Vegetable Spaghetti

This is my new go-to for spaghetti- we absolutely LOVE it at our house and it makes regular appearances at the dinner table. Its easy, extremely healthy (can you say, vegan?), it makes a TON, and my kids and husband love it. Seriously, its the only pasta dish that Brian will eat for left-overs. There are several different ways to prepare it and no exact measurements- just put in what you like! Try it out and you'll see what I mean. This recipe is adapted slightly from great friend and neighbor, Sheree Nixon.

picture courtesy google images

Vegetable Spaghetti

Rachel Crofts/Sheree Nixon

Assorted Vegetables of your Choosing (I used squash, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots)

1 yellow onion, diced

Spices of your choosing (I use garlic salt, minced garlic, salt, pepper, Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Crushed Red Pepper and Basil)

1 Tbs. Olive oil

2 cans tomato sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup brown sugar (optional- but it tempers the acidity of the canned tomatoes and gives a rich flavor to your pasta- add more or less to your liking)

Angel Hair Pasta (one box) cooked according to package directions

My favorite way to prepare this dish is slightly more time-consuming, but it pays off. I chop the vegetables and place them in a large dish and roast them in the oven according to this recipe (minus the cheese). If you prepare enough vegetables on your first attempt, then you can freeze half of them and use them next time you want this spaghetti (more on that later). I typically use an entire head of cauliflower and broccoli, 5-6 diced carrots, a whole squash and zucchini and it makes a TON that is easily divided and used for two recipes. Because I have small children, I chop the vegetables with my food chopper into very small (almost ground) pieces before using for this recipe. It doesn't detract from the flavor or texture, it just makes it more inviting for little mouths. :)

To begin making the spaghetti, warm the olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp. of salt and saute until onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Add your spices- I add a good sprinkle of each spice, especially the basil. Only use a dash of red pepper though (its hot!). Add your tomato sauce and diced tomatoes as well as your roasted vegetables. Stir to heat through and simmer for about 10 minutes to incorporate the flavors. Add your brown sugar, if using, at the end. Stir, and remove from heat. Serve over cooked angel hair pasta.

**If you have frozen vegetables (from doubling the earlier roasted vegetables) or want to make this recipe in a crock pot, do the following: Saute the onions as described above. Add spices. Put your tomatoes and tomato sauce into a crock pot set to low, followed by the brown sugar, sauteed onions, and frozen vegetables. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, stirring once or twice throughout to break up the vegetables. Serve over angel hair pasta for an easy, MUCH faster spaghetti.

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins

pic courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Yeast bread, schmeast bread. It takes too long. And, when it's 5:00 and dinner's supposed to be on in an hour, there's just not enough time for all that kneading, rising, and rolling out. So, I stumbled across this recipe when I needed something fast and homemade. And, I'm so glad I did because these rolls were DELICIOUS. They were soft, fluffy, and so scrumptious. My 4-year-old ate his in 2 bites and was begging for more before he even swallowed. Skip the yeast next time and reach for these.

Whole Wheat Dinner Muffins
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Makes 15-16 muffins

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (I used white whole wheat for a lighter texture.)
4 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
6 tablespoons firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
6 tablespoons butter, melted, or olive oil
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons sour cream or plain yogurt
3 tablespoons sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional, I didn't do this)

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease 16 standard muffin cups; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping during baking.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl or a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, and sour cream until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. Don’t overmix! The batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer with spotlessly clean beaters on medium speed, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended, again, taking care not to overmix because that will result in tough, dry muffins. There will be white streaks through your batter!

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup nearly level with the rim of the cup. Sprinkle the muffins with the sesame seeds. Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the muffins cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature with butter and/or jam, if desired.

Cajun Chicken and Corn

Hi everyone, today's main dish is Cajun Chicken with corn. This recipe is super easy to make, and amazingly delicious!


Serves 4-6
Ingredients:


10 pieces of chicken (I'm using chicken breasts, but you can use whatever you want)
3 ears of yellow corn (it can be white corn if you prefer)
1 stick of butter
parsley for garnish
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper. (this is to taste, so add as little or as much as you want)

Melt the butter in the microwave.

