Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Now that school has started, I've formed a closer relationship with my slow cooker because I have ZERO extra time (those of you who don't have school-aged kids yet, soak up the hours of deciding your own schedules).  While our weather in Texas hasn't started cooling off yet, soup season is beginning to slowly creep in and I've found a few that I'm dying to try.  This one was top of my list and I'm glad I put it to the test.  It was easy, kid-friendly, full of flavor, and made a lot of hungry mouths happy.

courtesy

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chef Mommy

4 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed

1 pgk. Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

2 cups half and half (I used fat free)

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken, rice (with seasoning packet), salt and pepper in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 4 hours, or high for 6 hours.  With about 30 minutes left on slow cooker, melt butter in saucepan over stovetop, add salt and pepper and then flour by tablespoons and mix to make a roux.  Then, whisk in the half and half, a little at a time, until combined and smooth.  Set roux aside while you remove the chicken from the crock pot, shred it, and then put it back in crock pot, along with the roux.  Mix to combine and continue to cook until time is done.  Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Caesar Salad

On our recent girls' trip to Utah, we ate at Cafe Zupas and I ordered this salad and their amazing Cauliflower Soup (if you ever go, you MUST try this soup).  It was a perfect combination.  I kept thinking that I could make this same salad at home and so I went home and did just that.  Its so delicious and so easy to throw together.  What I loved about it too is that you can make it into a meal by  adapting it to what you and your kids like (see suggestions below).  My kids LOVED this when I added pasta to it and we all ate it for dinner.

courtesy

Roasted Red Pepper and Asiago Caesar Salad

Adapted from Cafe Zupas

Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped

Jar of sweet Roasted Red Peppers, diced small (add desired portion)

Asiago Cheese, shredded

Brianne's Asiago Caesar Dressing (found in dressing aisle)

Garlic Croutons (we like Texas Toast Garlic & Butter flavor)

Shredded Chicken (optional)

** Preparation Suggestions: you can prepare this however you like, whatever proportions you like.  Leave out the croutons, add shredded chicken, add a box of cooked pasta, make it into a wrap, whatever you like! We made it without chicken and added cooked pasta and ate it as a main course. 

DIY Reeses Peanut Butter Egg

Get in my belly! Oh my gosh....this is food heaven. Food at its best people. If you like the Reeses Eggs (the ratio of PB is a little higher) or any combination of PB and Chocolate...this recipe will be your thang. Its phenomenal. I am so making these for Christmas treats. Just so ya know. A little labor-intensive with having to form each ball (I did balls not eggs b/c its not Easter!) but easy at the same time. You all think a Reeses can't get better? Well...have you ever had a homemade one? Yes. It can get better. I swiftly gave away as many of these as I could (my newest trick for not over-eating) and have only eaten two this whole day. Kudos to me! I pinned this on pinterest weeks ago and after a week full of epic pinterest recipe fails, I was skeptical. But boy, my faith is restored! This is from thewhimsicalprincess.blogspot.com.

Ingredients: (lets just pretend- for our conscience's sake that these are low cal/law fat ingredients mmkay?)
-4 cups of powdered sugar
-1.5 cups of smooth peanut butter
-1/4 cup butter, melted -2-3 T milk
-1 T shortening
-3 c. semi-sweet chocolate ( I am not a huge fan of semi but milk would be disgustingly sweet...never thought I would say that but the semi is delicious!)

Directions: Mix sugar, peanut butter and butter with hand mixer. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. Should look like dry play dough. Form each individual ball/egg in your hand and place on cookie sheet. No need to spray. Place in the freezer for at least an hour. Combine chocolate and shortening in microwaveable bowl and microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between each interval until chocolate is smooth (It only took about 2 min for mine). Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.The blogger recommended using a skewer but I didn't have any so I just used a spoon and rolled it around then put it on the wax paper. It worked great.

Honey Chicken Stir Fry

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!!

This is a really easy recipe, and it beats any takeout any time! It's delicious and it will be ready in less than 30 minutes!

