Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

I am always looking for different recipes to make for dinner. So, when I came across one of Joey's favorite foods, buffalo chicken, and a Mexican dish mixed together, I had to make it.

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

• 1 lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 14 oz. can Red enchilada sauce
• 1/3 c. Buffalo sauce (I use Frank's)
• 5 Chopped green onions, divided
• 1 1/2 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 Large whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 glass dish with non-stick spray. In a medium bowl, mix together enchilada and buffalo sauce. You can always add more buffalo sauce if you like it spicier. In a large bowl, toss together shredded chicken, half of the green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Pour in 1/2 c. of the enchilada sauce mixture and stir until combined.

Pour 1/2 c. enchilada sauce into the dish and spread mixture to the edges. Working with one tortilla at at time, fill with 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the dish. Once all tortillas are filled, pour the remaining sauce on top of tortillas and add the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce its bubbling. Top with remaining green onions. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Fudge

I got this recipe from a girl I work with. It turned out great for me, but for her, not so well. She was not patient enough for it to get to the right temperature. So let this be a warning, patience makes perfect! (Even if it is 10:30 at night) I was told not to make anything for Joey's extended family's Thanksgiving, so naturally I made these. They were the only homemade thing there besides the turkey and red velvet cake, so of course they were a hit!

I just went looking for a picture, but apparently I forgot to take one because I made these late, late at night. So here is a picture of my little crafty project I did instead :)

Pumpkin Fudge

• 3 c. Sugar
• 3/4 c. Butter
• 1-5 oz. can Evaporated milk (2/3 c.)
• 1/2 c. Canned Pumpkin
• 1/2 t. Ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. Ginger
• 1/4 t. Ground nutmeg
• 1-12 oz. pkg Butterscotch chips (2 c.)
• 1-7 oz. jar Marshmallow creme
• 1 c. Chopped pecans
• 1 t. Vanilla

Butter a 13x9x2 baking dish. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, pumpkin, and spices. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly (you don't want the fudge to burn). Reduce heat. Boil over medium-low heat until mixture registers 234 degrees F (soft ball stage) on candy thermometer stirring constantly (about 25 minutes). *I ended up having to turn up the heat because after 30 mins the temperature hadn't moved past 200 F.

Remove from heat and stir in chips until melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Pour in pan and spread evenly. Cool at room temperature. Cut in squares, wrap, and store in fridge.

Happy, Happy, Happy

First post that isn't about the kitchen!

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be able to go to St. Louis with Joey. I was able to see a lot of family because they were all helping my grandparents move into a retirement center. You ask why they moved? To be with all of their old Lutheran friends is what I tell everyone, which is mostly true :)

Anyways, I got to see my dear cousin, Malia, who is 6 weeks older than me. We hadn't seen each other for a year and a half because it she lives in Ohio and is still in school. Once we got together though it was like we had never been apart. I also got to meet her boyfriend and she got to meet Joey. The 4 of us definitely had a good time together.

On Sunday, Joey and I went to see Gil Shaham play with the St. Louis Symphony. It was an amazing concert. I was so happy that Joey agreed to come with me because I know it wasn't his first choice of fun things to do in St. Louis. There are a lot of guys I know who won't do that for their woman. I am one lucky girl :) I managed to get us upper level seats, but they were right in the middle so we could see everything. Gil Shaham played Beethoven's Violin Concerto. He was so good! He is the first world-renowned I have ever seen. I can only dream of one day being as good as him OR be good enough to play in a symphony like St. Louis.

After the concert I took Joey to P.F. Changs as a thank you. He had never been and I hadn't been in a very long time. It was a very lovely evening. We got a 4 course meal for $40, it was quite the deal AND we still had leftovers.

After this weekend I felt like Joey and I got even closer. We had some good talks and a really good time overall. Things keep getting more real that we will be getting engaged soon. Then it will be a whole bunch of planning and exciting times. I am very thankful that he walked into Fazoli's and that I gave him a chance. I know we are going to have a very good life together, because I mean, we already do!

