Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe adapted from the New Better Homes and Garden Cookbook (the red checkered one)

4 Chicken Breasts
1/4 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Medium Onions, sliced in rings 1/4 inch thick
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans Tomatoes
8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. dried Oregano or Basil (I used basil because I love it)
1/2 tsp. Celery Seed
2 Bay Leaves
1/4 cup Chicken Stock

Brown chicken in skillet with hot oil.  Remove chicken and add the onions and garlic.  Cook until tender but not brown.  Return chicken to the skillet.  Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, basil, celery seed, and bay leaves.  Pour mixture over chicken and onions.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes.  Stir in chicken stock.  Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes.  Remove bay leaves and serve.

I thought this dish would be delightful over Angel Hair Noodles and it was!  This dish made my house smell like I was a professional Italian chef!  Here is what I'd do differently next time:

• Make sure your meat is completely thawed before trying to brown it.  If it's still slightly frozen it won't brown very well but the water will thaw and just steam the meat and in the end it will over cook and become chewy like mine did. 
• Try using tenderloins instead of breasts. 
• Because of the mistake in bullet #1 we ended throwing out the chicken but saving the sauce.  It is a good marinara sauce if you like tomatoes and onions, which I do.
• Let the onions start to cook and become tender for a minute or two before adding the garlic.  You don't want the garlic to burn and become bitter but you don't want crunchy onions in the end either.
• Separate the onion rings as you put them in your pan.  Otherwise it is alot harder to do with a spoon and they slide all over the pan.
• Make sure your stove can keep a simmer on low.  Still learning what my stove personality is and I turned it down and walked away but when I came back to check on it the simmer had gone :(
• I have a spaghetti squash that I need to use (replacing the noodles) and I think it would go well with this sauce.  Another way to pack in another veggie for kids to try.

Enjoy!

Birthday Macaroni Salad

My friends and I were getting together for a little pot luck lunch on my birthday (hence the name Birthday Macaroni Salad). It was late at night and I didn't have any time to run to the store so I kind of had to think of a dish that I could bring, that was in my cupboards and fridge at home. I initially wanted to do a macaroni salad, always a good pot luck item. Well, I didn't have a lot of the veggies I would use in my family's traditional macaroni salad, but I had macaroni noodles and miracle whip, so I knew I could throw together something! I looked through the cupboards, grabbed a few more items and went with it. Now let me explain why this was kind of a scary thing for me...I'm not the type of person that can make up her own recipes on a whim and I'm certainly not one to venture too far from an original recipe. I don't have much faith in my cooking judgement, with good reason (ask my husband), but this time it actually turned out great. It felt kinda good that I had done my own thing and it turned out delicious! (I must be getting better at this cooking business with all the cooking I've been doing this year!) 

Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. Always a good sign! I figured I'd better write down the recipe while I can still remember it! I'm sure you all have these items in your kitchen too. So if you need a last minute potluck item, try this one out!

Birthday Macaroni Salad

2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked

1/2 onion diced 

1/2 small can sliced olives

1 can tuna

Peas *almost a cup-ish

1 heaping cup of Miracle Whip *I added a little the next day, it had tried out some

1 tsp dill

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 tsp celery seed 

1/2-1 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

*I think halved cherry tomatoes, and/or broccoli, and/or shredded cheese would be good in this as well! The seasonings I just kinda eyed it, so feel free to do as you please!

Cook macaroni according to box directions and drain, set aside. In large bowl combine Miracle Whip, sugar, dill, celery seed, seasoned salt and black pepper together. Once they are combined well add diced onion, olives, tuna, peas and macaroni. Mix together well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours before serving, the longer the better! Add more seasonings if needed or to taste!

Lemon Cream Puffs

I was in the mood for something lemony this week. I wasn't sure exactly what kind of lemon treat I wanted to make so I did a little searching. My search brought me across these Lemon Cream Puffs. Aren't they kind of adorable? They were actually a lot easier than I thought making a cream puff would be. I had a great time! What was even better than that though, was eating them! They were SO good and very lemony. They hit the spot.  They were very light and refreshing, despite the cream, they didn't have a heaviness to them at all. If you are hankerin' for some lemon, give these babies a try. They would be great served at a baby/wedding shower, or a nice little brunch, ya know, something like that. Everyone will be so impressed!

Lemon Cream Puffs
adapted from allrecipes.com via Doreen Martin

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs

LEMON FILLING:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• confectioners' sugar

1. In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once, stirring until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F for 28-32 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Immediately split puffs and remove tops; discard soft dough from inside. Set puffs and tops aside to cool.
2. While cream puffs are cooking prepare the filling. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the egg, sugar, lemon juice and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to coat a metal spoon. Remove from the heat. Cool quickly by placing pan in a bowl of ice water; stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; press plastic wrap onto surface of filling. Chill for 1 hour or until partially set.
3. After lemon filling has chilled for an hour, prepare the cream. In a mixing bowl, beat cream and sugar until stiff peaks form; fold into lemon mixture. Fill cream puffs; replace tops. Dust with confectioners' sugar. 