In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, black pepper, ground cumin, paprika,salt
and the cayenne pepper. Blend together and set aside.

Bush 1/4 of the butter on the corn. Make sure to brush every piece with tons of butter, and season it with the spicy blend. season well. That's it! Broil for about 10-15 minutes or Grill for about 10-12 minutes.

Now to the chicken...

Cover the chicken with the remaining butter, make sure every single piece is covered in butter and season with the spicy blend we made earlier, be generous, the more spices you add the better it will taste. Rub the seasoning all over the meat and let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Broil for about 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked
or Grill for about 8 minutes.


If you are using chicken pieces with bone, the cooking time would be about 8-10 minutes per side. (16-20 minutes total)


That's it!

Garnish the chicken with fresh parsley and the corn with a little bit of butter and enjoy!!



To watch this video recipe please click HERE!

Corn Bread Muffins

Hi everyone, today I'm going to be sharing with you this wonderful recipe to make cornbread muffins!  These babies taste like a little piece of heaven, they are slightly sweet and super light and moist, it will be like biting into a delicious corn cloud!

Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups of yellow corn meal
1/2 cup of flour
2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 baking powder
1 1/3 cups of heavy cream
2 large eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven at 425°.

Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside.

Separate the egg yolks from egg whites.
Beat the egg yolks slightly and set aside. (reserve the whites for later)

Combine the dry ingredients: corn meal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder, mix well, once everything is incorporated add the egg yolks and the cream. Stir everything together and also add the melted butter, mix well, until everything is incorporated into a very thick batter.
(this is supposed to be a very THICK batter, but if you feel it is TOO thick you can add a little bit more cream if you want to.)

In an electric mixer, blend the egg whites until they become thick and foamy. (for about 3-4 minutes on high)

Once the egg whites have a foamy consistency, slowly fold them into the corn meal batter.
This will make your muffins extra light and moist.

Once everything is combined we are ready to make the muffins. Spray your muffing pan with cooking spray and fill in the cups with the batter.

Bake at 425° for about 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and completely cooked.

Enjoy!!!

To watch this video recipe please click HERE

Rice and Black Beans

Hi everyone! Today's menu includes Rice and Black Beans, Cajun Chicken and Corn-bread Muffins! Yumm!

Let's start with the Rice and Black Beans. This is a very easy recipe and a fast way to make Rice and Black Beans, but I assure you, it is full of flavor!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 cup of white rice
1 can of black beans
2 cups of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of chicken flavor seasoning
1 tablespoon of chopped dried onions
2 garlic cloves

2 cups of warm water
salt to taste
and 2 teaspoon of dry oregano

Soak the rice in the warm water and set aside for about 5 minutes. (Soaking the rice in warm water, will allow the rice to cook evenly in less time.)

In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil and cook the garlic until golden brown. (for about 3-4 minutes on medium low heat.)
By doing this, we will be infusing the oil with tons of garlic flavor.

Once the garlic becomes golden brown, remove it from the pan.

Drain the rice and fry it in the garlic oil for about 2 or 3 minutes, until it becomes slightly transparent. Season with 1 tablespoon of chicken flavor seasoning and 1 tablespoon of chopped dry onions. Stir well and add two cups of chicken broth, stir again and cover with a lid, let it cook for about 10 minutes on low heat.

Rinse and drain the black beans, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of dry oregano, taste for flavor and add more salt if needed. Transfer to the pan with the rice and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of oregano, stir with the rice and cover with a lid, let it cook until the liquid is completely gone and the rice is tender. (for about 20 more minutes) Add more liquid if needed.

That's it! Garnish with fresh parsley and you are ready to eat!

Enjoy!

To watch this video Recipe please click HERE!

Russian Chicken

This recipe was first introduce to me by a good friend of mine when we were invited for dinner. Thanks Mercy! Anything that has lots of "juice/gravy" served over rice is ahuge winner for my husband, Jason, so this is right up his alley. Super easy.

