Blackberry Chicken Salad with Blackberry Vinaigrette

Blackberries were on sale at the store this morning.... I was thinking I hadn't ever made a salad with blackberries before and into my shopping cart they went. LOL. Several hours later.... Oh wow I am so glad I tried them! The tart creamy feta cheese next to the moist chicken and semi-tart juicy berries surrounded by crunchy green veggies... yes very good choice. 

If you know me pretty well... you know salad is a staple in my household and is my normal lunch. Like most kids, I grew up on lunches consisting of sandwiches, chips, fruit but as an adult I find it easier to keep a balanced diet if I leave the processed stuff out of every single lunch (unless I am eating out - which is a rare but fun treat). The kind of salad tends to vary, but to my dismay or benefit sometimes the sizes of the salads are on the very large size. It works for me because I don't have any morning snacks and am starving by lunch time.  My stomach isn't complaining and I drink plenty of water to handle all those fibrous veggies. So its all good. My husband kind of eyes me sometimes (when hes around at lunch time) like 'are you really going to eat all of that'. I just smile back with a protective glance at my large pasta dish full of veggies. So you have been 'officially' warned,  the recipe below is for one salad for one person, as a meal in itself.  But if you don't constantly crave veggies like my husband go ahead and halve it. Its okay. I won't tell anyone. With all the nutrients in this lovely thing, you won't have to worry about veggies for a little while (wink, wink). 

Tart, Sweet, Savory, Crunchy Green, Golden Moist Chicken Salad 

with Blackberry Vinaigrette

Toss together:  

1 & 1/2 cups of romaine lettuce chopped

1/2 small pkg of blackberries, rinsed & kept whole

1/2 cup of reduced - fat crumbled feta cheese

1/2 large cucumber, rinsed, halved & sliced into crescents 

2 cups of fresh broccoli, rinsed/sliced into fork friendly pieces

Whisk together: 

4 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 Tbs honey

2 smashed blackberries

1/16 tsp of salt - 1 small dash

1/8 tsp of pepper

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

Cook: 

1 chicken breast, boneless/skinless, butterflied or flatted for quicker cooking

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp herbes de provence, salt free (or whatever your fav herb is)

1 1/2 cups of water - this is approximate... you want water to cover half way up the chicken 

Making the Salad: 

1. Bring the water to a boil in a deep skillet or large saucepan. Sprinkle the chicken (after butterflied or pounded thinner) with the seasonings. 

2.  Put chicken in the deep skillet and let it boil/simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side. 

3. After poaching the chicken, drain the liquid out and return it to the stove for 2 or 3 minutes on each side to brown and get that golden delicious color. 

*Hint: We aren't using any oil here to save some calories for the yummy dressing

4.  While the salad is cooking, cut/chop all the veggies together and put them in the dish except for 3 individual blackberries. 

5. Smash one of the extra blackberries into the chicken after you flip it while it is getting brown. Let the berry juice stain the meat and get all pretty looking. 

*Unrelated side note: Watching the berries juice cover the chicken made me really think I really need to make a pork or chicken dish that uses blackberries with some wine and then some sort of starch to soak up some of these incredible drippings. 

5. In a cereal bowl whip up the easy delish blackberry vinaigrette. Taste it and adjust accordingly. If you like it sweeter add more honey, if you want it thinner add a bit more olive oil, ect... 

6. Once the meat is done - pull it off the stove and let it sit for a few minutes on the cutting board.  So you don't burn your fingers but also to let some of the juices settle into the meat. 

7. Top your salad with pretty slices of the chicken and gently pour the dressing over the top. 

Super yummy super healthy way to usher in spring... 

By the way I am so making way more vinaigrette next time and adding some toasted walnuts!! Love it when an impromptu idea turns out to be a 'favorite'.  From my kitchen to yours

Asparagus Chicken Sour Cream Enchiladas

Once upon a time I was watching a food show called the Pioneer Woman with my kiddo. He loves the show because it has tons of animals dogs, cat, horses, cows, and the most prevalent type of animals kids. Hahaha. One particular episode really stuck out to my son. He recognized the kids in the show, how excited they were, and how interacted with their Uncle Mike. We don't live near my brother, but talk to him often so my son is familiar, at least long distance, with his Uncle Sam. I thought nothing of it until we watched the show, a different episode, later in the week, and my kiddo asked if Uncle Mike was going to be on there. I told him I didn't know. He waited patiently for the whole episode to play out. At the end he simple stated that Uncle Mike must've been busy, and he will be there next time. I love kids. I love the innocence of mine.