Meatballs from Her Mom

I named these "Meatballs from Her Mom" because they came from Amanda's mom at Weheartcupcakes.blogspot.com. My picture above isn't great, but don't let that deter you from trying them. Just trust me that they were really, really good! I will make these again, and soon!

Meatballs from Her Mom
adapted from Amanda at We Heart Cupcakes

1 lb lean hamburger *lean is important because if you don't, then you're left with a lot of grease in the sauce!

1/2 onion minced

6-8 soda crackers *I used 1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers

2 eggs

Jar of chili sauce *Made by Heinz 

1/2 jar grape jelly

juice from 1 lemon

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix hamburger with eggs, crumbled crackers, salt and pepper and onion. In separate bowl mix chili sauce, jelly, juice. Spray casserole dish and pour in a little of the sauce to cover the bottom. Shape meatballs and drop into sauce. Pour the rest of the sauce over the meatballs evenly. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes. 

*You may also use this recipe for a crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Top Chef Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister is helping me on this "chocolate chip cookie quest" I am on. She was watching Top Chef and they just so happened to make a great chocolate chip cookie! She tried and tested them, and here were her results. She says...

 Alright here's the DL on the Top Chef cookies:

• Easy to make.
• Age well.
• Chewy and moist.
• Flat.
• Not a "cookie dough" recipe. (Meaning the cookie dough isn't so good that you could just sit and eat it.)
• They were good warm. Very chewy and gooey.  But I prefer them completely cooled.

Here's her documented proof she made them! They look so good!

  

Top Chef Chocolate Chip Cookie

adapted from Top Chef Erika Davis

Makes about 3 dozen

• ¾ c sugar
• ¾ c brown sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ lb butter
• 2 ½ c AP flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ c chocolate chips (*I used milk chocolate and only 1 cup)

Cream the butter, sugars, eggs together then add the vanilla, salt and baking soda. Scrape the sides and add the baking powder and flour. Mix till incorporated and add the chocolate chips just till mixed. Scoop with a Tablespoon and bake at 350 for 10-12 min.

Simple and Yummy Balsamic Vinaigrette

photo taken from Lucy's Kitchen

My friend brought me over some fresh butter lettuce from their garden. I wanted to try something lighter than ranch on it, but didn't have any other options, so I decided to whip up my own balsamic vinaigrette! It was a smart decision!

I used Emeril's recipe as the starting point. I really loved the end result. It was fantastic and so easy! I'll definitely have to try this again.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

adapted from Emeril

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar (**I used light)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp soy sauce
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil *I went with 1/2 cup and it was plenty for me
*Your favorite greens mix
*Your favorite salad ingredients: *I used what I had on hand which was cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and strawberries. The strawberries were SO AMAZING with the balsamic....try it! You could also add in whatever: carrots, red onion, cucumbers, blue cheese etc!


Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the sugar, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil, whisking constantly. (Or place all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake to combine.) Serve immediately. To store, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

**If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.

Best, Big, Fat, Chewy, Chocolate Chip Cookie

My quest continues on for the perfect chocolate chip cookie! The next cookie I tried was allrecipes.com Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie. Well, with a name like that, how could I NOT try it?

The end results were great! The texture of the cookie was the best texture of any great chocolate chip cookie I've ever had, maybe even the best! The title says it all! As for the taste, if I'm really being critical here, it wasn't AS good as the above cookie...just initially though. They aged very well! Don't get me wrong, the taste was really good, delicious even, but if I'm comparing it to the above cookie, then I'd have to say the first cookie's taste was a little more of what I like (caramely/toffee-ish), but this texture was better. So again, the quest for the best chocolate chip cookie is going to be fierce. I would say we're at a tie right now!

I would definitely make these again, and oh I will. They were much more quick to make than the above cookie. But again, the cookie dough itself wasn't fabulous, for all those cookie dough eaters out there. I ended up refrigerating my dough for a couple of hours, because I had to run some errands, and I think I liked the batch that was refrigerated for a couple hours better! Just a fun little side not there. I have heard though, that refrigerating cookie dough for 36 hours is the secret to the best chocolate chip cookie ever. (Stay tuned for another recipe that calls for just that!)

Best, Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

adapted from allrecipes.com Best Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie

Makes 16 giant cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (* I don't think I'll use the full 2 cups next time, just personal preference, I like a little more cookie to chip ratio.)
• *sea salt (*this is my secret ingredient, I sprinkled some sea salt on top of my cookies....delish!)

See the sea salt crystals?

• 
  
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup (*yep 1/4 cup for that big, BIG, chocolate chip cookie. I did try a regular size batch, and I even liked them better than the big size. Whatever you like!) at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. (*If doing bigger size, only room for 6 cookies on a sheet!) Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, (*or 7-8 min for regular size) until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
• Look at the size of these things!