Easy Buffalo BBQ Meatballs

Some nights you feel like getting fancy, and other nights it's a miracle that you don't give up and order pizza. This recipe was created on one of those "other" nights. Sometimes it's fun to grab some random items from the freezer and fridge and hope for the best! 

I saw the meatballs in the freezer and immediately thought of buffalo BBQ sauce, so I perused several recipes online before throwing this one together. It's a bit too spicy for kids, but Husband and I like spicy food and this did the trick for sure. My made-up recipe turned out super yummy, and has practically zero prep time! Served with fries and green beans, we had a meal in minutes. 

Easy Buffalo BBQ Meatballs

1 package bite-size frozen meatballs 

1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot original sauce 

4 Tbsp barbecue sauce

3 Tbsp ketchup 

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp apricot preserves 

1 Tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce 

1 tsp minced garlic 

Preparation Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a deep baking dish with cooking spray and place frozen meatballs in the dish. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients until blended. Pour sauce over the meatballs and stir until all meatballs are coated. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until hot throughout. 

Bread Machine Naan

One time (yes, just one time) I made Indian food at home. I thought the chicken curry was yummy, but it stained my black spatula yellow for weeks, and Husband complained about the smell in the house for just as long. This is also how I learned that he had a college apartment that was above an Indian restaurant, thus suppressing any appetite for Indian food he might have had.

None of this stopped me when I saw a friend post this recipe on Facebook. It's bread! And bread is the best.

I'm so glad I tried this one out.  Super easy, fun to do, and incredibly delicious.  Warm buttered bread fresh out of the oven just can't be beat.  The whole family gobbled it up!  Looking forward to my next batch already. 

Substitutions: No substitutions on ingredients, but I did tweak the process a bit to make it even simpler.  I put the initial ingredients into the bread machine bowl, waited 5 minutes, then added all the remaining ingredients directly into the bread machine bowl as well.  

Adapted from original recipe at Food.com.

Bread Machine Naan

Ingredients

2/3 cup warm skim milk
2 teaspoons melted butter
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 lb all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup plain lowfat yogurt
1 large egg
2 teaspoons sugar, divided

Preparation Instructions

In the bowl of your bread machine, combine warm milk with yeast, butter, and 1 tsp sugar.  Wait 5 minutes.  Add the other 1 tsp sugar and all remaining ingredients into the bread machine bowl.  Set the bread machine to the dough setting and let it run through the complete cycle. 

When the bread machine has almost finished the dough cycle, preheat your oven to 500.  When bread machine cycle is done, take dough out and separate it into six equal sections.  Using a rolling pin or your hands, flatten dough out to ovals about 1/3 inch thick.  When oven has pre-heated, place rounds on pre-heated baking stone or heavy baking sheet.

Bake on top shelf of the oven for 1-3 minutes, watching carefully throughout; the naan should start to puff up like a balloon.  Switch the oven from bake to broil for an additional minute and broil until the top starts to brown.  When brown on top, remove from oven and cover with a towel while you finish baking the remaining loaves.  Brush the warm naan with butter before serving.

Slow Cooker Burgundy Pot Roast

Last week, I opened a bottle of red, excited about drinking a glass with dinner... but the wine was terrible. I'm no wine snob, but I couldn't even finish the glass. So I popped the cork back in and wondered what on earth I was going to do with the rest of that wine. Clearly, this called for a cooking experiment!

I started scrounging through the freezer and found a good looking beef roast. Using up ingredients I already had at home, I made Sunday dinner in the crockpot and managed to use up some of the less-than-palatable wine in the process.

Roast with veggies, homemade creamed corn, some redneck garlic bread (yes, those are sandwich rolls), and Olympic Track & Field made for a great night!  Husband thought the wine flavor was a touch too strong.  I don't agree, but if you want the wine flavor to be very subtle, I would substitute 1/2 cup of the wine with water.  

Slow Cooker Burgundy Pot Roast

Large beef pot roast (I started from frozen)
1 cup red wine
2 cups water
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups baby carrots
1 onion, cut into wedges

Preparation Instructions

Spray crockpot with cooking spray.  Place roast in the middle of the pot, then add carrots and onions around the sides.  Pour in wine and water, then add soup mix and spices to the liquid and gently stir a bit to mix in.  Cook on low for 10 hours or until meat is tender and falls apart with fork.

