Chocolate Ritz Cracker Treats

Wondering what these little buddies could be?  They are so simple...

You will need:
Ritz Crackers
Peanut Butter
Chocolate Chips for melting
1 tablespoon of shortening (there's probably a "healthier" option here but come on, we're talking about peanut butter dipped in chocolate)

Put peanut butter on a Ritz Cracker then cover it with another to make a sandwich. Repeat for as many as you would like to make. Melt the chocolate chips combined with shortening in the microwave. Dip the cracker sandwiches in the chocolate and let stand until chocolate is set. I put them in the fridge for a little while.  Serve and enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day. I'm contemplating a red velvet cake. We'll see how far that goes.

Spinach Pinwheels

By now you have heard me talk about dinner club plenty. Following tradition each year we have a Christmas gathering, this year hosted by the Grostic's. A fellow dinner clubber brought this as a dish to pass and I thought it was pretty darn good.

You will need:
10 ounce bag of frozen spinach, rinsed and drained
2 cans refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent rolls
1 tub Garlic and Herb cheese spread (I used Allouette)
Cookie sheet

Roll the crescent rolls out of can. Following perforation, split in half the long way so you have 2 rectangles (4 once you roll out both cans). Pinch seams together (well). Spread 1/4 cheese spread on each rectangle. Divide spinach evenly and sprinkle evenly on all 4 rectangles. You can modify this to taste by using less cheese or less spinach. Roll each rectangle and make sure all seems are well closed. Cut into 1 inch sections. Bake following instructions on crescent roll can (about 350 for 10-12 minutes depending).

Serve warm and enjoy!

Throw in a little Triple Overtime wine from our friend Igor Larianov and you have what I call a nice little happy hour...

Merry Christmas 2011

As you may recall, every year I make my Christmas cookies and last year I tried to make ginger bread men as my fourth variety. Lesson learned. This year I decided to add truffles to the mix. Not my famous oreo balls but something a little different.

You will need:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2.5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips + 1 cup semi sweeet bakers chocolate, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 package white chocolate melted, 1 package semi sweet chocolate melted for dipping

In a large bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar until blended. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Shape into 1 inch balls and dip in the melted chocolate or vanilla. Sprinkle with crushed pecans, coconut flakes, or colored sprinkles to decorate. Refrigerate or freeze for 1 hour or until set.
I like to decorate with the opposite melted chocolate. I put melted white chocolate in a zip lock baggie and cut a small tip off of the corner. Squeeze over the truffles to create a pattern.

These looked very pretty on a holiday platter as my contribution to the party. I am told and also believe that they taste quite good, too.

Merry Christmas!

Griffin Wallace (right) with his friend Baxter Batson (left)

Would you like a hot apple pie with that?

I'm back! And I brought with me this delicious apple pie! I am so proud of this creation. This was my first ever pie and it turned out so pretty, and it tasted good too. I brought this to Thanksgiving where I was in charge of desserts. I made something else too, but it obviously isn't as important.

I'd like to thank Grandma Ople (?) and allrecipes.com for this one. I did make some modifications. I cheated on the crust and went store bought, same for the lattice work topping.
Here's what I did:

• 1 store bought 9 inch pie crust
• 1 box of frozen pastry, thawed and cut into strips using pizza cutter
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced - I actually got 1.5 pies out of this many apples

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
• Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. 

 

• Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. 
• Enjoy!

You can see why I say 1.5 pies, the second one was not very full but was very tasty

 For a first try, I think it looks pretty good.
 

Chicken Enchilada Pockets by Dashing Dish

This is a recipe that I got from one of my favorite "lite" cooking blogs, Dashing Dish. The author of this blog does a great job turning some of your staple dishes into a more figure-friendly version. I recommend visiting her site and following her blog for some great new recipes.

This particular recipe is for Chicken Enchilada Pockets. You can view her easy step by step instructions by clicking here. Since this isn't my recipe I am not going to go into details here.  I did make just a few modifications and observations.

