out of nowhere...and I learned that I could no longer eat an entire half pan of you in one sitting.

 

 

At age 23, when I could no longer eat WHATEVER I wanted whenever I wanted, my love affair with Boston Market ended.  Sad sad day.

 

 

...I then discovered this recipe and realized that I could sub skim milk for the half and half and use I can't believe its not butter and create a much lower version of the 23g of fat goodness per serving I was shoving into my belly prior.

 

White Sauce

• 3 tablespoons butter (I used the olive oil I can't believe it's not butter and it worked fine)
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt(I use seasoned salt)
• 1 cup half-and-half or 1 cup milk ( I used skim)

Spinach

• 1/2 cup sour cream ( I used fat free and it worked just fine)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 -4 tablespoons onions, minced
• 1/4 cup water
• 20 ounces frozen spinach, drained and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional or to taste)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese(optional)

Directions:

1. In a saucepan melt butter over medium heat until sizzling.
2. If you are adding in the fresh garlic and a pinch of cayenne pepper then saute in butter for about 2 minutes but do not brown the garlic.
3. Whisk in the flour and 1/2 tsp seasoned salt (or white salt) until creamed together and smooth.
4. Stir in the half and half, or milk (if using) a little at a time.
5. Increase heat to medium and constantly whisk until the mixture becomes thick and smooth.
6. Remove from heat; set aside.
7. Place 2 tbsp butter in saucepan over med heat; add the 2 tbsp minced onion, and cook until transparent.
8. Add spinach and water to pan, lower the heat, and cover.
9. Stirring several times until the spinach is cooked.
10. When the spinach is almost done, add the prepared white sauce, sour cream and Parmesan cheese (if using).
11. Stir well, and simmer until completely blended.
12. Season with more seasoned salt or white salt if desired and black pepper.

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili

I have a slight obsession with Gina's Skinnytaste blog...slight.  Everything I have made from there has been AMAZING!  She give such good tips and won't put anything on her blog that isn't perfect.  J's parents bought me a programmable crockpot for my birthday last month and what a better way to enjoy it than with chili!  And chili with PUMPKIN in it at that!  Don't be scared away from this recipe if you think you don't like pumpkin because you really can't taste it...it gives it such an amazing flavor and I have nothing but good things to say about it!

Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Chili
adapted from Skinnytaste

Ingredients:

• cooking spray
• 2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 (15 oz cans) of white northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
• 2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• fat free sour cream for topping (optional)
• chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:



Heat a large heavy saute pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes.  Add to crock pot.

Add oil to the saute pan, then onions, garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute.
  
Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving. Enjoy! 

Recipe Swap : Apple/Pumpkin

Let's start this off by saying that I was a little worried by my recipe!  I got Apple Croissant Bread Pudding from Life and Kitchen...sounds super good, but WTF is it?!

Being new to this cooking thing and not much of a sweets person, I had not a clue what Bread Pudding was...not one.  It didn't sound like I was going to like it, let alone be able to pull it off when I read the one line in the blog post :


"Whoever said that bread pudding is difficult to make is crazy.  It was pretty easy!"

At that point, I definitely thought uh oh...this is going to fail!  But I was pleasantly surprised!  Not only did I LOVE it, I successfully made it and correctly!  The different textures and flavors really made the dish and I will definitely be making this again!  We halved the recipe since it is just the two of us and it worked out perfectly!

Thanks Life and Kitchen for creating this awesome dessert!


Apple Croissant Bread Pudding
adapted from : Life and Kitchen 

Ingredients

3 extra-large whole eggs
5 extra-large egg yolks
5 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
6 stale croissants (just cut them in half and let them sit out overnight)
2 apples, peeled and diced
1 cup raisins  (I omitted-I LOVE grapes but cannot do raisins!)
A dash of cinnamon and nutmeg
Caramel sauce for topping


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Set the mixture aside. Separate the tops and bottoms of the croissants and rip them up into bite-sized pieces.  In a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish, distribute the bottoms of the sliced croissants, then add the apples and raisins and sprinkle with the cinnamon and nutmeg.  Then cover with the tops of the croissants (brown side up), being sure the raisins are between the layers of croissants or they will burn while baking. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow to soak for 10 minutes, pressing down gently.
Place the pan in a larger one filled with 1-inch of hot water. Cover with aluminum foil, tenting the foil so it doesn’t touch the pudding. Cut a few holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 40 to 45 more minutes or until the pudding puffs up and the custard is set. Remove from the oven and cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature with caramel drizzled on top

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I got a fancy crock pot for my birthday, so what a better way to christen it than with this lovely dish from Gina @ Skinnytaste...I love her recipes because she includes all of the WW points and nutritional info and I am yet to have a recipe yet that I haven't loved.  YUM!