Summer Garden Soup

It was the perfect confluence of events, really. While scrolling through Pinterest, I saw a chicken noodle soup recipe that looked really good. Then I got to thinking about the huge bowl of fresh produce on my kitchen counter that needed to be cooked.

You don't have an overflowing amount of homegrown veggies on your counter? Well then obviously you don't know Mr. Winston, our buddy and resident neighborhood gentleman farmer and tractor driver. Big Boy and Little Boy are enamored, naturally.

This is a great recipe for using an assortment of veggies. It would also be good for those who have run out of ideas with a CSA box. It's rare that I make up a recipe on the fly, but this one turned out great so I'm delighted to share. Use whatever you have and see how it goes! I even threw in some leftover canned corn from the boys' dinner.

When Husband came home and saw me at the stove, he exclaimed, "Oh great, soup! Perfect for this chilly summer day!" Oops. 

Summer Garden Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 quart chicken broth
1.5 quarts water
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup diced carrots
3 stalks celery, diced
8 mini new potatoes, diced
2 yellow squash, diced
1/3 cup yellow corn
1 package Reames Frozen Egg Noodles
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp garlic salt
Black pepper to taste
1/3 cup milk 

1 tbsp lemon juice  

Preparation Instructions

Heat olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and minced garlic; sauté under tender and fragrant. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a low boil. Add squash, corn, potatoes, butter, and spices. Bring back to a rolling boil. Add the frozen noodles to the pot and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add milk and continue to boil for 5 minutes or until noodles are soft and broth has thickened. Stir in lemon juice before serving.     

Creamy Fruit Dip

Easiest recipe ever?  Probably. 

Many thanks to Grandma and Aunt Marcie for teaching me how to make this extraordinarily simple treat.  Lots of extended family gathered at Grandma and Pap Pap's house during our recent trip to West Virginia to see us and the boys -- and to enjoy a smorgasbord of delicious snacks and dips.  I've never been a big fan of fruit dips, but I tried this one and couldn't keep myself away from seconds... and thirds...

I made it this past weekend for a dinner party and we ate every last bite.  Looks like I've got a new regular for the rotation!   

Substitutions: To save a few calories, I used the Kroger Greek Cream Cheese made with greek yogurt. 

Creamy Fruit Dip

Ingredients
1 (7 oz.) container marshmallow fluff
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
Maraschino cherry juice
Chopped fruit for dipping (I love strawberries, red grapes, pineapple)

Preparation Instructions
Stir together marshmallow fluff and cream cheese until smooth.  Add cherry juice a splash at a time, stirring until desired flavor and pink color is reached.  Chill before serving.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Some recipes are so simple and so yummy, you almost want to kick yourself for forgetting about them for long stretches of time.  King Ranch Chicken is one of those recipes for me.  

You get the comfort food aspect of casserole, the fun of lasagna-style assembly, and the deliciousness of things covered in cheese.  What more is there to love?  This week I was scheduled to bring meals to a couple of families, so I turned my kitchen into a chicken factory and got to work boiling, chopping, layering, and baking!  Tripling this recipe was quite easy - just make sure to use a very large pan when sautéing the veggies so you don't run out of room for the sauce.  

The casserole is rumored to have originated from the famous King Ranch in Kingsville, Texas. My paternal grandmother was an alumna of the teacher's college now known as Texas A&M Kingsville, so naturally, this was one of her regular dinner staples! Southern Living calls this a church covered dish classic, and when I suggested I would bring it for my Yankee friend, she said she obviously didn't have enough church suppers in her life. I think it's just a shortage of Texan grandmothers! 

Layers in progress...

Substitutions: I used butter instead of margarine.  For the chicken, I boiled boneless skinless chicken breasts for about 20 minutes, then cut them into large bite-size pieces once they cooled.  I also used kitchen scissors to cut the tortillas into pieces.  

You can kick up the heat with Ro*Tel Hot or hot sauce, if you like things spicy!

