Emily's White Chocolate Fondue

A couple of years ago I went to visit my sister in California, when I was there she made this amazing white chocolate fondue, she picked our favorite fruit and add a few things that she knew would be awesome, and I must say this is simply delicious.  I have made this in a fondue pot and in a regular pot over the stove.

Ingredients:

1 Bag of White Chocolate Chips
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Shot Amaretto Liqueur

Directions:

1.  Combine the chips and the milk.
2.  Set over low heat stirring constantly.
3.  Once the chips are melted stir in the amaretto and let cook until the alcohol is gone, about 1-2 minutes.
4.  Serve with your favorite fruit or other desserts.

This is such a fun dessert, it also is one that can please most people because they can choose the amount of fondue on each piece.  My sister used strawberries, bananas, brownie pieces, and rice krispie treats.  This recipe is sooooooo tasty, I dare you to find anyone who like sweets, that does not like this.

ENJOY!

Chicken Piccata

Ever since I was young, I have not been a fan of beef, but have always LOVED chicken, I would try to "give up" red meat for Lent every year, and trust me it never worked.  So when I search for recipes I usually gravitate towards chicken ones, while anything with beef in it is going to have to sound pretty amazing to catch my eye.  This recipe sounded easy and tasty because chicken and lemon is pretty much a winning combination.  I was amazed at how few ingredients there are and yet how much flavor there was. The hubby finished off the meal telling me that I could make that every night and he would be okay with it....yeah it really is that good.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 egg
2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
6 Tbsp butter, Divided
juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved
3/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:

1.  Cut the chicken into tenders, thin strips.
2.  Put the breadcrumbs in one bowl and in a differenrt bowl beat the eggs.
3.  Melt 2 Tbsp. of butter in a large skillet, bread the chicken by first dipping the chicken in the egg and then in the breadcrums and then frying in the pan, use up to 2 more Tbsp. to fry the rest of the chicken in.  Cook the chicken until it is cooked on both sides and cooked through.
4.  Once all the chicken is cooked, remove the tenders and set on a plate.  Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp. of butter.
5.  Bring the mixture to a boil and and let reduce for 2 minutes.  Serve on top of the chicken.

Since you are cutting the chicken into tender, it cooks much faster and you can make sure that the chicken is still juicy and not over cooked.  I served this meal with steamed green beans which pair well with the lemon butter sauce as well.  This dish is quick easy and sure to please all that you serve it to. I even served this to my most picky friend and she ate it up (except for the green beans, which I expected).  Please try this for your next meal, you will not be sorry.

ENJOY!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

When the weather outside is less than desirable I crave a couple of things, but the main one is soup, hot, thick, filling, soup, another thing I crave is potatoes (up where it gets 50 below zero you almost have to eat things that will maintain fat during the winter, or at least that what I tell myself ).  This soup is hearty and super filling, I couldn't even eat half a bowl before I was full.  It was a major hit with the hubby, but when you add bacon to anything it is a hit with him.  I must say the only down fall was all the chopping you have to do prior to even starting the soup.  A hint to you all is cut up the potatoes first and keep them in water until you need to use them, because I promise your hand will be hurting by the end of chopping...but the chopping is worth this soup.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Bacon, roughly chopped
1 Medium Yellow Onion, Diced
3 Medium Carrots, Diced
3/4 C. Celery, Diced
4 Large Russet Potatoes, Diced
4 Medium Red Potatoes, Diced
1/4 C. Flour
2 C. Chicken Stock (or broth)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
4 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
Bacon Pieces, Chives,Cheddar Cheese, to garnish

Direction:

1. In a large stock pot, fry the bacon until it is crisp.
2.  Remove the bacon and let drain on a paper towel.  In the bacon fat, cook the carrots, celery, and onion until the onions are clear looking, and tender.  Add the potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Stir in the flour and stir constantly  over low heat about 5-7 minutes, until the flour mixture has thickened a little.  Add the chicken stock and half of the bacon pieces.
4.  Turn up the heat and bring it to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.  Take a hand mixer and mix until you get your desired consistency.  (personally I like it with some chunks in it so I used a thinner mixing blades).  Add the whipping cream and let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Season with Salt, Pepper, and Cayenne pepper, and serve with garnishes.

