Lemon Garlic Chicken

My father-in-law and Andy's paternal grandmother stayed with us last night. This was the very first time his grandmother had been to our house, so I knew dinner had to be special. The only problem was that I had a late work meeting and Andy would be in charge of making dinner. Now to be fair, Andy is an excellent cook and I totally trust him to come up with something, but I wanted the dinner to nice and thought out.

So I looked in the freezer over the weekend and found a whole cut chicken. I was really inspired by this recipe I found on Pinterest. After thawing the chicken I threw it in a gallon bag with the zest and juice of one lemon, two minced cloves of garlic, some olive oil, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper. I let it marinate all day and gave Andy instructions to put the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees and cook for 45 minutes to an hour with an extra squeeze of lemon.

Holy smokes, this was good. Tons of flavor and easy to throw together. I love that the original recipe suggests freezing the bag of chicken and marinade and then using it when you need it. I need more meals like that in my life. Plus the flavors are totally customizable.

Pretzel Turtles

Last Thursday night I was invited to a get together the next evening. Great, no problem.

Oh yea, bring an appetizer or a sweet, okay thanks. Ummm......

Of course I had nothing in the house and basically no time to bake something impressive. After scanning my Pinterest boards I found what looked like an easy, bite size treat, Pretzel Turtles. These were a hit!

Pretzel Turtles

Via Glorious Treats

Pretzels

Rolos

Pecan Halves

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easy.

Line up your pretzels on the cookie sheet and top each one with a Rolo. 

(I highly recommend you cheat and get the bag of already unwrapped candies.)

Bake the pretzels for 4-5 minutes. The chocolate will be shiny but not melting yet. 

Quickly press a pecan half into each Rolo as soon as you take them out of the oven. 

Let them cool. If you can, stick them in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

And that's it! Easy and delicious!

Fruit Salsa

I had my monthly girls night last night and I wanted to make something new. I looked through my Pinterest files and found a recipe for fruit salsa that honestly was one of my very first pins years ago. (Can you believe Pinterest has been around for YEARS now?!?!)

The whole recipe was super easy and was a hit with all the girls. Perfect spring and summer appetizer or dessert. I combine a couple different recipes and you can totally use whatever fruit you like best or what you have in the house.

Fruit Salsa

1 Kiwi

1 Handful of Strawberries

1 Handful of Raspberries

1/2 Green Apple

1 Peach

Strawberry Preserves

Lemon Juice

Dice up all fruit into tiny pieces. I peeled the kiwi and peach before I diced them. Then in a glass bowl heat up a couple spoonfuls of preserves and the juice from a whole lemon for just a couple seconds. (I did this because I found it easier to mix with the fruit.) Then mix everything together and refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cinnamon Chips

Soft flour tortillas

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon 

Sugar

Stack three or four tortillas on top of each other. Stray each one with the cooking spray. Cover each tortilla with cinnamon and sugar. Take a pizza cutter and cut into slices. I cut mine into quarters but I'll probably do eighths next time since the chips were a little too big. Separate each slice and bake on a cookie sheet in a single layer at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool and you are ready to go.

Best Chicken Salad Recipe

I love chicken salad. Like, really, really like chicken salad. 

I order chicken salad pretty much where ever I go. I like when the chicken is shredded and the salad is more of a spread. I like it plain, with herbs, with slivered almonds, the list goes on and on.

A couple years ago on our honeymoon I read Mary Kay Andrews', who I met here, book called Little Bitty Lies. There was a fabulous chicken salad recipe in the book and I've been making it ever since. Be warned, it's time consuming and the ingredient list is a little different, but the end product is so worth it. (P.S. The name is odd too, but it makes sense if you read the book.)

Beyond the Grave Chicken Salad

(Recipe from Mary Kay Andrews' site)

5 lbs. chicken breasts
2 quarts water
parsley sprigs
1 large onion, quartered
1 tsp. seasoned salt
2 chicken bouillion cubes

In large pot, bring water and seasoning to boil, add chicken, lower heat and simmer 40 min. Remove from heat and shred chicken. (I like using my standup mixer to shred chicken like I did here)

Dressing:
1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 cup Duke’s mayonnaise (It must be Duke’s!!!)
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1-1/2 tsp. celery seed
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
dash paprika

Blend well together.

For salad:
Toss shredded chicken with one cup of dressing and let stand at least one hour to marinate.
Combine remaining dressing with:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. honey
Add to chicken and mix well. 

*As a side note, I like to toss the chicken with all the dressing to start, then make another full batch of the dressing with the sour cream and honey for the second round. It just heightens the flavors. 

5 lbs. chicken breasts
2 quarts water
parsley sprigs
1 large onion, quartered
1 tsp. seasoned salt
2 chicken bouillion cubes
In large pot, bring water and seasoning to boil, add chicken, lower heat and simmer 40 min. Remove from heat, cool. Shred chicken and refrigerate.
- See more at: http://marykayandrews.com/recipes/test-recipe/#sthash.m3fm1ze3.dpuf

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I can't say that I've ever had meatballs without pasta before, but when I saw these on Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers I knew I had to try them.