This recipe adapted from the one found on the Ro*Tel website.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

Ingredients
Cooking spray              
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper             
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion             
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup          
1 can (10-3/4 oz each) condensed cream of mushroom soup             
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained              
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast              
12 corn tortillas (6 inch), torn into bite-size pieces              
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat, then add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in both soups, undrained tomatoes and chicken. 

In your dish, layer one-third each of tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese. Repeat layers twice more. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Bourbon Cream Cheese Brownies

My mom likes to get me the annual Southern Living Christmas cookbook each year.  As a huge fan and subscriber of Southern Living, I'm always delighted to check out the latest recipes. 

This season I needed a sweet treat to take to work for our Christmas potluck lunch.  When I found these brownies, I knew they would be a hit - and I was right.  Not a single crumb leftover!  Glad I snagged one for myself when they were warm out of the oven...

Substitutions: none.  I grabbed one of Husband's whiskeys and went to town!  The instructions for lining the pan with foil were clutch.  These came out so pretty for serving, though my mixture looked to have more of the cream cheese portion than the picture suggested.  Not complaining, as they were completely delicious.  

Find the original recipe here.

Bourbon Cream Cheese Brownies

Ingredients
4 (1-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided

4 large eggs   

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature   

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup bourbon

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides, and lightly grease the foil.

For the brownie portion: Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until melted, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups of the granulated sugar. Add 3 eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in vanilla, salt, and 1 cup flour. Spread half of batter in prepared pan.

For the cream cheese portion: Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 2 Tbsp. flour and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and beat until blended. Add bourbon and remaining 1 egg, beating until blended. 

Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan; top with remaining brownie batter, and swirl together.  Bake at 350° for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Grab the foil edge and lift the brownies from pan. Gently remove foil and cut into squares for serving.

Simple Perfect Chili

As usual, I'm drawn back to the Pioneer Woman when I need a tasty, no-fail recipe.  Having made this twice in the last month, I can confidently say that this is a true keeper!

My father is insistent that proper chili does not have beans.  It's the Texas way, after all.  As for me, while my lineage is 100% Texan, my birthright is 100% Tennessean - so bring on the beans.  

Substitutions: I added a diced onion during cooking, instead of as a garnish, since I love cooked onion flavor but don't care for raw onions. PW also calls for serving this with tortilla chips, but I can't resist Fritos with chili.

You can find Ree's original recipe here. 

Simple Perfect Chili

Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz. tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
For serving: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, Fritos or other crackers

Preparation Instructions
Place the ground beef in a large pot and add the garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain off the excess fat, and then stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.

After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Add the masa mixture into the chili, stir well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or to add more corn flavor. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in a large bowl topped with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and Fritos for a perfect dinner!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Don't you just love the Lettuce Wraps at P.F. Chang's?  Memories of good times with my oldest buddies...

I haven't eaten there in quite some time, but while I was grocery shopping I happened upon a sale package of pre-washed lettuce leaves and immediately thought of P.F. Chang's.  It was green leaf lettuce, not iceberg, but dinner that night still turned out every bit as delicious as the restaurant dish. 

Since I have been counting calories (thanks, MyFitnessPal), I need to mention how filling and yummy this dish was for a small number of calories. Simply use the Recipes tool to input the recipe into the calorie counter. 

Substitutions: Green leaf lettuce, as I mentioned. Chopped a zucchini instead of mushrooms on a whim. Yum! Having both would be even better. I served the wraps with fresh egg rolls. 

Recipe modified from the version on Food.com. 

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
Lettuce Wraps:
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 Tbsp chopped onions
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
Iceberg lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Special Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp hot mustard
1 tsp Sriracha sauce

Preparation Instructions
Make the Special Sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and whisk together until blended.  Place in refrigerator and chill before serving.

Bring 2 Tbsp oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Saute chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side or until done. Remove chicken from the pan and let cool.

While chicken is cooling, dice onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl. Once chicken has cooled, dice it into similar size pieces as the water chestnuts and mushrooms. Return the pan to high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil, then add the chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to pan. Add stir fry sauce to pan and saute until hot. Serve wrap-style in lettuce leaves. 

S'mores Cookie Cups

Quick and easy?  Not exactly.

Worth it?  Totally, utterly, and completely.

