Yummy Gourmet Popcorn

I have one final, last minute Christmas project to share. I found some gourmet popcorn recipes on the wonderful blog, Our Best Bites that I wanted to try. I chose to make the Peppermint Bark Popcorn and the Cinnamon Bun Popcorn to give out to various family members while we attend the five other Christmas celebrations we have in the next three days.

I won't go through the steps and recipes I used. The ladies on Our Best Bites do a fantastic job of explaining the steps in detail. Which is great for kluzty cooks like me. The recipes were fairly simple although they took a bit of time and left quite a mess in the kitchen. I believe I used every single mixing bowl I own at least once. It also led to an arguement between Mr.Delightful and I about the proper way to drizzle chocolate. I think I won.

I did alter the recipes slightly because I used chocolate almond bark instead of vanilla because I forgot to read the instructions carefully. I think it still tastes good though. Or at least good enough.

I packaged the popcorn in cute Christmas treat bags I picked up on sale at Michael's for $1 for a pack of 20. I added a Christmas bandanna I purchased up at Hobby Lobby for 65 cents to the bottom of a basket to provide a festive way to carry them all.

What do you think? Anyone hungry for some pepperminty or cinnamon carmel popcorn?

Easy Cheesey Italian Chicken

Here's another simple and quick chicken recipe to try. This is one I found online and then modified a bit.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano (I used no salt added kind)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon pesto

Topping ingredients:
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1-1/2 tablespoons butter melted
1/2 cup shredded mozerella or other italian cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken in ungreased baking dish. I always line mine with foil because I like easy clean up.

2. Combine first list of ingredients together in bowl. (The tomatoes, garlic, onion, and pesto.) Spoon over chicken. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes until chicken is almost cooked through.

3. While chicken is baking, melt the butter in a bowl. Mix in bread crumbs and parsley.

4. Remove pan from oven and add bread crumb topping mixture.Sprinkle with cheese. Place back in oven for additional 10 minutes.
5. Serve over pasta or with salad and bread. Enjoy!

Linking up to:

Easy Creamy Dijon Chicken

I think all my recipe titles start with the word "easy." This is a wonderful, creamy chicken dish that goes well with a number of different side dishes. It's super fast and simple with only 6 ingredients! I found the recipe on the Land O Lakes butter website, but I tweaked it a bit and reduced the amount of milk and sour cream by a lot to shave down the calories. This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

-2 tablespoons butter or oil for browning chicken (I used olive oil)

-4 small or 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

-1/3 cup sour cream (I use light or fat free)

-1/4 cup milk

-2 tablespoons dijon mustard (I used honey dijon)

-1/4 chopped green onions

1. Brown chicken in heated oil or butter over medium high heat for 10-15 minutes until cooked through, turning once. I usually cut up my chicken so that it cooks faster. Remove from skillet.

2. Add milk, sour cream, and mustard to skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce is smooth and heated through.

3. Sprinkle green onions over chicken and serve.

4. Enjoy! I served mine with garlic pesto potatoes and cheesey broccoli rice. Yummm.

Linking up to DIY day on A Soft Place to Land. Head on over and join the fun!

Cheesey Easy Chicken Enchiladas

If you've been reading any of my recipes so far, you probably have noticed that I go for the easy ones. When I get home from work I want to get dinner on the table as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. I do alot of prepping on the weekend by cooking chicken and beef in advance. I also chop up veggies and pop in the fridge or freezer for later in the week. So most of my dinners during the week only involvee simple assembling and cooking. This is one of those quick and fast recipes.

Ingredients: (makes 4 servings of 2 enchiladas each)
- 2-3 cooked, chopped chicken breasts. I usually use 2 large ones.
- 1 cup mexican cheese blend or any other shredded cheese
- 1 can enchilada sauce (I use mild)
- 1 small onion, chopped. You could also use minced onion I suppose.
- 1 small green pepper chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 8 tortillas (I use the 8" round size)

1. Heat chicken, green pepper, and onion (not green onions) in large skillet over medium heat.

2. Stir in half of the can of sauce into the chicken mixture.

3. Lay a portion of the chicken mixture on one end of the tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.

4. Roll up tortillas, tucking ends under and arrange in baking dish.

5. Spread remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Easy Comfort Food-Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. It's also pretty quick and easy to make, two of my must haves for most recipes. I basically took ingredients from several different potpie recipes until I found the right mixture that worked for me.

Ingredients: (make 4-6 servings. For us we get 4 servings out of one pie.)

