Creamy Vodka Sauce

♥♥ Intermediate

If you've made the homemade Lobster Ravioli then I can only imagined you've made your way on over here looking for a great sauce to top them with. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, and you just wanted a great new pasta sauce in your catalog then you've come to the right place. (You should still check out the Lobster Ravioli here though, because they are so good.) This sauce can be used with any pasta, and tastes terrific!




What you'll need: 
1 Oz. Vodka
1 Cup Marinara Sauce
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, Quartered
2 Tbsp. Butter

Alternative (I suggest this with the Lobster Ravioli) Add: 
1/2 Cup Seafood Broth
1 Cup Peeled & Deveined Shrimp, Cooked and Quartered



How it's done: 

1. In Saute Pan, add Vodka and burn off the alcohol. Add Marinara, Heavy Cream, and grape tomatoes. Stir and heat through. Add Butter and stir to incorporate. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.

If you're making the variation - In saute pan, cook shrimp until warm, add vodka and burn off alcohol. Add remaining ingredients including the seafood broth, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

♥♥ Intermediate

At our house, we eat a lot of different types of food. But there's one thing that never changes. If I make something with a marinara sauce, there won't be leftovers. That's just a fact. So when I venture into an easy chicken Parmesan, the kids go crazy. ...and I love it. A lot.

This recipe is easy, and doesn't take a ton of preparation. It's relatively quick if you're needing dinner in a timely manner. I'm going to list a jar of marinara sauce in the ingredients, but I tend to make my own (sorry, secret family recipe), which you have time to do while the chicken is cooking, if you want.

What you'll need:
1 lb. Chicken Breast, sliced in half length-wise (thinner)
1 12oz Jar Marinara Sauce
3 C. Shredded Parmesan
1 C. Italian Breadcrumbs

How it's done:
1. Preheat oven to 400*F and prepare a baking sheet with non-stick spray.
2. In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs, and 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Dredge chicken in mixture, patting chicken so that it's thoroughly covered. Place on baking sheet and cook for 30 Minutes, flipping once.
3. While chicken is cooking, prepare a 9X13 baking dish by coating bottom with a thin layer of marinara sauce.
4. Once chicken is done cooking, lay it in your baking dish, cover with remaining marinara, and top with cheese. Bake in oven for 15 more minutes.Or until cheese starts to brown.

Serve over whole wheat spaghetti, with a side salad and garlic bread. Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala-Zinfandel

♥♥ Intermediate

I'm going to start by saying that some of the best things happen by accident. Or laziness. Usually by accident, and sometimes by laziness. Okay, or both.

This meal sort of just "happened" when I was too lazy to find the correct Marsala wine at the grocery store. I got tired of looking, and had two kids going crazy, so I just grabbed a Red Wine that looked decent and went with it. It's an Old Vine Zinfandel (Red), and I never would have known that it would be such a good pairing with chicken and mushrooms. So here we go, a spin on an old classic. Enjoy (we sure did)!

What you'll need:
1 1/2 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (Pounded Down to 1/2")
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp. Flour
5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
8 oz. Mushrooms (Sliced) <-- I used canned Mushrooms, totally a no-no anymore.
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
1/3 Cup Old Vine Zinfandel Wine (Red)
1/3 Cup Chicken Stock

How it's done: 
1. After pounding chicken, season with salt & pepper and then dredge with 1/3 C. Flour.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. Oil & 1 Tbsp. Butter in a skillet over med-high heat. Add Chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown. (About 3-5 Minutes). Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside.
3. Add 2 Tbsp. Oil & 1 Tbsp. Butter to the skillet, and then add the mushrooms. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the plate of chicken and set aside.
4. Heat remaining oil in skillet, and then add garlic. Stir continuously for 1 minute, then add 1 Tbsp. Flour, and continue stirring for another 2 minutes. Add Wine and Chicken Stock, and continue stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan until thick, about 2 minutes.
5. Add mushrooms and chicken back into pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining butter.

I served this Chicken Marsala-Zinfandel with Challah Bread and Cauliflower Mash. So, so good.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

♥♥ Intermediate

It's no secret that I'm not much of a casserole person. I do however, love Chicken Cordon Bleu. And the thought of an easy, inexpensive, and tasty way to enjoy my beloved dish sent me over the moon. It was a big hit with the kids, only took a minor amount of preparation, and was pretty good. Try it for yourself and see what you think. (Sorry, no photos of it on a plate - it was super messy coming out of the pan, and really wasn't very pretty!)