Let's just say they are amazing, you need to try them and leave it at that. No serious, make them tonight.

I used ground round, because it's what I had, and marinated mozzarella balls, but otherwise I followed Natalie's recipe.

Weekend in Review

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. We had a great one, but man it went fast.

I've decided I need to be better at taking pictures, and using a real camera, not my phone. So I dutifully carried my camera (point and shoot, nothing fancy) around and took pictures. Then, of course, I forget the cord to transfer them to the computer while I write this. AHHHHHH! So please excuse the borrowed pictures.

Saturday we drove to Greenwood, SC to visit our good friends who had a baby girl recently. The baby is teeny tiny and so sweet. I forgot how small babies are when they are brand new.

On Sunday I decided that I was going to make a fun Sunday dinner. I made Pioneer Woman's Perfect Roast and Creamy Mashed Potatoes. I can't say enough good things about these recipes and really anything the Pioneer Woman makes is wonderful. You have to be careful because she isn't afraid of butter, fat, and salt, but it's pretty worth it. I save her stuff for special occasions for this reason though.

Andy and I also spent a slightly embarrassing amount of time on the couch watching House of Cards on Netflix. Andy loved it right away, but it took me a couple episodes to get into it. However it's safe to say we are both completely hooked now. We are a little ways into season 2 and I can't wait to continue. Have you watched it?

Diet Coke Brownies

It is amazing how many times I have seen this recipe on blogs or Pinterest and haven't tried it until now. I love brownies so much, but once you look at the nutritional details you feel awful for eating them. So I tried this recipe and was shocked that the taste was still spot on, but the calories and fat were greatly reduced. Now, this does not make them healthy by any means, they simply aren't as bad as when you use eggs and oil.

 

Kelly at Eat Yourself Skinny has great step by step instructions and some tips.

 

All you need is a can of diet coke and brownie mix. That is it!!!!!

 

Go makes these now!

 

P.S. I had my husband try them and he couldn't tell the difference either.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm linking up with Mrs. Jamie over at This Kind of Love!

I’m loving…that the Bobcats won at home yesterday! I just needed to give a shout out to the home team. They’ve only won five games this season so it’s kind of a big deal when they win. Way to go Bobcats!

I’m loving….Oreos! Happy 100th Birthday to Oreos. Can you believe Oreos have been around since 1912? That’s crazy! I love Oreos but not as much as my Dad did or Andy does. I am trying to keep most sweets out of the house because I went a little crazy with the Girl Scout cookies but I think I might have to get some of the Birthday Cake Oreos. Oreos + birthday cake = AWESOME! 

I’m loving ….the dinner I made last night. I discovered on Pinterest a recipe for Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter. True it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, but it was so good and the hardest part was cooking the pasta. Plus if you don’t like asparagus this is a good way to try it because it is so good. (It’s the only way I can get Andy to eat it.)

Here is how you make it: via Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. asparagus

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- 2 tsp. salt

- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

- 1 lb. penne

- 1 stick of butter, cut into pieces

- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. Wash and chop asparagus into bit size pieces.

2. Toss the asparagus into a gallon sized ziplock baggie and throw in the olive oil, pepper, and salt. Close the bag and shake until coated. (I covered a pan with foil and mixed the asparagus with everything on the pan and it worked fine.) Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. 

4. Put vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer until there is about 3 tablespoon. Toss in brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Mix well. Remove from heat. 

5. Cook pasta. Drain and return to pot and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, parmesan, and 1 3/4 tsp. salt. Add a little parmesan to the top of each serving. 

This picture turned sideways and I can't change it back but I wanted to let you see what it looks like. This dish is so tasty and only takes a couple ingredients and minutes to makes. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Baked Penne

It’s been a little while since I’ve done a food post and boy did I pick a good one to document tonight. I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs, Plain Chicken, and knew I had to try it. I’ve been meaning to try the Philadelphia Cooking Crème but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Well I can tell you that it will be a product I stock my fridge with from now on. It was crazy easy to use, melted like a dream, and added huge flavor. Plus, while I couldn’t find it in my grocery store, it comes in 1/3 less fat too!

I was destined to make this dish, because when I was picking up the ingredients I found a coupon for the Philadelphia cooking crème on the super lean ground beef and the exact same recipe printed on the other side of the coupon. Crazy, huh? This was a really easy dish to make and was super good. I will definitely be making it again.

Baked Penne

Via Plain Chicken

1/2 lb. extra-lean ground beef or Italian Sausage
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup green peppers (I left this out b/c I don't like green peppers)
1 jar(24 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 tub(10 oz.) Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme, divided (I used reduced fat)
1 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
3 cups cooked penne pasta

HEAT oven to 350°F. COOK pasta. I am a big fan of a tip I saw on Pinterest. If you place a wooden spoon over a boiling pot of water it won't boil over. It works!

BROWN meat with vegetables in large nonstick skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

Add 3/4 cup cooking creme and 1/2 cup mozzarella; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until mozzarella is melted. Add pasta; mix lightly.

