Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Another great find on pinterest! I made a couple modifications to this; so easy and delicious! My family loves chicken, but sometimes you feel like you make it the same way all the time. This is just a few ingredients and so so easy to make!

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
8 slices of uncooked bacon
2 peppers, either sweet red or orange ( cut in long strips)
1 1/2 cups shredded  cheddar cheese(any kind you like!)


Directions:

~ carefully butterfly each chicken breast to make them thin.

~lie each breast flat, season with salt and pepper. I use spicy garlic seasoning.....makes everything taste better!

~place strips of pepper across chicken and cover with a generous amount of cheese

~ roll each breast and secure with a toothpick. I wrapped two slices all the way around the chicken, but I think it would be better if you cut each piece in half, so you would have 4 small pieces for each piece of chicken and it would be crispier.

~place chicken in a 9 X13 casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

~ if you like you bacon well done, you can place under broiler for 2 minutes. 

Cheesy Potato and Pork Bake

I was feeling the need to try something different, now that the weather is getting a bit colder. I have been very lucky with recipes I find on Pinterest; they are always recipes someone has tried and even adjusted to their liking. When a realized I had a nice boneless pork roast begging to be cooked, I was tempted by this flavorful recipe. It's a winner!

Ingredients:

3lb of russet potatoes
1 bay leaf
3-5 TBS olive oil for the pork
2-3 lbs of boneless pork
1 TBS soy sauce
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
4 oz heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh dill
1/2 TBS of Mrs. Dash seasoning
1 cup of mozzarella cheese

How to make:

1~ Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them into chunks and place them in a pot with cold water. Add the 1 bay leaf and a little salt. Cook for 15 minutes on medium high heat until you can pierce with a fork, but not fully cooked. Drain potatoes and set aside.

2~ While potatoes are cooking, cut pork into chunks and cook in olive oil in a skillet for 10 minutes. Add 1 TBS soy sauce.

3~ Then add diced onion and fresh garlic, saute until golden brown.

4~Preheat oven to 350.

5~In a large bowl, combine the cooked potatoes, fresh dill, heavy whipping cream, 1 TBS Mrs. Dash seasoning and gently mix together.

6~ Empty into a 9X13 baking dish and top with the cooked pork. COVER baking dish with foil and place in oven for 20-30 minutes.

7~ Remove foil and top with at least one cup of mozzerella cheese. Put the dish back in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Caprese Pasta Salad

I absolutely LOOOVE to make a tomatoe salad in the summer time, so when I saw this recipe, I had to try this!! It is sooooo good, soooooo easy, and oh so pretty!

Ingredients:

1 lb of your choice shape pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

1 container mozzerella balls, or you can cube a pound of mozzerella

1 cup of fresh basil, cut into ribbon strips

Homemade dressing:

2 large cloves of fresh garlic, squeezed thru a press

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons of olive oil

How to make:

Cook pasta as directed. Drain and set aside.

Mix the three ingredients for the dressing and set aside. This is alot of dressing, so be sure to put it in something you can pour. I have my leftover saved for another salad.

Here's the dressing and my fresh, home grown basil. :)

Now place the pasta in the bowl you will serve the salad in. Toss it with the dressing, adding a little at a time.

Toss in diced tomatoes, mozzerella balls, and strips of basil. 

Simple and beautiful !! 

Garlic and Oil Pasta with Chicken and Asparagus

Since I have been making weekly trips to the Farmers Market, it has inspired me to try new recipes! I can't resist the opportunity to purchase slender asparagus and then hunt down a recipe. This was the perfect summer dinner. I made some changes and it was a success!


Ingredients:

1 lb. of pasta, cooked al dente
approx 1 lb of boneless chicken, sliced thin
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lb. of fresh asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
a bunch of scallions, sliced and separate the white and green parts
one small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2-1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes

I like to use alot of bowls when I cook. It helps when you are ready to start cooking, since this really doesn't take long to throw together. It's all in the prep work!

