Chipotle Turkey Chili

So apparantly I really SUCK at keeping up with blSUCK at cooking too. Haha.  We haven't been doing much cooking.  Eating go to meals (what I keep in the freezer and grilling)  But this is a good one!

ogging.  Buuuut in my defense....I really

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Usually I'm not one for turkey, but this is delicious.

A little spicy and very filling. 

It would also be tasty with chicken instead

The original recipe says it makes four servings...but I call bull.  It was MAYBE 3 servings....but let's be honest here...TheHubby and I ate the whole pot for one dinner (Shameful...I know...)

TheHubby liked it so much, he requested it again.  Being a WONDERFUL wife (Just in case he reads this, and doesn't know that already) I made it again.  But, having learnt (learned?) the lesson, I made a double batch. And it was perfect for dinner one night, and leftovers for lunch the next day!

Let's get started!

Firstly The Crew

 (lets start of by saying you need onion, but as I'm a heathen, I was OUT of onion.  :-(  Who does that happen to?! at least amongst those who cook?) So I just used onion flakes.  A handful of them. :-\ Better than a stick in the eye, but nothing like Real onion. You can use more than one Chile if you like it spicier  (but beware, the heat sneaks up on you!) (This has been your public service announcement)

Chop up onion and garlic

Cook the turkey, onion and garlic until the turkey is no longer pink. (This takes a while.)  So you can take this opportunity to be productive

{like pack a box, or do the dishes}  or you can do what I did {have a glass of wine, take some pictures of aforementioned boxes that are as yet unpacked, and rompus with the puppies}

Add the corn, beans, chicken stock, and pepper.

(If you don't thaw out the corn, it doesn't matter, I always forget) (The chile pepper comes in a 7oz can in the international food section, since you only use one, I put the rest in a tupperware, and tossed them in the fridge)

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let cook for 10-30 minutes (the longer you leave it on the stove, the lower the heat should be)

Stir in half of the sour cream.

The top with the sour cream and cheese.

And There You Have It

For a printable version of the recipe, click here

Pizza Pizza

We broke down and bought a cast iron pizza stone.  I mean, it was Lodge Cast Iron, On clearance!  How could we not?! 

I mean seriously!

So, anxious to bust out a pizza later that week, I ran to the grocery to pick up ingredients, because we were starving, and didn't have time to make our own crust

                 

But next time, with some fore thought, I will make the crust (in an effort to reduce our grocery bill)

So I get home, and stretch out the crust (which I thought was ok at the time...looking at the picture...clearly it wasn't)

Then I let TheHubby put the toppings on (we are lame: Pepperoni and Cheese) while I clean up the kitchen, feed the puppies, snuggle with TheIttyBitty, etc

When I look back over I see a MOUND of toppings.  He had layered cheese and pepperoni like FIFTEEN times.  Ok more like four, but still...

I laughed, and was glad I picked up extra cheese at the store. Lest we run out.

We popped it in the oven (according to the directions on the crust) and a short 15 minutes later, we had this masterpiece!

                                    

You can almost see the convex shapr of the pile of toppings in the picture!

But it was potentially the MOST DELICIOUS pizza I have ever had, in my entire life! 

Like: FOR REAL!

The crust crisped up nicely with the cast iron. (Which is perfect for when you have a pound of cheese and a pound of pepperoni to support)  Next time, I'll put a sprinkly of corn meal on the bottom of the crust (I've heard that give it a nice crispy outside)

We can't wait for our next pizza!



Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce

Hi, I'm Kate, and I have a serious problem changing up recipes, when I supposed to be blogging about said recipes

(Hi Kate) (that's what you're supposed to say)

So ONCE again, I've changed it....

...

...

But I've only left out two ingredients, because I didn't have them (imagine I said that in a whiney, self-justifying voice)

Let's get down to business

(To defeat the huns) (Anyone?)

Firstly The crew

Next, Get those shells cooking!  (The recipe calls for them cooking about half the time, but the box said 14 minutes, so I cooked them for 7 and they were EXTREMELY al dente, next time I would go for about 10 minutes) once they are JUST al dente, drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside to drain

Dice up that onion and garlic and get it sautéing

Add the tomatoes and let it heat up (Now this is where I changed it up.  It called for italian sausage and red wine, and I just omitted that)  (I know...I can't believe that I didn't have red wine either, but it's true)  (I'm still lamenting that fact...)

It smelled so good at this point, I had an audience

While that is heating up, mix the Ricotta, parm, basil, parsley, egg, and salt & Pepper.

Give it a good stir.