1. Next time I make these I will pull the chicken instead of cubing it. I think it will make the mixture easier to spread on the triangles.
2. I added cilantro, one of our favorites!
3. The sauce mixture would make a great dip if you don't feel like going to the trouble of putting it in the pockets. We had some leftover sauce and ate it with tortilla chips and it was very good.

Make sure to enjoy all that Dashing Dish has to offer!

*Photo courtesy of dashingdish.com

September update

I love September and I really enjoy fall: getting out all the decorations, changing up the wardrobe, red wine, college football, memories of tailgating, its all so lovely. The only part I dont like is what's coming later but I'm in denial and ignoring that for now.  So its been a little quiet on the ol' blog lately, I owe you an explanation. I have been knocked down by the plague/black lung/bronchitis/insert awful illness here. Technically I guess its been called bronchitis but its been a long, slow recovery. Im feeling a little more spunky tonight after a weekend full of couchin' it. Maybe Im on the upswing. All that said, I have not really been interested in preparing foods for my loved ones the past couple of weeks. Coughing germs into a meal sounds less than appealing. So instead I have done some surfing on the internet - have you heard of or visited Pintrest? Don't do it unless you have an hour to spare. This site is wonderful! I really enjoy and I am collecting a lot of great ideas.

The one thing I did prepare was a Jalapeno Popper Dip Mishap. It was quite good I am told but I don't care to look at a jalapeno for a very long time. A friend at work has a garden and brought in some goodies so I took 3 jalapenos and then it took me a week to figure out what to do with them. I settled on making a version of a dip I read about on allrecipes. Here's what I did:

3 fresh jalapenos, diced (next time I will use a 4 oz can)
1 can diced green chiles (4 oz)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayo
Parmesan Cheese
Combine all ingredients except the Parmesan in a bowl and stir. Pour into an oven safe dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350* for 20 minutes (or so). Serve with crackers or pita bread.

So why do I call this a mishap? Well, I was being very careful chopping the peppers but because I had this unpredictable illness my nose began to run. I picked up a paper towel from the counter to wipe my nose and continue. Turns out the paper towel had jalapeno seeds on it. Ouch. Awful awful pain in my nose. And on my hands. This lasted about one hour. I had to stop my preparations and have Josh Google ways to remove jalapeno oil while I held ice to my face. Turns out the home remedies include rubbing alcohol, olive oil, or lemon juice. Not at the same time. Im generally much more graceful than this. I will blame the illness for my inability to think clearly. Ive had a few other moments I'm not proud of in the last week or so, that is why I stayed close to home this weekend. I was unable to capture a photo because getting out the camera was the last thing on my mind.

Give the dip a try, be more careful than I was!

Another thing to love about September?  ArtPrize!

Ramen Noodle Coleslaw Salad

Happy Labor Day! I hope everybody had a wonderful weekend. We spent ours up north at Columbus Beach in Indian River with the Shaull family. You probably know how much I love Northern Michigan by now and this weekend did not disappoint despite the rain and 60* weather. Saturday we planned to play golf but it was raining so we postponed that until Sunday and instead got into a heated game of Monopoly. Aunt Terri cleaned up. I didn't lose. That's all I have to say about that. Then we went to lunch and by the time we came back the sun was shining so we headed out for a pontoon boat ride. We came home and made a delicious dinner - burgers on the grill, sweet corn, coleslaw salad, and all the fixins. I've made this coleslaw salad a few times this summer. It generally goes over pretty well and its really easy to make.