Tip: you can peel the potatoes if you are not a fan of the skin, but to make it easier on myself, plus baked potatoes have skin on them, I decided to leave the skins on, and it was delicious....but be creative try it both ways and let me know which you like more :)

This recipe served three of up for dinner and we still had about 10 more servings so this does feed a lot or is great for those of you who love left overs...and I am one of those people.  You can buy store bough chives, but personally I like having a chive plant in the house for occasions such as these, 1. because I know where the plant has been, and two it is sooooo much cheaper in the long run, especially if you like baked potatoes or other such foods.  But I do have a warning for anyone who does decides to go out and buy a chive plant...if you have cats, they do like the flavor of chives and you might wake up to stubs left.  Place them in a window where they can get lots of sunlight and are not easily accessible to the feline kind :)

ENJOY!

Chicken Tortellini Soup

Many of my fondest memories of childhood go along with some sort of food, not because I am obsessed with food (although I am) its because many of my memories include sitting with my family and having dinner.  When I was old enough I loved to help my mom in the kitchen and sometimes dinner was up to me to make, so many of the recipes I post on here are ones that my mother has given me and I have tweaked for my liking.  This recipe usually has red peppers in it, and if you like them, please feel free to add it, I personally think that red and green peppers have too strong of a taste and that they over power everything they are put in, so I rarely use them in any dish.  This soup is easy to make and you can have leftovers for days...which is awesome because I can bring them to work and all my co-workers think I am some amazing cook (little do they know, this took no time at all.)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Qt. Chicken Broth
1 Pkg. (9oz.) cheese filled tortellini (frozen)
1 (10 oz) pkg. Frozen Spinach, thawed
4 Chicken Breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/2 lb. Mushrooms, Sliced
1 C. cooked rice
2 tsp. Fresh Basil, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Oregano, chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1.   In a large stock pot bring the broth to a boil, over high heat.
2. Add tortellini and reduce heat.  Boil about 6 minutes, or until tender.
3.  Add Spinach, chicken, mushrooms, rice and spices to broth, and return to a boil.
4.  Once brought to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
5.  Ladle the soup into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

Honestly the soup is so much better with the Parmesan cheese on top and it really makes the dish.  If you want to add red peppers to the soup seed and dice a medium sized pepper and add them when you add the spinach and chicken.  I can not say enough how great this dish is, especially in the middle of winter.   Please try this soup on a cold night and you will be hooked!

ENJOY!

Fast French Bread Pizza

Ok, I know I am not the one who invented this idea, the I have been making these for years, its great for a night where I work until 5 at my day job and then have to be at my night job by 7:15, I can still "make" dinner and have it cleaned up before I have to leave, or if you have kids, its a fun way for them to make their dinner the way they like it.  I remember we would have make your own pizza night as kids, and I always loved being able to make it the way I liked it. Honestly this is so easy to make and they way I make it my own, is by making my own pizza sauce, you can always buy pizza sauce but I like being able to control the salt and spices that are in it.

Ingredients:

Pizza Sauce:
     1 8oz Can of Unsalted Tomato Sauce
     1/2 Tbsp. Dried Oregano
     1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
     1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
     1/4 tsp. Thyme
     1/4 tsp. Rosemary
     1/2 Tbsp. Parsley
     Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together.

Pizza:
     1 Loaf French Bread (I get mine from the grocery store bakery)
     Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
     Whatever Pizza Toppings you like

Directions:

1.  Cut the french bread in half and then slice it in half again lengthwise.

2.  Spoon sauce onto the open slices of bread.

3.  Put on the toppings of your choice (except for the cheese, unless that is all you want on your pizza)

4.  Top with preferred amount of cheese, make sure to not over top with cheese.
5.  Cook at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Tip: Personally I like a lot of seasoning in my sauce, feel free to lessen the amount of each seasoning to your/your family's liking.

This is such an easy dinner, it can be made cooked and eaten within 30 minutes to an hour, depending if you have help.  This is a dinner that is sure to please everyone, especially those who have to clean it up :)

ENJOY!