Ingredients:

-4-6 chicken breasts (can be frozen but take into consideration cooking time)

-1 large bottle of Russian dressing (I have only found "Ken's Steakhouse" brand)

-1 envelope of onion soup mix

-1 jar of apricot preserves

Whisk last three ingredients together in large bowl. Pour over thawed chicken breasts. Bake at 350 for an hour. Serve over rice.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Photo from kevinandamanda.com

Um...garlic+chicken+pasta=cannot go wrong. Oh yeah, and bacon and whipping cream. Just eat a little bit and don't feel guilty:).

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Recipe from kevinandamanda.com

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 c. heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed OR garlic salt (I do a spoonful of crushed garlic)
1 Tbsp. pepper*
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. bacon, crumpled**
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12 oz) Lawry’s mesquite marinade with lime juice
*Seems like a lot of pepper, but it has a wonderful flavor when everything mixes together. If you’re apprehensive, do less pepper. You can always add more.
**We like to cook our bacon in the oven (400 degrees, convection). Way less messy. And it’s crispy every time. Time varies, so you just have to watch it. I think it’s usually around 30 minutes. Allow to cool and then crumple (I totally wear disposable gloves for this part – surprise, surprise).

[ directions ]
Crock pot chicken and bottle of marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices, allow to cool a little bit, and shred (I pull it apart). Set this aside. About a half-hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and crumpled bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a little bit more shredded parmesan cheese on top.

Spiced Peaches

I'm really not sure how it happens that I go so long between posts sometimes. Sure, I'm busy, but I'm not that busy. Somehow, I turn around and two weeks (or longer) have passed me by. To be honest, if it weren't for my mom, it might even occasionally be longer between posts. Her gentle chiding, "I'm getting sick of looking at..." whatever it is I've had sitting there for a while is very motivating. And then I go look at my blog and think, "How can it really have been two weeks already? I could have sworn I just posted that recipe two days ago!" My how the time does fly! I guess that means I'm having fun, right? Or is it just that I'm getting older? Hmmm.... I think I'll stick with the former.



This is a great recipe. While you can forego the whole canning part and simply make a small amount to keep in the refrigerator for a week or so, I like to dive right in and make huge amounts when I have the chance.



A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for rosemary peach freezer jam and I mentioned that I also made some spiced peaches. Since then, I made another batch as well. I love this fruit stand that's set up in town. This time my five bucks paid for a box of cast off peaches that made fourteen pints of spiced peaches!



I've made canned peaches every way known to mankind and I've decided, for a number of reasons, that diced are the only way to go. First, you don't need perfect peaches (or cling free peaches). Second, you can prepare the fruit a whole heckuva lot faster. Third, you can fit more fruit in each jar, reducing your need for shelf space and processing time. Fourth, they don't look any less pretty than slices or halves, and they're the perfect bite sized pieces. I highly recommend going this route.



The first step is the remove the skins. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Drop 5-10 peaches into the water and count to 30 for really ripe peaches or one minute for slightly under ripe peaches. I really like to use the cast off, slightly overripe peaches because they have the best flavor.



Remove the peaches from the simmering water and drop into a sink or bowl full of cold water. Prepare a large bowl of cold water sprinkled with a little Fruit Fresh, citric acid, or lemon juice. As you peel and cut the peaches, drop them in this water so that they don't brown in the interim.



If you are working with cling peaches, where the fruit stubbornly does not release from the fruit, simply cut around the pit. No sense getting frustrated for nothing. Again, another reason why diced fruit is an easier way to go.



When you're almost done with the fruit preparation (20-30 minutes out), start 10 cups of water to simmering. Add the bundle of spices to flavor the syrup. You can use cheesecloth to keep the spices together (shown here), or...



you can use a cute little spice bag like this one. The spice bundle includes cinnamon, cloves, and all spice. Let the spices simmer in the water for 10 minutes or so and then add the sugar. Reduce the heat to hold the syrup until you are ready to heat the peaches.



Drain the peaches from the acidified water and rinse them off. Place the drained peaches into the pot of warm syrup. Increase the heat to medium or medium-high and let them heat through. You do not want them to boil. Meanwhile, get your boiling water canner ready if you are going to can the peaches. If you need a refresher on standard canning practices, check out my Canning 101 post.



