Spice In Our Life

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice

2011-06-05T23:22:00.003-05:00

For the last month I have been eating a little different, in a good way! I have been healthy and aware of what I am eating. Without going into too much detail, I am doing Body for Life by Bill Phillips which is a new way of eating and exercising. It is great! I am exercising 6 days a week and eating my 5-6 small meals a day.

Click here to check out Body for Life a little more in depth.

Due to changes in my eating habits I have been trying to incorporate fish a LITTLE more. It is so healthy, light and easy to prepare. I have been sticking to lighter (less fishy) fish such as mahi-mahi and halibut. So far, I have made both once and I LOVED the taste and texture. Kyle approved of this recipe 100% so I will be making this one a few more times! =) It is a little easier to make this recipe in the summer due to all the fresh fruit. It’s cheaper and you can a good amount of options.

When I am searching for recipes I usually go to good ol’ google.com and enter what I am looking for. A good amount of the time I end up getting my recipes from allrecipes.com. It’s hard not too with all of the options and reviews! =) With that being said, I knew that with this fish recipe I wanted something good! Not just okay, but good! When I am looking for a mind blowing recipe that I know will turn out great I go to Emeril! It is hard to go wrong with a food network star. With Emeril’s recipe pulled up on the lap top, I got busy in the kitchen. I did make some changed though simply because I didn’t have everything that was listed in the recipe. It still turned out fabulous and this is going to be one of my go to recipes when it comes to mahi-mahi.

Source: adapted from Emeril Lagasse Grilled Marinated Fish with Tropical Salsa and Coconut Rice

INGREDIENTS

For fish:

1/2 cup sliced yellow onions
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T. orange juice
2 T. lime juice
2 T. fresh cilantro
5 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 t. salt
1 t. cumin
Pinch cayenne
4 (6 to 8-ounce) mahi-mahi fillets

For Salsa:

1 ripe mango (diced)      Omitted. Instead I added 1 peach since it was what I had on hand.
1 ripe avocado (diced)     Omitted
1/2 cup fresh pineapple (diced)
1/4 cup red onions (minced)
1/4 cup red bell peppers (minced)
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. fresh lime juice
2 t. jalapeno (minced)
1 t. garlic (minced)
Pinch salt

For coconut rice:

1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 t. salt
3/4 t. sugar
1 cup long grain white rice
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

For fish:

In a bowl, combine the onions, oil, orange and lime juices, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne.
Place the fish in a large, non-reactive baking dish.
Pour the marinade over the fish, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.
Preheat a grill, and lightly oil the grill rack with vegetable oil.
Remove the fish from the marinade.
Place on the oiled grill and cook, skin side up, until marked, 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Turn carefully with a spatula and cook, skin side down, until the fish is just cooked through, about 4 minutes, depending upon thickness.

NOTE: I used my George Foreman grill and it turned out perfect!! (Dumb TN law now allowing BBQ’s near buildings.)

For salsa:

Combine the mango (or peach), avocado, pineapple, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and salt in a bowl and gently fold to combine.
Adjust seasoning to taste.
Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend.

For coconut rice:

In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, water, salt, and sugar.
Bring to a boil.
Add the rice, stir well, and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 20 to 24 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let sit without stirring for 10 minutes.
Fluff with a fork.
Add cilantro if wanted.

Wow…information overload. After compiling all of the ingredients and directions it seems like a lot of work but I promise it’s worth every minute! =)

I served this with a side of asparagus. It made it look pretty too! =)

ABCDEFoods!

2011-06-01T19:55:00.000-05:00

A: is for Apple, what’s your favorite variety?

Honey Crisp! I know they are the post expensive but they are so worth it. They are generally large and super duper juicy/sweet. If you get the chance to try one, do it!

Source

B: is for Bread, regardless of nutrition, calories, or whole grains what is your favorite type to have a nice big piece of?

Homemade white roll, yum! I love fresh baked rolls with melted butter and a little touch of jam. They are actually pretty easy to make as well.