Just ask my friend CC, whose baby sprinkle was the occasion for which I tried out this new recipe.  I made three different desserts for the party, and these S'mores Cookie Cups were the hands-down winner.  They are adorable to look at and decadent to eat, especially when they are still warm from the oven (or warmed for a few seconds in the microwave).  That gooey chocolately sweet sensation, like eating s'mores around the bonfire, is irresistible!

Bonus: your clothes won't smell like a fire pit afterwards.  But you may still have chocolate all over your face. 

Substitutions: As I was already making a peanut butter dessert for the party, I opted for plain chocolate spread instead of Nutella.  I also used large (standard) size marshmallows rather than extra-large to make for slightly easier prep. 

Could these be any cuter?

Here is the original recipe from Style Blueprint. 

S'mores Cookie Cups

Ingredients

Cookie Cups:

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Filling and Topping:
Spreadable chocolate (I used Hershey's)
Crushed graham crackers
Large marshmallows
Cooking scissors
Cooking spray
Pestle or small shot glass (to indent the cookies to form cups)
Parchment paper

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cream the butter in a bowl and add both cups of sugar. Mix with a mixer.  Stir in the eggs and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl and add to the butter mixture; blend well.

Spray a mini-muffin pan with cooking spray.  Form approximately 1-inch dough balls and place one dough ball in each mini-muffin cup.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes.  While they bake, use the cooking scissors to cut marshmallows in half horizontally.  Remove cups from oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees for the next step.

Let the cookie cups rest for 2 minutes, and then use a pestle to make small indentions in the center of the cookies.  Try to make indentions that one teaspoon of chocolate will fill.  After the cookies are indented, transfer to a cooling rack for approximately 5 minutes.

Fill each cookie cup with spreadable chocolate and sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top.  Place the cookie cups on a baking sheet that is covered with parchment paper.  Press the sticky side of each half-marshmallow into the graham cracker crumbs and place one on top of each cookie cup .

Bake the cookie cups for 3 more minutes at 300 degrees to warm the marshmallows. After 3 minutes, turn the broiler on high for 90 seconds (electric oven) or a couple minutes (gas oven).  Watch VERY closely the entire time, as the marshmallows go from toasty to burnt very quickly.  You want them to be that perfect shade of toasty medium brown.   

Remove from the oven and immediately use a metal spoon to press the hot marshmallow down gently.  Serve after 5 minutes.

Rigatoni with Meatballs

Sometimes I have to do a little convincing to get Husband on board with a new recipe.  And sometimes I just show him a picture and he grins and nods.  This was one of the latter.

This Italian feast comes from yet another excellent recipe in The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier, which was an old Christmas gift from Husband himself.  Talk about a gift that keeps on giving!  Smart man.

Substitutions: I made a few based on supplies already on hand.  In place of ground pork, I used 16 oz. ground mild Italian sausage (which was delicious) in addition to 16 oz. ground beef.  I also declined to make my own bread crumbs and used panko bread crumbs instead. #aintnobodygottimeforthat  Since I don't care for huge pieces of tomato in my sauce, I opted for diced tomatoes rather than whole tomatoes, and I simmered it a bit longer to ensure the consistency was thick and the meatballs were thoroughly cooked. 

Leftovers for dinner tonight... and I couldn't be more excited.  I will certainly be using the freezer technique any time I make meatballs. They held together perfectly even after all the sautéing and simmering. 

Here is Ree's recipe, courtesy of Food Network.

Rigatoni with Meatballs

Ingredients
Meatballs:
1 cup panko bread crumbs
16 ounces ground beef
16 ounces ground mild Italian sausage
3/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

 

Rigatoni and Sauce:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup red wine, plus more for drinking, obviously 

One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Minced fresh basil to taste

1 box rigatoni, cooked al dente

 

Preparation Instructions

For the meatballs: Throw in the meat into a large mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs, Parmesan, milk, parsley, garlic, eggs, salt and some pepper. Use clean hands to mix together until well blended. Take a small amount of the meat mixture and roll it in your hands to make meatballs (about 30). Place on a sheet pan and put the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working with about 10 meatballs at a time, cook them until brown on all sides but not cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Remove from the pot to a plate while you make the sauce.

