Jammy Thumbprint Cookies!

I looooooove the holidays! Since they are fast approaching I thought I might help you get a little bit of a head start on the holiday baking by sharing with you my Jammy Thumbprint Cookies. They are super easy (as are all my recipes) and ridiculously fun. If you really wanted to you could even get the kiddos involved and let them be your thumbprinters. All you need are 5 ingredients and a little time!

You'll need:

2/3 cups sugar

1 cup salted butter

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 a cup of jam

In a large bowl combine the sugar, butter and almond extract and beat it at medium speed until it's creamy. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. Reduced the speed to low and add the flour and beat that until it's well mixed, another 2-3 mintues. Cover the dough and chill it for about an hour at the very least.

After it's nice and chilled, take it out and with a tablespoon scoop out level spoons of dough and roll them into balls and place them about 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet. Since these cookies are mostly made of butter you won't need to grease the cookie sheet. They'll just slide right off! With your thumb make an indentation in the center of each cookie. The edges may crack slightly but just push them back together if you can't handle it and have to have perfect cookies. But they'll still taste just as good! Finally, fill in the center of the cookies with jam. I usually use a zip lock bag with the corner cut out like a piping bag. 

Bake these for 14-18 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Let them stand one minute and remove them from the cookie sheet. Cool them completely as the jam will be like molten lava and burn the roof of your mouth, trust me I've been there. 

This batch made about 35 but depending on your spoonful it may vary. If you'd like a softer cookie then you might try the Mexican wedding cookie with or without the nuts. This cookie is a little bit more firm and not as crumbly. Enjoy and as always...

Happy Eating!

Hunters Chops!

My husband came home yesterday to find me working hard on a Hello Kitty coloring book and this posed the question, 'Will there be dinner tonight?' Thinking about something that would make him forgive me for slacking I decided on these delicious pork chops that are easy but require a little more attention than I'm used to. So, I got to work chopping and prepping to help the process run as smoothly as possible and before I knew it I was done. I hope you enjoy this one, it's one of my favorites!

You'll need:

4 boneless porkchops (about a pound)
1 1/2 cups sliced bell peppers (red and green)
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1 14 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning (divided)
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
2 tsp chopped garlic


In a small bowl mix the salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp of the Italian seasoning. Scatter and rub this on both sides of the chops. Coat a large nonstick skillet, preferably with a lid, with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the chops and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they're browned. Removed to a plate and cover to keep them warm. I usually just stuff them in the microwave until I'm ready for them.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the bell peppers and onions to the pan. Cover and let them cook for about 5 minutes until they're almost soft.

Then dump in the mushrooms and garlic and let that cook for about 1 minute. After that, add the tomatoes (with juice) and the remaining 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning and return the chops, and any juice they may have made while sitting, to the skillet and cover with the vegetable mixture.

At this point you'll need to turn the heat to low and let them simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 160 degrees.

Take them out, and serve them with the vegetables and enjoy! These go great with crescents or biscuits. Hope you like enjoy them and as always...







Happy Eating!

One Arm Lemon-Rosemary Chicken!

Hey there folks! So, today I was thinking, what is something savory and amazing I can make with little or no time? The hubby was due home in an hour so I started to defrost some chicken and headed outside in my fuzzy lounge pants and slippers to our herb "garden" (it's mostly just a patch of over grown plants) on the prowl for some rosemary. I guess it's pretty cold here in Indiana because all I found were probably the last 2 dried up bushes of the season. I got as much as I could off of them and headed back inside. I found a lemon that had been rolling around my crisper for about 3 weeks and decided that this would be dinner. So, after he got home and went upstairs to get changed, I got to work. Since I don't like to wash my hands 9,000 times because I have sensitive mitts and they dry out easily I made this with one arm and one hand. Using one hand to work with the chicken and the other to handle the ingredients. Challenging, yes, but it's possible if you have everything ready and opened before you start and are willing to work with your left hand. So here we go!


You'll need:

3 chicken breasts (as always I use boneless skinless)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup rosemary sprigs
1/4 cup onion
1 lemon sliced 1/2 inch thick or about 7 slices

Preheat the oven to 375 and in a covered 8x8 casserole dish place the chicken breast side down so that it's not overlapping. Pour 2 Tbsp of olive oil over the chicken as evenly as possible. Next, sprinkle 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper over one side of the chicken. Rub this in so it's well seasoned and then flip the little guys over and repeat with the remaining 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp garlic and rub it in good. After that, toss the 1/4 cup of onions on top. Finally, place the sprigs of rosemary on the chicken and cover with the lemon slices. Try to get as much of the rosemary and lemon on the chicken. Cover it and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until it reaches the internal temp of 165, or the liquid runs clear.