Over a month passes and I see the same recipe as in that first episode, enchiladas, posted all over pintrest. Once again it looks good but uses ALOT of sour cream... not that's a bad thing but summer is right around the corner. Then my husband offers to pick some stuff at the grocery store for me. I ask him for a small tiny thing of sour cream for tacos, since I am the only one in my family who puts sour cream on tacos/burritos, ect. LOL my husband comes back with the largest container of sour cream they sell... not quite the size of the bulk Costco kind granted, but WAY bigger than I was expecting. I was expecting like 1/8th of the size! With an inward groan but at the same time quickly calculating of how much walking and running I would have to do to burn off all the calories, I thanked my husband for running the errand for me. I love my husband but this one through me for a loop.... What to do with all this sour cream before it spoils?  The answer: Ree Drummund's Sour Cream Enchiladas. The best part of the story is my son walking by the oven while they baked and commenting, "we are eating enchiladas, like Uncle Mike, did on tv". It's adorable. I can't help it. Long story but we lived happily ever after with yummy enchiladas in our tummies (at least for one night).

The recipe

Adapted/twisted with Chicken & Asparagus to celebrate Spring 

Makes 4 enchiladas perfect for 2 or 4 people

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream (whatever kind you prefer nonfat/full fat/Greek yogurt might taste good here too)
3 green onions, white & green parts sliced
dash of salt
dash of pepper
dash of red pepper flakes (for heat - but you can omit this)
1/2 tsp of cumin
6 Asparagus stalks
Olive Oil
1-2 cups Canola Oil (for frying)
1 Chicken breast, boneless skinless (increase this if serving 4 adults)
1/4 tsp each of salt, pepper, and dried parsley
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded * pepper jack or Monterrey jack would be good here too
10 oz can of mild enchilada sauce
4 whole wheat flour soft taco sized tortillas (I prefer the nutrition of whole wheat over corn)

Optional toppings: additional sliced green onions, diced tomatoes (seeds removed or not), corn (grilled or fresh), sprouts, shredded lettuce, diced avocado, and of course more sour cream. I totally like texture on top of my softer dishes.

Serve with tortilla chips and/or rice or beans

Directions:

1. Pound the chicken breast a little for even cooking or butterfly it. Then sprinkle it with the salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Cook the chicken breast over medium heat in 1 Tbs olive oil. Should take 6 or 7 minutes each side. Then remove it from the heat and set it aside.

2. While the chicken is cooking preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and cut the woody ends off the Asparagus. Set the veg on a cookie sheet drizzle it with olive oil (probably 1 Tbs or less), a dash of salt and pepper. Roast for approx 10-15 minutes or until they look golden and beautiful. When these are done put them out and set them aside with the chicken and LOWER the oven heat to 350.

3. So while you are waiting, in a small or medium sized bowl combine the sour cream, dash of salt and pepper, green onions, cumin, and 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, and the red pepper flakes. When the asparagus and chicken are done cooking chop them up into small bite size pieces and mix them in.

Note: if serving this to company I would totally keep the Asparagus whole so they are long and beautiful but since it was just me and the kid I chopped them up to be more family friendly. This could be a very elegant looking dish though :)

4. Heat a small skillet with 1-2 cups of canola oil. Dump half of the can of enchilada sauce into a dish or bowl, and set it next to the skillet. Prep your baking dish with nonstick baking/cooking spray or unsalted butter. Pour a little bit of enchilada sauce into the baking dish (1/4 cup or less) - Just a splash to help with the non sticking part. Set the baking dish next to the plate with the sauce.

5. When the oil starts to ripple you know its heated, carefully set the first soft taco size shell into the oil with a fork or something in your other hand to quickly turn it over. You want it to fry for about 5 seconds on each side. Its super quick. The tortilla will puff up on you that's okay but you don't want to cook them so long they are hard.

6.Once the 10 seconds is up you carefully pull it out of the hot oil and onto the plate with the sauce. Turn it over in the sauce. Put 1/4 of the chicken sour cream mixture into the middle and fold them up like a burrito. Put the finished burrito seam side down into the prepped baking dish.  Repeat 3 more times.