For the sauce: Add the garlic and onions to the meatball pot. Stir and cook until the onion begins to soften. Add the wine and cook for another minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Stir the sauce to combine all the ingredients. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the parsley, basil, and meatballs. Stir gently, then cover and cook for 30 more minutes, stirring once or twice until the meatballs are cooked through.

Dish the rigatoni onto large plates or bowls and pile the meatballs and sauce on the top. Sprinkle on some extra minced parsley and serve with extra grated Parmesan. 

Easy Tiramisu Dessert

Betty Crocker calls this Easy Tiramisu Dessert, but that name is a little underwhelming for me.  What sounds better?  Cake.  Cake always sounds better.  Easy Tiramisu Cake!

#cakealwayssoundsbetter

My friend CR has made this for us a few times, and I'm only partly ashamed to say that we always finish off the entire pan.  It's sweet and decadent but still light, and you don't even need to turn on the oven.  Perfect for a hot summer night!

Substitutions: I made this even easier by buying two boxes of the Sara Lee pound cake slices instead of whole frozen pound cakes.  I also tried a new product, Kroger's Greek Cream Cheese & Greek Yogurt, in place of the cream cheese.  Fewer calories and less fat with no noticeable effect on taste.  Highly recommend.   

Easy Tiramisu Dessert

Ingredients
2 packages frozen pound cake slices, thawed
3/4 cup room temperature brewed coffee
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 cups heavy cream
Bag of Heath Bar crumbles    

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Preparation Instructions
Arrange cake slices in bottom of rectangular baking dish, cutting slices if necessary to cover bottom of dish.  Drizzle coffee all over cake.

Beat sugar, chocolate syrup and cream cheese with mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add heavy cream and continue mixing on medium speed until light and fluffy.  Spread over cake.  Sprinkle generously with candy crumbles.  Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour until ready to serve.

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I'm back! Look for a new recipe post shortly. 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This one isn't from a cookbook -- it's from Husband's list of favorites!  We brought a batch to a casual cookout last weekend and got rave reviews.  I took most of the credit, naturally.

Husband prefers it cold, while I like to top it with shredded cheese and bake until warm and bubbly.  Because cheese. 

I finally used the Pinterest trick for shredding chicken, and let me tell you, I couldn't have been more impressed.  The paddle attachment on my KitchenAid mixer turned those three giant chicken breasts into perfect shreds in less than a minute.  Just tear the breasts into large chunks and mix on low speed.  

   
Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients
3 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1/4 cup ranch dressing
8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature
Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preparation Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well blended.  Spread evenly in serving dish.  For cold dip, garnish with slices of celery and serve.  For hot dip, sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top and bake at 350 until dip is bubbly and cheese is slightly browned. 

Serve with celery sticks and tortilla chips for dipping.

Thai-Style Mushroom and Chicken Stir-Fry

In the interest of trying something a bit healthier, I pulled out my old copy of The Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook and set about finding a recipe that Husband would actually eat.  He has finally come around to Thai food, so I adapted this recipe for our tastes. 

This recipe started as Thai-Style Mushroom and Tofu Stir-Fry, but for us, it's out with the tofu and in with the chicken!  I want to try cooking with tofu one day, as I happen to love tofu with my Thai food (Pad See Ew with Tofu is my favorite).  But for now, we start with the safer alternative.
     

Substitutions: Chicken for tofu, obviously.  I used portabella mushrooms, as our Kroger did not have fresh oyster mushrooms available.  And since we had regular Jif in the pantry, I used that instead of the reduced-fat peanut butter.  For more heat, I added sriracha in place of red pepper flakes. This was so fresh, colorful, and delicious served over rice.  I found myself wanting more veggies! 

Here's my recipe below, adapted from the original: 

Thai-Style Mushroom and Chicken Stir-Fry

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite size pieces
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce
8 ounces portabella mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces snow peas, ends trimmed and strings pulled
8 ounces canned sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation Instructions
In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice until smooth. Add the water, sesame oil, cornstarch, and pepper flakes and whisk until blended. Coat a nonstick wok or a large nonstick frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until opaque. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the snow peas and continue stir-frying until the peas are tender-crisp, 2-3 minutes. Add the peanut butter mixture, water chestnuts, and tofu, and stir-fry until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute. Serve over steamed rice or noodles. Sprinkle with the cilantro.  Serves 3-4.