 Ingredients:

• 16 Ounces of Chicken cut into bite size pieces.
• ½ cup flour
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 cup carrots sliced into thin slices
• 1 bell pepper sliced in thin slices 
• 1 jalapeno pepper sliced into thin slices (optional)
• 1 onion finely sliced
• 1 cup sugar snap peas (or any other green pea you like)
• ⅓ cup honey
• Salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper to taste
• ½ cup Almonds or peanuts (optional)
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash (beaten egg), make sure every chicken piece is soaked with the egg, then transfer onto the flour and make sure every single piece is covered with flour. Set aside for a minute.

In a large skillet or wok,on medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil, and cook the chicken for about 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and cooked. Once the chicken is done, remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Get rid of the left over oil, and reheat the same pan with 1½ tablespoons of  vegetable oil,  stir fry the onions for 2 minutes or until they become somewhat soft. Add the Carrots, bell peppers and jalapenos, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar snap peas, and stir fry for 3 more minutes. (cook for a few minutes longer if you like your vegetables to be really soft.)

Add the honey and mix well until all the veggies are well coated. Toss in the chicken and stir fry until the chicken is heated through and completely covered with the honey. Add more honey if needed.

Season with salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste. Add some peanuts or nuts to add some crunch.

And that's it, enjoy!!!

French Baguette

Here's a recipe I can't make very easily right now. This little kitchen is starting to get on my nerves. The good news/bad news is that it appears we have a place to live lined up, unfortunately, we can't move in for another two months. Well, finally knowing how long I will be in this little kitchen, I decided today to purchase a few ingredient items I had been putting off. I was hesitant to buy too many herbs and spices, for instance, since I have sooooooo many in our household shipment, but two more months with only salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic powder, and Mrs. Dash was a little more than I could handle.

I may have to wait a few months to make this recipe, but I can clearly remember just how good it was the last time I made it. I've made many, many batches of french baguettes over the last few years. I've tried to keep notes about what I was doing each time and how it impacted the final result. I knew what I was shooting for as an end result, and each batch got me a little closer. This recipe and set of techniques gets me to that happy place. It results in a flavorful bread with a wonderfully crispy crust and a soft, slightly chewy inside.

Begin by mixing all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer; hold back about a third of the flour at this point, however. Keeping some of the flour out of the mix now allows you to start out beating the dough with a paddle attachment to help hydrate the flour and activate the gluten. Beat the dough for 2-3 minutes on medium.

Speaking of ingredients, let's talk about them in a little more detail. In France, the ingredients for a baguette are stipulated by law: flour, salt, water, and yeast. You'll notice that I have one additional ingredient. This ingredient, diastatic malt, is completely optional, but I really like using it for a couple of reasons. There are two types of malt and diastatic is the one you want for bread making (I get mine from Barry Farms). Diastatic malt contains enzymes that helps the yeast to convert the maltose in the flour into the glucose they want to eat, so it helps with gas production. Additionally, it helps the bread to develop good color in the crust as it bakes. Lastly, I think it gives an extra kick in the flavor department that is very subtle, but super tasty. Use it or not at your discretion.

Switch to the dough hook and add the rest of the flour slowly. Because the humidity can significantly alter just how much flour is required, you may need slightly more or less than the recipe calls for. What you are looking for is the dough to clean off the sides of the bowl, but to never quite clean the bottom of the bowl. The dough should be kneaded for 5-8 minutes, until the gluten is well developed. You can tell the dough is ready because, while it will never quite lose its stickiness, it will form a nice, smooth dough that is elastic and can form a decent "windowpane."

What's a windowpane, you ask? Take a small piece of dough and stretch it out with your fingers, attempting to form a thin film of dough. If it will stretch and become translucent, you're good to go; if it tears and won't form a thin sheet, give it another minute of two in the mixer. I appear to have neglected to take a picture of this technique, so here's a good site showing what it should look like.

Once the dough is well kneaded, drop it into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for one hour. After the hour has passed, knock the dough down, recover, and place in the refrigerator for 8-16 hours. Technically, you can skip this step but I don't advise it; it is during this step that all those complex flavors are developed.

When ready to finish making the bread, pull the bowl of dough out of the refrigerator. Lightly flour the counter and dump the dough out. Be somewhat gentle here, you don't want to completely degas the dough. Because the dough is cold, it should be fairly manageable. Gently press and stretch the dough out until it is as long/wide as you want your loaves to be. My pan makes 16-inch baguettes, so that's what I worked toward. Cut the dough into three equal parts parallel to that long side. Roll each baguette up and pinch the seams together. Place seam side down on a lightly oiled baguette pan. I really like the perforated pan King Arthur Flour puts out.