Source

C: is for Cereal what is your favorite kind currently (just one!)

Currently, I don’t eat much cereal. I use to before I looked at carbs, sugars and calories. Now that I care about all of that nonsense I usually have cereal every couple of weeks. If you are looking for a healthy yet tasty cereal give Kashi Cinnamon Heart a try.

Source

D: is for Doughnuts, you might not currently be eating them but what kind do you fancy?

Chocolate covered with pretty sprinkles please! It has been a long while since I have had a donut but every now at then the sugary goodness is much needed.

Source

E: is for Eggs, how would you like yours prepared?

I LOVE eggs. I would say the kind I eat the most is hard boiled. Second place would have to be scrambled. Third, poached! I have eaten 3 eggs today!

Source

F: is for Fat Free, what is your favorite fat free product?

Greek yogurt. I will say that it took me awhile to go use to it but now that I eat it pretty much every day, I love it. I buy the plain Greek yogurt and add my own mix-ins.

Some examples/variations:

Peaches and cinnamon

Strawberries and honey

Honey and brown sugar

Pineapple and honey

You get the idea. You can pretty much add any variation.

G: is for Groceries, where do you purchase yours at?

As of late, Whole Food, Fresh Market and Wal-Mart pretty much have everything I need. I will occasionally wonder over to Kroger.

H: is for Hot Beverages, what is your favorite hot drink?

Ehhh..I don’t drink hot beverages all that often. When I do, I would have to say my favorite is hot chocolate with a dollop of whip cream please!

Source

I: is for Ice Cream, pick a favorite flavor and add a fun topping.

Chocolate chip! No toppings needed.

Source

J: is for Jams or Jellies, do you eat them, and if so what kind and flavor?

Occasionally I eat sugar free red raspberry jelly.

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K: is for Kashi, name your favorite Kashi product?

Same as mentioned above, Kashi Cinnamon Heat.

L: is for Lunch, what was yours today?

Cobb salad, which included lettuce, tomatoes, bacon bits, hardboiled egg, avocado and fat free ranch dressing.

Source

M: is for microwave, what is your favorite microwave meal/snack?

Oatmeal! When I eat my oatmeal hot I microwave it, I don’t make it on the stove top. Quaker quick cooking oats with water are my favorite, of course with my own mix-ins.

Source

N: is for nutrients, do you likes carbs, fats, or proteins best?

CARBS! I love anything with a carb. =) Bread, pasta, rice..you name it, I love it!

Source

O: is for oil, what kind do you like to use?

Smart Balance Vegetable Oil or EVOO.

Q: is for Quaker, how do you like your oats?

Ah man, I have to choose? I am a huge fan of making up my own variations. My favorite kind as of late is overnight oats. Never heard of them?

Here is my go to recipe:

Source

There is nothing I want LESS on a hot summer morning than piping hot oatmeal. I generally want something cool and sweet. Walks in, overnight oats! They are prepped the night before and sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning you give them of quick stir and then add your mix-ins. My favorite lately has been sliced strawberries with a dollop of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Dreams. HEAVEN!

Never heard of Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Dreams?

You can find it at Wal-Mart. It looks like this:

R: is for roasting, what is your favorite thing to roast?

Hmm..I am not much of a roaster now that I think about it. Chicken?

S: is for sandwich, what’s your favorite kind?

Turkey! I am drawn to turkey sandwiches more than anything else, who knows why. When we go out to a good ol’ American restaurant that is usually the first thing I look for.

T: is for travel, how do you handle eating while traveling?

Ahh…not too well. =) I usually just plan one snack which is usually a protein bar but that is about it. Kyle and I tend to find something quick at the airport like Subway or Quiznos.

U: is for unique, what is one of your weirdest food combos?

Peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich. I don’t think it is weird at all (!!) but Kyle and many others think it is pretty off the wall. Blame my Mom and Dad for that one.

V: is for vitamins, what kind do you take?

Prenatal gummies

Calcium gummies

Vitamin E

Vitamin B

W: is for wasabi, yay or nay?