7. Once all the tortillas are loaded up and filled up and in the baking dish pour any remaining sauce from the dish they soaked a little in if its not all absorbed over the enchiladas. Pour the rest of the sauce from the can also directly over the enchiladas. Then top with the remaining 3/4 cup of cheese. LOL or more if you want.

8. Bake for 15 minutes until its bubbling and amazing. Sprinkle them with cilantro and dot with sour cream and any other yummy toppings you want diced tomatoes, spouts, more green onions, diced avocado... the world is your burrito. I mean enchilada.

Enjoy the recipe and your Sunday. 

From my kitchen to yours

Chicken Sausage Mediterranean Pesto Pizza: Perfect Summer Pizza

The Perfect Summer Pizza

This recipe caught me off guard from the moment I saw it years ago in a magazine until even now after eating it for dinner. First, I not really a fan of Mediterranean foods. I dislike olives. I haven't ever cooked with capers but I do admire the healthiness of those kinds of dishes with good fats like fish, and olive oil, ect. If you are a fan - you will love this dish. If not... be fun and creative and step out on this limb with me. Trying new foods is fun. Second, it was a recipe in advertisement. They were trying to sell their brand of chicken sausage LOL the picture sold me. This was NOT a normal place to find a good recipe. Haha. I have issues with recipes that don't have pictures but that's a whole different conversation - back to the pizza. Cheesy. Meaty. Flavorful. Yes pizza. Of course when I finally get around to making the recipe THAT particular brand of sausage was no longer available so I had to find something else, similar. I think I accomplished that. Italian... Mediterranean... Same part of the world :)  

So kudos to the al fresco sausage company for their marketing was the inspiration of this meal :) I changed up a bunch of things and didn't use their sausage, but figure credit needs to be given where ever credit is due. Perhaps I just wanted a recipe to use pesto again. Have you ever made pizza with feta cheese? I am curious now.... hahaha :) I would love to hear what others have come up with. 

This would be a great summer light dinner - not too heavy like our old household standby, Pepperoni. This would be fun to entertain with, have for lunch if you have 30 minutes to make it, or just a great dinner with the family. Try. Eat. Have fun. Summer is coming. You could even change it up and grill it so you don't have to heat up your kitchen. Try. Yes I am repeating myself. Its been that kind of a morning or maybe it was that third cup of coffee. I will get back to you about that. 

Ingredients:

• Store Bought Pizza dough OR homemade. To make your own gather the following ingredients: 

 2 cups all purpose flour, 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour, 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning, 1 Tbs white sugar, 2 Tbs olive oil, 1 cup warm water, 1 Tbs yeast - all mixed together with your hands. Add a bit more flour if needed but it should come together easily. Kneed it until its uniform 2-3 minutes and let it sit in a bowl under a towel for 10-15 minutes. 

• Store bought pesto OR homemade. To make your own gather these additional ingredients: 

2 handfuls of fresh parsley (1/2-3/4 cup), 1 handful of basil (1/4-1/2 cup), 1/4 cup of walnuts, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese (I used parm/asiago/romano trio-  use any good quality grated or shredded cheese), and olive oil to drizzle into the sauce

• 1 Roma tomato, seeds removed, finely diced
• 1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese crumbles
• 1 tsp of dried oregano 
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 Chicken Sausages -  9oz total (mine was already cooked 3 cheese Italian style with red bell peppers and garlic - my goal here was just to try out a new chicken sausage - having the sausage precooked did save me some time)
• 3 or 4 good appetites

Directions:

1. Make your pizza dough or pull it already made from the fridge to let it come to room temp. 

2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Use a stick of butter or non stick cooking spray on your pizza pan. 

3. Flour your work area and start to pull and stretch your dough. Set the dough in the pan - push and stretch it to make it fit but not be too thin in any area. 

4. While oven is preheating.... reheat or cook your sausages, if they aren't already cooked

5. Dice your tomato and set it aside with the feta cheese crumbles and dried oregano.

6. Use a food processor to make the walnut herb pesto sauce -  In a food processor or a maybe a blender would probably work in this - I just haven't tried pesto in a blender before.... add the fresh basil, parsley, walnuts, salt, pepper and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. I never know how much olive oil I need. Just drizzle some in slowly and keep an eye on the texture. You want it pretty smooth  since its going to be the pizzas sauce. 