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

First off, I have to confess: this recipe isn't from a cookbook.  Also, I've made it before - several times, in fact.  But this time was different.  I tweaked the recipe to make festive St. Patrick's Day treats for Husband's work potluck, and they were a huge hit! 

All that to say, you have to have this recipe.
 

These are a great option if you need a gluten free dessert.  Plus, they're so pretty to look at and are nice and light after a heavy meal.  So refreshing, too, with the hint of mint!  

Adapted from my Christmas party favorite Real Simple recipe.

Mint Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
green food coloring, as desired (about 8 drops for pale green as shown)

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 225.  Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy.  Increase mixer speed to high, then add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.  Allow a few moments between adding tablespoons to sugar to ensure thorough mixing.  Continue mixing on high speed until stiff and glossy with firm peaks, about 2-3 minutes.  Add in peppermint extract and green food coloring.  Once done, turn off mixer and fold in chocolate chips by hand. 

Drop mounds of the meringue mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart.  Bake until firm and dry, 75 to 90 minutes.  After 75 minutes, watch carefully to prevent browning.  Let cool completely on the baking sheets.

Southwestern Cheese Steak Supper

Since I had gotten it out for help with the Pretzel Toffee Chocolate Crunch Cookies, I went back to the original red Betty Crocker's Cookbook looking for dinner ideas.  When I found this one-skillet meal that involved meat + pasta + queso, I knew I would have to try it.

Husband laughed about how it's called "supper."  My grandmother would call the three meals breakfast, dinner, and supper.  In my mind, there's breakfast and lunch, but then dinner and supper are the same thing.  It always confused me as a small child!

*Warning: I followed the directions and ended up with way-overdone steak.  It was pretty disappointing, I must admit, especially after Husband had cooked us some amazing filets a few nights before.  But the pasta was delicious and idiot-proof easy, so next time, I'll wait until further in the pasta cooking process to put the steak back to the skillet.  

Betty has the recipe on her website.

Southwestern Cheese Steak Supper

Ingredients
1 pound beef boneless sirloin steak, 3/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups mild salsa
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta (5 ounces)
8 ounces Velveeta, cut into cubes (1 cup)

Preparation Instructions

Spray 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Cut beef into 4 serving pieces. Cook beef in skillet about 4 minutes, turning once, until brown. Remove beef from skillet. 

Add salsa and water to skillet. Heat to boiling. Stir in pasta. Place beef in pasta mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.  Stir in cheese until melted.

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is a standby at my house.  I have always followed my family easy cheat recipe with Pillsbury pie crusts, Veg-All, and cream of chicken soup.  Simple, hearty, tasty -- what's not to love?

I did take special pride in this recipe because everything except the crusts was made fresh.  No cans in sight!  While I'm not sure every step was worth the trouble for a simple weeknight, there are some tricks that I'll carry over to my cheat recipe, such as:

• Adding sautéed onions and mushrooms
• Cooking in the cast iron skillet
• Using Creole seasoning
• Egg white wash on the top crust

Would you take a look at how beautifully that crust turned out?  Crispy, crackly, flaky golden brown deliciousness, I say. 

Surprisingly, this pie was listed in the Southern Living booklet Best Fall Baking.  I guess it is a pie, after all, but I went looking through the book for sweet treats and happened upon dinner instead.  And yummy leftovers for lunch, too!

Southern Living also lists the recipe on their website. 

Skillet Chicken Pot Pie 

Ingredients
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 (8-oz.) package sliced fresh mushrooms
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups frozen cubed hash browns
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup frozen small sweet peas
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated pie crusts, brought to room temperature
1 egg white 

Preparation Instructions 

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt 1/3 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add all-purpose flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add chicken broth and milk, and cook, whisking constantly, 6 to 7 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat, and stir in Creole seasoning.  Next, melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion and mushrooms, and sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken, next 4 ingredients, and sauce.

Place 1 pie crust in a lightly greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Spoon chicken mixture over pie crust, and top with remaining pie crust. Whisk egg white until foamy; brush top of pie crust with egg white. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Pretzel Toffee Chocolate Crunch Cookies

Well, March is here, but that didn't stop the winter weather in Nashville last week!  Looks like it's finally going to break this weekend, which sounds amazing since we spent last weekend cooped up avoiding the ice.  Naturally, that called for some sweet treats, and I found a delicious recipe in the Christmas with Southern Living 2013 annual holiday book.

