Berry Cheesecake Parfaits

• 1 package (8oz) cream cheese
• 2-4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 4-8 graham cracker squares crushed
• 2 cups raspberries

1. Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
2. Mix in yogurt.
3. Alternate layers of cream cheese mixture, crackers, raspberries.

*I just think putting it all in a glass look cute.

French Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• GLAZE:
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Directions

1. In bread machine pan, place the first five ingredients in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed).
2. When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Roll each portion into a 10-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal.
3. Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaves seam side down on prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 20 minutes.
4. Whisk egg and water; brush over loaves. With a sharp knife, make four shallow slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Shrimp Scampi

1 pound Fettuccine or Linguine
2 tbsp Margarine
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, Chopped
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
pinch or 2 Red Pepper Flakes, depending on how spicy you like it.
1 pound Shrimp, peeled & deveined 
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp Margarine
2 tbsp Olive Oil 
2 tsp Lemon Juice, or juice of one lemon
Fresh Parsley to taste, minced

Cook pasta al dente. In a large skillet melt 2 tbsp each of margarine and oil. Add onion and garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until transparent. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook thoroughly until pink. Add broth, lemon juice, 2 tbsp each of margarine and oil. Add pasta to skillet. Serve =)

* I added just a few tbsp of heavy cream to the liquid. I like it a little more saucy and thick.

Sweet & Savory Smokies

Imgredients:
1 pound Bacon
1 16oz package Lil' Smokies
1 cup Brown Sugar

Directions: *Preheat the oven to 350F
1. Cut the bacon into thirds
2. Roll one piece of the bacon around one smokie.
3. Roll it in brown sugar.
4. Repeat until done.
Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 mins
*may take a little longer depending on how crispy you like the bacon.
*I like to stick a toothpick through the smokie so it doesnt come apart.
*** You may want to place the smokies on a rack with a pan under it, if not you'll have a gooey mess. I learned it the hard way :(

Spicy Chicken

Ingredients

• 6
       skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4
       cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2
       teaspoon salt
• 1
       pinch ground black pepper
• 3
       tablespoons butter
• 1
       (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 1/2
       cup water
• 2
       tablespoons brown sugar
• 2
       tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2
       tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1
       teaspoon salt
• 2
       teaspoons chili powder
• 1
       teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2
       teaspoon celery seed
• 1
       clove garlic, minced
• 1/8
       teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Directions

1.     In a shallow dish or bowl, combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and
ground black pepper. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture. Melt butter in a
large skillet over medium heat, and brown chicken.

2.     In the same skillet, combine the tomatoes, water, brown sugar,
vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, chili powder, mustard,
celery seed, garlic and hot pepper sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and
return chicken to skillet. Cover, and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes, or until
chicken is tender, no longer pink and juices run clear.

***Tastes delicious with white
rice and green veggies.

Grocery Shopping!!

I love grocery shopping! To a lot of people it may seem like a
chore, but to me it's an adventure. I like to see what’s new. What new things I
can try to make, cook, and EAT! When looking for recipes, I enjoy looking for
ingredients that I don’t have so that I can try something new. My hubby loves
to eat anything I cook, but as for going grocery shopping, no way. He makes
sure we have a list before we leave the house. A few weeks ago hubby and I were
in Chinatown in Philadelphia and saw TONS of different fruits and veggies and I
think I saw hermit crab. Weird. Well, just a whole bunch of different foods. We
decided to pick something out to give it a taste. We picked out the oddest
looking thing. It was brown and very prickly. It smelled weird. We asked
someone about it, she couldn’t speak English; all she said was “taste very good”
so we thought, hey why not trust the foreign lady who speaks no English, right?
So we bought it, brought it home… it was the grossest thing I have ever tasted.
Yuck! It was creamy kind of custard-like. Eww! What the heck? Who would eat
that? Honestly.  Still we had a good
laugh and I’m glad I got to try it. Now I know that’s one thing I DON’T like
and will never try again. You can’t say you don’t like it if you’ve never tried
it.

 

Sausage Pizza Soup

Sausage
Pizza Soup

½ pound Italian turkey sausage (if using links, remove
casing)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, chopped

Cook together until meat is no longer pink.  Drain then add:

1 can (14 ½ ounce) diced tomatoes

1 cup water

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp dried basil

½ teaspoon pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 15
minutes.

Fresh basil can be used as a garnish.

*spaghetti noodles can be added
*may need more salt

Corn & Cheese Chowder

Corn and
Cheese Chowder

½ pound bacon, diced

Sauté the bacon first to render the far and cook to firmly
done

Add:

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1 cup each green and red pepper, seeded and chopped

Sauté these together until vegetables are tender.

Add:

1 can corn with green pepper and pimento, drained

3 cups milk

1 ½ teaspoon salt

TT pepper

1 ½  cup grated cheddar cheese

Heat through on low and simmer 10 minutes

*add some garlic powder :)

Chicken and Kale: A Superlunch!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Olive Oil1 pound Ground Chicken
4 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
1 small Onion minced
pinch Red Pepper Flakes/Crushed Red Pepper
pinch Fennel Seed crushed
2 sprigs fresh Thyme
1 bunch Kale, washed stems removed broken into pieces
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1 16oz White Beans, drained
Directions:1. Heat olive oil in large pot. Cook ground chicken with garlic and onion until cooked through and onion is translucent.2. Add crushed red pepper, crushed fennel seed, and thyme. Let it simmer covered for a minute or 2.3. Add the kale and salt and pepper. Let it cook for about 5 minutes until the kale begins to wilt.4.Add the chicken stock and beans. Cover it and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes.5. Transfer it to a baking dish. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the liquid had reduced.
Some Tips!*This dish is easier and makes for less clean up if an oven proof pot or dutch oven is used.*Make sure the kale is thoroughly washed.*I always like to add a bit more seasonings to taste. Like more red pepper or fennel and I LOVE garlic and onion. or anything you like. Don't be afraid to experiment with herbs and spices.*You don't need to let it bake for that long. You can always bake it for a little and then take out some of the liquid with a baster. Making healthy dishes easier, that's what its about, right?
**Kale is a superfood, so it's super health for you. It has antioxidants, vitamin A, fiber and calcium.
ENJOY!Let me know your thoughts, I love comments =)

Just out of the Oven!

So, I have been thinking about creating a food blog for a while now. I'm a pretty amazing cook. I'm not sure how to blog or what I want the essence of this blog to be yet. So for now its just me figuring this blogging thing out, sharing my recipes and experiences with food =)