You'll need:
1-2 packages of coleslaw
1/2 package of cabbage (purple) - this is my secret, it adds color and makes it look prettier. Use full package if you use 2 packages of coleslaw
2-3 bunches of green onion (3 bunches if you use 2 packages of coleslaw)
1 cup Oil - I do 1/2 canola, 1/2 olive
1/2 cup Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
3 packages Ramen Noodles Chicken Flavor

Combine the seasoning packets from the Ramen Noodles (I use 1-2 packets), sugar, oil, and cider vinegar in a bowl. Whip until fluffy. Mix the Sunflower seeds, coleslaw, onion and cabbage in a large bowl. Combine the wet & dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Just before serving crush up the Ramen Noodles (I do 1.5 packets but you could do up to 3 if you used all of the coleslaw and cabbage). What I have found as Ive made this a time or two is that if you use too much oil it can create a pool underneath the colelsaw, and if you use too many ramen noodles it becomes more about the noodles and less about the salad. You can make this to fit your taste. There are many variations to this recipe. I like this version best of course.

On Sunday morning we went golfing and had lunch at the course. Then we packed up and headed home. Monday we spent doing chores and yard work. We are ready for fall! I can't believe I just said that.

Sorry I do not have a photo of this one... I'll snap one the next time I make it. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese & Pesto Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is a recipe I heard about from a friend at work. She tried it a few weeks ago and said it was definitely worth a try. It comes from eatingwell.com so I have the nutrition facts below. I made a modification which is instead of using the egg white, I made buttermilk (milk and lemon juice). Here is what you need:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (1-1 1/4 pounds total)
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Cream Cheese-Pesto Filling:

• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat cream cheese, (Neufchatel)
• 1 tablespoon basil pesto, (store-bought or homemade)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine cream cheese, pesto and pepper in a small bowl with a fork.
3. Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one-fourth of the filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and filling.
4. Lightly beat egg white with a fork in a medium bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow glass dish. Hold each chicken breast half together and dip in the egg white, then dredge in the breadcrumbs. (Discard leftovers.)
5. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts; cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Place the chicken, browned-side up, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the chicken is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

 

Nutrition
233 calories; 9 g fat ( 4 g sat , 3 g mono ); 81 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrates; 33 g protein; 1 g fiber; 379 mg sodium; 351 mg potassium.

I served this with pasta with a little pesto mixed in. It was pretty good! Josh liked it, too. A little rich because of the cream cheese. This was prepared and we had eaten within an hour.

Warm Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

These little sandwiches are the perfect size and recipe for a gathering. They are just the right amount of sandwich, taste great and are easy to prepare. They offer something a little different than cold cuts and bread. I'm a big fan.

 Warm Ham and Cheese Sandwiches  (makes 24)

2 packages "brown and serve" rolls

1 1/2 lb. sliced ham

1/2-3/4  pound swiss cheese-sliced

2 sticks margarine or butter

2 TBSP. Worcestershire Sauce

2 TBSP. prepared mustard

2 TBSP. poppyseeds

4 TBSP.  brown sugar


Prepare sandwiches and place in large baking pan(s)

Next, melt butter and add the next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and pour the hot sauce over the sandwiches.

Let set for 2 hours (I did overnight and debated if they should be refrigerated or not, they went in the fridge).

Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes until bubbly.

I had great reviews at the Fathers Day party. The Shaull family is really a bunch of small people who don't eat a lot so maybe thats why it worked so well. I wondered as I was pouring the sauce over if I should have made more of it, but they tasted great with this amount. If I think of it next time, I will probably make extra. I didn't get a picture of the final product, but they looked great stacked on my Wilton Armatele platter!

Thanks to Katie for passing along this little gem! Katie and Pete by the way have the cutest new addition to their family. Meet Cosmo.

Oreo Truffles with a Twist

A new twist on oreo balls. We're preparing for a baby shower this weekend, these will be the favors. Final photo to come along with all the other preparations and finished products.

These were pretty simple, we made oreo truffles and then put some white chocolate colored with a drop of blue food coloring in a ziplock baggie, cut off the corner and made fun designs.

Texas Caviar

This one comes from my Uncle Jim and Aunt Terri. We had everybody over for Fathers Day and this was one of their contributions. It is very good and makes a nice alternative or addition to salsa. I did a bit of research and it doesn't appear this is so bad for you either.

