Bread

{Olive Garden Breadsticks}

Posted on August 29, 2011

Oh man, I loved these! These breadsticks would just complete any meal really. Pasta, soup, salad…you name it. Make these as soon as you get the chance. Make sure you serve them hot out of the oven.

*These are a little more dense than Olive Garden’s. But the flavor is incredible and pretty right-on with the garlic butter. I also updated the picture, because the other one was too dark. Enjoy 🙂

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened
4-5 Cups flour

Topping:
3 Tbs butter melted
sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder

For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 12-14 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

180 comments

{Foil-Baked Asian Style Chicken}

Posted on August 23, 2011

This is a meal my husband makes actually! He also likes to cook dinner or help me do it, and I love that we have that in common. This is a recipe that he found and has made a few times because we all love it. The flavors are very tasty, and there is just enough sauce to serve it over rice and be a perfect meal. 🙂

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 Tbs minced ginger

2 cloves garlic, chopped

6 (12-inch square) pieces aluminum foil

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 scallions, chopped

Cut chicken into 1-inch-square pieces. In a mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, cilantro, ginger and garlic. Add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Fold each piece of foil in half twice to make a 6-inch square. Place a spoonful of chicken in the center of each piece of foil, dividing it equally. Fold foil squares on the diagonal; fold edges to seal. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Garnish with chopped scallions

0 comments

{Easy Salsa}

Posted on August 22, 2011

I love Mexican food, I feel like I make it a lot and the one thing always missing is some really good Salsa to go along with it. I hate the bottled salsa at the store, so I wanted to start making my own. Luckily my Sister in Law has a good recipe that I slightly adapted. It’s really simple to make and it tasted great! I used my food processor to make it, but I know that a blender would do the trick too.

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, drained

1/2 onion, finely diced

1-2 tsp minced garlic

1 lime, juiced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup canned sliced green chiles

3-5 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Place the tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, green chiles, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Blend on low to desired consistency.

0 comments

{Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken}

Posted on August 17, 2011

I loved this meal because it is super low in fat and it’s really good by itself or to serve as burritos. We served ours over rice the first night and then made burritos with it the second night, so we got two meals out of it 🙂

5-6 chicken breast

14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

15 oz can black beans

8 oz frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

14.4 oz can chicken broth

3 scallions, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

salt to taste

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot. Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice

*Adapted from Gina’s Skinny Recipes

2 comments

{Chicken with Green Curry Sauce}

Posted on August 13, 2011

I really love Curry dishes, except for the fact that everything in my house smells like it for a couple of days. This was a really simple meal with great flavors. I really loved the couscous with it, but you could use rice and it would work just fine.

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, sliced into 1/2-inch strips

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon Garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup couscous, cooked according to package directions

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Season both sides of chicken with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown.

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, green chilies, curry powder, garam masala, and cumin. Add mixture to chicken and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly. The sauce will be quite runny. To thicken it up a bit, I mixed one teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and added it to the sauce and let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Serve chicken and green curry sauce over couscous and garnish with cilantro.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

0 comments

Desserts

{Oreo Brownies}

Posted on August 12, 2011

This was a really yummy way to switch up the traditional brownie. We topped ours with buttercream frosting which was really good. But I liked them a lot with whipped cream also for a less richer taste. Great for a quick and easy dessert.

1 box of your favorite brownie mix

1/2 package of oreo cookies, crushed

whipped cream or homemade buttercream frosting

Mix up the brownie mix according to the instructions on the box.

Add about 3/4 of the crushed oreos into the batter and mix until well incorporated. Reserve the rest of the crushed cookies for later. Spray a 9X13 inch dish with cooking spray and bake according to the time on the box.

Allow them to cook for at least 30 minutes. Cut them out. And put your frosting in a zip lock baggie and cut off one of the tips, then pipe it onto your brownie cutouts and sprinkle the tops with the reserved crushed oreos.

*Adapted from Love From The Oven

2 comments

Frosting

{Buttercream Frosting}

Posted on August 10, 2011

This has been my go to frosting to just have around, it’s really easy and I usually have all the ingredients on hand. If you keep this covered in an air tight container it should last you for a few weeks in the refrigerator. This is great for cakes, cupcakes, brownies or to put in between graham crackers 🙂

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs milk

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in the sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the milk, and continue mixing until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered until ready to decorate.