Fill your clean jars with the hot peaches leaving a 1/2 inch head space. Use a plastic knife to remove air bubbles and then wipe the rims clean. Place heated lids and rings on and process in a water bath canner for 20 minutes for pint containers and 25 minutes for quarts.



Spiced Peaches Yield: 8-14 pints peaches



10 cups water

4 - 3" cinnamon sticks

2 tsp whole cloves

2 tsp whole allspice

4 cups sugar

16 - 28 cups diced peaches (roughly 2 cups per pint)



Bring the water to a simmer. Place the spices in a spice bag or wrapped in cheesecloth. Place in the simmering water for 10-15 minutes. Water will be colored and very aromatic. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Reduce heat to low until ready to heat peaches.



Place peaches in simmering water for 30 seconds to one minute to facilitate slipping the skins off. Remove peaches from hot water and immediately place in a cold water bath. Remove pits and skins and any blemishes from the fruit. Dice into 1 cm cubed pieces. Drop into cold water mixed with a little bit of Fruit Fresh, citric acid, or lemon juice. When peaches are all prepared, drain and rinse the peaches. Place peaches in the warm syrup, increase the heat to medium or medium-high and heat until the peaches are hot through. Do not boil or simmer peaches.



Prepare a water bath canner and set the water to heating. Meanwhile, fill clean jars with peaches and syrup to a 1/2 inch head space. Use a plastic knife to remove bubbles and adjust syrup level as necessary. Wipe rims clean. Place heated lids and bands on jars and process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts. When processing time is up, remove canner from heat and let jars cool slightly in canner before removing. If they are removed right away, they often ooze syrup, making a mess. After 24 hours, remove the bands and clean jars before storing in a cool dark place for up to a year.

Poppy Seed Dressing and Spinach Salad

photo courtesy of allrecipes.com

My Sister-in-law, Ali, made this recipe for our monthly family dinner tonight. YUMMY! So fresh and totally different spin on a spinach salad.

Poppy Seed Dressing and Spinach Salad

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
1 pound fresh spinach
1 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons minced onion
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Coconut Curry Soup

Pic courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I went out for Thai food for the first time last week and I have been craving curry ever since. It is seriously one of my favorite foods. I used to eat it on my mission pretty often, but totally forgot how much I love it. Anyway, this dish was nothing short of amazing and so easy and quick to put together (We're talking 30 minute meal here people!). I can easily foresee this as a new staple in our house.


Coconut Curry Soup
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, (about 3), cut into 1-inch (or smaller) pieces
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion)
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14-ounces) unsweetened light coconut milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
¼ cup fresh cilantro

3-4 cups hot, cooked rice for serving

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot and shimmering. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Add them to the hot oil. Let the chicken cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and red pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onions and peppers are slightly softened. The chicken and vegetables don’t have to be fully cooked as they will simmer and cook further in the next step.

Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and curry powder. Stir to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, gently, for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve a ladle or two of the soup over a scoop of rice and garnish with more cilantro, if desired.

*Just like the picture, I filled a bowl half way with rice and then ladled on the "soup." Think of it more as a stew, though. It shouldn't be too soupy.

Cream Cheese Muffins

Photo from yourhomebasedmom.com

Yep, I loved these.  I just love cream cheese--you can't go wrong.  And the topping on these.  Yum, yum.
 
Cream Cheese Muffins
Recipe from yourhomebasedmom.com
3 C  flour
1 C sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 C milk
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 large eggs8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 C sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Mix together the flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In another bowl stir together milk, oil, and eggs.  Combine with the dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened.
Combine cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar.  Gently mix half of this mixture into the muffin batter.
Fill muffin tins about 1/2 to 2/3 full with batter. Spoon the remaining cream cheese mixture onto the muffins, with the back of a spoon push the mixture  into each muffin.

Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
Combine ingredients. Sprinkle generously over muffins. Bake 24 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Beef Fajitas

Photo courtesy of yourhomebasedmom.com

These were so moist and yummy!  I had Jacob over for dinner when I made these and he said that for the first time he has actually enjoyed peppers!  All of who know Jacob know what at amazing feat that was!

