Chocolate Chip Pie

Last night, Kevin and I went to a cookout and we offered to make dessert. The hostess said that her husband loves chocolate. I instantly thought of a pie that one of my roommates made when I was a student at UGA. Kevin actually made the dessert and he was amazed by how easy it was to make. Same ingredients as chocolate chips cookies just add a pie crust!

Chocolate Chip Pie
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup softened butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 9 inch unbaked (unfrozen) pie crust

Beat eggs on high speed in large bowl until they become frothy. Beat in flour, granulated and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate morsels and nuts. Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife poke comes out clean.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables

My husband and I joke around about all of the recipes that I try. I guess you could say that he my guinea pig when it comes to taste testing (for which I am very thankful). If he enjoys the dish we put it on the "top ten list." If not, he thanks me for dinner and I do not prepare the dish again. 

One dish that has been placed on our top ten list is a roasted pork tenderloin and vegetables dish. Once you have all of the ingredients and veggies prepared the prep for this dish is a fast and easy. I have made this dish several times and it always turns out great! 

Roast Pork Tenderloin

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp oil

- 1 (1 1/4 lb)  pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and secure foil to the top of a large baking sheet. Spray with nonstick spray. Mix chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and oil in a bowl. Rub the mixture onto the tenderloin and place it on one side of baking sheet.

Roasted Veggies

- 2 small bell peppers cut in 1 inch pieces. 

- 1 med. zucchini, sliced in 1 inch slices and then cut in half

- 1 red onion cut in 8 wedges

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp oil

Place cut vegetables in large bowl. Pour pepper, salt, and oil over vegetables and mix. Then spread vegetables on the other side of baking sheet in single layer.

Roast 25 to 30 minutes. Turn vegetables twice and cook tenderloin until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I found this recipe in Woman's Day Magazine.  Check out their website for an entire month of recipes!

http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Roast-Pork-Tenderloin-and-Vegetables

Olive, Artichoke, Eggplant Linguine

Two of my favorite ingredients are olives (of any kind) and artichokes (prepared any way). I saw this recipe and knew that I had to try it! Its a very light pasta dish. My husband said that it had a little bit of a fruity hint to it. Perfect for Spring!

Olive, Artichoke, Eggplant Linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped red onion

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

4 baby eggplants (quartered)

2 1/2 cups canned peeled tomatoes with juice

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 14 oz. can artichoke drained and halved

1 cup of pitted black olives

12 oz. linguini (I used angel hair pasta)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil leaves (optional)

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  
• Add onion, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes or until eggplant is lightly brown. 
• Combine tomatoes with juice, sugar, and tomato paste and pour over the eggplant. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. (I started to cook my pasta a couple of minutes before the next step) 
• Add artichokes and black olives to pan and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. 
• Drain and rinse pasta. Toss pasta with remaining olive oil.
• Toss the eggplant mixture with the pasta. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. (I did not add the basil leaves but I sprinkled parmesan cheese on top once served)

                                                                           Enjoy!!

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/nutrition/recipes/MainCourse/Linguine.aspx

Braised Balsamic Chicken

I made and served this dish within 25 minutes. We needed a quick meal tonight. Fortunately this recipe did not taste like I threw it together. Would definitely recommend to any family on the go!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 thinly sliced onion

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

Heat olive oil in pan. Season chicken with pepper and garlic powder. Brown chicken with onions. Pour tomatoes and vinegar over chicken and season with basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

I cut this recipe in half. I used the other half of the tomatoes to cooked green beans. It went perfect with the chicken! Enjoy!

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braised-Balsamic-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Black Bean Burger

A couple of weeks ago I met one of my friend's girlfriend. I found that she has a love for food and children! If you don't know me well, those are two of my biggest passions! When I am not working with children I am usually in my kitchen cooking! :)

Well this new friend of mine introduced me to a couple of recipes. I tried her black bean burger recipe tonight. It is super simple and has a kick to it. I served mine with salsa on top and the flavors went great together!

Black Bean Burger
1 (14 oz) can black beans
1 small onion
2 gloves garlic crushed (or 1/4 teaspoon minced or powdered garlic)
2 teaspoons cajan seasoning
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)

Place onion and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add drained black beans to processor. Transfer the black bean mixture to a mixing bowl and add cajan seasoning, bread crumbs, and egg substitute. Mix together and shape into 4 patties.

You can grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or boil 10-12 minutes on each side. If you choose to broil the burgers, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

I hope that you enjoy! Easy, yummy, and fast clean up!!

Lemon and Parsley Tilapia

This dish was really easy to make and tasted divine! The tilapia was so light, flaky, and filled with flavor. If you have never eaten a lot of fish or do not like a "fishy fish." Tilapia is perfect choice!

Lemon and Parsley Tilapia

1 small lemon

4 tablespoons soften butter

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt (I used less)

1/8  teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions with tops included

4 tilapia fillets  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Zest lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice (I used the juice of the entire lemon). In a bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and chopped green onions.