Yay, on the rare occasion that Kyle and I go out to Sushi. He has been working hard on getting me to like it.

X: is for XRAY. if we xrayed your belly right now, what food would we see?

My cobb salad that was mentioned above.

Y: is for youth, what food reminds you of your childhood?

Too much….

Peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches

Green olives

Chips and garlic dip

Swiss steak

Otter pops

That is just a few.

Z: is for zucchini, how do you prepare it?

Sautéed in a tiny bit of butter with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Summer Fruit Favorites

2011-05-28T13:21:00.001-05:00

What’s your favorite fruit?

I know it is a hard question to answer during this time of year! I have quite the list of fruits that I love but I do have a favorite.

I was raised eating fresh fruit and vegetables thanks to my Oma and Papa. My grandparents run a fruit stand in CA (where I grew up) so our house was (and still is) always full of different varieties or fresh produce. I loved it! I would even go to the fruit stand and work some summers so that is pretty much all I ate some day. I would graze (and work =)) all day on strawberries, tomatoes, peaches, you name it, I ate it! I am so thankful that my Mom taught my brother and me to love fresh produce. There are many parents that do not introduce produce to their children. So when they learn they should be getting a certain amount of severings a day, it comes as a shock.

My all time favorite fruit is strawberries! It is a tough decision to make with so many choices out there. =) I will say that peaches come in a close second. My list pretty much goes like this…

Strawberries (They go with so many things and can be worked into a lot of different recipes. They are best with a dollop of Nutella though!)

Peaches (Close close second! I LOVE peach cobbler. I also love a cut up peach with just a sprinkle of cinnamon.)

Yellow Nectarines (Ripe, juicy ones are the best!!)

Cherries (LOVE cherries but truth be told, they are just a pain to eat sometimes. I hate having to get a bowl and then something to spit the pits into. Lazy much?)

Pineapple (Fresh and delicious! I love it diced up on kabobs.)

Apples (I eat these pretty much year round so out of all of the fruits listed I probably eat these the most.)

Grapes (Green or purple will do. Great on the go.)

Watermelon (Refreshing!)

Banana (Let me be honest, I only eat bananas because they are good for you as well as convenient.)

There you have it!

So, what is your favorite fruit?

Franklin Farmers Market

2011-05-28T11:39:00.000-05:00

Farmers Markets are awesome! For the past month and a half or so I have been going to the farmers market and just love it. To me, it is the perfect way to start my weekend mornings.

I love all the locals getting together to sell their homegrown and homemade goodies. There is so variety and options. I love just strolling around seeing what is new every week. In the town I live in the market is pretty awesome! I can say that I have been to a few markets that are just no good, where everything is just thrown together and no one seems to care. Not this one, there are super friendly people and everyone seems to be so welcoming.

Since we are still in May (just barely) all the farmers markets seem to just be getting good. There is not a TON of fruit and veggies just yet since it is not technically summer yet. I am so excited to see all the summer fruit and veggies in just a few weeks…they are coming! Mounds and mounds of goodness!

It’s coming and I can’t wait!

Fresh Spring Pasta

2011-05-17T11:59:00.000-05:00

Spring is here! Mid-May already, crazy! One of my favorite things about spring is the food! I do like the weather and the beautiful flowers as well but the fresh produce is the best! I could live off of fruits and veggies in the spring and summer months.

Here in Tennessee they have an amazing Farmers Market that I have been going to every Saturday morning. It is awesome! There are tons of people selling produce, breads, crafts, flowers and all different kinds of foods. Good times!

We don’t eat pasta all that often even though I love it. Kyle is not the biggest pasta fan so that is the main reason I don’t make it much, the other reason being that is it pretty unhealthy. I use to only make white pasta but I have recently decided to only make whole wheat pasta and I don’t mind it at all.

This recipe is so simple it is ridiculous! I had some fresh asparagus that I was dying to use up and had some left over mushrooms that needed to be used, so that is just what I googled. Up popped this lovely recipe so I went with it. One thing that I love about all recipes is the reviews. I don’t think I have ever made a recipe from all recipes without reading some of the reviews. They are so helpful and give you little tips and hints and what to do differently.