Next: Layer some of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a cook tray

Stuff the shells, and place them face down on the sauce

Once all the shells are stuffed, pour the rest of the sauce over them

Bake at 350 for 25 mintues (or until it is bubbling)

And there you have it!

This is always a good idea to make, but harder than one might think to execute.

This is the second time I have attempted stuffed shells.  The first time the shells were over cooked, and this time they were under cooked.  On the plus side, the flavor was good both times. (that said in a pleading voice)

TheHubby said:  They tasted really good.  The stuffing was a little bland, but had a good flavor.  But the shells...some were cooked...and others....weeelllll....  ... ... ...

HAHA. I do so appreciate the honesty!  (No Really, I do!!)

Printable Version Here

Original Version From ThePioneerWoman as is found in The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier by Drummond, Ree [Hardc (Google Affiliate Ad)

Pasta With Pesto Cream Sauce

As it seems to be par for the course, since I've been back blogging. I changed up this recipe a bit....But NOT too much!  And it was mostly with the pesto sauce.  Traditional pesto is made with basil. HOWEVER...

It is out of season, and basil is SUPER expensive.  An acceptable alternative is to use spinach instead.  So that is what happened.

I'm Excited to either have basil come back in season, or to try to grow it...again (it is like the surface of the sun on our patio, so IDK if I'll EVER be able to grow anything with any type of satisfaction)

So let's get started!

Firstly, The Crew

Next get that pasta cooking!!

Then, start on the pesto!

Toss some spinach (or basil if you're a traditionalist) into the food processor

Then some parm

Then the garlic

(Then if you are rollin in the dough ;-) you can add some pine nuts, but at MY co-op it was 7$ for 1/2 cup.  No thanks.  lol. I'm not THAT hippie )

Blend it up.

Add some olive oil to form a paste.

Now, at this point, if you aren't SUPER excited...you may need to check yo-self

Moving onto the sauce...

Heat up some half-and-half (or heavy cream if you must) and some butter (use more if you are using half-and-half, and less if you are using heavy cream)

Once that is melted, the magic really starts

Toss that pesto into the pot!

Stir it together and add some parm (or Italian blend cheese)

Drain the pasta, and pour it into a bowl.  Add the sauce, and stir to coat the pasta.

Add some diced tomatoes

Top with even more parm....

and There You Have It.

An incredible dinner.

TheHubby LOVED IT!  He ranted and raved about it all evening, and all the next day...and the next. That's RIGHT ladies (and gentlemen, if you are reading this) I got him to eat leftovers for THREE days!  Which is a feat, as of now, unheard of!

The spinach and tomatoes give it a bruschetta-like flavor (as per TheHubby)

I imagine the basil would give it an INCREDIBLE taste, which is why I am SO excited for basil to come back into season!

For the Printer Friendly Version, Click here

For Original Recipe Click Here

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier by Drummond, Ree [Hardc (Google Affiliate Ad)

Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese

When I found this recipe, I was very excited, as it sounded delicious! 

But as I got farther into the recipe, I realized WHY it sounded so delicious, it's pretty much Chicken Alfredo.  

And let's be honest: Who doesn't love Alfredo pasta?

It was very easy to make, and you could add just about anything to it (veggie or meat wise, and it would still be just as tasty)

Let's Get to it!

The Crew
It called for white wine, but I just used chicken broth (which isn't pictured here) also it called for heavy cream (I just used fat free half and half, and added more butter) I know the picture shows cheddar, but I made the executive decision, that Italian Blend Cheese would be tastier (even though the recipe called for Gorgonzola) (Come to think of it, the Italian blend cheese might be why it tasted like Alfredo, but I'm sure Cheddar would have been tasty too) (So, I just realized that I changed the entire recipe around. LOL)

Cut up one cup of broccoli into small florets

Bring salted water to a boil, and dump the broccoli in and let it boil for two minutes

Strain and rinse under cold water.

Set aside to drain completely

Cut one chicken breast in half, width wise (so you have the same size, just thinner)

Then cut into strips

Crush two cloves of garlic

(I use the flat side of a knife, and hit it with the heel of my hand)

Melt butter in a large skillet, add chicken and garlic, with salt and pepper to taste, stir well.

Fry over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chicken becomes white

 

Meanwhile, on another burner, start cooking that pasta according to the directions

Pour wine (or Chicken stock) and cream (Or Half and half & Butter) over chicken mix, stir to mix, then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced and thickened

(now, for some unknown reason, I have an extremely difficult time getting sauces to thicken, and I know that the half and half doesn't reduce as well as cream, but I just added some flour and stirred it in well, and that thickened it up nicely)

Increase heat, add broccoli, and toss to heat through

Drain pasta and add to sauce

Add cheese and toss well

Then add a bit more cheese

Top with parm (Even more cheese!) and serve immediately

It was a big success, and I served it with salad.