Butter (I used olive oil) a 12x8 inch baking pan. Place fish in pan and pour the butter mixture over the fillets. Cook for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

(southernfood.about.com posted by Diana Rattray)

Spanish Chicken

Hello and thanks for checking out my cooking blog! If you have made some of the dishes that I posted, I hope that you have enjoyed them!

I am always looking for new recipes. I have learned to search or go through my recipes before I hit the store. Therefore I have all the ingredients I need for the week AND I have found that it helps my lower my grocery costs. Just have to stick to the list!

So I have tried several new recipes this week but my favorite by far is Spanish Chicken! I found the recipe on Cooks.com. Kevin told me that I can add it to the list of favorite dishes.

Spanish Chicken

3 to 4 lbs. of chicken (the recipe calls for it to be cut up but I just used whole boneless chicken breasts)
1/2 can beer (Kevin helped me pick out a dark beer)
6 oz. can tomato paste
Small jar of stuffed green olives
Salt, garlic salt, paprika, and pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt, garlic salt, paprika, and pepper. Put the chicken into a crockpot. Combine tomato paste and beer and pour over the chicken. Drain olives and pour over chicken. Cover crockpot with lid and cook 7 to 9 hours on low.  Serve over rice or noodles.

I choose to serve the chicken over egg noodles with spinach as a side. It was delicious!

Quiche!

I know it has been some time since I have posted a new recipe! I apologize! I have not been cooking and baking as much as I have wanted. I'm trying to get into my kitchen groove once again!

As the days are finally warming up, I wanted to try something really light for dinner. Tonight I made chicken salad, turkey and spinach quiche, and sliced tomatoes! Everything turned out supper yummy but the most amazing thing by far was the quiche. I received this recipe from a dear friend who works at Hallmark with me. She came over a couple of weeks ago and shared many of her favorite recipes with me. The quiche recipe was one of them! It is the BEST quiche i've ever had! You must try it!

3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 lb. grated medium cheese
Filling of choice (be as creative as you want to be)
Pie Crust

Pie Crust
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter chunked
1/2 teaspoon. salt
2 tablespoons cold water

Pie Crust
Cut butter into flour and salt until it forms crumbs. Add water and stir until dough forms. Put into a greased pie plate and press into the plate to form a crust.

Mix together eggs, milk and sour cream to pie crust
Layer
1/2 the meat
1/2 the cheese
All the egg mixture
1/2 the meat
1/2 the cheese
Bake 350 for 30+ minutes

Cook so the top is not runny and the eggs are cooked!

Enjoy!

Childhood Favorite!

Growing up, everyone in my family had favorite dishes that my Mother would make. My personal favorite was Capered Chicken! When Mom told me that she was making it, I felt like time slowed down while I waited!! I just could not wait until the table was set and we could finally eat! So here is my favorite Brown recipe!

3-6 pieces of chicken

3/4 cup of flour

pinch of salt and pepper

2 tsp olive oil

capers

milk

cream of mushroom soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Combine flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Pour 1 cup of milk in a bowl. Dip chicken in the milk and then into the flour mixture. Then brown the chicken on both sides.  While chicken is browning combine cream of mushroom soup and one can of milk. Place chicken in baking pan and cover with the cream of mushroom soup. Sprinkle capers to your liking on top. Cook uncovered in oven for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Personally for me the more the capers the better!! Super yummy with mashed potatoes or rice with the cream of mushroom on top! Enjoy

Strawberry Salad

It has been quite some time since I posted because of the holidays but I have no excuses why I can't now. I have been thinking of some of the favorite dishes that my immediate loves especially my sister Cody. Some of her favorites are dishes that my Grandmother makes: Strawberry Salad, Broccoli Casserole, and Keylime Pie. 

In this blog I wanted to share the recipe for the Strawberry Salad. My Aunt Carol gave the recipe to my Grandmother and she recently gave it to me. I would recommend this salad as an appetizer or served with grilled chicken for an entree.

Dressing:

1/2 cup vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp grated yellow onion on parmesan setting

1 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil 

1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, and salt either by shaking or whisking it together. Add grated yellow onion, oil, and poppy seeds. Shake all ingredients together.

* Keep refrigerated until needed because of the onions

Salad:

Small round brie 

1 pint of cut strawberries 

1/2 to 1 cup thick almond slices

Romaine lettuce

Cut brie into small bite size pieces. Sauteed almond slices in butter and sugar. Cut romaine lettuce. Mix all ingredients together and serve with dressing.

I hope that you enjoy this salad as much as my family has! 

Picate Chicken

I found this recipe in an ad for pace picate salsa recently. I thought my husband would love it because the recipe included salsa. I tried it tonight and the chicken turned out amazing! Super tender and just a hint of spice. I served it with a baked potato. The pairing was perfect! So for all of you who enjoy mexican food you have to try it!

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup pace picate salsa
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat vegetable oil in a pan over high heat and brown chicken on both sides. Remove chicken and lower heat to medium. Add garlic to pan and stir for about a minute. Next add orange juice, brown sugar, and salsa and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, place chicken back into pan, and cover. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes or until cooked all the way through.

Enjoy!