-2 or 3 cooked, chopped chicken breasts (I always cook and chop a bunch at once and freeze them) I don't really measure, but I think it's about 2 cups of chicken.
-1/2 of a refridgerated pie crust. You can use both the top and bottom crusts, I just use one to cut down on calories a bit. You could also use a tube of crescent rolls or the whole sheet of the crescent dough stuff that Pillsbury makes as the top crust.
-1 can cream of celery soup (I use 98% fat free)
-1 can cream of chicken soup (also 98% fat free)
-1 small chopped onion
-1 bag frozen mixed veggies
-1 tablespoon rosemary
-1 tablespoon parsely
-1 teaspon basil
-1 teaspon oregano
-1 teaspon thyme
(All are quantities for dried spices)

1. Cook the veggies according to package directions. I usually just cook them in the microwave because it's easiest.

2. Cook onions in skillet. Heat chicken in skillet also if using frozen or cold chicken.

3. Add cans of soup to a large bowl. Add in spices and herbs. Add chicken, onions, and veggies when cooked and mix everthing together.

4. Pour mixture into ungreased pie pan. Thaw crust in microwave for 10-15 seconds if using pie crust. Spread crust over top of pie. You can do fancy fluted or crimped or whatever edges with your crust if you want. I don't cause it takes too long. And I'm a lazy cook. I just cut a few slits in the crust.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes and enjoy.

Easy Cheesey Burger Roll

This is a quick and easy recipe I make every once in awhile when I need to get dinner on the table fast and with little fuss. It's probably something kids would love too.

The ingredient list is short:

-1 lb ground beef
-1/3 cup barbeque sauce
-1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
-1 small chopped onion or 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
-1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)

1. Brown and drain the ground beef. Reduce heaat and add the onion and barbeque sauce. Mix well.

2. Spread out pizza crust on ungreased cookie sheet. Be careful not to spread crust too thin. Spread beef mixture out over crust within an inch or two of the edges. Sprinkle with cheese.

3.  Roll up dough along long end and tuck seam under. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes until crust is lightly browned. (It's not much to look at it, but it's really good I promise!)

4. Serve and enjoy!

Browned Butter Veggies with Almonds

Yummm. Anything that starts with browned butter is going to be good, right? And hubby ate his veggies without complaint so that's a plus also. This is another recipe from Allrecipes. I was looking for a new way to cook frozen veggies and I came across this one. With some slight modifications, it turned out as a pretty good way to dress up any assortment of fresh or frozen vegetables.

1/4 cup butter (I cut down the original 1/3 cup the recipe called for to less than 1/4 cup)
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic pepper
(Or use 2-3 cloves minced garlic instead. We love garlic so I use it pretty heavily)
1 tablespoon sliced almonds (or pecans or walnuts. I had walnuts on hand so that's what I used)
1 tablespoon white wine (or chicken broth which is what I used)
2/3 medium onion, chopped (or 2 tablespoons minced onion which is what I used)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1-1/2 cups chopped broccoli
1-1/2 cups chopped cauliflower
(Or just use whatever vegetables you have on hand. This recipe is sized for 4-6 servings so toss in whatever you have. I used frozen broccoli and cauliflower. You can use fresh also.)

1. If using frozen veggies, pop them in the microwave for half the required cooking time as specified on the package. Or you can use thawed frozen veggies. If using fresh, skip this step.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Season with garlic salt and garlic pepper(or minced garlic). Mix in nuts and cook until golden brown. (Be sure to cook long enough for the butter to really turn brown and carmelized.)

3. Stir in wine, onion, and veggies. Cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

4. Enjoy!

Grilled Lemon-Lime Chicken

I'm linking this post up to DIY day on A Soft Place to Land. I do love Thursdays!



I wanted to share a new recipe we just tried and loved. I found this recipe on Allrecipes. If you've never visited Allrecipes, you are missing a wonderful world of amazing recipes with thousands of reviews. It is my favorite recipe website by far because I love seeing people's reviews, tips, and suggested substitutions for thousands of delicious dishes. The ability to search recipes by ingredients is also important.

This recipe is called "Unbelievable Chicken." While I wouldn't call it quite unbelievable, the chicken did grill up moist and flavorful. I'm always on the lookout for good chicken recipes.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons prepared coarse-ground mustard
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

I didn't have a juicer so I just squeezed the heck out of the lime I bought to get out as much of the juice as possible. I also used bottled lemon juice in place of the fresh lemon juice. And I left out the salt and pepper because I hardly ever add salt to anything.