Take it out and you can either serve it with the lemon and rosemary on it or take it off, but don't eat the lemon or rosemary -- it's only there for flavor. We served it up with broccoli and cheese but it goes great with any side. May your flavors be bright and your chicken juicy and as always...












Happy Eating!

Black Salmon and Warm Corn Salad!

I had to take a few days off to go out of town and see my new in-laws and for my recently acquired grandfather in-laws birthday. So I've been gone for a little bit to say the least. But I'm back and better than ever! So I decided to tackle something that takes a little more effort on my part! While I will admit I was feeling just a little lazy when decided on this dish the warm corn salad took some time. So here it is, blackened honey-lime glazed salmon and warm corn salad.

For the salmon you'll need:

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 8 oz. salmon fillets
1 large lime (a little on the older side and you'll get more juice)
4 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

For the warm corn salad:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can sweet yellow corn (loosely drained)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup bell pepper

10 grape tomatoes
Splash of chicken broth

For the glaze:

In a bowl, mix the lime juice, honey, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until the honey is fully dissolved and place the fillets in a shallow dish and pour the lime mixture over it. Let it sit there and marinate a little be sure to baste the fillets or redistribute the lime honey mixture to give it a good coating. Set those aside to marinate a little and we'll start on the corn salad.

For the warm corn salad:

In a skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic, onion, bell pepper and grape tomatoes. Really let them get good and acquainted and stir occasionally until onions are almost about to turn brown and maybe a little brown around the edges. Next, add the can of corn and be sure to drain it fairly well. Let this sit for a few minutes and stir occasionally until corn is wilted.

Once that is done, set it on low and add a splash of chicken broth if it gets too dry. Now, this should not be soupy or runny, but you don't want it bone dry. I had to add about 1-2 Tbsp chicken broth to keep mine from drying out.

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-medium high heat, this depends on how black you want your salmon to be. My hubby likes his dark so we did ours on medium high. About 4-6 minutes on each side depending on the size of your fillets.

Once they're done, turn off the heat and serve with the corn salad or on top of it. The sweetness of the corn will really add to the bitter lime and honey. Don't worry about leftovers because there won't be any! And as always...



Happy Eating!

Out for the weekend!

I'm off for the weekend sorry everyone!

Always,

Food Junkie

Lazy Chicken Glazey

I've been feeling really lazy these past couple of days so today when my husband came home from work he found chicken defrosting in the sink and me sitting on my butt. I wasn't feeling up to the task of cooking much of anything so when he asked what the chicken was for I just replied, what kind of glaze do you want? Honey apricot or BBQ apricot? He picked the BBQ apricot. This is something my mom used to throw together when she made pork chops and it's delicious on pretty much anything from bone-in pork chops to salmon. So here it is, Lazy Chicken Glazey.

You'll need:

1 cup BBQ sauce
2/3 cup apricot preserves
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
3 chicken breasts

In a saucepan combine the BBQ sauce, apricot preserves and sesame seeds. Mix it well and take out about 1/4 of a cup and brush it on the chicken. Cook the chicken at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. Heat the remaining sauce over low heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes before the chicken is done. This allows the preserves to adequately break down and sweeten the BBQ sauce.
A good way to get great flavor out of your chicken is to slather it with a little olive oil and season it with just salt and pepper before it goes in the oven.

In addition to using only boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I also use Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. It's sweet and tangy and compliments the preserves well. If you're going to get a BBQ sauce for cooking or just to dip your fries in this is the best.

After the chicken is done take it out and let it sit for about a minute or two and serve. Use the remaining sauce in the saucepan to pour over the chicken. We served it up with mashed potatoes and baked beans.












Happy Eating!

Mama's Beef Stew!

When I was 18 I lived in the big ol' city of Midland, TX but my fun and fancy free lifestyle sometimes took a toll on my pocketbook. Thus, leaving me no choice in the food department. It was either ramen noodles or very cheap take out from the Chinese take out place down the road. Then I remembered I had a secret weapon my Mama's beef stew. I remember sitting there and watching her throw it together and do almost nothing to get it together. So, I started making it for myself and my best friend Christina and it would feed us for a few days. I do have to warn you, there is no actual written down recipe so I'll give this my best shot. I've only ever shared the recipe with her and my husband so you should feel special. No,  really, you should. ;)

You'll need:

3 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 tsp garlic

1 large whole yellow or white onion. 