7. Put the plain pizza dough in the oven for 5 minutes to start the baking process.  Once the 5 minutes is up. Pull it out and crank the oven hotter to 450. 

8. While its heating up, spread all of the pesto on top. Then a small layer of feta cheese/tomato mixture. Then half of the sausages sliced thin*, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Feta cheese/tomato mix, sausages, mozzarella cheese. My son loved helping with his part. Just be careful the pizza pan will be hot. Done. 

9. Throw it back into the oven for 10 minutes or until it looks golden and the cheeses are completely melted and gorgeous. 

 *Note: I have a small kiddo so I sliced and then halved mine a bit smaller so he wouldn't be able to choke if he crammed a bunch in his mouth. If serving to adults a thin circle shape would be much more pleasing to the eye. 

There. Easy summer healthy food and pizza. Never thought I would be calling pizza healthy but I think this one really is. If you make the pesto and the dough like I did you can have the satisfaction of loosing some preservatives too :)  

Enjoy - Summer is coming. 

From my kitchen to yours. 

Turkey Cran Monte Cristo Sandwiches

Hey all. Hope your week is coming along. Have you ever had breakfast for dinner? My husband used to make a sport of this... requesting pancakes and waffles for dinner on a regular basis. He works nights now so that's not really an issue anymore. But if you are craving a dinner/breakfast - try this!! This heated savory/sweet sandwich is AWESOME. The crunchy bread with the spices remind you of breakfast, and then you are hit with the creamy cheese and the semi tart/semi sweet cranberries.... a party of flavors. 

Just incase I am not being convincing enough... this sandwich is a great way to use up leftover thanksgiving turkey or in my case Easter turkey, and it is a lighter dinner choice too - which is perfect for spring. I saw this on pintrest and tracked it down to its original, a Paula Deen recipe. She makes awesome food. Click here to see her recipe. This is not an exception even with the changes I made to fit my family. If the promise of a amazing sandwich doesn't thrill you.... how about a 10 minute dinner from fridge to table meal? Not exaggerating... ten minutes tops.   

Makes 2 Sandwiches - Easily doubled or Halved

Ingredients

1 Tbs butter, unsalted, organic if you have it

4 pieces of bread (thicker works better) 

1 egg

1/4 cup milk (I used 2% - use whatever you have)

1 dash of nutmeg

1 dash of cinnamon

1 dash of salt

1 dash of black pepper

4 oz of creamy Havarti cheese thinly sliced or shredded

1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach (about 20 pieces)

4 Tb cranberry sauce ( 2 per sandwich)

6 oz of turkey from the deli or leftover from Turkey Dinner (ie... Thanksgiving or Easter)

Warning... This was the messiest thing I have made in the kitchen in a long time. I had scrambled egg everywhere LOL. I was like how on earth you do coat these very full sandwiches... I had cheese falling out, cranberries falling out, and turkey falling.... So I wish you the luck. It is worth the extra effort. I promise. 

Mix the milk, spices and egg together in a flat dish. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet.

While the butter is melting put some cranberry sauce on each side of the bread for the first sandwich.

Then put the cheese on both sides of the sandwich. 

Then put the meat on one side of the sandwich and the spinach on the other side. 

Carefully shut the sandwich and dip it into the egg mixture. 

Coat both sides with the egg mixture. 

Then put it in the pan and cook over medium for 3-4 minutes. 

Repeat with the second sandwich. Flip the sandwiches when they become golden and the cheese is melted. Don't be too concerned if stuff falls out... stuff it back in :) 

Serve with fresh fruit or veg! Perfect warm weather Brunch, Lunch or Dinner.

There easy. Messy. Simple. Fun. Tasty. Perfect for weekend brunch or dinner. I know my hubby has this weird thing about cranberries so I will definitely make this again just avoiding cranberries for him. Yes absolutely. It was so delicious. Too bad the sandwich thing kinda prevents eating seconds ;) See perfect for spring and getting back into shape. There are no seconds.... This could be a problem! Hahaha. 

Enjoy

From my kitchen to yours

Related Recipes:

Grilled Cheese Corned Beef Ciabatta Sandwich

Cucumber Cream Turkey Wraps 

Cucumber Cream Turkey Wraps

Spring is officially here, well in Arizona, at least. We made it past the horrible events in Boston & Tax day - whew! Thankful for the prayers that are with the people on the east coast. I will keep saying some prayers for them too. What a horrible thing taking even the lives of children. What a week this is!