Lightly cover the baguettes with plastic wrap and let them rise until they are at least doubled. Depending on room temperature and how happy your yeast is, that can be anywhere from 1-3 hours.

At this point, you want to get your oven ready. It's the high heat and steam features of bakery ovens that produce that perfect baguette texture that is so elusive at home. I have found that a 475° F oven works pretty well. You'll just want to be sure you have a clean oven before you start! Before you preheat it though, we need to talk about the steam. I've tried so many different techniques and my favorite by far involves the use of a 6-inch terra cotta saucer.

Place the saucer on a bottom rack to preheat with the oven. When the baguettes are placed in the oven, we'll pour 2 TBS of hot water into the saucer. This hot water added to a hot saucer provides the steam we want. Steam helps to maximize how much of a last rise you get in the oven and also helps with crust development. But you only want steam to be available for the first part of the baking, so only using 2 TBS of water allows the steam to run out at about the point where we want to start using a dry heat to finish the baking.

The last step before sticking the loaves in the oven is to score them. Scoring is often a decorative touch, but it also is very functional; it helps to maximize and evenly distribute that last spring you get from the yeast when the loaves are placed in the oven. Traditionally, bakers use a lame (pronounced /lam/). This is a special, double edged razor. While I think they come in a flat bladed version, all I could find was this curved one, which caused me no end of grief. I finally gave up trying and found that a surgical scalpel works great. I got mine from Jeffer's Livestock. They are cheap, sterile when purchased, and you can change the blades out as they lose their edge.

There are a few tricks to properly scoring baguettes. The first is to make sure to dip your blade in ice water before every single cut. If you don't, your blade will drag horribly. The other key is the angle at which you cut. The idea is to form a fairly thin flap, not a deep valley, in the loaf. Hold the knife so it is sideways, not straight up and down, and basically slice sideways into the loaf about a half to three-quarters of an inch. This cut allows the loaf to expand easily and evenly for maximum spring. The last important tip is to cut fewer, long slices parallel to the loaf than more, shorter slices across the loaf. As soon as the loaf is scored and the oven is preheated to 475° F, the loaves are ready to be baked. Pour 2 TBS of hot water into the saucer and place the loaves in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden and sound hollow when tapped.

Lastly, everyone knows that French bread is best the day it is baked, but this recipe makes three loaves. What do you do with the other two? While you can freeze them fully baked and simply let them come to room temperature before using, if you want to have that fresh from the oven flavor and texture on demand, then simply parbake the loaves, cool, and freeze. Parbaking means that you have baked the loaves long enough for the bread to be fully baked inside, but removing it from the oven before the crust has fully developed, about 20 minutes. Cool the loaves completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. When you are ready for a fresh baked loaf, remove it from the freezer and unwrap. Place in a cold oven and set the thermostat at 375° F. Let the bread and oven heat up together and bake until the bread has developed that gorgeous golden crust.

Here comes the formula, but I need to let you know what I've got going on here. I have provided the formula in three different forms. The first is traditional imperial measurements. The second is given in grams. I have recently come to conclusion that I like mass measurements for simple bread recipes like this one. I simply place the bowl on the scale and add each ingredient, taring between each addition. The last formula given is the baker's math version. I talk about that in this post. The baker's math version allows you to easily scale the recipe to whatever amount you want.

French Baguette

Yield: 3 16" loaves, a shy 1 lb each

5 1/4 cup / 765 g / 100 bread flour
2 1/4 tsp / 7.7 g / 1 diastatic malt (optional)
1 3/4 c + 2 TBS / 444 g / 58 lukewarm water
shy 2 tsp / 15.3 g / 2 table salt
1 1/2 tsp / 6 g / 0.8 instant yeast

Mix all ingredients, less 2 cups of flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with a paddle attachment 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Switch to a dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead on low for another 5-8 minutes, until the dough pulls away from the sides (but not completely from the bottom) and will form a nice windowpane. Dump the dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Knock the dough down, recover, and place in the refrigerator for 8-16 hours.