Bloomin' Onion

I love getting appetizers when we go out to eat, most of the time they are better than the actual meal.  One of my favorite is the bloomin’ onion, it’s an onion cut up breaded and deep fried, its not quite onion rings, which have more breading on them and obviously are in rings.

 I found this great recipe for the onion and a dipping sauce, and I have got to tell you I made it only two days ago and could honestly go for another one.  The breading is light and super flavorful and the sauce goes right with it, it reminds me of a restaurant that we have up here in the midwest called “Space Aliens”  and they have a really good bloommin’ onion.

Ingredients:

Dip:

2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. Sour Cream

1 ½  tsp. Ketchup

½ tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

¼ tsp. Paprika

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Salt and Pepper

For the Onion:

1 Large Sweet Red Onion

2 ½ Cups Ap(all purpose) Flour

1 tsp. Cayenne Flour

2 Tbsp. Paprika

½ tsp Dried Thyme

½ tsp. Dried Oregano

½ tsp. Ground Cumin

Pepper

2 Large Eggs

1 Cup Milk

1 Gallon Soy or Corn Oil

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dip and then refrigerate while you prepare the onion..
2. Slice the onion (cut off ½ in from the one end of the onion and then peel, place the onion cut side down starting ½ inch from the uncut end make a downward cut all the way to the board, repeat to make four evenly spaced cuts around the onion, continue slicing between each section until you have 16 evenly spaced cuts, turn the onion over and use your fingers to gently separate the outer pieces)
3. Whisk together flour, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano, cumin and ½ tsp. black pepper.
4. In a different bowl whisk together eggs, milk and 1 cup of water.
5. Place the onion in a different bowl cut side own, and pour all of the flour mixture on top.  Cover the bowl with a plate and shake to distribute the flour, check to make sure the whole onion is coated.
6. Using a slotted spoon fully submerge the onion in the egg mixture.  Remove and let the excess egg drip off, the repeat the flour process again.  Refrigerate the onion while you heat the oil.
7. Heat oil in a large pot to 400 degrees.  Lower the onion cut side down into the oil, adjust heat so the temp stays around 350 degrees.  Let fry about 3 minutes, then turn the onion over and fry 3 more minutes.  Take the onion out and let it drain on a paper towel.  Season with salt and serve with dip.

Personally I have a deep fryer that I like using more than cooking a whole pan of oil so I used that, and I feel that its turned out just fine, so feel free to work with what you got.  There are some variations that you can do to personalize your onion and sauce.  Personally I am not a fan of spicy things so I didn’t use a lot of cayenne pepper in the sauce.  If you like a little more tang to your sauce, you could add up to  1 Tbsp. of prepared horseradish.  I did not this time, but I will probably add some next time….and trust me there will be a next time.

I was afraid to cut the onion and trust me when I say, it did not look perfect, but it did work for the most part and I will feel more confident next time doing it.

Tip:  Taste the sauce after adding only a little cayenne pepper and then gradually add more until your desired taste. 

ENJOY!

Hungarian Goulash

I have never been a fan of the word goulash, its just sounds so unappetizing, growing up my mother would make two different types of goulash The one that I am about to show you (the good one) and one that I would dread eating that was a mixture of tomato sauce, macaroni, and other things, and sorry to say this Mom, but it was one of the grossest things she made us.  This goulash has nice sized chunks of meat and a great blend of flavors, that you would never think would work together  This is a hearty dish that cooks...as the saying goes..."low and slow."  So when you need a late dinner after work, this should be you go to one.  I made it when the hubby got asked to work until 7:30 one night and after getting off of work at five it was ready for him to eat by the time he got off work.

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup Shortening
2 lb. beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Cup Sliced Onion
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
3/4 Ketchup
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard
Dash of Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbsp Flour

Directions:
1.  Melt the shortening in a Large Seep Skillet.  Brown the meat, onion, and garlic.
2.  Drain of the excess fat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer on low for 2 hours.
3. Shake 1/4 Cup of water and 2 Tbsp. of flour together (making a slurry) stir it into the meat mixture.  Heat until it boils, let it boil while stirring it for 1 minute.