For this particular recipe there were some comments stating that there wasn’t all that much flavor but that it was delicious. I decided to just add a little salt and pepper and see what I thought about the recipe for myself. Now I know that the next time I make this pasta dish I will be adding a little somethin' somethin'. I think that I will add some diced onions and maybe some diced garlic. I did love home light this recipe was as well as how fresh it tasted. There are a lot of pasta dishes with veggies but a lot of times there is a sauce that covers everything up and makes it unhealthy.

SOURCE: www.allrecipes.com

SERVES: 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms (sliced)

8 oz. angel hair pasta (any pasta would work)

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I added salt and pepper to taste just to give it a little more flavor.

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet.

Sauté asparagus in the pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth and mushroom slices; cook 3 minutes more.

Drain pasta, and transfer to a serving dish.

Gently toss pasta with asparagus mixture; sprinkle with Parmesan and crushed red pepper.

XOXO

Valerie

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

2011-05-14T23:41:00.000-05:00

Hash brown casserole, funeral potatoes, potato bake…same difference. I was recently introduced to hash brown casserole (about 2 years ago if you call that recently). =) My Mom never made this when I was growing up and when I told her that I loved it while having it at my in laws my Mom said “Ohhh yeah…I like that too!” WHAT!? She didn’t like it enough to make it in my whole 23 years of life. Thanks Ma!

Anyways…now I know about it, love it and make it when I want! =) (Not too often since it is not healthy but it is DELICIOUS!)

This dish is really popular on Kyle’s side of the family. Every time we go to Utah I have it at least once. In Utah they call it ‘funeral potatoes’ but I think that sounds depressing so I am sticking with hash brown casserole, so much more fitting.

This recipe is great if you have a large group of people. One casserole dish will feed ATLEAST 6 – 10 people but since I cook for just Kyle and myself I 1/2 the recipe and it was just perfect for us. We had plenty which was great so I could pack it for lunches the next day. The casserole saves pretty well and to me is even better the next day heat up in the microwave.

SOURCE: www.allrecipes.com (I think I am slightly obsessed with this darn site.)

INGREDIENTS

1 package (2 lb. bag) frozen hash brown potatoes (thawed)
½ cup butter (melted)
1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cream of chicken soup (any cream of _____ works just fine)
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
½ cup chopped onions
1 - 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 cup crushed cornflakes cereal (I only used cheese since I didn’t have cornflakes)
2 T. melted butter

*Low - fat or fat free products could very well be used.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, combine hash browns, 1/2 cup melted butter, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chopped onions, Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.
Place in casserole dish.
In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté cornflakes in butter and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.
Bake covered in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

XOXO

Valerie

Dill Crusted Salmon

2011-05-11T22:13:00.000-05:00

Salmon is not something that I eat but the hubby loves it. Being the BEST wife ever, I make it for him every now and then! =)

Salmon Fun Facts…

All salmon die after reproducing.
Steelheads can have multiple spawn cycles in their life time.
Salmon are one of the few creatures that can live part of their life in freshwater and the other in saltwater.
Salmon find their home waters by sense of smell. They also rely on ocean currents, tides and the gravitational pull of the moon to navigate back to the water they were born.
Chinook salmon are the largest Pacific salmon – some can grow to be over 100 pounds.
In Washington, pink salmon runs only occur in odd-numbered years.
Over half of the salmon at grocery stores are from salmon farms.
Chile and Norway are the two largest salmon farming countries.
Salmon on average produce 2,500-7,000 eggs.
Salmon can jump 2 meters into the air when swimming upstream.
During times of reproduction, salmon do not eat food.

You like that? I have never done “fun facts” but I thought now would be a good time to start, being that I don’t know anything about fish.