Lightly flour the counter and dump the cold dough onto it. Gently roll, press, or pull the dough into a rectangle as long as you want your loaves to be. Cut the dough into three even rectangles. Roll each rectangle into a loaf and pinch the seams shut. Place on a lightly oiled baguette pan, seam side down. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise until at least double, 1-3 hours.

Place a 6-inch terra cotta saucer on the bottom shelf of your oven and preheat to 475° F. Carefully remove the plastic wrap and score the loaves. When the oven is ready, pour 2 TBS of hot water into the saucer and place the loaves in the oven to bake for 25-30 minutes, or until they are golden and sound hollow when tapped. (See above for instructions on parbaking and reheating loaves). Cool completely. For a loaf that will be used in less than 24 hours, store wrapped in a flour sack towel, otherwise, store in an airtight container.

TIP: To reduce the chance of breakage, be sure to let the terra cotta saucer cool completely in the oven before removing it to store for the next time you make baguettes.

Oatmeal Chocolate Cookie Pancakes (and vegan to boot!)

I usually workout in the morning. So, I really aim to get a lot of protein and something very satiating that will get me through til lunch. This fit the bill and was delicious to me. If you are used to really sweet things, this might not do it for you. Its a healthy pancake. My kids wouldn't eat it but I swear they won't eat anything with less than 100 g of sugar in it. Its a problem.

Ingredients:

1 very ripe banana

1 t baking powder

1 flax egg (1 T flax seed + 2.5 T water...let sit for 3-5 min!)

pinch of salt

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 T almond butter (I am sure you could use peanut butter!)

1 T canola oil or coconut oil

3 T almond milk (I used regular)

1/2 c rolled oats

1/4 c whole wheat flour

3 T semisweet choc.chips (non-dairy for vegans!)

Heat skillet. Mash banana with baking powder then add remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips. Combine. Then fold in chocolate chips. Cook on sprayed skillet. Top with your choice of syrup or agave.

*Makes 5-6 small pancakes. 3.5 pancakes= 400 cals, fiber-6.5g, protein-7g. I was stuffed after two!

Strawberries and Cream Pie

I made this for Seth's birthday. Mom and dad were here the next day and said this was the best pie they have ever tasted! That's saying something... 

Strawberries and Cream Pie (Adapted from Crumbly Cookie’s recipe)

Ingredients:(Crust)
- 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (About 9 full/long crackers — just throw them in a gallon bag, zip, and crush with a rolling pin.)
- 5 tbsp butter, melted

(Filling)** Crumbly Cookie’s original recipe called for only 1 block of cream cheese and 1 cup of cream, but that didn’t fill my pie dish all the way and I wanted a really thick/deep-dish pie, so I doubled the recipe.
- 2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream + 1 tbsp
- 2/3 cups sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 carton strawberries, sliced into thirds or halves
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Steps:(1) Preheat oven to 375.
(2) In a small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until a crumbly, moist mixture forms.
(3) Gently but firmly press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom/sides of a pie dish.
(4) Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
** This is the only baking that you need to do for this recipe, so don’t forget to turn the oven off!
(5) In a medium bowl, use an electric mixture to beat your cream until it holds firm peaks. Set aside.
(6) In a separate, larger bowl, mix cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth and creamy.
(7) Fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into your cream cheese mixture to lighten it, then add the rest. Gently fold until evenly incorporated and smooth.
(8) Spoon filling into your cooled pie crust, and spread it out in an even layer.
(9) Layer sliced strawberries in an overlapping rows around the top of the cream.
(10) Melt chocolate + 1 tbsp cream, and stir until smooth and liquid. Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of the strawberries.
(11) Stick the pie in the fridge for a few hours to allow the creamy filling to firm up.
(12) Slice and serve immediately. Enjoy!
** Strawberries go fast, so this won’t keep very long. Try to eat everything within 3-5 days.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

1 yellow onion, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs
1/4 to ½ cup chicken broth, depending on preference
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cumin
1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
Squirt of lime juice
Tortillas
Fajita fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on High for 4-6 hours). When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili over Rice

I found this recipe through pinterest and made it for dinner last night...everyone LOVED it.  And, its ridiculously easy to make, despite the humongous recipe title.  So, make it!  :)

courtesy

Crock Pot Cream Cheese Chicken Chili over Rice

Adapted slightly from Rita's Recipes 

2 frozen chicken breasts

1 can Rotel tomatoes (with diced green chilies)

1 cup of frozen corn (or one can)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1 Tbs. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup water (skip this if you're using canned corn)

1-8oz. package 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cubed

Put all ingredients besides cream cheese into the crock pot.  Stir to combine.  Place cream cheese over the top.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  After 2-3 hours, stir in cream cheese until combined.  Shred chicken before serving.  Top with cilantro, if desired.  You don't have to serve it over rice- you can just serve as a chili.