First get your water boiling for the pasta. I used Penne Pasta, but you can use any variety you like.

While the water is boiling, you can saute the thinly sliced chicken in the cloves of minced garlic and olive oil in a large skillet. Remove the chicken and place in a bowl while you then saute the asparagus on mediun heat.

Add the sliced cherry tomatoe, parsley and the whites of the scallions and cook briefly.

Your pasta should be boiled now. Drain the water from the pasta and add to the sauteed vegetables.
 Add your cooked chicken.

Serve with grated pecorino romano cheese and top with greens of scallions. Bellisimo!

Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake

Once again, I have pinterest to thank for this yummy dessert!! I love to search for food ideas this way; it can be very addicting! I've always loved to make angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream in the summer. When I read through a few recipes, I realized I had everything to try a chocolate version! WARNING: this is a very dense, filling dessert and probably 583,405 calories, so only a small slice is needed. Tasted more like a pound cake! Could be because there's two sticks of butter!! :)

Ingredients:
 FOR THE CAKE:
2 sticks butter
4 heaping TBS cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1- 1 1/2 cup of Nutella

FOR STRAWBERRIES:
2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR WHIPPED CREAM:
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two round baking pans with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the cocoa and stir it until smooth. Pour in the boiling water and let the mixture bubble up for approx 20 seconds and then turn it off and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, blend buttermilk,baking soda, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the hot chocolate mixture until it's combined.

Pour and divide the batter into two round pans evenly. Bake for 18-22 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries by stirring them with the sugar and the vanilla. Let them sit for 15 minutes then drain off the excess juice.

Whip the cream and the powdered sugar.

Spread half the Nutella over the bottom layer of cake. Spread on half the whipped cream and top with half the strawberries. Place second layer of cake , repeating the same steps.

NOTE: Don't start to assemble more than an hour before serving. The cake needs to be refidgerated.

I know you want a piece!!

Asian Spaghetti and Flounder

Ok, so it's really been a challenge cooking this week with the temperatures soaring near 100 degrees!! Too hot to grill, too hot for the oven, so I looked for some new stovetop ideas!! I. Love. Pinterest!!

This was so easy and healthy!!

Ingredients:

1 lb uncooked angel hair pasta
1-2 cups uncooked broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
4 green onions, diced
2 TBS canola oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 TBS sesame seeds, toasted

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the broccoli, carrots and onions until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, cayenne pepper and sugar. Add sauce to pasta, tossing to coat. add sesame seeds.

The flounder is first dipped in egg, then dipped in a random amount of panko bread crumbs and old bay. The fish was fried at 300 degrees in a skillet using "Plenish". Bet you wish you knew what plenish is! ;)

Mediterranean Stuffed Pork Chops

Ok, so it's been for-ev-er since I've blogged, but those of you who really know me, understand I've had sort of an epiphany lately. I joke that it's my new coffee pot making amazingly delicious coffee, but it's actually been a series of events happening to me. And I really, really wanted to make something new!

The ingredients:

4 thick cut boneless porkchops
4 ounces goat cheese
fresh spinach leaves

3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, chopped
black olives
1 fresh lemon
white cooking wine

garlic powder(or fresh garlic if you have it on hand), black pepper to season
olive oil


Cut the boneless porkchops in half forming a pocket. Spread the inside with the goat cheese. This was the first time I ever tried this cheese; the name is weird, but it's very mild and tasty!

In a large skillet using olive oil, season the porkchops with black pepper and garlic powder. Sear the chops until golden brown and remove from heat. Place them in a 9X13 glass pan.

Saute the onion, tomatoes and black olives (which you can omit if you dislike) Add a splash of the cooking wine (approx 1/2 cup and squeeze the juice of one lemon. Mix together and pour over the porkchops.

Bake uncovered @400 degrees for approx 20-25 minutes, depending on thickness.