3 lbs lean stew meat

1 lb baby carrots

4-5 large to medium russet potatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes

2 stalks of celery sliced or diced (your choice)

2-3 ears of corn broken in half (frozen will work)

1 10 oz can of Campbells beef broth

8 cups of water

In a large stew pot heat the oil and add the stew meat to the hot oil along with the garlic, salt and pepper and after it's all browned up and ready to go add 6 cups of water, the beef broth, onion, celery, tomato sauce and stewed tomatoes. Let it boil on high heat for 45 mintues. After it's got a good rolling boil going add the corn and let it simmer for an hour. 

After the hour is up drop in the carrots and in the meantime, peel and dice your potatoes according to your preference just don't drop them in whole. Also, a good alternative for the russet potatoes are the small red potatoes, you don't have to cut them up just drop them in. After they are all peeled and diced drop them in and let them boil for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are done. 

This is not a very thick stew, in fact, it's almost like what Rachel Ray calls a stoup, the broth is almost soup like. If you'd like to thicken it up you can add a little corn starch or flour to get the broth a little thicker. Just a little tablespoon (or less) of either or else you will end up with a gluey, stewy mess. 

A great way to enhance the stew is to add cornbread or sop it up with a biscuit!

Happy Eating!

Guest Post: Hubby's No-Bake Cookies

Greetings, everyone!  The wife and I are celebrating our one-month anniversary this weekend, and in honor of the event I volunteereed to write today's post.  She and I both love dessert, but after cooking a full meal we usually either forget or are out of time and energy.  These are very easy to make, use one pot, need zero oven time and can cool while you're eating dinner.  Here's what you need:

2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa (I use unsweetened)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups oatmeal (original, not quick-cook or instant)
Wax or parchment paper

Get a saucepan (3 quart will be large enough) mix the sugar, cocoa and milk.  Add the butter and heat to a boil.  Stir the butter in as it melts and frequently scrape the bottom so nothing scorches.  Let it boil for 60 seconds and then turn off the heat.

Add the vanilla, oatmeal and peanut butter.  Use a spatula to stir all the ingredients together; the residual heat will soften the peanut butter and make it easy to mix.


On a countertop or table, lay out 2-3 feet of your wax or parchment paper.  Get a cereal spoon and take a big, oversized swipe out of the pot.  Drop the "dough" on the wax paper in a contained pile.


These are not pretty or perfectly round cookies, so don't worry about roundness or evenness.  Continuing placing cookies on the sheet until you run out.  I made 20 cookies this round, but might make 18 or 22 next time depending on my scoop.

Now throw your utensils in the pot and let them soak in hot soapy water while you let the cookies cool and eat dinner.  Come back in 20 minutes and they'll be cool and firm but not hard or crunchy.  These will go quickly so make sure to get some before they're all gone!

Traveless Teriyaki Chicken!

You don't have to travel anywhere but your own kitchen to get this tasty chicken dish! It's so easy and the ingredients are probably in your pantry right now. Go on, check. You know you want to...

You will need:

1 cup Lite soy sauce
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup White wine
zest of 1 orange
1 tsp Grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Minced garlic
4 Chicken breasts

Materials you will need:

8x8 baking dish
Spatula
Sauce pan


Line a small bowl or canister with a gallon sized plastic ziploc bag and add the first 6 ingredients. Carefully zip the top of the bag and mix the marinade mixture well until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Next, add the thawed chicken breasts. Again, I use the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and they work great. Finally refrigerate and let it marinate until you're ready for dinner.

Once dinner rolls around you have 2 choices, depending on your personal preference, you can either preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the chicken in a nonstick 8x8 baking dish for 45 minutes or until it reaches the internal temperture of 165 degrees. Or you can cook the chicken for 10 minutes per side in a pan with vegetable oil over high heat on your stove top until it reaches the aformentioned internal temperture. Take the chicken out and SAVE THE MARINADE and put it in a sauce pan and boil for 5 minutes.

When you're ready to serve dinner, spoon on the boiled marinade over the chicken. You can serve it over rice or just by itself. We chose to serve it over rice with broccoli and cheese and it was fantastic!

Happy Eating!

No Crash Wedding Cookies!

Finally, a wedding cookie that you don't have to crash a wedding to get your hands on. I have fond memories of going to weddings and constantly going back to the snack table to pinch more and more of these delicious, little powdered sugar coated morsels. Sadly, I didn't have these at my wedding but now I get to savor the finished product. And since the husband and I are still eating our 4 cheese 5 layer lasagne I decided we needed something sweet. So, without further ado my No Crash Wedding Cookies!

You will need:

2 1/4 cups All purpose flour
1 cup softened butter (not melted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cups of pecans finely chopped
1 cup confectioners sugar (divided)

Materials you will need:

1 Tablespoon
1 Large bowl
1 Small bowl
2 Hands
Plastic wrap

In a large bowl combine the flour, butter, extract, nuts and 1/2 a cup of the confectioners sugar. Knead until all the ingredients are well incorporated and forms a ball. The bowl shouldn't have any remnants on the bottom and the ball should not be crumbly. Wrap the dough ball in cling wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty! This is an excellent cookie to get the kids involved in and give them a hands on cookie experience.



Using a tablespoon, spoon off level tablespoons and form into balls. Place one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes until balls are slightly golden but not brown.

Take them off the cookie sheet and place on a rack until they are completely cool. In a small bowl roll the cookies in the remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar.  Keep in a covered and dry place and enjoy!


Happy Eating! 

Day Off!

I took a day off yesterday to deal with a dental issue. But, I'm back today and ready to cook! Check back later and see what tasty treat I post today!

Always,
Food Junkie

Four Cheese Five Layer Lasagne!

Well we finished the tortilla soup and it was just as great as the first day we made it. So, today I'm going to mix it up and make a lasagne that is sure to tickle your taste buds and keep you fed for a few days. Now, this recipe calls for quite a few spices and a lot of different kinds of cheese which makes it a little bit pricey but definitely worth it in the end. How can you say no to 4 cheeses?

You will need:

1 lb. cooked and drained ground beef

2 cups spaghetti sauce

1- 15 oz can diced stewed or diced tomatoes

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Egg

1 cup 

1 cup cottage cheese

1 cup Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup ricotta cheese

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

12 lasagna noodles

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)

Other items you will need:

10-12 inch skillet

1 medium mixing bowl

1 large mixing bowl

1 9x13 baking dish

Cooking spray

It helps to have the noodles boiled and the ground beef cooked before hand so you can just dump everything in. I use ground chuck for the ground beef and Ragu chunky style spaghetti sauce. The onion, tomato and garlic is the best. And for the stewed tomatoes I use Italian style to pack in a little extra flavor. 

The next steps are simple! Preheat the oven to 375 and in a large mixing bowl add the ground beef, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, basil and sugar and stir until incorporated. In a separate medium sized bowl combine the egg, cottage cheese, Parmesan, ricotta, salt and pepper and stir until incorporated. 

Next, coat the baking dish with non-stick spray and layer the mixtures in the following order: 1 1/2 cups sauce mix, lasagna noodles, 1 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture and sprinkle 1/2 cup of mozzarella on top of freshly spread cheese mixture, add lasagna noodles and repeat in that order. You should end with the sauce and have 3 layers of sauce and 2 layers of cheese. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top of the finished lasagne. 

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes, take the lasagne out and carefully remove the foil and bake again for 15 more minutes until the cheese on top melts. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes before serving. A small salad and garlic bread really complete the dish or just enjoy it by itself. 

Happy Eating!

Fruit Dip Phenomenon!

Since the hubby and I will be eating tortilla soup again tonight I decided we needed something sweet to take away from the monotony of leftovers. I promise it's yummy, super easy and you can dip any kind of fruit but let me warn you, you may eat the whole thing in one sitting. ;)

So you'll need:

1 8 oz. tub of honey nut cream cheese        
1 7 oz. jar of marshmallow cream

Materials you will need:

1 medium sized bowl
1 spatula
1 whisk (optional)

Add one can of marshmallow cream to the medium sized bowl and then add the cream cheese. The beauty of this dip is you can use any sweet cream cheese of your choice. Strawberry cream cheese is equally as delicious but I love honey nut cream cheese and, until I moved to Indiana, was extremely hard to find. Now that we've been reunited I have it on my bagel every morning.

Mix the marshmallow cream and cream cheese until smooth. I use the spatula to incorporate the two and then a whisk to get the lumps out and make it smooth.

There are nuts in the honey nut cream cheese and would advise anyone with an allergy to them to use strawberry or pineapple cream cheese or even regular if you're feeling frisky. If you do use regular cream cheese it's not as sweet but still good.