Unfortunately, I am not a fish person. I say unfortunately because I really wish that I did like fish. It is so healthy and light and would make my menus a little interesting. I get sick of chicken, beef and pork…how could you not when that is all you eat every week for dinner. Anyway, I do make fish and seafood every now and then for the hubbs. He LOVES seafood!

This may sound odd but I am trying to make myself like fish. I recently bought some halibut and mahi-mahi since they are the milder of the fish out there. I have tried both of them and they were just okay so I am hoping that the more I eat them, the better I will like them. Haha…I will let you know how this whole forcing myself to like something works.

SOURCE: www.allrecipes.com

I usually get a little fancier with my fish recipes than this but it was easy so I went with it.

INGREDIENTS

Salmon (6oz)

Salt

Pepper

Dill

1 t. butter

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking pan with foil (this way it is super simple to clean).

Place salmon in center and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Sprinkle generously with dill and press lightly on salmon.

Place butter on top of the salmon.

Bake until done to your liking (about 15ish minutes).

Obviously, if you do not like dill you will not like this recipe but it might be just as tasty with some other spices. I didn’t try any (seafood hater here) but hubbs said it tasted pretty good. I will cut back on the dill a bit next time though. Overall, I was pretty happy with this simple salmon recipe!

XOXO

Valerie

Classic and Classy Blondies

2011-05-06T11:28:00.001-05:00

I’m blonde so naturally I HAVE to love ‘blondie brownies’, right? =)

The first time I made a blondie was about a year ago. I had never heard of them before so I was very intrigued. I made them and instantly fell in love! They are soft, chewy, sweet and delicious. The main thing that I love about blondies is that they are so easy! No batches, waiting, multiple dirty baking sheets, how great is that? 25 minutes later, BAM they are done!

This specific recipe is very basic which is perfect. You can always use this recipe as a starting point and then add whatever mix-in’s you like. I tend to always go with the classic chocolate chips; you can never go wrong with them! Another favorite of mine is this basic blondie recipe with a little bit of peanut butter mixed in! Amazing! Feel free to do whatever mix-in you like best…I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

SOURCE: www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sifted flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/8 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 T. vanilla extract

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium size bowl add flour.

Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In separate bowl melt butter.

Add brown sugar and mix well.

Add egg (beaten) and vanilla.

Blend.

Add flour mixture, a little at a time to wet mixture, mixing well.

Spread in 9 x 9 inch pan.

Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Perfection! Enjoy with a dollop of ice cream! =)

XoXo

Valerie

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

2011-05-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

If you are looking for an easy week night meal then I would put this one next on your list.

I first made this recipe about a year ago and I have made it a few times since then. That is how much I like this casserole. I am not sure why but I am a HUGE fan of stuffing. Homemade, store brand, Stoffer’s, I love it all! On Thanksgiving Day I am the girl that has ½ of her plate loaded with stuffing! Don’t judge me! =)

The original name of this dish is called Bruschetta Chicken Bake but I don’t like it! Have you ever had Bruschetta with chicken on it? I doubt it! =) This dish is not bruschetta, it is more like a chicken stuffing casserole. Yup, that sounds a lot better.

After making this dish I thought that I could very well use pork chops instead of chicken and I was right. When using pork chops it tasted pretty good but I do have to say that I like this recipe better with chicken. Feel free to give them both a try! =)

SOURCE: www.sparkrecipes.com

I did make some changes to the recipe. They will be noted below.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cubed (I used 3 chicken breasts and I didn’t cube them.)

1 t. salt (Did not add.)

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1/2 cup water

1 T. minced garlic

1 (6 oz.) box chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (I used Cheddar/Colby mix just because I didn’t have any mozzarella on hand.)

1 T. Italian seasoning

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Place the chicken in a layer into the bottom of the baking dish.

Stir together tomatoes, water, garlic, and stuffing mix in a large bowl; set aside to soften.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the chicken, then sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.

Spread the softened stuffing mixture on top.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes.