Texas Caviar
Drain and rinse one 16 oz. can black beans
Drain and rinse one 16 oz. can pinto beans
1 can of white or yellow corn
1 sm. jar of pimientos diced
Dice:
1 c. green peppers
1 c. yellow peppers
1 c. celery
1/2 c. red peppers
Then:
Mix and boil (bring to boil/cool) the following:
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt and pepper
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. olive oil
Pour over vegetables and marinate overnight.
Drain in colander after marinating.
This is best served with scoops. Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

This is a hiatus from blogs about the kitchen remodel. Everything was finally functional so I wanted to take the opportunity to make our friend Pete a treat for his birthday since we had dinner club* tonight.

I had gotten the recipe from a fellow bowling league member but promptly lost the paper she wrote it down on. I had to turn to my go-to, allrecipes.com. Sure enough, it was there.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided
• 1 (8 ounce) package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 (8 ounce) packages BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Crush 9 of the cookies to fine crumbs in food processor; reserve for later use. (Cookies can also be finely crushed in a resealable plastic bag using a rolling pin.) Crush remaining 36 cookies to fine crumbs; place in medium bowl. Add cream cheese; mix until well blended. Roll cookie mixture into 42 balls, about 1-inch in diameter.
2. Dip balls in chocolate; place on wax paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for another use.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Store leftover truffles, covered, in refrigerator. 

I did make a couple of modifications. Instead of using 1 package of the same type of Oreo I used half of a box of regulars and half of a box of mints. I cut the cream cheese in half and mixed in separate bowls. I used 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for the regular Oreos and I used 8 ounces of white chocolate for the mint Oreos. You could probably mix and match for whatever suits your fancy. To dip these I dropped them in a bowl and scoop them out with a fork. The toothpick method did not work. I also did not do the crushed Oreo garnish. And a tip I picked up from Barefoot Contessa - when melting chocolate in the microwave, only melt the chocolate part way and then stir it until it all becomes melted. This will keep the chocolate looking shiny once it dries instead of that frosty look.

These are rather sweet and rich for a treat but are pretty good! I gave some to Pete for his birthday and kept some in the freezer for a last minute get together. Easy!

*Dinner club is our weekly (at least we try to do weekly) get together with a group of friends. We rotate weeks, when it is your week you get to choose the place. Dinner club began with 4 members and has morphed over time. We also began with a rule that we couldn't go back to somewhere we had been and we couldn't choose a chain. We ran out of options quick so the rules have changed. We have been doing dinner club for 4 or 5 years now? I'd have to ask Katie she remembers everything. Many, if not most people who attend ski weekend have been dinner club members at some point in time.

Monkey Bread "Lite"

We need to face reality, rarely do you find a recipe that is just like the real thing when there is "lite" in the name. If you are a monkey bread fan who does not care about calories then move on to your next activity, there's nothing for you here. If you are a fan of most sweet things but are trying to watch calories, sugar, fat, etc you might be interested in this recipe. Josh actually found this blog site and sent it on to me. I think the author's husband is in a similar field as Josh and he found him on a site they both use.  Anyway, I love Dashing Dish's philosophy and really appreciate her work to make healthier alternatives to the favorites. You might see some other recipes taken from her site in the future.  There are two great things I like about this recipe. The first is that the portions are made individual sizes so you know exactly how much to take for a serving. Second is that it is made with alternatives and did not require many "fancy" ingredients that I don't know where to immediately find at Meijer.
Visit Dashing Dish to find the Monkey Bread Lite recipe.

This photo is from DashingDish.com (I didn't have time to snap my own, we were headed out the door for a family get together).

I made this to bring to Easter with the family. I warned everybody I had not made this before and that it was a lighter alternative to the real thing. They were a hit (thankfully)! I recommend making extra of the syrup/butter sauce because I ran out about half way through my tray of 12. The sugar free maple syrup I used was pretty runny, I think a thicker syrup would help this recipe as well. Definitely going in the cook book to use in the future!