Easy Cheesecake

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!

Hi everyone!
Today's recipe is another easy and delicious dessert! "Easy Cheesecake!" I hope you like it!

Ingredients for the crust:

• 1½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
• ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)
• 1 9in Round Pie Pan 

 (If you prefer you can use a pre-made Graham Cracker Pie crust, which you can buy at any grocery store.)

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 16 oz of cream cheese
• ½ cup milk
• ½ sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup  + 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350ºF  (175ºC)

To make the crust: Combine 1½cups of Graham cracker crumbs with ½ cup of melted butter; mix well, until well combined. Cover a 9in Pie pan with the cracker and butter mixture. Bake at 350ºF for 8 minutes. (If you use a pre-made crust, also bake it at 350ºF for 8 minutes.)

To make the filling: In an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese with the sugar on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until well combined. After 2 minutes or so, reduce the speed and add in the milk and the eggs one at a time, beat each egg for about 30 seconds before adding the next one.  Also add in the sour cream, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and two tablespoons of all purpose flour; mix on high speed for about 1 minute or until all the ingredients are well combined.

Pour this mixture into the pan with the crust and bake for 45 minutes at 350ºF, it is very important that you do NOT open the oven while the pie is baking, or else your pie will crack on top.

After 45 minutes,  turn off the oven, but leave the pie inside it  for another 30-45 minutes. Do NOT open the oven, just turn it off, and leave the pie in there for 30 more minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove the pie from the oven. Let it cool and serve. Enjoy!

BLT Salad

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!!

Hi Everyone, today's recipe is another delicious and very figure friendly Salad. It's perfect as a main dish or as a side dish.


Serves 3 main dishes or 5-6 side dishes
Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz package of Classic Garden Salad mix (or 3½ cups of chopped lettuce)
• 6 slices of Bacon
• 1½ cups small tomatoes (Cherry, Grape, Campari, etc.)
• 3 slices of Bread
• ½ small red onion cut into thin slices
• 1 avocado for garnish
• cooking spray and a pinch of garlic powder (optional)

Ingredients for Salad Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC)

Place the bacon on a baking sheet and bake at 400ºF for about 10 minutes or until browned and crisp. Let it cool and cut into bite-size pieces

Cut the bread slices into bite size-pieces, place them on a baking sheet and spray them with cooking spray, sprinkle them with a pinch of garlic powder, bake in a 400ºF oven for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Set a side until ready to use.

To make the dressing:
Combine 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice,  season with salt, ground black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste, (I added 1/2 teaspoon of each.) Mix together, until all the ingredients are well combined and set aside for a minute.

Rinse the lettuce under cold water, drain it and pat it dry with paper towels.
Wash the tomatoes, and cut them in half, or if you are using large tomatoes, cut them into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce with the red onions, season with 3 tablespoons of the salad dressing, give it a quick stir,and add in the tomatoes, bread pieces and the bacon pieces, add 2 more tablespoons of the dressing, and toss again.

Note: You will have about 4-5 tablespoons of salad dressing left, reserve it, in case you want to add more dressing to your salad before eating it.)

Serve your salad, and garnish with avocado slices and season with more dressing if needed.

Enjoy!

Sausage Stuffed Shells

There's something about this recipe that just really appeals to me. I think it has to do with how cute those jumbo shells are. I love filling them with all kinds of different goodness. This is another recipe that is similar to my potato soup making... almost every time is different! In this version, I use sausage and mushrooms, but I just as often like to make a spinach and cheese version. I vary the cheese, I vary the meat, I vary the herbs, I vary the vegetables. It's all good!

This was a particularly good version, so much so that I actually wrote down what I put in and in what quantities. This is fairly easy to prepare; I find it easier than making lasagna, but just as tasty. I often prepare it when making dishes to provide to families needing a little help preparing meals... it's easy to prepare in advance, simply leaving the baking to the recipient so they can enjoy an easy, home cooked meal in their time of need.