Beef Fajitas    
Recipe from yourhomebasedmom.com


1/2 C Canola oil
1/3 C soy sauce
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
Combination of peppers – red, yellow, orange, green and onion, sliced.
Olive oil
Salt
Using a  medium bowl,combine the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon or lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and ground black pepper. Place meat in a large zip loc baggie and pour marinade over the steak. Turning meat to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for  at least 2-3 hours or overnight.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Place steaks on the grill, and discard the marinade. Grill meat for 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.  Slice meat thinly going across the grain
While meat is grilling, saute onions and peppers in olive oil and salt until tender.
Serve with meat on a tortilla.  Add sour cream, guacamole and or salsa.

Oven Baked Churros

Photo from munchkinmunchies.com

These were surprisingly awesome and stinkin' easy!  Actually, I'd prefer I didn't know about these because they were that good and I want to eat them all!

Oven-Baked Churros
(Makes 3 dozen) 

Recipe from munchkinmunchies.com

1 (17.3- oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed  (I actually used 1 sheet/half a package and made 18 churros, but kept all the other ingredient amounts as listed)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Unfold and cut puff pastry sheets in half lengthwise, and cut each half crosswise into 1-inch-wide strips.  Place strips on a lightly greased parchment paper-lined baking sheet(I used a stoneware baking sheet without grease or parchment:)) Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.
2.  Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon.  Remove pastry sheets from oven, and dip in butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Let stand on a wire rack 5 minutes or until dry. Delicious!

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls

Photo from Pioneer Woman blog

Disclaimer: The thing about having a family-run blog is when that said family has a family reunion.  We have all been working hard at having fun with each other which is why our blog has run stale for the last couple of weeks.  I have LOTS of recipes to enter so keep checking!

Okay, about the cinnamon rolls.  Most of you know that Pioneer Woman is amazing in all things.  These are included.  These are actually one of her more well known things on her blog.  However, they were not my favorite.  I mean, they were good, but I prefer cream cheese frosting.  Plus, I thought they were a lot of work.  Somewhere on this blog is an amazingly good and amazingly easy cinnamon roll recipe made with vanilla pudding.  Those are MY favorite, hands down.  Jake says these are HIS favorite, hands down.  You decide!

Recipe: Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour.

Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
 
For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Chipotle Chicken Cakes

Hi Everyone, today's recipe is going to be Chipotle Chicken cakes! This smoky recipe is very versatile, and it's perfect for entertaining, it can be served as a main dish or as a delicious appetizer, or if you want something more substantial you can even make it into a Chicken burger with fries and everything!

It's the perfect recipe to use any left over chicken and if you are entertaining, you can prepare these delicious cakes ahead of time and cook them whenever you are ready. They can be baked or fried, either way they are super tasty and super easy to make.

Serves 4 (makes 4 cakes or 12-15 small cakes for appetizers)
 Ingredients:

4 cups cooked chicken, boneless,skinless and finely chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
2-3 tablespoons fresh cilantro finely chopped.
1 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs or your favorite type of bread crumbs)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3-4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
Chipotle in Adobo Sauce (as much as you want, I'm using about 2-3 tablespoons of the sauce)
Salt and Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying (if baking, spray the cakes with cooking spray instead of the oil)

Note: I cooked the chicken in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes. To the water I added 2 bay leaves, 2 garlic cloves and a 1/4 of a small onion.  You can cook the chicken any way you want. If you have left over chicken go ahead and use that instead.

Finely chop the chicken, add 1 egg, the garlic, green onions, cilantro and 1/2 cup of Panko. (the other half is for breading).Also add 2 tablespoon of Mayo, and 2 tablespoon of the Chipotle Sauce. (if you want the cakes to be super spicy, you can also add 2 chipotle peppers finely chopped. The heat of this dish depends on you, so add as much Chipotle sauce and peppers as you like. )
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix together, and if the chicken mix feels too dry, add another tablespoon of Mayo, we want the chicken mix to be moist  but not completely wet, we want  the chicken mix to be able to hold together during the cooking process, if it is too dry, it will come apart on your pan.


Once all the ingredients are combined, divide the chicken mix in 4 sections, start forming the cakes. (smaller cakes/sections for appetizers)

Beat the remaining egg with a little bit of water and set aside.