On a lighter note: If you need something creamy and delish to take your mind off of life and although it sounds like I should be putting some sort of chocolate chip cookie recipe in the next part, this totally hits the spot. Read on. This is as easy as it is healthy, sorry no chocolate this time. Next major horrible event I promise. Besides it is spring. The cactus is blooming, birds are singing, the hot sun is back, and my hubby just got a new black light to search for scorpions. He loves hunting for them, it makes him feel like hes protecting us, which he is. They are deadly to youngins like ours, if stung. So along with spring comes swimming suit season. Stop making all those yummy hot creamy fat laden soups, casseroles, and start eating lighter. I love winter/fall food - its so comforting. But spring food full of fresh flavors and new crisp veggies and tons of fruit. So embrace the change - at least that's what I am telling myself hahaha. So to help with those ahem upcoming shorts, tang tops, short sleeve t-shirts, and swimming suit purchases... here's a lighter entree to try.

This is more of an idea than a "real" recipe but I am throwing this out there because it was awesome and healthy. I found it on Entree To Life - a fun food blog with great recipes. I hope you try it and enjoy it as spring appears in your neck of the woods.

Think of it as your own specialty deli wrap for an easy portable lunch or easy dinner that doesn't involve heating up your kitchen. Sigh. Yes swimming suit season is coming.

Makes 1 wrap

Ingredients:
1/4 - 1/2 large cucumber, peeled, sliced thin (depending on how much you like cucumber)
1/8 tsp salt
1/16 tsp or 1 dash of pepper
3-5 cherry tomatoes diced in half (depending on how much or little you like tomatoes)
2 slices of leftover Easter or Thanksgiving turkey or deli meat turkey
1 triangle of laughing cow cheese. I used the garden veg flavor and it was perfect!
1 medium soft taco sized tortilla  (a flavored wrap would be fun here will have to try a spinach one next time)

Spread the cheese over the tortilla. Layer on the cucumber and the cheese. Season. Add on the tomatoes and turkey. Roll up and eat!

My three yr old and ours ate these yummy simple wraps with some cantaloupe and some steamed veggies. My son loved it because he said it looked like lunch. He kept saying how cool it was that we were having lunch two times in one day.

Have a great day!! 

From my kitchen to yours

Other related recipes:
Turkey Stew - Thanksgiving Style
Brunch: Turkey Veg Hash with Eggs 
Veggie Soup: What To Do With Leftover Cut Up Thanksgiving Veggies

Corned Beef Salsa Verde Skillet Burritos

So, even though I am constantly trying new recipes, on average 3-4 a week for the last 2+ years, I still find things I haven't ever made, like corned beef. This year on St. Patrick's Day was the first time I had cooked anything with corned beef. I had no idea what I was missing! I was SO amazed how tender and awesome the meat became that I went out and bought more. Hahaha good thing there is a plethora of recipes online that helped me use it up. Then it happened. I had just enough leftover meat to not want to throw it away, but not enough to really make it into a meal or so I thought. I was thinking up ways to stretch my just barely 1 & 1/2 cups of delish corned beef when my son asked me if we could have tacos... Thank you sweet son of mine! So here's my take on Corned Beef Burritos... Try it next March when you find yourself with leftover corned beef. Proof that almost any food if done with some imagination can be "mexican" style. It was amazing. The salsa verde is light enough it doesn't overwhelm like a tomato salsa would've....Corned Beef in Mexican food... sure why not.

My son's plate... no toppings for him instead i put them on the side.
All he wanted was salsa to dip things into anyways.

Serves 3 or 4 people

1- 2  Burritos each

Ingredients: 

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of salsa verde medium (I used La Victoria - just because I knew it wasn't too spicy for my kiddo) 

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 Tbs taco seasoning homemade or store bought

1 & 1/2 cups of cooked and shredded corned beef

1 package soft taco size tortillas

1 cup or more your favorite shredded cheese ( I used sharp cheddar)

optional taco toppings: extra salsa, cilantro, chopped green onion, sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded lettuce...ect

Directions

1. In a large skillet bring the water, salsa up to a boil. Add in the meat chunks. Reduce heat to low and simmer. 

2. Add in the taco seasoning, green pepper, and chopped onion. The fat from the meat will help "saute" the veggies and the water will help the seasonings to really surround the meat. Continue cooking on low for 5 minutes or so until the veggies are soft and half of the water has been reduced.  Add in the corn starch and stir for about 2 minutes and turn off the stove. The sauce will thicken. 