Snappy Pumpkin Cheesecake

Every Thanksgiving I feel compelled to make the traditional desserts: apple pie and pumpkin pie. I decided to search for a new recipe this year, and this one combined with another dessert I love: cheesecake! It looked so pretty and I am a visual person. I decided after reading the ingredients, this is going to be worth it. The only trouble I ran into was finding gingersnap cookies!

This was pretty easy and I can't wait to make it again! Try this. You won't be disappointed.


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups crushed gingersnap cookies ( approx 30 cookies)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
GARNISH:
whipped topping

Directions:

~Grease a 9 inch springform pan and securely wrap aluminum foil around the outside.

~In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and pecans. I used my mini food processor and it did a great job! Stir in melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of pan. Bake at 325degrees for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.

~Meanwhile in a large bowl, beat cream cheese, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.

~Place 1 cup of the filling in another small bowl; stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining sugar. Remove 3/4 cup of pumpkin filling and set aside. Pour remaining pumpkin filling into the crust (making the first layer)

~Top with the plain filling. Drop reserved pumpkin filling by spoonfuls over the top; cut through filling with a knife to make swirls.

Place pan on a large baking pan and fill with water. I used a thick cookie tray you can see in above picture.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until center is set and appears dull. Remove pan from water bath and cool for 10 minutes. Take a knife to loosen around edge. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove sides of springform pan. Garnish with whipped topping.

Braided Spaghetti Bread

I have to give a shout out to Danielle for finding this yummy bread on Pinterest! And what a better day to  make it...drinking some wine and waiting for this hurricane!! :)

I made homemade dough and sauce, but if you want to keep it really simple, follow these simple ingredients:


1 loaf bread dough, thawed ( I make a pizza dough recipe for any stuffed bread)
6 oz spaghetti, cooked - I used angel hair pasta
1 cup spaghetti sauce
8-12 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes ( the more, the better!)
1 egg white ( i brushed the bread with olive oil)
Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes
Garlic powder


Lightly flour the surface you are going to roll dough on; make into a 12x16 rectangle.

Cook pasta according to package; drain and let cool slightly.

Mix spaghetti and sauce together and then place in the center of the dough; top with cubed mozzarella cheese.

Make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart so you can braid the dough. Begin by braiding top and bottom strips towards the filling. Then braid strips left over right, then right over left and tuck last strip under braid.

Brush with egg white (or olive oil) and sprinkle with parsley, parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

Bake @ 350 for 35 minutes or until golden.  Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Baked Mac-n-Cheese (Sriracha Style!)

Try this recipe for a new twist to the traditional macaroni-n-cheese recipe! The panko breadcrumbs make a nice crunchy topping!

4 cups (1 lb) dry elbow macaroni

1 stick unsalted butter

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 small onion, diced

2 TBS flour

1 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 cups milk

4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 TBS Sriracha Sauce

1/4 cup grated parmigiano cheese

~Melt 1/2 stick butter; then add panko breadcrumbs,mix and set aside.

~Cook elbow macaroni in salted boiling water for one minute less than recommended time.

~In a large pot, saute the diced onion with the other 1/2 stick of butter over low heat until tender. Add flour and wisk for 2 minutes over low heat. Add dry mustard and black pepper.

~Add milk and stir until thickened. 

~Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese and Sriracha sauce; mix until the cheese melts.

~Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese mixture, then transfer to 13X9 pan.

Top with the parm cheese, then breadcrumb mixture and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese(if desired).

BAKE AT 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Ultimate Sriracha Burger

This recipe comes from "The Sriracha Cookbook", which has some amazingly HOT recipes. Perfect for you spice lovers out there. I am pretty sure I made my neighbors jealous when grilling these awesome burgers! :)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (80/20)
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs Sriracha
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
6 slices bacon
1 sweet onion
blue cheese dressing
6 kaiser or sesame seed buns
6 thick slices swiss cheese
1 large tomato, sliced
romaine or curly green lettuce

Form ground beef into six patties. Combine soy sauce, Sriracha and black pepper. Generously brush on both sides of burgers and set aside.