I serve it on top of Egg Noodles. and usually find a light vegetable to eat with it.  This dish is one of my favorites and I beg you to make it one night and see what kind of melding these flavors have.  There are not tips for this meal because it is pretty straight forward and easy to make.

ENJOY!

Lean Green Smoothie

As I have stated before, I LOVE smoothies, they are easy meals on the go, and I am always on the go.  I have also been trying to fight this statistic that I heard that women gain the most weight in their first 5 years of marriage, so finding things that are tasty, easy, and  healthy has been difficult.  So I went searching online and much like last time, nothing sounded great, so I took a couple different recipes and mashed them together and came up with this delicious smoothie.

Ingredients:

1 Large Banana Frozen (cut the banana in pieces prior to freezing)

1 (5.3 oz) Cup Vanilla Flavored Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Nutella

½ Tbsp. Peanut Butter

1 cup/handful Baby Spinach

½-1 Cup Milk.

Handful of Ice

Directions:

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth.

I had found similar recipes but they called for almond milk, which is really expensive to buy just for smoothies, and why not use what I already have in my kitchen, there is no use cluttering up my refrigerator with products that are not used often.

The nice thing about buying the yogurt cups is that if you don't use all of them for smoothies you can always take them to work or have them as a snack...by the way, I am a huge fan of greek yogurt.

Now this smoothie does not look that appetizing, actually it looks really gross, but I promise it tastes delicious.  The peanut butter and Nutella add just enough sweetness to remind me of a peanut butter banana sandwich.  After drinking this smoothie I was full and did not even feel hungry for the rest of the night.  So all in all this experiment was a success, and I will be making this again.

Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Ok, so I can't always be making meals, sometimes a girl has got to have some sweets, and there is nothing better (in my opinion) than a good Cheesecake.  For our wedding this past summer we got a spring-form pan, and I had been trying to figure out what to make it in ,and then it hit me, homemade cheesecake usually takes a spring-form pan.
I have never had a bad cheesecake, but there is a first for everything, so I was really worried when I finally decided to try making one.  This recipe was so delicious, and had a slight tang from the lemon juice in it that really brought out the strawberry flavor.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cup. Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 Cup. Sugar
1/3 Cup. Butter, Melted
20oz Frozen Sweetened Strawberries, Thawed
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
3 (8oz) Packages Cream Cheese, Softened
1 (14oz) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 Cup. Lemon Juice
3 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Water

Directions:
1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs sugar and butter.  Press it onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch spring-form pan.  Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine strawberries and cornstarch, blend until smooth.  Pout the mixture into a pan and bring to a boil.  Boil and stir for about 2 minutes.  Save 1/3 cup of the strawberry sauce for topping, refrigerate until you need to use.
3.  Beat cream cheese, until it is fluffy, gradually beat in the milk.  Add lemon juice and then the eggs, beat until just combined.
4.  Pour half of the mixture over the crust.  Drop half the of reserved strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoons onto the cream cheese layer.
5.  Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the strawberry sauce.
6.  Drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoons on top of the cheese mixture.
7.  With a knife, cut through the top layer only far enough to swirl the strawberry mixture.

8.  Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or until the center is almost set.  Let it cool for about 10 minutes.
9.  Run a knife along the inner edge of the pan to let it loose, let it cool for one more hour and then refrigerate overnight.
10.  Thin the saved strawberry sauce with 1 tbsp. of water, and top the cheese cake with it.

I honestly could have eaten the whole cheesecake by myself, thankfully there was someone else there with me so I was able to resist.  I promise, if you make this cheesecake (and if you actually like cheesecake) you will want to make this over and over again, and  I promise all of you this will be a tradition in my house for years to come.

ENJOY!

Green Enchiladas

So here is a treat for you all, the dish I am about to show you is a family favorite.  When we were younger our mother would cook us whatever we wanted on our birthday, and every year at least one of us would pick this dish.  It has everything to love, chicken, cheese, and a flavorful green sauce.  Now for those who have picky eaters in their family, might not want to disclose exactly what makes the sauce green, because even though you can not taste it, spinach does turn many people off.