3.  In another skillet heat up some tortillas just until they are more flexible. Put about a 1/4- 1/2 cup of the meat/veg mixture in each tortilla. Then top the mixture with cheese, and if you want more salsa and avocado. Tuck the sides in and roll the tortilla to look like a burrito  Put them seam side back down on to the same skillet that warmed the tortilla for a 3-5 minutes to make sure the cheese melts over low heat. If you want a crunchier texture cook for 5-10 minutes flipping it when it looking more golden brown.

4. Top the finished tortillas with shredded lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cilantro, green onion = anything you want. Treat it like a taco. For me this meant more avocado! Yum!!

My leftover Masterpiece
Hopefully my avocado won't be as ripe as yours! LOL

Easy fun and dinner done in less than 15 minutes! 

Serve with fun mexican style rice or chips :) 

Cheers to a fun meal from leftovers..... Ireland meets Mexico! 

From my kitchen to yours

Similar recipes: 

Corned Beef Root Veggie Hash - Brunch!

Grilled Corned Beef Grilled Cheese Ciabatta Sandwiches 

Corned Beef Irish Stew 

Triple Chocolate Irish Coffee Cookies

Whole Grain Bacon Mac & Cheese

Recently I came across a some mac and cheese recipes. Being a cheese lover, I made one and it was awesome (see Cauliflower Mac & Cheese). It was borderline healthy, easy, and kid friendly. But, I was looking for something with a bit more depth. Then I saw this one with fresh crispy bacon chunks, sauteed golden leeks, and two different kinds of cheeses. Yes depth and sophistication is EXACTLY what I found. It was the first grown up mac and cheese dish I had ever had. This would absolutely be appropriate for serving to guests, or on the weekend to your buds. (ppppst) by the way, when i say buds, I do mean friends, neighbors, random people on the street, and your taste buds. This is a must make! My husband actually surprised me by having seconds and asking if was going to make it again. Score!! This will be making second and third appearances in my kitchen. 

The amazing bacon, herb, havarti, sharp cheddar, leek, whole grain mac and cheese

serves 4 adults 

Adapted from Pinch My Salt  (halved the recipe except for a few things like bacon and cheese). I kept the important things. Used more bacon grease but less half and half. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of bacon
• 1 leek, light green and white part only, sliced into half moon crescents, rinsed
• half of a box of whole grain medium shells, approx 5 oz
• 1 cup (approx 4 oz)  + 1/2 cup sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
• 3/4th cup (approx 3 oz) creamy hartivi cheese, shredded
• 1 & 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/8 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk, 2 % or whatever you have
• 1/2 cup half and half, full fat
• 1/2 Tbs salt (for pasta water)
• 1/2 tsp herbes de provence blend, salt free
• Salt & pepper to taste 

Directions: 
1. Start cooking the bacon, until crisp.

2. Start boiling the pasta water, add salt to it. 

3. When the bacon is cooked, set aside on paper towels to drain some of the fat off
Take the bacon drippings and saute the leeks in the bacon fat over low heat for 7 minutes or until its golden - YUM! :) 

4.Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook as per directions on the box for al dente minus one minute. It will finish in the oven. 

5. Make the béchamel sauce with the butter, flour, and dairy. This is a very easy generic sauce that learned only a couple years ago.  This sauce starts with a small or medium saucepan in which you melt the butter completely over low heat. Then you add the flour and stir it until it looks unappetizing with yellow clumps. Let the flour cook over low heat for about a minute. Stir often. Add the half and half and the milk. Turn the heat up, bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Grab a whisk and a plain spoon. Start whisking every 5 seconds. It takes like maybe 5 minutes. As soon as it starts to look thick like buttermilk type of thick, dip the spoon in. If you can draw a line on the back of a spoon and the line stays there for a second then its ready for the cheese. Remove it from the heat and add half of the shredded sharp cheddar and all of the havarti cheese. Stir the sauce until all the cheese is melted.

6. While you are waiting at the stove for the sauce to thicken, chop your bacon, and boil your pasta, grab a small rectangle or square baking dish, butter your baking dish, and preheat the oven to 375. 

