Chicken Minestrone Soup

Happy Friday everyone! 

I haven't posted a recipe in months!!....For some reason this week I haven't been much in the mood to cook, so I thought I'd try a new recipe to get me back in the cooking mood! 

I found this recipe for Chicken Minestrone Soup in an old Taste of Home magazine. It turned out pretty good!... Especially on a cold day....makes it taste even better :).

CHICKEN MINESTRONE SOUP

*3 Chicken Breasts

*1 T. Oil

*1/2 C. onion

*1 t. garlic cloves

*4 C. Chicken broth

*1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

*3/4 C. rice

*2 t. Italian Seasoning

*2 C. Frozen Mixed Vegetables

*Salt and Pepper

Cut up chicken into bite sized pieces.

In large saucepan, heat oil, stir in chicken, onion and garlic. Cook until browned.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, rice and seasoning.

Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. 

Add vegetables and cook 5 minutes.

I served this soup with homemade Clover Rolls! yummy!

Enjoy your weekend!

Cheesy Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken

Hey!

I feel like I haven't posted a new recipe in a LONG time! So this month I made a list of a whole bunch of new recipes I can't wait to try!

A couple days ago I made this Cheesy Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken and it is DELICIOUS!! Very cheesy with a tiny bite to it and wrapped in crispy goodness Mmmmm!

I make a lot of chicken, so this was a nice change from just regular cooked chicken. And Bonus…Tyler enjoyed it too! :)

     

CHEESY JALAPENO STUFFED CHICKEN

*2 Chicken Breasts

*6oz Cream Cheese

*3/4 C. Monterey Jack Shredded Cheese

*1/3 C. Jalapeños (I just used 1 jalapeño)

*1 C. Flour

*2 Eggs, Whisked

*2 C. Bread Crumbs

*Olive Oil

*Salt and Pepper

Preheat your oven to 350. Season Chicken Breasts with salt and pepper, then cut a slit in the side of each chicken.

In a small bowl mix together cream cheese, monterey jack, and jalapeños. Stuff a generous amount of this mixture inside each chicken. Secure with toothpicks, if needed.

Place flour in one gown, eggs in another, and bread crumbs in a 3rd bowl. Dip each chicken in Flour, then Egg, then Bread Crumbs. 

Saute' each breast in olive oil 3-5 min on each side. Place them in a greased baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!….I served this meal with corn on the cob :)

recipe found: http://inspiredcraftideas.com/jalapeno-popper-stuffed-chicken-breast/

S'mores Cheesecake

I made my very first cheesecake yesterday! What a perfect flavor for summer…S'mores! I was really nervous baking it, because I have always heard that cheesecakes are harder to make, but this recipe really isn't that hard.

Its very yummy and rich! Good recipe to bake for dessert when you are having guests over, because it makes a lot!!
 There are 4 layers….Graham Crackers, Chocolate, Cheesecake and then Marshmellows to top it off.

S'MORES CHEESECAKE

*2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs
*1/4 C. Sugar
*6 Tablespoons Butter
*1 package of milk chocolate chips
*1 Can evaporated milk
*3 packages cream cheese
*7 oz Marshmellow Creme
*2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
*1 teaspoon Vanilla
*3 Eggs, beaten
*2 1/2 C. Mini Marshmellows

1-Preheat oven to 325.

2-In a small bowl mix crackers, sugar and melted butter. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up sides of a greased 9 inch Spring Foam Pan. Bake 10 min. and Cool. Wrap tin Foil around outside/bottom of pan to prevent it from leaking (I didn't do this and it leaked butter all over the bottom of the oven). Also, to avoid cracking place spring foam pan into a baking dish filled with a bit of water.

3-Melt the chocolate chips with 3/4 C. up the evaporated milk. Stir. Pour into the crust and freeze for 20 min.

4-Beat softened cream cheese. Add in Marshmellow creme, cornstarch, vanilla and remaining evaporated milk. Add eggs and beat. Pour over chocolate layer.

5-Bake 65-75 min. Sprinkle with marshmallows and Bake another 8 min or until marshmallows start to brown.

6-Cool 10 min, Then loosen sides from pan with a knife. Cool another hour.

Refridgerate and cover when completely cooled.

Graham Cracker Crust layer

Chocolate Layer

Cheesecake Layer before baking

All done and ready to eat! Doesn't it look delicious!

Yummm! 

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I cannot even tell you how amazing these are!! I have never used portobello mushrooms before...but I think they will become a regular in our house!

After I made these I thought wow, you could probably stuff these with anything!....Bacon, meat, quinoa? Endless possibilities! 

Don't let the mushroom scare you if you don't really care for them... Try them anyways!...Tyler usually hates mushrooms but he tasted these and said "wow these are actually realllly good" 

This recipe has the portobellos stuffed with cheeses and after grilling they are topped with with basil and garlic! Mmmm 

Ready for the recipe?! 