This dish does take a lot of time, so this is one dish that is not made too often in my household....actually this was my first time attempting to make it, most dishes the are time consuming are worth it and if there is one time you make a difficult dish this should be it!


Ingredients:

Filling:
5 Whole Chicken Breasts
6 Cups Canned Chicken Broth

Sauce:
6 TBSP. Butter
6 TBSP. Flour
1 TBSP. Oil
2 1/2 Large Onions, Chopped
1 Box (10oz) Chopped Frozen Spinach, Thawed
1 1/2 Cups Sour Cream
4 Green Onions, Cut into Pieces
1-2 (4 oz) Cans Diced Jalapeno Chilies, Drained
Salt and Pepper
1 1/2 Lbs. Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
15 Large Flour Tortillas

Directions:

Filling:
Place chicken and broth in a large pot, bring to a boil and cook chicken through.  Remove Chicken from broth and cool slightly.  Strain both.  Return to pan and boil until it is reduced to 3 Cups.  Shred the meat and place it in a medium bow, and chill.

(Tip: to shred my chicken, while it is still warm, I place the chicken in my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the dough paddle and turn out...it shreds perfectly every time)

Sauce:
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat, add the  flour and cook until it is light brown in color, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  Whisk in the reserved chicken broth, increase the heat to medium and cook until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently.  Let the sauce cool.

                       

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and cook until they are soft, stirring them when needed, cook about 5 minutes.  Add the spinach and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, puree the spinach mixture, sauce, sour cream, green onions, and jalapenos, salt and pepper, puree until smooth.

             

(Tip: 1.  Start with half a can of jalapenos and then add after tasting, to determine how much heat you want in the sauce.  I use 1 whole can of jalapenos, it gives the sauce enough flavor with a hint of heat, that is perfect for me.  2. Puree in batches, I do about three, this helps make the sauce smooth)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter two 9x 13 inch baking dishes.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce on to the bottom of each dish, and let it spread around the entire bottom of the dish.  Add 1 1/2-2 cups of sauce to the shredded chicken, mix in 5 cups of grated cheese.  Heat the tortillas in the microwave between paper towels (heat about 3 at a time).  Divide the chicken mixture among the tortillas and roll.  Arrange seam down in the prepared dishes.  Spoon remaining sauce over the enchiladas, cover them with foil.

Back the enchiladas until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cook about 5 more minutes.

I promise if you try these, you will want to make them over and over again, and people will be raving about them.  Please do not be deterred by the length of time that this might take to make, I can not stress enough how delicious these are!



ENJOY!

Shrimp Scampi

So this past Valentines Day was the first with the Hubby (as a married couple), we are trying to save some money and my birthday was right around the corner, so we decided to spend the night at home cooking our dinner together.  I decided that  we both enjoy shrimp and why not do a quick and easy shrimp scampi.  Of course this recipe was found using Pinterest....seriously that site is awesome!  For those of you who don't know what shrimp scampi is, it is pretty much just shrimp cooked in butter, garlic, and herbs, so delicious, and it is pretty hard to screw up.

Ingredients:

2 Sticks of Butter
3 Large Garlic Cloves
1 TBSP. plus 2 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Chopped thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 lb. Shrimp
1 Tbsp. Sliced Basil leaves


Directions:


1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2.  In a bowl mix the butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons of parsley, lemon zest. lemon juice and thyme.  Season with Salt and Pepper.
3. In a large shallow dish arrange the shrimp, tails up, in a circular pattern.  Put the butter on the shrimp and roast about 10 minutes, until the shrimp are pink an d the butter is bubbling.  
4. Serve the shrimp with remaining parsley and basil.
5.  Serve with crusty bread.

http://www.recipe.com/sizzling-shrimp-scampi/?sssdmh=dm17.579287&esrc=nwdr021112&email=728572363

This was a delicious dish that was quick and easy to make, nice to make after a long day of work.  The flavors of the herb do not over power the shrimp.  My only warning is to make sure how much shrimp you need/used, feel free to divide the recipe by half or even thirds if you are not serving this for many people.

ENJOY!