Flour the cakes (cover in flour), dip them in the egg wash and then onto the Panko. Make sure every cake is completely covered with the flour, egg and finally the Panko.

Keep on repeating this step until you are done.

If you have time, I recommend to refrigerate this for about 10 minutes before cooking, just so the chicken can absorb all the flavors we just added to it.  If you don't have time or if you don't want to, don't do it... the cakes will be just as good!

Heat 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and cook the cakes for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and you are ready to serve.

(If you prefer, bake the cakes at 400° for 15 minutes or until golden brown.)

Like I said this dish is very versatile. It can be served with rice, baked or refried beans,  pasta, mash potatoes, corn on the cobb, salad, or anything else you can think of. You can even turn this cake into a burger!
Enjoy!

To watch this video recipe click HERE 

Orzo and Shrimp Scampi Salad

Hi everyone!

Today I bring to you a very easy pasta-salad recipe, perfect for this summer! It is really light, and full of flavor! I'm using regular pasta, if you prefer, go ahead and use whole wheat pasta instead, it will be equally delicious and satisfying!

Serves 4
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cup of Orzo (or any other small pasta you like)
1 cup white wine (your favorite, or cooking wine is fine too)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped (white or yellow onions work well too)
2/3 cups fresh parsley
zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

crushed red pepper, salt, and ground black pepper to taste
3-4 cups of baby salad greens (mix of baby spinach, Romain, arugula, etc)

Peel and devein the shrimp. Season with salt and pepper (to taste) and also add the oregano, garlic powder, olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest. Mix well, make sure every single shrimp is covered with the seasoning and set aside.

Cook the pasta as you normally do. (boiling salted water and a bit of olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together). Once pasta is cooked, drain, and set aside.

In a large skillet,at low heat, cook the butter and garlic together for about 4 minutes or until the butter becomes foamy.

Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute.
Turn on the heat to medium high, add the white one and lemon zest, cook until the wine is reduce to half, for about 2-3 minutes on medium high.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the shrimp and cook for about a minute and half on each side.

Season with crushed red pepper, add 1/2 cup of fresh parsley, mix and add the cooked pasta, stir together, and cook for another minute or so, or until the pasta is warm and the shrimp is completely cooked.

Serve on a bed of baby greens, garnish with the rest of the fresh parsley and enjoy!

To watch this recipe click HERE!!

Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

Hi there!
Today I'm bringing you another Stir Fry! I love stir fry(s), they are really easy to make and they are a great way to add more veggies into our diet! This one has a lot more vegetables than the Honey Chicken Stir fry and is more on the salty side, so hopefully you will like it too!
Serves 4
Ingredients:


10-12 ounces of boneless, skinless chicken cut in strips. (chicken breast or thighs work perfect)
4 cups of frozen stir fry vegetables (you can use fresh veggies if you want)
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
3 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce plus 2 tablespoon to marinate the chicken
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste
2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Cut the chicken into thin strips, season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper (all this ingredients are to taste, so add as much or as little as you want!) Also add two tablespoons of soy sauce and set aside.

In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil plus garlic and ginger, and cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic becomes slightly brown. (do NOT preheat the skillet and do NOT preheat the oil!) Add the oil, garlic and ginger at the same time, so the oil will absorb all the flavors from the ginger and garlic.

If your veggies are frozen, now is the time to defrost them!  Place them in the microwave to defrost.

Once the garlic is slightly brown, add the chicken and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Add the veggies and stir fry for another minute.  Add the soy sauce, season with ground black pepper and crushed red pepper and continue to cook for about 4-5 minutes or until the veggies are warm.

Serve with white rice or brown rice!


Enjoy!!!

To watch this video recipe click HERE!!

Tossed Caprese

I really like caprese salad, but I've always had a few issues with its traditional composition. Part of my issue is a flavor/texture concern, part is an aesthetic concern.

Let's start with the flavor/texture issue I have. And I will freely admit that I may be the only person on the planet who has this issue, but I doubt it. While I am quite sure that there are a large percentage of you who don't find this a problem, surely there are a few who will read this next bit and think, "Amen!"