The first step is to mix together the filling: sausage, garlic, onion, mushrooms, parsley, egg, and tarragon. Mix until well incorporated.

Boil the shells as directed on the box, except be sure to cook them al dente, because they will continue cooking in the oven and you don't want them to end up too soft. Also, be sure to boil more shells than you need, because invariably a few of them will be uncooperative and fall apart. Spoon about half a cup of sauce into the bottom of an oven safe dish. For this recipe, you need about an 8 inch dish. Stuff the filling into the shells and place them, seam up in the dish.

After all the shells are filled and placed, pour the rest of the sauce over them and sprinkle on the cheese.

Bake at 350° F for 30-40 minutes, until the cheese is beautifully golden and bubbly and the meat in the shells is cooked through. You can use a thermometer for this part, if you want to be sure it's fully cooked. Shoot for an internal temperature above 160° F. Let the dish cool slightly before serving.

Sausage Stuffed Shells

Yield: 4 servings

1 box jumbo pasta shells

1/2 pound ground sausage

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, minced

2-3 large mushrooms, minced

1 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tsp tarragon, chopped

1 whole egg

1 1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Cook the shells until al dente and drain. This recipe fills about 14 jumbo shells, but you'll want to be sure to cook extra due to breakage. Mix all the ingredients, except for the sauce and cheese, together and stuff into the shells. Pour about 1/2 cup of sauce into the bottom of an oven safe dish. The dish should be about 8-9 inches to fit all shells. Place filled shells into dish, seam side up. Pour remaining sauce over the top and then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350° F oven for 30-40 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the filling in cooked through. Let cool slightly before serving.

Vegetarian Panini

To watch this Video-Recipe please click HERE!!

Hi Everyone! Today's recipe is another vegetarian dish! I really hope you like it, this one is definitely in a league of its own, will definitely beat any vegetarian dish  and will easily compete with a delicious and juicy Cheese-Steak any day! It is full of flavor, it's substantial, delicious and perfect for any diet! I really hope you give it a try and I know you will love it as much as I did!

Makes 2
Ingredients:

• 2 Portobello mushroom caps
• 4 slices of bread (I used whole grain bread, you can use any kind you like)
• 2 or 4 slices of your favorite cheese (1 or 2 per Panini, I recommend 2 slices per panini)
• 2 bell peppers cut into thin slices
• 1 Poblano pepper cut into thin slices
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1/2 a small red onion cut in thin slices
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Clean the mushroom caps with a damp paper towel. Brush with  1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, season with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper and set aside for a minute.

In a skillet on medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and saute the garlic for about 1 minute or until it becomes aromatic, after a minute or so, add in the onion and cook for 1 more minute. Then add in the Poblano pepper and the bell peppers and continue to sautee for about 3 more minutes.

The peppers have been cooking for about 3 minutes, now cook the mushrooms in the same skillet with the peppers.  Push the peppers to the side, jus to make enough room for the mushrooms to sit on the surface of the pan.  Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook the mushrooms for about 4-5 minutes on each side, or  until they are completely cooked. After that, you are ready to build the Paninis


Grab a slice of bread and top it with baby spinach, add as much spinach or as little as you want. Place a mushroom cap over the spinach and arrange some of the pepper mixture over the mushroom, top it with a slice of cheese and cover with a second slice of bread. Cook in a Panini Maker for about 3 minutes and you are done!

If you don't have a Panini maker, toast the sandwich on a griddle or skillet over medium heat. Place a second skillet or small saucepan over the Sandwich to flatten it. (filled the small pan with some water to add some weight.) And cook the the sandwich like this for about 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Flip around, and repeat the same step.

 And that's it, serve and enjoy!!

Barley Risotto

Well, we made it! We are now in D.C., trying to get settled without being able to get settled. What does that mean? It means we are still on the waiting list for base housing and are currently living in the temporary lodging facility (TLF) on base. Compared to some of the horror stories I've heard, our TLF is pretty darn nice... with one small caveat.