XOXO

Valerie

Spiced Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-03T22:31:00.000-05:00

…is bananas…B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Don’t you love when you have a ton of bananas that all ripen and need to be eaten at the exact same time? Great, I know, especially when you really only like firm under ripe bananas. ;) For whatever reason I tend to have this problem from time to time, so I now know that I need to buy fewer bananas so I don’t continue to have this “problem”.

I love me some banana bread but one can only make so much banana bread. I was on a search to find something “different” but not too strange or else the hubbs would have none of it! ;) I couldn’t find anything that really caught my eye. Everything was just so “normal” and bland until I found this recipe!! These lovely little gems have a ton of flavor and if you can’t tell from previous posts, I LOVE my spices. (Thanks, a lot Mom! Now I can’t stand the thought of eating something bland..haha.)

These cookies were amazing! No, I am not just saying that because I made them, it is true. They were honestly the moistest cookie that I had ever had. The spices blended perfectly and they were so pretty! ;) Sometimes cookies just aren’t picture friendly but these certainly were. I will be making these again but probably in the fall. The combination of spices just screamed fall to me, which is okay, I love fall time!

SOURCE: www.simplyrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1 egg (room temperature)

1 cup of mashed bananas (I think that I used closer to 1 ½ cups)

1 t. baking soda

2 cups flour

Dash of salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. ground cloves

1 cup chocolate chips (nuts of any kind would be a good option as well)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.

Add the egg and continue to beat until the mixture is fluffy.

In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda.

Let sit for 2 minutes.

Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture.

Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture.

Mix until just combined.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop in dollops onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.

Let cool on wire racks.

XoXo

Valerie

Kickin' Fiesta Chicken

2011-05-01T19:56:00.001-05:00

Happy week of Cinco De Mayo!

Kyle and I don’t celebrate Cinco De Mayo…we acknowledge the day and I make a Mexican type of meal but that is about it. I know there are people that love Cinco De Mayo and go out and celebrate (drink) until the wee hours of the morning but that is just not us. =)

In honor of Cinco De Mayo this coming Thursday I made some kickin’ fiesta chicken! Every now and then I make a shredded chicken recipe and I love it, problem is Kyle doesn’t. He doesn’t really care for shredded meats so that means, I don’t make them too much. =( Life will go on!

There are so many different shredded chicken recipes out there and I have tried many of them. They are all good but there was always a little something missing. This recipe is something that I threw together and didn’t follow any kind of recipe. SOMETIMES, these meals turn out to be the best ones. Notice that I said sometimes, I have had plenty that were total flops. It happens when you cook and bake a lot!

SOURCE: Me

This recipe makes a rather large batch which is nice if you are wanting left overs. I put our left overs into a zip lock bag and put it in the freezer. It'll make a perfect quick meal.

SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts (frozen or defrosted, mine were frozen)

1 cup of water

1 packet of taco seasoning (remember you could always just make your own)

1 can of kidney beans (these were the only beans that I had on hand, they were perfect though)

1 medium tomato (diced)

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken breasts in crock pot.

Pour all ingredients into crock pot.

Cover and cook 7-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.

Like I was saying, I just threw this recipe together one morning so the nice thing is that you can take things out or add things in that you think might be missing.

Example: Next time I make shredded chicken burritos I will try using pinto beans, a can of diced green chilies and maybe a can of spicy tomatoes. =)

XoXo

Valerie

Lemon Thins

2011-04-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

I am embarrassed to admit that this is the first time that I have ever eaten a lemon cookie.

Why?? I have no idea!

I love lemon everything. The taste, smell, look...you name it. The thought of making a lemon cookie has always been there and I have always wanted to try them...so now was the time. ;) I made these for Easter weekend and they were a huge hit. I think they were different enough but yet familiar...if that makes sense. Everything during Easter is so rich and sugary and these little babies are light and have just the right amount of sweetness. The texture was perfect and they look really cute as well. There is nothing worse (to me) than a dry and hard cookie. For whatever reason I just do not like them. Just under-baked cookies are perfect in my book!