Beer Mac n Cheese Soup

This recipe had sounded so intriguing to me, so one night I decided to make it. I must say, it was a hit. It is more like really soupy mac n cheese, rather than actual soup. I don't like beer, but the subtle taste of it really adds to the soup.

Beer Mac 'n Cheese Soup

• 2 T. Olive oil
• 6 Bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1 Medium onion, diced
• 1 Large carrot, diced
• 2 Jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds removed
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. Flour
• 2 c. Chicken broth
• 1 c. Beer
• 1 Pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 c. Elbow macaroni
• 1/2 c. Heavy cream
• 1 t. Mustard
• 3 c. Shredded cheddar cheese
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In the olive oil, cook onion, carrot, and jalapeno peppers in a pot over medium heat, until tender, about 10 mins. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, careful not to let it burn. Mix in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, beer, nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Add the macaroni and bacon. Cook for as long as it says on the package of macaroni or until noodles are tender. Add the cream, mustard, and cheese and cook until cheese is melted, making sure to reduce the heat so soup does not boil again. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper.

Recipe adapted from closetcooking.com

Crock Pot Baked Potato Soup

I am aware I like to take large breaks in between posting things, but that just makes it even more special when I do :)

Here is some deliciously easy soup to make on a cold day like today. There is no broccoli listed in the ingredients, but next time I am definitely going to add a head of broccoli.

Baked Potato Soup

• 6 Large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Large onion, diced
• 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 Quart chicken broth
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c. Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 c. Cream
• 1 c. or more Shredded cheddar cheese
• 6 Bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Combine all ingredients besides cream, cheese, and bacon in the crock pot. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8. When potatoes are tender, coarsely mash them until soup reaches your desired consistency. (I still don't have a potato masher, so I used my hand mixer) Stir in cream, cheese, and bacon. Garnish with whatever toppings you please: sour cream, chives, more cheese)

Recipe adapted from crockingirls.com 

The Epitome of Fall: Apple Butter

Two weeks ago I had the privilege of making something that I always had wanted to make, apple butter. I had to research what recipe I wanted to use and finally settle on this one:  http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/crock-pot-slow-cooker-apple-butter-recipe/

I followed it to a T (where did that saying come from?) and it turned out great! It was an all day ordeal, taking about 12 hours total, plus cooling time so I could put it into plastic containers. I considered canning, but I have never done it before so I decided people could freeze it if they didn't eat it in 2 weeks. It made 4 pints which I split into little half pints. People may be getting them as Christmas gifts this year (canned and all!) I was even told by Joey's mom that I sell it :) 

First some pictures of my creation!

The many, many apples it took.

All of the apples peeled. It took a good while because I am not fortunate enough to have an apple peeler corer slicer.

The apples with all the tasty goodness on them.

About half way done cooking.

The finished product!

Apple Butter

• 6 1/2 lbs Apples - peeled, cored, and sliced (I used Gala)
• 1 c. Granulated sugar
• 1 c. Brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 T. Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t. Nutmeg
• 1/4 t. Ground cloves
• 1/4 t. Salt
• 1 T. Vanilla extract 

Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples and mix well. Cook in slow cooker on low for about 10 hours, stirring every two hours, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown. Uncover, stir in vanilla, and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours. Use an immersion blender (or electric mixer worked) to puree the apple butter until it achieves your desired consistency. Let cool and can or place in containers, cover, and refrigerate for up to two weeks or freeze. Makes 4 pints.

Ingredients

I thought I should clarify some things about my recipes and what I eat in general.

I try to cook with healthier ingredients.

For example:
I do not cook with ground beef, I use ground turkey instead. It is a little more expensive but a lot better for you. The bests news is Joey likes it too! That being said I should also mention I buy turkey bacon, turkey dogs, turkey sausage, and turkey ham. You need to be careful because turkey still has all the sodium nitrates in it like beef. So just pay attention to what you are buying!

I do not use white flour unless I am giving away what I am making. All other times I use white whole wheat flour or just regular wheat flour. I also but whole wheat pastas and bread. When I eat sandwiches I use Ezekiel bread which is a sprouted grain bread and low on the glycemic index.