My mom sends me a copy of the book every year, which I love to flip through but, admittedly, rarely get to put into practice.  After having done so with these cookies, I have to say I would happily make them again, but with one small tweak: not using unsweetened chocolate bars!  Chopping the bars was a major pain.  I started by hand, which was taking forever.  So I moved on to the mini food processor, which was slightly faster but still couldn't quite power through the chocolate bars without creating mostly chocolate dust.  Frankly, I think these would be delightful with semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, so next time I'll save myself the hassle.
  
My other regret is somehow adding too much flour.  I measured per the directions, but the cookies didn't quite flatten out enough during the baking process.  To figure out the problem, I looked at my trusty original red Betty Crocker's Cookbook and found her Cookie Troubleshooting Guide.  Next time I'll "spoon flour into a measuring cup, rather than scooping the cup directly into the flour canister."      

Substitutions: none!  Can you believe it?  I used Baker's unsweetened chocolate, Kroger pretzels, and Heath bars -- Husband's favorite.  Now the only remaining challenge is to keep my hand out of the cookie jar every hour when these are around.    

Pretzel Toffee Chocolate Crunch Cookies  

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups coarsely crushed mini pretzel twists
4 (1.4 oz.) chocolate covered toffee bars, chopped
2 (4 oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking bars, chopped
parchment paper

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed after each addition. Stir in pretzels, toffee candy, and chocolate. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 1 inch apart onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken)

Nothing says cuisine like Julia Child... am I right?  After watching the movie Julie & Julia with Husband, I mentioned that I would love to have my own copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Husband did not disappoint, as I found the set of Volumes 1 and 2 under the Christmas tree!  Of course, that was Christmas 2012, and this is the first time I've finally attempted a recipe. 

The end result was spectacular, of course.  But I have never put so much labor into what I thought was a simple dish!  

Substitutions: I bought a larger chicken (approximately 6 pounds) so that we would have leftovers.  Happy to report that I did not adjust the amounts of the remaining ingredients and it still turned out perfectly, as did the Chicken and Dumplings I made from the subsequent bone broth and leftover chicken.  I added some whole red potatoes to the roasting pan to go with the carrots and onions.  

After so many flips and turns, it was hard to keep track of which way was up, for the bird and for me...  Be careful when turning the chicken so that the delicious skin doesn't wind up stuck to the bottom of the roasting pan.  

Is it sinful if I thought the carrots were the most amazing part? 

Poulet Roti (Roast Chicken) 

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
5 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature, divided
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tablespoon shallot or green onion, minced
1 cup chicken stock or broth

Preparation Instruction

Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle inside of chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and smear in 1 tablespoon butter. Dry it thoroughly with paper towels, and rub the skin with 1 tablespoon butter. Place chicken, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Strew carrot and onion around it, and set it on a middle rack of the preheated oven. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil to use for basting.

Allow chicken to brown lightly for 5 minutes. Turn it on its left side, basting it with the butter and oil mixture, and allow it to brown for 5 minutes. Turn it on its right side, baste it, and allow to it to brown for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°F. Leave chicken on its right side, and baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the fat in the roasting pan when butter-and-oil mixture is empty. Halfway through estimated roasting time (when the right side of chicken is golden brown, about 40 minutes), sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt then turn it on its left side. Continue roasting and basting for another 20-30 minutes, until left side is golden brown. Then, sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and turn the chicken, breast side up. Continue basting and cook for another 10-20 minutes or until chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F. When done, cut and discard trussing strings, and allow chicken to rest on a hot platter for 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan, and discard. Then, strain the cooked vegetables and pan juices through a chinois. In a small sauce pan, combine strained pan juices and minced shallot (or green onion), and cook over low flame for 1 minute. Add stock, and boil rapidly over high heat, scraping and discarding any white foam, until liquid reduces to 1/2 cup. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off flame, and just before serving, swirl in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter into the pan sauce. Pour a spoonful of sauce over the chicken, then ladle the remaining sauce in a gravy boat for the table.