Chicken Marsala

I feel like I haven't had much time to blog lately with all the travel. While I was on my trip to Reno I went out to eat in Truckee, CA with some colleagues. It is a very cute little western town. We ate at a great restaurant that unfortunately I cannot remember the name of. This was our first meal in 3 days that didn't consist of appetizers, finger foods, hotel coffee, or Starbucks oatmeal so everything on the menu looked good. I needed advice. I asked the waitress if she were hypothetically from out of town and may never have the opportunity to come back and eat here again what she might order.  Chicken Marsala was on her list. Coincidentally it was in my top 3 choices so I went with it.  Excellent decision, it was so very good.  I've been craving it every day since so I decided to look up the recipe online.  I trust allrecipes.com so I went with this one:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Directions

1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 448 | Total Fat: 26.6g | Cholesterol: 99mg

I would give this recipe a A- for taste and an A+ for prep time. We're talking 15 minutes to a delicious meal. I paired it with angel hair pasta and a glass of Little Black Dress pinot grigio.

I have a lot of leftovers too!

Now as for my trip to Reno. Well... whatever image you have in your head of Reno, it is probably true. It lived up to every expectation that I had before I left.  Here is a picture of my hotel room:

But here is me at Lake Tahoe!

And here is me not getting run over by cars while standing in the middle of the main street in Reno to get my picture taken:

I'm so glad to be home.

Philly Steak Sandwiches

A friend at work said he read my blog, I said "My blog?! It's kinda girly." He said "Yes, can you make a manly stew or something?" So here is my attempt to man things up a little.

I originally found this recipe on thenest.com (not manly). Turns out it's really good! Similar in style to the pepperoncini beef sammies I posted a couple of weeks ago.

(professional photo)

Philly Steak Sandwich

Serves: 4

Ingredients
1 pound boneless beef sirloin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/4 pound Swiss or provolone cheese, thinly sliced
4 soft hoagie rolls, split
Directions
1. Put the steak in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to firm up a bit; this makes it easier to slice very thinly. Using a sharp knife or meat slicer, shave the beef into ultra-thin slices, and then flatten it using a meat pounder.
2. In a bowl, combine the steak slices with the salt, pepper, paprika, and chili, onion, and garlic powders. Toss with your hands to coat evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When the pan or griddle is hot, add the oil, onions, and bell peppers. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Push the vegetables off to one side of the pan.
4. Add the meat, chopping it up a bit with tongs, and cook and stir until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix the vegetables back in and toss to combine with the meat. Divide the steak mixture into 4 long mounds in the pan or on the griddle, lay the cheese on top, and cook for 1 minute longer to melt the cheese. Pile the cheesy meat mixture into the warm rolls and serve immediately.

I modified it this week to try it in the crock pot. I used the same ingredients except I substituted the sirloin (manly) for a round roast (manly). I threw everything in before I left for work and when I came home it looked like this:

(my amateur photo)

I should have put the veggies in for the last few hours instead of the whole day but that was not an option for me. When we were ready to eat I put the meat on a hoagie bun with a piece of cheese and put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  I served this with cheesy potatoes (Josh's request) but they turned out weird this time and since I have the best cheesy potato recipe ever I refuse to show the dismal result. I'll do the cheesy taters justice in a future blog post!

Maple Glazed Pork Chops courtesy of Paula Deen

I have started a little Friday afternoon ritual (apparently). The last 2 Friday's I found myself watching The Food Network while waiting for Josh to get home from work. I have never really watched much of The Food Network because I always figured I couldn't keep up. Turns out it isn't that intimidating. I picked up 2 recipes to try. The first is this one (below) and the second is for mini beef wellingtons that I hope to give a try soon.

Here is Paula's recipe for Maple Glazed Pork Chops (with some modifications)

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons ancho chili powder (I used spicy Mrs Dash because I couldn't find my chili powder)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 (10-ounce) center cut bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick (I did not have bone-in chops)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup butter maple syrup (I found a sugar free maple syrup which made for a different consistency than Paula's)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Pecans, toasted and chopped, optional garnish (I did not do this part)

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about for 4 to 6 minutes.