I also only try to use regular sugar if I am giving away the food. All other times I use organic sugar or Xylitol, a natural sweetener. The only problems I have found is if you need the sugar to dissolve, don't use the organic kind, because it isn't as fine. So in kool-aid would not be a good idea. And if I use Xylitol, I normally use half that and half regular sugar. Same goes for brown sugar, I use half brown and half Coconut Palm Sugar. It is about the same consistency, just a little lighter.

Salt is another thing. I use Himalayan Sea Salt as opposed to regular salt. This sea salt has very good health benefits like lowering blood pressure. I do not even have regular salt in my apartment, this stuff is just good and good for you.

With all of these substitutes just use your best judgement, because they can alter the tastes or consistencies of what you are making.

I know there are a lot more things you can do to make foods healthy, like with substituting different things for oil and butter, but for now I am content with all I do to try and make foods healthier.

I do buy low fat items like salad dressings, sour cream, and cream cheese. And of course if I drink milk it is skim. I stay away from any drinks high in sugar especially soda, juices that aren't 100% juice, and sport drinks. If I want something sweet to drink I will drink a vitamin water zero because it is sweetened with natural sweetener.

On the chance we actually go to a bar or something I will order a vodka water with lime because I feel it is the healthiest way to go and doesn't taste bad either. If I am buying something to drink when Joey drinks beer it is the Lite Mike's Hard Lemonade because it claims to be naturally sweetened I know it only has 100 calories as opposed to 270 in a regular one.

I think I have gone through everything I can. Oh yeah, I also eat a lot of fruits and veggies, it is just not always evident in my cooking because it is typically just steamed broccoli or roasted cauliflower.


That's just a little insight into what I eat. I hope it helps some of you!

Pumpkin Pancakes!

My mom had made sweet potato pancakes when I was little, so I thought why not get with the season and make pumpkin pancakes? I made them for dinner with some potatoes and turkey bacon.

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1 1/4 c. All-purpose flour
• 2 T. Sugar
• 2 t. Baking powder
• 1/2 t. Cinnamon
• 1/2 t. Ground ginger
• 1/2 t. Salt
• 1/8 t. Nutmeg
• 1/8 t. Ground cloves
• 1 c. Milk
• 6 T. Pumpkin puree, about 1/2 a can
• 2 T. Butter, melted
• 1 Egg

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and cloves in a medium bowl.
Whisk together the milk, pumpkin, butter and egg in a separate bowl. Fold this mixture into the dry ingredients. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Flip pancake when top starts to bubble. Cook for ~3 minutes on other side.

Recipe from: http://www.howto-simplify.com/2010/10/pumpkin-pancakes.html

Pumpkin Chai Thumbprints

It may be too late for anyone to make these cookies because I can not find the Hershey Pumpkin Spice Kisses anywhere anymore :( I found them at Walmart in late September and haven't seen them since. I am sure they would taste good with the caramel filled Hershey's or with no kiss at all.

These cookies were super moist. I did not let them sit in the fridge long enough and they were a sticky mess to try and put on the tray, especially since I was doing it by hand. They disappeared in a day as well. Luckily I have more kisses so I can make them one more time this season. Unless Joey takes it upon himself to raid my pantry and eat some more.

Pumpkin Chai Thumbprints

• 1 Stick butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. Sugar
• 1/4 c. Brown sugar
• 1/4 c. Chai concentrate, I used Oregan Chai, found in the tea section at Walmart
• 1 Large egg
• 1 t. Vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 c. All-purpose flour
• 1/2 t. Baking soda
• 1/8 t. Salt
• 1 t. Pumpkin pie spice
• 24 or more Pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses, frozen
• 1/2 c. Sugar and 1 t. pumpkin spice to roll the cookies in before baking

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine the butter and sugar a bowl with an electric mixer and cream at medium speed until fluffy, for about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg, chai concentrate, and vanilla, mix until combined. Add the flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt. Refrigerate the dough for an hour, or more if dough is still really sticky.