A TLF is fully furnished and, according to the website comes "equipped with a full kitchen." Based on my previous experiences with "full kitchens" in furnished apartments and extended stay hotels, I had certain expectations. I knew there would not be certain specialty items, so I brought some supplemental items, knowing I could be stuck in this temporary kitchen for as long as two months. So, I brought my good chef knife, a nice paring knife, my electric griddle, a cheese grater, etc. I brought my own knives, because in my experience, the knives found in these "equipped" kitchens are pretty poor indeed.

When we arrived in the TLF, after poking my head in each room, I started going through the kitchen cupboards. Oh la la!!! Good thing I brought my own knives! The only knives in this kitchen? Butter knives. The only items provided? A four place setting of dinnerware, silverware, and drink ware. One small sauce pan. One medium stock pot. One small skillet that really should have been thrown away two years ago. And one glass two cup Pyrex measuring cup. That's it! No mixing bowl. No spatula. No cutting board. No measuring cups or spoons. None of those normal, basic things you expect to find in an "equipped" kitchen. I wish I had known because I certainly could have brought all of these items. Now, I've had to go out and buy new, cheap ones.

Despite these challenges, I've managed to get a little cooking in. So far I've made spaghetti, tacos, and sauteed chicken breasts with caramelized onions. I even managed to make my favorite breakfast food, a batch of chocolate chip muffins. Of course, I had planned ahead on that one and brought everything I needed to make them (except the mixing bowl).

As you might imagine, I'm not sure how many new recipes I'll be able to develop while in this living situation, but I do have a few recipes stock-piled to share with you. This risotto is one of them. I love risotto and posted a more traditional version previously. I also love barley, usually in soups. Somewhere along the way, I started to wonder what a risotto made with barley might taste like, so I finally gave it a try. It turned out great! The texture is much more chewy than with arborio rice risotto, which I find to be a pleasant change of pace, and it is still creamy and flavorful.

Barley Risotto

Yield: 4 servings

1 1/2 TBS butter

8 oz mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 cup pearled barley

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

up to 1 more cup of chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas

salt & pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Saute the mushrooms and onions until soft and lightly browned. Add the barley and saute for two minutes. Add the first cup of broth and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for twenty minutes. Remove the lid and stir. Over the next 20-30 minutes, slowly add broth as needed until the barley is tender and there is enough liquid left so that the risotto is creamy. Remove the bay leaf and add the frozen peas. Cook just long enough to heat the peas through and serve.

Autumn Chopped Salad

photo from espressoandcream.com

A lovely little salad to throw together.  I loved the combination of the poppyseed dressing and the balsamic vinaigrette.  My new favorite item in a salad: pears!

Autumn Chopped Salad

From espressoandcream.com

Ingredients

*6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

*2 medium pears, chopped

*1 cup dried cranberries

*1 cup chopped pecans

*8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled

*4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

*Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)

*Balsamic Vinaigrette (I like Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette)

Instructions

*On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

Watermelon Granita

To watch this Video-Recipe, click HERE!!

Hi Everyone! Today's recipe is a delicious treat to enjoy the rest of the hot summer days, really easy to make, super refreshing and beyond delicious! I hope you like it as much as I do.


Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 4½cup seedless watermelon cut in chunks
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
• Cayenne pepper to taste ( I used about 2 teaspoons) (optional)

In a small saucepan on medium heat, add in 1 cup of orange juice, the zest of 1 orange, ½ cup sugar, cayenne pepper to taste, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, stir together and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is well dissolved. Set aside until ready to use.

In a blender or food processor, blend the watermelon on high for about 2 minutes or until the watermelon is blended into a very thin watermelon juice. Do not add any water, if the watermelon is too hard to blend, add some of the Orange juice mixture instead of adding water!!

In a large container, combine the watermelon juice with the orange juice mixture, stir together, taste the flavor and add any more sugar if needed, you can also add 1 extra tablespoon of lemon juice if you want to. Stir again, cover the container with a lid, and place in the freezer for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, it should be somewhat firm, but not completely solid, scrape the ice mixture with a fork, just to prevent it from forming into a thick block of ice, and place back in the freezer for 2 more hours.

After that, it should be done, scrape down the icy watermelon block with a fork or a spoon, just to break it down a little bit, a Granita should have the texture of small ice crystals, so keep on scraping down until you get the desire texture.

And that's it, serve and enjoy!  You can drizzle some orange flavored vodka over the Granita to kick it up a notch!