Like I said, I love me a soft cookie so that was what I was on the mission for. A lot of the lemon cookies that I found looked like they were hard and try. Who knows if they were but I was not about to make 4 dozen cookies to only have them go to waste. I came across a lovely blog that I have grown to like in the last week or so. The pictures were perfect and they sounded amazing just by the description. Well...I am glad that I bake them and so were our friends! I brought them with us to our Easter weekend away and they were scarfed up!

Light, sweet, soft, chewy! Perfect!

SOURCE: Found on www.thepastryaffair.com (This is the blog that was mentioned above.)
Adapted from The Eating Well Dessert Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup sugar, (extra for sprinkling/rolling)
4 T. butter (softened)
1 egg white
1 t. vanilla extract
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (I did use a good amount more than this. 4-5 lemons)
1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 t. baking powder

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.
Beat in the egg white and vanilla until smooth.
Beat in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
Fold in the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder.
Take a teaspoonful of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands.
Roll in bowl of sugar and place on baking sheet, flattening slightly.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges barely begin to brown (do not overbake if the edges do not brown; the cookies will be done).
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.

NOTE: Original recipe called for sugar to be sprinkled on top but I did it differently. I rolled the balls of dough in sugar and it gave them that sweet taste and shiny look.

XoXo

Valerie

Peanut Butter Banana Dog Biscuits

2011-04-29T10:56:00.001-05:00

Yes...I said DOG BISCUITS!

I honestly did not know that people made dog biscuits but come to find out...a lot of people do and there dogs love them! I thought for sure that I would find a recipe and it would have all kinds of weird ingredients in it. I told myself that I was not going to go to the store just to buy ingredients for dog biscuits. To my surprise the recipe that I found was very simple and I had everything on hand. SCORE!

I have been seeing several different recipes circulating around the food blogging world so I decided that I just needed to pick one and give it a go! I had a few bananas that needed to be used up and Xena (our pup) loves loves loves peanut butter so it was the perfect recipe.

This recipe makes a good amount of biscuits but next time I am going to make them a little smaller. I find that I have been breaking them up before giving them to Xena. She loves them! I know that I will be using this recipe a lot in the future. Another plus is that I didn't have to buy biscuits for a while so if you are trying to cut back on costs I would be making this recipe.

SOURCE: www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs (1 will be used at the end for brushing the biscuits)
1/3 cup peanut butter (I used smooth)
1/2 cup bananas (Smashed)
1 T. honey
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Mix egg and bananas together in bowl.
Add in peanut butter, honey, flour and wheat germ.
Place dough on clean floured surface.
Knead dough for 3 - 5 minutes until smooth.
Roll out dough to be 1/2 inch thick.
Use cookie cuter or small kitchen glass to cut biscuits.
Place biscuits on baking sheet (not greased).
Beat egg in small bowl and brush over tops of biscuits.
Bake 30 minutes.
Cool.
Store in seal tight container or seal tight bag.

NOTE: You certainly do not need to brush the top of the biscuits with egg. I did, just to make them shiny! =)

Ms. Xena patiently waiting for her cookie to cool!

XoXo

Valerie

Garlic Baked Asparagus

2011-04-07T18:45:00.000-05:00

Fun fact: eat asparagus and your pee will smell like it! =)

Makes you want to eat a bunch of asparagus right? I know!

Growing up when we had asparagus it was covered in salt, pepper and cheese cheese cheese! That is the only way I ever had asparagus until I was older and started cooking for myself. My Momma knew that it wasn’t healthy but it was what my Dad liked it she went with it.

I wanted to be able to enjoy asparagus without all the fatty cheese so I have been experimenting. You can bake, fry or boil. I have done all 3 and my favorite way is baked. It turns out perfect every time. This is so simple I don't like to call it a recipe but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best!

SOURCE: ME

INGREDIENTS

½ lb. asparagus

PAM

Seasoning Salt

Pepper

1 – 2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 9x13 inch pan with PAM.

Place asparagus in pan with all of seasonings and garlic.

Cook for 15-20 minutes (or until done to your liking).

Healthy and delicious….win, win!