Honey Mustard Chicken

Tags

chicken, honey, honey mustard, mustard

You’ve probably been wondering where I’ve been?  I haven’t posted anything recently, mainly because I’ve just been ridiculously busy!!  Last weekend was my birthday and my wonderful husband and I spent the weekend on the Las Vegas Strip celebrating!  Now, it’s back to reality… and cooking!!!

I had found this recipe a while ago and it’s been a long time since I last made it.  So, it was a nice, sweet & tangy dish.  The sweetness of the honey and the spicy tanginess of the mustard are a great combination!  Add a little more honey if you prefer it a little more sweet or a bit more mustard for that extra kick!  Either way – it’s delicious and changing the ingredients up a bit, helps make the dish your own.

Honey Mustard Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard (I recommend Grey Poupon)
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. dried Basil
1 tsp. dried Parsley
Salt, Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder to taste

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2)  Season both sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder.
3)  In an oven-safe baking dish, arrange the seasoned chicken breasts.
4)  In a separate bowl, combine the honey, Dijon mustard, paprika, basil, and parsley.  Whisk together/mix well.  Pour over the seasoned chicken breasts.
5)  Cover with aluminum foil and bake until chicken is cooked through about 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

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Outrageous Brownies

Tags

brownies, chocolate

Who doesn’t love brownies?  Ooey, gooey, chocolatey.  Mmmmmmmm!!  I love brownies, but believe it or not I’ve always struggled with making them.  Even the boxed mixes I’d manage to screw up!!!  They would end up burnt on the edges, uncooked in the middle.  You get the picture.  I happened to see an episode of Barefoot Contessa on Food Network and Ina Garten was making these brownies.  Of course I had to give them a try!!

So, I will admit – I had a major disaster the first time I made these.  As the batter baked, it baked over the edge of my pan and all over the bottom of my oven.  Unfortunately, the batter burnt to a crisp on the bottom of the oven causing a ton of smoke and leaving my brownies smelling and tasting of smoke.  Yuck.  So, I knew I needed to make some modifications to the batter to make sure it didn’t overflow.  I cut down the amount of baking powder and that seemed to do the trick.

Also, the original recipe called for 3 Tbsp. of instant coffee granules and I felt it gave the brownies too strong a coffee taste.  It overpowered the chocolate for me.  I cut down the coffee granules and I think the final result is sheer perfection!  Coffee complements chocolate well, but you don’t want it to overpower the flavor either.  A little bit goes a long way!

Lastly, you may notice that there are no walnuts in my picture.  I’m not a huge fan of nuts in my brownies, but feel free to add whatever you’d like!

Outrageous Brownies

1 lb. unsalted butter (4 sticks)
1 lb. (16 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus an additional 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
1 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2)  Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1 inch baking sheet.
3)  Melt together the butter, 1 lb. of chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water (double boiler).  Set aside, allow to cool slightly.
4)  In a large bowl, combine eggs, coffee granules, vanilla and granulated sugar.  Stir to combine well (do not beat eggs).
5)  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (and walnuts if desired) to the flour mixture.  Lightly toss to coat the chips.  (This prevents the chips from falling to the bottom of the batter.)
6)  Slowly add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture, whisking the mixture constantly to temper the eggs.  Combine well.  Add the flour mixture and mix well.
7)  Pour into prepared baking sheet.
8)  Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shef to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough.  Bake another 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Do not overbake!!
9)  Allow to cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten

Sausage Gravy (Biscuits and Gravy)

Tags

biscuits and gravy, breakfast sausage, sausage gravy

In addition to Southwestern flavors, my hubby is also a Southern boy at heart.  His dad grew up in Southern Virginia and he’s definitely shared the Southern Cuisine bug with his son!!  One of Rob’s favorite dishes is Biscuits and Gravy.  He has ordered it a number of times when we’ve got out for breakfast and then often complained about how bland it was.  After hearing him complain so many times, I thought I should just make it myself!

Rob loves my version of Sausage Gravy so it’s definitely a keeper!  I season it with salt and pepper and add a little bit of sage.  I love its aromatic earthiness.  It goes perfectly with breakfast sausage.  If I’m feeling up to it – I’ll make biscuits from scratch.  When I feel like cheating, however, Bisquick does the trick!  It still makes it feel like homemade without the extra work.

Needless to say, Rob enjoyed breakfast this morning as I made his favorite!  He was even more excited that there were leftovers.  I’m sure he’ll be having this again for breakfast tomorrow!

Sausage Gravy

1 pkg. breakfast sausage roll (I recommend Jimmy Dean original breakfast sausage)
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp.  sage
Salt and Pepper to taste

1)  In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add the breakfast sausage and breakup the meat into small pieces while allowing it to brown.  Add the sage and season with salt and pepper.
2)  When browned, add the flour and mix well.  The mixture will be thick.
3)  Add the milk and mix well.  As the mixture heats, it will thicken.  Add more or less flour and milk to achieve desired consistency.
4)  Serve over biscuits sliced in half.

Southwestern Stuffed Portabellas

Tags

chipotle, jalapeno, poblano, portabellas, Southwest

I’ve been on a Southwestern kick lately – and my husband has been loving every minute of it!  He loves Southwestern foods and flavors.  I’ve been working on losing weight and trying to do the whole “low-carb” thing.  So, I’ve been trying to come up with filling dinners without a lot of carbs.  What better than a protein & veggie stuffed portabella mushroom?!!  YUM!!  They are one of my favorites and they are so delicious on the grill!!

I did go a little overboard with the “from scratch” on this recipe, but I think the flavors are worth the extra effort.  I just felt like grilling the other day, so I roasted fresh peppers on the grill and then diced them up as part of the filling.  OMG – it was SOOOOO good!!!  The delicious flavors of the Southwest and a spicy little kick made this mushroom filling perfect!  The addition of a little sour cream and mascarpone made it creamy and moist.

Southwestern Stuffed Portabellas

4 Portabella mushrooms, stem and gills removed (they scrape out easily with a spoon)
4 Chicken breasts, cooked as desired (I poached mine, but you grill them too!) and shredded
1 Pablano pepper, roasted, skin and seeds removed, diced
2 Jalapeno peppers, roasted, skin and seeds removed, diced
2-3 Chipotles in Adobo, seeds removed, diced
1/3 cup Sour Cream (for a healthy alternative, I used “Light” Sour Cream)
1/4 cup Mascarpone Cheese (you can substitute cream cheese or light cream cheese for a healthy alternative)
2 Tbsp. chopped Cilantro
Shredded Mexican Cheese blend for topping
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chipotle Chili Powder to season

1)  Roast the pablano and jalapeno peppers on a grill until blackened and blistered.  Place in a brown paper bag or plastic bag and let sit for about 20 minutes.  This causes the peppers to steam and will make it easier for the skin to peel off.  Peel the skins, remove the seeds, and dice.
2)  Grill the portabellas about 10-15 minutes, or until softened.  Set aside.
3)  In a separate bowl, combine the shredded chicken, diced pablano, jalapenos, and chipotles, sour cream, mascarpone, and cilantro.  Mix well.  Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and chipotle chili powder to season.  Add more or less to your desired taste.  Mix well.
4)  Stuff the mixture into the portabellas.  Top with shredded Mexican cheese blend.
5)  Place the stuffed portabellas in a baking dish and broil in the oven about 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.