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large glass bowl, mix the cider vinegar, mustard, garlic, lime juice, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil. Reserve about 1/4 of the mixture for basting if desired. (I did this.) Place chicken in the mixture. Cover, and marinate 8 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place chicken on the prepared grill, and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until juices run clear. Baste with reserved marinade.

3. Eat and enjoy!

Little Cheddar Meatloaves

I'm also adding this recipe to DIY day on A Soft Place to Land. This is one of my favorites. I never even had meatloaf before I tried this recipe and I was surprised at just how good it is. I found the recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook that was a wedding present. I've tweaked the original recipe slightly These mini meatloaves are covered in a sweet yummy glaze.

Ingredients:

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (Or any mix of cheese you want, sometimes I use an italian or mexican cheese mixture instead)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup chopped onion (or 2-3 tablespoons dried minced onion)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I never add this, it's up to you)
1 pound ground beef (lean works better)
2/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard

Optional:

1-2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup shredded spinach

Or use any other shredded or chopped veggies you want to stick in the mix. A great way to get your picky kids or hubby to eat their veggies. I don't have kids, but hubby usually won't eat veggies unless they are hidden or covered in some kind of cheese or sauce.

Here's the steps to follow to yumminess:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix together first six ingredients as well as any additional garlic or veggies. Basically mix everything together throughly except the beef, ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard.

3. Crumble ground beef into previous mixuture and mix well.

4. Line a baking pan with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray to keep loaves from sticking.

5. Shape beef mixture into 8 mini loaves.

6. Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard. Spread this mixture on top of the shaped mini loaves.

7. Pop the pan into the oven for 35-45 minutes and enjoy!

DIY Thursday-Sweet Apple Coleslaw

(Edited November 23rd to link up to the Recipe Party on the Shabby Chic Cottage and Embellished Bayou.)

It's that time again, DIY day at A Soft Place to Land. I loooove Thursdays!

While I am in the middle of a bathroom makeover, I don't have any more finished projects to show off just yet. So I decided to post one of my favorite recipes that we had with dinner Wednesday night. I found this recipe online and tweaked it a little to fit our tastes. This recipe is called Apple Coleslaw, but it's also affectionately known as "Sara Salad" since I bring it to family gatherings and it's a crowd favorite. My hubby normally hates regular cole slaw, but this one he loves. It's a bit sweeter and less mayonnaise based than traditional cole slaw.



Here is the ingredient list for 4 servings that I normally make for hubby and myself and then have leftovers for lunch. If you are making it for 6-10 people it's easy to just double and use the whole bag of coleslaw.

-1/2 of a 1lb bag shredded deli cole slaw mix

-1 apple of any variety, chopped

-2 green onion tops, chopped

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-1/4 to 1/3 cup mayonnaise(I don't measure exact, I just stir it around until the mix looks lightly coated. I also use light mayo.)

-1 Tablespoon lemon juice

-1 teaspon apple cider vinegar

-2 or 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds. I usually use walnuts and I don't normally measure. Just put in as many nuts as you want.

Then just mix it all together, making sure the apples are throughly mixed in with the lemon juice and mayo so they don't turn brown. This cole slaw tastes awesome the next day too after all the flavors have blended together. It's one way I can get my hubby to eat his veggies and with light mayo it's fairly low in calories and fat. Plus the apple and nuts are good for you and cancel out the brown sugar right? Enjoy!

Delightful and Delicious

I thought I'd post one of my favorite recipes. It is great to serve if you are making breakfast or brunch for a crowd, but I made it last night for dinner for just hubby and I.

It is apple cinnamon toast strata.

Ingredients for 12 servings:

(1 pound) loaf cinnamon bread or cinnamon raisin bread

1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup diced peeled apples (1 or 2 medium apples, I use Granny Smith)

6 eggs

2 1/2 cups half-and-half cream or milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspon nutmeg

1 teaspon cinnimon

1 teaspon vanilla

Directions:

1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the cream cheese on the bread slices. Then cut them into cubes. Arrange half the bread cubes on the bottom of the pan. Add chopped apples on top of bread cubes. Cover with remaining bread cubes.

2.In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, butter, and maple syrup. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap, and press down so that all bread pieces are soaked. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (I refrigerate it overnight.)

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake for 40-50 minutes until browned.

Here's what it looks like before its cooked:



I forgot to take a picture when it was done. It smells amazing while cooking so it can seem a looong 40 minutes until its done!