7. When the pasta is done cooking, drain all the water out and return the pasta to the pot. 

8. Combine it all together. Add the sautéed leeks to the pasta.  Pour the béchamel sauce over the leeks and pasta. Add in the chopped bacon.  Stir so everything is coated in cheese. Then pour it into the prepped baking dish. Taste it , add salt and pepper as needed. Top with remaining sharp cheddar cheese. 

9, Bake for 20-25 minutes until its warm and all the cheese is melted. Serve immediately  with veggies or salad to round out the meal - Enjoy!

Today mac & cheese has grown up and taken on some new flavors all from my Az kitchen. 

Walnut Chocolate Banana Bread

So in my busyness.... I missed the one year mark of my blog. Not to miss a reason to celebrate, I am celebrating it late, today. As a mom I gave up trying to be on time for everything awhile ago. Its too stressful to be on time with kiddos that at the very last minute fall and need band aides, forget their "owls" (insert favorite toy), or all of a sudden need to use the bathroom and insist on doing it themselves after you are already late. Any one else know what I am talking about here? I hope you are nodding along. 

Anyways happy belated one year birthday to my blog. Yay! Party in my kitchen! To celebrate I am not making a cake. Had some sugary goodness last night at my son's friend's birthday party. But liking the chocolate idea... I am trying a new recipe THE Chocolate Walnut Banana Bread. I love chocolate. I love banana bread. It could work. It does work. I love nuts and adding walnuts to a recipe I just found online makes sense to me. If you aren't a nut like me leave them out the recipe has good reviews online without them. The recipe comes from cooking.com, which sources a great chef/food resource, Tyler's Ultimate by Tyler Florence. 

One thing I learned to do when I embarked on a journey to keep trying new recipes is to read the comments below each recipes. You want to look for the comments that say the people have actually made the food. Those are the most helpful. It can give you great ideas on what to serve with the food, how to change it up, and make it your own. It also gives you a better idea if it is kid friendly, too spicy, or other things you may have missed while reading the recipe. One of my many deviations from the original recipe was greek yogurt. I wouldn't have thought to add it but two of the comments suggested it. They were right. It was genius :)  Reading the comments really saved me from a dry banana bread.... Yay for people who post comments!

Walnut Chocolate Banana Bread 

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1/8 cup of water
3 very ripe (dark brown) bananas
2 large eggs
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
1 tsp of walnut extract
2 oz of chopped chocolate chunks
2 oz of melted chocolate pieces
1/4 cup of powdered cocoa
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8-1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional but fun!)



Directions: 

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in one large bowl. These are flours, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, chocolate chunks, and walnuts

2. Mix all the wet ingredients in a separate medium sized bowl. This is everything else.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 and butter or use nonstick spray on a loaf pan (9 by 5 in).

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Mine was done in 63 minutes. HINT: You want to pull it out when the toothpick or cake tester ALMOST comes out clean.

5. Once its out of the oven, let it rest in the loaf pan for 15 minutes then remove it, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and finish cooling on a rack.

Wow it turned out great! Twisting up a classic to enjoy the (belated) one year mark for my blog. Thanks for reading and checking out my recipes today and over the past year (give or take some). I had no idea that people would even want to read it when I started. Yet, I have gotten such amazing feedback. This is my favorite hobby! I love trying recipes and sharing them with you. My friends..... I applaud you!

Enjoy Happy Belated Birthday to my Blog

Have some chocolate on me

From my kitchen to yours. 

Pizza Bites (Freezer - Friendly)

Happy April - Spring! We made it. Well here in Arizona I would say spring is almost past as we head into the 90 degree weather days. If you live in a colder climate and spring is finally deciding to come, here is an easy freezer meal for you to have ready for busy days. These taste so much better than the store bought ones! This isn't just kiddo food. Sub the mozzarella for a more flavorful cheese and really have fun with this! This is also a good way to sneak some whole wheat pizza dough past your kiddos.  

Makes 12 pizza bites for your next easy lunch, dinner or party. If you are starting from already made pizza dough takes about 20 minutes to assemble and bake.

 Step 1 make or buy some pizza dough. Divide the dough in half. Store one half in the fridge to use later or keep it whole to double the recipe. Put some flour on your work surface and roll the pizza dough into equal little balls. Spray some non-stick spray on the bottom and sides of each muffin cup to prevent sticking plus a tsp or less corn meal for good measure.