I love, love, love basil, but I am not a fan of chewing on a whole leaf of basil. The texture is just so... well, tough. Plus, you don't start getting a good sense of the essential oils until you've chewed that leaf up pretty well. By that time, I'm ready to swallow and so I miss the best part!

What's the cure? Pour a potent basil oil over the salad with just a few shreds of basil for garnish. Make the basil oil by simply blending some extra virgin olive oil together with a handful of basil leaves. Not only does it taste great, but it has a lovely hue.

Issue two? Well, this one may be a little OCD, but when I set up a traditional caprese, I like my cheese slices and tomato slices to be of a similar size. But since tomatoes are mostly spherical, it's impossible to get consistently sized slices, so I tend to only end up using the middle slices of my tomatoes when making traditional caprese. Making a tossed caprese salad, where both the tomatoes and cheese are cut up into similarly sized pieces means I can stop fretting over the size of my tomato slices. (Phew!)

You can make my 30-minute homemade mozzarella cheese or buy fresh mozzarella at the market. Chop up the cheese and some tomatoes, whir together some basil oil, and grate on some fresh black pepper and sea salt, and you've got a beautiful, delicious tossed caprese!

Flour Gorditas

To watch this video-Recipe click HERE!!

Flour Gorditas are a very popular Mexican dish, we call this kind of food an "Antojito" or a "Crabbing", you  can find this kind of food on a food truck, or even at the most fancy Mexican restaurant.  A Gordita is similar to a South American Pupusa!  In the Mediterranean it will be known as a  Pita bread... 

In Mexico we have flour Gorditas and Corn Gorditas, both of them are delicious and the best part is that you can fill them up with anything you want.

Flour Gorditas are cooked on a griddle and Corn gorditas can be cook on a griddle or they can also be fried! My favorite are Fried Corn Gorditas! Maybe I will share the recipe soon!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour (16 ounces)

2 tablespoon vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup warm water (some times flour is drier than usual so you might need a little more water) (115°-120°)

Special equipment:

Tortilla Presser

Gordita Presser

Griddle

I'm going to be kneading my dough on my counter top, you can blend everything using an electric mixer, but I'm going to do it the way my mama does. 

Combine flour, salt and baking soda.  

Empty the flour mixture onto the counter top, and bring everything into a pile, cut in the vegetable shortening and mix with your hands until you get the texture of coarse crumbs. 

Once the vegetable shortening is completely incorporated with the flour, gradually add the warm water onto the flour to form a soft dough.

 (you will need about 1/2 to 2/3 cups of warm water)

 

Add as much water as you need to create a soft yet firm dough.

Once the dough  has the right texture, knead it for about 2 or 3 minutes. And let it rest for about 20 minutes before start making

the gorditas.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel.

To make the gorditas you will nedd a Tortilla presser, if you don't have one, you can use a rolling pin to roll out the gorditas.

 After 20 minutes you can star making your gorditas, grab a little bit of dough and roll it into a ball. The size of the gordita depends on you, you can make it as big or as small as you want.

My Gordita balls are going to be about 2 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.  Once you have all the gordita balls, we are going to press them down with a tortilla presser. (like I said before, if you don't have one of those, you can use a rolling pin to roll out the gorditas.

 Once the gorditas are pressed they will be about twice as big. Mine are about 4 inches in diameter and about 1/2 inch think. Cook the gorditas on a hot griddle, and as soon as you set it on the griddle, place a gordita presser on top of your gordita...

I don't have a gordita presser, so I'm using a small sauce pan filled with some water to press my gorditas down.

And that's about it, cook for about 2 - 3 minutes on each side.

As soon as the gorditas are ready, we w ill cut them open.. grab a small knife, deep it in some water and start cutting your gorditas open. Slice about half way around the gordita to create a pocket. And that's it!

You are ready to fill your gorditas with your favorite filling and  eat them!! Enjoy!!!

I filled my gorditas with some shredded chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and I'm going to top it all with my favorite salsa!

You can filled them with beans, meat, veggies, anything you want! Be creative and enjoy!!!

To watch this video recipe click HERE