Seafood Alfredo Pasta

Cook Time: 30 min
Ingredients: One package of Alfredo sauce (requires butter, milk, and water), angel hair pasta noodles, chopped broccoli, diced bell pepper, chopped onions, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped mushrooms, faux lobster/crab meat, black peppercorn, garlic, and basil

1. In a pot bring water to boil
2. In a seperate deep pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter
3. Then add 1cup of milk, 1/2 cup of water, and the package of alfredo sauce, stir this until it become a single mixture (all the lumps have been mixed in)
4. At this point the water should be boiling, add the noodles (I used angel hair, about 1/6 of the box -this made plenty if not too much!) and turn the heat down to med
5. Once the sauce mixture starts to bubble, add in about a 1/4 cup of chopped bell pepper (I used orange for color), 1/4 cup of onions, 1/4 cup of chopped broccoli, and about 3 med sized mushroom diced into pieces that are uniform with the other veggies
6. Stir 
7. Add in about 1/4 diced faux seafood, let mixture cook until the bubbles start up again in the sauce
8. then add the spices (garlic, pepper, and basil) to taste - a little goes a long way with these
9. stir these in and turn the heat off, and move to a cold eye
10. drain the noodles, and pour them into serving bowl/ plate
11. the sauce should have started to thicken a little bit at this point, go ahead and pour over the noodles
12. Add the diced tomatoes cold on top of pasta and serve
13. As always Enjoy!!

 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pudding Bake

Time to cook: 15 min prep, 1 and 1/2 hours in a crock pot
Ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking pwdr, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, peanut butter, cocoa pwder, boiling water, chocolate syrup

Super easy and unbelievably delicious!! 

So today was a potluck at the Athens Vineyard Church today (FANTASTIC FOOD AND PEOPLE!) and I signed up for desert. I mixed the ingredients, stuck them in my crock pot, and plugged it in to cook while I attended service. By the time the lunch was over, I had more compliments than I could count and not even a spoonful to take back with me! 

1. coat crock-pot with non-stick spray or vegetable oil
2. combine 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 cup sugar (I used 24 packets of 0-calorie sugar packets), and 1.5 tsp baking pwdr in a medium bowl
3. Add 2/3 cup milk (I used 2%), 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 cup peanut butter (I used creamy peanut butter) to the bowl and mix well
                      **This will form a dough basically**
4. Pour batter/dough into crock-pot, use a spatula to make sure you get it all and to spread it out evenly in crock-pot, BUT DO NOT STIR
5. Drizzle Chocolate sauce across long ways and then short ways across dough
6. Cover, and cook on high for 1.5 hours or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
                     ** Can still serve if the toothpick doesn't come out clear, it'll be more fudgy that way and less cakey**
7. Serve warm, and for even better treat add more chocolate syrup and serve with crushed peanuts and a scoop of vanilla ice cream!!
8. ENJOY!!

Sweet Chicken Stir Fry

Time to cook: 20 min
Ingredients: Chicken Tenderloins, Bell Pepper, Onions, Carrots, Italian Style Green Beans, Rice, Flour, Vegetable Oil, Italian Dressing, Soy Sauce, and Ginger

Delicious!

1. Place a deep frying pan on med. high so it begins to heat up
2. Make about 1 cup of rice (1 cup of rice in pot with 2 cups water bring to a boil, stir twice, cover with a lid and let cook for about 15 min on med-low or low depending on your stove. -Ta-Da! Rice!)
3. In the already warm deep frying pan add about 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil and then add about 1 cup of diced chicken
4. As the chicken is cooking add about 4 tbsp of italian dressing, let that cook for about 3 minutes (the chicken should appear mostly white on all sides)
5. Now add 1 whole bell pepper diced into chunks that are the same size as the chicken pieces (I used a yellow pepper to get a wider variety of colors), a 1/2 cup of diced onions, about 1 cup of carrots and about 1/2 cup of italian style green beens
6. Let simmer for about 3 min, then add about 2 tsp of ground ginger, mix well, then add about 1 tbsp of soy sauce (I used Lite Soy Sauce)
7. Let the whole concoction cook on med. high for about 8 min
8. Then add about 1 tbsp of flour to the concoction to thicken the juice a little bit 
9. Add about 1 tsp of black pepper make sure to stir in well and cook for another 2-3 minutes
10. At this point the rice should be done. Place the rice on the serving containers (I used bowls- limits the amount I serve myself), then pour the concoction on top of the rice 
11. Serve warm and as always ENJOY!!

Easy Fiesta Pasta

Time to cook: 30 min
Ingredients: Chicken, vegetable oil, med. shell noodles, spinach, diced onions, fresh tomatoes, Fajita seasoning packet, garlic, and rosemary

1. Dice chicken and cook on a pan on med. high with about 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2. Season with 1/2 fajita seasoning packet
3. While the chicken is cooking boil about 2 cups of noodles
4. Once chicken is cooked add about 1/2 cup of diced onions, and 1/2 cup of chopped spinach and seasonings
    **As these are cooking make sure to move around to get spices all over everything**
5. Drain noodles once they're cooked and place on plate or bowl
6. Pour meat mixture on top of noodles
7. Add diced tomatoes to top of mixture
8. Serve and enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Melt

This was my masterpiece of a dinner, tasted like heaven with every bite. 
This recipe is a spin-off from "Chicken Cordon Bleu" from my fantastic new cookbook: 
                 "Taste of Home: 5-Ingredient Cookbook"


Ingredients: Chicken Tenderloins, Sliced Deli Meat, Sliced Cheese, Dijon spicy mustard, Italian dressing, and black peppercorn
Time to cook: 30 min

1. Heat a small pan on med. high with a tsp of vegetable oil on stovetop 
2. In a small bowl mix 1 tablespoon of dijon spicy mustard and 2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing
3. Take desired number of chicken tenderloins (I cooked 4 -I'm a hog), puncture several times with a fork (kinda like aerating a potatoe) and place in already hot pan
   **They should start sizzling immediately**
4. Drizzle the mustard/dressing mixture around and on top of the tenderloins
5. Let the chicken cook in dressing on med. high for about 5-8 min till the white (cooked portion) is about half way, then flip the tenderloins over, making sure to swish them in the sauce in the pan
6. Let this side of the tenderloins cook for the same amount of time
7. At this point take the chicken out of the pan, place them on a plate or folded up paper towel
8. Clean the inside of the pan, and let it reheat back up (this part took about 2 min max- we're just removing excess sauce from the pan)
9. Take a single thin slice of deli meat (I used honey roasted turkey breast) and fold in half and lay on top of each tenderloin
10. place each combo into the pan, deli side down (This lets the deli meat get toasty and warm and almost melts it to the chicken) and cook for 2-3 min or until deli meat browns
11. Flip each tenderloin back over so that the deli meat is on top and place a small piece of cheese (I used 1/2 a presliced american chedder on each tenderloin)
12. Put a lid on the pan and let cook on low for about 3 min
13. Serve with a very light dusting of black peppercorn
14. Enjoy!!!

 

Served with brussel sprouts, cherry tomatoes,
 and a dirty bastard scotch style ale

Piece of Childhood

So this recipe is a flashback to  a song/book from my childhood. Here is the video of this bit of happiness...
                           "In March the wind blows down the door! And spills my soup upon the floor!

It laps it up and roars for more!

Blowing once, blowing twice! Blowing Chicken Soup with Rice!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNBzJlpwChU

So here is the recipe...

1. 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup water in an open pot on high
2. bring to a boil, stir, and place lid on and turn heat to med
3. let cook for about 10 min
4. add 1 can of chicken noodle soup (chicken soup, or tomato soup, or any other basic soup work)
5. bring to slight boil, add any seasonings (I use crushed black peppercorn, garlic, and basil)
6. Pour into bowl and enjoy!!

                                         

Spring Break Eats!

So I haven't posted any delicious meals as of late, and probably will continue to hold out for the remainder of the week. That's because I'm on Spring Break and enjoying some delicious home-cooked,  gourmet meals or I'm being spoiled and taken out for dinner. However, these are some of the best times to gather new ideas for cooking! Look at the food around you, see what other people have done with it, and imagine new ways that you can adapt that recipe for your own use.


So while we're talking about food, (let's be honest who isn't talking about food?) I wanted to give a wonderful shout-out and suggestion to everyone in Atlanta. Ever heard of Camp Twin Lakes? Well it's a network of camps that provides life-changing programs to Georgia's kids with serious illnesses, disabilities and other challenges. Ok, I'm not just plugging for them, but I've been able to work at their camp for children with epilepsy, Camp Carpe Diem, for the last two years and this organization is a God-send to these kids. It truly is a life changing experience for them and for you. Alright, enough about camp. Anyways, I bring this up because a few days ago I was able to go to an event here in Atlanta called "The Best of Atlanta Party." Over 50 restaurants, breweries, distillaries, bakeries, and dairies from all over gathered at the Cobb Galleria Center and fed me small portions of the most amazing food. It took us 2 hours to walk around and try most of everything, with a little dancing thrown in. It was a smorgusboard of amazing yumminess!! I now have many new ideas to try when I get home next week, so ya'll get excited! 


Main message: Go out, try new foods, and sample fancy restaurants meals to help spark the creativity in your brain!!

A Grail

It's hidden. Hidden in plain sight. Lost amidst chaos.

Mutely quiet, silently leaking refractions

That shimmer upon the ordained ground

Branching, springing forth, marking the path

Breadcrumbs leading backwards upon itself.

Marking, with serene passion, movements of 

Greener grass beyond the restricting crystal walls.

Reincarnated hope locked within effervescent

Tombs, pulsating, vibrating with the phoenix 

Cycles, round - and - round, encasing my

World in shifting colors and shades, absorbing life.

Every enlightenment, a frozen moment of time,

Obscuring  my way, breaking light and shifting memories

Of taste, fluttering wings, placement, and fanciful

Dreams. 

                 

                 Yearning , thus, I search; twisting, contorting

My body my limitations, anguishing over the mere

Sight of my crystal grail, a chalice which holds

A sip, one sip, the lingering drop of anticipated

Faith. A beacon of light, a jar almost to distant to see. 

Pan Fried Pork!!

1. Took 2 palm size pork chops
2. Seasoned them with black peppercorn, crushed coriander (though this gave it a sweet taste that may not suit everyone's palette) and finally Grill Mates: Roasted Garlic and Herbs
3. Pan fried in 2 tablespoons of roasted red pepper vinaigrette dressing (I've learned that salad dressing make surprisingly great cooking aides)
4. Once cooked all the way through (took about 15 min on med though depending on how you like your meat time and heat can vary) 
5. Serve warm with just a drizzle of the cooked spice from the pan on top

Picture of the chops! Nom Nom Nom

Served with a fresh kiwi and a spinach salad
(Salad had peanuts, cheese, and a drizzle
 of the dressing mentioned earlier)

Not too terrible, definitely worth a second try

Easy Breazy Beautiful Stuffed Chicken!!

1. Take 2 pieces of chicken (I used skinless, boneless chicken tenderloins which are great, though chicken breasts would work just as well I imagine)
2. Stick in ziplock bag and seal
3. Beat with the bottom of a frying pan or a meat mallet (I obviously used a pan since the only mallet I've ever owned was on Super Smash Brothers)
   ---Easily my favorite step in cooking yet---
4. Beat chicken until thin and wide (about 1/2-3/4 inch thick and about the width of your palm)
5. Take out of bag and spice (see below for list of spices)
6. Cover one side of chicken with cheese, herbs, and salsa
7. Roll up like, like your rolling a sleeping bag, and stick a toothpick through to hold together
8. Place in a pan to bake in the oven at 325 or in a frying pan with a lid
9. Once in pan spread about 2 tsp of salsa and sprinkled red pepper corn on top of the rolls
10. Bake or fry for about 20-30 min, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through
    **Make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through all kinds of bacteria live on raw meat!!**
    When cooking make sure to flip the rolls over half way through and spice the bottom
    ---sidenote: make sure to push the toothpick all the way through before flipping lol ---
11. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese on the top

Spices used:

• thin layer of black peppercorn
• 1/8 tsp sea salt total for both rolls

Things inside the roll:

• fairly thick layer of either mozzerella or pepperjack cheese
• herbs de provence
• 1 tbsp total of green verde salsa (left over from Barbaritoes)

1st Attempt: Delicious!!

1

2nd Attempt: stuffed with
spinach instead of salsa
(always be willing to
adjust to what you have)

Originally served with ruby red plums,
 a romaine lettucesalad with raisins,
cheese, and croutons, a 1$ garlic,
 cheese, and rosemary biscuit mix
biscuits, with a glass of red wine