GRILLED STUFFED PORTOBELLOS TOPPED WITH BASIL & GARLIC

*3/4 C. Ricotta Cheese

*1 C. Parmesan Cheese-used separately

*1/2 C. Mozzarella Cheese

*2 T. Parsley

*sprinkles of pepper

*2 Lg. Portobello Mushrooms

*1/4 to 1/2 C. Fresh Basil (I got to use basil leaves from our herb garden!! How fun!)

*1 Garlic Clove

*2 T. Oil

1-Mix the Ricotta, 3/4 C. of the Parmesan, Mozzarella, Parsley, and Pepper.

2-Remove and discard stems and gills from the mushrooms.

3-Fill the mushroom cups with the Ricotta mixture (don't be shy! Load them up!) 

4-Grill covered on Med-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

5-Meanwhile place basil and garlic in food processor. Add remaining 1/4 C. Parmesan and pulse. Then gradually add oil until you have the desired consistency.

6-Spoon over the mushrooms after grilling.

Enjoy!! I served these with Penne and Pasta Sauce. yummmm! 

Glazed Doughnut Muffins

Good Morning!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! 

On Saturday, my Hubby and I were both up super early and were enjoying some morning coffee together…so i thought for breakfast it would be a perfect time to try these muffins! They took about 45 min to put together and they tasted DELICIOUS!

These would be excellent any time of the year….but they remind me of fall because they have that cinnamon and nutmeg flavor in them yummmm!

GLAZED DOUGHNUT MUFFINS

*1/4 C. Butter

*1/4 C. Vegetable Oil

*1/2 C. Sugar

*1/3 C. Brown Sugar

*2 Eggs

*1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

*1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

*3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

*1 teaspoon Cinnamon

*3/4 teaspoon Salt

*1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

*2 2/3 C. Flour

*1 C. Milk

1-Preheat the oven to 425. Put cupcake liners in muffin tin.

2-Beat butter, oil and sugars. Beat in eggs, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.

3-Stir in flour alternatively with milk. 

4-Spoon batter into cups (fill about 3/4 full). Bake 15-17 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. remove from tin and cool another 10 minutes.

5-Make the Glaze:

        Whisk together: 

                 *3 Tablespoons Butter

                 *1 C Powder Sugar

                 *3/4 teaspoon Vanilla

                 *2 Tablespoons Hot Water

6-Take off the liners and dip each muffin into the glaze twice so that it runs down the sides! Yum!

     Enjoy!! These taste excellent with coffee and made for a fun Breakfast Date with my man!

recipe found at : http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/glazed-doughnut-muffins/

Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Happy Monday!

I know this recipe may sound kind of crazy to some of you (it sounded crazy to me!) But i LOVE chocolate and I LOVE Bacon…so I couldn't resist giving these a try! Super easy to bake! And they taste yummy!!! They are sweet and every once in awhile you get that extra bite of salty bacon Mmm! Give them a try!

DARK CHOCOLATE BACON CUPCAKES

12 slices bacon

2 C. Flour

3/4 C. plus 1 T. unsweetened Cocoa Powder

2 C. Sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Eggs

1 C. strong brewed coffee, cold

1 C. Buttermilk

1/2 C. Vegetable oil

Preaheat oven to 375. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners (24).

Cook bacon until browned. Drain, Crumble and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add Flour, 3/4 C. of Cocoa Powder, Sugar, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and salt. Stir together. Make a well in the middle then add: Eggs, Coffee, Buttermilk and oil. Stir. Mix in 3/4 of the Bacon. Reserve the rest. Spoon batter into the cupcake liners.

Bake 20-25 min. Cool. Frost with Chocolate frosting (I just used store bought.)Sprinkle reserved Bacon crumbs on top and dust with remaining Cocoa Powder.

Time to try one! yumm! 

I found this recipe in my allrecipes magazine.

Jumbo Stuffed Shells

Happy Wednesday!

The sun is out and it's going to be a beautiful weekend here! Yay!! :)

A couple nights ago I made these Jumbo Stuffed Shells and they were yummy!! It's an easy supper to throw together the night before and refrigerate to cook the next night! 

This recipe is pretty much like Manicotti, but instead you use the Jumbo Pasta Shells. They are much easier to stuff and just fun-looking! :) 

Take a look! Yummmm

JUMBO STUFFED SHELLS

8-12 Jumbo Pasta Shells (figure about 2-3 per person)

1 lb. Ground beef, cooked

1 onion

4 cloves Garlic

1 pint of Ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

3 C. Shredded Cheese

1 bottle Spaghetti Sauce

1 teaspoon Oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350

Cook the pasta according to directions on back. 

Brown ground beef, then add onions and garlic and cook 5 min. Add oregano, salt and pepper and the Spaghetti Sauce. Bring to boil, then simmer for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, egg, 2 C. Shredded Cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into each pasta shell (fill them full!). 

Pour a little bit of Meat Sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Place filled shells on top. Then pour rest of meat sauce over the shells. Sprinkle the last Cup of Shredded Cheese on top. 