Step two  finely dice a quarter of red pepper per 12 pizza bites. Press the dough into each muffin cup. Sprinkle approx 5 diced bits of red pepper in each. 

Step 3  sprinkle 1 Tbs mozzarella cheese over the top of each muffin cup (hiding the veggies - wink).   

Step 4 dice up 5-8 pieces of pepperoni (1/4 of a package) and sprinkle them over the top or use whatever toppings you prefer on your pizza. I averaged about 3-4 tiny pieces on each one. 

Note: I diced all the toppings finely for my kiddo but it might be prettier as an appetizer to leave bigger chunks.

Step 5 Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until they look done. Let cool on a cooling rack. 

Step 6 Store in the fridge for a few days. Store in the freezer in a food freezer bag for up to 3 months. To reheat microwave them for 30 seconds intervals until you reach the temperature you want. Delicious!

Enjoy Spring

Get outside 

Use this Freezer friendly meal to help

From my kitchen to yours! 

Vanilla Rice Crispy Sprinkled Eggs

Happy Easter!
Jesus has Risen! 

Okay so I learned today that I cannot cut in a straight line! 

 Warning: This may have more "religious" feel to it than most of what I write but it is the holiday for it. I have many friends who don't believe the same as me, which is fine, they know I am praying for them (wink, wink... you know who you are). I am a christian, and today is a huge celebration day for me and my family. In addition to celebrating Easter, with food and family, we have taught our 3 yr old that the Easter bunny doesn't exist. It is like Santa Clause - just a nice story. Easter is all about Jesus and not about eggs and bunnies. We eat candy and spend time together because we are celebrating like a birthday party. My son knows all about birthday parties - the example worked with him. With all that being said.... I contradicted myself by making Easter eggs out of rice crispy treats with sprinkles for the party we are going to. It was such a cute food idea - I couldn't resist.  

This may simplify things too easy but here's the idea in my head... Easter is like a mini version of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is about family, food, football, being thankful (having the right heart about others and freedom), ect. Similarly, Easter is about family, Jesus, also being thankful (having a thankful heart that Jesus came to save the world and rose again), and candy I mean food. 

I know the food part of Easter is "supposed to" be about lamb or a glazed ham... but for me it is all about the sweet stuff. I am not so concerned about the large meal as I am concentrating on an amazing dessert  for my family the night off, and fun treats for the Easter egg party for my son. 

This amazing recipe off of Ree Drummond's food blog, and all over pintrest had caught my eye. I added a bit of vanilla to make it different and fun. Next time I will try some homemade vanilla extract or some other flavor. They were a huge hit at the party. I made 20 eggs and 10 squares from the rice crispy recipe, and all but 1 egg was left. Try and add whatever flavors you want to make it your own. Enjoy!  P.S. My son did all the sprinkles and had a blast. We were all pretty sticky by the end. Good times! 

The recipe (totally easy) 

Cooking time: 3-5 minutes

Hands on time: 10 - 15 minutes 

1. Melt butter (4T) in a large pot over low heat

2. Add in the entire bag (10oz) of mini marshmellows and the vanilla extract (1/2 tsp)

3. Stir the marshmellows until they melt. 

4. Add in the rice crispy cereal (6 cups about half of a box) 

5. The important things to make these eggs are Prep, Prep, Prep. Have 2 plastic egg thingys sprayed with cooking spray before you are ready for them, and a bit on your hands doesn't hurt, and the sprinkles ready on plates or bowls. Its a time conscience activity because you wait too long the sprinkles won't stick. Do these things while your butter is melting or have your helper do these things (wink). 

6. Once the mixture looks homogeneous start adding several spoonfuls into each plastic egg. Close the egg completely once it is full. Count to 30 or 60 that's all the time you really need to get the nice egg shape.  Give the egg to your helper and fill them up again. Keep the pan on the lowest heat setting to give you some extra time to get the eggs all shaped. 

7.  Your helper should gently roll them in the yummy sprinkles or chocolate chips would be yummy too, and set them on a pretty plate to set. Eat them over the next couple hours or put plastic over them and they will last a few days. No refrigeration needed just a bit of willpower so you don't eat the entire bunch yourself. 

Easy. 

Fun. 

Messy. 

Yummy. 

Cute.

Kid-friendly.

From my Kitchen to yours