*Recipe Source: Allrecipes

2 comments

{Cajun Chicken Pasta}

Posted on August 8, 2011

I have to give myself a pat on the back for this one 🙂 I really like the cajun chicken pasta from Chilis so I decided to try to recreate it. But this actually turned out to be a lot better. I am already wanting to make this again. My family and I were in heaven while eating it! It is so so good. Please do yourself a favor and make this!:)

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tbs cajun seasoning, divided (I used McCormick)

2 Tbs olive oil

3 Tbs minced garlic

1/4 cup white cooking wine

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup half and half

3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound cooked Penne pasta

1 roma tomato

dried parsley for garnish

Sprinkle 1 Tbs of the cajun season to coat all of the chicken breasts and you can either grill them or cook in a frying pan on med-high heat, browning both sides and cooking until cooked through. Cut into strips

In a large sauce pan heat 2 Tbs olive oil, add the garlic and lightly caramelize. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, add the heavy cream and half and half and about 1 Tbs of the cajun seasoning (Taste test and add more if needed) Increase the heat to a boil and then reduce the heat and let the cream sauce simmer until thickened.

Boil your pasta while you are waiting for the sauce

When the sauce is to the desired consistency, stir in 3/4 cup parmesan cheese and then add the chicken and pasta to the sauce (or you could serve the chicken over top of the pasta) Garnish with tomatoes and dried parsley flakes.

Linked to: Melt In Your Mouth Monday

4 comments

{Dad’s Pineapple and Chicken Rice}

Posted on August 7, 2011

This is one of my dads recipes and I haven’t had it since I moved away. So when I got the recipe from him and made it, my husband was way excited. We have missed this wonderful dish. I had no idea that it was so easy. This meal is one of our top favorite family recipes. Thanks dad!!

2 tsp olive oil

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite size pieces

1 green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 can pineapple chunks with juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp chinese five spice (I use the McCormick brand)

2 cups jasmine rice

Cook the 2 cups of rice according to package directions.

While the rice is cooking in a large frying pan, heat up olive oil and add chicken chunks. Cook on medium-high heat until almost cooked through. Add the green bell pepper and cook along with the chicken until the chicken is cooked and starting to brown. Add the soy sauce, the pineapple along with the juice and the chinese five spice in with the chicken and stir to coat. Once the rice is done add the rice into the pan and stir. Cover with a lid and let heat through on low for about 8-10 minutes or until the green pepper is tender.

1 comment

{Chipotle-Lime Chicken with Jamaican Rice}

Posted on August 5, 2011

This meal was really good. My husband loved it. It has some spice to it. If you aren’t a fan of spicy food add a little less adobo sauce. But I loved the flavor combination so much. It comes together very well. Yummy!

1 cup sliced onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

4 pounds skinless chicken thighs or boneless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce with 1 teaspoon sauce from can

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Lime wedges, for garnish

Arrange onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken thighs or breasts with salt and pepper and arrange over vegetables.

In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Jamaican Rice:

2 cups Jasmine Rice

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 1/4 cup water

1 (15-ounce) can red beans, drained

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest

1/4 cup chopped scallions

1 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, beans, thyme, salt, and lime zest. Set pan over high heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fold in scallions and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the chicken over the rice, topped with avocado and cilantro and garnished with lime wedges

*Adapted from Robin Miller

0 comments

Salads

{Olive Garden Salad and Dressing}

Posted on August 4, 2011

This is a delicious salad recipe. You can serve it as a side or as a main dish with some yummy bread sticks or focaccia bread. This Bread is great with it too.

For the salad:

1 can olives, whole

2 roma tomatoes

2-4 banana peppers

1/2 cup asiago cheese

1 head lettuce

1 red onion

1 box croutons

For the dressing:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup white vinegar

1 Tbs vegetable oil

2 Tbs corn syrup

2 Tbs parmesan cheese

2 Tbs romano cheese

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Place all in a blender and mix

10 comments

Drinks

{Orange Julius}

Posted on August 3, 2011

One of my best friends and I used to make this all the time growing up. It was a favorite for sure. Very refreshing!

1 Can of frozen orange juice concentrate

1 cup water

1 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

about 8-12 ice cubes

Place all in a blender and blend on high until frothy.

5 comments

August 2011