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/

Whole Chicken in Crockpot

Hey!
It's been awhile since I've posted a meal on here! With Thanksgiving just getting over and Christmas coming up we are all busy! So I thought I'd share this easy Crockpot Chicken that tastes like a rotisserie chicken!  You can throw it in the crockpot in the morning and don't have to worry about it until supper time ;)
Tyler and I both loved this!

WHOLE CHICKEN IN THE CROCK

1 Whole Chicken (rinsed inside and out)
Seasoning of your choice I used:
Season Salt
Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Salt
Foil

Make about 7 or 8 balls of foil and place on the bottom of the crockpot

Sprinkle the chicken with all of your seasonings and place BREAST SIDE UP in the crock.

Cook on Low for 8 hours
Thats all there is to it! When you go to take it out of the crock it will literally just fall apart! Yumm! I served ours with a baked potato.

7 or 8 balls of foil on bottom of Crock

Place seasoned chicken Breast side up on top of foil

Cook on low 8 hrs

So Good! It will just fall apart! 

recipe found at: http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/05/how-to-make-your-own-rotisserie-chickenno-rotisserie-required.html

Chocolate-Dipped Ritz

Happy December!!

Time for trees, lights, Christmas Music and BAKING! :). 

These Cookies are one of my favorite Christmas treats!!! My mom makes them every year...this is my first year giving them a try and they are easyy!!

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED RITZ

80 ritz crackers

Peanut butter

1 package Baking Chocolate squares (you can use both white and semi sweet like I did or just one or the other :) )

Spread peanut butter on a ritz cracker and Sandwich another ritz cracker on top. Continue with all crackers. 

Melt chocolate squares as directed. 

Using a fork dip sandwiched crackers in chocolate. Make sure they are completely coated. 

Place on wax paper to cool. Use a fork to drizzle more chocolate over for decoration!

And this is what you'll have! Yummm!

Granny's Apple Pie

I went to visit my Grandparents for a couple days this past week. We had so much fun! Grandpa taught me how to make homemade Apple Juice yummm!

And grandma taught me how to make German Chicken and Dumplings my fav!!

Grandpa gave me a whole bag of Apples from his apple tree to bring home so I made my first Apple Pie! It turned out delicious!!

And my husband approved as well :)!

DOUBLE CRUST:

2 C. Flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 C. Shortening

5-7 Tablespoons Cold Water

Mix flour, salt, and shortening. Sprinkle in water 1 tablespoon at a time. And press with fork. Then form dough into a ball. Separate into 2 balls.  Roll the first o e out and press into pie plate. Add filling and then roll out 2nd dough ball. Place ontop and press edges with fork. 

FILLING:

6-8 Apples

1 C. Sugar

1 tablespoon flour

3/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon butter

Mix all together except butter.  Place apple mixture in crust. And cuz teaspoon of butter in fourths and place over apples      Top with 2 Nd crust and cut slots in top of crust. Brush crust with 1 egg white.  Bake 350 for 45 min. 

HaLlOwEeN SuPpEr

Happy Halloween!

Tonight for the first time Tyler and I are going to get to hand out candy to the kiddos that are out Trick or Treating! We are so excited!! And in between that I have prepared a Spooktastic Halloween Meal! I thought I'd share what I have so far JUST IN CASE you need an idea for tonight! :)

For an APPETIZER I made this Witches Hat Cheeseball!

CHEESEBALL:

8oz. Cream Cheese

3/4 teaspoons Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Season Salt

1/4 teaspoon dried Thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried Basil

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Black pepper

Mix all together and refridgerate for at least 30 mintues. Then shape however you would like and COVER with black pepper! (I used Slices of String Cheese for the square.

For the Main Course we will be having Jack-O-Lantern Stuffed Peppers

2-4 Orange or Yellow Peppers, Cut top off, take out seeds and cut face into side.

1 lb. Ground Beef

1 tablespoon Worcestire

2 cans Tomato Sauce

1/2 Cup Rice, cooked

1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder

Salt and Pepper

Shredded Cheese

Cook beef and rice. Mix with all other ingredients. Brush a little tomato sauce on outside of peppers. Then fill pepper with beef and rice mixture. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

DESSERT!--Will be Dirt Cake with Sour Gummi's 

1 Cup Powdered Sugar

1 Stick of Butter

8 oz Cream Cheese

3 1/2 Cups Milk

8 oz. Cool whip

6 oz package Instant Vanilla Pudding

1 lb. Oreos

Cream together first 3 ingredients. In a separate bowl mix together milk and Pudding. Add cool whip to the pudding mixture, then add in the sugar mixture. Crush the oreos. In a bowl layer Oreos, then Pudding Mixture, etc. Top with Worms!

DRINKS! We will be having Fruit Punch mixed with 7 up and these Eye Balls will be our Ice Cubes! Creeeeepy!

1 Can Lychees (They are a canned fruit found in the Canned Fruit Aisle)

1 Can Blueberries (or you can use fresh)

Fill each Lychee with a Blueberry, place on foil lined baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour. Add to drink of your choice!

And there it is! Sounds yummy! right?!

Hope u all had a fun Halloween!

Chicken Wings in the Oven

Sundays are usually a day for Football watching and YUMMY Food!
Yesterday, though we had a lot of yardwork to get done and our neighbors were kind enough to come help us out! So I made these wings for lunch and they were a big hit!!-Spicy, crispy, messy and DELICIOUS! If you love wings you must give these a try!

CHICKEN WINGS: Serves 4-5 people

*4 lbs. Chicken Wings
*2 Tablespoons Baking Powder
*3/4 teaspoons Salt
*Sauce (2 Recipes to follow)

1-Preheat the oven to 250.
2-Place a wire rack into a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. (I used the rack where I usually put my cookies to cool.)
3-Spray with non-stick cooking spray
4-Pat wings dry with a papertowel and place into a large bowl. Toss with baking powder and salt until the wings are evenly coated.
5-Arange wings skin side up on the rack. Place on the lower oven rack and bake 30 min.
6-Move wings to upper oven rack and turn oven to 425 and bake another 45-50 minutes. Turn baking sheet around halfway through. Remove from oven and make your sauce. Toss chicken with the sauce, place on serving tray and Serve!

HONEY BBQ SAUCE:
*1/2 Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce--I used Famous Daves Texas Pit
*3 Tablespoons Honey
*Hot Sauce to taste

Mix all together and toss with wings. This one was delicious and you can make it as spicy or non-spicy as you would like :)

BUFFALO SAUCE:
*1/2 Cup Hot Sauce
*1 Tablspoon Molasses
*4 Tablespoons Butter

Mix together and toss with wings. This one is VERY hot, but good!

I found this recipe on Pinterest: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/09/crispy-oven-baked-chicken-wings/