In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the maple syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the maple syrup. Garnish with toasted pecans, if desired.

Paula served this with mashed sweet potatoes the difference being she said "Well, it calls for a 1/4 cup of butter but let's go ahead and use a 1/2 cup" and I said "Let's eye ball this, skip all the spices, and use a lot less butter." It seemed a lot healthier. I made sweet potatoes and regular mashed potatoes since Josh doesn't care for sweet ones. Both worked well. I'd give this recipe an A. Smelled great, tasted good, reasonable prep time, re-heated really well.  I give my attempt at this recipe a B.

Chicken Fingers made healthy

This recipe has all of the special qualities I look for: ingredients I am familiar with, healthy alternative to a classic favorite, fits easily into a weeknight schedule.

I found this recipe from a blog I came across while searching for new recipes. I'm pleased to share this recipe with my friends. I do think this will be especially good for those with pint sized picky eaters in the house.

What you'll need
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded and cut into strips (I used the chicken tenders, half the work was already done)
1 cup low fat buttermilk (I made my own by using a Tablespoon of lemon juice and a cup of milk)
Hot sauce to taste (I used about 5 or 6 shakes)
1 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian)

Mix the buttermilk and hot sauce in shallow dish. Put the chicken in buttermilk mixture and place in fridge for 1 hour.

 Preheat oven to 450* and warm a baking sheet
Pour breadcrumbs in a shallow dish

Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture and coat with breadcrumbs

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and coat with non stick spray. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes; flip and bake until golden brown which is about another 6 minutes.

 I paired them with tater tots because I had some and it sounded like a good match. I'm sure they'd be good in a salad, served with veggies, or served as a sandwich.

I think I need to work on my photography skills...  Anyway, enjoy!

Pepperoncini Beef

These sandwiches are extremely easy. We first had them at ski weekend for dinner on Saturday. Brittany and Andrew made them and she got the recipe from a friend who I don't know so can't give credit. I did find a version of it at allrecipes.com.

Basically here's what you need
1 (3 lb) beef roast (round or rump)
1 jar of pepperoncini (found in the pasta aisle near the Italian sauces at your grocer)
Put the roast and pepperoncini in a crock pot. Turn on low for 6-8 hours. I added some chicken broth for good measure (would have preferred beef, all I had was chicken).

Remove meat from crock put and pull apart with 2 forks. Return meat to crock pot. Serve meat on hoagie bun with provolone or swiss cheese. It may be a good idea to put the sandwich together then zap it in the microwave for 20 seconds to allow the cheese to melt.
Serves 12.

These are a big hit at our house. Very easy, quite tasty. Do not serve with Doritos it wrecks the flavor. I suggest serving with tater tots or french fries. This is kind of spicy, or flavorful, depending on your perspective. If you don't prefer food with a kick, I'd cut back on the amount of pepperoncini.

Let me know what you think!

(I grabbed this picture from allrecipes, it is not my own).

Chicken-Vegetable Pasta

This recipe comes from my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Healthy Today book.  It smelled delicious during prep. The taste wasn't as strong and I think there are 2 reasons. 1) I might have made too many noodles. 2) I would make more sauce & veggies next time. I think it is worth a second chance.

Ingredients
8 ounces dried penne
8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 & 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups sliced fresh shiitake or crimini mushrooms
1 medium leek, thinly sliced or 1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup half and half or light cream
1/3 cup mushroom broth or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces shredded cooked chicken (about 2.5 cups)
1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely shredded basil
1 tablespoon finely shredded oregano
Directions
Cook penne according to package, adding asparagus for the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain. Return pasta mixture to saucepan; cover and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms, leek or onion, garlic; cook for 4-5 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Stir in broth, half and half, salt, and pepper. Bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Stir in chicken, tomatoes, basil, oregano; heat through.

Spoon the mixture over the pasta; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired.