I’m in A Competition!

I love watching food/chef competitions. I’m obsessed with Food Network’s Baking Championship series, I love MasterChef, and countless others. In the back of my mind I always thought about applying to one. What would I make? What would I do? Who would be my competition? Would I win? Nah. I would always talk myself out of it.

I was perusing through Facebook one day and this Chef Competition popped up. I was intrigued. I clicked on the link and started reading about it. One link led to another and before you know it, I was applying for this competition. I submitted it on a complete whim figuring I will never hear from them again. Well…. I did. I made it into the competition! I am so excited to share that I am in the running for the 2023 Favorite Chef Competition, but I need your help to win!

To advance far enough in the competition to compete, I need your vote! Voting opens today, Monday, June 12, 2023, at 10:00 am Pacific Time and you can vote once every 24 hours. I would sincerely appreciate it if you would please take a moment each day to vote for me so I can move on in the competition. I would love to win, but just being able to move forward means a lot!

This blog has reached people all over the world and for that I am truly grateful. It would be so incredible to have people all over the world voting for me. Please click on the link below to vote and thank you so much in advance for your support! Happy Cooking!

https://favchef.com/2023/christine-fain

Ratatouille

Tags

Ratatouille, squash, tomatoes, zucchini

I posted a little preview on my personal Facebook page from Thanksgiving of this glorious dish and am just now (FINALLY) getting to my food blog post about it! For those of you who don’t know, I just began teaching this year. That is a lot in itself – just being a first year teacher. Add to it the complexities of trying to navigate a world still in a pandemic crisis, and it is that much harder. I have never been great with time management either so juggling home life – wife, mother – and work life has had its challenges as well. Needless to say I have been more than busy. The school year is already half over and there is that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel with summer break at the end of it and with a brand-new swimming pool in our backyard – I cannot wait for summer!

Back to Thanksgiving…. Usually for Thanksgiving we go to my in-law’s. My mother-in-law makes the turkey and stuffing and I usually do all of the sides. This year we hosted at our house and I made Thanksgiving dinner. I wanted to change up something. I get bored year after year with the same-old side dishes. I like trying something new once in a while. My husband’s family likes tradition so I always keep those same traditional dishes for everyone to enjoy, but I try to add something new to the mix each year. This year I wanted to try a new vegetable dish and I was looking at recipes when I thought about ratatouille. I had never made it before, but I loved everything in it so I decided to try it. It was an incredible success and was enjoyed by everyone!

Traditionally, ratatouille is made with yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. Our family is not big on eggplant so I decided to switch out the eggplant with carrot chips. It was delicious. Nestled in a bed of crushed tomatoes with a savory herb drizzle – this dish was a hit! Not to mention it was beautiful in appearance too.

Keeping in mind the cooking time – squash, zucchini, and tomatoes don’t take very long to cook, but the carrot chips do. So to avoid overcooking those and/or undercooking the carrot chips – I par-boiled them first. Simply put the carrot chips in a pot with some boiling water and cook them under they are just under fork tender. Drain them and place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. This also helps cool them down faster too so you can handle them as you assemble the ratatouille. Drain them from the ice bath and lay them on paper towels so they are dry.

With respect to cooking – this dish needs both stove and oven time so it is best to use an oven-safe baking dish. I used a small cast iron skillet which made things super easy. I was able to cook the sauce in the skillet on the stovetop and then just transfer the final dish into the oven to finish cooking.

The tomatoes and carrots gave this dish a nice sweetness and the carrots also helped with some texture. I find zucchini and yellow squash to get mushy sometimes if it is overcooked. The peppers also gave it a nice texture in addition to added sweetness. The savory herb drizzle and salt and pepper seasoning helped balance out the sweetness and gave the overall flavor profile a very nice, balanced bite.

It does take some patience to arrange the veggies in the pan, but it is so worth it! I hope you’ll give this dish a try and enjoy it as much as I do!

Ratatouille

For the vegetables:

6 roma tomatoes (sliced about 1/8″)
2 yellow squash (sliced about 1/8″)
2 zucchini (sliced about 1/8″)
1 small bag carrot chips (or for traditional ratatouille, 2 eggplant, peeled and sliced about 1/8″)

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

For the herb drizzle:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, from 8-10 leaves
1 tsp. garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. fresh thyme
Salt & Pepper, to taste
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven for 375˚F (190˚C).
2. Slice the tomatoes, squash, and zucchini (or eggplant if desired) into approximately 1/8 – 1/16 inch rounds, then set aside.
3. If using the carrot chips, bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the carrot chips to partially cook them. Remove the carrots after about 5 minutes, placing them in an ice bath to stop cooking. Strain and place them on paper towels to dry. Set aside with other veggies.
4. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, garlic, and bell peppers until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add the crushed tomatoes. Stir until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Remove from heat, then add the basil. Stir once more, then smooth the surface of the sauce with a spatula (making the sauce flat to arrange the veggies in).
5. Arrange the sliced veggies in alternating patterns, (for example, carrot, (or eggplant), tomato, squash, zucchini) on top of the sauce from the outer edge to the middle of the pan. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Make the herb seasoning: In a small bowl, mix together the basil, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spoon the herb seasoning over the vegetables.
7. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover, then bake for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.
8. Serve while hot as a main dish or side. The ratatouille is also excellent the next day–cover with foil and reheat in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven for 15 minutes, or simply microwave to desired temperature.

Enjoy!!

Recipe adapted from http://www.tasty.co

Cake Box Cookies

Tags

cake box mix, cake mix, cake mix cookies, premade cake mix

I love baking and when I have the time (which is rare), I love baking from scratch.  There is nothing more satisfying than seeing your final product and knowing you crafted it all on your own from start to finish.  On occasion and in a pinch, I do admit I resort to those pre-made cake box mixes.  I usually do some things to “doctor them up” to give them a little more depth of flavor and make them taste more homemade.  For vanilla or chocolate cake box mixes I always add a little vanilla extract; I often add chocolate chips to chocolate cake box mixes; and some lemon zest to lemon cake box mixes.  But…..

Did you know you could make cookies out of cake box mixes?  Yes – you can!!!

A couple of years ago my mother-in-law asked me to help her make cookies for her neighbors for the holidays and she wanted A LOT.  So I needed a quick way to accomplish a lot of cookies!  After a little online research for some recipes that made large batches of cookies, I came across a “hack” of making cookies using cake box mix.  I was intrigued!  It was the same ingredients as the cake mix, but in different amounts to create a thicker, scoopable cookie batter instead of a more liquid cake batter.

The great thing about this is there are so many variety of cake mixes out there so there are lots of great options for cookie flavors.  Do you enjoy fresh, bright flavors?  Use the lemon cake mix.  Feeling like something dark and rich?  Try the chocolate fudge cake mix.  Want warm flavors that remind you of Fall?  Use the pumpkin or the spice cake mix.  You can also create new flavor profiles or enhance others.  I love citrus.  Try using the white cake mix and adding the zest and a little juice from oranges, lemons, and limes to bring a bright flavor profile to a boring cake mix.  Try adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the spice cake mix.  You can also use white or yellow cake mix for vanilla cookies and sprinkle holiday themed sprinkles on them for an easy and festive treat!!  There are so many possibilities!!

A little while ago, I made some lemon cake box cookies and drizzled a lemon glaze (lemon juice and some powdered sugar) on the top once they cooled.  Then I put some sprinkles on them for some color.  My kids love red velvet cake too!  I used red velvet cake mix and made red velvet whoopie pies with cream cheese filling.  My family went NUTS over them!  I’m lucky I had enough to take a picture these went so fast!  I love how simple, quick, easy, and versatile these cookies can be!  There is a cake mix for every occasion!

Cake Box Mix Cookies

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix (any kind)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup mix-ins (chips, sprinkles, nuts, coconut, etc. if desired)

Directions:
1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper.
2.)  Mix first 3 ingredients together well.
3.)  Gently incorporate mix-ins (if desired)
4.)  Scoop and place 2″ apart onto prepared baking sheets
5.)  Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

Tags

mac & cheese, mac-n-cheese, macaroni & cheese, macaroni and cheese

Mac & Cheese.  It’s a classic.  Who grew up with those blue boxes of pasta and that bright orange powder mix-in to make “mac and cheese?”  I am sure most of you know what I’m talking about and most of us grew up with it, am I right?  Anytime we had mac and cheese when I was a kid, that was what my mom always used to make.  I have to admit – I loved it (and believe it or not – I still do)!

With the whole COVID-19 pandemic, we have been staying home as much as possible.  Even with our local community in Phase II of opening, we still haven’t gone out to restaurants to eat (but do support as we can with take-out or delivery) and I am still worried about taking my kids out in public to stores even with masks.  I only do pick-up for groceries and avoid going into stores as much as possible.  Truthfully, I think I have physically walked into stores 3 or 4 times since March.  I order online and do pick-up whenever and wherever I can.

My kids LOVE mac and cheese and those blue boxes have been hard to come by during this quarantine.  They were wanting mac and cheese as they hadn’t had it in a while, and I was out.  Last year, my daughter and I volunteered with her Girl Scout Troop to cook dinner for families at Ronald McDonald House.  One of the dishes we made was mac and cheese and we used sliced cheese.  I happened to have some extra sliced cheese in the house and decided to use it and make a homemade version.  My kids went nuts over it!  Now it is all they ask for.  It turned out creamy, gooey, and delicious!  Who needs that blue box anyway?! Once you try this recipe – you’ll never go back!

In perusing the internet for recipes, I noticed most recipes called for breadcrumbs and some even had crumbled potato chips in their recipes as a “topping” to put on and then bake in the oven.  I did not do this.  My kids are pretty simple eaters.  The mac and cheese base mixture out of the pot was all they wanted and that was fine with me!  I like that this recipe allows you to make adjustments to achieve your personal desired consistency.  Some people like the flavor, but not that much sauce.  Others (like my kids) love the sauce.  In making it the first time, I followed the recipe.  However, the next few times I made it I added more butter, milk, and cheese than the base recipe because my kids love a creamy sauce.  It wasn’t too much, but it was just enough and they loved it.  I’m sure you will too!  Enjoy!

Macaroni & Cheese

1 lb. pasta (small pasta works best – elbows, ditalini, small shells)
1 Tbsp. butter
12-15 slices American Cheese
3/4 cup milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions, drain well.
2. Add butter and mix well.  Add cheese slices allowing the heat from the pasta to melt the cheese.  Mix well.
3. Add milk and continue stirring mixture over medium-low heat to completely melt the cheese slices.  Add more cheese slices and/or milk as needed to achieve your desired “cheesiness” consistency.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.
4. When the mixture is creamy and the cheese is completely melted, the dish is ready.
5. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!

Healthy Philly Cheesesteak

As mentioned in my recent posts, my hubby and I have been on a health journey (again!).  I have been finding healthy recipes and trying new healthy foods.  Who would have thought I would ever eat cauliflower!?  But cooked right, it is delicious!  It’s all about balance and flavor while still keeping it healthy!

Along my journey I came across this recipe for “Philly Cheesesteak” and thought I would give it a try.  My husband would love it (of course he would miss the bread), but still the flavor would be there.  I had to improvise a bit since I didn’t have all of the correct ingredients, but let me tell you – what I made was outstanding.  Whatever ingredients were missing – they were not missed and what we had was still incredibly healthy and flavorful.  I made some minor notes in the actual recipe below of what I changed.  I thought I got everything when I picked up groceries, but apparently I missed some.  And that’s what I get for not reading through a recipe correctly or completely!  Lesson learned! (But still – it was delicious!)

Since the program we are on is a very healthy, mild form of keto, I don’t keep onions in the house, I also didn’t have any beef broth or low fat cream cheese.  So, for this recipe I did not include the onions or the beef broth and for the cream cheese, I happened to have some leftover chive and onion flavored cream cheese so I used that instead, but only used half of what the recipe called for since it was not low-fat.  I had a bunch of mushrooms that would have gone bad had I not used them, so I previously I chopped them up very fine and cooked them off.  I stored them in a container and just used them over the next few days in a variety of recipes and meals I was making.  Since mushrooms are allowed on our health program, it was easy to incorporate them even though they were already cooked.

My husband went crazy over this dish.  It’s definitely a keeper.  It is amazing how despite not having every component of the recipe, the ingredients I did have worked perfectly to deliver a flavorful dish.  The peppers were not cooked completely through so they still had a little snap to them which gave the dish some texture.   The cream cheese added not only that missing onion flavor, but creaminess as well – as did the provolone cheese.  The roast beef held its own with the beef flavor – personally I felt there really was no need for the beef broth.  AND – without using those extra ingredients, we saved on calories too!  Winner!

We both found this to be a very satisfying meal.  We were both quite full after eating it.  Neither one of us missed the bread.  It’s definitely a keeper for our healthy eating plan!!  Hope you enjoy it too!!

Healthy Philly Cheesesteak
Serves 4

4 medium green bell peppers
1/3 cup diced yellow onion (I omitted)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup low sodium beef broth (I omitted)
6 oz. sliced mushrooms (about 3/4 cup) (I finely chopped mine)
1 lb. thinly shaved deli roast beef (I didn’t shave this, I sliced it into strips)
4 Tbsp. low fat cream cheese (I didn’t have so I used 2 Tbsp. Chive & Onion flavored cream cheese)
4 1 oz. slices reduced fat provolone cheese

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2)  Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove ribs and seeds, partially cook about 5-6 minutes in microwave.  Set aside.
3)  In a large skillet, saute the onions and garlic in broth over medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Add the mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender.
4)  Mix in the roast beef and heat through, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in cream cheese.
5)  Line the inside of each bell pepper with a quarter slice of cheese.  Next, fill each pepper with an eighth of the roast beef mixture.  Top with another quarter slice of cheese.  Repeat for remaining bell pepper halves.  Bake 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Recipe courtesy of Optavia Lean & Green Meals

Shepherd’s Pie

Tags

Meat Pie, Shepherd Pie, Shepherds Pie

Much like rest of the United States and parts of the world, our family has been quarantined due to the COVID-19/Coronavirus Pandemic.  Schools have been closed since mid-March and my husband has been working from home for the past several weeks.  We are fortunate to not only be employed during this time, but also to be able to still get most of the groceries we need for our family of five.  Two months later, we still struggle finding essentials like hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, alcohol, and the like.  What we have we make last as best we can, and of course we are taking the necessary precautions when we must go out for groceries and other essentials.

Being fortunate enough to find meat, potatoes, and vegetables has allowed me to get back to cooking.  When we first started the stay-at-home order, one of things I wanted to make was Shepherd’s Pie.  I have no idea why.  For some reason it popped in my head, it sounded good, and I was determined!  For the most part I knew what it was – ground meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes on top.  But what seasonings would really make it spectacular?  I trolled around the internet looking at various recipes.  They were pretty much the same basic ingredients and seasonings.  One item, however, that I was surprised was in it was tomato paste.  But it was frequently a listed ingredient in a number of Shepherd’s Pie recipes I found so I made sure to add it.  I didn’t follow a particular recipe.  I just used a variety of some as references.

We usually stick with ground turkey or ground chicken in lieu of ground beef in our household.  I used ground turkey for this recipe and it still turned out terrific.  I sauteed up some onion, celery, and carrots.  I learned in culinary school this is called “mirepoix” (meer-e-pwaa).  It is a combination of 50% onions, 25% celery, and 25% carrots.  To this I added the ground turkey and cooked it through.  For seasoning, I used my base of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  I also added some Paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and of course, tomato paste.  You can buy them in tubes that keep a long time in your fridge so you don’t have to worry about opening a can of paste and not being able to use it all.  When I found those in the grocery store it was a game changer!  I love these tubes of tomato paste!  They are so easy to use and they store practically forever!!!

The last ingredient I added was frozen peas.  The heat from the mixture heated them through   The flavor was delicious.  I loved the depth and richness of the flavor.  The Worcestershire sauce gave it an incredible savoriness, the tomato paste helped thicken it up while also enriching the flavor, and the various vegetables and ground meat provided a variety of textures.  One thing to note is if you find the mixture is TOO thick, add a bit of stock.  I used chicken stock since I chose poultry to use as my base, but beef stock would give better flavor if you used ground beef.  You could use water, but you would likely dilute the flavor of your dish.

This mixture is then put into a baking dish (I just used a disposable tin for easy clean up), and topped off with mashed potatoes.  Here’s where you can get creative.  I made basic mashed potatoes with salt, pepper, butter and milk, but you can top off your Shepherd’s Pie with a different style of potato if you prefer.  You could make a garlic mashed potato or even a cheesy mashed potato.  Anyway you choose – it will be a great topper to your base!

So here’s my take on Shepherd’s Pie.  It may not be Gordon Ramsay’s or Alton Brown’s recipe, but it was damn good and our family devoured it!  Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and…. Happy Cooking!

Shepherd’s Pie

For the base:

1 lb. ground turkey (or ground beef if you prefer)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 small bag frozen peas
1/2 cup of stock (chicken or beef), (more or less if needed for consistency)
Few dashes Worcestershire Sauce (maybe about 1 Tbsp.)
1-2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Paprika

For the topping:

4-5 russet potatoes, washed, peeled, diced, and cooked through
1/2 to 1 stick of butter
1/2 to 1 cup of milk as needed to achieve desired consistency
Salt, Pepper to taste

Mash cooked potatoes adding butter and milk to achieve desired consistency.  They should not be runny.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.

1. Prepare potatoes as directed above.  Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, saute’ the onions and garlic together about 3-4 minutes.  Add the celery and carrots and allow to cook about 4-5 minutes.  Add ground turkey and cook until cooked through.
4. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Worcestershire Sauce, and tomato paste.  Mix well.
5. Add stock (adding more or less to achieve desired thickness.  It should be a little thick (closer to a stew, not thin like a soup).  Something in between is fine!
6. When the meat base is cooked through, taste the mixture.  Adjust seasoning as desired.
7. Pour mixture into a baking dish (I use a disposable tin).  Top with mashed potatoes.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes until potatoes are heated through and they start to get brown on top.

You can also make this dish ahead!  I have prepped it in advance and kept it refrigerated until dinner the next evening.  If you have done this, take out the pan about 30 minutes prior to baking to bring to room temperature.  Bake at 350 degrees F covered for 1 hour.  You want to ensure that the mixture is heated through the inside completely.  Check the mixture by placing a regular metal knife into the center and feeling it with your lips.  If the metal on the knife is hot, it is ready – if not, continue cooking until heated through.  Cook about 15 minutes uncovered allowing the potatoes to brown a little bit.

Enjoy!

“Fried Rice” Cauliflower

Tags

Cauliflower Rice, fried rice cauliflower, Riced Cauliflower

A couple of years ago I began a health journey.  I was fortunate to lose over 100 lbs. on this healthy eating plan and I was looking and feeling incredible!  I went through some personal challenges and I allowed myself to fall back into my negative eating habits and I gained most of that weight back.  A really dumb move on my part!  But, as my health coach says “This is my journey.”  Apparently, I felt the need to take the scenic route! 🤷‍♀️ I am in a better place now and last week I started my health journey (again!).  (And I’m already down 3 lbs!  Whoo hoo!)  Thanks again for walking it with me! 😊

Anyway, I digress….

I love rice, but it’s not very healthy, especially white rice – and especially when you’re trying to lose weight and eat healthy.  All things in moderation of course, but for now, it’s not a good option for me.  When I originally began my health journey, I was introduced to riced cauliflower.  Who knew I would grow to love it and utilize it in different ways!  About a month ago I was making dinner and wanted to have a side dish for the chicken I was making.  I felt like having Chinese food, but we weren’t sending out for it, so what to do?  Raid the pantry!  I had sesame oil and soy sauce which were key ingredients for making fried rice.  However, instead of using rice, I decided to use some riced cauliflower and see if my kids would eat it.  I had some frozen so I used that.  First I scrambled up some eggs, chopped them up a bit into smaller pieces and set them aside.  Then I sauteed some diced onion and some garlic in a skillet with a little oil.  Then I defrosted the riced cauliflower, drained it, and sauteed it up in the skillet with the onion giving it a chance to get some color and crispy texture.  Doing this helped to give the cauliflower that little bit of a chewy bite you get with rice.  I then seasoned the “rice” with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce.  Then I added the scrambled eggs and a small bag of frozen peas and carrots to the mixture.  OMG!  It tasted just like the fried rice from our favorite local Chinese take-out restaurant.  The only difference was I didn’t put any meat into mine.  Sesame oil is potent.  A little goes a long way so as you add it, do so minimally and taste as you go.  You don’t want to overpower the dish.

As I also mentioned, I did not add any meat to this dish.  What I like about it is it is very versatile.  You could keep it vegetarian like I did, or you could add shrimp, scallops, pork, beef, chicken – just about anything to make it your own.  Get creative!  I didn’t have any green onions, but that would also enhance the dish with some great color as well.  For added texture, you could also add some sesame seeds (I didn’t have any of those either!)  But as you can see, this is a really versatile dish and is a great base for creating some delicious meals.

My kids were none the wiser.  They completely devoured the “fried rice” and even had seconds.  As I was clearing the table, my son kept raving about how delicious the fried rice was and how he didn’t know I could cook Chinese food.  I caved and told him that it wasn’t rice.  I admitted that I used riced cauliflower instead of rice, but I reminded him how much he said he liked it and how it was good that he explore trying new things.  To this day, he still gives me a hard time about how I tricked him and his sisters.  If that is what it takes to get my kids to eat more veggies – trickery it is!!!  And I am totally fine with that!

“Fried Rice” Cauliflower

2 bags frozen riced cauliflower (defrosted and drained of any excess water)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 eggs, scrambled (cut into smaller pieces, then set aside)
1 small bag frozen peas and carrots
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground ginger to taste
1-2 Tbsp. sesame oil (add more or less to your taste)
2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce (add more or less to your taste)

1. Defrost cauliflower and drain well of any excess water.  Set aside.
2. Scramble 2 eggs and set aside.
3. In a medium sized skillet, saute’ the diced onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil until translucent.
4. Add defrosted and drained cauliflower.  Over medium-high heat, cook the cauliflower allowing it to develop a crust on the bottom.  Gently stir it around allowing for addition crusts to develop on the cauliflower.
5. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground ginger
6. Add sesame oil and soy sauce, adding more or less to your desired taste.
7. Add the scrambled eggs and frozen peas and carrots.  Adjust seasonings as desired.
8. Cook until frozen peas and carrots are heated through.  Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

White Chicken Chili

Tags

chicken chili, chili, white chicken chili

This past Christmas my husband got me an Instant Pot.  I had been wanting one for a while, but never took the plunge.  He also knows I am a huge Star Wars fan.  So not only did I get an instant pot, but he got me an R2-D2 instant pot!

And I LOVE this thing!!!!  I have to admit it sat in a box for about 3 months because I was too scared to use it.  Pressure cooker???  Steam burns, pressure explosions.  But, I sought the advice of friends and family who had one and used it and I also viewed several YouTube videos and gained enough confidence to give it a try.  Now that I’ve used it, I use it frequently!  It makes dinner prep so easy!!

So, unfortunately, our country is currently experiencing being quarantined due to the Coronavirus outbreak/pandemic.  My kids have been home from school for the past 3 weeks (Lord help me!), and my husband is now working from home.  It has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us.  I’ve enjoyed having my husband home since both of us are very busy with one thing or another.  It’s given us a chance to spend a little more time together, which has been nice.  My kids are starting to go stir crazy.  They hate having to do schoolwork (ugh, it’s like pulling teeth!), and they’re bored with their backyard toys.  We get through schoolwork, and they spend some time online working on math and science, and then the afternoon they get to play.  We’ll get through it all!

I am not a conspiracy theorist or someone who is panicked about the whole pandemic.  Am I worried for my family and friends?  Of course.  Who isn’t?  What worries me most is how others are behaving as if it is no big deal.  I have ventured to the stores only twice in the last couple of weeks.  And I’ve been taking every precaution necessary.  Mask, gloves, Clorox wipes to wipe down the cart, and everything else when I’m done (my keys and debit card included).  My husband has even found me in the garage unloading the groceries and wiping every single item down with Clorox wipes to ensure I don’t bring it into the house.  Needless to say, my family has not done any take-out/pick up dinners or had anything delivered.  It worries me that I witness so many people not taking precautions and I don’t want their stupidity to end up causing issues for my family.  In fact, I was at Sam’s Club a couple of days ago and saw someone leave with 2 dwarf citrus trees and another having a store employee help him load a huge TV into the bed of his pick up truck.  Please explain to me how these are ESSENTIAL items?  So, we quarantine and social distance.

The point of what I am getting at is that I’m home – we’re all home – and with avoiding delivery or sending out for dinners, I’ve been able to get back into the kitchen and cook and bake on a much more regular basis.  And I’ve been loving it!!!  Now I just need to catch up on entries to my food blog and I should be good!! 🙂

Yesterday afternoon I found myself craving chili but I didn’t want regular chili.  I really wanted white chicken chili.  So I spent some time searching recipes until I found one I thought I might like.  In finding a recipe, it also happened to be one for an instant pot.  Jackpot!

I had all of the ingredients except black beans.  I hate black beans anyway, so I didn’t have them in the house.  No big deal – I just eliminated them from the chili.  And honestly, they were never missed.  If you like them though, feel free to add them!  The recipe also called for 2 chicken breasts and I had a small package of 3 breasts so I just used all three.  I also added a bit of celery.  I happened to have some and I didn’t want it to go bad.  The chili was simplistic and flavorful.  The shredded chicken gave it great heartiness, the celery, diced tomatoes, and corn gave it great texture and the beans and cream cheese gave it smooth creaminess.  The addition of the chili powder gives it just a subtle hint of heat.  You can add more or less if you desire.  You could even add a splash of Tabasco for some additional heat.

My family went crazy over it.  In fact, my son asked last night if I could make it again tomorrow!  This was a perfect one pot meal that was easy, simple, and delicious.  I loved that I could just throw all the ingredients into my instant pot and let it go.  Quick, simple, easy, and delicious.  Dinner doesn’t get any better than that!

Hope you enjoy it!

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili

3 large chicken breasts
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained (I did not add these)
1 15 oz. can white beans (cannellini), drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15 oz. can whole kernal corn with juice
1 10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies and juice
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. dried Ranch dressing mix (I use Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix)
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces

1)  Place all ingredients in instant pot in the following order:  chicken breasts, white beans, chopped onion, corn with juice, Rotel with juice, 1/2 cup chicken broth.
2)  Add chili powder, cumin, and dried Ranch mix.  Stir gently to combine, getting some juice under the chicken to ensure it doesn’t scorch.
3)  Cut cream cheese into 6 pieces and place over the top of chili.  Cover and seal with lid.  Switch valve to sealing position.  Cook for 20-25 minutes on high pressure.  Once it is done cooking, switch valve to venting position and allow for depressurization.
4)  Once depressurized, remove chicken and shred apart with 2 forks.  Stir the contents of pot together to evenly distribute melted cream cheese.  Return shredded chicken to pot and stir to combine.
5)  Serve plain or with toppings such as avocado or cilantro, if desired.

Recipe adapted from http://www.natashaskitchen.com

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

Tags

Apples, caramel, caramel apple, Granny Smith Applies, Snickers, Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

Last Thursday was my son’s 10th birthday.  Every year for his birthday he asks me to make the same dessert – Snickers Caramel Apple Salad.  In my son’s words… “chocolate salad.”  This year was the first year he didn’t ask for it and truthfully, I was a bit disappointed.  It’s delicious!!  He insisted on wanting to do Laser Tag with his brother and a friend, homemade biscuits and gravy for dinner at home with the family, and lemon cake instead of a big birthday party.  He’s older now after all.

I honestly can’t even remember what I was looking for so many years ago when I first came across this.  But, I made it and my son loved it.  Every year thereafter, he wanted it as part of his birthday party spread.  As he got involved in other activities and our friend circle grew, new friends joined us for his birthday party celebrations and this became a quick favorite among the crowd!

It is a unique combination of sweet and tart and a wonderful combination of textures.  The crushed Snickers bars gives some sweet and salty from the chocolate, nougat, and nuts; the cool whip and vanilla pudding make it creamy; the caramel adds some sweet, but also brings in the ever slightest note of bitterness to offset it all; and the diced Granny Smith applies give the salad a unique bite and tartness.  The combination in your mouth is incredible!  Who would have ever thought a combination like this would work – but it does!

When making this recipe, it is important to use at least 2% milk.  Whole milk would work best, but you’ll need at least 2% milk so that the instant pudding sets correctly.  Using 1% or skim milk doesn’t contain enough milk fat to ensure the pudding will set.  Also, I freeze my Snickers bars, then put them in a Ziploc bag and bang them into small pieces with a mallet.  I just find it’s easier and less involved than having to dice up the candy bar and having the pieces stick to the knife and just overall fight through it.  Trust me – it’s just easier.  Freeze ’em and smash ’em.  As for the caramel sauce, I have just resorted to store-bought, pre-made caramel sauce.

While it has been an annual staple at my son’s birthday each year, it is also a nice cold refreshing dessert for any summer gathering!  My best advice on making it is to make it the day you need it and add the apples last.  I’ve made it in advance and when the apples sit overnight in the mixture, they get mushy.  You want that nice crisp bite and texture in the dessert.  When the apples get mushy – it just doesn’t taste the same.  So make it a couple of hours in advance of your event and let it sit in the fridge.  Add the apples at the last minute and mix well.  Top with the caramel and you have yourself a delicious, refreshing summer dessert!  Enjoy!

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad

1 1/2 cups cold milk (use at least 2%.  Whole milk is best.)
1 3.4 oz. package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 8 oz. tub of Cool Whip topping
4 lg. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
6 Snickers bars, chopped (or smashed!)
Caramel Sauce

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and dry pudding mix.  Allow to set about 3 minutes.
2. Fold in the cool whip.
3. Add the Snickers pieces and apples.  Mix gently until well coated.
4. Cover and refrigerate about 1-2 hours.
5. Before serving, drizzle with caramel sauce.

Recipe adapted from http://www.mybakingaddiction.com

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

Tags

Crustless Quiche, spaghetti squash, Spaghetti Squash Gratin

I’m always looking for new healthy recipes to add to my collection.  I’ve had a rough few months and went off my health program for a bit, but I’m back on track these days and focusing on healthy eating again, and this is one of my favorite healthy recipes.

I love spaghetti squash.  It is so versatile and can be used and prepared in a variety of ways.  It’s taste is very mild as well and it really takes on the flavors of whatever you’re cooking with it.  I’ve used it as a taco bake/casserole, spaghetti squash lasagna, and of course, the Spaghetti Squash Chicken Enchilada recipe I’ve previously shared.  (Don’t worry I’ll be sharing the others soon!)

I found this recipe through my health program (and if you’re ever interested in learning more about it, feel free to reach out to me!  As a Health Coach for the program, I can help guide you on your way to achieving optimal health!)  Thanks for letting me plug.  I digress…

This recipe is delicious.  I love cheese and this reminds me of a crustless quiche type of dish.  Cooked spaghetti squash is combined with eggs, Greek yogurt, and cheeses and delivers a delicious vegetarian dish.  While all of ingredients also help bind it together, the cheese gives it a really nice flavor and the Greek yogurt gives it that little bit of tang.  I also roast my spaghetti squash in the oven with some olive oil and seasonings as well – salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  I love the flavor roasting gives the spaghetti squash.  It takes more time than cooking it in a microwave, but it is so worth it!!  It really gives the squash time to develop some deep, rich flavor and allows the seasonings to absorb into the squash giving it a nice, elevated level of flavor.

I’ve made this a few times for myself as part of my health plan as a dinner for myself.  Most recently, I made it for Easter and it was a huge hit among our extended family.  While our family likes vegetables, they are pretty picky about which ones, and honestly, I wasn’t expecting them to like this.  There was nothing left!  I couldn’t believe it!  Healthy eating and delicious food equals a win in my book!

What I also love about this dish is its versatility.  It can stand on its own as an entree dish or served in smaller portions as a side dish.  This vegetarian dish is a delicious, healthy alternative to potatoes or other starchy side dishes.  I hope you’ll take the time to give it a try.  You won’t be disappointed!!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

2 1/2 lbs. spaghetti squash (to yield about 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash)
Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, and Garlic Powder (to season spaghetti squash)
2 eggs
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ Tbsp. fresh thyme
¼ tsp. each salt and pepper
¼ cup reduced fat grated Parmesan cheese
Cooking Spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds.  Rub olive oil on inside of spaghetti squash and season with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Bake face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until squash is easily pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes.  Allow to cool.  Using a fork, shred the spaghetti squash into strands and place in a large bowl.
3. While squash is baking, in a medium sized bowl, mix remaining ingredients together (except for Parmesan cheese).  Stir mixture into the spaghetti squash strands.
4. Spray an 8 x 8 inch square Pyrex or glass baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread mixture into the lightly greased casserole dish.  Top with Parmesan cheese and press down to moisten.
5. Bake uncovered 30 minutes.

Recipe from Pinterest