Lemon Garlic Chicken

Lemon Garlic Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, halved or in thirds
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 cloves of garlic, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbls. olive oil
8 ozs. baby bella mushrooms (or your favorite kind)
1 large onion, sliced
2 tsps. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2 tbls. butter
dash worcestershire sauce
4-6 red potatoes, quartered

Combine white wine, lemon juice, salt and pepper and garlic in a small bowl. Place the chicken in a zip top bag and pour the marinade over the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for an hour.

In a medium bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, rosemary, salt an pepper and olive oil. Toss to coat and set aside.

Saute the mushrooms in butter with a dash (or so) of worcestershire over low heat.

Preheat over to 375. Spray a large casserole dish. Spread the chicken in the casserole dish and arrange the potato/onion mixture between the chicken.

Pour the leftover marinade in with the mushrooms and boil to reduce for about 5 minutes. Then pour the mushrooms mixture over the entire dish.

Cover and cook for 1 hour. Remove and sprinkle the grape tomatoes throughout. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Remove and enjoy. This could be served with rice if desired.

Notes: Temperatures and chicken sizes will vary so be sure the chicken is adequately cooked. You could easily add some carrots or celery if you wanted extra vegetables. This dish is delicious and definitely a great all-in-one type of meal! Enjoy!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Oh my! It's 2015. That's so....um, strange. But maybe good strange. I digress. Back to cooking new recipes and blogging about them! I really do enjoy cooking and blogging. I hope that comes through to anyone who reads or follows this blog. So, let's start the year off with a yummy new recipe! Go!

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1 cup frozen corn
1 can low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large chicken breast (seasoned w/ S&P), cooked and shredded
6-8 oz. sour cream
3 large sweet peppers
2 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce), chopped
2 tsps. sauce (from the chipotle peppers)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
dash pepper
grated cheese (your favorite kind), for topping

Combine everything but cheese and peppers in medium bowl to create the filling.

Slice each pepper horizontally, remove seeds and stems. Spray a large casserole dish and stuff each pepper to the top with the filling. Top each one with a healthy sprinkling of shredded cheese.

Bake covered at 400 in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes (watching cheese so it doesn't burn) and remove from oven. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!

Servings: 4-6
Time: 40 minutes

Notes: These are soooo good and BONUS: Easy! If you like less heat, dial back the chipotle ingredients. This is a little on the spicy side. I will definitely make this again! We both really loved it and the leftovers will be gone ASAP. Happy 2015 everyone!

Holiday Sangria

Who doesn't love a special holiday adult beverage? Kick your holiday party up a notch with this refreshing drink!

Holiday Sangria

1-2 cups fresh cranberries
1 orange, sliced
1 granny smith apple, diced
1 gala apple, diced
1 bottle sparkling cider
1 bottle white wine (I chose Pinot Grigio)

Layer the fruit in the bottom of a pitcher or drink dispenser. Pour the wine in and chill for several hours (or overnight). To serve, pour a healthy amount in a wine glass and top with a splash of sparkling cider.

Notes: Pretty and tasty! Enough said. Our guests enjoyed this drink. I chose a Pinot Grigio because I do not prefer super-sweet wine like Riesling (which can also be used). You can also go with a budget wine because you really can't taste the difference with all the yummy fruit flavors. Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration from: Decor and the Dog (super fun blog!)

Crockpot Curry Chicken

Man I love my slow cooker when it gets cool out. Please enjoy this tasty Curry Chicken!!

Crockpot Curry Chicken

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
3/4 medium onion, sliced
1 poblano pepper (fresh from our garden), sliced
1 clove garlic, small dice
~1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 tbls. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. (or more) cayenne pepper
~2 tbls. tomato paste (not pictured)

Place the chopped vegetables and garlic in the bottom of the crockpot and turn on low. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables.

In a medium bowl, gently combine diced tomatoes, coconut milk, curry powder, ground ginger and cayenne pepper (this may look kind of gross, but trust me it will be fine).