In a medium frying pan over medium heat, cook the bacon. Slice the onion thin and once the bacon is done, cook the onion in the bacon fat over medium-low heat until they carmelize, 20-25 min.

Grill burgers and lightly toast the buns. Top with a slice of swiss cheese.

To assemble, spread some blue cheese dressing on buns, top with bacon, cooked onions, tomato and lettuce. This was delicious served with sweet potato waffle fries.

"Farfalle Piccanti" (Spicy Butterflies)

This is one of my favorite recipes from my "Ciao Italia" cookbook by Mary Ann Esposito. She has a family story for each of the recipes, commenting than in an Italian family, love is expressed through kisses, kudos, and in the kitchen!! <3

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes ( I used one tsp and it was spicy!)
1 cup diced prosciutto ( approx 1/4 pound)
one- 28 ounce can plum tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano ( or 1 Tbs of fresh oregano)
Ground black pepper to season
1 cup frozen peas
one pound bowtie pasta (farfalle)
grated pecorino romano cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until soft. Add the garlic and crush red pepper. (saute until soft, but do not let the garlic brown) Add the prosciutto and saute until it renders its fat.

Add the plum tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the basil, oregano and black pepper. Stir well and simmer, covered over medium heat for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well. Add the peas to the sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.

My saucepan is large enough to add all the pasta directly into the sauce. This dish is best if the pasta is tossed with the sauce before serving.

Top with grated pecorino romano cheese and serve with a crusty Italian bread. Enjoy!!

Chicken Fried Rice

Who doesn't love fried rice?!? This recipe has been perfected, thanks to my hubby! We cook the rice early in the day and chill it so it "fries" better.

3 cups uncooked rice ( cook in 1 1/2 cups water and then refrigerate)
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken ( great way to use leftover chicken or any meat)
1 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup diced raw carrots
3 eggs, scrambled
2 T chicken stock
1 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
spicy garlic
canola oil

Heat skillet on high and add canola. Saute onion,carrots, peas,and chicken, then egg. Mix chicken stock, soy sauce and sherry together in a bowl, then add to rice. Continue to toss rice until it is fried. Looks delish, right?!?

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry

Got a craving for a tasty stir fry? This was put together by creating a recipe with ingredients we love!

2 lbs boneless pork (or pork chops) sliced in strips
Season with:
1/2 tsp spicy garlic
1 T soy sauce

Dice and set aside the following ingredients:
2 red peppers sliced
1 sweet onion sliced
1 large bunch broccoli, use tops only
20 oz can pineapple chunks
canola oil/few drops of sesame oil

Sweet and sour sauce:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 T hoison sauce
1 1/2 T dry sherry
1 1/2 ketchup
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp corn starch

Using a hot skillet, cook meat with seasonings, then remove from pan. Next cook all ingredients listed with the veggies. Return meat to skillet and add the sweet and sour sauce. This was really authentic!

Chicken with Kielbasa

This recipe can be made in either a  crock pot or skillet. It is a very tasty combination of two meats and is perfect over rice. Very easy to make!

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
1 pkg kielbasa (usually around 12 oz) sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
6 pieces boneless chicken (adjust to number of servings you want)
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2- 1 cup frozen peas

NOTE: If you want to cook rice in the crock pot with meat, the ratio is 2 cups rice and 3 1/2 cup water. I prefer to do mine separately.

Saute onion, garlic, red pepper and carrots until tender. Then over medium heat, brown sausage on both sides.  Add chicken to skillet and brown. This will simmer nicely in a skillet. Add the peas 5 minutes before serving. ( or you can brown the meats and add everything to a crock pot if desired)

Pretty over rice!

Week 17~ Chicken Cordon Bleu

I had been making cordon bleu the same way for a long time. I found this recipe and loved it! The fresh mushrooms really make the sauce delicious. You could also make this ahead of time, and then bake it when you are ready. This is really good!!
The best advice I can give is make sure the chicken is thin so you can easily roll it and be sure to use toothpicks to hold them together.