Cover and refrigerate for no longer than 4 days but that shouldn't be a problem as it won't last that long.


Happy Eating!

Chicken Tortilla Soup For The Soul!

Finally, a chicken tortilla soup that will fill you up with plenty more to go around! Chances are you have a lot of these things in your pantry so it shouldn't break the bank either. Now, I usually keep chopped up onions in my fridge but be warned, if you don't use them often they will get...weird. So use 'em up I'd say within 7-10 days or ship 'em out. Also, our squash seemed a bit squished when I went to cut it up so this pot of soup is squashless. You can also add adobo peppers for a kick but the hubby and I are spice wimps so we skipped that. Ready? Here we go!

On the menu tonight is chicken tortilla soup a delicious, thick and quick soup that will fill up even the hungriest of husbands or wives. You'll need:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. chicken (I use boneless skinless chicken breasts)

1 tsp. chicken or poultry seasoning

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

3 cloves of garlic

1 cup yellow onion

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 red bell pepper

3 cups chicken stock

1 28 oz can stewed tomates with juices (diced or sliced is your choice) 

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 14 oz can black beans, drained

1 14 oz can sweet yellow corn, drained

1 cup Mexican blend cheese 

Your favorite tortilla chips to crumble in the soup

*Extras* You can add these if you want to but I won't force you.

Raw red onion

Sour cream

Avacado slices

Cilantro or parsley

The fate of this bell pepper is in the hands of a J.A. Henckels knife, part of a set we got as a wedding present. They are great knives so far and are very durable. The green cutting mat is from Crate and Barrel and comes in 3 different colors. One for meat, poultry and veggies. There are no residual cut marks and it folds and bends to easily add ingredients.

I always add the spices to the same prep bowl if they're going in at the same time. This saves both time and energy on your part so you don't have to wash 9 different prep bowls. The prep bowls were from Williams-Sonoma and were a great find at a low price! 

Dice the bell peppers into one inch pieces and chop onions into desired size. Slice zucchini and squash cutting the slices in half towards the bigger end and combine in a bowl with the bell pepper and onion. In a small prep bowl add the salt, pepper, cumin and chicken or poultry seasoning together. Finally, dice the chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces. 

Add olive oil to a soup pot and when the oil is hot add the chicken, you will need to stand back for this as the chicken does pop and sizzle. 

Next, add the salt, pepper, cumin and chicken or poultry seasoning and stir chicken around allowing it to cook on all sides about 4-6 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. 

Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers, squash and zucchini next and allow this to cook with the chicken about 7-8 minutes. The chicken should have made it's own juices and should not be dry at this point.  

Finally, add the chicken stock, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn and black beans to the pot allowing the bell peppers, squash and zucchini to get soft. This can take anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
The spatula in the pot is a Michael Graves spatula and I love it because it's all one piece which means the head will never separate from the handle and get moldy or mildewy.

After the soup is done serve it up with all or a few of your extra's. We actually ran out of the Mexican cheese blend and opted for the cheddar. I definitely recommend the Mexican blend but the cheddar is just a tasty. 

Happy Eating!

First food blog!

As someone who just got married I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the gifts, unpacking and organizing that at this moment seem pretty much endless. But at the end of the day the only thing that matters is my new husband and getting him fed and out the door in the morning and having a good dinner ready for him at night.

I have never been to culinary school but I do know my way around a kitchen. I'm not a pro and do not claim to be so if something doesn't come out like it's supposed to, well, then I can't be held responsible. But I wanted to start this blog for everyone from newlyweds, seasoned pro's, Mom's and Johns working or not to just the average Jane who needs to throw together a quick fix or a big meal to feed big appetites.

On the menu this week is:

Tortilla Soup- that should last you at least 2 days depending on how many mouths to feed. But for me and my husband it usually takes us 2 days to finish it.

4 Cheese Lasagna- which should feed for 3 days and maybe a little extra to freeze! :)

Teriyaki Chicken- which will only feed us for 1 day but you can double this recipe and it will be good to go for 6 instead of 3.

Beef Stew- This is my mama's recipe and can feed 3 people for 2-3 days. I only share it with a few people. :O

My husband and I have no problem eating leftovers but even we get tired of them. So we may cook different meals during the week. Keep checking back to see what we're making for the day.

This is all I have for now come back tonight for the play by play of the tortilla soup. I hope I'll be able to walk you through a few successful meals to make your dining experience a little less complicated and full of a lot more flavor.

Happy Eating!