Pour this over the chicken and vegetables in the crockpot and cover. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. It's going to smell great. I stirred it a couple times during the cooking process and tasted the liquid to see if I liked the flavor. I ended up adding a little more cayenne to mine. Of course because we like the spice. I added in the tomato paste about an hour before it was done. Once it's done cooking you can remove the chicken and cut it into chunks if you like and then return it to the crockpot.

Serve with warm basmati rice. Delicious!

Time: 6 hours
Servings: 6-8

Notes: Husband loved it and the leftovers were devoured! This recipe is going in my crockpot catalog. I will definitely make it again!

Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is an excellent weekday dish. We both really enjoyed the flavors and the sauce is just divine!

Chicken with Balsamic Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 package of skinless chicken thighs (or chicken breasts, whatever you have)
1 12 oz. package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 medium onion, sliced
~3 tbls. unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbls. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated

In a medium pan over medium heat, but in 2 tbls. of butter and the onion slices. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook while stirring every so often until the onions are caramelized and have a nice brown to them (about 20 minutes or so). At the very end of the cooking process, throw in the garlic and turn off the heat. Set aside for the sauce.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly brown in a saucepan over medium heat with a pat of butter. After lightly browning on both sides, remove to a plate.

Pour the chicken broth in the empty pan and scrape up any little bits with a rubber spatula. Allow this to simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the sliced mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, heavy cream and a little more salt and pepper if you like. Allow this to lightly simmer for 5 minutes while stirring. Return the chicken to the pan and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove and plate the chicken. Now add the onions/garlic and the grated cheese into the sauce, stir around until cheese is melted and then pour sauce over chicken. I served this with brown rice and butter beans.

Notes: Husband and I both thought the sauce was really flavorful and delicious. The sauce is also very good mixed in with the rice. Happy bellies! Enjoy!

Delicious Pumpkin Bread

I have never made pumpkin bread before, but I wanted to try something new. And it's fall y'all! I know everyone gets on the pumpkin spice latte train, but this is pumpkin bread and it's going to knock your socks off. I don't care what anyone says. Fall/Pumpkin train wins on this recipe!

Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 can pumpkin puree
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1+ tsp. cinnamon
1/2+ tsp. nutmeg
1 stick unsalted butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Soften butter and mix sugar in together until well incorporated. Add the eggs and combine.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Then combine the dry ingredients with the sugar/butter/egg mixture. Add in the pumpkin puree, sour cream and vanilla and gently incorporate.

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray a loaf pan. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes clean. Cool for about 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.

This would be delicious with your morning coffee...or morning Diet Coke. If you love Diet Coke like me.

Notes: This bread is awesome! It is so light and the texture is wonderful. I even gave it to the local tire dealership because they fixed my busted tire for free!!! Spreading good karma! This pumpkin bread just seems like a part of fall. Try it for yourself! I am sure you won't be disappointed.

Veg All Casserole

I never had this dish until I met my husband and his family. It seems to be a staple for holiday meals at their table. He loves it and I make it for him as a treat every so often. I happen to like it now too! Give it a try if you haven't before!

Veg All Casserole

1 can no salt added Veg All, drained
1 can diced water chestnuts, small dice
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Ritz crackers, crumbled for topping
1-2 tbls. melted butter

Prep the ingredients. 

Combine the Veg All, water chestnuts, onion, cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Lightly spray a small casserole dish and pour the mixture into the dish. Evenly sprinkle the crumbled crackers on top and drizzle the melted butter over the crackers.

Preheat the oven to 400 and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. 

Allow to cool about 5 minutes and enjoy!

Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Notes: Originally, this recipe makes a lot more, but I cut it in half for just the husband and myself. If you've got more folks, feel free to double it. The leftovers are gone in a flash at our house. This recipe has certainly grown on me and I make it several times a year now! Enjoy!