What you'll need:

FOR THE CASSEROLE:
1 Rotisserie Chicken (roughly 4 cups chopped)
1/2 lb. Deli Style Honey Ham, thinly sliced and rough chopped
1/4 lb. Baby Swiss Cheese, thinly sliced

FOR THE SAUCE:
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
3 + 1/4 C. Milk
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Pinch of Paprika

FOR THE TOPPING:
3 Tbsp. Butter, Melted
2 C. Panko Bread Crumbs

How it's done:

1. Grease a 9x13 Cooking Dish, and preheat oven to 375*F.
2. In the following order, layer the ingredients in the dish. Chicken, Ham, and Swiss Cheese. Set dish aside.
3. In a sauce pan, melt the butter over med-high heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour. Once combined, add the cold milk and whisk until combined and starting to thicken. Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika. Whisk constantly while sauce thickens. Once it begins to lightly boil, remove from the heat.
4. Pour sauce on top of the swiss cheese in your dish, making sure to get it around all sides.
5. Melt remaining butter, and combine with Panko. Spread on top of dish.
6. Cook for 45 minutes, and let stand for 5-10 before serving.

Enjoy!

 This recipe was adapted from here.)

Wonton Soup

♥ Beginner

When I was at the store a week or so ago, I was just looking for ANYTHING that didn't include dyes and preservatives. Somehow a package of wonton wrappers made it's way into my cart, and home with me. I've never had any desire to make wonton anything. I didn't even know how to use them. I guess I was just excited by the prospect of something that I could actually BUY.

Anyhow, they've sat in my fridge, just staring at me ever since. I've combed Pinterest looking for ideas of fun desserts that I can make with them, or something that was creative. Alas, I settled on just trying our own Wonton Soup. It actually turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. 

For being a 'foodie', I really shouldn't be called that, because I've never used ground PORK before. Ever. It's embarrassing really. It surprisingly tasty, and fairly easy to work with. And the fat content... wow, that stuff could hold anything together. 

Wonton Soup is not something that I would ever order at a Chinese restaurant. It's not a soup I "have to have" or even really care to make, but it was a really great dinner on a super cold winter night. The extra helping of Soy Sauce may have helped some too. 

What you'll need: 

1/2 lb Lean Ground Pork

1 Large Egg

2 Green Onions, Chopped

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste

Approx. 30 Wonton Wrappers

2 Liters of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

How it's done: 

1. In a large bowl, combine the Pork, Egg, Soy Sauce, and Green Onion. (If you use a wooden spoon to combine it, it will hold together much better. 

2. Lay out all of your wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Place 1 teaspoon (it doesn't seem like enough, but it is!) of the pork mixture on the middle of the wonton. *Note: You don't want to over-stuff them or they won't cook through completely!) Moisten edges of wonton with water and your finger. Fold opposite corners together and pull back the opposite corners. 

3. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Drop in wontons and let them cook for 15 minutes. 

4. Garnish with green onions and enjoy! 

And extras too! 

The kids loved it. Score!

**If you want to get really creative, you can add things like garlic, red pepper flakes, or sesame oil to your filling.

Blue Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Burgers

♥♥ Intermediate

I'm always looking for a new way to introduce foods to my kids without them being intimidating, and this is a great recipe for that. P.S. Both of my oldest kids now love spinach & blue cheese!

What you'll need:

1 lb. Ground Beef (Don't get anything leaner than a 90/10 sirloin, or you'll be sorry. the fat content helps it stick together.)
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
3 oz. Crumbled Blue Cheese
1 C. Fresh Baby Spinach
Hamburger Buns of your choice

How it's done: 


1. In a large bowl, combine Worcestershire sauce, ground beef, and pepper to taste. On waxed paper shape 4" round patties.

2. Chop up 4 leaves of spinach as small as you can, ad combine it with your blue cheese.Leaving the remainder of spinach as a garnish.
3. Drop 1-2 Tbsp. of blue cheese mixture onto half of the patties. Top with remaining patties, and press edges closed to seal.
4. Grill burgers on medium-high heat for approximately five minutes per side. Brush buns with olive oil and grill until toasted.
5. Assemble burgers and garnish with remaining spinach. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Chips

♥♥ Intermediate

These are a huge hit at my house - and in all honesty they are beginner level cooking. The only reason that I gave it an intermediate level is because you may want to use a special tool called a Mandolin, AND they take a bit of time in the oven.

My kids love these. So much so, that I made them three nights in a row. Super easy, and super tasty!