I also got a fancy camera for that same birthday so hooray for upgraded pictures!!


Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken
from : Skinnytaste

What you'll need

• 24 oz (1 1/2) lbs thawed chicken breast
• 14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 15 oz can black beans (drained)
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  
• salt to taste

Directions

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.

Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice and top with fat free cheddar cheese.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I force J to go apple picking with me every.single.year.

Smallest apples ever!

 

We always have about 50 apples to use up so I always end up making this at least twice!  One for us and one to pass out to friends :)

One of my go-to faaaaaavorite fall treats.

 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

adapted by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided

3 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel topping, recipe follows

1/2 cup caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 3/4 cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.

In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy!

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.

Homemade Chipotle Bowls!

I will admit it...I am a Chipotle-aholic.  So I found a copycat recipe on pinterest and went to town!

Chipotle Burrito Bowl

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

What you need

Rice

• 1/2 cup brown rice (I used Jasmine and it worked great!)
• Small pat of butter
• Salt
• Juice of 1/2 of lime
• Chopped cilantro 

Beans

In a microwave safe bowl, heat up 1 can drained and rinsed pinto or black beans with:

• Splash of chicken broth
• Dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano & cayenne pepper

Chicken

Cook two chicken breasts in a skillet seasoned with:

• Chili Powder
• Garlic Salt
• Onion Powder
• Cumin
• Oregano

I found it was easier to chop it up first for quicker and even cooking.



Pico de Gallo

I had made Fresh Tomato Salsa the day before from allrecipes.com so I just added a can of whole kernel corn to that and it was great! Here is how Iowa did hers!

• 1 tomato (plus some cherry tomatoes I had on hand)
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4 small red onion
• Sprinkle of chopped cilantro
• S&P
• Juice of 1/2 lime

I had some left over guac and sour cream that I added on the side as well.

Nestie Recipe Swap : Tailgating!

I don't think words are enough to explain how excited I was for this weeks swap!  I love sitting around on a Sunday and watching football and eating good food!


My recipe was from Lindsay(lneuner09) @ Peace, Love and French Fries.

We used chicken breast over wings and it worked out really well.  I let them marinate for about 4 hours and they were so tasty!  Def will be making them again!
 
Thanks Lindsay, we loved them!!



Chili-Lime Chicken Wings

1 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 dashes hot sauce
3/4 tsp onion powder
2-3 lbs chicken wings and drumettes  (we used chicken breast cut into 1-2" chunks)
 
Place marinade and chicken wings in large zip-top bag, shake to coat wings.  Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, tossing the chicken in the marinade every so often.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Spread wings on 9×13 baking dish in a single layer (use 2 if necessary), shaking off excess marinade before placing in pan.  Bake for 40 minutes then switch oven to broiler.  Broil wings for 4-5 minutes or until crispy.  Serve immediately.

Jalapeno TOSTITOS Scoop Bites

Jalapeno TOSTITOS Scoop Bites




Sorry, I haven't made these in a while so I don't have a picture, but I am making them Sunday, so I'll update it then :)


What you'll Need

• 1 bag TOSTITOS Scoops

• 1 jar sliced jalapenos (can be omitted if you don't want them too spicy...I usually make some with and some without)

• 1 pkg cream cheese (8oz)

• Small container sour cream

• 1 can sweet corn (drained)

• 1 bag shredded cheese (The Mexican blend is really good!)

Prep/Directions

1. Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and corn until smooth.  I add about 1 1/2 cups or so of the shredded cheese to the mixture as well, but not necessary.
2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and fill sheet with TOSTITOS, (scoop side up)
3. Place 1 jalapeno in the bottom of each scoop
4. Top each with the mixture, do not overfill.  I usually go about 3/4 of the way up.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Top each scoop with a little of the shredded cheese and bake for another 5 or so minutes until shredded cheese is melted.

Nestie Recipe Swap : Italian

When I found out that this weeks Recipe Swap was for Italian, I was thrilled!

My.  Favorite.  Food.  Ever.

My recipe was from Melissa (mtrometer) from Fried Ice and Donut Holes, for Vegetable Lasagna with red sauce.  I spruced up the sauce a little bit in order to use up some of the things in my fridge and to add garlic, my favorite addition in the world. 