Using your hands, roll out 24 or more 1 inch round balls. Then roll in the sugar and spice mixture. Place on tray and bake for 12-15 minutes. 

Unwrap kisses and keep frozen (or else they will melt onto cookie). Remove cookies from oven and immediately place kisses on cookies before cookie starts hardening. Cool and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: http://passthesushi.com/chai-pumpkin-spice-thumbprints/

 

Apple Upside Down Cake

I made this because I had some apples that were turning to mush and didn't want to waste them. It turned out very well. The cake part was a little dry, but that was my only complaint. I am sure if I made it again I could figure out how to make it more moist. Maybe using oil or even applesauce instead of all the butter. Or listening to what the directions say and watch the baking time because it could dry out. But what are you going to do? Ps. I served it with vanilla ice cream :)

I got the recipe from http://www.recipegirl.com/2008/08/12/apple-cinnamon-upside-down-cake/

I didn't follow the directions for alternating the mixing of the ingredients because frankly I didn't have the patience for it.

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken

O my goodness, if you want a tasty, belly filling soup this is the one! I found it on the Williams-Sonoma website of all places. It did not call to be made in a crock pot, but I did anyway and had amazing results! I just tossed it all in and cooked it on LOW for 8 hours or so. SO GOOD!

Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do it justice because we ate almost all the soup before I remembered to take a picture :(

Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken

• 3 Limes
• 2 Chicken breasts (or tenders), about 10 oz. each
• 1 t. Salt
• 1/2 t. Ground pepper
• 1 T. Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, I used yellow, chopped
• 5 Garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Jalapeño chilis, seeded and minced
• 3 c. Low-sodium chicken broth  
• 3 c. Water
• 1 1/2 t. Oregano, the original called for Mexican oregano, but I couldn't find any.

• 1 Avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 2 oz. Queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled. the fresco was a lot more expensive, so I used feta.

Cut one lime into wedges to use as a garnish for later. Juice the other 2 to get 1/4 c. of lime juice. Mix all ingredients in the crock pot, minus the avocado and cheese, those are used as garnishes. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred or use two forks to shred in the crock pot. Serve with the lime wedges, avocado, and cheese.

Here is the original recipe: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/mexican-lime-soup-chicken.html

Crock Pot Apple Crisp

I made this when my parents and brother came to town to visit me and see my new apartment. It was a good visit and nice to finally be able to show them a put together, homey looking apartment.

The apple crisp was really easy, tasty and made my apartment smell really good. The only thing I changed was using pecans instead of walnuts. I used a mixture of Granny Smith and Gala apples just to mix up the flavors a little bit.

I got the recipe from crockingirls.com Here is the recipe anyways:

Apple Crisp

• 1 c. All-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. Brown sugar
• 1 c. White sugar
• 1 t. Ground cinnamon
• 1/4 t. Ground nutmeg
• 1 Pinch of salt
• 1 Stick butter, softened 
• 1 c. Chopped pecans
• 1 T. Cornstarch
• 1/2 t. Ground ginger
• 6 c. Apple cored, chopped (peeled optional) (about 7 apples)
• 2 T. lemon juice

Mix flour, brown sugar, ½ c. of white sugar, ½ t. cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Combine butter in with the mixture using a fork or your fingers until coarse crumbs form. Stir in pecans and set aside. Whisk together 1/2 c. sugar, cornstarch, ginger, and ½ t. cinnamon. Place the apples in the bottom of the crock pot, then stir in the cornstarch mixture; toss with lemon juice. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top of apples. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4, until apples are tender. After cooking is complete remove lid so topping can harden, about an hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream of course!

Fall is in full swing.

I have been making a lot of tasty fall treats recently, but have been too lazy to put them on my blog. Or do anything with my blog in general. Sorry. These next few posts are going to have a lot to do with pumpkin and apples. I must say, they all turned out pretty good as well.

But first here is a late happy halloween picture taken at the party Joey and I hosted.