What you'll need: 
3 Apples, Cored and Peeled (I use a mandolin to slice them 1/8" thick)
Cinnamon & Sugar mixture to taste

How it's done:

1. Core, peel, and slice your apples. I prefer 1/8" thick. They get really crispy if they are thinner.

2. Preheat oven to 170* or as low as your oven will go.

3. Put all of your apple slices on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment paper. Do not let any of them touch! Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste.

4. Bake for 1 hour on each side (I sprinkle on the other side when I turn them over), with the oven cracked. They will harden up even more once they have cooled.

Enjoy!!!

S'mores Cupcakes

♥♥ Intermediate

I know that S'mores are typically a summer treat, but we seemed to be having them a lot around the new year (didn't I hear some where that they will bring luck to you throughout the year?) so I thought that it might be a good time to capitalize on a potential S'mores Cupcake.


If you like S'mores, you'll love these. If you're diabetic however, stay far away! These have double the sugar that most cupcakes do, and they're likely to put you in a sugar coma. These have by far been some of my favorite cupcakes yet.

What you'll need:

• 1 Box Dark Chocolate Fudge (Duncan Hines) Cake Mix (You can use any chocolate mix, but this is the best) 
• 1 1/3 Cup Water
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
• 4 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Marshmallow Cream 
• 2 Cups Powdered Sugar
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Mini-Marshmallows
• Chocolate (for decoration. I like Milk Chocolate Candiquik) 

How it's done: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F, and line muffin tins with paper cups. Spoon 1 Teaspoon graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of each liner.

2. Combine cake mix, water, oil, and eggs until thoroughly combined. Fill liners 3/4 full of cake mix, and bake for 19-22 minutes. Baking times will vary.

3. While cupcakes are baking, in a small bowl combine cream cheese, marshmallow cream, and powdered sugar until combined.

4. Once cupcakes have baked and cooled, make a small hole in the top of the cupcake and pull out a small amount of filling. (I like to use my hand-held apple corer for this job!)

5. Pipe cream cheese/marshmallow cream mixture into cupcakes. (Fill as much as you would like, but stop when cream reaches the top of the cupcake.

6. Pipe cream cheese frosting on top of cupcakes, and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Drop a few marshmallows on top, and drizzle with chocolate. (If you use the Candiquik, the chocolate will harden quickly.

ENJOY!

Pumpkin Cheesecake!

♥♥ Intermediate 


It's been nearly a month since the last time I posted on the blog, but I've had good reason. We just found out that we're expecting baby #2 (please, hold your applause and excitement). With that in mind, I'm sure you can figure out why I haven't been baking. (If you can't, I'm tired and I smell EVERYTHING... which really isn't great on your stomach if you're in the kitchen with fruity and spicy smells.) 


However, I'm determined to get back in the kitchen and continue to spread fabulous recipes to all the world. You're welcome. 


I decided to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake for family home evening this week, and it turned out really good. To be honest, I thought it would be so similar to a pumpkin pie that adding cream cheese wouldn't even matter, but it was very uniquely a cheesecake... and very, very, very tasty. If you're looking for a good pumpkin recipe, you should definitely try this one. And aside from the insane amount of cream cheese you'll need, it's a very short list of ingredients. This does take considerable time to make, so start late in the evening and sleep while it's cooling. Happy baking!  (I need to give some credit to Mrs. Martha Stewart too, because I stole this from her...) 


What you'll need: 
For the crust... 

• 10 Whole Graham Crackers (crushed)
• 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

For the filling: 

• 4 Packages (8 oz. bars) Cream Cheese, very soft
• 1 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin Puree (I added WAYYYYY more than 1 Cup, but I probably should have left it at that.. ) 
• 2 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 4 Large Eggs, Room Temperature

How it's done: 

***To prevent the top from cracking, be careful not to overmix the batter, and do not open the oven door while the cake is baking or cooling inside the oven.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.
2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. (I put the graham crackers, sugar, and butter in the food processor on pulse - and it was SOOOO easy!) 
3. Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.
4. Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).
5. Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Un-mold before serving.
6. 
   

I really loved this recipe, it was a great combination of the flavors that I have always loved, and the texture of cheesecake (and honestly, there is no better texture). Try it. You'll like it. 

Pâte à Choux Sucrée - Puff Pastry Dough

♥♥ Intermediate 

This past week, I took Ms. McKinley in to the Borders (5 days until they close for good!) to pick out some children's books on the cheap. Come to find out, the children's section was the first section to be raided by moms and teachers alike, as soon as the 'Everything must go!' sign went up in the window. However, there were still a few books left in the baking section - three of which I thought would make a great addition in cookbook collection. Sorry Kinley, we'll find you some books another day...