I don't think I would make it again, as it was kind of bland, and since it was just Alfredo, I have a better recipe for that.  But it was very good, and a hit with TheHubby.

Sorry about the quality of the pics, I had strapped TheIttyBitty into the BabyBjorn and was cooking dinner, so it was the ULTIMATE Multitasking

Find a printable version of this recipe here

The original recipe was from Don't Panic -- Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Ma (Google Affiliate Ad)

Parmesan Garlic & Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken

Now, after reading the last post, you may think that TheIttyBitty napped!  That is not the case.

We went to visit the InLaws and they wanted to keep him for a few hours, so I could get stuff done.  Well he napped so well yesterday that I got everything done that I wanted for the weekend.  It is truly amazing how productive you can be when you know you only have X amount of hours before the baby wakes up!  So I washed the three dishes that I had...and here we are...

So, I decided to take this opportunity to blog.

As is the norm, the Parm Chicken was a success for TheHubby.  He told me: I could *Literally*  eat this every day. What a goober

And that is nice for me, to know that I have something, that he will always eat, ready to go, in the freezer.  AND it's super easy to make!

This recipe makes 6, but I froze the rest.

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
1 Cup grated Parm Cheese
1 pack Italian dressing mix (you can make your own, which I did, as I didn't have any of the packs...and they're expensive.)(And you probably have all you need in your spice cabinet. The recipe I used is Here.  But if you google it you will find about 1000000 variations)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 C Olive Oil

Directions: 

Mix the dressing mix, cheese and garlic
Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil, then into the cheese mix.
Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes (but I've found that 45 is the magic number with our stove)

That's it. 

Ta-da.

The rest of the chicken, wrap individually in saran wrap, and freeze.
Printer Friendly Version

The cheese gets nice and crispy and it has an awesome flavor.

Now onto the Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken

A little more time consuming, but still easy.

It also serves 6

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
10oz Pepper Jack Cheese (not shredded, you want the block)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C bottled salsa, not chunky
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Cups breadcrumbs
2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin (I left this out, as I don't particularly care for cumin)
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

Cut the cheese into 6 equal slices (length wise)
Cut a slit down the length of the chicken breast (TIP: Don't cut all the way through or to the ends, you want to make a pocket)
Place one slice of cheese in the pocket of each chicken breast (you may have to cut the cheese to fit the chicken breast)
In a shallow pan, mix eggs, salsa and salt
In a separate pan, mix breadcrumbs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and oregano
Dip each breast in the egg mix to coat, then into the crumb mix
Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes (or 400 for 30) (That's what I do, so that TheHubby and I both get to eat what we like :-)

To Freeze: Wrap the chicken breast individually in saran wrap.

Printer Friendly Version

There you have it.

Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I will be doing better! I promise!

Both of these recipes were from "Don't Panic, More Dinner's in the Freezer, by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia

Oh My!

An entire EIGHT MONTHS has passed since I posted last!  What happened? 

Oh you know... Life...Work...BABY!

That's rights, as I type this laying on my stomach, a pleasure I haven't been able to enjoy for a while, I had the baby!  A bouncing, big, baby boy.  And by big I mean close to 10 pounds big...  Literally.

He is such a joy!

 Even when he does this:

Mainly because he is still so stinking cute!

Even when he pouts

I learned the hard way that he doesn't like raspberries blown on his cheeks.  This is the face I ALWAYS get.

But as we are now on an even tighter budget, I will get back into cooking.

If it wasn't for my Amazing In Laws, and take out, my husband would have starved.  

Because I Sure as Heck wasn't cooking!

Who wants to do that with a 10 pound baby in your belly?  Riddle me that!

On the food Front:

I have found a life saver! Especially if you work long hours, like me.

Two cookbooks:

Don't Panic, Dinner's In the Freezer

And 

Don't Panic, More Dinner's In the Freezer

It gives recipes and the conversions you need to know how much to buy to make a big batch, in order to freeze. (It also has thawing instructions, and single serving sizes.)

So that is where I got the recipe for dinner tonight:

Garlic Parmesan Chicken (For TheHubby)

And Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken (For me)

TheHubby's reflux doesn't appreciate it when we ply it with spicy food.

Maybe, if TheIttyBitty naps tomorrow, I will be able to provide you with aforementioned recipes, minus pics

But Alas, we struggle with nap time.