Vegetable Lasagna with Red Sauce

You'll Need:

• 10-12 Lasagna Noodles  ( I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest wheat lasagna noodles and they worked GREAT!)
• Pasta Sauce (I used a 24oz jar...probably could have used more)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1 package Sliced Mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
• 1 medium onion - chopped (I added)
• 3 cloves garlic - minced  (I added)
• Baby Spinach  (I used just a bag of baby spinach leaves that I had left from salads earlier in the week...prob about 1/2 the bag)
• 2 cups Shredded Mozzerella Cheese (I used fat free) 
• 1 cup part skim ricotta cheese (I added)
• Handful Shredded Parmesan Cheese (I omitted because I added ricotta to the layering) 
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves - chopped  (added by me)
• 1 tsp EVOO (I added for the sauce I made)

Sauce

I added the EVOO to a nonstick skillet and cooked the onion until soft.  Added the minced garlic and was careful not to burn. Added a 24oz jar of pasta sauce to the pan and let simmer while noodles cooked.  I recommend maybe using more sauce if you like your lasagna "saucy" so to speak because mine prob could have used a bit more!

Onward to the layering!

Boil the noodles (unless you use no boil sheets). 

In a sprayed 9x13 pan, spread a ladleful of pasta sauce. Put a layer of pasta, spinach leaves, mushrooms, and both kinds of peppers. Sprinkle a little cheese and top with another ladleful of pasta sauce, spread to cover the ingredients. Add another layer of pasta and repeat the rest of the ingredients. Before adding the pasta sauce in each layer, I spread 1/2 cup ricotta on top of the noodles just to add a little more cheese and to use up some I had in the house!

  

When all of the pasta and vegetables have been used, top the lasagna with more sauce and some cheese. To the top, add the handful of parmesan. (I made 2 layers of ingredients, 3 layers of noodles). Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Allow lasagna to cool beore cutting into squares and serving.

Here is a pic of before I cooked it out on my patio since I've heard you can get better pics that way...too bad it was already dark outside by the time it came out of the oven.  Boo :(

This one is definitely a keeper!  FI usually stays away from things if they don't have some type of chicken or turkey in them because he is convinced it won't fill him up, but even he loved this!  It was quick, easy and delicious!  Thanks, Melissa for a great recipe!

What I had in the house Pasta

I learned at a very young age that pasta was one of my favorite foods.  We could be having Birthday Cake or Happy Meals or Pizza or anything under the sun and I always always always asked for Mac & Cheese.  I don't know if it was my obsession with putting the powdered cheese on top or what!

Well...this obsession stuck with me (unfortunately for my thighs)  and I am still madly in love with anything that has to do with noodles.  Heck, I even made sure to search for a stir-fry recipe the other day that had noodles in it instead of rice.  One of my favorite Italian Restaurants has this Penne with Ricotta Marinara sauce dish that I love love love.  I had some ricotta in the fridge, so I decided I'd attempt to make it!

I learned from looking at recipes the last few weeks that most of the time, pasta ends up just being what is in the house + noodles + sauce of some sort.  Here is my attempt at Ricotta Marinara!


Ingredients

• 1 box pasta (I used some tricolored easter themed pasta I had gotten as a gift a few months back. Don't judge! I told you it was what I had in the house!)
• 1 jar traditional Marinara Sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 cups button mushrooms (I ended up only using barely a cup because it was what I had left over from earlier in the week...def would add some more!)
• 1 cup shallot-diced
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used part skim and added a bit more as I went along)
• 2 cloves garlic-minced (optional, but I love me some garlic)
• Salt (to taste)
• Fresh Ground Pepper (to taste)
• Grated Parmesan to top

1. Boil one large pot of water for pasta.  Prepare pasta according to directions.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic and saute  (this took me about 10 minutes).
3. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.
4. Add Marinara Sauce and ricotta cheese to skillet; mix well and simmer for 4 minutes. Ricotta will become quite creamy.
5. Pour on top of pasta and top with grated Parmesan.  

YUM! 

Nestie Recipe Swap : Summer Veggies

Another round of the recipe swap has concluded and this time around it was for Summer Veggies and the recipe I got was from Jaida @ Sweet Beginnings.