SPOON into 2-qt. casserole; top with remaining cooking creme and mozzarella. Cover.

BAKE 20 min. or until heated through, uncovering after 15 min.

This was so great! Make it soon. 

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

I’m not always the most adventurous when it comes to trying new recipes. I am a creature of habit and I like knowing that I’ll like whatever I took the time to make. But I’ve been trying to push myself to experiment in the kitchen, especially with all the great recipes I find on Pinterest.  Well I definitely found a winner with the Crispy Cheddar Chicken. I totally forgot to take pictures during the assembly process but it’s super simple, just follow the blog. We will be making this many, many times.

 Here is the link at Jamie Cooks It Up!

Shredded Chicken with my KitchenAid Mixer

I have a new favorite use for my KitchenAid mixer, SHEDDING CHICKEN! I know, say what? I found a cool tip on Pinterest and actually tried it out. This was awesome. Shredded chicken is my favorite way to add protein to a meal, but it’s such a pain in the butt to bake the chicken and then sit there with two forks or a knife and shredded it. I know, cry me a river but it can really slow down prep time. So in walks the KitchenAid and you have beautifully shredded chicken in no time. So here’s the low down.

Buy chicken, duh! If you have frozen chicken breasts in the freezer those will totally work.
Boil the chicken. I’ve never done this before but it’s easy. Bring a pot of water to a boil, throw the chicken in, and let it do its thing for about 20-30 minutes. It won't look very appetizing but it will, I promise. Take the chicken straight out of the pot while it’s still hot and throw it into the mixing bowl. Use the paddle attachment and turn it on for 20-30 seconds. And voila! You have fabulous shredded chicken that you can use in pasta, soups, tacos, etc. I highly recommend you try this!

Fall Baking

It’s official, fall has come to North Carolina! I love fall! I love the leaves changing color, wearing jackets, and making comfort foods. So to kick off the new season I spent Friday in the kitchen baking! I got a chance to use my new KitchenAid mixer, which I’m obsessed with! I made a new recipe and a tried and true one, both of which were a hit. The Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies are a bit of a mouth full to say but are really good and worth the assembly process. The Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Scones are pretty easy to make and are perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning or after dinner.

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider CookiesVia Scrambled Henfruit via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour
1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment! This is my first time baking with it and it won’t be the last. You don’t have to use non-stick spray and clean up is a breeze.)

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
With your mixer (Yay!) cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined. Be ready for this to be a little messy, or at least mine was. ;)

Refrigerate for about an hour. (If you're really impatient you don't have to do this, but it makes it so much easier to work with.)

When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels. Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a tablespoon measuring spoon.) Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart. I sat and watched an episode of Say Yes to the Dress and this process went really quickly.
Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over-bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling on a rack. Apparently if you forget about them and they cool too much they will stick to the parchment, but I didn’t have any problems with this. If this happens just put them into the freezer for a few minutes and they'll pop right off.I thought I would break up these recipes with a shot of my cute apron. I think it needs a monogram, how about you?

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Scones
Via Taste of Home
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup cold butter, cold
1 egg, separated
1-1/2 cups refrigerated hazelnut nondairy creamer or half-and-half cream
1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Cinnamon
Additional sugar

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. This is where I wish I was at my mom’s house because she has a dough blender. But if you are like me and don’t have one just use your fingers to squish the flour mixture and butter together. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and creamer; add to dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips and a few shakes of cinnamon.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times. Divide dough in half. Pat each portion into a 7-in. circle; cut into eight wedges. You may need to pat some flour on the knife so the dough doesn’t stick to it.

Separate wedges and place on greased baking sheets. Beat egg white; brush over dough. Mix some sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over each scone. Bake at 425° for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

The Recipes Keep Coming

I found a recipe that I read through and thought “wow, there isn’t anything in that dish I don’t like”. Well obviously we had to try it. I am trying to be better about taking pictures during the process. So here is my latest experiment.

Shrimp and Red Pepper Pasta
Adapted from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour
3/4 cups Ranch dressing
1 {3oz.}pkg/container shredded Parmesan cheese
8 oz. angel hair pasta
3 tbsp. butter/margarine
1/2 lb. sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 lb. medium fresh shrimp, peeled
1 {12oz.} jar roasted red peppers, drained & cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced (I used a tablespoon of pesto bc I had it on hand)
1/4 tsp. pepper

I cheated and used frozen shrimp because I already had them but they still tasted great.
Cook and drain the pasta. Combine ranch and parmesan and set it aside. I did all my chopping while I waited.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add mushrooms. Stir constantly for two minutes and add the shrimp.

Cook for 3-5 minutes until shrimp turn pink.

Combine ranch mixer, peppers, and pesto to the shrimp.

Serve over pasta.

I was really excited about this recipe. It was good but I thought the entire sauce being made out of ranch dressing made the dish a little too rich. I might make a traditional Alfredo sauce to start and then add ranch dressing for the flavor.