4 boneless chicken breasts
8 slices deli ham
8 slices swiss cheese
1 cup flour
2 eggs/ 2 TBS water
1-2 TBS oil for sauteing

Cut the chicken breasts in half so you have 8 thin pieces. In the center of each breast, place 1 piece of ham and  one piece of swiss cheese. Roll up each chicken and secure with two toothpicks.
Beat the eggs/water in a bowl and spread the flour with a little black pepper on a plate. First coat the chicken lightly with flour, then dip in egg wash and then dredge in flour again.
Heat skillet on medium-high. Add oil and saute the chicken rolls until golden brown. Place these in a casserole.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the sauce you will need:

2 TBS butter
10 ounces of fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup chopped onion
one-10 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
milk for thinning
3 TBS Sherry

Heat skillet again saute mushrooms and onion in the butter/ Stir in soup and heat until bubbly. Add milk to desired consistency. Stir in Sherry.

Pour sauce over chicken and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve over rice or pasta.

Week 17~ Lemon Pork Chops

Here's an easy, versatile recipe that I actually took from a crockpot cookbook. Decided it could also be made on the stovetop. Brown pork chops and place all ingredients in the crock, or follow my stove top version below.

Ingredients:
1 TBS vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops
1-  8 oz can tomato sauce
1 onion, quartered and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 TBS lemon-pepper seasoning
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1 lemon, quartered


Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion and pepper; remove from pan. Brown the pork chops on both sides. In a separate bowl, mix tomato sauce, lemon-pepper, worcestershire sauce and the juice from lemon quarters.

Return pepper and onion to skillet and top with sauce mixture. Simmer on low, approx 30 min. This was very good over rice!

Week 15~ Jalapeno Poppers

I have had somewhat of a lull in trying new recipes! Since my oldest son wanted to try another recipe from his Sriracha cookbook, we tried one over the weekend! It's a fun appetizer, I think even non- pepper lovers should try these! You can adjust the sriracha to how spicy you want them, since you are de-seeding the peppers.

Here's what you need:

Approx 2 dozen jalapeno peppers
16 oz cream cheese
2 TBS sriracha sauce
1 lb center cut bacon

First, clean the peppers and cut in half lengthwise.

Then mix the cream cheese with the sriracha sauce. Fill each pepper with cheese mix.

Wrap each pepper with half a piece of bacon. ( after having tried this, we all agreed they could have had more bacon, esp since these peppers were very large!) Secure with a toothpick.

We used a cooling rack between the peppers and cooking sheet to let the bacon drip through.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let the torture begin! These smell amazing while baking.

Week 12~ Pork Chop Marinade

So I am sooooooooooo excited to start trying new BBQ recipes, salads......all the yummy things that the nicer weather will bring!! Bye bye crockpot. LOL

Try this! I marinated my pork chops overnight and they were amazing!!!

4-6 boneless pork chops

1/2 cup orange juice        1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup lime juice             1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 TBS sugar                    1 TBS wine vinegar
1 Tsp sea salt                  1 clove garlic
1/2 TBS pepper              2 TBS green onion
1/2 tsp cumin                  1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp thyme                  1 dried red chile, finely chopped
1/4 c olive oil

I placed the boneless pork and all the spices in a ziplock bag, and marinated all night.

Grilled this and it was so full of flavor!!

Week 12~ Festive Chicken with Asparagus

Asparagus lovers, its in season!!! Try this recipe, you won't be disappointed. :D

4-6 boneless chicken breasts
2 TBS all purpose flour
3 TBS canola oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pound asparagus


~ coat chicken with flour. preheat oven to 37 degrees. using canola oil in a skillet, cook chicken until lightly browned.

~ in a 3 Qt casserole, mix the wine, feta cheese, undiluted cream of chicken soup, and a little pepper. arrange the chicken in the mixture, covering the chicken with some of it.

~ bake for 30 min uncovered.

~ add the cleaned asparagus to the casserole and cover tightly with foil. bake another 15-20 minutes.

This is so simple and delicious!! ENJOY !!