One of the books I picked up is called, Chocolate French. It's compiled by pastry chefs all over the world and focuses on the French influence on global cuisine. Totally up my alley. (The cover of the book shows some very tasty looking Eclairs, so I was sold on it instantly!)

The following pastry recipe is used in several different ways. It can be used to make cream puffs, eclairs, or profiteroles. It's the base to all great pastry treats!!!

Let's get baking.

What you'll need:

* 1 Cup of Flour
* 8 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
* 1/2 Cup of Water
* 1/2 Cup of Milk
* 5 Eggs
* 1 Tablespoon of Sugar

How it's done:

1. Place the butter in a saucepan with the water, milk, sugar, & salt. Stir, then bring slowly to a boil, allowing the butter to melt.

2. As son as the butter is melted, remove from the heat. Add all the flour into the liquid at once, then mix with a spoon until smooth.

3. Return to heat and continue to stir. Remove from heat when dough no longer sticks to the side of the pan. Transfer to a bowl and let mixture cool slightly.  (I let it cool for 5 minutes in a stainless steel bowl.)

4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each thoroughly until totally absorbed into the dough. The chox dough should be smooth, shiny, and thick. Stir it a bit more with the spatula to add air to the door and to lighten its texture.

5. Set the choux dough aside for use in profiteroles, eclairs, or cream puffs.

Yields approximately 20 large choux! 

Baked Mac n' Cheese

♥♥ Intermediate

There really is no better comfort food than Mac n' Cheese.  Especially here in the midwest, where mac n' cheese is on every menu. This mac n' cheese recipe is even better than the normal because it's baked... and has a crispy crust on top. MMMMmmmmm, excuse me while I eat some for breakfast....

My husband, Jared, is the one who is submitting this recipe to the blog. He's the one who decided to make it, and share it with all of you, so direct your thanks to him. :)

What you'll need: 

• 6 Cups (uncooked) Elbow Macaroni Noodles (or another shape!)
• 3 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Cups Whole Milk (Vitamin D) 
• 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 Cups Crushed Corn Flakes
• 5 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1/2 Lb. of White American Cheese

How it's done: 

1. Preheat over to 350*F.

2. In a large saucepan heat milk until simmering.

3. While waiting for the milk to bubble, fill a medium saucepan with water and boil the noodles. I suggest making them al dente since you'll be baking them as well.

4. Once milk begins to bubble, add in the cheese and stir constantly. Once the cheese is completely melted, remove from the heat continuing to stir (if you would like it a little thicker, add a Tablespoon of Flour).

5. Once the cheese mixture has cooled some, add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly!

6. After straining your pasta, gently fold your cheese mixture into the noodles.  Once completely combined, pour the noodle mixture into a greased pyrex dish.

7. Combine crushed corn flakes and butter in ziplock bag, and pour on top of mac n' cheese.

8. Bake for 30 minutes!

Enjoy!!!

Cinnamon Roll Muffins

♥♥ Intermediate

It's been far to long since the last post... but weren't those enchiladas scrumptious? I'm still dreaming about them. In fact, I might make more today.

However, these are the perfect dessert to those enchiladas - or the perfect breakfast for a nice Sunday Morning! (But they really should be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven, because they are soooo good warm.) By the way, I totally stole this recipe from my friend Kate over at A Dash of Sass. She has two cinnamon roll muffin recipes, but this is the one I like so I adapted it to my tastes.  Thanks for your help Kate!

Mixing in Flour

What you'll need:

• 1 Cup Buttermilk (or 1 Cup Milk with 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice) 
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar (I even added more, because I'm a sugar addict) 
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 Egg
• 3 Cups - 3 1/2 Cups Flour
• Icing (I used a cream cheese frosting - yumm!!!) 

Filling- 

• 4 Tablespoons Butter, room temperature
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar 



Not exactly a rectangle... 

• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

How it's done:

1. Combine the Milk, Brown Sugar, Baking Soda, Salt, Vanilla, and Egg in a mixing bowl.  Slowly add the Flour until combined.

2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for a minute or two.

3. Roll the dough into a 12 x 24 Inch rectangle. Spread the butter on top, and sprinkle with the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon.

4. Roll the dough into a log, beginning on the long side. Stretch the log slightly after it is rolled. Cut the log into 2 Inch pieces and place them in the greased muffin pan (or pan with cupcake liners).

5. Bake at 375*F for 18-20 Minutes, or until golden brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin pan.

6. Drizzle with icing, and ENJOY!