Cover pan with foil and bake 45 min. Remove foil and bake another 10 min.

Enjoy! 

Homemade Subs

Happy Oscar's Day! I love watching Award Shows! Anybody else watching tonight?!

A couple nights ago I made Homemade Sub Sandwiches and they were SOOO GOOD!!! And so fun!! We both LOVED them! These make a great lunch or supper! The fun part is you can fill them with whatever your heart desires!  I put a list of everything we put in…but have fun making up your own! :)

HOMEMADE SUB SANDWICH:

1 C. Warm Water (Not too hot, I usually just makes sure its warm to the touch. So it doesn't kill the yeast)

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoon Yeast

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

4 Tablespoons Oil

2-3 Cups Flour

Mix water, yeast, sugar, salt, and oil. Let stand 5 min. Then add 1 C. flour and mix, add another Cup, and continue until soft dough forms. Shape into a ball. Lay on a greased, foil lined baking sheet and cover. let rise 30 min. 

Divide into 4 sections and roll into long rolls. Place back on baking sheet and cover, let rise 1 hour. 

Preheat your oven to 350. Bake 25 min. Rub with butter. Cool and slice.

Fill your sandwich with ANYTHING you would like this is the FUN part!! I laid all the ingredients out in separate bowls and we just filled our own Sandwiches!

Cucumbers, sliced

Green Peppers, sliced

pickles

Onions, sliced

Lettuce

Swiss Cheese

Ham

Turkey

Bacon

Ranch

Salt & Pepper 

I LOVE my veggies so I used all of the above. Tyler only used Meat, Cheese, Onions, Ranch, salt and pepper. 

Have fun with it! 

Quinoa with Roasted Veggies

Happy Thursday!

I love to cook new recipes and Tyler loves trying new recipes! So the past few weeks I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest searching for some new Foods for us to try! :) Pinterest can be so addicting! 

Anyways…this recipe for Quinoa with Roasted Veggies looked SO good! I had to try it!…I was a little nervous for Tyler to try it though. He came out to the Kitchen while I was cooking and said "Do I eat that?!" haha…I said well tonight we are trying something a little different, but I think you will like it! Sure enough! He loved it! And so did I!

QUINOA WITH ROASTED VEGGIES:

3 C. cooked Quinoa (cook in Chicken Broth instead of water)

1/2 C. Carrots

1/2 C. Red Pepper

1/2 C. Asparagus

1/3 C. Onion

3 T. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

VINAIGRETTE:

3 T. Olive Oil

3 teaspoons White Balsamic Vinegar (I used White Wine Vinegar. I forgot to buy White Balsamic!)

1 T. Honey (Melt in microwave for 10-15 sec)

Salt and Pepper

Cook the Quinoa. Dice all the vegetables. And make the vinaigrette by mixing all ingredients together in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 400. 

Toss the vegetables in a pan with 3 Tablespoons Oil, Salt and Pepper. Cook for 13 minutes.

Toss together Quinoa, Vegetables and Vinaigrette.

Serve at room temp. Delicious!! I served the Quinoa as a side to the Bacon Wrapped Jambalaya Stuffed Chicken. That recipe is here: http://krystinaskitchen89.blogspot.com/2013/09/bacon-wrapped-jambalaya-stuffed-chicken.html

Recipe found at: http://straightupgoodfood.blogspot.com/2012/04/quinoa-salad-with-roasted-vegetables.html

Garlic & Scampi Stuffed Shrimp

Happy Valentines Weekend!

Hope everybody had a fun Love day :). We had a nice, romantic dinner at home and snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie! 

I tried a couple new recipes last night and wanted to share one of them!

This was our Valentines Menu:

Garlic & Scampi Stuffed Shrimp

Marinated Rib Steak

Baked Potato

Fresh Corn

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Covered Wafers

We were stuffed!! :) but it was all delicious!!

Recipe for GARLIC & SCAMPI STUFFED SHRIMP

Ingredients:

*1 lb small shrimp--tail off peeled

*1/4 teaspoon Turmeric 

*1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

*1/4 C. Sour cream

*1 C. Bread crumbs

* 2 cloves garlic-minced

*2 tablespoons lemon juice

*2 tablespoons Parsley

*16 jumbo shrimp

Directions:

Chop small shrimp and add to bowl. Add  rest of ingredients EXCEPT jumbo shrimp. 

Mix well and form a ball. 

Peel jumbo shrimp

Butterfly them by cutting a slit on the backside o the shrimp (don't cut all the way through look below for example) 

Coat baking dish with cooking spray. And place jumbo shrimp in. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and form a small ball and place on each jumbo shrimp. 

Brush each shrimp with olive oil. Bake at 425 for 15 min. Or until shrimp turns pink. 

ENJOY!

Butterfly the jumbo Shrimp

They should set up like this when butterflied

Ready to go in the oven

Fresh out of the oven! Pink, hot and oh so good!!! :)

Find original recipe at:

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/01/10/scampi-stuffed-and-roasted-shrimp/