To be honest, at first I was a little nervous.  I am new to this cooking thing and the word "bread" intimidated me!  I always remember my mom busting out her big bread maker and playing with yeast and getting upset when it didn't rise.  Needless to say, I was convinced I was going to mess this up one way or another.  To my surprise, I didn't!  With a few changes, I successfully made my first bread type food without burning the heck out of it :)

Zucchini-Cranberry Bread

Adapted from Food Network Magazine

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/zucchini-bread-with-dried-cranberries-and-vanilla-bean-glaze-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled (or 1/2 cup vegetable oil), plus more for the pan
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup walnuts  (I omitted...not a big nuts person)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream (I used FF plain yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest(I omitted because I didn't have any...and to tell you the truth have NO idea what it is haha)
• 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed dry

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter one 9-by-5-inch loaf pan or three 6-by-3-inch mini pans (I actually used cupcake tins and made muffins because I didn't have a loaf pan!  They came out so cute!)
2. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add the dried cranberries and walnuts.
3. Whisk the eggs, melted butter, yogurt, vanilla and orange zest (if using) in a medium bowl. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Fold the zucchini mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Spread the batter in the prepared pan(s). Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes for a standard loaf or 35 to 40 minutes for mini loaves. Cool 30 minutes in the pan(s) on a rack, then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.
   

Thanks for an awesome recipe, Jaida and for popping my bread making cherry!

First stab at stir-frying...not to shabby!

Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry

adapted from Chicken Noodle Stir-fry from allrecipes.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) package chicken flavored ramen noodles (I used two)
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup cauliflowerets
• 1 cup sliced celery (I omitted...none in the house)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage (I omitted...cabbage isn't my thing!)
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh or canned bean sprouts (sadly omitted because Target didn't have any :(  I love sprouts!)
• 1/2 cup teriyaki or soy sauce (I used teriyaki)
• 2 eggs-scrambled (I added this in myself)
• 1 clove minced garlic (Another Ellie addition)

Directions

1. Set aside seasoning packet from noodles. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in oil for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Add vegetables; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
2. Drain noodles; add to the pan with contents of seasoning packet (I only used the seasoning from one package of ramen to cut down on the sodium) and the teriyaki sauce (I also added the scrambled eggs here so not to burn them with the other veggies). Stir well. Serve immediately.

It went over well with FI!  He is a big stir fry fan, which is why I bought the pan to begin with (I've never really been a fan).  I surprisingly really liked it as well! 

My first round of "recipe swap"

So I noticed that I wasn't like all of the cool kids with a food blog...so I decided to make one!  While most showcase their awesome recipes and ideas, mine is more of a "Thank God I didn't burn the kitchen down this time".  So...enjoy! :)


I decided to come out of my lurker-dom on the What's Cooking board when I saw that there was a recipe swap - how fun!  (Especially seeing that my repertoire of recipes consists of boxed meals-ha!).  I know I will learn a lot from the ladies on the board and hopefully get a bunch of new recipes!


My first round of the "Recipe Swap" was for a chicken recipe...how appropriate seeing that FI are big big chicken people. 

The recipe in my inbox I got to try was from Michelle(thecookingnurse) for Baked Chicken Wings.  With a few minor changes, and cutting the recipe in half, I made this recipe for FI and I and we LOVED it!  We both prefer chicken breast to wings, so I just followed the recipe and made a form of boneless wings and it worked great!  Had such amazing flavor and I loved that they were baked and not fried.  Paired it with some leftover pasta salad we had.
 

Chicken:

5 pounds chicken wings, cut into wings and drumettes (I used 2.5lbs of chicken breast cut into 1" pieces)

Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons Frank’s hot sauce (Used 1.5 tablespoons of the Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce to half it for less chicken)

2 tablespoons canola oil (1 tablespoon)

1 cup flour (1/2 cup wheat flour)

Sauce:

2/3 cup Frank’s hot sauce (I used almost 2/3 cup since we are sauce people)

1 stick butter (1/2 stick)

1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar (used just about a tablespoon)

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (used just a drop or two thanks to the handy easy drop cap!)

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce (I omitted)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I omitted)

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (used just a pinch)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season wings with salt and pepper. Drizzle with Frank’s hot sauce, and toss to distribute (I used a big ziplock to toss and it worked perfectly!). Drizzle with olive oil and re-toss. Toss with 1 cup flour and dredge to cover.

Line two baking sheets with foil and coat with non-stick spray. Arrange chicken wings on the baking sheets and spray with non-stick spray to coat lightly. Bake for 60 minutes, turning after 30.

Bring sauce ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Adjust flavor if needed. Remove from heat, toss wings with sauce and allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

 

Thanks, Michelle!